Stole My Heart ❤️ {a Jackson Avery Love Story} (continued)

Chapter 200:

I started my day with Jackson arguing with Meredith over Diane's case. Maggie had asked her to join the case with Jackson and I and it's been a bit tough.

Anyways, we're in Diane's room talking with her and Maggie.

Maggie: I thought you said you and Dr. Cohen had clean margins in the mastectomy.
Delilah: we did.
Jackson: but then, a spot showed up on the latest scans alongside the chest wall here.
Maggie: so you didn't.
Delilah: it could be nothing Mags.
Maggie: or it could be leftover cells that weren't taken out and kept growing.
Mrs. Pierce: Maggie!
Maggie: I'm sorry. I– keep going.
Meredith: we don't know what it is, really, until we get in there.
Riggs: yeah, I'll do a wide local excision, explore the area, remove anything I find. We may need to do a muscle flap just to cover the defect, but simple.
Maggie: tomorrow.
Jackson: no, we're thinking next week.
Maggie: no, it has to be tomorrow, the next day at the latest.
Meredith: we should let her get stronger first.
Maggie: she is strong. And we don't want it to spread past what it already has.
Delilah: of course we don't Maggie. But it's a big surgery, so—
Mrs. Pierce: yeah, I can handle it. I'm fine. I want the next surgery as soon as you can do it.

-time skip-

We wheel Diane into surgery and my heart was pounding out of my chest.

Jackson: everything's gonna be okay.
Delilah: I know.

-time skip-

Mer told us that Diane was having stomach problems so we did some scans and we paged Bailey and Richard to look at them with us. My heart broke when I saw the scans.

Bailey: damn it.
Jackson: Richard?
Webber: what are you gonna say?

Mer looks over at me and I nod at her. I walk with her to Diane's room to break the news.

Maggie: you're sure it's a met?
Meredith: it's right where the bike drains from your liver, so that would explain your pain.
Mrs. Pierce: you're saying I have another tumor?
Delilah: no Mrs. Pierce. What she's saying is that cells from the original tumor have travelled and grown in another place.
Mrs. Pierce: in my liver?
M&D: yes.
Maggie: maybe.
Meredith: so, I know this is a lot to take in. So why don't the two of you, um, take the night, and we can meet again in the morning and discuss it further, okay?
Maggie: we're here now.
Meredith: but I just meant that...
Maggie: can you remove it laparoscopically?
Meredith: what?
Maggie: well, that would be better than an open procedure at this point, right? Then we wouldn't have to stop her chemo regimen, unless you have a different surgical plan.
Meredith: would you like to discuss this outside?
Maggie: no. No. We're discussing my mother's treatment. We can discuss it with her.
Meredith: okay. Diane, typically with aggressive cancers...

We continue to discuss the surgery.

-time skip-

Jackson and I walk into a conference room to see Maggie talking to Bailey and Webber.

Maggie: I found something that– it is called the BXP protocol, and it started at Gillman.

I sit in between Bailey and Jackson as Maggie keeps talking.

Maggie: they are experimenting with humanized antibodies from late-stage cancer immunotherapy.
Webber: a clinical trial.
Jackson: and it's successful?
Maggie: the trial's next phase was rushed into approval due to favourable outcomes.
Bailey: and your mom meets the criteria?
Maggie: once we remove the met that's obstructing her bile duct, her liver enzymes will go down, and she's in.
Delilah: Meredith doesn't feel that the surgery is wise.
Maggie: Meredith is no longer on the case. And now that I know about this trial, there is even more reason to do the surgery. And I'd like one of you to do it.