Try-Grey's Anatomy Book 7

Chapter Thirteen

"Doctors practise deception all the time. We give vague answers to hard questions. We don't talk about post-op pain. We say, "you'll experience some discomfort". If you didn't die, we tell you, "the surgery went well". But the placebo has to be the doctor's greatest deception. Half of our patients, we tell the truth. The other half, we pray that the placebo effect's real. And we tell ourselves that they'll feel better anyhow, believing help's on the way, when, in fact, we're leaving them to die. Doctors practise deception every day on our patients, on their families. But the worst deception we practise is on ourselves. Which is why sometimes, it takes us a while to realise that the truth has been in front of us the whole time" 

"just for a moment, can we pretend that nothing's changed at all?"

"You're pregnant?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Callie nodded solemnly.

"With Mark's baby?"

"Yeah"

"And Mark knows and Arizona knows but Kelly doesn't?"

"Yeah"

"Holy shit"

Callie, Mark and Lucy entered the hospital together. "So, what did Arizona say?" Lucy asked. "Well, she said she's in", Callie replied. "That's good, right?" Mark said.

"I'm still hedging my bets. I'm not gonna move back in with her until I know for sure she's not gonna bail again"

Kelly approached them. "Hey, you got dinner plans tonight?" she asked Mark. "No", he replied.

"I'm cooking for you tonight. Your place. I make a mean chicken parm"

He smiled as she kissed him. She walked off. He turned back to Lucy and Callie, making a concerned face. "When are you gonna tell her?" Lucy said. "Not until after my home-cooked meal", he said.

"I would ask for the leftovers but I have a feeling they're gonna be all over your face"

"Think she's gonna take it that badly?"

"Did you not remember Little Sloan? She hated her"

"That's different. She was a pregnant teenager"

"Whose baby you offered to raise without telling her"

"Yeah, I'm gonna be wearing chicken parm tonight"

"Mark, you do not have to do this", Callie said. "I'm giving you a Get Out of Jail Free card. No hard feelings. You can be the cool uncle that hangs out on Sundays"

"I'm not the cool uncle. I'm the dad"

"You love Kelly, and the last time a Sloan kid appeared in Seattle she dumped you. Now if you were the cool uncle..."

"I'm not the cool uncle! Don't ever say that again!"

"Ok!"

"This is my kid. I want this kid. Cool uncle..."

"So, tell her", Lucy said. "Do not wait until this kid comes out looking all Sloan-y"

Teddy, Jackson, Beck and Cristina entered their patient Martha's room. "Martha Elkin...", Cristina began. "Actually, I'd like Jacobs to present", Teddy interrupted. "Martha Elkin, 75, multivessel coronary disease confirmed by angiography", Beck presented. "Here this morning for an off-pump CABG".

"Thank you, Dr Jacobs"

"That's just doctor speak for a quadruple bypass", Jackson explained. "Thank you", Martha said. "Pre-op labs and X-rays were normal", Cristina continued. "Ok, you're ready to roll, Martha", Teddy said. "My husband went down for some coffee", Martha said. "He wanted to know how long I'd be asleep after the procedure". "Well, Martha, it's hard to tell,'' Jackson said. "Every patient reacts differently, but we'll keep him posted". "Most patients wake within 90 minutes", Cristina said. "Oh, that's helpful, dear", Martha smiled. "He'll be glad to know that. We're both so nervous".