scrub caps | grey's anatomy

xxix. get your head out the gutter!

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"John Driscoll."

Still grinning like she did that very morning, Aliya swivelled around in her chair as Derek began speaking into the hand held voice recorder whilst the two of them sat watching John in the MRI machine, waiting for the scans to load up.

"White male, 63. Alzheimer's diagnosed eight months ago."

Derek caught Aliya out of the corner of his eye and he genuinely felt as if he was babysitting an excitable toddler.

She had two small clips in her brown hair, pinning up the two front portions to keep the strands out of her eyes, though still one small wave fell around her face, resting by the line of her jaw. Her whole body was hunched forward, her elbows leaning on the desk in front of her as she watched John's scan intently, marvelling at all the excitement.

The trial really did feel like a thing that was never going to come around. They had been working their asses off for months on outlines, developing the drug, writing and rewriting, editing and reediting.

Aliya had thrown herself fully into the trail that it felt like she was branded with it, or it physically lived with in her now, just as much as blood and oxygen did.

"Patient number one of the Alzheimer's NGF Clinical Trial."

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Aliya breathed through her mask and flicked open the notebook, pulling the lid off of the permanent marker and writing 'THIS PATIENT IS AWAKE' in careful capital letters onto the paper. She turned around, holding it up to Derek who had just finished scrubbing in. "Now this is a relic. When we're done, we're going to have to frame it." She mused whilst he chuckled, a Nurse tying up his gown.

After successfully sticking the sign to the door and scrubbing in, Aliya returned to Derek's side. "Okay, you're going to hear a drilling sound." Derek notified, testing the power drill and preparing to drill two burr holes into John's scull.

"Are you doing okay, Mr. Driscoll?" Aliya asked as Derek finished with the first hole.

"Yes. I'm okay."

Aliya smiled and nodded, even though John couldn't physically see her. "You're doing great."

Derek looked across to her, placing the drill onto the table after finishing the second one. "All right, envelope, please."

The scrub nurse approached the pair, large brown envelope in her hand. She opened it, handing the syringe to Derek and handing the paper with whether Mr. Driscoll had been allocated the placebo or the actual drug to Aliya.

She opened it, revealing that Mr. Driscoll had been allocated the placebo. She looked up at Derek, who nodded his head solemnly and turned with the saline solution in his hand. "Okay, John, we're going to insert the probe now."

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"Lucky patient number two, Daniel Cobb is now admitted and in a room down the hall. I have a good feeling he's going to get it." Aliya enthused, given the disappointment from the placebo on the first patient, Aliya had a good feeling about Daniel. He was going to get the drug. So, she didn't let herself feel disappointed anymore. She was going to be optimistic. "His wife has some questions she wants to ask you, specifically you."