Everything Has Changed ❤️ (continued)

189

I walk into the lobby with the kids, and I see all the residents gathered around with Meredith.

Cathy: auntie Mer!

Cathy and Shawn run over to Mer and give her a hug.

Meredith: hi! What're you guys doing here?

Savannah: Carly is in Texas for her mother's funeral, so they are going to daycare. Jayden is picking up the other three later. Andrea, gather up all the residents, rounds start in 15 minutes. Nat.

Natalie leans towards me.

Savannah: save me some cake.

Natalie: already did.

Savannah: this is why I love you.

Cathy: save me cake, sissy!

Shawn: me too!

I chuckle at my children as they rush off to daycare.

Natalie: they are getting sassier every day.

Savannah: I know. They're just like you when you were their age. I don't know where you guys got it from.

Andrew and Meredith turn to us.

Meredith: yeah, no clue.

~~~~~

Meredith and I walk into the patient's room where the residents were waiting.

Meredith: good morning.

I take the tablet Andrew held out for me.

Savannah: Dr. DeLuca, present, please.

Andrew: Jamie Caldwell– 13.

Meredith: Jamie. I know Jamie. I took out your gallbladder two years ago. How are we doing?

Jamie: Zachary just commented on Tessa's photo with a heart emoji. When I'm dying.

Mrs. Caldwell: you're not dying. She's not dying. Right?

Andrew: Jamie presents with a palpable 3 by centimeter mass in between her ribs on her right side, which—

Jamie: hurts like hell.

Andrew: yeah.

Mrs. Caldwell: language.

Jamie: can you cut this thing before Tessa's bat mitzvah? Zachary Schultz isn't gonna dance with a hunchback.

I notice someone walk into the room.

Cormac: who's presenting?

I look up at the new head of Peds, Dr. Cormac Hayes.

Cormac: there a problem?

Andrew: w-we already started.

Meredith: hi. Who are you?

I let out a small chuckle.

Savannah: right, you haven't met yet. Meredith, this is Dr. Cormac Hayes, our new head of Peds surgery. Dr. Hayes, this is Dr. Meredith Grey, our head of general surgery.

Meredith leans into me.

Meredith: since when?

Cormac: since this morning. For the future, let's not round on my patients when I'm not here. Start again.

I nod at Andrew to start over.

Andrew: Jamie Caldwell, 13, presents with persistent back pain...

~~~~~