𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨|𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺

𝟶𝟹𝟶. 𝙱𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 {𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕}

Ellie sat outside of the hotel on the curb. She sat with the rest of the residents as Jackson walked over and sat next to her. Ellie knew that it didn't go well, it didn't go well at all. All that she could think over was just what had happened and how it was a complete and utter mess

"That was hell. Actual physical hell." Meredith said

"I think I went a tad overboard." Cristina said

"A lot overboard." Cassie said as she ran a hand through her hair

"They took something from me." Meredith said

"Yeah, that wasn't an exam. That was an interrogation." Jackson said

"Like, way ... way overboard." Ellie said

"The mind games." Meredith said

"Trick questions." April said

"It felt like Al Qaeda in there." Jackson said as they all sat there

"Next test is june." Meredith said

"June's not bad." Ellie said

"2013."

"Oh."

"What's done is done.Let's just not even talk about it anymore." Jackson said. Ellie glanced to him.

"Anyone know how Alex did?" Cassie asked

"Anyone know if Alex made it?" Ellie asked. She knew how he had gone back to the hospital to be with a patient, his interns baby

"Made it?" Meredith asked

"What do you mean, made it?" Cristina asked. April went all red at the mention of him which Ellie noticed

•••
SIX HOURS EARLIER

Ellie sat in the room. She was trying to clear her head from just what had happened

"Welcome to the American Medical Board of Surgery Certifying Examination. We'll give you four separate scenarios in 3 30-minute sessions, 10-minute breaks in between. To pass the test, you must pass two of the three sessions. Now you can fail a session and still pass.But examiners are not permitted to indicate whether you passed or failed each session. You'll be rated on your ability to diagnose, manage treatment, handle the unexpected ... Basically, the strength of your constitution in crisis. And when we move on to the, uh, next scenario, th-there's no doubling back, meaning, once a question is asked ... You can't go back"

"Understood" Ellie said. She played with a necklace around her wrist that mark had given her when she got into medical school

"So then, a 65-year-old woman is being seen by her primary care physician for a workup of osteoporosis when she is found to have elevated calcium.Her P. T. H. level was well above normal. Her doctor sends her to you." The examiner said

"Elevated calcium and P. T. H. would indicate primary hyperparathyroidism. I would offer the patient a para ... thyroidectomy.And first I would explore the right side.
If that gland is large ... I would biopsy it. Next, I would resect it and explore the other glands"