CODING ━ grey's anatomy

chapter twenty one

Cassie caught Burke's eye from behind the two, and she gave him a pleading look, knowing who the heart was for. Burke held their eye contact for a long moment, before looking back to Cristina.

"You didn't get assigned any gunshot cases?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah, but if you had put me on this when I asked, I would've been free."

"I didn't. I'm not doing anything."

"No, he's on the gynie squad!"

"Not if you put me on this transplant. Please."

"I need to be there, Dr. Burke," Cassie said in a tone that caused the three to turn their attention to her. "I'm Denny's family, I know that, but there's no reason why I can't go to get the heart. Please, I need to be there."

Burke slowly nodded. "Let's go, Cassie, Karev."

Cristina groaned and threw her arms. "You can't be serious!"

Alex cheered as he stepped onto the helicopter, but stopped when he realized something. "Wait, this is for that heart patient dude?"

"No," Cassie shook her head, smiling hopefully at Burke. "This is for Denny."

☆

"Two brothers tried to pass a semi on a double yellow and came out on the losing end of a head-on. Both are a match for your guy," the doctor told them when they arrived at Mercy West.

"So we get our pick," Alex stated.

"It doesn't work like that," Burke disagreed.

"UNOS has already assigned who gets which donor," Cassie informed him.

Alex looked around. "So who's retrieving the other heart?"

"Took you long enough, Preston," a blonde woman named Erica Hahn said as she approached the three. "Why are junior 1 and 2 here? Did your ego get too big for one man to carry?"

Burke smiled condescendingly. "Dr. Hahn here graduated second in our class at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Karev, Dr. Harper, ask her who graduated first."

Erica rolled her eyes. "God."

☆

The machines in the donor's room began to go off, causing the trio to rush into the room. "What the hell happened to my donor?" Burke questioned.

"He went into v-fib," the doctor said.

"I can see that," Burke rolled his eyes. "Give me the paddles. Karev, take over compressions! You gave epi?"

The doctor nodded. "Three rounds and shocked him twice."

"I'm going to hit him again at 360."

Cassie watched anxiously, already starting to have the feeling.

"He's asystolic," she shouted.

"I don't get it. I mean, if the guy's already dead..." Alex trailed off.

Burke looked at the intern. "And now his heart has joined the rest of him."