Helena stared at a the CT in front of her, nervously fidgeting as she sighed. She was so deep in her thoughts that she barely noticed Arizona entering the room, only turning to look at her as she spoke up.
"Lena, you paged?" She asked.
"Oh, hi, yes!" The brunette jumped slightly, showing her superior the scans. "These are Alice Turner's scans, a six year old girl with polycystic kidney disease. She was diagnosed at birth and has had three laparoscopic cyst removal surgeries, the first one when she was three, all of which I scrubbed in on."
"Alright." Arizona nodded, moving to stare at the scans. "Oh, that's a big one."
"I know... she came in today complaining of pain and vomiting. She's already on dialysis four times a week here at the hospital, I was thinking we might need to remove that cyst, am I right?" The resident sighed, pointing to the largest one.
"Yes, we do. Ideally, we'd get her new kidneys, I mean, you said she's on dialysis four times a week?" The attending asked, Helena nodding.
"Yes, she's already on the transplant list. Though with this new removal... the faster we could get her new ones the better, right? Because these continuous surgeries just put strain on the organs, just damage them more..."
"Absolutely. For now, we should operate. Let's go tell the parents." Arizona agreed, the two women walking out of the room and walking to Alice's.
"So, you know a lot about this patient..." The attending teased, Helena smiling.
"Well, yeah. I've been with little Alice since my intern year, she's adorable. She's so curious, always asking about what we're doing, she even likes to be the one to explain her condition." The resident smiled as she talked. "Her last cyst removal was one of my first solo surgeries, actually. It was a much less delicate cyst, however. Her parents are great too, lovely people."
Watching the younger girl talk about the patient, Arizona smiled fondly, the two of them soon walking into the little girl's room.
"Good morning." Helena smiled as they entered.
"Dr. Lee!" The small girl let out, excitedly, soon taking a hand to her stomach in pain.
"Hi, Alice." The resident smiled at her. "Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Turner."
"Oh, please, how many times have I asked you to call me Hannah?" The woman asked, giving the doctor a smile, just like her husband.
"Alright, Hannah... This is Dr. Robbins, one of the best pediatric surgeons in the country. She will be on Alice's case today." She smiled as the blond shook hands with the parents.
"Hi, Dr. Robbins!" Alice waved, her small hand and high pitched voice making Helena smile. "Dr. Lee, can I explain what I have, please?" She asked, making puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, you can." Helena chuckled, commenting to the parents. "I'm seeing the pain killers got her energy back up."
"So, I have PKD. That's a funny name that means little tiny bags with liquid inside my tummy, and they sometimes grow and make it hurt." The brunette child told them, playing with her teddy bear, Mr. Cuddles, as she spoke.
"Oh, is that right?" Arizona smiled at the child.
"Yes." She nodded. "But it's ok, because then the doctors can take them out, right, Dr. Lee?"
"Exactly. Good job." Helena smiled at her fondly, the girl grinning back, proudly.
Arizona smiled at the parents, soon beginning to explain. "So, Dr. Campos showed me the scans that she took when you came in and there is a cyst that we're going to have to take out. This one will be a bit more challenging, but we're going to do the best we can, and I'm confident we'll be able to take it out safely."
"Oh, thank god." The father let out, leaning against the mother's shoulder.
"Pete and I thought it her kidneys might be starting to fail." Hannah breathed out.
"No, that's not the case. Thankfully, we're not there yet." Arizona smiled.
"That means, Alice, that you have another little bag that we have to take out, ok?" Helena crouched by the girl as she explained.
"Does that mean I get a lollipop?" She pouted slightly, Helena pulling one from her lab coat with a smile. "Thank you, Dr. Lee!"
——
"Evil Spawn has a brother?!" Helena hears Cristina squeal as she walked through the lobby, a chart in hand.
As such, she approached the group of her friends, saying. "Morning! You're Alex's brother?" She tilted her head, noticing the slight resemblance.
"Aaron, Cristina Yang and Helena Campos." Meredith introduced, the young man getting up from his seat.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Yang and Dr. Campos." He smiled at that as he shook their hands. "I'm Aaron Karev."
"Oh, you are so polite." Helena smiled at him, a bit surprised.
"Oh my god, he is so nice." Cristina agreed, turning to Alex. "Why can't you been nice like your brother?" She then seemed to think for a second before letting out. "Angel Spawn."
"Why can't you?" Alex shot back.
"Fair enough." The resident mumbled.
"Mer, you called?" Helena asked, the blond getting up and grabbing her and Cristina's arms.
"Both of you, ten times each!" She answered as they walked away.
"Little Alice is back with a huge cyst on her left kidney." The brunette sighed, tucking a lose bit of her behind her ear. "I was here with her all night."
"The favorite patient?" Meredith teased.
"I don't do favorites, Mer." Helena shoved her playfully.
"Oh, really?" Cristina asked. "Is that why you even snuck her to rounds once?"
"Look, yes, I am particularly attached to this patient, alright? Doesn't mean I favor her, because that would imply I give less than 100% to my other patients. And then you would be calling me unprofessional. Are you two calling me unprofessional?" She used her mom glared, Meredith letting out.
"No, ma'am." She replied, Cristina letting out a snort.
"Anyway, she came in during the night, a nurse paged me, the parents wanted me on the case. We're removing it later, but at this rate of cyst growth she really should get new kidneys..." Helena shook her head, hoping they would be able to preform a transplant soon enough. "You, Cristina?"
"Owen is still in his dark place and he still doesn't wanna talk, do I turned off my cell in case he would say something, which he didn't. I hate men. They're stupid." She explained.
"Derek asked me to have a baby with him this morning..." Meredith told them. "That's why I called."
"Stupid." Helena agreed, nodding.
Suddenly, the short girl's pager went off, as she shot a look down at it. "Robbins is paging me for the surgery, I gotta go."
——
After Alice's surgery, Helena worked on some of Derek's post ops, when a panicked April called her.
"Helena!"
Her head shooting up from the chart she was filling, the girl saw April, flustered and panicked, in front of her. "Hey, April, what's wrong?"
"I was trying to get one of Dr. Webber's patients off the ventilator b-but she seems to have stroked out. D-Dr. Webber told me to get a CT, and I-I did but Shepherd won't answer his page s-so I thought maybe I s-should ask you. I-I mean, you are o-on neuro a-and you're pretty m-much the only one who doesn't hate me..."
As the older resident rambled, Helena took the CT from her hands, taking a look at it. "Oh, that's hemorrhage is huge..." She sighed, turning to a nearby nurse. "I need you to page Chief Shepherd, please. Tell him it's important."
——
"The patient has a nasty hemorrhage..." Derek pointed out as he looked at the scans, Helena and April by his side. "You see here, the left temporal lobe? The hemorrhage, it looks like..."
"Wow, that bleed is huge." Meredith let out as she entered the room, looking at her husband lovingly.
As Derek returned the look, Helena smiled softly at the sweet moment. However, to her right, she felt April shifting on her feet, almost as if she was uncomfortable. The brunette girl had noticed before that April seemed to be exceptionally nice to the man, however, she simply assumed that she admired him as a mentor.
"You look pretty in your scrubs." Derek told the blond, making her giggle.
At that, Helena risked a look to the other resident. The look of pain and embarrassment on April's face didn't leave room for speculation: she had feelings for the attending.
"What are you gonna do about the giant stroke?" Meredith asked, nodding towards the scan.
"Nothing." Helena and Derek breathed out at the same time.
"Nothing?" Kepner asked, confused.
"Mrs. Clark left temporal lobe hemorrhage extends into the ventricular system. There's nothing we could do." The short girl explain, Derek shooting her a look.
"You know, Lena, it's not too late to decide to specialize on neuro." He tried, already knowing what the answer was gonna be.
"Stop trying to steal me from Arizona, she's scary when man." She giggled, Derek letting out a chuckle.
"Alright. Before keeping up with the post ops, you should go with Dr. Webber so that you can answer any neuro questions the patient's husband might have. If there's anything you don't know, just page me." He instructed, Helena nodding as she took the CT's from the place they had hug them. Turning to his wife, he suggested. "Wanna go get a cup of coffee?"
"Only if you keep telling me how pretty I am." Meredith chucked as they left the room.
As Helena and April picked the labs and CTs up, the shorter girl let out. "You know, it doesn't make you a bad person..."
"What?" April muttered, clearly confused.
"I know you like Derek, but I also know you don't want to. And, well, I just wanted to let you know that the feeling itself doesn't make you a bad person." She explained, shooting her new coworker an empathetic look. "That would only be the case if you acted on those feelings, which I trust you won't, because I see how bad you feel already. Anyway, it will go away with time. Just know it doesn't make you a bad person."
"It still feels like I am, though. I feel awful." April told her, tears in her eyes.
"I know." Helena smiled softly at her, the two heading out of the viewing room. "Hey, I have a couple lollipops from my peds rounds... want one?"
"Yes, please. Sugar helps." April giggled, Helena handing her a strawberry one.
"It does, doesn't it? Don't tell anyone, but I have definitely stolen spare suckers from rounds before. Nurse Linda helps me with the contraband." She joked, nudging April softly as the woman seemed to cheer up.
——
"She could wake up, right?" Garry Clark asked, teary eyed at the news the doctors has brought. "People wake up from comas all the time."
"I'm sorry." Webber told him, shaking his head. "You're wife's coma is irreversible. Dr. Campos, would you explain it, please?"
"Mrs. Clark's scans showed a massive hemorrhage in her brain and her EEG showed minimal brain activity, and only in a few areas." Helena explained, her heart heavy.
"But that means there's hope, right? B-because at least there's activity. And h-her heart is still beating..." Mr. Clark suggested, flustered.
"Only because the mechanical ventilator is breathing for her. When we turn the machine off, the heart won't get the oxygen it needs and it will stop." April explained, her voice soft.
"Why would you turn it off?! People can live for years on these machines." He asked, shock in his face as he grew agitated.
"Mr. Clark, the advanced directive your wife signed specifically requested no mechanical ventilation." Webber told the man.
"She filled that form out three years ago, when the cancer was first diagnosed!" The man argued, angrily. "The doctor told her she had six months to live, and she held on for another three years. She'll come back for this too, you'll see! You can't unplug her."
"Legally, we have to unplug her, sir." The previous Chief answered calmly.
"She's my wife. It's my choice." He argued, pointing out his finger.
"It's you wives choice, sir. And she made it, three years ago." Helena nodded at him, a sympathetic smile on her lips.
"B-But you said the surgery went fine!" He turned to a teary eyed Lexie. "That's what you said."
"It did, but..." She started, her voice heavy with the guilt.
"No, you're not a doctor, you're a child!" He snapped, waving towards April, Helena and Lexie. At the tone, Helena bit the inside of her cheek, feeling for the man but not appreciating his demeanor. "The three of you are children, and are useless, you don't know what you are talking about! I'm done talking with you, with all of you! Who is in charge here?"
As he finished his rant, he looked between the women, his chin starting to shake as turned to his wife and started sobbing over her body.
At that, Helena swallowed as to keep her tears away, turning to the attending. "I'll page Shepherd."
——
At the end of the day, Helena went to visit Alice before the girl went home. As such, the small patient was already dressed in her civilian clothing. As her parents were having dinner at the cafeteria, the small girl was alone.
"Hi, Alice! Can I come in?" The doctor asked, the small girl's smile brightening at the sight of her doctors.
"Dr. Lee!" She smiled, looking up from what she was drawing. "Look what I made for you."
The girl handed Helena a drawing of two stick figures wearing what seemed to be a long coat, the doctor sitting on the edge of her bed. "Oh, this is so pretty! Who are these?"
"That's me." She pointed at the first person, her little finger then moving to the second. "And that's you, Dr. Lee. And we are doctors."
Helena let out a dramatic gasp, making the girl giggled. "You're a doctor too?"
Alice's curls bounced as she nodded enthusiastically, telling her. "My teacher asked me what I wanted to be when we grow up, and I said I wanted to be a doctor like you. You know, you're the coolest doctor I know, I wanna be just like you"
At that, Helena gave her a wide smile, moved by the statement. "Is the drawing for me?"
"Of course." The girl giggled. "Can you let me go with you to see the doctors work again? Please." She begged, her puppy dog eyes coming into play.
"Well, I'd have to ask your mommy and daddy first." She told the small girl, seeing the small pout that formed on her mouth.
Just then, she heard the couple coming into the room. Getting up from the bed, she turned to the couple. "Mr. and Mrs. Turner, hi! You know, Alice here was just asking if maybe I could take her to see us work for a little? What do you think, can I get her back here in ten?"
"Pleaseee!" The blue eyes girl pleaded with her parents. "Just for a little bit."
"Alright, alright." Pete gave in, the mother chuckling. "Just don't bother the doctors, Al."
"I promise." The girl told her parents, Helena gabbing her hand as she guided her to Mark's skin lab.
Once they got there, Helena knocked softly, muttering. "Mark, honey, can we come in?"
"We?" The man asked, turning around on his stool to see her girlfriend. Once he did, his eyes fell to the little girl holding her hand, his smile widening. "Hi, there!"
"Mark, this is Alice. Alice, this is Dr. Sloan." She introduced them, entering the room as she held her hand. "Alice here wanted to see a doctor work and I though maybe you could show her what you're doing for a little bit?"
"Of course." The man smiled, motioning for the girl to come closer.
"I have a question, Dr. Lee." The small girl told Helena, looking up at her.
"What is it, Ali?" The resident smiled, squatting do she was at the girl's level.
"Is he your boyfriend? Because you called him honey, that's what my mommy calls my daddy." She explained, narrowing her eyes at the couple.
At that, Helena became a bit flushed, Mark letting out a chuckles as he spoke. "Well, yes, Dr. Lee is my girlfriend." He gave Helena a smile, before turning back to the small girl, motioning for the bench by his. "Now, hop on, I'll show you what I'm doing."
"Yay!" The small girl let out, climbing to seat on the stool.
"This..." Mark motioned to his Petri dish. "Is called a skin graft."
"A skin graft?" Alice let out in awe, her eyes shinning as Helena smiled at the interaction.
"Yes, it's for this man that I'm taking care of. He burned a little bit of his skin, and it doesn't work well anymore." Mark explained, his voice soft and tender. "So I am making him a little bit of new skin that works."
"That's so cool!" The small girl giggled, turning to Helena. "Isn't it, Dr. Lee?"
"It is really cool." She nodded, the girl turning back to the counter as Mark kept explaining his job.
As Helena watched them, her smile grew wide, her heart warming at seeing Mark with the small girl. And, inevitably, her mind wandered to two different realities: a far future, where the child he'd be talking to would be theirs and a recent past, where they could already be parenting Sloan's baby. As she took a hand to her chest, she realized that, either way, they were meant to be parents together.
Meanwhile, at another floor of the hospital, Lexie preformed a seemingly simple action: she unplugged a plug form it's socket. However, this action wouldn't only end Mrs. Clark's life but reveal itself a prime example of the butterfly effect: a violent, dramatic and deadly one at that.
——
Word count: 3047
AN:
Oh my, this is where Gary Clark first appears.
In case you didn't notice, Alice Turner is an original character of mine that I decided to implement into the story. Tell me what you think of her so far?