The first thing she was told to do, the second she'd walked into the hospital, was scrub in on a surgery with the Chief.
So that's what she did, rather excited, because although she'd heard all of his stories, Charlie had never seen her godfather in action.
"There's too much damage. We'll have to remove most of the colon instead of a local resection." He stated, before hesitating, seemingly unable to stitch the patient properly.
Charlotte frowned, concerned about the situation, before running towards the lights when he snapped, "More suture. And what's with these damn lights in here."
"Retract here." He stated a couple of minutes later.
"Oh! This just isn't holding." Mumbled Bailey.
"Give me a bigger retractor, please." The nurses handed him one, which he proceeded to drop, resulting in the woman apologising.
The man set his tools down, "It wasn't you." Looking at the resident, he continued, "Dr. Bailey, you can finish this."
The woman's eyes widened, "Uh, thank you, chief. I appreciate the opportunity. I'll just..."
But before she could finish, he'd walked out of the OR.
Biting her lip beneath her mask, Charlie glanced up at the gallery, meeting eyes with Derek. Something was very wrong with the man, and she trusted the nosey Neurosurgeon to figure it out.
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
Walking out of surgery, she pulled into an on-call room abruptly, and turned to the culprit with a withering glare.
"What is wrong with you?!" She questioned, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Sorry, sorry. But, I've uh, I've got a problem and I need your help." George mumbled apologetically.
Immediately, her tone shifted, becoming more concerned for her friend, "What's wrong Georgie-baby? What happened?"
"So uh, I had sex with Olivia, and then this morning I had a strange rash, and I got it biopsied and it turned out I got syphillis." He spat out at once.
The girl went quiet, thinking, before nodding her head, "Alright, here's what we're going to do. You're going to tell Olivia. Whether she gave it you or not, you have a responsibility to let her know. Next, you're gonna take some penicillin. If you can't give it yourself, I'll do it for you, since the others are insensitive dicks on their best day. And finally, you're gonna give yourself a break, because this wasn't your fault. But also, invest in better condoms."
The man nodded in relief, before pulling her into a tight hug. Chuckling, Charlie rubbed his back soothingly, "There, there. It's gonna be alright."
"You are the best thing that's ever happened to me." He mumbled, causing her to giggle louder, "And don't you forget it darling."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
A couple of things occurred throughout the day.
The knowledge of George's sylph had spread throughout the hospital. Apparently, he wasn't an isolated case.She'd been the one to administer his penicillin, while also getting to witness his adorable ass. The chief held a safe-sex seminar that was more awkward than a high school sex-ed class. Richard had a tumour she hand't been told about.
Her godfather had a tumour pressing on his optic nerve, and he was being operated on today, and he hadn't told her. She'd had to find out from Justin, one of the MRI techs, and a friend whoo knew their connection.
Currently, she was speed walking through the halls, towards the man's office, where she knew him and Derek would be. Bursting in angrily, the doors slamming shut behind her, she began slapping the man with the copies in her hand, speaking in between, "You have a tumour and you weren't going to tell me? You have an operable tumour, which is getting removed today, and you were just not going to say anything?!"
His hand cradled hers softly, "Kid, Lodie. It's okay. I just didn't want you to worry..."
"DIDN'T WANT ME TO WORRY?!" She screamed, only now noticing the slight film of tears over her eyes, blurring her vision. "You're the only family I have left, and you weren't going to tell me!"
"Charlie," began Derek softly, only to have the girl round on him, glaring fiercely, "You, shut it. I can't believe you didn't tell me. I get that you have loyalty and that he's your boss, but Jesus Christ Derek Shepherd he's my godfather, you should have told me!"
"I had to find out from an MRI tech, who figured I should know!"
Richard stepped up, clearly hesitant, hands raised, before asking, "Are you going to hit me again, or can I speak now?"
"Not sure. But talk." She mumbled, wiping her hand aggressively over her eyes.
"I didn't want you to worry. Derek said it's operable and safe..."
"Of course, it's pressing moon but not invading your nerve. The chances of successful removal with no damage to your vision are optimal." She interrupted, scoffing.
The man sighed, as though asking for patience, before continuing, "As I was saying, there was no reason to stress you. I know I'm your family kid, you're mine too. But I also know that you have more than enough on your plate, I wasn't going to add to. It with no reason."
Inhaling shakily, she nodded, before whispering, "Please, I... I can't lose anymore people okay. So just, I need you to not hide these things from me, because I find out eventually, and then it enrages me."
"I know. I'm gonna be okay." He replied, before hugging her tightly. "You're not getting rid of me that easily, who else would force you to eat otherwise?"
"Uh, Derek Shepherd. You know, the neurosurgeon you've somehow managed to turn into my personal nanny maybe?" She joked back, before pulling away and looking at the man, "Sorry, I get a little insane when I'm mad."
"I get it. And I know you're scared, but you know I'm good at what I do."
"I do. But I'm scrubbing in, and before either of you complain, I will not hold a scalpel or cauterising tool, I just need to be there for my own sanity, okay?" Before narrowing her eyes at Webber, "And if you try to give me work at the same time, I will call Adele and inform her, we clear?"
The man gulped, clearly noting the sincerity of her threat, before sharing a look with the younger one.
They nodded unanimously, and she rolled her eyes. At least they had some sense not to dispute her over this point.
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
She was laying on one of the gurneys in their hallway, her head in Mer's lap, as the woman ran her hands soothingly through her hair, trying to calm the girl down.
Izzie and Cristina had explained their plan to the two girls, and while Meredith gasped, Charlie merely rolled her eyes, already done with this motherfucker of a day.
Rising, she tilted her head at her two idiotic fiends, "So let me get this straight, you two want to perform an unauthorised autopsy on your patient, whilst being very aware that this goes against his next of kin's direct wishes?"
The two women nodded, and she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Izz, I'm not surprised you want this, you practice medicine with your heart. But you, Cris, what the actual fuck?"
The curly-haired woman bit her lip, clearly hesitating, and Izzie said, "I know you, Cristina. You do not want to be known as the new 007. An autopsy clears your name."
"Cristina, no." Meredith argued, only to have the taller blonde interject, "let me add on to that, Cristina, fuck no."
"What about Franklin's wife? You saw the way she was looking at me. She wants the autopsy. She just didn't want to fight with her daughter. She looked so sad." Continued the former model.
"Isobel Stevens, I get that implied consent exists, but you cannot perform an unauthorised autopsy based off of a fucking look. What are you going to tell the jury, oh, my patient gave me a look, and I psychically understood she actually wanted me to perform the autopsy, because even though her mouth was saying no, her eyes were saying yes? Give me a fucking break, please." Ranted the youngest, glaring at the woman.
"Ok, Cristina Yang, license to kill." She stated, looking at the woman in question, who then nodded in the affirmative, "Ok, I'm in."
Groaning, Charlie threw herself back into Meredith's lap, as her best friend said, "I am so not involved in this."
"Me neither, for the record. This has got disaster spelled all over it."
"This is Fight Club you two, no one talks about it." Cris informed them sternly, causing the youngest to smirk at her, before continuing, "We have to do it when Bailey's not around."
"Bailey's always around. She's everywhere and knows everything." Huffed Izzie, rightfully so.
"Well, we have to take our chances."
Chuckling at the scene, the British girl stated smugly, "Lucky for you two, Bailey's got something tonight from 7 to 11. You will be the last thing she's worried about."
Mer giggled above her, and the dark-haired woman and her blonde accomplice asked,
"How do you know that?"
"What kind of something?"
The other two stood up, making amused eye-contact, before Mer stated, "Oh, we can't tell you that. It's Fight Club too." Grabbing her friend's hand, and running out of the hallway.
Looking back at the former model, Cristina grumbled angrily, "If I'm missing out on a real patient because of this, they're gonna call me 007 because I've killed you."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
She was walking beside Derek, headed to Richard's OR, when he turned to her in concern, "Do you mind if I ask...I understand he's your godfather, but your reaction..."
"Was a little over the top?" She chuckled, glancing at him. When he nodded bashfully, she swallowed, before explaining, "I don't know if you were following the news or anything, but when I was fifteen, both of my parents died in a home invasion. I was fairly badly injured as a result. Richard and Adele...well, they were there when I had not one else. They took care of me, made sure I was alright, and healthy and safe." Shaking her head, she continued, "I really don't have many people in my life. Grandparents are dead on both sides, no uncles or aunts to speak of. I only have them, and one other person I haven't spoken to in close to a decade. And ever since the invasion, I go a little stir-crazy with a dash of insane if I think they might be in danger."
The man nodded, remaining quiet as they reached the door marked with the 'Do Not Enter-Closed For Maintenance' sign. Looking at her before pushing it open, he said, "I'm sorry. I knew about the Hawthorns, I just wasn't sure if those were your parents or not. And for what it's worth, I'm fairly certain you've managed to give yourself another family here, me included."
"Thanks Derek." She sighed, before nodding, "Let's go before he loses his mind, or what's left of it, at any rate."
The man laughed, and they heard inside, where as she'd said, Richard was pacing the length of the room.
"How we doing?" Questioned the surgeon with a charming grin.
"Did you lock up the gallery?"
Charlotte rolled her eyes good-naturedly, before placing her hands onto her godfather's shoulders, slowly pushing him towards bed, making him lay down, "Don't you worry. We're flying undercover. What did you put out there, the Midas Rex?"
Bailey stepped up beside her, "We've got it, chief."
"How much cancomycin is there?"
"One gram, as ordered, sir."
"You're not gonna be too liberal with those benzos, are ya?"
Chuckling under her breath, the girl joked, "Rich, let the man run his own OR, that's what you hired him for. Now just breathe in the happy gas and go to sleep peacefully will you? The yapping is giving me a migraine."
Her godfather smiled, before complying with her request, and she leaned closer to her resident and joked, "Gods, doctors really do make the absolute worst patients, huh?"
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
She was standing far enough. Away to not disturb them during the surgical process, though she kept a keen eye on everything.
As a result though, she couldn't hear the conversations, only understanding that they were done when Derek began speaking with Bailey and removing himself from the equation.
Then blonde sighed in relief, shoulders dropping beneath the sudden weight they'd been carrying, as she walked towards her resident and Mer.
"Labs. They had to check on some labs." Mer was saying, as the girl approached them.
Bailey rounded on her, asking, "Do you know where Yang and Stevens are?"
Keeping her face straight, the girl simply tilted her head, "I don't know. I've been reading up on the surgery with Dr Shepherd and Rich all day. Though I'd assume if they're not answering their pages then they might be running labs or something."
The woman nodded, impressed, before looking at Mer, "See, this is how you lie convincingly. Learn from Hawthorne." She turned to one of the other surgeons present, "Take over for me. I know exactly where they are. Here. Take over for me."
Before leaving however, she glanced at Charlie with compassionate eyes, "Stay with Grey, keep an eye on him until he wakes up."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
She was sitting on his bedside, reading through an article she'd printed earlier in the morning, when she saw him move and wake up. Noticing his gaze was headed towards the window with a slight frown, she rolled her eyes, "Hello, godfather dearest. Lovely to see your sight has not been lost to the vestiges of time, along with your patience."
He turned his head to her, smiling softly, "they there kiddo. Glad I can see well enough to tell that you look exhausted."
She exhaled a chuckle, before shaking her head, "Are we going to pretend you didn't see what I know you saw? Because I'm okay with minimising the drama for the day."
Richard sighed, before looking at her pleadingly, "You're not sleeping with an attending too, are you?"
"No. I did sleep with the oncologist once though, just to clear the record." She joked, giggling when he groaned in mock-pain, before growing serious, "Let her be. It's different, what they have. It's not a fling or a casual affair. There are real emotions involved there."
"Alright kid. But I was serious, you really should get some rest." He replied, and she nodded, stretching enough to pop her spine, before settling back on the chair, "I'll catch some shut-eye in a bit, but I am not moving from this room until you can too."
He opened his mouth to argue that point, but she beat him to it, "Nope. Not going to hear it. You're not staying alone, besides, I've got a couple of articles about prospective surgeries to help severe cases of TTTS, I figured we could read them together like we used to?" She pouted, enlarging her eyes and biting her lip, until he relented, "Fine, stay. I've missed your company, this damn job takes up too much o your time anyway."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
She hadn't been allowed to spend the night, having been kicked out by Bailey, who'd gone all concerned mother-hen on her.
And so she'd decided to head to the next logical place, Joe's bar.
Walking through the hospital lobby, she came to a sudden stop when she spotted a very familiar, though older than she remembered red-head.
"Addie?" She asked, eyes wide with surprise.
The woman turned towards her, interrupting hr conversation with Dr Shepherd, and stared for a second, before dropping her jaw open and speed-walking to the girl.
Charlie did not have a minute to utter a word, before arms were wrapped tightly around her, with Addison Montgomery hugging her as though she hadn't seen her in years, which to be fair, she hadn't.
"Charlie, I've missed you kid."