Solace walks into Callie's room, seeing her forlorn face, "Up for a visitor?"
Solace has been keeping Callie company as much as she can. Seeing her come in a week ago, in critical condition, almost losing her and the baby, it was horrible.
"Only if you have pictures of my baby." Callie tells her.
Solace smiles, pulling out her phone, "I think I've taken more than Mark at this point."
"Gimmie, gimmie." Callie calls her over. Solace flips through the photos for her, letting her take each one in. She wipes the stray tear that falls down Callie's face, not even mentioning it. She can't imagine what she's going through.
Solace's pager goes off, making her stand up, "I'll be back later, okay?"
"With more pictures?" Callie looks at her hopefully.
"With more pictures." Solace promises, walking out of the room.
As she gets to the locker room, quickly changing into her scrubs, Meredith comes in behind her, "Hey, how was your date last night?"
Solace continues to change, not looking at her, "Uh, yeah, it was good."
"Yeah?" Meredith asks, "Is there going to be another one?"
"Maybe." Solace shrugs, "I gotta go, Hunt paged me." She walks out of the room.
Solace isn't meaning to ice Meredith out, she just doesn't know how to talk to her right now. Solace feels horrible for having feelings for Jackson, who is dating or at least sleeping with Lexi, who is Meredith's sister. She agreed to the date with Luke and, it went great. It really did. He was funny and charming and Solace could see herself being with him. If she didn't already have feeling's for Jackson. A guy who is sleeping with her best friend's sister.
Yeah, not a great position to be in.
She follows Hunt into the patients room, listening to him try and persuade her to stop smoking, "Mrs.Pulcher, you're gonna have to stop smoking."
"Your infections are getting worse." Solace tells her.
"Your infections, you mean." The woman points to Hunt and Solace, "I didn't have them before you two idiots operated. You didn't even do that right."
Hunt shares a glance with Solace, before turning back to the patient, "Again, I am sorry, but your lung cancer had spread to the point that we couldn't—"
"Please. Useless." The patient interrupts. "I can afford any hospital in the world, and I come to this third rate crap factory. When am I getting outta here? I've been here for three weeks. This is not Guantanamo."
Solace whispers to Hunt, "I will pay you if you let me discharge her. Please."
Hunt sends her an amused look, "There is not much more that we can do unless you are willing to help yourself. Not the smoking—"
"If I wanted a lecture on smoking I would dig up my dead husband. now get me out of here before I sue your balls off."
Both surgeons try to not laugh, "Well, we'll run some tests, and if your white blood cell count is up to an acceptable level—"
"How high does it have to be?" Hunt and Solace stare at her, "Give me a number."
Solace does laugh at that, taking the lead, "It's at a .8 now, and we would like it to be above a 2."
"1."
Hunt shakes his head, "This is not a negotiation."
"Everything is." The woman argues, "1.5. A 1.5 and you let me outta here. Now get me a wheelchair, cause if I have to wait around this hellhole, I'm gonna smoke."
Solace follows Hunt out of the room, "That woman is going to give me an ulcer."
Hunt laughs, "She's gonna give me a brain tumor."
The two go back and forth, not noticing Jackson walking up to them, "Hunt, we have a motorcyclist coming in, bad case of road rash and abdominal injuries."
Hunt nods, heading towards the ER, Jackson and Solace staring at each other. Jackson speaks up first, "Haven't seen you around much this week."
"Busy. I have one patient that wont stop smoking long enough for her infection to clear and when I'm not dealing with her, I'm taking pictures of Sofia to share with Callie." Solace shrugs.
Jackson nods, "How's she doing?"
"As good as someone laid up in bed can be." Solace responds, both of them going into this awkward silence. Solace grabs a chart from the nurses station, "Better help out where I can, ya know?" She walks away before he can say anything else.
Five Weeks Later
Solace walks into Mrs.Pulcher's room, seeing her laying on her side, away from the door, "Mrs.Pulcher." She gets her attention, walking to her bed.
The old woman winces when she turns, "Has it been two hours already? Ow. It seems like I saw your frizzy hair a minute ago."
Solace just puts a smile on her face, "I don't have frizzy hair, Mrs.Pulcher. And I don't think you're someone to talk about bad hair days."
"You can't speak to me like that." The older woman responds.
Solace rolls her eyes, "You insult me Every time I come in this room. I'm just trying to get you better."
"I should sue you— 10 grand for every bedsore on my ass. I'll die before I ever see any of that money, but I'll—"
"But you'll die rich." Solace finishes for her, hearing this speech every time she's in the room.
"Richer thanks to you dumbasses."
Solace sighs, "Maybe, instead of insulting your doctors, you can do something good with all that money you say you have."
***
Solace walks into the office Derek is working in, going over stuff for his trial. He looks up from the paper work when she walks in, "Hey, haven't seen you in awhile."
Solace nods, sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk, "Been busy."
"With overbearing patients or with the new boyfriend?" He questions.
"Both." Solace shrugs, snuggling down in the chair and getting comfortable.
"So, it's not because you're avoiding my wife?" Derek raises a brow at the girl.
Solace sighs, "I'm not avoiding anyone."
"Doesn't seem that way."
"You guy's are busy with the trial and trying to start a family. I'm busy with work and trying to keep an old woman from sue-ing the hospital every time I enter her room." Solace argues. "I'm not avoiding anyone." She looks at all the paper work on his desk, "How's the trial going?"
"Adele Webber got in."
Solaces eyebrows raise, "I thought she failed?"
Derek leans back, a big sigh escaping, "She's deteriorating, greatly."
"And you're worried?" Solace concludes.
"What if she doesn't get the medication? What if she gets the placebo?" Derek asks.
Solace gives him a sympathetic look, "This is more than just about her, Derek. This is about all of the people dealing with this, their families dealing with this."
"I know." Derek replies, "I just hate the idea of Richard getting his hopes up if this doesn't pan out the way we want."
Solace sits up, reaching her hand out for Derek to take. She squeezes his hand, "It'll be okay."
Derek sends her a grateful smile as she stands, making her way to the door, "Hey." He calls out to her, "Talk to Meredith. Stop avoiding people."
Solace see's Alex in the hallway, looking more moody the normal, "Whats wrong with you?"
"Stark rejected my African kid plan." He grunts out.
"Mmm." Solace hums, "Well, I have a rich patient that keeps threatening to sue me every time I enter the room. I'm starting to think that's how she got that money. She's gonna die because she can't stop smoking and complaining enough to get better."
"So, you have a rich old lady that's gonna die soon?" Alex asks.
Solace looks over to him, wondering where he's going with this. She catches up, "Alex, no. She's mean and angry and will probably give her money to like, her cats or something that probably hate her too. Plus you're not allowed to solicit money from patients."
"She's not my patient." Alex shrugs, "What's her room number."
Solace shakes her head, "uh uh." She points at him, "If you want that, you take her as a patient."
"Fine." Alex shrugs, "I can handle an old lady."
12 Weeks Later
"Wait." Cristina turns to Solace, "He wants you to meet his parents?"
"Yep." Solace nods, "And, he mentioned it so casually, like it's not a big deal or something."
"Well, what did you say?"
"I didn't say anything! My pager went off and I left." Solace sighs, leaning back in her chair at the nurses station, popping grapes into her mouth as her and Cristina talk.
Jackson comes up the the station as Cristina says, "Well, what are you going to say when he brings it up again?"
"When who brings up what?" Jackson asks, looking between the two girls. Him and Solace haven't hung out in awhile, haven't really spoke outside of the hospital. He started dating Lexi and she started dating someone. But, for some reason, he feels like she's avoiding him, but every time he tries to bring it up, she leaves.
"Her boyfriend wants her to meet his parents." Cristina fills in, turning to Solace for an answer. The girl shrugs, "I mean, I guess I'll meet the parents."
"You're gonna meet Lakes parents? Haven't y'all only been dating for like, a month?" Jackson looks over to her.
Solace rolls her eyes, "We've been dating for 3 months, and his name is Luke, I don't know why I have to keep telling you that."
Jackson shrugs, stealing some grapes. Truthfully, he doesn't know why he keeps calling her boyfriend by a different name. He know's his name is Luke, but the idea of Solace dating him, just makes Jackson feel uneasy, even if he hasn't met the guy.
Alex walks up to the nurses station, starting to hand out folders to the three. "What's this?" Jackson questions.
"What's this? It's your African kid."
"Ohh." Solace reaches out for a file, "I want mine. I want mine."
"The first group gets here tonight." Alex informs them, handing a file to Solace. He goes to give one to Cristina, put puts back, "Wait, you can't have her, you'll be awful to her." Digging through for another one, "Um, him. No. Yes, him."
"Evil Spawn is now Mother Teresa." Cristina says, drawing a laugh.
"The tin man finally got a heart." Solace grabs her chest, a fake pout on her face.
"The grinch's heart has finally grown." Jackson adds to the joke.
Alex goes to walk away, yelling over his shoulder, "Don't forget, they get here tonight."
Cristina gets up, walking away and leaving Jackson and Solace alone. Jackson looks over to her, "So, you're gonna meet his parents? Do you think that's a good idea?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Solace frowns.
"I'm just saying, you've only been dating 3 months." Jackson shrugs.
"Yeah, well, it's not like I'm marrying him. It's dinner." Solace argues, grabbing her charts and walking away, "I gotta go say bye to Callie, she's leaving today."
***
Solace bumps into Meredith in the hallway, seeing her come out of a weird room, "Sorry." Solace laughs.
Meredith waves her off, "It's alright." She tries to walk away, Solace grabbing her arm, "Wait, uh, can we talk?"
"I don't really have time." Meredith shakes her head.
Solace lets go of her, "Right, right. Sorry."
Alex walks down the isle, spotting Meredith, "Hey I have your kid here."
Solace walks away leaving the two standing there.
***
"Hey." Solace answers her phone, "Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier, I was in a surgery."
"It's fine." Luke's voice comes through the phone, "I was just wondering if we're still on for dinner tomorrow night."
Solace looks up, seeing Jackson and Lexi laughing over by the nurses station, She turns away, "Yeah. Yeah, we're still on."
"Great!" She can tell Luke is smiling, "My mom will be really excited to meet you."
"I'm- uh, I'm excited to." Solace breathes out.
Luke laughs cheerfully, "Well, I'll let you get back to work. Call me when you get home?"
"Yeah, sure." Solace says, hanging up the phone. She puts it in her pocket, mind racing with the thoughts over the past 3 months.
It's just dinner.
Jackson's happy with her.
Meredith would choose Lexi.
It's just dinner.
I'm happy.
Cristina's still my friend.
It's just dinner...
It's just dinner...