"Mae Harriet Daphne Wigan, get your ass out that door."
Mae scowls at her friend on the screen. "But-"
"Mae! You have a job, you get to do what you love!" MJ tuts, laying back in her bunk and holding the phone above her. Her pep talk has been unsuccessful so far. "These people, they seem like good people to be around. I-I hate not being there to support you with this but this Teddy and Owen seem to know their stuff. I can't help you transition out, I'd drag you back in."
Mae sighs and leans on the kitchen counter, looking at her luxurious, furnished apartment. "I guess... did I show you the apartment?"
"No but you can show me later. Right now you need to hang up and get your ass to work!" MJ smirks.
She sighs deeply and groans. "Yes mom."
"Atta girl. Good luck, we all love and miss you. Mkay?" She smiles sadly.
"I love you, loser." Mae says gently.
MJ smiles. "Love you too, dork." She blows a kiss.
Mae waves and sighs as she ends the call. She grabs her bag and heads out of the apartment, heading to the parking garage where her new (to her) car sits. A chevy impala 67. Totally expensive, totally a fangirl moment, but she loves it. And this is her way of coping - spending money she's never really had chance to spend. She pulls into the parking lot outside the hospital and sits for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she climbs out and heads towards the entrance.
Teddy grins as she waits just inside. "Happy first day!"
Mae blushes and smiles. "Thank you. Chief Bailey really wanted me, huh. I only interviewed 3 days ago."
"Owen wasn't joking when he said he needs someone like you on his team." Teddy smiles. She holds out a staff phone and ID. "Phone's yours, don't lose it or IT will end you. Your ID may play up for a day or two but don't panic, there's always plenty of people around to help. And Owen is waiting for you in the pit when you are ready."
Mae takes a deep breath and nods, forcing a smile. "Let me at it then."
Once she's changed into a pair of dark blue scrubs, Teddy leads her to the pit, showing her around as they head down. "And this is the pit. Trauma 1, Trauma 2 and Trauma 3 are on your right. Cubicles 1 through 8 on your left - they are for urgent treatment. The rest of them are just round that corner. Cubicle 7 and 8 can be used as Trauma 4 if needed." Teddy explains.
Mae nods and tries to take it all in. "Alrighty."
"There she is." Hunt smiles as he comes over with a group of people in light blue scrubs. "Doctor Wigan, meet our 2nd year residents. Residents, meet our new Trauma surgeon."
Mae smiles awkwardly. "Sup."
"If they ever get in your way, kick their ass." Hunt smiles. "We have an incoming MVC, 3 minutes out. Wanna take the lead?"
Mae takes a deep breath. "Let me at it." She nods. She puts one of the yellow gowns on and some gloves, following Hunt to the ambo bay.
"Helm, Schmitt, you're with Wigan." Hunt orders as he rushes to one of the rigs.
A curvy blonde girl and scrawny kid with glasses rush over to Mae. "Who's who?"
"Helm." The girl raises a hand.
"Schmitt." The boy says as he smiles nervously.
"Okay." She nods, opening the ambo as it stops. "What do we got?"
"Unrestrained male driver, 24, t-boned by an 18 wheeler. GCS of 5, no response since we left the scene. Clear head lac, rebar from the impact in his chest, fire crew reduced the size but didn't remove." The EMT says as she helps get the trolley off.
"Helm, take over bagging." Wigan orders as she speed walks along side the gurney, checking under the gauze. "Not a through and through, guaranteed internal bleeding. Let's get an OR booked, we will intubate down here and head up. Let's get neuro paged and cardio. Let's go people."
Once in the trauma bay, Wigan does a quick assessment. "Okay, Helm, let's intubate."
Helm pales. "But-but his face is totally crushed, h-how?" She panics.
"He has enough of an airway for us to try with a laryngoscope first. If not, we crike him." Mae shrugs.
Helm frowns. "Why not do it straight away?"
"Crike is always a last resort." She says sternly. "Now do you want to do it or not?"
Helm shakily nods and grabs the laryngoscope, positioning his head and opening his mouth. "I can't...I can't see anything, there's a lot of blood."
"Suction." Mae holds her hand out and suctions the site. "Take your time. Surely you've done one before?"
"Yes but never blind." Helm looks panicked.
"Helm - what's your name?" Mae asks calmly.
"Taryn." She whispers.
"Taryn. I'm Mae. I'm not here for you to impress me, I'm here to teach you. And you need to learn that sometimes we do things blind - by choice or not, it doesn't matter. Intubation should be second nature to us as doctors and surgeons. So are you going to give it ago?"
Helm takes a deep breath and nods.
"Good. Same procedure as normal." Mae nods. She watches as Helm grabs an ET tube, taking a deep breath before she slips it into the patients mouth. "Good. What do you need me to do?"
"Maneuver his- thank you." Helm says quickly as Mae pinches the patients throat and holds the trachea. "I'm in. Check for breath sounds."
Mae grabs a stethoscope and listens. "Good. Get him up to the OR, scrub in. See? No need to cut his throat open. Well done."
Helm blushes and rushes off with the nurses towards the elevator. Mae spots Hunt in the doorway. "How long have you been spying on me?" She quirks an eyebrow.
"My patient was DOA so the whole time. You're a good teacher - firm, that's what they need." He shrugs.
Mae smirks. "Better than you? You've gone soft in your time here, huh? That's why I'm here."
"Naturally." He smirks. "Let me know how your surgery goes."
=
"Hunt was right. You're badass." Amelia says as she scrubs out beside Teddy and Mae.
Mae smirks. "Right? Supergirl, I told you."
"That must make me Wonder Woman." Amelia muses. "I dig it."
"Mm, a leotard is definitely a good fashion choice." Mae laughs.
Teddy dries her hands. "Yeah, in the 80s."
"I wouldn't know, I was a baby, I don't remember." Mae winks.
Teddy and Amelia look at her in shock. "I'm... sorry. What?"
Mae smirks. "I was born in 88." She shrugs
Amelia lays a hand on her heart. "Am I... old?"
"I'm definitely old." Teddy swallows hard.
Mae laughs. "Sorry guys, did I hit a nerve?" She sasses.
Amelia gasps. "You.... you're good." She smirks.
"See? Supergirl." She winks, heading out of the scrub room to find a tablet to update the notes. As she tries to login, it keeps refusing. "Dammit." She mutters.
Jackson sets his tablet back. "You alright? How's your first day going?" He leans on the desk.
Mae sighs. "Good until now. It won't let me log my notes." She waves the tablet.
"Have you tried re-entering your name? Sometimes it doesn't recognise it first time." He suggests.
Mae tries it but shakes her head. "Nope."
"Can I?" Jackson motions to the tablet. Mae shrugs and hands it over. He frowns as he concentrates. "Hey, did you wanna grab a drink later? On me." He offers.
Mae is silent for a moment. "Just us?"
"If you want." He shrugs, focused on the screen. "Invite whoever, just figured we can celebrate your first day. There." He hands it over with a smile.
"You're a life saver." Mae smiles. "And yes to the drink. I'll see who wants to come." She nods.
Jackson smiles and taps the desk happily. "Alrighty. 8, at Joe's? The bar across the street."
"I'll be there." Mae nods.
Jackson winks and heads off, Mae watching; he holds the door for several people before making his way through. He does seem nice... she muses in her thoughts. But is it a facade? A ruse? She can't decide.
But still; once she's finished her shift, she makes her way over to Joe's. She invited the few people she knows and all said they'd try and come, but couldn't promise. She walks in a little after 8 and blushes as she sees Jackson at a table, looking at the door. He smiles the moment she walks in.
"Hi." She says as she sets her bag down and pulls her jacket off.
"Hey. How was the rest of your day?" He smiles.
Mae nods as she climbs into the tall stool. "It was good. No one died. That's a win, huh."
He smirks. "True. What do you fancy?"
Mae hums. "Red wine?"
"Ooph. My favourite." He muses as he goes to the bar.
Mae watches him, watches how he interacts with people around him. He seems genuine. And she wants so bad for him to actually be a good person... but last time she felt that way, it ended badly. She got hurt, those around her too, and she doesn't want that. She can't be naive anymore.
He brings two glasses and a bottle over. "Didn't think you'd be too fussy about what the wine is." He smiles as he pulls the top off and pours it.
Mae smiles and takes the glass he hands her. "Just get alcohol in me now." She sips it. "Mm, this is good."
Jackson nods. "Joe, the guy who owns this place, he's got a taste for wine. Everything else is just your standard." He says as he sits again. He holds his glass out. "To you. And your first day at Grey Sloan. Here's to many many more."
"To me." She blushes as she clinks her glass to his.