Anna's POV
"How bout October?" Mark asks
"It's gonna be too cold. But is a fall wedding what you want?" I ask
"Honestly, no. I don't wanna wait that long to marry you." He says with a smile
"Well, at least we know we wanna get married this year." I say with a small laugh before pecking his lips
"How bout next month?" He asks
"Can we plan a wedding in a month?" I ask
"Of course, we can." He says with a cheesy grin before he pecks my cheek and I hear a knock at the door
"Okay. What day then?" I ask as I get up from the couch
"How bout the 23rd?" He asks as I head to the door
"Looks like we've picked a date." I say with a warm smile before opening the door revealing George
"George, hey. What're you doin' here? It's two AM." I say
"I love you, Anna. I let you go because I thought it would make you happy. I married Callie in a rush to try and get over you. But it didn't work. And you're with Mark and I know that. And I know you're planning your wedding to him. But if there is any chance that you love me back, don't marry him." George says before Mark appears behind me and he pulls the door open more
"Mark, hi. I'm sorry, you're great. But...I don't think you're good for her or right for her." George says
"Listen--" Mark starts as he attempts to step around me
"You should go." I tell George before closing the door
"That's it? You're not gonna tell him you don't love him back? Or do you? Is that the real reason you haven't been able to pick a date?" He asks
"Mark, we just picked a date. I am marrying you because I love you and only you. Now you either believe and we get married or you don't and we call it off. You choose." I tell him before stomping off to our bedroom
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"Have you been here all night?" Alex asks as I walk into the locker room
"That obvious?" I ask
"You look like you got hit by a bus." He says as I plop down on the bench beside him
"Ugh, I feel it too." I groan as I lay my head on his shoulder
"What happened?" He asks in a knowing tone
"George showed up at 2 AM professing his love for me." I tell him
"What?!" Alex exclaims as he shoots up from the seat beside me
"What'd you do? What'd Mark do?" He asks
"I told George he should go and then I closed the door on him. And then me and Mark got into a fight and I told him he could either believe that I didn't love George and marry me or he could not believe me and we can call it off." I tell him
"Holy shit." Alex chuckles
"I'm glad my crappy life brings you amusement." I tell him with a small laugh before George walks into the locker room
"I got rounds." Alex says as he heads for the door
"Asshole." I call after him as he rushes out of the locker room
"Anna." George says softly before Mark walks into the locker room
"Anna." Mark says as he looks between the two of us before our pagers go off
"Carnage in the pit. My day's improving." I mutter before hurrying out of the locker room
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"Whatta we got?" Dr. Webber asks as we walk over to Callie and George and I tie my trauma gown
"Uh, gas main blew in an apartment building. Five injured, some badly." Callie says as we follow her into the trauma bay
"Excellent!" Cristina exclaims earning a look from the Chief and Callie
"Horrible. It's horribly sad." Cristina lies
"Marla Kristler, thirty-four-year-old female, abdomen blown out, skull fracture, third-degree burns over at least forty percent of her body." An E.M.T says as they unload Marla
"Okay, I got this. Open OR two. Page Dr. Shepherd. Torres, triage the rest." Webber calls out as he pushes Marla into the ER
"Yes, sir. Yang, you're with the chief. Go." Callie says
"Oh, thank you. Uh, one, four, come with me." Cristina tells her interns
"What about us?" Lexie asks
"Uh... go help Bailey in the clinic." Cristina tells them before they hurry off and Crisitna hurries into the ER and Another ambulance pulls up
I pull open the doors revealing a sobbing toddler and a man
"My wife-- she came in...in another ambulance. Is she here? Where-- where'd they take her?" The Man asks as I take the toddler from the E.M.T
"Walk and talk." I tell the E.M.T as we hurry into the ER
"Brian Kristler, Eighteen months old, contusions, possible head injury. BP and pulse are elevated." The EM.T. tells me as I lay the little boy on the gurney
"Karev!" Callie calls out as she reaches us and I pull my stethoscope from my pocket
"I've got it, Callie." I tell her as I listen to the boy's breathing
"You're supposed to be on plastics. Not in my ER." Callie says
"I said I've got it. Alex can take my place on plastics today." I say
"I called Karev. You're with Sloan." She tells me
"And I said I got this." I say as I glare at her
"You look a little tired. You up late last night? Perhaps you should sit this one out." Callie suggests, suspiciously before I step closer to her
"How bout you go talk to your husband and get the hell outta my face?" I whisper to her
"Tyler, lets start him on oxygen." I say as I step back over to the little boy
"And, uh, let's start him on fluids. And let's order a chest x-ray." I tell Tyler
"You got it, Anna." Tyler says
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"How close to the explosion was he?" Derek asks Mr. Kristler as I look in the boy's ears
"Oh, we were, uh, we were in the living room, his mom was in the kitchen. And..." Mr. Kristler trails off
"The gas line blew?" Derek asks
"I-I think it was the stove." Mr. Kristler says
"Alright, we're gonna run some tests on the baby. Anna, I'm going into surgery with the chief. Keep me posted!" Derek shouts over the screams of the boy
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"Come on, B. It's okay. Brian, I'm here. Brian, stop crying, baby. I can't-- I can't think, baby. I'm-- why won't he stop crying?" Mr. Kristler asks as Brian continues to sob
"Hey there, Brian. Whoa, you're a big boy." I say with a big smile as I pick Brian up
"Do you work out, huh? You take care..." I trail off as a weird smell drifts into my nose
"You take care of yourself?" I ask as I sniff Brian's hair, already knowing I'm smelling Methamphetamines
"Anna, CT Results. Should I page Shepherd?" Tyler asks as I bounce Brian in my arms
"No, he's in surgery. Let me take a look." I say as I take the CT results from him
"What do you see?" Mr. Kristler asks as I wave one of my interns over
"Uh, there's nothing acute." I tell him
"Acute? Nothing? So-- so he's gonna be okay, right?" Mr. Kristler asks me
"Yeah, I'm gonna-- I need to run a couple more tests, okay?" I tell him as I hand the scans back to Tyler
"Schedule an MRI and have the lab run a tox screen on Brian's blood." I whisper to Tyler as I sniff Brian's hair some more
"Why?" My intern asks me
"Because I said so, Nancy Drew." I tell her as I bounce Brian in my arms
"You're okay, buddy." I tell him
》》》》》◆《《《《《
Narrator's POV
"That boy of theirs-- Brian-- gorgeous. Sometimes they're not-- kids. Sometimes they're ugly. You have any kids, doctor?" Mark's patient asks him
"I have one." Mark says with a small smile as he thinks of Delilah
"Married?" Archie asks him
"Engaged." Mark tells him simply
"Why don't you seem happier? You're getting married, doctor, you should be happier." Archie tells him before Mark looks around the room at Callie and Izzie
"We had a fight and I don't know if we're still getting married." Mark admits
"What?!" Izzie exclaims and Callie lets out a scoff
"What kind of fight, doc?" Archie asks him
"Her...her ex showed up at our apartment last night." Mark tells him
"And?" Archie asks
"He told her he was still in love with her." Mark tells him
"And what'd she say?" Archie asks
"She told him he should go and then she closed the door on him." Mark states
"That's good. Why'd you two fight over that?" Archie asks
"She obviously doesn't wanna be with him otherwise she would have left with him." Archie tells him
"I threw a fit that she didn't tell him word for word that she didn't love him back." Mark tells him
"She told me I could either believe that she didn't love Geor-- her ex...her ex and marry her or I could not believe her and we can call it off." Mark tells him
"Do you love her?" Archie asks
"Yes. Without a shadow of a doubt." Mark tells him
"And do you trust her?" Archie asks him
"I do." Mark says
"Then don't lose her because of your ego, doc." Archie tells him
"Get on the stick. Don't do like I did. Don't be a bachelor your whole life. You can only play the field for so long. Then suddenly one day, your whole life passes you by, and those parts aren't working like they used to." Archie says
"They have medicine for that now." Mark tells him
"They don't have medicine for that all alone part, now do they?" Archie asks
"No, I suppose not." Mark says
》》》》》◆《《《《《
Anna's POV
"You're alright, little guy." I say as I bounce Brian in my arms while I pace in his new room
"Dr. Duquette." Tyler says as he steps into the room and Brian continues to sob and I carry him over to Tyler
"Lab work?" I ask quietly and Tyler nods his head in response as I take the results from him
"Stay here. Stay in this room and do not leave. Do not leave that man alone with this child." I tell Tyler as I pass Brian to him
》》》》》◆《《《《《
I grab a mask before hurrying into the Chief's OR
"Chief." I call out
"The 1-year-old-- Brian Kristler? He's strung out on meth." I tell him
"What?" Derek asks
"Yeah, it was a meth lab that blew up. This woman and her husband are running a meth lab." I tell him
"Ah, yes. The joys of surgeondom. Saving the lives for those who deserve it the most." Derek says
"Tell Dr. Torres to follow exposure protocol for children. Tell her I am counting on her to take care of this." Dr. Webber tells me
"Got it." I say before exiting the OR
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"They were shooting him up with--" Callie starts
"No, they weren't shooting him up. When you cook meth, the fumes coat the walls, the floors. The baby walks around, crawls around, puts its hands in its mouth, it gets in his bloodstream." I explain
"God. Okay, um, call the police and social services. I'll spread the word." Callie tells me
"Wait, what about the dad? He's still in there with the kid." I tell her
"You call the police and social services. You let them take care of the dad. You take care of the baby." Callie tells me before Mark walks over to us
"Anna, can we talk?" Mark asks
"Sloan, we got a situation." Callie tells him before I walk off
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"That's a really big needle. Do you have to use such a big needle?" Mr. Kristler asks me
"His IV came out, and he needs to be hydrated." I explain
"Shh. It's alright." I coo to Brian
"Okay, okay. Look, I'm...Look, I'm just...I'm freaking out a little bit here. I mean, do you think you could get me an update on my wife?" Mr. Kristler asks
"Your wife has a crater in her abdomen, so even if she does survive surgery, it's gonna be a long, hard, painful recovery." I tell him as I bite back my anger
"She's gonna be okay, right? I mean, she's gotta be okay." Mr. Krister says as Brian continues to scream
"Brian, please, sweetheart, look at me. Brian, okay, stop crying. Brian, please. Brian, stop crying!" Mr. Kristler shouts at Brian making me lose my patience with him
"He can't stop crying! Okay? He can't stop crying because his nervous system is shot. He can't stop crying because his brain and his heart and his renal system are all compromised. He can't stop crying because he's in withdrawal from crystal meth, you sick son of a bitch!" I shout at him
"No, no. That's impossible. He wasn't in the room when we were making it." Mr. Kristler says as he steps over to me
"It was all over your apartment, okay? I tested him 'cause I smelled it on his skin." I tell him as I come nose-to-nose with him
"I love my son. Okay, we-- we were broke. I lost my job. But I don't use drugs. And I'm a good dad, and I love my family." Mr. Kristler says
"I have a daughter. And no matter how broke I was I would never put her at risk for a dollar. Now you can love your family from jail." I say before he punches me so hard that I stumble back into the medical supply cabinet before everything goes dark
》》》》》◆《《《《《
Narrator's POV
"Dr. Torres." Webber calls out as he enters Callie and Mark's OR
"Yeah, Chief?" Callie asks
"Yeah, Chief? Is it that you don't know what's going on in my hospital, Dr. Torres, or that you don't care?" Dr. Webber asks her
"Um, I'm sorry. I guess I don't--' Callie starts
"I delegated the meth lab situation to you. And now one of your residents has been attacked and a baby is missing!" Dr. Webber exclaims cutting her off
"I don't understand. I told Duquette to take--" Callie starts
"I don't want to hear any of your excuses." Dr. Webber says cutting her off
"What resident was attacked, sir?" Mark asks as he finishes up on the patient's burns
"Dr. Sloan, are you finished here?" Dr. Webber asks ignoring his question
"I am now, sir." Mark tells him as he stands up from his stool
"Get down to the ER. You have a consult on your fiance." Dr. Webber tells him before Mark hurries out of the OR
"Torres, Finish up here. You better hope that baby shows up." Webber tells her
》》》》》◆《《《《《
Anna's POV
"Just hold the damn mirror still, Alex!" I shout as I attempt to stitch the back of my head
"Jeez, how are you a surgeon with shaky hands?" I grumble before Mark walks into the trauma room
"Finally, somebody that can hold the damn mirror still." I say as I snatch the mirror from Alex and offer it to Mark
"Gimme the needle. Now." Mark grumbles out
"Fine." I say as I hand him the needle
"Got her films back." Mer says as she walks into the trauma room with my films
"Is my nose broke?" I ask as Izzie presses an ice pack to my nose
"Ow!" I seethe
"Sit still, I've got a needle at your skull." Mark tells me
"Sorry." Izzie mutters as she gently presses the ice pack to my nose
"It is broken. Sorry, Anna." Mer says as she holds up my films showing a clean break
"It's a clean break. I can set it and it'll look like it never happened." Mark tells me
"In fact, I can take it from here." Mark says as he looks at the others
"We can take a hint." Izzie says as I take the ice pack from her and they exit the room
"How's the pain? You put enough lidocaine in before I took over?" He asks
"It's fine." I mutter as I press the ice pack to my nose
"That's a lie." Mark says as he preps another lidocaine shot
"Did you decide if you still wanna marry me yet?" I ask as I crack a small smirk and he injects my head wound with more lidocaine
"Of course, I wanna marry you, doofus. Now hold still." He tells me with a small smile
》》》》》◆《《《《《
I walk into the gallery of Brian's surgery before sitting down beside Dr. Bailey
"They found him." I mutter as I breathe a sigh of relief
"He had a stroke. A one-year-old with a stroke." Bailey says
"You can yell, ya know?" I tell her
"Not my job anymore." Baileys says
"I'm just saying, you can if you want. I...I deserve it." I say
"Oh, you do deserve it. You do deserve, Dr. Duquette, to be chastised for your stunningly poor decision-making. You...you've certainly earned a-a reprimand for your unbelievably destructive tactical error." Dr. Bailey says
"You got in the face of a drug dealer?!" She exclaims as she slaps my knee
"You got in the face of a drug dealer before the police had arrived-- you got in the face of a known felon while his 1-year-old child was still in the room? Are you stupid? Are you without intelligence? Because I know you were taught better than that. I taught you better than that, Dr. Duquette. Gettin' in the face of a drug dealer. Fool!" Bailey shouts at me
"Thank you." I tell her
"Oh, no. Thank you." Bailey says
》》》》》◆《《《《《
"Come here." Mark says as he hurries up to me and pulls me into an on-call room
"Keep your pants on. What's the rush?" I ask with a small laugh
"Callie said she thinks George is having an affair. Is it you he's having an affair with?" Mark asks as he stares down at me
"What?" I scoff
"You can't be serious, Mark!" I exclaim
"I am serious, Anna! Is it you or not?!" He shouts at me
"You really think I'd do that to you?" I ask him
"Do you...think...I would cheat on you?!" I scream at him
"I don't know anymore, Anna!" He shouts
"Wow, Mark." I say as I head for the door
"Where're you going?! You didn't answer my question!" He shouts at me as I open the door
"No, Mark! I'm not having an affair with George!" I shout as George appears in the hallway
"Is this what you want, Mark?! Do you want me to tell him I don't love him back because I'm in love with your stupid ass?!" I scream at him
"George, I don't love you back because I am in love with this stupid ass." I say calmly as I look at George
"Uh, o-- okay." George says before he walks away from me
"Thank you. That's all I--" Mark starts
"No. I didn't agree to marry jealous, possessive Mark. I agreed to marry kind, loving Mark who never ever questioned my loyalty to him. Until you think you can trust me again, the wedding's off." I say cutting him off before exiting the on-call room
》》》》》◆《《《《《
I tip-toe into the apartment before quietly kicking off my shoes and soon the living room light flicks on
"Did you stay late to avoid me?" Mark asks
"Don't, Mark." I say
"We're getting married next month." Mark tells me
"I distinctly remember calling off our wedding." I say
"And I distinctly remember being a nut job today. We are finally in a good place, Anna. Don't throw it all away." He says
"No more crazy jealousy?" I ask
"No more." He tells me
"Okay." I say softly as he grips my hips
"Wedding still on?" He asks
"Yes. The wedding's still on." I say before he leans down and pecks my lips