12x14
Odd Man Out
"Dr. Lopez, which resident is normally on your service?" Richard asked, walking up beside Ophelia.
"Um, I don't normally have a resident, Hunt or Keps normally take them." Ophelia said, concentrating on the chart displayed on her tablet, "Why do you ask?"
"No reason." Richard said, before walking away, Ophelia giving him a weird look as he did.
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"Dr. Lopez, I'm on your service today. Or, I think so. I got put on peds, but Dr. Webber sent me to you." Stephanie said as she walked up to the Latina who was at the peds nurses station.
"Well, I'm helping out in peds today, seeing as I'm board certified in it." Ophelia said, gesturing atound her to the brightly coloured walls.
"Your double-boarr certified? And you chose peds as your second one?" Stephanie asked, sounding shocked.
"Do I not look like I would be board certified in peds or something? I get that reaction everytime I tell someone that. Seriously, I think I nearly gave Owen a heart attack."
"No, it's just- you know what, nevermind." Stephanie said. She looked around her, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "You hear the dogs, right? There are dogs somewhere."
"Once a month, a rescue group brings in a bunch of puppies for the kids." Ophelia replied, gesturing her head over to the room the puppies were in, "It's good for morale and healing and crap."
"No." Stephanie said, her voice strained.
"What's wrong?"
"OK, no. I can't do this today."
"Hope you like dogs." Ophelia said cheerfully.
"No, I really don't."
Just then, Amelia came up to them, excitement on her face. "Fee! Can we do something tonight? I feel like we haven't had a date in a while." Stephanie wisely chose this moment to leave, letting the couple be alone.
"Well, I believe you owe me a Scream 2 date." Ophelia replied, smiling up at her. Amelia's shoulders slumped.
"Sidney looks like my sister. I swear, the resemblance is there!" Ophelia laughed at her.
"I also believe that the house is going to be empty. Mer's working a long shift, as well as Maggie, so the kids will be in daycare." Ophelia said, leaning closer to Amelia, eyes flickering down to her girlfriend's lips.
"Well, that I can look forward to." Amelia said, her voice low. She leaned forward to kiss Ophelia's lips, but she dodge out of the way quickly.
"We are in public, Lia." Ophelia said, just as Amelia's hand came to rest on her thigh that was resting against the nurse's station.
"So? We should let everyone know." Amelia whispered, leaning in closer.
"I'm going to the bathroom." Ophelia said, smirking as she saw Amelia's expression fall, "Scream 2 tonight, Lia!"
"I hate you!"
Ophelia pushed open the door, greeted by Stephanie aggressively washing her hands, Jo pacing, and Penny intently reading a chart on her tablet.
"Grey still ignores me." Jo complained.
"Gross, gross..." Stephanie whispered.
"She refuses to fill me in on her patients." Jo continued, as Stephanie pumped more soap onto her hands.
"You can't restart Mrs. Wheeler on tube feeds yet." Penny said, showing Jo her tablet, "She had high residuals last time."
"Crap, I thought her ileus was resolved. Crap!"
"Oph, why would anyone think puppies are a good idea?" Stephanie asked, finally spotting the Latina.
"I don't know, this has been going on since before I got here." Ophelia defended.
"Don't tell Grey what I said." Jo pleaded.
Ophelia laughed. "Don't worry, Penny has called me many tines at 1am to rant about her, you're good."
"You know, this is urine." Stephanie pointed out, "I've been urinated on three times today."
"What did you expect from babies?" Penny asked, holding back a laugh.
"I'm talking about puppies. Dogs." Stephanie replied, "There are puppies upstairs with the kids."
"Why aren't we up there right now?" Penny asked.
"Because the only thing worse than peds is peds with puppies, because we're surgeons, not veterinarians, because we should not urinated upon."
"Someone's having a bad day." Ophelia whispered to Penny, who bit her lips to hold back a laugh.
"I'm being crapped on." Penny said, "You have to help me with Shepherd. Shepherd wants me dead."
"At least she knows who you are." Jo pointed out, "Grey keeps calling me your name."
"That doesn't even sound new." Stephanie said.
"Being kicked out of bed was almost better because then she would see me." Jo argued.
"Jo."
"She'd have to see my face to slam a door in it."
"Alright, you get ten more seconds. Stephanie said, finally turning off the water and facing Jo.
"What?"
"You get 10 seconds to complain about Meredith Grey. After that, you're done. No more talking about it again, ever."
"This is excellent plan." Penny said.
"It's actually really smart." Ophelia agreed.
"How is this fair?" Jo asked.
"You talk and you talk about Grey, but you don't do anything to change the situation. You get 10 seconds. After that, the only person you can talk to about Meredith Grey is Meredith Grey."
"I can't say it all in 10 seconds."
"No, 'cause you have seven."
"What am I supposed to say to her?" Jo ranted as Penny looked at her watch, Ophelia peering over to look as well, "She is the head of-"
"Five..."
"A friend would listen, a friend would not-"
"Time." Ophelia said.
"Never again." Stephanie said, patting Jo's arm.
"Can I just say one more-"
"Never." The other three women chorused. Just then, Stephanie and Ophelia's pagers beeped, and they both left the room.
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"
How could she not know she was birthing a baby?" Bailey asked as her, Stephanie, Ophelia, Alex and Ben walked down the corridor.
"It's a quaf at 23 weeks. He's about the size of you hand." Alex said.
"Quads. Just going from one litter to another." Stephanie scoffed, "Peds is weird."
"We'll need at least two full NICU teams down here for the transport." Ophelia said.
"OK." Bailey replied. Ophelia, Stephanie and Alex all walked into the OR, whilst Bailey amd Ben stayed outside to talk about something.
"I need warmers and neonatal resuscitation trays, and if you don't have to be here, get out." Alex ordered, "It's about to get crowded."
"Hi, Courtney. My name's Dr. Lopez." Ophelia said, walking up to the panicking woman.
"You're colleagues the out guy. We met him during our tour of the NICU." Courtney said.
"He is, and I can assure you, we're gonna do everything-"
"No, no, no, don't you talk to me. Dr. Robbins talks to me. Dr. Robbins is the in guy. She's the one. These babies are staying in. Dr. Robbins is in. You're keeping them in, right?"
"It's Charles, right?" Alex asked, coming up beside them, "Courtney, Charles already made up his mind. He's partially out, and once he's completely out, they all come out."
"Dr. Robbins." Courtney pleaded, taking Arizona's hand, "Promise me they're gonna survive, that they'll live once they're out. All four babies."
"I need four umbilical line set-ups." Ophelia said to Warren.
"Warren, wait." Arizona called out, and the man froze, "Just one."
Everyone looked at her, confused. "I'm sorry?" Ben asked.
"I said on set-up. Go!"
"What are you doing?" Alex asked her.
"I'm stopping the boulder!" Arizoan replied, and Ophelia couldn't help but furrow her brows at the metaphor, and she followed Arizona outside to the scrub room, as did Alex and Bailey.
"So, I'm gonna deliver Charles, sew up the cervix, and then leave the rest of the three inside for delayed delivery." Arizona explained.
"That's impossible." Bailey said.
"Yes." Alex agreed, "Once Charles is out, she'll keep having contractions to deliver the placenta. They'll all deliver. It's how it works."
"OK, fine. Fine, great. Then I don't deliver Charles' placenta." Arizona said, "After I cut the cord I sterilize it. I put it back inside, and we put Mom on antibiotics."
"Do you know how dangerous that it?" Ophelia asked, "If that placenta stays in, it could cause an infection, even sepsis."
"It puts Mom at risk, all three babies at risk-" Alex tried to argue.
"Alex, I am a fetal surgeon! I know more about this than you do." Arizona yelled, "I know exactly hoe they can die."
"Have you done this before?" Bailey asked, "Has Nicole Herman?"
There was a moment of silence, before Arizona spoke up, "No. I don't know that anyone has."
"Robbins."
"Please stop! Stop, I know thay you're gonna say no, and I don't wanna be in a position where I go against you. I know that this is a judgement call, but your judgement is not better here. I know what has to be done, and this is the only way that I know how to do it."
"OK, what I was going to say... good luck."
"She doesn't need luck." Ophelia said, "She can do it."
Arizona smiled gratefully at her, before pulling her mask back on and walking back into the OR, Ophelia following soon after.
"OK, are you ready?" Arizona asked Courtney.
"Just Charles?" She asked back.
"Just Charles." Arizona confirmed, "His sisters will jsut have to deal with the fact that he wanted to come out first. Typical boy."
"OK. OK. That's good. It's safer that way, right? They get more time?"
"Courtney, I need you to hold on for a little bit longer, OK? I nees you to trust me. Can you do that? Can you trust me?"
"I'm sorry. It's just... can Doug be in here? We had always talked about delivery and-"
"No, we can't risk any additional bacteria during the procedure. It's jsut too dangerous for you and for the babies."
"OK." Courtney said, letting out a shaky breath.
"Warren. Can you..." Arizona asked, gesturing to Courtney with her eyes.
"Absolutely." Ben said, walking over to the labouring mom and holding her hand.
"Don't forget that you need to-" Ophelia said.
"Eyes on monitors." Ben finished for her.
"OK, Courtney. I just need the tiniest little push. OK, ready?" Arizona said. Courtney began to push, and Arizona handed the baby over to Alex, who walked over to Ophelia and the NICU team.
"What's happening?" Courtney asked anxiously.
"Everything's happening exactly as it should be." Ben assured her, "You just breath."
Ophelia was working on Charles with Alex, depserately trying to bring him back to life.
"Alright, betadine." Arizona ordered, and DeLuca poured some out, "More. Just pour the entire bottle out. Karev, Lopez, how are we doing back there?"
"APGAR score is three." Stephanie replied.
"I need a smaller tube." Alex said, trying to intubate the small child.
"That's a three." Stephanie said.
"Then get me a two." Alex snapped.
"Alex!" Arizona yelled.
"Give me a minute." He yelled back.
"Is Charles, OK?" Courtney asked nervously.
"Dr. Karev and Dr. Lopez are just trying to get some air into his lungs." Ben told her.
"She's still having contractions." DeLuca observed.
"Uh, increase the magnesium rate." Arizona told the nurses.
Ophelia used her stethoscope to listen to Charles' heart, frowning when she heard beating faintly. She shook her head a little to Alex, telling him it wasn't looking good.
They had now gotten a tube to fit down Charles' throat, and Stephanie was still doing CPR on him.
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"Is he stable?" Arizona asked later that day in the NICU.
"A little hypotensive, but oxygenating well, which is something for his size, so..." Alex replied, trailing off.
"So we got all four." Arizona said.
"You got all four." Alex corrected.
"Told you you could do it." Ophelia said, grinning at her. Arizona wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug, "Now, if you two don't mind, I have to leave now."
"No, go ahead. I'll see you tomorrow?" Alex said, waving her off.
"Yep, see you, Karev." Ophelia agreed.
She walked off, pulling off the pink goen she was wearing, before walking down to the attendings' liunge and getting changed and walking back to the main reception, where she met Amelia.
"Hello, my love." Amelia said, standing up to greet Ophelia with a hug.
"Let's go home." Ophelia said, taking Amelia's hand and walking out the door to the car.
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2054 words
is it possible to sleep too much and still be tired.