Today is Meredith's trial to determine the life of her medical career. Jackson and I walk in and read the sign 'Room Reserved for Medical Commission'.
I shake my head as Richard comes around the corner.
Jackson: hey. You just get back in town?
Webber: yeah. I landed last night. Um, listen. I'm sorry I didn't call you back. I didn't think it was a good idea for you guys or your– your mom to come to Sabrina's service.
Jackson: mom didn't go?
Webber: the family's not ready to see anyone, especially from Seattle.
Savannah: which is understandable.
As we walk into the waiting area, I could hear Teddy and Owen arguing.
Link: everything okay?
Owen: Allison had us up til 3:00am.
Teddy: us? You slept through the whole thing. Or you pretended to. Hey, hey! Is that coffee?
I chuckle as Link gives the cup to Teddy.
Bailey: I don't remember all you people putting in requests for the day off.
Webber: and whose fault is it they need to?
Bailey: Richard. Nice to see you.
Webber: Bailey.
Meredith walks in with Andrew, Amy, Alex, and her lawyer, Nancy Klein. The tension in the air was cold as ice, causing me to roll my eyes.
Savannah: alright, I have to say something before we go in there. Our goal is to make sure Mer keeps her medical license. And we can't do that if we're going to be petty and shit. None of this pettiness is going to help Meredith against this panel of surgeons. If you guys don't get your shit together like mature adults, I will personally kick your ass out the door? Do I make myself clear?
Everyone replies with "yes, ma'am".
~~~~~
I'm sitting in between Amelia and Jackson as the trial starts.
Judge Benson: good morning. Based on the number of witnesses on the list I just read, this one's gonna be a circus, so let's go ahead on record. My name is William Benson, I am the judge who's been assigned to this case. We have Ms. Ashley Cordova, who's representing the Medical Commission, and Ms. Nancy Klein, who will represent the respondent. The commission panel includes Dr. Aaron Rosenburg, Dr. Maria Lang, and—
The door opens and a man enters the room.
Castello: I'm here. I'm here. I'm here. Sorry. Traffic. Light was out on Broadway.
I look up at the man, and my heart stops. I let out a shaky breath as I grab Jackson's arm.
Judge Benson: Dr. Rosenburg, Dr. Lang, and panel chair...
Savannah: Dr. Paul Castello.
Jackson: what?
Savannah: that's the man that killed my best friend.
~~~~~
Judge Benson: we will follow these protocols throughout these proceedings.
I lean into Jackson.
Savannah: ever since Derek died, I've been trying to get his license revoked. Hell, even before that. But I can't seem to get it through. He's too well-liked. I saw him eight months ago during my last attempt. He has no right judging Mer right now.
Jackson kept a tight hold around my waist.
Jackson: remember what you said, babe. Our goal is to focus on getting Mer her license back. Everything will be fine, baby. Just take a deep breath.
Castello: we are here today in the matter of Dr. Meredith Grey, who is charged with allegations that she practiced below the acceptable standards of medical practice in a manner that exploited patients and insurance carriers. In fact, Dr. Grey is...
~~~~~
Bailey was the first on the stand.
Nancy: Dr. Bailey, you've known Dr. Grey a long time. Could you speak about that at all?
Bailey: I met her when she was an intern.
Nancy: would you say the two of you have grown close over all this time?
Bailey: no.
Nancy: didn't Dr. Grey name her son after you?
Bailey: if you're asking if her son's name is Bailey, then, yes, it is.
Nancy: Dr. Grey is a well-respected general surgeon. You've agreed to that.
Bailey: is that a question?
Nancy: well, when you became chief of surgery, you asked Dr. Grey to become your chief of general surgery. And from my estimation, a chief of general surgery is extremely skilled, organized, dedicated, communicative. Does that sound correct to you?
Bailey: it does. And she is no longer my chief of general surgery.
I start digging my nails into the palms of my hand. I can't believe Bailey is doing this to Meredith, after everything they've been through together.
Nancy: no more questions. Thank you.
Judge Benson: Ms. Cordova? Any cross?
Cordova: uh, actually, yes.
Ms. Cordova stands up and approaches.
Cordova: Dr. Grey has developed quite the disciplinary record over all those years you've known her, hasn't she? Your name is listed as the doctor who reported the following incidents– interns, including Dr. Grey, admitting to cutting a patient's LVAD wire. Dr. Grey performed a surgery on an intern without an Attending. Dr. Grey instructed a younger resident to remove a brain tumor without consent from the patient or Attending. Dr. Grey would not allow an education consultant to enter her OR, so you suspended her. All of these things familiar to you, Dr. Bailey?
Bailey: all true.
I let out a sigh as Bailey stares Meredith down.
~~~~~
Next up was Gabby's father, Luis.
Luis: my daughter, Gabby– she had terrible stomach pain, and my neighbor told me about the free clinic at the hospital.
Cordova: so you took Gabby there, where you were seen by Dr. Grey?
Luis: yes. She said that Gabby had a mass in her intestine. And she needed surgery.
Cordova: but you didn't have health insurance. For you or your daughter.
Luis: no, I didn't have insurance.
Nancy starts her questioning.
Nancy: you must have been terrified during all of this. Were you by yourself?
Luis: yes. Dani, my wife, she was in a detention center at the time, at the border. This is before they sent her back to Honduras.
Nancy: I am so sorry to hear that. And how's Gabby?
Luis: they said that she was responding very well to the medication. Because we caught it early. Because Dr. Grey did. She saved us. The world needs more people like her. More doctors like her.
~~~~~
DeLuca was next up, being questioned by Cordova.
Cordova: and were you aware Dr. Grey had committed insurance fraud?
Andrew: no. I found out when Dr. Webber approached Dr. Grey in the scrub room. He saw her daughter's name on the schedule and was worried.
Castello: Ms. Cordova, can I jump in here?
I roll my eyes at Castello.
Castello: Dr. DeLuca, your relationship with Dr. Grey at the time. She was an Attending, and you were...?
Andrew: I was a fourth1year surgical resident. I'm now a fifth year.
Castello: and you're in a romantic relationship with your boss. There's documentation from Human Resources.
Andrew: I'm sorry. How is this relevant?
Castello: you didn't alert a supervisor when you found out what Dr. Grey had done, so, yes, I'd consider it relevant. Well, unless– is it consensual?
Andrew: it is.
Castello: thank you, Dr. DeLuca.
Andrew: and the reason why it wasn't reported to a supervisor was because my supervisor was out of reach at the time.
Castello: and who is your supervisor?
Andrew: Dr. Savannah Avery-Collins.
A smirk grows on my face as Castello turns over to me. I've made it known to him that I was Derek Shepherd's mentee and little sister, so watching him grow tense at my presence made me smile.
Castello: uh... thank you, Dr. DeLuca.
Andrew stands up to leave, but Cordova stops him.
Cordova: not quite yet. I'd like to ask about when you applied for a transfer from Grey Sloan.
Andrew: sure. It, uh– it was nothing. I was having a bad time in my intern year, and, uh... I figured it out, changed my mind.
Cordova: mhmm. And by "bad time", you're referring to your mistreatment by specific Attendings after a violent incident with Dr. Alex Karev?
Andrew: I dropped the charges against Dr. Karev.
Cordova: oh, I know. I'd like to present Exhibit B-5. This is from Dr. DeLuca's personnel file. Dr. DeLuca, could you do me a favor and read the highlighted section?
Andrew: "since I charged Dr. Karev with a felony, I feel his fellow Attendings want to keep me off their services and out of the OR. Because of this, I feel my residency experience will be compromised.".
Cordova: and a little further down, you named one of these Attendings. What's the highlighted name?
Andrew: Dr. Meredith Grey. But I-I changed my mind. It was a long time ago. Ancient history. We've worked it out.
Cordova: yes. Dr. Grey seems to have made sure of that. No further questions.
~~~~~
I decided to step out of the room while Schmitt was being questioned, and I call Natalie to calm my nerves.
Natalie- I feel bad for Schmitt. He came into the locker room terrified as hell, poor kid.
Me- it'll be okay.
Natalie- you okay? You sound tense.
Me- you remember how I told you about the doctors that operated on Derek the night he died?
Natalie- mhmm?
Me- one of the doctors on the commission panel... is Dr. Paul Castello.
Natalie- oh my god. No. The guy who...
Me- the guy who failed to get Derek a head CT which basically caused his death? Yeah.
Natalie- oh my god. Aunt Meredith must be fuming.
Me- yeah, she is. And so am I. I've been trying to get his license revoked since Derek died and I keep failing.
Natalie- he'll get his karma, mom.
Me- I know. Hey, I should get back.
Natalie- okay. I love you.
~~~~~
After a short recess, Owen went up to the stand.
Cordova: Dr. Hunt, as an army surgeon, you've trained and worked with doctors all over the world. I have to know, is Dr. Grey really as good as people say she is?
Owen: no. She's better. The Catherine Fox award that she won was for a surgery that saved my sister's life. Now, if Megan could have been here today, she'd be– she'd be showing you her transplanted abdomen herself.
Cordova: so you've come around.
Owen: I'm sorry? Wh—
Cordova: Exhibit C-2. These are Dr. Bailey's surgical notes after Dr. Grey botched your sister's first surgery. "Hunt has concerns that Dr. Grey could not close patient's abdomen the first time. If she fails again, patient has no other options.". The Hunt in this note is you, correct?
~~~~~
Richard was next to the stand.
Cordova: Dr. Webber, would it be safe to say that you've seen Dr. Grey partake in a lot of groundbreaking work?
Webber: absolutely. Most recently, she was published for her studies with mini-livers in mice.
Cordova: and going back, I read about a trial for Alzheimer's disease carried out under your tenure as chief. I'm curious why it didn't continue.
Webber: well, that trial ended at Grey Sloan because someone tampered with it.
Cordova: could you elaborate on that?
Webber: is that necessary for this investigation?
Castello: answer the question, Dr. Webber.
I roll my eyes at Castello. He really can't keep his damn mouth shut.
Webber: my wife– my late wife was a participant. And I discovered that she was selected for the placebo instead of the experimental drug. I changed the envelopes. I got her the drug.
Cordova: and you were the only one involved?
Webber: that's right.
Cordova: thanks for clearing that up. I know there have been instances when you– how should we put it– bent the rules in favor of Dr. Grey.
Nancy: objection. That's pure conjecture.
Cordova: is it?
~~~~~
Next to the stand was a woman that I've never met before.
Judge Benson: state your name, please.
Patricia: Patricia Murphy. Hi, guys!
Cordova: you used to work for Dr. Webber?
Patricia: sure did. I was Chief Webber's administrative assistant. I also was the point of contact for the National Residency Matching Program. First person to see who had matched.
Cordova: please see exhibit D-1, the list of interns who matched Dr. Grey's first year. Ms. Murphy, could you find Dr. Grey's name on that list?
Patricia: oh, her name isn't on here.
Cordova: why not? Didn't Meredith Grey match at Seattle Grace that year?
Patricia: no. Uh, not at first, anyway. Dr. Webber asked me to set up a call with the president of the NRMP. And next thing I knew, I was adding Grey's name to the roster.
Cordova: I'm sorry. That sounds like you're saying Meredith Grey was never supposed to work at that hospital in the first place.
~~~~~
I was next on the stand.
Savannah: Dr. Grey and I first met during our third year of residency. We've been through a lot together. Surgical boards, specialties, plane crash, buying and running Grey Sloan, and more. We've grown very close over the last decade, personally and professionally.
Cordova: speaking of Grey Sloan, you are the primary shareholder of said hospital, correct?
Savannah: yes.
Cordova: and you take time to discipline those who need it?
Savannah: yes. I've always seen the bigger picture or every side of the story to an argument, and I know I'm the best person to handle mistakes and anything else related to a matter like that.
Cordova: I've listed before a list of Dr. Grey's incidents at Grey Sloan. My question is– why didn't you ever give her a harsher punishment or solution before this incident?
I let out a deep breath.
Savannah: Dr. Grey is one of the best doctors I know. And I always look into every incident with full detail to see why and how it happened—
Cordova: but why—
Savannah: hey! I'm talking!
My tone startled Cordova.
Savannah: Dr. Grey has made many mistakes in her career, but why hasn't? The only time Dr. Grey has ever made a mistake was to help her patients and colleagues. When Dr. Grey is on a case, the only thing that matters is her patient. She will fight tooth and nail for her patients. Dr. Grey has one of the best records at Grey Sloan because she comes back from her loses and she makes sure that it never happens again.
Cordova: so, because they learn, surgeons should be able to make continuous mistakes?
Savannah: are you saying every surgeon should be perfect?
Cordova: are you saying they shouldn't be?
Savannah: if surgeons were perfect, no one would die. If everyone was perfect, none of us in this room would have a job. The world is imperfect. We make mistakes, it's a human thing. Everyone in this room has made multiple mistakes in their lives, and we're still here. Meredith Grey saved a little girl's life. Her patient is alive. She fought tooth and nail for her patient. She didn't miss a CT scan or a diagnosis. Taking away Meredith Grey's medical license will be your biggest mistake, because you will kill thousands of patients that could live because of her. Meredith Grey deserves to keep her medical license.
~~~~~
Alex was next on the stand, but I zoned out for a bit. I had my head rested on Jackson's shoulder paying no attention to anyone. I snap back to reality when I hear Castello.
Castello: well, she seems to be fairly cavalier about the law in both her professional and personal life, so I'd say it's relevant. In fact, she used her youngest daughter's identity to commit insurance fraud, so—
Meredith: Alan Brown, Farrah Alazari, Deborah Greene, and Sam Carter.
Castello: Dr. Grey, we have your list of your patient testimonies here. You don't need to repeat them.
Meredith: those are the names of the spouses of every patient I've ever lost. I remember every single one of them.
I could tell from the look on Meredith's face that shit is about to go down.
Castello: okay. Uh, thank you for that.
Meredith: you don't get to sit up there and ask questions about my daughter. If you want to take my license and make sure I never see another patient again, then you do that, but you have absolutely no right to ever mention my daughter's name because you are the one who killed her father. You don't remember me.
Meredith moves forward.
Meredith: but I remember you. As the coward who stood over my dying husband... the love of my life, and you didn't even attempt to do hurt holes after he failed to get him a head CT. Burr holes! I was doing burr holes as an intern. That one night should have cost you your entire career, but instead you're sitting up here judging me? You don't deserve to judge anyone.
Castello: your honor, if we could, um, just take a short recess to evaluate the situation, see if Dr. Grey's, um, conflict of interest is, um—
Meredith slams her hand on the table.
Meredith: my conflict of interest?! My medical license should not be in this man's hands. He is dangerous.
Nancy grabs Meredith and starts dragging her away, when Castello suddenly drops to the ground and starts seizing.
Savannah: Jesus.
I rush over to Castello and start giving instructions.
Savannah: put the jacket under his head. Do we know if he has a history of epilepsy?
Jackson: I'm gonna check for medical bracelets and ID here.
Bailey: hey, the paramedics are here with the gurney.
Savannah: male, mid-40s. Started seizing about four minutes ago. We're maintaining his airway.
Meredith: take him to Grey Sloan. He should have the very best care there is.
Savannah: Mer.
Meredith: can you do that?
I let out a shaky breath.
Meredith: and get him a damn head CT!
Owen looks over at me.
Owen: Avery-Collins, you going?
Savannah: uh... yeah, y-yeah.
I start moving out with the paramedics.
~~~~~
When we get to the hospital, we meet up with Teddy, Amy and Link. Natalie meets up with me at the ambulance.
Savannah: seizure stopped two minutes ago after multiple doses of diazepam. His last BP was 220/128, and he's tachy to 145. He needs clevidipine and a head CT ASAP.
Natalie: I called ahead for you, mom.
Savannah: good. Let's get him upstairs! Let's go, go, go!
As we're running in, I get a text from Jackson telling me that he's taking Maggie home then going to take care of the kids.
~~~~~
We got Castello into CT. When we got the results, I let out a shaky breath.
Amy: I need you to operate.
I look over at Amy.
Savannah: Amy...
Amy: that man killed my brother on an OR table because he refused to order a CT scan. Can you do it?
Savannah: Amy—
Amy: I know Derek was your best friend, and he was basically your brother, but I trust you. I trust you to do this. So, please... can you do it? For me.
I let out a shaky breath.
Savannah: okay.
I walk out of the room to talk to Koracick.
Savannah: I need your help. I have to do a craniotomy on a massive hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage. Can you help me?
Tom: you trying to up my bad outcomes? This one's all on you, Collins. I thought you were the best.
Savannah: this man killed my best friend/mentor/pseudo-brother on an OR table because he refused to order a CT scan. Will you help me? Please. If it's just me, I will plunge a scalpel into his brain and paralyze him.
Tom: I'll cancel the rest of my day.
Savannah: thank you.
~~~~~
I'm in surgery with Koracick on Castello.
Tom: you okay?
Savannah: every time I saw his face, it all comes back to the day I lost Derek. Derek was my best friend in the world. He saw potential in me. He didn't give up on me. He showed me so much love and kindness. He took care of me when I had no one else. He gave me a dance at my wedding when I had no one else. I've dreamt of this day for so long. I've dreamt that the world would be fair and this man on the table could experience a fraction of the pain that he caused when his arrogance took away my favourite person in the entire world. Right now, all I want to do is jam this scalpel right into his motor cortex and paralyze him. So that he would have to lie in a bed for the rest of his life knowing what he took from Meredith and her kids... Amelia... from me.
I let out a shaky breath as I continue on with the surgery.
~~~~~
Castello didn't make it out of surgery. I drive back to the trial, and I see everyone in the waiting area.
Savannah: Castello didn't make it.
Amy: wasn't me. I didn't kill him.
Meredith: should I be blaming myself for yelling at him?
Amy: no, he gets all the blame. Not only was he a terrible doctor to patients, but he forgot that high blood pressure's the silent killer. And, boy, did he let it get to him.
Savannah: I don't know how I managed to get through that surgery without taking that scalpel and paralyzing him.
Link looks over at me.
Link: I swear, you two are related.
A&S: possibly.
Amy and I share a laugh. Nancy walks in, and everyone grows silent.
Nancy: they're not postponing.
Amy: uh, should one of us tell them that their panel chair died?
Nancy: ooh. They'll ask when they're ready. Right now, they're sending their recommendation to the Medical Commission.
Owen: what?
Meredith: okay.
Nancy: it's a majority vote. So even if Castello voted to suspend Meredith's license, the other two doctors voted to drop the entire thing. It's over.
Meredith: I still have my license?
Nancy: yes. And I'm so grateful it's over because you're one of the most exhausting clients I've ever had. Congratulations, Dr. Grey.
Everyone cheers for Meredith and starts giving her hugs. I give Meredith a hug then rush out to go home.
~~~~~
When I get home, I see Jackson cuddled up with the kids.
Jackson: hey, what happened?
Savannah: Castello died and Mer still has her license.
Jackson: that's great, babe. You feeling okay? Hunt told me you operated on Castello.
Savannah: yeah. I did what I could. But... Castello got his karma.
Jackson kisses my forehead.
Jackson: I'm glad you're finally at peace.
Savannah: I am.
I lay my head on Jackson's chest and close my eyes.