6x21: "How Insensitive"
I'm sitting in a meeting held by Bailey in the skills lab with a bunch of the other residents. My dad arranged the meeting because he thought it would be best to brush up on our patient sensitivity skills. I know some people who need it. Not to point fingers, but... Cristina.
Anyways, Jackson was sitting on the stool while I was standing in front of him in between his legs.
Bailey: "Uh, reaction, observation, communication- any questions so far?"
Most of the residents, except me, raise their hands.
Bailey: "Shepherd, care to answer the very obvious question?"
Mia: "We're doing this because Chief Shepherd, my father, suggested that we should brush up on patient sensitivity skills."
Bailey: "Correct."
Jackson leans into my ear and whispers.
Jackson: "suck up much?"
Mia: "Shut up blue eyes."
Jackson and share a tiny laugh before going back to listening to Bailey.
Meredith's POV:
I look over my shoulder and I see Jackson whispering in Mimi's ear. I nudge Cristina a bit and nudge my head in her direction. We look at them and we see them laugh for a second before they turn back to Bailey. I raise an eyebrow when I see Jackson wrap his arms around Mia from behind, which makes her blush.
Meredith: "They're gonna be together in the next couple of months."
Cristina: "Definitely."
My POV:
Bailey: "It just so happens, this morning was a very good time. Besides, half of you were raised by wolves. I can only name one person in this room who doesn't need to brush up on her patient sensitivity. Maybe y'all should learn from her. Bailey looks at me with pride and I smile proudly as Bailey writes on the board."
Bailey: "Reaction. Keep your face impassive. Whether prompted by a patient's appearance or lab results, facial expressions of
sui ise, concern, disgust, etc, can be counterproductive. Uh, la la la la la... jokes. Don't make jokes about patients. Not in front of them, not even in private."
Cristina: "Well..."
Bailey: "Yang?"
Cristina: "What if the joke is really funny?"
Bailey: "It's not. Neither was that one. Moving on."
Jackson and I laugh at Cristina before Bailey moves on. I lean on Jackson's chest a bit and close my eyes for a second.
Jackson: "You alright?"
Mia: "tired. Haven't had enough coffee."
Jackson: "Take mine."
Mia: "No, it's fine. I'll just grab some when I have time."
Jackson: "You're scary when you're not properly caffeinated. Take my coffee."
I chuckle at Jackson who hands me his coffee. I take his coffee and smile.
Mia: "You love me."
Jackson: "I guess."
I chuckle at Jackson before turning my focus back on Bailey. My focus was taken away when I felt my phone buzz.
Coolest Dad Ever 💕: "Gary Clark is in the hospital. He filed a wrongful death suit in his wife's case. I just met my lawyer and I'm about to have a meeting with all of them. Tell me something good before I go in."
Me: "Everything is going to be fine. You can do this. I know you're under a lot of pressure but all you need to do is breathe. If you need me at all today, page me and I'll come running. I love you"
Coolest Dad Ever 💕: "Best daughter in the world. Love you more baby"
Suddenly, I hear Bailey's pager go off.
Bailey: "Use reflective listening, repeat the patient's feelings back to them. Um, "I hear that you're concerned about the surgery. Let me explain the risks"."
I hear Alex comment and I roll my eyes when I hear Cris and Mer laugh.
Bailey: "Communication. Uh, don't use jargon. Use language that the patient can understand. Be creative in using metaphors."
Charles: "Oh, I'm terrible with metaphors. I can never come up with 'em."
Cristina: "Why, 'cause you're dumb as a box of hammers?"
I couldn't help but laugh at Cristina's comment towards Percy.
Charles: "You see, that's a good one. You're an ass, but that's a good one."
Bailey: "Be clear and comprehensive. Explain all risks and all probable outcomes, leaving nothing out. Question- Adamson?"
Reed: "Why are you going so fast?"
Bailey: "It just so happens that we have an emergent patient arriving who will need a little extra sensitivity. So remember to employ your R-O-C and you will... rock your patient's world."
I lightly chuckle at Bailey's joke.
Bailey: "Okay, that's enough of that. Follow me to the pit. Hustle!"
I grab Jackson's hand and we run to the pit together. Jackson wraps his arm around my waist as we make our way to the pit.
Bailey: "Alright people, remember what you've been taught. Use it throughout the day. There'll be consequences if you don't."
Behind the ambulance, I see a giant truck coming our way.
Alex: "What the hell is it?"
Reed: "What, did the circus come to town?"
The lift at the back of the truck opens and I see a very large man sitting on a bed.
Jackson: "No... just the elephant."
I whack Jackson at the back of his head.
Bailey: "Avery, you're off the case. Go."
Jackson: "Oh, damn it."
I smirk at Jackson as he walks off. We take our time getting our patients out of the truck and into the hospital. As we whet him in, I get a text from Jackson.
Jackson🩺: you better stay on that case for me angel, so I can live vicariously through you.
Me: I'm gonna stay on the case because I'm a very trustworthy person but okay, I'll stay on the case for you pretty
Jackson 🩺: curse you and your kindness.
Me: it's a gift my dearest Jackie bear
Jackson🩺 : you're very lucky that ur cute angel or else I would slap you for calling me Jackie.
Me: you love me and you could never be mad at me, not for long at least.
Jackson 🩺: haha, true. Now get back to work cutie
Me: I would be working if you stopped texting me.
Jackson 🩺: you love talking to me. I make your day better, you can't deny that beautiful
I start blushing like a madman. I decided to ignore Jackson and focus on the patient.
Owen: "Let's get him a chem panel, CBC and LFTs."
Reed: "Got it."
April and I start examining him.
Mia: "Mr. Corso, does that hurt?"
Bobby: "Sweetheart, I can't even feel that?"
Meredith: "I'm having trouble finding a vein here."
Cristina: "Or anywhere."
Bobby: "I'm using up all your doctors here. There's probably somebody dying somewhere, right?"
There was a moment of silence.
Lexie: "X-ray."
Everyone stands back. I stand with Mer and Cris.
Meredith: "Now I understand the sensitivity training."
Cristina: "Yeah. No fat jokes."
Bailey: "Yang, you're off the case."
Cristina: "I said no fat j-"
Bailey: "Goodbye."
I stifle a laugh as Cristina walks off. Once the x-ray was done, we continued to examine.
Bailey: "Sir, when did the stomach pains become more acute?"
Bobby: "Oh, the last couple of days, I guess. It's hard to keep track. I'm a real busy guy."
Melissa: "I'm here. I'm here.
I turn my head to see a tiny blonde woman approach us."
Owen: let's roll him.
Melissa: "Bobby, are you okay?"
Bailey: "I'm sorry, and you are?"
Melissa: "I'm his wife."
Bobby: "hon, I'm fine. Melissa worries. She likes to make mountains out of molehills, and I'm already a mountain."
Bobby and Melissa start laughing and I let out a tiny chuckle while everyone else stays silent.
Bobby: "Man, tough crowd."
Mia: "Mr. Corso, we're gonna need to turn you over again."
Alex and Percy are about to turn Bobby over when Alex stops them.
Alex: "Dr. Webber. Look at that."
I let out a gasp when Alex lifts Mr. Corso's stomach and reveals a very infection.
-later-
We got Bobby into a room after we did our tests and we met with my dad to discuss how to proceed. He told us to do whatever we could and we'd have a meeting again later.
Mia: "Good luck with the lawyers. I love you."
Dad: "Love you too baby."
Dad kisses my head before running off. Lexie comes out of Bobby's room with Melissa.
Lexie: "Uh, so just a couple more questions. Um, his diabetes, did he have it before he- he was im-immobilized?"
Melissa: "No, that's since he put on the weight."
Mia: "And how long has it been this way Mrs. Corso?"
Melissa: "Uh, five years ago, his company laid off 300 employees. He tried to find work for two years. No one was hiring. And then he stopped trying. It was real hard on him, and food-"
Mia: "Food made him feel better."
Melissa: "Yes. And so... I think he's been in pain for a while. He's told me it's indigestion but I-I couldn't ignore it. After the
news, I just had to call."
Lexie: "The news?"
Melissa: "Well, we're- we're gonna have a baby. I'm pregnant."
I give Melissa a genuine smile.
Lexie: "How?"
I glare at Lexie
-lunch-
I'm sitting in the cafeteria by myself eating my lunch when I hear the last voice I want to hear.
Barry: "Is this seat taken?
I let out a sigh as I looked up to see my ex-friend smiling at me, causing my face to fall into a frown."
Mia: "Why the hell are you here?"
Barry: "Well, uh... mom's here. She's getting some tests done."
Mia: "Is she okay?"
Barry: "Uh, not sure. She's been having a lot of difficulty breathing lately, she's been having chest pain and she fell down the stairs a couple of times in the last few weeks."
Mia: "She fell down the stairs?! Is she okay?"
Barry: "She's fine. She was in the hospital for a couple of days and only had a minor concussion."
Mia: "Where was she?"
Barry: "Seattle Pres."
Mia: "Everybody at Seattle Pres is a bunch of lazy idiots. I'm gonna talk to Bailey and I'm gonna make sure Aunt Nora gets the best care possible, whatever she has.
-later-
After I find Nora and yell at her for not telling me that she was here, I manage to find Bailey.
Mia: "Bailey. I know we're super busy with Mr. Corso and everything, but I just need one small tiny favor for a minute for our favorite resident in the whole world."
Bailey: "What is it, Shepherd?"
Mia: remember my ex-friend, Barry, I told you about what happened with him and me.
Bailey: "the fool who made you cry?"
Mia: "Mhmm. Well, his mom is here and she's waiting on test results. I want the best of the best-taking care of her, and I need you. I know you're probably thinking that I'm crazy for wanting to take care of my ex-friend's mother, but you have to understand that this woman is one of the most important people in my life. She's treated me like I was her daughter ever since I was 15. Even when I was in army. She's the sweetest woman alive and I want her to be taken care of by someone I trust. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't so important. Please, Bailey, I'm begging you. Please help her. If she has cancer or whatever, please help her." Bailey looks at me for a moment.
Bailey: "You're lucky you're my favorite Shepherd."
I smile at Bailey and give her the biggest hug.
Mia: "Miranda Bailey, you are a freaking angel and I adore you so so much. Thank you!! And to make it up to you, I'll do your pre-ops and post-ops for a month."
Bailey: "deal."
I smile at Bailey and Runoff.
-later-
Bobby's surgery went fine and Jackson's patient unfortunately died. When I got Nora's test results back, my heart broke when I found out that Nora has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. I got her admitted and talked to Bailey about her plan. I was dressed in my street clothes ready to go home
but I decided to see Nora before I went home. I stay for forty-five minutes then I say my goodbyes. I was ready to go home when Barry stopped me.
Barry: "Hey. Listen, I wanna thank you for doing this."
Mia: "No problem."
Barry: "I'm glad you did this for me. It means that we can get back and be best friends again"
Mia: "woah woah woah woah woah, Barry... I won't be your friend anymore"
Barry: "What?"
Mia: "Do you remember the promises we made to each other? We swore to have each other's backs no matter what, to be there through thick and thin."
Barry: "Mia, I know I messed up, but I've changed. I want another chance."
Mia: [shaking her head] "You had your chance, and you broke that promise. You left me stranded on the battlefield of life when I needed you the most."
Barry: "I was young and foolish. I didn't realize the impact of my actions."
Mia: "Being a soldier taught me the importance of loyalty and trust. We relied on each other to survive, to come back home in one piece. And then I became a surgeon, where trust is paramount. Patients entrust their lives to me, and I can't afford to have someone in my life who doesn't value trust and loyalty."
Barry: "But Mia, I've changed. I'll do anything to make it right."
Mia: [her voice firm] "Change takes more than words, it takes actions. And your actions have shown me that I can't trust you. I've moved on, and I suggest you do the same. I'm happy with my life right now and I don't need you floating around, trying to come back into my life."
Barry was about to respond when I felt someone wrap their arms around my waist and then kiss my temple. I look over my shoulder and I see Jackson.
Jackson: "Hey babe. Everything okay?"
I looked at Jackson and I saw the look on his face that read 'Go with it' so I did.
Mia: "Yeah, everything's fine."
Jackson: "Is this guy bothering you?"
Mia: "It's fine, don't worry honey."
I looked back at Barry who was shocked.
Barry: "Oh, I... I didn't know you had a boyfriend."
Jackson: "Yeah well, she does. Ready to go home, sweetie?"
I almost laugh at our conspiracy
Mia: "Yeah. Um, I'll see Aunt Nora tomorrow. Bye."
Jackson grabs my hand and we walk out together.
Jackson: "Who was that?
Mia: "My ex-friend"
Jackson: "your ex? Why was he in the hospital?"
Mia: "his mom has stage 4 cancer and I admitted her today. I managed to convince Bailey and Dr. Webber to be the surgeons on her case."
Jackson: "You ended things on good terms with your ex?"
Mia: "Oh god no. He betrayed me and I had to find out about very hard"
Jackson: "wait. He betrayed you and you still talk to his family?"
Mia: "his family has treated me like family ever since I was 15. Despite what Barry did to me, I still love his family and I'd do anything for them."
Jackson: "You are... something special."
Mia: "Yeah, whatever"
Jackson and I laugh as we get to my car.
Jackson: "How's Bobby Corso?"
Mia: "he's good. He has a long road ahead of him to get his life back together, but he'll be fine."
Jackson: "I can't believe I got kicked off that case."
Mia: "You shouldn't have said that elephant joke then."
Jackson: "Shut up."
Jackson and I laugh as he leans on my car.
Mia: "Thanks though, for playing off as my boyfriend. I owe you one."
Jackson: "Anything for you angel."
I smile at Jackson before kissing him on the cheek.
Mia: "Goodnight Jackie."
Jackson: "Goodnight angel."
Jackson kisses me on the cheek before walking to his chair, leaving me blushing like an idiot. I get in my car and drive home with the biggest smile on my face. I couldn't help but start thinking about Jackson. The way he smiles at me, the way he makes me laugh, the way he can always make me feel better in a matter of seconds. As I walk into my apartment, I freeze up when I make the realization...
I have feelings for Jackson.
I jump on the coach and call Aunt Amelia :
Mia: "Aunt Amelia. How are you?"
Aunt Amelia: "I'm doing well, Mia. How about you?"
Mia: "It's been a bit of a rollercoaster. I had a tough day at work and then I heard from my ex-friend. His mom has cancer."
Aunt Amelia: "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that, Mia. It sounds like a lot to process. How are you holding up?"
Mia: "I'm trying to be there for him, but it's complicated. He betrayed me in the past, and it's hard to forget that."
Aunt Amelia: "I understand, Mia. It's important to take care of yourself while supporting others. Have you had a chance to process your feelings about the situation?"
Mia: "Not really. And on top of that, I've realized something else. I think I have feelings for Jackson, my colleague, and best friend."
Aunt Amelia: "Oh, Mia. That's quite a revelation. It sounds like you have a lot on your plate right now."
Mia: "I do. And I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't want to ruin our friendship or make things awkward at work."
Aunt Amelia: "It's understandable to feel overwhelmed, Mia. Remember to take things one step at a time. Have you considered talking to Jackson about how you feel?"
Mia: "I haven't. I'm worried about how he'll react."
Aunt Amelia: "Communication is key in any relationship, Mia. It's better to address your feelings openly and honestly rather than letting them fester and potentially affect your friendship. And remember, whatever happens, I'm here for you."
Mia: "Thank you, Aunt Amelia. I'll think about what you said and talk to Jackson."
Aunt Amelia: "You're welcome, sweetheart. Just remember to trust your instincts and take care of yourself."
Mia: "I will. Thanks for listening, Aunt Amelia."
Aunt Amelia: "Anytime, Mia. I love you."
Mia: "Love you too, Aunt Amelia. Take care."
[As Mia hangs up the phone, she feels grateful for her aunt's advice and support. With Aunt Amelia's words guiding her, she knows she can navigate the complexities of her feelings for Jackson and support her ex-friend during this challenging time.]
I hang up on Aunt Amelia then I go to bed for the night with a certain Avery on my mind. Rex lay with me and we fell asleep.
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