- - -
every doctor has a dirty little secret. we're all competitive science nerds. in grade school, we made the biggest and the best volcanos, which erupted actual, fake molten lava.
- - -
"are you nervous?" ben raises his brow at bailey when he finds her waiting outside of the hospital. "you're not nervous."
"of course i'm nervous," bailey tells him. "been waiting for this day my entire career, and i promised them 'candy disco rainbows'. and now i have to deliver. am i nervous?"
"you will deliver," ben attempts to reassure her as he kisses her forehead.
"i just need it to be perfect- just today," bailey breathes as ben takes her hand to walk inside. "oh, no, no. go on. uh, you can't be late for rounds. people will think i'm giving you special treatment. go on."
"okay," ben chuckles, leaning in to kiss her goodbye, but she pulls back.
"no, special treatment!" bailey frowns.
"okay," ben shakes his head, turning to walk into the hospital. "i'll see you later... chief."
- - -
in junior high, we spent hours laboring over our rat mazes, so that one day, we'd be the person who changed the face of medicine forever.
- - -
"when you said carpool, i thought you just meant us," lia turns to mark sat in the passenger seat of her car, whilst they wait outside derek and meredith's house. "where is meredith? carpooling is supposed to save time."
"boo!" derek shouts then laughs as he appears in the passenger window.
"derek!" lia scold. "i've been sitting out here for twenty minutes."
"well, yell at your sister for not changing her oil in over a decade," derek tells her, and meredith rolls her eyes as they gets into the back seat of lia's car.
"everybody buckled?" lia asks as her phone chimes. "my dad needs one of us to walk bailey into her surprise breakfast thing this morning."
"no, thanks," mark shakes his head.
"not, i," derek insists.
"i hate all of you," lia groans as she pulls away from the house.
■ ■ ■
"i mean, i just- i just- i- i barely know this man. we had like two dates last week," maggie tells callie and amelia as all of the surgeons gather in the conference room for bailey's surprise breakfast, having various discussions as they wait for her arrival. "he asked to see me again tonight."
"so, i looked it up, and bailey's the first," arizona announces as she approaches the girls.
"first what?" amelia furrows her brow.
"first female chief of surgery of this hospital. before that, all men," arizona elaborates.
"i say it's about time," jackson nods from where he's sat on the table behind them.
"and all the department chiefs are women- cardio, ortho, peds," maggie points to herself, callie, and arizona, in turn.
"we got trauma, plastics, and neuro," jackson argues, pointing to owen, mark, and derek, in turn.
"yeah, but we've got lia who's like the boss of three specialties," arizona reminds them.
"badass! ladies," callie turns back to the boys. "this place is run by ladies. it's... 'ladyplace'."
"no," maggie firmly protests. "it is not ladyplace. 'ladyplace' is what my grandma calls her vagina."
"oh!" the doctors laugh.
"to anyone who will listen, by the way- she is not shy," maggie adds. "no, we can't call this place ladyplace. i don't need to think of that sweet, sweet, raunchy, old lady's vag every time i walk through the doors."
"me neither," alex scrunches up his nose. "but i will now."
"she's coming, she's coming!" richard warns the doctors.
"oh, oh! oh! hurry, hurry, hurry!" arizona gasps as the doctors move around so that they are stood hiding the cake, and breakfast that awaits her. when they are all in position, lia pushes the door open for bailey, allowing her to enter.
"well, i'm glad to see you're all here," bailey smiles. "uh, but if you had read your e-mail, you would have known that one of the many things that i will be implementing as chief is no more weekly attendings' meetings."
"uh, well, actually, this is a st-" richard begins to protest.
"see, less talking about saving lives and more saving of the lives. thank you," bailey cuts him off before walking back out of the conference room. lia shrugs her shoulders at them, and then proceeds to follow bailey.
■ ■ ■
"all i'm saying is, i just don't understand how you can know a man and love a man and not see eye-to-eye with him on such a basic, fundamental thing," arizona says as she, catherine, and lia are all operating together.
"exactly," catherine agrees. "richard wants to propose by drowning me in flowers and chocolate covered rose petals. you'd think a man would be grateful for a woman who allows him to avoid that kind of nonsense."
"or maybe it's just not about you," lia shrugs and catherine and arizona both turn to her.
"i beg your pardon?" catherine raises her brow.
"nothing," lia shakes her head. "sorry, none of my business."
"well, you seem to have made it your business, so elaborate," catherine insists. "please."
"maybe it just makes him feel good. maybe it's easier just to accept a bunch of dumb roses than to ask a man to fundamentally change who he is or do what makes him feel good, when what makes him feel good is telling you how good you make him feel. maybe by not letting him give you that, you're actually taking something away from him," lia explains, but no response follows. "sorry."
"no, it's... you're protecting him," catherine smiles behind her scrub mask. "i understand."
■ ■ ■
"oh, grey- just the person i needed to see," bailey calls meredith when she sees her walking out of a patient room. "a hot appy came in tonight. now, it hasn't ruptured, but you need to do-"
"am i being punished?" meredith cuts her off.
"on the contrary," bailey's brows knit together.
"it's fine," meredith insists. "i just need to know."
"oh, you don't think you deserved my piling my service on you," bailey nods.
"no," meredith shakes her head.
"i believe you do," bailey tells her.
"what?" meredith raises her brow.
"i'm gonna let you in on a secret," bailey smiles. "see,
when webber had this job, it was easier for him. and hunt and shepherd had it easier than i do. you know why?"
"i don't," meredith exhales sharply.
"because they had me," bailey reveals. "i need a me, and i believe that you can be a me for me. i need you to be my me. i'd like to appoint you chief of general surgery."
"me?" meredith's eyes widen.
"because you deserve it. because you can take it," bailey chuckles. "because i leaned on you, and you held me up. you are the calm in the centre of the chaos. you have been since i met you. and i need you."
"hmm," meredith hums.
"you want it or not?" bailey snaps.
"yes," meredith laughs.
"go see this appy, and don't complain to me again."
- - -
sometimes, the key to progress is to recognize how to take that very first step. then you start your journey. you hope for the best, and you stick with it.
- - -
"richard webber!" richard hears his name being called as he's walking towards the hospital lobby, busy looking down at the hospital tablet in his hands.
when he looks up he sees catherine standing on the main staircase that has been littered with roses, and decorated with candles and fairy lights.
"catherine?" richard furrows his brow.
"i'm mad at you! i'm doing something i swore i never would," catherine tells him as she begins slowly walking down the steps. "i'm asking a question when i don't know the answer because you..."
"what's going on?" owen asks as arrives in the lobby.
"shh!" a group of nurses scold him, and bailey turns to look at them with bewilderment.
"because you're worth me standing here like a fool, announcing how i feel... in front of the entire hospital!" catherine gestures for the crowd of staff that are gathered around. "i love you, richard webber! i love you. and i would very much like for you to be my husband. that is, of course, if you would like it, too."
the crowd all murmur with various 'oohs' and 'awhs' and richard looks around them until his eyes land on lia who widens her eyes and nods to prompt him. he then steps forward to meet catherine, folding his arms across his chest as he clears his throat.
"well, about damn time," richard frowns and catherine laughs as the other members of staff begin to applaud them.
catherine kisses him then turns around to gesture to the string quartet behind her as they begin to play.
- - -
day in, day out. even if you're tired, even if you wanna walk away, you don't, because you are a pioneer. but nobody ever said it'd be easy.
- - -