Chapter 7: Trust and Trials

Grey's Anatomy Universe, Earth, United States, Seattle Grace Hospital, Parking Lot – 2006

Arriving early at the hospital, I was eager to start another day. Locking my car, I took a deep breath to enjoy the fresh morning air. I have to confess that I lost my V-card in this world yesterday afternoon during my outing with Izzie.

Today, the events of the second episode of the first season are set to begin. I headed to the locker room to put on my medical uniform. As I did, I noticed a 'Looking for Roommates' notice that Meredith put up at the start of the episode.

But first, I needed to meet with my interns to assign them their tasks for the day. With patient histories in hand, I read each one to determine the appropriate assignment. Greeting them, I said, "Good morning, Padawans. I have some cases for you. Make sure each patient receives the best possible care."

The interns nodded. "Dr. Robinson, you'll be handling Mr. Olsen. He's here for a routine follow-up on his heart condition. Dr. Hawkins, Mrs. Snow is recovering from a hemorrhoidectomy. Dr. Martin, you're in charge of Mr. Greene, who was admitted last night with complaints of dry mouth and fatigue. Finally, Dr. Bond, we have Mrs. Viquez, admitted a few minutes ago with nausea, belching, and reported weight loss. Run some tests and diagnose her. The same goes for you, Dr. Martin."

"Lastly, if any complications arise, call me immediately." After giving them their instructions, they dispersed to their tasks, leaving me to focus on my own responsibilities.

I was heading to the emergency room when I encountered Izzie. Upon arrival, I heard Izzie asking, "Does anyone speak Chinese?" I approached her quietly and whispered, "I might know someone who can scream chinese" She jumped slightly as she turned to see me.

"Not now, Dr. Whitman. I'm working at the moment. We can talk later," she reproached. "It looks like you're having some trouble with a patient," I noted. "I just don't understand Mrs. Lu; she's only speaking Chinese," Izzie explained. "Maybe Mrs. Lu is worried about something or someone. You know, there are many Chinese immigrants without citizenship lately," I suggested.

After saying goodbye to Izzie, I headed to the nursery. Arriving before George and Meredith, I waited for a moment. A few minutes later, they arrived, looking slightly surprised to see me. "How's it going, George and Princess Grey? How's your day been?" I asked. "Dr. Whitman, it's not what it looks like..." George began, looking worried, while Meredith seemed a bit annoyed by the nickname I gave her.

"Don't worry. I also like to come here occasionally to relax for a moment. It's not bad to take a break from the intense environment we're used to here. I won't tell your resident in charge," I assured Bailey's interns, smiling. George started making faces at the newborns, and Meredith commented, "You're such a mother hen."

Receiving a page, George said, "Emergency. I have to go," before leaving. In a comfortable silence with Meredith, we continued watching the babies. Noticing a worried look on Meredith's face, I directed my gaze to the baby she was looking at, who had a bluish tint.

"We're seeing the same thing, Dr. Grey," I mentioned. Without saying anything, she walked towards the nursery entrance, forgetting about my presence. I quietly followed her. Once inside, I saw Meredith listening to the blue baby's breathing.

Soon after, OB/GYN intern Elizabeth Chen entered. "What are you doing here?" she asked, looking more at Meredith than at me. "No tests have been requested, and the child has a murmur," Meredith pointed out. "I know," Dr. Chen responded. "He's turned blue," Meredith emphasized.

"You don't have permission to be here. Do you know what trouble you could get into?" the intern questioned. "You're going to run tests," Dr. Grey insisted. "It's a systolic murmur. It disappears with age," Meredith stated firmly.

"You're not going to run tests?" Dr. Grey reproached. "He's not your patient. He's not even in your service," Dr. Chen pointed out. "Are you sure it's benign?" Meredith asked. "I'm also a doctor, you know. You should leave," Dr. Chen said, finally focusing her gaze on me, noticing that I'm a resident.

"Hello, I am Dr. Whitman. With all due respect, it's necessary to run tests on the child," I told Dr. Chen. "Dr. Whitman, although you have an incredible reputation in this hospital and in the medical field, I think you should leave," Elizabeth said.

"Doctor..." I started. "Dr. Elizabeth Chen," the intern introduced herself. "Dr. Chen, could I speak with your resident in charge for a moment to consult about the case?" I asked. Looking concerned but remaining firm, she agreed. "Sure, I'll inform him. But you still need to leave the nursery," the intern commented.

Meredith, listening to my conversation with the intern and knowing that I'm backing her despite the potential trouble, stayed silent. After a few minutes, Dr. Paul Key arrived. Before he could confront me, I spoke up, knowing him from my previous year. "Paul, how's it going? How are the kids and your wife?" I asked, trying to ease the tension.

"Josh, they're doing well. Now tell me, my intern mentioned you're questioning her diagnosis," Dr. Key said. "We're not questioning her expertise. We just noticed the baby turned blue and no tests have been done to confirm it's benign. We admit we overstepped. But Dr. Grey is concerned and has a valid point," I explained.

Turning his gaze to his intern for a moment, Dr. Key then looked at me and asked, "Do you have authorization?" "Paul, my friend, don't you trust the modern Asclepius? If you're worried about authorization, let's put my career on the line. I'll also inform my superior, Dr. Webber, to handle it administratively. And next time at Joe's bar, the tab's on me," I offered.

Thinking deeply about my proposal, I finally asked, "Dr. Chen, are you 100% sure the murmur is benign?" Looking serious, Dr. Chen hesitated. "I don't know, maybe 75%," she admitted. "That's not good enough. The child is now my patient. Is that okay, Dr. Key?" I affirmed.

"Absolutely, but don't forget your promise at Joe's," Paul said. "Can he take our patients?" Dr. Chen asked. "He's the rising star in surgery, with great success in his operations and diagnoses. Also, he'll handle everything administratively. I've known him for a while, and he's a great person and doctor. He never goes back on his word, hence his reputation and the respect he has," Dr. Key explained.

"Thank you for your trust, Paul. Say hello to your family for me," I said to Dr. Key, receiving the child's medical history and walking away with Meredith. "Dr. Grey, conduct an echocardiogram, X-ray, and ultrasound on the baby. Also, inform the parents. I'll explain the situation to Dr. Webber and let Dr. Bailey know that you're working with me on this case," I instructed Meredith.

"Understood, Dr. Whitman. But are you sure about risking your career?" Meredith asked. "Don't worry about that. First, I trust your diagnosis. Second, I believe in my abilities; there's a reason for the nickname I was given," I said, smiling.

After explaining the situation to Richard about the nursery baby and my deal with resident Paul Key, he scolded me for risking my career but understood. Then I discussed the case with Dr. Bailey, informing her that Dr. Grey would work with me.

Bailey seemed slightly annoyed that I was bossing around her interns when she didn't do the same with mine. To calm her down, I promised to treat her to lunch. After briefly stepping out of the hospital and returning, I noticed a young man with significant bleeding in his groin area, recognizing him as the rapist from Dr. Shepherd's case with the victim.

He collapsed at the entrance. Both Bailey and I approached the patient, directing the nurses to bring a stretcher. "It looks like we have our rapist, Dr. Bailey. Should you take him to the OR while I inform Dr. Webber and call Dr. Grey who guards the penis? Or should we switch?" I asked Miranda.

"You inform, I'll prep the OR and the patient," the Nazi ordered. After making the necessary calls, I also summoned my intern, Dr. Hawkins. In OR 1, Dr. Bailey and I operated on the rapist, with Meredith and Maria observing.

"Why don't we try to sew the penis?" Dr. Bailey asked Dr. Grey. "It's been torn. Only possible with a clean cut. If it had been severed in one stroke, digestive juices have corroded the tissue," Dr. Grey explained.

"What should we do?" Dr. Bailey asked.

"Sew it without the crown jewel," Dr. Hawkins suggested. "What's the prognosis?" I asked, not allowing Dr. Bailey. "He'll need to urinate with a bag for a while and won't be able to have sex again," Maria commented. "What a pity," Meredith highlighted.

After the operation, Meredith approached me. "The tests are ready for you to review," she said. Taking the tests from Dr. Grey, I began reading them. "Well?" Meredith asked.

"A congenital defect. Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. You were right. Book an OR. Can you believe it? We just came out of one and are heading back in," I said ironically, smiling at Meredith.

"Thank you for supporting me in this case," Meredith said. "Sometimes we have to trust our instincts. Other times, we need to step off our pedestals and trust those below us in the hierarchy," I explained.

Adding, "Now that I've given you the carrot, here comes the stick. If you ever do something similar without considering the consequences and overstep the patient's responsible service, I'll make your residency a bit complicated."

In the OR, while operating on the baby, I instructed the team. "We'll perform a median sternotomy for a transventricular intervention with right ventriculotomy. Let's open. Scalpel, size 15." Not forgetting to order, "Dr. Grey, scrub in. When we open the chest cavity, you'll hold the retractor."

After the surgery, I went to rest for a moment, watching the rain fall at night from the back door. Seeing Izzie return after treating Mrs. Lu's daughter, I said, "That's one of the things I fell in love with about you."

She looked surprised that I was there, possibly seeing her making unofficial stitches with hospital supplies. Even though we had been intimate just yesterday afternoon. I could jeopardize her program results if I disclosed it any of both unofficial stitches and our relationship.

However, after processing what I said, she smiled and asked, "What do you like about me?" moving closer, almost kissing me.

"You always see the good in people, no matter the harm they've done. Also, you get emotionally involved in cases. Additionally, you're kind, protective, and often stubborn," I said, looking deeply into her eyes.

After saying that, I slowly moved in and kissed her. A few minutes later of passionately kissing in each other's arms, I whispered in Izzie's ear, "How about we go to a break room for a few minutes?" Nodding, we headed to the nearest bunk and locked the door.

After an intense cardio session with Izzie as the instructor, I received a page for an emergency. "I have to go, Izzie, there's an emergency," I told her, kissing her forehead before she could protest.

Arriving at the scene, I found Stephen. "Dr. Whitman, Mr. Greene's condition is deteriorating rapidly. He's running a fever, tachycardic, and reports severe pain," Dr. Martin explained, looking tense.

Quickly reading the medical history and based on Stephen's report, I assessed the situation. "We need to take him to surgery immediately, Dr. Martin. Prep the OR." Within minutes, I returned to the OR with Mr. Greene.

Preparing with Stephen, I explained "Dr. Martin, this is a critical situation. Follow my lead and instructions," I said calmly and firmly. "Yes, Dr. Whitman," Stephen responded.

We worked together seamlessly. Locating the source of the problem, I commented to Stephen, "It's a ruptured appendix causing severe peritonitis."

I guided Dr. Martin through the delicate procedure of a laparotomy to remove the appendix and clean the infection. After what seemed like hours, we finally stabilized Mr. Greene. "Excellent work, Dr. Martin."

After the operation, I entrusted Stephen with Mr. Greene's postoperative care. Finishing my shift, I headed to Joe's bar to fulfill my promise to Dr. Paul Key. To my surprise, Dr. Burke, Dr. Torres, Dr. Bailey, Nurse Vivian and intern Dr. Chen were also there.

We talked and laughed for a couple of hours, and though my wallet took a hit, it was worth it. If I weren't wealthy, I'd have to work double shifts for a few weeks.