8.10

Helena walked through the crowded airport, wheeling her suitcase behind her as she arrived back home. She yawned as she glanced down at her watch, realizing her shift had just started.

As she spotted Mark and Alice towards the back of the airport, a beam appeared on her face, the girl running towards her family. To Alice's arm, Mark had tied a helium ballon, the girl looking up and smiling at the floating toy.

As she looked down and saw her mother, she called out. "Mama!"

"Hi, baby girl. I missed you!" Helena smiled, picking up her baby as she pressed a kiss to Mark's lips. "Hi, ."

"Hi, honey. How was it? Did LA Children's love you?" Mark asked, picking up Helena's suitcase as they started to walk away.

"I think so, actually. They offered me Student Loan forgiveness, they said they'd cover moving expenses and they'd give me some money for my own research." She smiled, excitedly, as Alice played with her necklace.

"Of course they did." Mark smiled. "Between the Africa Program, the double residency, the groundbreaking surgeries you've scrubbed in on and working with Robbins, everyone wants you."

At that, the resident blushed a bit as she smiled. "Oh, about that, don't forget that in five days I have the Stanford interview. You don't have to come pick me up though, I'm gonna be flying so much in the next few weeks that you can't possible come get me every time."

Narrowing his eyes as if he's just been challenged, Mark warned. "Yes, I can. Watch me."

——

"Oh, this is getting ridiculous." April complained as the twisted trio entered the resident's lounge. In Cristina and Helena's arms were two big gift baskets, sent to them by hospitals trying to recruit them for their fellowship. A proud smile was on the small girl's lips, a slight bump beginning to appear under her scrub top.

"The NIH?" Jackson questioned, reading Cristina's card. "Since when does the NIH bribe residents to come work for them?"

"Oh, they don't. Except when you're me, a God." The woman shot back, Helena giggling.

"What about you?" Meredith asked.

"Boston Children's." Helena smiled, unwrapping the gift basket and excitedly picking up a box of chocolates, putting one in her mouth. "From the card, seems like they really want me. In my interview they even offered me a fully staffed research lab."

Walking into the room with a pout, Alex went to steal a chocolate from Helena. However, the girl warned. "Really wanna take food from the pregnant lady?"

Narrowing his eyes for a second, the man backed down, taking one of Cristina's cookies instead, and complaining. "The cookie's stale."

"Aw, Karev, is this hard for you?" Cristina teased. "Having to beg for interviews while the some of us just seat back and get wooed?"

"No one is begging." He shot back, putting on his lab coat as Helena explored the rest of her basket.

"Maybe you should. Maybe that way you'd actually get an interview." Kepner teased, making Helena chuckle.

"I love mean Kepner." Cristina let out.

"Oh, really? They gave me wine while I'm pregnant." Helena scrunched up her nose at the bottle she found.

"Look, I got an interview!" Alex argued, still eating the cookie.

"Oh, where?" Helena asked, innocently.

"At... places." He pouted. "Whatever! This sucks, ok? I mean, we got boards in a couple of weeks and now they want us to go on freaking job interviews?! There's only so much crap a guy can have thrown at him before he snaps."

At that, Helena looked at the bottle, before extending it to Alex. "Here. I was just gonna take it home to Mark, but you need it more."

——

After being paged 911 for an incoming trauma, Helena was putting a teen girl into the CT machine, a hiker who had been found in a mountain. She was pretty beat up, scratches on her face and body, and had yet to say a word.

As she put her into the machine, she explained. "Ok, there you go. I'm gonna be right on the other side of the glass, just try to stay calm and not move."

However, just as she was about to leave, the girl gabbed her hand in panic, still not having said a word. Looking down at her wrist, Helena furrowed her brows: there was a bruised strap, almost as if she'd been tied up. Glancing at her ankles, which had similar marks, her suspicion was confirmed.

Feeling her heart break, Helena whispered. "You weren't hiking out there, were you?"

The girl whimpered and shook her head, Helena nodding in understanding. "Ok, sweetheart, I can't stay in because I'm pregnant, but I'll stay right by the door. Is that ok? I won't leave, I promise."

——

Helena put up the X-Rays, showing them to Callie and Teddy as she fidgeted with her pigeon.

"Displaced tibial fracture." The ortho woman evaluated.

"Rib fractures, too. Lungs look fine." Teddy agreed. "How far did she fall?"

"We don't know, some hikers found her." Helena told them with a nod.

"What is it, Lena?" Arizona asked, entering the room.

"Jane Doe, looks around 15 years old. Hunt asked you to take a look at her." The resident informed, the blond looking at the films.