Boards
Ivy sits next to Cristina on the curb as Jackson walks over to them, both his and Ivys suitcases in tow. Meredith starts the complaining, "That was hell. Actual physical hell."
"I think I went a tad overboard. A lot overboard," Cristina adds.
"They took something from me," Meredith continues.
Jackson leans his head on Ivys shoulder, "Yeah, that wasn't an exam. That was an interrogation."
Cristina is still in her head, "Like, way...way overboard."
"The mind games."
"Trick questions."
"It felt like Al Queda in there," Jackson finishes.
Meredith offers, "Next test is June."
Cristina looks at her, "June's not bad."
Meredith corrects her, "2013."
"Oh."
"Whats done is done. Let's just not even talk about it anymore. Though I am worried by the fact that Ivy hasn't said anything," Jackson says, looking at his girlfriend.
Meredith shakes Ivys shoulder, "Ivy, you good?"
"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out a way to tell my five board certified doctor siblings that I failed my boards. So far, not good results," She says, rubbing her hands over her face.
"Anyone know how Alex did?" Meredith asks.
"Anyone know if Alex made it?" Ivy asks.
Cristina looks at her, "Made it?"
Meredith joins in, "What do you mean, made it?"
Ivy, Jackson and April share a look. He better have made it.
○○○○*Six Hours Earlier*
"Welcome to the American Medical Board of Surgery certifying examination. We'll give you four seperate scenarios in three 30 minute sessions, ten minute breaks in between. To pass the test, you must pass two of the three sessions. Now you can fail a session and still pass. But examiners are not permitted to indicate whether you passed or failed each session. You'll be rated on your ability to diagnose, manage treatment, handle the unexpected- basically, the strength of you constitution in crisis. And when we move on to the scenario, there's no doubling back, meaning, once a question is asked, you can't go back. Ready?" Her examiner asks.
Ivy nods, "Ready."
"A 65 year old woman is being seen by her primary care physician for a workup of osteoporosis when she is found to have elevated calcium. Her P.T.H. level was well above normal her doctor sends her to you," the examiner reads off, looking up to Ivy.
"Elevated calcium and P.T.H. would indicate primary hyperparthyroidism... next, I would resect it and explore the other glands," Ivy says.
Her examiner adds, "Agressive choice."
Ivy thinks, "I could also wait for the I.P.M. before taking further actions but being aggressive now can stop complications down the road if I wait to long."
"And you're good with that choice."
Ivy nods, "Yes."
○○○○
Ivy walks back towards her room and sees Jackson and Catherine talking, "Just leave me alone. I'm in the middle of my freakin boards."
"Jackson. Jackson. Hey, look at me," Ivy tells him as Catherine continues.
"Mom, are you following me?"
"I'm in the room right next to yours," she says.
He sighs, "Of course you are."
Ivy draws his focus down to her, "Okay, enough. Calm down, go in there and kill it. Don't let your mother get in your head."
Jackson nods before giving her a quick kiss and entering his room. Ivy shakes her head and heads back to her own examination. She smiles at the examiners before taking her seat.
"You have a 40 year old man who complains of rectal pain and burning with defecation and occasionally some blood in the bowel movement."
"I would do a rigid sigmoidoscopy to make sure there are no lesions in the rectum. If there were lesions in the rectum, I would do an incisional biopsy and begin to fulgurate..." Ivy explains.
○○○○
Ivy finds Jackson pacing in a secluded hallway, "Okay, it can't be the boards that's got you this wound up. Talk to me."
"My mother is in the next examine room. She's loud and right there making it hard to concentrate. I mean, first she sleeps with Webber-" Jackson starts ranting as she pulls him into an unused conference room.
"Catherine slept with Webber? When? How do you know?" Ivy cuts him off.
He fake laughs, "Disgusting, right? Last night or this morning, I don't really know. All I know is, when I went to get my lucky pencil, there was Webber, in a bathrobe. Thought I had the wrong room until I knocked again and there she was. In his shirt. How am I supposed to concentrate with that-"
Ivy slams her lips to his, "Lets put a new image in your head."
"Okay."
He picks her up, connecting their lips before laying her down on the table.
○○○○
Ivy exits her exam room and shakes hands with the examiners, a smile on her face. She turns around to see Jackson waiting for her. She approaches him and grabs his hand before dragging him to their rooms to pack, "How do you think you did?"
"Oh, I was very relaxed that last session. More focused," He tells her, pulling her into his side.
"Oh, me too."
They laugh with each other before they see a distressed April, "Apes? What's wrong?"
She looks at them, "I'm not a virgin. I broke my promise to Jesus."
"What? When?" Ivy asks.
"I'll go pack our stuff, you go talk with her," Jackson kisses her forehead before leaving her and April alone.
Ivy pulls April to a couch and sits down, "Okay, start from the beginning."
She sighs, "I went to find Kevin, that guy from the bar, to apologize about the job again. Except I found his friend instead and we got to talking and then we sorta just... did it."
"Oh. Um, what happened next?"
"It was in the back of my mind the entire exam until I just let it out during my last session. Oh, my God. I failed it. I'm not going to be a surgeon, I'm not taking any job, I'm a failure!" April says, crying into Ivys shoulder.
"You don't know that. You could pass. Just cause the last session didn't go as you hoped doesn't mean the first two were terrible. You are an amazing surgeon who is amazing no matter your virgin status," Ivy tells her, "Now, let's go home and see our results. We are all going to be okay."
She gets up guides April out of the room. Who would have through April Kepner no longer a virgin.
○○○○
Those who just took the boards stand in a circle, continually checking their phones. April runs past the group, "Gotta pee. Gotta pee. Gotta pee."
Ivy can't stand still and is pacing in front of the group, "What time do you guys have?"
"12:04."
"Ugh, it's supposed to come online at midnight," Jackson complains.
Meredith adds, "I mean, it's four minutes late. Come on, people."
Alex says, "Crazy doctors, they crashed the system."
Ivy starts ranting, "I can't be the first Shepherd sibling to fail their boards. This will not be the one time I an the first to do something. God, can you imagine what they would do? What Callie would do? I can't- hey!" Jackson pulls her so she's standing still and in front of him, "I was pacing."
"No, you were making me more nervous, so stay."
"Okay, if anyone failed, it was me because my guy had a vendetta," Cristina says.
Alex snorts, "Please. I've got the odds on failure."
A nurse runs out to them, "Are any of you on call? I've got a trauma."
They all quickly turn to her, "No!"
Ivy is the first to see it, "Wait. Wait. Wait. I passed! Yes! I passed!"
"I passed. I passed," Jackson says right after her, pulling her in for a kiss.
"I passed! I passed! I passed! Yes!" Cristina celebrates.
Meredith soon adds, "I passed! I passed!"
"Yeah!" They all turn to Alex.
He groans, "Its not coming up."
Jackson offers his phone, "Here. Here. Use mine."
Alex quickly takes his phone and after a minute starts pounding on his chest and smiling. They all start celebrating. Jackson picks Ivy up and spins her around before kissing her and setting her back down.
Ivy realizes, "Wait, what about April."
April comes out and gasps, she has a horrified look on her face. She didn't pass. Ivy quickly moves forward and embraces her. She feels Jacksons arms wrap around both of them.
Ivy, Jackson, Alex, Meredith and Cristina had passed, but April hadn't.
○○○○
AN: so there are the boards! Ivy passed! There was no way I was going to make it so she didn't.
A mass majority of you want Ivy to be in the crash so I'm going to find a way to work her in. So the QoC is:
What should Ivys injuries be?
Thank you for all the reads and votes and comments!