twenty-two

Allison went to the coffee shop near the hospital to grab one to start of her day, she went to the counter to order a coffee to go.

Once they called out her name she grabbed her coffee hurrying to get to the hospital so she wouldn't be late, but the day had other plans. Allison bumped into someone causing her to drop her phone.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry." A voice spoke up causing Allison to shake her head as she leaned down to grab her phone, the person had the same idea making their heads bump into one another, "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Allison responded, as the person grabbed her phone and handed it to her, "Thank you..."

"Micheal. Micheal Rivers." He said, seeing as she was finding for a name.

"Thank you, Micheal." Allison nodded.

"No problem, Allison." Micheal nodded, causing Allison to raise a brow since she didn't tell him her name. Noticing his slip up Micheal looked at the coffee in her hand. "Uh your name is on the cup."

"Right." Allison said as she was getting ready to leave noticing the time. She sent him a small nod before making her way to the door and getting ready to leave the hospital.

***

"I can't believe Altman postponed our surgery for grand rounds." Cristina complained as she, Meredith, Alex and Allison took their seats in front of Jackson and April. "It's just a boring lecture."

"Your husband said it was mandatory." Meredith reminded her, as Allison nodded.

"One more hour of sleep, that's what is." Alex balled up his lab coat as a makeshift pillow.

"Oou." Allison eyes brightened, "Let me use you as a pillow."

Alex shook his head, "No, ask Meredith."

Allison glared at him before she turned away to face the front.

"It's not gonna be boring." April assured the four of them, "This is Jackson's mother, Catherine Avery."

Allison eyes widened at the mention of her ex-fiancee mother. "What?!" She whispered shouted as she turned around to face Jackson, "Your mother is in town and you didn't think a little heads up would be helpful?"

"She's a urologist, right?" Meredith asked before Allison could argue with Jackson, seeing the murderous glare she sent his way, making Jackson sink deeper into his chair.

"Yeah, and she hates my guts." Allison groaned wanting nothing more than to disappear.

"I met her when I was an intern at Mercy West. She's amazing." April praised Catherine Avery, making Allison snort as she rolled her eyes.

"She is a lunatic." Jackson spoke up.

"No, she's not. She's brilliant." April insisted, "She says things that shock you, but then when you think about them later, they change your life."

"Or they could ruin your life." Allison said, remembering the times Catherine tried to break Jackson and Allison up by telling her she wasn't good for her son or she was distracting him from being a successful surgeon.

Jackson frowned before he replaced it with a sigh, "My mother is toxic, she's a meddler. She has no boundaries. Be warned."

"Hey, is that why you shipped Lexie out of state?" Alex asked. Allison scoffed.

"And you couldn't ship me off as well?" She said, not facing him.

"What?" Cristina looked around the group in confusion, "You shipped Lexie...wow. Who hides his girlfriend under a rock while his mom comes to town?"

"Someone who's got a hypercritical surgeon for a mom." Meredith defended Jackson, "I get it."

"Wake up, everybody." A woman, who Allison was able to recognize—Catherine Avery, took the stage. "I know, I know, it's grand rounds, where we have to sit and listen to somebody talk about how somebody did something and here's how they did it, and there's not enough coffee in Brazil for this. Well, not today. Today I'm gonna change a life and maybe make medical history, too. I can't do that alone, so who wants to step into the future with me?"

"Whoo!" April cheered, causing everyone to look back at her. Her eyes went wide as she sank back down into her chair, her face matching her hair, red.

"Okay. That's—That's all right. That's a start. let's see if I can get a few more. Ryan, honey, would you come out here, please?" Catherine called out as they all watched a man walked out onto the stage, wearing a robe. "Everybody this is Ryan."

"Hi."

"Ryan, could you show everybody what we're here to do today?" Catherine asked him. Ryan dropped his robe standing naked in front of everybody. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to invite a few very lucky residents to scrub in on this country's first...penis transplant."

"What the hell." Allison muttered.

"Thanks to a case of penile cancer, Ryan underwent a full penectomy eleven months ago. Good margins left him basically cured and cancer free so that's gone." Catherine high fived Ryan. "And today we'll be replacing the other thing Ryan lost. A suitable donor's become available here at Seattle Grace Mercy West, and Ryan generously agreed to fly out and make this day a teaching opportunity. Who wants in?"

Everyone's hand shot up, except for Allison and Jackson. The case was a one in a lifetime opportunity, but Allison was sure as hell she wouldn't be in an O.R. with Catherine Avery.

"That's more like it." Catherine grinned.

"Uh—Mark Sloan, plastics." Mark cleared his throat as he stood up, "Isn't penile reconstruction the standard approach in cases like these? Why a-a transplant?"

"Well, I can answer your question with a question." Catherine said, "Do you like your penis?"

"It does the job." Mark nodded.

"If one day, it wasn't there, wouldn't you want it back?" Catherine asked, "Or would you be satisfied with a reconstructed organ that has very little function."

"Satisfied? No." Mark shook his head, "But that's not the—-"

"Neither would Ryan here." Catherine cut him off, "Yes, this is new ground. but here's a young man with his whole life ahead of him with the will to live it as a whole man, with a bravery and selflessness to help advance medical science along the way. So let's give Ryan a hand. Come on! And now let's give Ryan a penis!"