thirty-six

, he walked up the stairs and stood on the second step clearing his throat, "As many of you know, Seattle Grace Mercy West has suffered a financial setback. The administration is working hard to keep the impact of the setback as small as possible. Tp that end, we're gonna have initiate some cost-cutting measures. The board has hired a physician advisor to help."

"What's a physician advisor?" Meredith asked from her seated position at the Nurse's station.

"Well, she consults on maximizing efficiency, streamlining processes, assessing where we can trim our budgets." Owen responded.

"Who to fire and when to fire them?" Dr. Bailey joked, opening her juice bottle.

"She's here to advise and help. I was hoping to introduce her in person," Owen looked at his watch, "But she seems to be late."

Allison rose a brow as Cristina spoke, "Oh, on her first day?" She looked around, "Not very efficient."

There was laughter after Cristina's comment as Owen continued, "You can expect to see her in the halls, in your labs, in the O.R."

"So we're gonna have an accountant following us around in the O.R's?" Allison asked, raising a brow.

"She's not an accountant. She's a trained surgeon. Frankly, she is here to help us." Owen nodded, "Thank you for your cooperation."

***

"Jimmy." Derek greeted as he walked inside the room, Allison and Jo behind him, "Hey, Carla. How are you?" Derek greeted her with a hug.

"Please tell me you're still not married." Carla joked, eyeing the neurosurgeon.

"Ah, afraid so." Derek chuckled.

"Ignore my sister. No boundaries." James told Allison and Jo.

"You think they care?" Carla told her brother, "Unless one of them is the wife?" She looked at both Allison and Jo, "One of you the wife?"

Allison chuckled, "No, you're in the clear with the both of us."

Derek examined James pupils, "Are the headaches still bad?"

"He can barely get off the couch, he's so dizzy." Carla spoke for her brother, "Meanwhile, I have to wait on him like he's the boy prince."

"Warms your heart, doesn't she?"

Allison looked at their intern, "Wilson, what are some of the other symptoms of an acoustic neuroma?"

"Hearing loss, increased intracranial pressure, tingling in the face—"

"And being a giant pain in my ass." Carla interrupted Jo, looking at her brother.

Derek turned to look at Allison, "This is Dr. Carter, one of our Neuro fellows, she's one of the best, she's going to be doing the surgery, I'll be watching. and assisting."

"We're gonna run some scans and some labs, to see if the tumor has progressed." Allison explained to them, as she nodded.

"You mean, it could be worse?" Jimmy asked, hoping for the best.

"We'll have a cleared idea once we see the scans." Derek nodded.

Derek talked with Jo asking to see if she could switch with Ross, seeing as he and Allison can't teach her on this case. Jo nodded as a sigh disappointing sigh left her lips before she walked away leaving Allison and Derek alone.

"We're back. The neuro dream team." Allison nudged Derek's shoulder, "Finally, I get to work with you again."

"Shepherd. Carter." Owen grabbed their attention as he and a woman walked towards him, "This is Alana Cahill. She is our physician advisor."

Allison held out her hand for her to shake, "Allison Carter."

Derek nodded his head and extended his hand for her to shake, "Derek Shepherd."

"Neuro." Alana stated to the both of them, "I saw you both are doing an Acoustic Neuroma, very exciting."

"First thing tomorrow." Derek added with a smile, looking beside him.

"Patient's here today." Alana stated before looking at both Derek and Allison, "Are pre-op overnight stays typical in all departments?"

"That is a question for Chief Hunt." Derek looked at Owen not wanting to be a part of the conversation, "If you'll excuse us, we have to prep."

Derek and Allison began to leave, Alana called out to them. "Hmm. Well, I'll see you in the O.R. tomorrow."

Allison and Derek frowned their brows as they turned around. Allison spoke, "Typically you need to be invited."

Alana sucked her teeth, "If things were running typically, I wouldn't be here, now would I?"

Allison and Derek gave each other a look, while Owen cleared his throat—the awkward tension clear around them.

***

"Cousin Dora sent him a stupid giant cookie." Carla spoke, gesturing to the cookie in front of them, as she shook her head, "But he can't eat before surgery."

"So now I'm starving and I gotta look at this giant freakin' cookie that I can't have!" Jimmy added with a chuckle, "I keep telling her to eat the damn thing."

"Oh, so you can make fat jokes?" Carla asked, both siblings not noticing Derek and Allison's fallen faces.

"Then throw it away."

"Oh, no." Carla grabbed Jimmy's attention, finally looking at Derek and Allison's fallen faces, "What's that look? What's wrong?"

Allison sighed as her gaze moves from Carla to Jimmy, "The tumor progressed."

"But you could still operate, right?" Jimmy asked, glancing at his sister in worry before his eyes meet the neurosurgeons.

"Yes, we can, but all those risks we talked about before—-" Derek began but was interrupted by Jimmy.

"—-Like me going deaf..or half my face being melted like it was blowtorched, or me not surviving at all?"

Allison nodded, "Yeah, the chances of those things happening are much higher, so you should take some time and think about if you still want to do the surgery."

"I've taken time." Jimmy shook his head, "I waited for months for you two to get better." His eyes landed on Allison and Derek as Derek looked down at the floor before looking back at Jimmy, "Doc, I can't just sit here and wait for this thing to kill me. I—" Carla walked out of the room wiping her tears not wanting to break down in front of her brother. Jimmy laughs, "I'm dying and she makes it about her."