chapter thirty

six days, part two.season three, episode twelve.

. He didn't move, so she turned to Mark instead. "Did you hear me? Do something!"

"Is this actually happening?" Derek wondered. "This can't be happening."

In the middle of the lobby, Cassie had Izzie pinned onto the ground, throwing punch after punch to her face, yelling obscenities at her in the process.

"?" she screamed, just as blood began coming from Izzie's nose. The blonde attempted to fight back, getting a few good punches in here and there, but still, she was no match for Cassie. "Get over , you fucking bitch!"

Cristina and Alex watched with raised brows. "Damn," they chorused, making no move to stop her.

"Sloan!" Meredith repeated, snapping Mark out of whatever daze he was in as he watched Cassie beat the daylights out of Izzie. "Do something!"

Mark tilted his head in thought. "I don't see the harm in waiting a bit." She gave him an incredulous look. "What? She's winning."

"Oh, for the love of—" Bailey huffed from the other side of the lobby, setting down her bag and storming over towards the fight. "Hey, break it up! This is a hospital, not a wrestling match!"

"Get off me!" Izzie screeched, landing a particularly hard punch to Cassie's eye.

Cassie continued to fight, even as Bailey relentlessly tried, and failed, to get her off.

She moved positions slightly, so the group by the elevators could see her face. Once Derek and Mark caught sight of blood coming from somewhere on her face, they shared a quick look, before bolting towards her. They each grabbed one of her arms, dragging her away while she attempted to get out of their hold.

"I'll kill you!" Cassie screamed, glaring heatedly at Izzie, who was slowly standing up with the help of Bailey while clutching her nose. "I swear to god, I'll kill you!"

"Let's go," Derek said, shaking his head at her.

"No, Derek," she argued. "She—"

"Cassandra," he snapped authoritatively, making even Mark pause in his steps. Cassie looked up at him wide eyed.

"Okay, I'm going. Jesus."

Bailey sighed in frustration as they took Cassie into an empty exam room, regretting her decision to become involved in her intern's personal lives.

The remaining doctors shared an uncomfortable look, none of them bothering to check on Izzie as they awkwardly left the building.

Webber watched someone hand Izzie a tissue with a deadpan expression, closing his eyes momentarily in annoyance as he turned to a nurse.

"Call my wife," he mumbled. "Tell her I'll be home late."

☆

"I'm fine," Cassie brushed Derek off, who was attempting to shine a light in her eyes. She slapped his hand away, making him slap hers in retaliation. "Derek!"

"Your eye is bleeding from the socket, Cass," Mark lectured. "Let the man do the damn neuro exam."

"I'm fine," she rolled her eyes, before smirking a bit to herself. "Besides, you should see the other guy."

Derek took a step back. "You're not funny."

Cassie gave him a look. "I'm hilarious."

"This is serious," he scolded, shaking his head at her in disbelief. "You could lose your job, Cass. Aren't you worried?"

"Not really, no," she answered, her voice losing it's humor. "The Chief won't fire me, because he knows that if he does, I'll sue him and the hospital for the wrongful death of Denny Duquette. Like I should have done from the beginning."

Derek and Mark paused, sharing a sad look between them. It was silent for a long moment as Cassie stared blankly down at the ground.

Mark grabbed a wet towel, taking her hand in his own and gently dabbing off the dried blood. "Screw Izzie Stevens," he said plaintively.

Cassie looked up at the two of them, the sight of her bruising eye making them cringe.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Screw Izzie Stevens."

☆

Cassie sat in the Chief's office, reminiscent to only a few weeks before. Webber was seated in the spinning chair behind his desk, an exhausted expression adorning his face as he stared at the intern.

Awkwardly pursing her lips, Cassie glanced around the room. "So," she drawled. "How are you on this fine evening?"

Webber gave her a look. "I've been better."

"Same," she nodded, pointing to her eye, which had now faded from a bloody mess into a dark purple ring extending up to her eyebrow.

He sighed, rubbing his temples. "Harper—"

"Chief."

"I can't just let you off with a warning," Webber told her, cutting her off as she opened her mouth to respond. "As much as I'd like to, I just can't."

Cassie paused. "You'd like to?"

He removed his glasses from his face. "I heard what Dr. Stevens said. In fact, I'm pretty sure the whole hospital heard it. And even though I don't agree with your, , of expressing your anger, I can't argue that it wasn't deserved."

Raising her brows in surprise, she let a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. "Sir?"

"I'm not condoning fighting, Harper—"

"Oh, of course not."

"Especially not in hospital. But, I would be lying if I said she didn't deserve it," Webber said truthfully, shocking Cassie. "I made a mistake, letting her come back. I realize that now. Unfortunately, it's too late to go back on my decision, but the least I can do is be lenient with your punishment."