⇢ CHAPTER 3

with freckles drawn on her face, Holly wanted to Lexie for convincing her to wear a matching costume after Dr. Yang told them to wear one. Holly had a small suspicion it could be a trick, but with Lexie's convincing words, she put the small suspicion aside.

"His medication was due half an hour ago." The daughter of Holly's patient reprimanded, "I mean, the man is living in the hospital while he waits on a heart."

"Erin, honey." The patient called out, gesturing to his daughter's attire, "I'm thinking it's kinda hard for anyone to take you seriously in your mouse costume."

"See," Erin defended as she turned to face her father, "I work with five year olds, dad. My costume is appropriate," She gestured behind to Holly, "hers is not." She turned back to look at Holly, "Look, I'm--I'm just saying, if you have time for Halloween costumes, you probably have time to provide my father with basic care."

Holly opened her mouth to respond as George approached the two, "Hi," he extended a hand out to greet Erin, "I'm Dr. O'Malley. Hi. We'll take care of your father right away."

"Thank you." Erin nodded at George before giving Holly one last look.

"You should always make sure they have their meds before you do anything else." George advised Holly in a lowered voice as they walked up to the Nurse's station.

"Okay." She looked up at him, "Thank you."

He handed a chart to a nurse and turned to Holly, "I like your costume."

"Oh," Holly smiled, "thanks. Lexie convinced me after Dr. Yang said that we c--"

"Dr. Yang..." George whispered, "is screwing with you."

Holly groaned as she took off the bonnet and George laughed , "I knew it."

"The costume's cute." George defended, trying to make Holly feel better and grew oblivious to her rosy cheeks.

"I--I have to go warn Lexie." Holly chuckled, "Before she gets into a similar scenario."

✧

Standing awkwardly next to George and Izzie as they waited for the ambulance, Lexie turned to them, "If you two need to talk, I could wait over there."

"Why?" Izzie asked, referring to the morning when Callie had outed George's affair with Izzie, "It's not like we have any secrets anymore."

"Hey." Holly greeted, jogging up to the group and looking at Lexie, "Everything okay here?"

"Why wouldn't everything be okay here?" Izzie defended before she scoffed, "Callie told everyone.

"Yeah," George answered, "it's gonna be a long day."

Holly whispered to Lexie, "Guess everything's not okay."

Lexie nodded in agreement as the paramedics rolled out their patient from the ambulance, "Erin Shanley, 34," they presented, "massive head trauma when a brick came through her windshield. G.C.S. of 3 in the field."

"A brick came through her windshield?" Lexie questioned.

"Damn kids were screwing around on a bridge, halloween crap."

"I'm looking at brain matter here." Izzie sighed, unwrapping the bandages as she checked.

"I checked." The paramedic said as George and Holly looked at the patient, realizing it was Erin, "She's a donor."

"Oh, my God." Holly breathed.

"Oh, my God." George watched the paramedic roll Erin away before meeting eyes with Holly's.

Lexie and Izzie frowned their eyebrows at the two, "What?"

"Her father's on three." George told them, his worried eyes still on Holly's.

Holly continued, moving her head away to them, "He's waiting on a new heart."

✧

"I don't understand." Erin's father told Dr. Webber, Holly, Izzie, Lexie, and George, "How did this happen? How could this happen?"

He sighed, wiping away his fallen tears as Izzie explained, "Injuries like this happen very quickly. She probably didn't feel any pain at all."

Dr. Webber spoke up, "M-Mr. Shanley."

Erin's father's head moved upwards towards the doctor, "Hmm?"

"According to Erin's driver's license... she was an organ donor. And as next of kin, if you agree to take her off of life support, you could direct the heart to yourself." Mr. Shanley wiped off his tears as he looked at Dr. Webber with an incredulous look, "She is young, she was healthy. She would be a perfect match for you, sir."

"Could you just please go away?" Mr. Stanley sighed in a low voice.

"Mr. Shanley," Dr. Webber tried once more, "if you would just--"

"Please," Mr. Stanley pleaded, "please go away. Please."

Dr. Webber sighed, "Dr. O'Malley will bring you to see your daughter if you like."

✧

After Dr. Shepherd declared Erin braindead and George convinced Mr. Stanley to accept Erin's heart with a story about his father, and how George would donate his heart to him if he was still alive, they all went to surgery.

Watching Dr. Hahn perform the heart transplant, Lexie and Holly both thought back to George's heartwarming story and the gossip with Izzie and George.

"Is your marriage really over?" Holly asked, leaning over to whisper to George.

George looked at Holly before nodding and directing his attention to the surgery, "Yeah."

Holly held her eyes on the surgery in front of her before her eyes drifted to George, "I'm sorry."

George nodded again, "Thanks."

"Did Meredith really bring her mom's ashes to work?" Lexie questioned George, leaning towards him as well and Holly frowned her eyebrows.

"I--" Holly fumbled, "She did what?"

George looked at the two with a deadpan and nodded. 

"Paddles." Dr. Hahn grabbed said instrument from a scrub nurse and placed it on Mr. Stanley's heart as the monitor emitted a continuous tone, "Let's see what we've got." After a brief pause from the charge, the monitor began to beep again, "There it is."