⇢ CHAPTER 29

lips as she walked by the M.R.I. scanning room and paused before walking back inside, "Why's there a party in here? And why wasn't I invited?" Holly joked as she walked inside, looking at Issac's scan of his spinal tumor that everyone gazed upon, "Ooh, tumor." Holly hummed, "Awesome." She smiled at Derek, "Can I scrub in?"

"Ah." Cristina shook her head since she had to settle on a Neuro God instead of a Cardio God and Derek finally had a big case, "You don't get to 'I chose Neuro God first' your way into this." She grabbed the scan from Holly, "My spinal tumor."

Holly pouted lightly as Lexie walked in, "Hey, what's everyone... oh, a spinal tumor." She began, "I read about a case at Mayo where the surgery took seventeen hours. The head surgeon had four rotating assistants, one of whom just administered fluids."

"Okay," Cristina chimed, "you know what? Don't try to Lexopedia your way on this." She pointed at herself and the scan, "This is my tumor."

Holly rolled her eyes with a smile as Arizona asked, "What happened to the patient at Mayo?"

"He died." Lexie answered, "That's why it only took seventeen hours."

"Hey," Owen entered, "I just heard. Issac has an inoperable tumor?"

Holly and Lexie's eyes widened as they looked over, "It's Issac's tumor?"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, boo-hoo, okay?" Cristina waved her arms, "Who says it's inoperable?"

Derek pointed at the monitor as the scans showed up, "Cristina."

Holly's eyes sparkled as she saw the scan and Callie shook her head, "Oh, come on. It's all the way up to T-2."

"See," Mark shrugged, "this is why I got into plastics."

Holly nodded her head, "'Cause you're scared of a challenge."

Mark looked at her and scoffed, "Am not."

"Oh, that's gotta be..." Arizona trailed off, looking at the scan hopelessly.

All the doctors began to fire out recommendations on how to approach the tumor as Webber snuck up inside, frowning his eyebrows at the group, "Why aren't you all at your surgeries?" They all grew silent as they turned to face him, "Go, get to your O.R.s. Don't screw with my schedule on day one."

✧

"Microsurgery is about precision." Derek announced to the room full of residents, all about to compete to try and get their way into the surgery, "The microscope changes your perspective radically. The hand-eye coordination required can be learned, but right now, I need naturals. Each one of you will get a chance to guide this pen through the hole in the cup." Derek walked up to the microscope and demonstrated, "The person who makes a mark closest to the President's nose and doesn't hit the side of the cup gets to scrub in." He showed them the dollar he made a mark on, "Who wants to go first?"

Everyone raised their hand, excited to try out and win the competition, and Derek nodded his head to Steve.

"Take your time." Derek advised as Cristina leaned back in her chair and yawned, confident that she'd be able to hit it in the middle. Steve looked down at the microscope, missing the cup by a few inches, "Wow."

"Do over?" Steve looked at Derek with hope.

"No do overs." 

Cristina mockingly clapped, "Way to go, two."

Steve sighed, walking back to his group of friends and Holly shrugged, "You weren't that off the mark."

"I missed the cup." Steve squinted his eyes at her.

Holly paused, thinking of something to say, "...Well..." 

After a few more people went-- and all failed, Derek looked at the group as another failed resident left, "No. Next. Somebody, please."

Holly stood up slowly, eyeing out to see if anyone else would step in before she walked over and grabbed the pen from Derek's hand, "All right."

"Take your time." Derek nodded and Holly inhaled lightly, adjusting the microscope to her height before she looked in and guided the red pen and the resident's 'ooh'-ed.

She smiled, grabbing the dollar from under the cup as she showed him, "Looks like Rudolph."

Cristina shook her head as she shrugged, acting as if it didn't phase her, "Figures, Four."

A few more people went as Holly internalized her happiness from making the mark and Jackson walked up, "Ooh." Derek commented, "Here we go."

Jackson inhaled lightly as he adjusted the cup, looking into the microscope and marked the red dot a few centimeters away from the nose as the resident's 'ooh'-ed again.

"Nicely done." Derek smiled, "Somebody improves on that or Kepner's, I'll be out of a job."

"Well," Cristina shrugged, getting up from her chair confidently, "I guess you might need to retire, then."

Derek chuckled, "Okay."

Cristina adjusted the microscope for her height, staring smugly inside she lowered her pen only to have it hit the top of the cup.

"Oh!" Some of the residents chorused in the back.

"Okay." Derek frowned his eyebrows before looking back at the group as Cristina stood in shock, "Dr. Avery, Dr. Kepner," Holly stood up and smiled, "you'll be scrubbing in."

"Yes!" Holly cheered as the other residents began to walk away, raising her fist in the air while Jackson sat in his seat, basking in his glory.

Looking over, Jackson chuckled, asking her as he gestured to her form, "Are you gonna do that in the O.R.?"

Holly shrugged with a smile as she lowered her arm, "If it's successful, possibly."

✧

Holly walked alongside Lexie, Derek, and Jackson as they wheeled Issac's gurney to surgery-- both Holly and Jackson looking over in confusion as Holly heard a rustling sound coming out of Lexie. She assumed Lexie was trying to bring in food for the surgery or something and left it alone.

"Anybody opens their mouth and they're fired." Derek spoke as they stopped walking before they would go through the doors where the Chief waiting with a few board members. He looked down at Issac, "You, too."

Issac smiled as they continued walking and Webber called them out, "Oh, Dr. Shepherd," He smiled at the board, "I was just describing our new schedule to some of our board members. This must be..." He looked down at the schedule and put on his glasses, "Mrs. Taylor." He went on, not looking at the patient, "And she's undergoing a craniotomy."