⇢ CHAPTER 45

of Callie's bed with Arizona, Bailey, and Cristina, Holly cheered as Callie straightened out her fingers.

"Yay, fingers." Callie sighed in relief as she leaned her head back.

"Yeah. Yeah." Bailey nodded.

Callie panted as she closed her eyes, "Ooh." 

The mood dampened as Arizona went over to assure her, "It's okay." She went to the side of her bed to cheer Callie up, "You're retraining your brain. Getting your fingers straight was the goal for today, okay?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And you breezed through it." Holly added with a smile. 

"Little goals, remember?" Bailey reminded before nodding at Arizona, "All right, let me get in there to check her incision."

"Good morning." Sloan greeted, "Baby report. Boom."

He fist-pumped Arizona as she began to walk away, "I'm gonna go see her." She turned around to face Callie and pointed at her, "Hey, you're awesome."

"Aww." Holly hummed as she walked closer to Callie and Mark, "Baby pictures."

"Oh," Callie brought her head up from the pillow slightly to look at his phone, "gimme, gimme, gimme."

"See?" Mark pointed at a video, "She's moving her arm like she's waving. She still doesn't open her eyes, but she only stopped breathing once last night. And get this-- her brain bleed's still grade one."

Callie gasped, looking back at the video with a smile, "Good girl. She looks bigger... is she bigger?" Callie averted her gaze to Holly, who was also giving her baby reports throughout the day, "Red, she's bigger... right?"

"I'm sure she's bigger." Holly nodded with a smile, which made Callie stare at her until Holly sighed and walked away, "I'll measure her-- again."

✧

On her way to the N.I.C.U. to measure Sofia again, Meredith, who was standing by the Nurse's station, asked, "How's Callie?"

Holly turned around, "She's good." She gestured to the measuring tape in her hands, "I'm on baby measuring duty, so that's always fun."

Meredith chuckled, "Well, you were the one to volunteer out of Derek's trial today."

"True." Holly shrugged, leaning against the Nurse's station with Meredith as the Chief passed by.

"Uh, morning." Webber greeted the two.

"Good morning." They chorused.

"Oh, uh," Webber pointed at the folders in Meredith's hands, "another Alzheimer's trial patient today, huh?"

"Yes, sir." Meredith nodded.

"Good," Webber nodded, too, "Good."

"How's the islet cell trial going?" Holly asked, practically drowning in the awkward tension in the air.

"Yeah," Meredith looked at Webber, "have you, uh, found a resident to assist you?"

"Uh, yeah." Webber smiled, "Uh, Avery's gonna help me out today."

"Great." Meredith nodded, "Good. And, uh, Mrs. Webber," Meredith asked, wanting to switch the conversation since Holly became awkward at the mention of his name, "how is she feeling?"

"Uh, she's doing all right." Webber answered, bringing his briefcase to his other hand as he took off his coat, "Thank-- Thank you."

Seeing a post-it fall, Holly walked forward and called out, "Uh, Chief!" She sighed, seeing him continue to walk away since he didn't hear her and picked up the post-it.

"What's it say?" Meredith asked, walking forward to join her.

"Uh," Holly turned the post-it to read what it said and paused. Bringing her eyes slowly up to meet Meredith, she widened her eyes, "Mer..."

"What?" Meredith grabbed the post-it, reading the message Webber left for his wife.

"" The note read, "."

✧

Holly sat next to Sofia in the N.I.C.U. as she put her gloved hand inside. She moved her finger lightly as Sofia put her arm above it and Cristina entered the room.

"Four!" Cristina yelled out, nodding her head to the side, "Let's go, I have a plan."

Holly sighed, closing the side of Sofia's incubator before jogging up to Cristina as she took off the pink gown, "You know I'm not your intern anymore, right? And I thought we progressed," Holly continued as they walked inside an elevator, "especially after I dated George and--"

"But you still responded to the name." Cristina remarked as Holly rolled her eyes.

"It's a number, not a name." She went on, "I admire you-- your drive for Cardio. And I hope to be as good a surgeon as--"

"Kepner?"

"Yeah?" Holly frowned her eyebrows as she looked at Cristina.

"Shut up so I can tell you my plan."

Holly tightened a smile, "Okay."

✧

"I thought Dr. Bailey said Torres can't be moved yet." Stark noted, frowning his eyebrows at the two residents that followed after him.

"Yes, sir." Holly confirmed.

"But," Cristina continued, "since she has had no contact with the baby, we were wondering how soon we might be able to--"

"Bring the baby to Torres?" Stark finished and the two girls nodded.

Holly smiled, "Yes."

"We think it'll do the both of them good." Cristina suggested, "Uh, if I could at least tell Dr. Torres when she--"

"When the baby is off the vent," Stark listed, "when she has an immune system and can withstand the onslaught of deadly infections Dr. Torres will threaten her with, that's when." Holly exhaled deeply, "I mean, come on. I'm all for mother/baby bonding, but not when it'll kill the baby."

Holly muttered, "Ouch."

Stark was already walking away as he turned back to shrug at the residents, "Why do you even ask me these things, huh? I thought you were doctors."