⇢ CHAPTER 67

has a bigger say than any of us in running this hospital?" Arizona questioned out loud to the group as she approached the large table to take a seat.

"Well," Holly started, grabbing her cup of coffee, "I don't think you need to say it like that--"

"That can't be true." Cristina commented, ignoring Holly, "Can it?"

Holly scoffed lightly before she took a sip of her coffee and Derek reasoned, "Well, he's a voting member of the management team and he also represents the Harper Avery Foundation."

"And their one hundred seventy-five million bucks." Callie added, taking a seat next to Arizona.

"As opposed to our fifteen million apiece." Arizona sighed as Holly kept her head down, feeling a drift between her and the others.

"According to Stan," Derek informed, "not only does he have the deciding vote, he can veto ours."

The others, excluding Holly, looked at Derek with a slacked jaw, "Well," Holly shrugged as she took another sip of her coffee, "just because he , doesn't mean he will--"

"This is ridiculous." Cristina voiced, "He's a fellow."

"So are you." Meredith and Holly reminded.

"And you're a resident." Cristina gestured to Holly, making the redhead quirk a brow.

"And yet," Holly shrugged, "I'm here."

"Well," Cristina corrected, "he's a  fellow. And I'm me."

"Yeah, well," Holly shrugged again, "like it or not, that  is the one who came up with the idea--"

"Just because he came up with the idea, doesn't mean he should be in charge of us." Cristina rationalized, making Holly frown her eyebrows.

"Well," Meredith interrupted before Holly could continue, "let's not overreact. I mean, it's Jackson, he's not some corporate stranger. He's one of us."

"No, you're right." Derek nodded, "He's a smart kid. He's gonna follow our lead."

"Yes." Holly smiled, "Exactly--"

"No. No." Callie shook her head, "We made this plan. We pulled it together. Look," She noted, "I'm grateful to Harper Avery for an infusion of cash, but I'm--I'm not gonna let some--some..."

"Plastics fellow?" Cristina supplemented.

Callie nodded, "Plastics fellow tell me how to run my service 'cause his mommy said he could."

"Preach." Arizona agreed as she flipped through the papers in their proposal. Holly looked around in slight shock at the doctors in front of her, not believing how quickly they had turned their opinion on him simply because he was now in their group.

✧

"Okay," Arizona continued, "so we're agreed that the Peds and adult E.R.s will be combined to save on personnel?"

"Yeah." Cristina nodded and everyone else followed in mutters of agreement before someone entered the room.

"I'm sorry, guys." Jackson apologized, walking into the room with folders, a huge binder, and a box of donuts that had yet to be unveiled-- either way, Holly smiled at the sight, "I was running on time, and then my last rounds' patient turned into a crier." He placed the box of donuts in the middle of the table and whispered, "Pow."

Holly held in a chuckle at his sound effect before reaching over to grab two donuts, handing one to Derek-- and with some hesitation, the man eventually grabbed and bit into it.

"Uh," Meredith interrupted the small awkward silence that drowned the room, "we were discussing the reopening of the E.R. and the trauma department."

"Oh," Jackson nodded, trying to find the papers for that in the sea of files in front of him, "yes. Um, I'm not ready for that just yet."

"If you need more time with the material," Derek pointed out after swallowing his bite, "we can go ahead--"

"No, no," Jackson assured, "I've--I've read it. Uh, it's just that the Foundation feels like the E.R. is not a foregone conclusion." His information made the others tilt their heads, "They need a site visit, a chance to look over the numbers. It could be a month before a decision."

"Okay." Arizona released a chuckle as Meredith took a donut and Holly immediately brought her head down as she ate her own doughnut, feeling a conflict arise in her, "The Foundation knows we plan on getting our Level I trauma designation back, right?"

"They know that's the idea," Jackson nodded, "yeah."

"Uh," Callie reiterated, "it's the fact."

"I think we should table this until we can bring in Owen." Cristina shrugged, "Uh, he'll have a lot of thoughts on this, too."

"Yeah--"

"That's--" Jackson interrupted the chorus between the surgeons, "that's the other thing."

"What other thing?" Holly asked, looking between Jackson and the other doctors.

Jackson noticed the looks from the doctors as he cleared his throat, "Okay... since we are starting fresh, the thought is that new leadership would be good for morale."

Holly raised her brows and took a sip of her coffee as Cristina tilted her head, "What, like, uh, Chief of Surgery?"

"Oh," Callie shook her head, "no way."

"Firing Owen?" Meredith frowned her eyebrows.

"Okay," Cristina commented, "we're not firing Owen."

"Okay, well," Jackson nodded, "the Foundation thinks that--"

"Your mother." Callie corrected.

"The Harper Avery Foundation--"

"Your mother, Avery. Just say it."

Holly looked between the two and muttered, "I-I don't think--"

"It's a recommendation." Jackson fixed as Cristina smiled tightly.

"It's an inappropriate one."

"Oh," Callie nodded at Cristina, "tell your mom . This is bull--"

"And this is going nowhere." Arizona noted, "I have surgery."

"Yeah." Derek nodded at him and Holly, "Us, too. We should get back to this."