𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 - 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙮'𝙨 𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙮 (ON HOLD)

one hundred and two - "dude, she's callie o'malley" - one hundred and two

"This job isn't easy. The sheer amount of pressure and loss that we square off against every day can leave you exhausted. Or hopeless. You're going to need to find an outlet for the stress. Maybe it's physical. Maybe it's emotional. Maybe it's family. But trust me, you're not going to survive residency unless you have a happy place. Somewhere that you can just escape it all. I'm a little bit of an exception when it comes to a happy place. Because the hospital has always been mine. Maybe it's because where I grew up. But if you're not like me, you're going to want somewhere else."
-Meredith Grey, S17E7, "Helplessly Hoping"

"No one ever imagined we would make it this far. Incisionless surgeries, 4D imaging, mechanical organs, stem cell therapy. Every medical innovation seemed impossible, unimaginable, until it was achieved. And luckily, we haven't stopped making advancements. Because the other side of the unimaginable is death and the pain that comes with loss. And that side never stops coming. At all costs, we avoid negative experiences. We ignore pain. We steer clear of the unfamiliar. We lie when asked about how we feel. We shouldn't do that. 'Cause I've learned something from these last several months. The body can only take so much."
-Meredith Grey, S17E8, "It's All Too Much"

The house was a mess. No matter how much laundry Amelia and Link did, the basket always seemed to be full. No matter how many dishes they loaded into the dishwasher, it seemed that everytime they passed by the sink it was full of dirty dishes again. The kids toys were all over the floor, their school supplies, laptops, and tablets spread out all over the place. Virtual learning was not the most effective thing, but it was the best for their family. Their class schedules were printed out and hanging on the fridge, daily alarms were set, and baby monitors were littered around the house. Anna's growing boxes of unopened insulin in the fridge now occupied two drawers. Everytime Amelia opened the fridge, she was reminded of her eldest niece's absence in the home.

Maggie and Amelia sat with Zola in the living room. Zola had been asking questions about Meredith and Anna more frequently, and so, they decided it was best to just be honest with her, "So, this morning they put your mom on a ventilator."

"That's the machine that breathes for her." Zola said.

"Yes."

"When will they take her off of it?"

"Different people come off of it at different times."

"My dad never did." The girl frowned, "Do you think my mom will?"

"We hope so. But we don't know. We just... We don't know."

"We shouldn't tell Bailey and Ellis." Zola's eyes filled with tears, "Not unless we need to. They're just too young to understand."

"Okay. We'll wait."

"What about sissy?"

"Sissy's doing better," Maggie hugged her, "We just have to wait and see."

"I miss her and mommy."

~ GREY'S ANATOMY ~

"You never got to meet Ellis. We didn’t even know. I wish you got to know her."

"She looks just like you. She breaks the rules just like you. And she’s quick to anger. And quick to laugh. And she’s smart and pensive and stubborn, just like you. Hates pink and purple, loves brown and green, and… and gets enraged at the thought of anybody wanting to cut down a tree. Do you remember when you were trying to teach Zola how to ride a bike? She got so frustrated because she couldn’t, and she threw it down, and she goes, “Mama, you do it.” And you couldn’t stop laughing, and she got so mad."