Let It Go

18.

"How's he doing?" Derek asked, entering his nephew's room. His sister, Corrine, was sitting at Harrison's bedside. "He's hanging in there," she replied in a tired voice. Corrine and Derek both watched Harrison. He was unconcious, his head bandaged and a tube down his throat still. His cuts had been cleaned up and bandaged and IV's and monitors seem to be running in and out of him from every available place on his body. He looked so tiny, so helpless.

"I took Dr. Grey off of his case," Derek informed his sister as he checked the monitors and arranged the blankets on the bed. Corrine gave her brother a confused look. "You took her off? Why?" she asked. Dr. Grey was obviously brillant. She had saved her nephew's life against near impossible odds. Why her brother would take her off of their newphew's case was beyond her.

"She acted irresponsibly. I will not have my nephew cared for by someone who is not only irresponsible but incompetent as well." Corrine continued to look confused. "She saved his life Derek. How is that irresponsible? And how is she incompetent? Daddy said H had little chance of making it through this surgery alive. If Dr. Grey can bring him through this surgery alive, she's brillant, not imcompetent." Derek shook his head, gazing at his newphew.

"Did dad bother to tell you what it was Dr. Grey was planning on doing exactly?" Corrine shook her head no. "No. We asked, but he just said it was risky and had a low survival rate." Derek looked at his sister as he inspected the bandages on one of Harrison's wounds. "She did a standstill Corrine," he said bluntly. Corrine gasped at her brother's words. She was a pediatrian and never saw the inside of an OR, but she had read about a standstill, mainly because her brother was one of the few surgeons who had performed a successful one.

"She did a standstill and Harrison made it through? Derek, that's amazing." "No. She acted in a selfish and wreckless manor. There's nothing amazing about that." "How was performing a surgery to save the life of another selfish?" Corrine countered. "Her mother is Ellis Grey," Derek told his sister. "Wow..." "Dr. Grey is trying to best her mother. What better way to do it then killing a little boy and bringing him back to life?" Corrie shook her head. "No, she had two options Derek. Let him die or do the only thing that could save him. It wasn't about besting her mother. It was about honoring the oath she took and doing everything she could to save Harrison's life." Derek started fidgeting with Harrison's pillows.

"Oh Derek, stop it!" Corrine snapped. "Stop what?" Derek asked, smoothing down the tape around one of Harrison's IV's. "That! The checking the monitors and smoothing the blankets and checking the bandages and fluffing the pillows! Harrison isn't your patient. He's your nephew. Sit down and be with him. Hold his hand and talk to him. Be his Uncle Deek, not his brain surgeon." Derek swallowed. Techically, Harrison didn't have brain surgeon. He couldn't assign himself to the case as he was family but he hadn't assigned anyone else yet either. But Corrine was right. He was an uncle, not a doctor right now. He pulled a chair next to Harrison's bed and sat down.

"Where's mom and dad?" Derek asked his sister. "Daddy's with Annie and Mom is sitting with the baby. Everyone else is in the cafeteria." Derek nodded. "How are you doing Der?" Corrine asked softly. "Fine," Derek answered shortly. "Dont fine me. I know better. "I said I'm fine!" Derek snapped. Corrine sighed. A noise at the door caused both of them to turn and look.

"What are you doing here?" Derek demanded. "Checking on my patient," Meredith said boldly. She walked into the room and headed for a monitor on the opposite side of the bed from Derek. "I took you off of this case," Derek said evenly. "You tried to," Meredith responded. "No, I took you off of this case. Get out of here Dr. Grey," Derek warned. "You have no say over this case. The chief however, he does." Derek glared at Meredith who ignored him. Corrine say quietly, taking in the scene, ready to jump in if needed. She wasn't about to let Derek throw Dr. Grey off of this case.

"You went to Richard?" he accused. "I've been with Harrison since the moment the helicopter landed. I'm seeing this through Dr. Shepherd. Until the moment Harrison is discharged from this hospital, he's my patient. Patient Dr. Shepherd. Not experiment." Meredith gave Derek the coldest look she could muster before going back to her exam. She went to check Harrison's pulse when Derek grabbed her wrist.

"Do not touch him Dr. Grey. He is not your patient," he said harshly. "Dr. Shepherd, I told you. The Cheif said otherwise..." "I told you you are off this case!" "Derek let her go," Corrine said, standing up and coming to Meredith's side. Derek dropped her wrist but continued to glare. "She's not his doctor Corrine. I told her she was off of this case!" Derek snapped. "And I told you Dr. Shepherd. I'm on this case. Richard agreed," Meredith countered. "Yes Dr. Grey, you're on this case. We wouldn't have anyone else..." "I said she's off this case!" Derek interrupted, his voice rising. "Derek!" Corrine exclaimed. "You are in a hospital. This is not the place for you to raise our voice!" "Dr. Grey doesn't seem to be hearing me otherwise..." Derek started. Meredith scoffed.

"What's going on in here?" Corrine, Derek, and Meredith turned to see Frank standing in the doorway. "Der kicked Dr. Grey off the case because she's irresponsible and incompetent despite the minor fact that she saved Harrison's life. Dr. Grey went to Richard and had him override Derek and reinstate her. Derek is pissed and is making it rather impossible for Dr. Grey to exam Harrison," Corrine explained to her father, stepping to side and turning to face Derek who was switching from glaring at Meredith to glaring at her.

"Of course you're on this case Dr. Grey. You saved my grandson's life. I wouldn't have any other doctor in this hospital attending to him," Frank told Meredith. "Thank you," Meredith said, knowing Derek wouldn't overturn his father's decision, regardless of how hard he tried. "But dad..." Derek started. "No Derek," Frank cut him off. Derek fell silent. THe room remained quiet while Meredith continued her exam. Unable to stand buy and do nothing, Derek reached for Harrison's wrist and started to check for a pulse. Almost instantly, his father had him by the arm.

"No," he said. "But dad..." "No. You're not doing this. You're not getting medically involved in this. Not this time. I'm not going through that again and neither are you." Meredith wrote a note in Harrison's chart while taking in the conversation. Something was going on. She glanced at Corrine who had retreated to her seat and was anxiously watching Derek and their father as they engaged in a stare down. "Not this time," Frank repeated. Derek felt himsef being sucked back in time as he stared down his father.

"Charge again!" he ordered.

"Dr. Shepherd... It's too late...'

"Goddammit I said charge again!" No one in the room moved. "Fine!" he shouted at them. He charged the paddles himself. Nothing.

"Son, it's done," came his father's strained voice. Trembling fiercely, Derek stepped away from the able, paddles still in hand as he started at the flight-lined monitor.