If I Lay Here {Book 1} - Grey's Anatomy AU

Superstition

Season 2, Episode 21:  Superstition
Overall Episode Number:  30
Created by:  Shonda Rhimes

/ / / 

My college campus has a magic statue. It's a long-standing tradition for students to rub its nose for good luck. My freshman roommate really believed in the statue's power... and insisted on visiting it to rub its nose before every exam. Studying might have been a better idea. She flunked out her sophomore year. But the fact is we all have little superstitious things that we do. If it's not believing in magic statues, it's avoiding sidewalk cracks, or always putting our left shoe on first. Knock on wood. Step on a crack, break your mother's back. The last thing we want to do is offend the gods.

-        Meredith Grey

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Mackenzie was sitting at the nurse's station when Addison walked up to her and handed the girl a cup of hot cocoa. Mackenzie graciously took the hot cocoa, but did so with a confused look on her face.

"Hot cocoa? But Christmas was a few weeks ago, Addison." 

Addison just smiled at her stepdaughter. "It's juju cocoa, Mack. Remember the juju cocoa?"

"I'm incapable of forgetting anything, but yes, I remember the juju cocoa," Mackenzie said with a laugh.

Back in New York, it was a sort of ritual to receive juju cocoa after a bad day of surgeries. Mackenzie knew if she was given a cup of cocoa from Derek, Mark, or Addison, it meant that there'd been a string of unsuccessful surgeries, and the trio were in desperate need of some good luck.

The 11-year-old girl turned serious when she realized that Addison had given her a cup of juju cocoa. "You're giving me juju cocoa. How bad is it to be given juju cocoa, Addison?"

"Bad enough," Addison replied. "Your father, Burke, Bailey, and I all had patients who died on the table today."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mackenzie stated. "4 surgeries, 4 deaths... and all in one day. Isn't it considered bad luck to have 7 surgeries and 7 deaths in one day?"

The neonatal surgeon nodded. "Yeah. I figured that we could all use some good juju today."

Mackenzie started to say something else, but was interrupted by Bailey and her interns walking by the nurse's station.

Addison quickly walked up to the small group. "Uh, Dr. Bailey." The redhead handed Bailey a cup of cocoa. "Here you go."

"What's this?" Bailey questioned.

"Hot cocoa. It's a little ritual we had in New York. Four surgeries, four deaths, I figured we could all use a little good juju." Addison answered.

Bailey gave the surgeon a skeptical look. "And cocoa equals juju how?"

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't question the cocoa. Carry on," Addison commented.

The interns start to walk away with Bailey, and Meredith was trailing behind.

"Meredith," Addison called. The older woman handed the intern a cup. "Thank you for your help this morning."

Meredith wore a look of surprise on her face. "Oh. Thank you, Addison."

"Yeah. Thank you."

Derek observed the exchange between Meredith and Addison. After Meredith leaves, he walks up to his wife.

"Here you go," Addison said and handed him a cup.

"Juju." Derek commented.

Addison nodded. "Yep."