Motherhood Lessons²

Cobalt

Ivy works with the team during the next few says to try and figure out what is going on with Richard. She reviews every symptom Richard has and compares every test and lab he has done. Her, DeLuca and Meredith are the ones who are spending the most time in the war room until Jackson drags her out.

"Okay, you have been in that room for a week straight. The kids have been wondering where you've been," Jackson gets them some coffee and Ivy a muffin, "What have you been up to?"

"Making sure DeLuca gets some rest. As well as looking for anything we've missed. I've been going over his medical record, I just got up to the..." she trails off as she looks at the chart that was made up during his hip replacement, "Cobalt...but that...I know what's wrong. I know what's wrong with Richard!"

She quickly runs towards Richards room as Jackson calls after her, "Yeah, love you too! See you after work!"

"I'm taking you home, sweetheart, remember?"

"No, no. Not yet," Ivy brushes past Meredith, "Richard, I need you to answer one question. Can you feel your fingers or your toes? Or are they tingly?"

"Tingly."

Ivy nods, getting excited as her theory is coming together, "Okay, I'm gonna take one more blood sample and if I get back the results I think I will, I can fix you with a simple surgery."

○○○○

The group meets outside Richards room, now including the two neurosurgeons, "Okay, since you all thought I was crazy, Tom and Amelia tested his nerves and there is degeneration. I'm waiting on the blood results to give my diagnoses, but I can say, with agreement from the neurosurgeons, this is not Alzheimers."

A phone beeps and it's Maggie's, "Aw, damn it. Trauma consult. Please keep me posted, and thank you, Ivy."

Amelia moves her hand to her back before pointing at Koracick, "Let Koracick know if you need anything neural. I'm gonna let him take over."

"Oh, you don't have to tell me I'm better than you, Shephard. I know I am," Tom nods.

"You're not," Amelia deadpans before looking down, "But my water just broke."

They all look down and see the puddle before Amelia turns to walk away, Ivy already dialing Link's number, "Uh...you want a wheelchair? You're gonna walk?"

"You do Richard. I'm good to walk. Sorry about the floor."

"I'm calling Link. Good luck and I'll stop by after," Link picks up the phone, "Oh, hey buddy. Uh, you might want to get to OB. Amy's water just broke. I'm gonna be an aunt! And I suppose you'll be a dad too, but that's seco- Link? Oh, he hung up."

○○○○

Ivy walks into the war room, waving the results, "I was right! Cobalt poisoning from his hip replacement. It's a metal-on-metal joint which means that the possibility of friction caused the hip to wear away over time. DeLuca confirmed for me that the hospital in Boston used a chromium cobalt alloy for his surgery. According to these results, its 25 times over the normal limit for an adult male."

Catherine gasps, "Is the damage permanent?"

DeLuca shakes his head, "No."

Bailey argues, "You don't know that."

"Okay, okay. Stop. The first step is for me to take that cobalt out of him and replace it. Helm, find an OR and prep Webber," Ivy stops them, giving everyone some jobs.

"I wanna scrub in," DeLuca tells Ivy.

"And I want a house in Hawaii. Go home," Bailey sasses.

He argues with her as Ivy finishes signing off on a few things, "Chief, any resident who found what I found with Dr. Shepherd-Avery would get the privilege to scrub in. Please."