Little Shepherd

Chapter 51

Derek is now in the trauma room with the two patients skewered together with a pole, testing to see if the woman has any feeling in her feet. Meredith is standing against the wall, staying out of the way.

"Can you feel that Miss Krasnoff?"

"Hmm. You're a cute Doctor. Cute doctors get to call me by my first name." She replies, almost looking sleepy. Meredith chuckles a little at her comment, she can't deny the woman's taste.

"Bonnie?" Derek corrects, with a smile.

"Mmm." She smiles weakly.

"Ok, Bonnie. Do you feel that Bonnie?"

"Can I feel what? Oh well I guess that's a no." She frowns a little. George enters the room.

"Excuse me, Dr Shepherd?" He asks.

"Yes?" Derek replies.

"I got the labs." George holds up a folder, showing him.

"Oh great. Thank you." He takes the labs from George and hands him a patient's chart. "Here you go. Hold that please." George and Meredith watch intently as Derek looks over the labs. They both try to read his expressions. Meredith can tell that whatever is in that chart isn't good.

"Could you try to wiggle your toes Mr. Maynard?" Derek asks the man. Tom wiggles his toes but due to his position can't see them.

"Are they moving?" Tom asks.

"Yes, they are." Derek replies.

"Oh good. That's good right?" Tom questions, so happy by the news that he's basically laughing.

"Yes it is. Yes. It is."

"What about me? Are mine moving?" Bonnie asks. Derek moves to have a closer look. They're not moving. George and Meredith take notice to this. Their hearts ache for her. Even if she somehow manages to live, she may be paralyzed.

"Yes, they are." Derek lies. He knows that there's no point in breaking this woman's heart right now. Bonnie smiles in relief. Meredith appreciates his compassion. It's part of what makes him such a good doctor.

"Yay me." George looks at Derek questioningly, knowing he lied, but Derek says nothing.

"Dr ... ah Shepherd is it?" Tom says.

"Yes it is."

"Dr. Shepherd ... Bonnie and I ... are we gonna live through this?" He wonders.

"Now that's just morose Tom." Bonnie scolds, doing her best to stay positive.

"I'm sorry dear." He responds to her before moving his eyes back to Derek. "...Doctor?"

"We're gonna do everything we can Mr. Maynard." Derek answers, before taking the chart back from George and heading out the door. Meredith follows after him.

"You didn't tell her." She says, pointing out the obvious. He shakes his head sadly as they walk.

"No. I didn't. There's no point in making her carry that weight when we don't even know..." he can't even bring himself to say it. They don't even know if she'll live through the next few hours. "If she's going to survive she needs to hold on to that hope. Who am I to take that from her?" He continues. Meredith takes his hand in hers and gives it a gentle squeeze. She knows they're supposed to keep the PDA at work to a minimum, but right now both of them need a little hope of their own. He smiles sadly at her.

Derek, Meredith, and George are going over Bonnie and Tom's imaging again when Doctor Burke and Doctor Bailey join them.

"Where are we?" Burke asks Derek.