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𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐲𝐞
ꜱᴏɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ
𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐝𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐲 - 𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐬𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐧
𝚍𝚊𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎
In the OR, Mallory Shepherd still sat by George O'Malley's head as he began to deteriorate before her very eyes. And each time she prayed for him to fight harder, she could feel him slipping further and further away. She started to think of every secret she had told him, the loyalty that they had shared, his happy-ending that was only steps away.
According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, when we are dying or have suffered a catastrophic loss, we all move through five distinct stages of grief.
We go into denial.
"Damn, O'Malley, come on," Derek cursed as he operated. "Live, just live. His ICP is 30."
As Derek Shepherd and Owen Hunt continued, trying every measure they could to save George O'Malley, Callie Torres's tears started to flow, and she had to step back from the table. Fearing that their efforts would be in vain.
Because the loss is so unthinkable, we can't imagine it's true.
"Push 70 of Mannitol," Owen ordered, scrambling to fix the mess. "Start bagging him—"
"His brainstem—"
Callie and Mallory watched as the operation started to decline, both of the surgeons struggling to find a way to save him. Mallory felt a lump form in her throat, knowing that it was only seconds before Owen turned to them, to tell them the worst news. But she wasn't ready, wanting one more day with George, to figure out what was going through his head, to process what was about to happen.
Suddenly, George's monitor started to flatline as his brain swelled. The silence in the OR was loud. All of the surgical team stared at the body, speechless. Not wanting to accept that they had just lost one of their own.
Owen let out a sigh as he turned to the others. "Does anybody know if he's a donor?"
Mallory slowly backed away from the table while Callie began to hyperventilate next to her, unable to catch her breath. She felt a feeling rush up her throat before she rushed off to the scrub room to throw up into the trash can, feeling the tears flow down her face without warning.
Right as she got into the scrub room, Miranda Bailey and Richard Webber walked in, responding to the page from Derek. Richard ran straight into the OR to get an update while Bailey stared through the window, not wanting to believe it was her former intern who had been such a big part of her journey.
