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𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬
ꜱᴏɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ
𝐛𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐲 - 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭
In one of the scan rooms, Mallory Shepherd stood with Lexie Grey and Derek Shepherd as they looked over the scans of a young boy with a tumor. Mallory was assigned to the service since she needed to log more neuro hours, especially since it was the one specialty she didn't spend any time on due to her brother, which left her needing nothing but neuro hours by the fifth year of her residency.
There's nothing else we can do for you.
These are the last words a surgeon wants to tell a patient.
"Eight surgeons have said this is inoperable," Lexie presented the case. "I mean, even the tumor board at Cleveland Clinic."
"Well, I can see why," Derek nodded in response, directing his attention to his sister as he quipped. "So, Mallory, does this make you happy that you need more neuro hours?"
"For what?" Mallory retorted with a raised brow. "A tumor that has been deemed inoperable by pretty much everyone?"
Giving up doesn't come easy to us...
So we do everything in our power not to.
Derek instead turned to Lexie as he spoke up. "Catch."
Suddenly, Derek tossed a coin over to Lexie, who caught it. But when she stared down at the coin, her brows furrowed, not understanding in the slightest what he wanted her to do with it. However, Mallory did, knowing her brother well enough to know his theory when it came to the coin.
"What?" Lexie managed to question. "What's this for?"
"Heads, we do it," Derek presented her with the options of the coin toss. "Tails, we don't."
"That's absolutely insane," Mallory decided with a shake of her head. "Just decide, you know your capabilities—"
"It's a gut check," Derek explained, which made Lexie nod. "I get a feeling when it's in the air, what I want it to land on. Flip it."
For surgeons, lost cause just means try a little harder.
Meanwhile, Alex Karev was at Meredith's house with Carter and Charlotte as they prepared for Zola and Carter's shared birthday party. Carter sprinted around the house with Zola toddling with her small steps behind him while Charlotte watched them from her bouncer.
"So," Jackson Avery stood with them in the kitchen as he asked. "What made you two have a combined birthday for the kids?"
"Well, Mallory's been working overtime trying to make up for the time that she lost while having two kids during residency," Alex explained with a shake of his head. "So she left the party planning to me."
