𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑮𝑰𝑹𝑳 | ᵍʳᵉʸˢ ᵃⁿᵃᵗᵒᵐʸ

⁰¹³ 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐝

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄, 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟓

As Alex and I entered the observation gallery of the OR, the atmosphere was already filled with the tense energy of residents waiting to witness a moment in medical history.

Barkeeper Joe was on the surgery table, and my father, Derek, was deep in concentration, surrounded by the sterile brilliance of the OR.

Alex, apparently thinking we could just squeeze through the crowd, pulled me behind him.

"Sorry," he muttered repeatedly as he maneuvered us past others who were already there, watching the spectacle below.

I felt like I was in a movie theater for surgeons.

We finally got seats in the front row.
Alex sat next to a blonde woman who wore her hair in a messy bun, and I sat next to him.

"Oh, sure. I'm the guy with the heart of stone and you brought snacks," Alex said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"It's a working lunch," she replied, securing her roll without taking her eyes off the scene below.

Alex broke off a piece of her granola bar and commented sarcastically, "Snacking while watching Joe die."

"He's not gonna 'die' die, they'll bring him back," she retorted, continuing to eat her bar.

"He is going to 'die' die. No 'pulse' pulse. He'll be 'dead' dead", insisted Alex, who somehow seemed to enjoy the macabre scenario.

"It's just a granola bar, Alex. Not a bag of supersize popcorn and a box of chocolate movie mints," she said, rolling her eyes.

Another resident, who had been staring at the OR the entire time, seemed to be half-listening to our conversation.

Suddenly, he snapped his binder shut, stood up decisively, and said, "That's it. Dead."
Then he stormed out of the gallery without looking back.

"Is he always like that?" I asked, half amused and half perplexed by the drama that had just unfolded in front of me.

"Only since Alex gave him syphilis," the blonde replied dryly. I raised an eyebrow and smirked at Alex.

"Oh... wow... who would have thought, huh? Where love falls..."

Alex's face went from amused to irritated in a matter of seconds, clearly not pleased with the turn of the conversation.

"Hey, it wasn't like that. We both hooked up with the same nurse, okay?"

The situation was absurdly funny, and I couldn't help but continue the conversation.

"Oh, a classic case of 'what happens in Seattle stays in Seattle,' right?"

His expression grew even darker, which seemed almost impossible. "I'm warning you one last time, Shepherd Junior, otherwise..."

"...Otherwise what? You'll give me syphilis too?"

I leaned back, crossed my arms, and gave him a wide, challenging grin.

As Alex attempted a comeback, the blonde resident turned to me with a slight smile.

"I'm Izzie," she introduced herself, offering me a piece of her granola bar.

For a moment, the numbers flashed before my eyes again - calories, the relentless little beasts that they were - but I shook my head slightly and smiled as the thoughts dissipated.

" I appreciate, Izzie, but no thanks."

"And you're...?" Izzie asked, putting the bar down.

I let the tension build for a moment before answering with a theatrical sigh.

"Genetic descendant of... wait, what was his name again...?"

I started, pausing as if to think. Then I grimaced as my father's internal nickname that I had overheard in the hallway earlier came to mind.

"...Mc... Dreamy?"

Her smile faded a bit, her eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. The name 'McDreamy' clearly had a deeper meaning for her, and not necessarily a positive one.

Her posture changed; she leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Oh, you're his daughter. That explains a lot."
Her voice was almost icy.

"He never mentioned a wife or daughter."

"Well, that doesn't really surprise me," I replied with a hint of bitterness I couldn't hide.