Avery's Anatomy

Thirty nine

OR 2

Preston looked around the operating room and focused on the paramedic as he said, "I'm going to do a thoracotomy, and Hannah needs to take her hand out." He kept eye contact with the paramedic to help calm her growing nerves, then turned to Meredith and said, "Dr. Grey, once we can see things more clearly, you need to clamp the bleeder, okay?"

Meredith gave a quick nod and glanced over at Hannah, who was nervously looking around. "Are you all set, Hannah?"

Hannah gave a quick nod, but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth, making it hard for her to talk. "Scalpel."

A nurse passed him the scalpel, and as Preston held the cold metal in his hand, the doors to the operating room burst open suddenly. He gripped the scalpel more firmly, narrowing his eyes at the intruder, Alex Karev, who was at the entrance, breathing hard and staring in shock. Preston felt his irritation rise. "You better have a really good reason for coming in like this, Karev."

Alex grimaced while he worked to regain his breath. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I need to speak with you."

"If you haven't noticed, I'm currently in surgery, Karev," Preston answered bluntly.

Alex continued, shaking his head. "You really should listen to me, sir," he urged politely. Preston looked at their patient, then at the paramedic, and finally at Meredith, whose face showed worry. He almost let out a sigh but held it back. "Karev, just tell me what you need to say so I can focus on saving this patient."

"Was it a through and through wound?"

"What do you mean?"

"The wound," Alex said, pointing at the patient, "was it a through and through?"

Preston shook his head, still not understanding why it mattered. "No, it's simply an injury that doesn't have a way out." "Why do you want to know?"

Alex leaned against the door, his face showing a sense of giving up as he kept looking at the patient on the operating table. Meredith was about to concentrate on the complete resignation when Hannah's question cut her off. She looked at the paramedic, who was about to start panicking. "What did you just say?"

"I mentioned that he's adorable; is he available?"

Meredith nearly laughed, but then she saw that Burke, who had been sitting across from her, was now quietly talking with Alex by the doors. Her mind raced with worry as she noticed that Alex looked anxious and afraid. He couldn't ignore the puzzled looks on the faces of the other members of the OR team. Preston sensed a heavy burden on him; the information Alex had just revealed was life or death. He not only had to save one man's life, but now he also had many lives depending on his upcoming surgery. If he were a weaker man, he might have given in to the pressure. He turned away from Alex, shut the doors, and stared blankly at the thick glass while taking a deep breath.

'One, two, Breathe in and out, Preston.'

'In and out'

He shut his eyes to steady his pounding heart and nodded to himself as he turned to look at the confused staff in the operating room, which included the paramedic. "Hannah," he started, speaking gently and with comfort in his tone. To capture her attention, he asked, "What do you feel inside, Mr.Carlson? What is your hand feeling?"

Her expression revealed even more confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

"Is your hand resting on something hard?"

Meredith softly repeated the word 'hard.'

"Is it similar to metal," Preston explained.

Hannah's eyes opened wide as she understood. "Uh, I don't...," she tried to move her hand, but Preston quickly told her not to." "Don't move your hand; simply tell me what you're feeling," he said softly.