Charlotte "Charlie" Shepherd is Derek Shepherd's youngest and favourite sister. After deciding to join him in moving to Seattle, in order to leave her past life behind, she starts her internship at Seattle Grace Hospital, where it eventually catches...
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In the trauma room, the air was thick with urgency and fear as Bailey led a team of doctors and nurses in the desperate effort to save Charlie's life. Monitors beeped in rapid succession and every second felt like an eternity. Derek stood by her side, his hands trembling as he tried to explain everything they'd done in the ambulance.
"We put three milligrams of epi down the ET tube." he stammered, his voice tight. "The last dose was three minutes ago. I think we should push just one atropine. I think I saw some reactivity in the pupils before the atropine. She might've actually had some cardiac activity -"
Bailey's eyes darted between Charlie and the medical team, her expression a mask of controlled panic, trying to keep everyone focused on the task at hand. Derek's words were tumbling out in a frantic rush, but then Webber appeared, his face ashen, shocked by the sight of Charlie lying there, unresponsive.
"Derek.", Webber said, his voice gentle but firm. "You need to step out."
Derek's hands hovered over Charlie, his fingers brushing lightly over her damp hair, and his face crumpled at the sight of her so pale, so still. Every instinct screamed at him to stay, to fight, to hold onto his sister and never let go, but he knew that Webber was right. He had to trust them to save her, even if it felt like the hardest thing he'd ever done.
Slowly, reluctantly, Derek's hand fell away. His jaw clenched, his eyes glassy with tears he was desperately holding back. With one last, broken look at Charlie, he swallowed hard and forced himself to step away, to let Bailey, Webber and the team do everything they could to bring her back. He walked out of the trauma room, the heavy doors swinging shut behind him, leaving him in the hallway, shattered and praying that this wasn't the end.
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Derek sat on the cold floor of the hospital hallway, his back pressed against the wall, his hand covering his face as silent, gut-wrenching sobs wracked his body. He could barely breathe, the crushing weight of fear and guilt suffocating him as he thought of Charlie fighting for her life in the trauma room just feet away.
Burke stepped out of the elevator and immediately noticed Derek on the floor, distraught. His gaze shifted to the trauma room window, where he could see the chaotic scene of doctors fighting to save Charlie. His eyes darkened with concern, and he made his way over to Derek, who didn't even look up.
"The Chief is working on her, man.", Burke said gently, trying to offer some comfort. Derek's voice was cracked and broken when he replied.
"He threw me out.", Derek managed to choke out, his voice barely a whisper. His hand fell away from his face, revealing red-rimmed eyes and a look of utter devastation. Burke looked back at the trauma room, the gravity of the situation setting in. He then turned back to Derek."What do you need?"
Derek didn't respond right away. His gaze remained unfocused, his mind swirling in the chaos of his fear and regret. But then, he looked up at Burke, desperation etched across his face. "I need you to get in there." he said, his voice trembling. "I need you to go in there and save my sister's life."
