Stitches of Survival

Transplant Wasteland

Chapter Thirty-Two: Transplant Wasteland

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"Jackson Avery really has a bigger say than any of us in running this hospital?" Arizona asked as we all sat around one of the hospital's conference rooms a week after Catherine had agreed to partner with us to buy the hospital.

"That can't be true." Cristina shook her head. "Can it?"

"Well, he's a going member of the management team and he also represents the Harper Avery Foundation." Derek reminded all of us.

"And their one hundred and seventy-five million bucks." Callie added.

"As opposed to our fifteen million dollars apiece." Arizona sighed, taking a seat next to her wife.

"Can't you go and pull the Avery card?" Cristina asked me, desperate to find anyway to push Jackson out of the equation. "Insist that you be the foundation's representative?"

"I'm still in shock that she even agreed to help us, I'm not gonna try pushing it." I shook my head. "Besides, I doubt the foundation would even think about it. To most of the Avery family, I'm just some dirty little secret that they'd prefer to keep hidden."

"Who are also invited to our wedding, fun." Mark chuckled, earning laughs from Callie and I.

"According to Stan, not only does Jackson have the deciding vote, he can veto ours." Derek tried to get back to the point, quickly ending our laughter. 

"This is ridiculous. He's a fellow." Cristina frowned at the information.

"So are you." Meredith reminded her.

"But he's a plastics fellow." Cristina clarified. "And I'm me."

"Watch it." Mark warned the cardio fellow. "There's nothing wrong with plastics."

"Let's not overreact." I tried to reason with everyone. "I mean, it's Jackson. He's not some corporate stranger. He's one of us."

"No, you're right. He's a smart kid." Derek nodded in agreement. "He's gonna follow our lead."

"No. No. We made this plan." Callie shook her head. "We pulled it together. Look, I'm grateful to Harper Avery for an infusion of cash, but I'm- I'm not gonna let some- some..."

"Plastics fellow?" Cristina supplied.

"Plastics fellow tell me how to run my service 'cause his mommy said he could." Callie finished, sending Cristina a thankful look. 

"Preach." Arizona agreed as she flipped through her copy of the notes we'd been given. 

"Can we just get back to work?" Mark suggested. I didn't hesitate to nod in agreement, in no mood to hear all of them trash talk my brother before he even had a chance to prove himself.

"Okay, so we're agreed that the peds and adult ERs will be combined to save on personnel?" Arizona asked, jumping us back into our previous conversation. 

"Yeah," Cristina nodded.

"I'm sorry, guys." We all looked up at the sound of the door opening, finding Jackson hurrying in with his arms full of files and paperwork. "I was running on time, and then my last rounds' patient turned into a crier."

"Thanks," I offered him a small smile as he set out a box of donuts for all of us. I reached out and grabbed one for myself while the others just shot him looks, not seeming to be impressed with his gesture in the slightest.