Stitches of Survival

All I Could Do Was Cry

Chapter Forty-Seven: All I Could Do Was Cry

*~*~*~*

"Okay, you're gonna feel a little bit of pressure," Arizona warned April as she carefully stuck a needle into the redhead's swollen stomach, injecting a numbing medication right under the skin. Meanwhile, I sat beside her, holding the ultrasound wand against the side of April's stomach, watching the image on the monitor.

"And this will tell us conclusively if the osteogenesis imperfecta is type two or three?" Jackson questioned from where he was sitting on April's other side.

"Yes," Arizona and I both nodded.

"It's probably type two though, right?" April guessed. "I mean, so far there's been no indication of fetal distress."

"We'll know soon enough," Arizona tried to stay positive for them. 

"It'll be okay," April looked at Jackson as Arizona and I turned our attention back to the ultrasound. "OI type three, it's hard, sure, when there's surgeries and challenges, but we're surgeons. We can... We can handle challenges, right? I mean, we'll-- we'll still be able to give our baby a wonderful life. Right?"

"Many type three babies live very, very happy lives," Arizona nodded while I stayed silent. I couldn't bring myself to look at my brother and his wife, afraid that if I did I would give away my worry and pessimistic thoughts to them. 

"Shouldn't Dr. Herman be doing this?" Jackson asked as Arizona started to tap on April's stomach, trying to make sure the numbing medicine had spread..

"It's a very routine procedure," Arizona assured him as my pager went off. "Dr. Herman is the big gun. We only fire the big gun when we need the big gun. I'm the little gun, so... let the little gun work."

"Uh, I'm sorry, I'm getting a nine-one-one page," I cleared my throat. "Sara, can you take this?"

"What is it?" April asked. "Is there an incoming trauma?"

"No, Shepherd needs an emergency consult," I shook my head as I handed the ultrasound wand off to the nurse. "I'm so sorry guys, but I'll check in with you guys later. Okay?"

*~*~*~*

"...And then-- and this sound crazy, I know, so don't even-- I'll-- I'll build in a distribution of a radioactive seed during surgery, keeping Dr. Herman's tumor bed free of recurring cells," Amelia explained to a group of residents when I finally tracked her down in the radiology room downstairs. My eyes widened as I looked around at the dozens of scans decorating the room, showing off one of the most intricate brain tumors I'd ever seen.

"I thought you were gonna use a laser," Wilson spoke up. 

"I am. I already did. We're way past that," Amelia nodded. 

"Try and keep up," Webber warned the residents. "Uh, I'm sorry, Shepherd, but this is a great opportunity for them to learn."

"I know. It's fine," Amelia assured him. "The laser is for ablating cells off the optic nerve--"

"It's a massive butterfly glioma," Wilson pointed out. 

"Well, it's not just massive," Amelia grinned, looking as though she were a kid in a candy shop. "I mean... It's magnificent."

"No, no, no," Wilson shook her head. "I-I mean that, won't a laser take months?"

"A-Again, uh, before that, I'll be using the ultrasonic surgical aspirator to mush and flush the cells, then the sexy laser and the-- Yeah."