No Time | Grey's Anatomy // Book 1 // COMPLETED |

70 | Be Amazing

 You don't get to choose, you just fall in love and you get this person who is all wrong and all right at the same time. And you know you love them so much except sometimes they drive you completely insane- no one can explain it. And the reason it's so confusing is because it's love, and if love didn't have challenges, what would be the point?

═══ Flashback ═══

"Because..." I tried to stop myself from saying it, "I...I-I love you."

*Click*

...I stared down. Call ended, I read. He'd hung up on me after I'd told him that I loved him...

═══ Flashback End ═══

A sunrise accompanied by a bright pink sky was what met me when my plane landed in Seattle. It was the only thing that met me. No one really knew what day I was coming back, not even Jackson. I'd stayed in Cleveland until my internship was over, but now I was back. I wanted to be happy to be back, but I just felt so miserable.

After calling up a taxi, I was driven home where I dropped off my stuff, changed, and drove to work. The hospital looked the same, as if I had just been there yesterday and had never even left. Walking in, however, felt a little surreal. The vibe was much more exciting and thrilling than the Cleveland Clinic, and I instantly felt back at home. The only change was that Owen was now the Chief of Surgery, or so Meredith told me in a phone call a few days ago.

I walked to the lounge and changed into my scrubs. I expected to see others in there, but it was completely empty. Sighing, I walked out into the hall, only to almost run into Bailey. "Dr. Forrest, you're back." Bailey smiled, "How was your trip?"

"Good." I replied, "It was really an amazing experience."

Bailey nodded as she began to walk off, "Glad to hear it."

"Oh, Dr. Bailey." I called after her quickly, "Where is everyone?"

Bailey turned back to face me, "Everyone's in the auditorium. Catherine Avery is here."

I cocked my head slightly, "Who?"

"Jackson's mother." she replied, "She's an amazing surgeon. You better get in there if you hope to make the presentation."

Nodding, I turned and headed for the auditorium. "Jackson's mother?" my heart pounded, "Just great."

Pushing open the large doors, I walked into the room filled with surgeons. Luckily, nothing had started yet and people were still arriving. The room was loud with people talking and laughing. I scanned the room, and when I found the people I was looking for, I headed in their direction. I noticed Jackson was there as well, but the empty seat I saw was with Meredith and Cristina just a row ahead of him. So, I decided that for now, I wasn't going to let him ruin my return. "Is that seat taken?" I gestured to the seat beside Meredith.

Everyone turned to me, even Jackson with his eyes growing wide. "You're back!" April shouted from beside Jackson, "How was it?"

"Good, good." I gave them the same answer as Bailey, "I'll catch you all up on it later."

Now that my arrival was over, Cristina sighed, "I can't believe Altman postponed our surgery for grand rounds. It's just some boring lecture."

"Your husband said it was mandatory," Meredith told her.

"One more hour of sleep, that's what it is," Alex smirked as he rolled his coat up like a pillow.

April shook her head, "Oh, no. It's not gonna be boring. This is Jackson's mother, Catherine Avery."

"She's a urologist, right?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah." April nodded, "I met her when I was an intern at Mercy West. She's amazing."

"She is...a lunatic." Jackson corrected April.

"No, she's not." April told him, "She's brilliant. She says these things that's hock you, but then when you think about them later, they change your whole life."

Jackson sighed, "Or they ruin your whole life. She's toxic. She's a meddler. My mom has no boundaries. Be warned."

"Hey, is that why you shipped Lexie out of state?" Alex asked and my eyes widened.

"What?" Cristina turned to him, "Oh. You shipped Lexie...wow. Who hides his girlfriend under a rock while his mom comes into town?"

"Someone who's got a hypercritical surgeon for a mom." Meredith said, "I get it."

Cristina turned back to Jackson, "Is your mom ambidextrous? I bet you she is. All the best surgeons are."

Jackson turned to April, "Wait a second. How often do you talk to my mom?"

"We're Facebook friends," April replied.

"You're...you and my mother?" Jackson gave her a look.

April nodded, "She's a brilliant surgeon and woman. She's a trailblazer."

"And she's got a stalker," Meredith whispered, but not quietly enough.

April leaned close to us, "Hey, you know what? Just met her. You'll see."

"Wake up, everybody." a woman, Catherine Avery I assumed, shouted as she walked onto the stage, "I know, I know, it's grand rounds, where we have to sit and listen to somebody talk about how somebody did something and here's how they did it, and there's not enough coffee in Brazil for this."

A few people from the crowd laughed. Catherine smiled, "Well, not today. Today we are going to do. Today I'm going to change a life and maybe make medical history, too. And I can't do it alone, so who wants to step into the future with me?"

The crowd was silent, well, except for April who cheered. "Whoo!" she shouted as everybody turned to face her. Embarrassed, she sunk down into her chair.

"Okay. That's-that's all right. That's a start." Catherine nodded, "Let's see if I can get a few more. Ryan, honey, would you come out here, please?"

Just then, a man dressed only in a bathrobe walked onto the stage. "Everybody, this is Ryan." Catherine introduced him.

"Hi." he greeted us.

"Ryan, could you show everybody what we're here to do today?" Catherine asked.

Nodding, Ryan removed his robe, leaving him completely naked. The first thing that everyone noticed was that he didn't have a penis. People gasped and instantly started talking to one another. "Ladies and gentlemen," Catherine got the attention back again, "I'd like to invite a few very lucky Residents to scrub in on this country's first...penis transplant. Thanks to a case of penile cancer, Ryan underwent a full penectomy eleven months ago. Good margins left him basically cured, and cancer-free." she gave Ryan a high five, "So that's gone. And today we'll be replacing the other thing Ryan lost. A suitable donor's become available here at Seattle Grace Mercy West, and Ryan generously agreed to fly out and make this day a teaching opportunity. Who wants in on it?"

Almost the entire crowd's hands shot up. "Hello!" Catherine smiled, "That's more like it."

Just then, Mark stood up and cleared his throat, "Uh, Mark Sloan, plastics. Isn't penile reconstruction the standard approach in cases like these? Why a-a transplant?"

"Well, I can answer your question with a question." Catherine told him, "Do you like your penis?"

"Yes." Callie coughed out, earning laughter from a few doctors.

Mark nodded, "It does the job."

"If one day, it wasn't there, wouldn't you want it back?" Catherine questioned, "Or would you be satisfied with a reconstructed organ that has very little function?"

Mark shook his head, "Satisfied? No. But that's not the-"

"Neither would Ryan here." Catherine cut him off, "Yes, this is new ground. But here's a young man with his whole life ahead of him, with the will to live it as a whole man, with a bravery and selflessness to help advance medical science along the way. So let's give Ryan a hand. Come on!"

The audience erupted with applause. People cheered, well, April cheered, and others began chatting amongst themselves. "And now let's give Ryan a penis!" Catherine shouted, "Yes!"

"Whoo!" people began cheering. This surgery was going to be amazing, and even though it was Jackson's mother, I was going to get in on it with my new found skills from the Clinic and be amazing.