Little Shepherd

Chapter 7

Derek sighs with relief as he collapses in an on call room. He's been bouncing from surgery to surgery all day and he's completely and utterly exhausted. He unclips his pager, sitting on the bed side table before rolling over trying to get comfortable on this terrible mattress. He groans as his pager goes off the second he closes his eyes. He reaches behind him and snatches it off the table. 911 for Katie Bryce.

"Damn it." He whispers as he jumps out of bed. He pulls on his shoes and sprints out the door. He gets to her room as fast as he humanly can, but when he arrives the room is already in chaos.

"Pressure's returning. Rate's coming back." A nurse says from beside her monitor. He turns to the intern in charge of the patient, overflowing with questions...Meredith.

"What the hell happened!?" Derek asks her, in shock at the scene.

"She had a seizure and her heart stopped..." he turns away from her, mid explanation. Frustration bubbles inside of him as he a approaches a nurse.

"You're monitoring her?" he asks her. She nods.

  "l checked..." Meredith tries to speak but he cuts her off.

"l got her...Just-just go." He turns away from her. "Somebody give me her chart, please." He starts talking to Meredith again without turning around. "You get a 911 , you page me immediately. Not in the five minutes it takes you to get to the emergency. lmmediately. You're on my team and if somebody dies, it's my ass. Grey?" He turns to see why she wasn't responding, but he only catches a glimpse of her back as she leaves the room. "Meredith?" He calls to her but it was too late, she was gone. He knew he shouldn't have yelled at her, she's just an intern after all but he can't treat her any differently than he would any other intern that put a patients life at risk. He pulls his thoughts back to Katie, too upset and exhausted to fret over Dr. Grey's hurt feelings.

***

Derek sighs, dreading this conversation as he walks towards the waiting room. Katie's stable, for now, but her parents are desperate for answers. He's doing his best, giving this case his all, but somehow its still not enough he still doesnt know whats wrong with her. Mr and Mrs Bryce stand as Derek approaches them. He takes a deep breath clasping his hands together as begins to tell these worried parents that he has no clue whats wrong with their little girl.

"You said it was a seizure disorder?" Mr. Bryce questions.  "Now you're saying it isn't?"

"l'm saying that l don't know."

"What do you think it could be?" He asks, his voice full of panic and anger.

"l don't know."

"When will you?"

"l don't have an answer...For now, Katie is stable, and--" Mr. Bryce cuts him off.

"Wait one damn minute. We came here because this hospital is supposed to be the best in Washington. That's my kid in there. My kid. And you have the audacity to stand here and tell me, 'l don't know. ' " He yells angrily, tears threatening to spill.

"Mr. Bryce" Derek trys to reassure him.

"No, l want a doctor who knows what they're doing. You get me someone else, better than you." He snaps.

" l am working hard on Katie's case." Derek says wearily, his heart heavy. He wants Nothing more than to give these poor people the answers they so desperately need.

"No, you're not. lf you were, you'd be able to give me some answers." He storms away pulling his tearful wife along with him. He's at an impass. A road block in the process. He doesn't know how to help her. He runs a hand over his diseveled hair, leaving to do the only thing he can think to do.

***

"Daddy!" Josie calls happily as he walks into the daycare room.

"Hey princess!" He chirps, scooping her up into his arms. There's nothing else in this world that could help make peace in his mind on such a terrible day than his baby girl. She places her tiny hand on his cheek.

"Whats wrong daddy? Your face is so sad." She says with a frown.

"Daddy's had a bad day, thats all." He says forcing a smile. She pulls her hand away from his face, hopping down out of his arms. She grabs his hand and pulls him into the room.

"I can fix it!" She cheers as she takes him to a pile of books on the floor. She sits on the floor 'criss cross apple sause' and pats the floor beside her. He sits beside her and she snuggles into his side, handing him one of the books. "When I'm sad you make it better with a story, now we can make you better with one!" He beams happily down at his sweet little girl and gets ready to read.

"You know what kiddo, i feel better already."