CODING ━ grey's anatomy

chapter seventeen

"More than ready."

"Scalpel," he said, holding his hand out for the instrument. "Okay, everyone. On the count of three. One, two—"

"Dr. Burke," Alex interrupted, slamming open the door to the OR with enough force for it to hit the wall. "I need to speak with you."

Cassie furrowed her brows. She knew Alex, and something about his current demeanor was unsettling to her.

"I'm in surgery, Karev."

"You want to talk to me, sir."

After a while of hushed whispering, the staff began to grow confused.

Cassie put her instruments down.

"Hannah," Burke said slowly.

"Yes, Dr. Burke?"

"What do you feel? Inside of Mr. Carlson. What is your hand touching?"

Hannah laughed nervously. "What do you mean?"

"Is your hand touching anything hard?"

Meredith and Cassie looked at each other, confused. "Hard?"

"Like metal?"

"Um, I don't know," she shrugged.

"Don't move your hand. Just tell me what you feel."

"Dr. Burke, what's going on?" Meredith questioned.

"Hannah?"

"Um, my finger tips are touching something kind of hard. Yeah, yeah, definitely."

"Oh my god!" the anesthesiologist exclaimed out of nowhere, making Cassie jump slightly.

The feeling was growing stronger.

"Dr. Milton!" Burke scolded.

Hannah started to panic. "What's wrong?"

"Hannah, I don't want you to move. Not your hand, not your body. Not an inch."

"Okay, you should know you're starting to scare me."

"Don't be scared. Everything is going to be fine. Dr. Harper, could you—" Burke motioned with his head for her to come to him.

She warily walked over. "Sir?"

"I want you to walk out of this room," he said lowly, his voice deathly calm. "Walk, do not run. Go and tell the charge nurse that we have a code black."

Cassie froze, her eyes going wide. "Oh my god."

"Tell him that I am sure. And then tell him to call the bomb squad."

☆

The OR floor was evacuated, other than Cassie, Meredith, the anesthesiologist, and the people in Derek's OR. Burke had ordered everyone to leave, but of course, not everyone did.

According to Alex, Bailey's husband had gotten into an accident on his way to the hospital and suffered a severe brain injury, which couldn't wait to be operated on. Derek prioritized him over his own safety, just as Meredith and Cassie did for Hannah.

The young paramedic was clearly scared out of her mind. There was no way Cassie would leave her all alone.

The elevator opened, a few bomb squad members coming out of it in an even line.

"You're the surgical team?" one of them asked, an attractive man, probably in his mid thirties.

"Yes," Meredith and Cassie said in unison.