CODING ━ grey's anatomy

chapter thirty

Cassie nodded, taking it all in. "So what is it?"

"A three day suspension," he said decisively. "Which just so happens to be the amount of time your hand needs to heal before you can perform surgery again."

Cassie gave him a tight lipped smile. "Thank you, sir."

"You may go."

She got to her feet, a bit lightheaded, and made her way to the door. But before she could walk through, she turned back. "Chief?"

"What is it?" Webber asked.

Cassie took a deep breath, before looking him in the eye. "I'd like to talk to you about a patient of mine. Heather Douglas."

☆

The next day, Cassie was walking towards Meredith and Cristina, when she ran into George on the way.

"Cassie, you're here!" George smiled, before frowning in confusion. "Wait, you're here. Aren't you suspended?"

"Yep, but my patient is having her surgery today, and the Chief said I was allowed to watch from the gallery," she said, making him hum in understanding. "Oh, how's your dad doing?"

"Good," he shrugged. "Well, as good as possible, I guess. He's stable."

"I'm glad," Cassie told him genuinely, squeezing his arm in support. Once word got out that Bailey and Webber had went through with his dad's surgery despite the major risks, she'd been worried for George and his family. Losing a parent hurt more than anything, and she didn't want him to have to go through that. "I'm here all day, if you need me. Just page, and I'll be there."

"Okay," George nodded, giving her a quick hug as he left in the opposite direction. "Love you, Cass."

She smiled after him. "Love you more, Georgie."

"Cass, get over here," Cristina called from a nurses station, not far from where she'd been fighting Izzie the night prior. "Settle a debate for us."

Cassie waltzed over, settling herself on Cristina's left and Meredith's right. "What's up?"

Cristina raised a brow as she got closer, pointing to her eye. "Nice shiner."

"It makes me look like a badass, right?"

"Oh, definitely."

"Cass, tell her that I am nothing like Thatcher," Meredith interrupted, watching her father as he stood in the waiting room on the phone with his wife, spilling coffee and generally looking like he was in shambles. "I mean, look at him. He's a mess. I mean, he's a disaster. A stammering, mumbling, clumsy disaster, with whom I have absolutely nothing in common. Not one thing."

Cassie looked her up and down. "I hate to break this to you but—"

"What?"

"You do your own share of stammering yourself."

Cristina gestured into the air. "Told you."

"Yeah," Cassie nodded. "That nervous talking thing you do, it's actually a lot like him."

Meredith shook her head adamantly. "No, no, it's not."

"Plus, that messy thing," Cristina added.

"Totally."

"You're the messy ones," Meredith scoffed.

"My apartment is messy, my locker is messy, but I am not messy. Sometimes you have like, food and stuff in your hair," Cristina said as she picked off a piece of lettuce from Meredith's shirt.