CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
six days, part one.
season three, episode eleven.

"GOOD MORNING," CASSIE SMILED AT MARK AS SHE TURNED OVER IN HIS BED. Over the past few nights, she had been spending the night in his hotel room rather than Meredith's house, for one reason and one reason only; Izzie Stevens.

Cassie didn't think she could despise the blonde any more than she already did, until Izzie became her regular self again.

The way she was, before she killed Denny.

If she were honest, Cassie would say that she simply didn't understand how Izzie was already back to normal. After all, she certainly wasn't.

Seeing Izzie happy made a deep rage bubble in the pit of Cassie's stomach, so much so that she could no longer stand to be in the same house as her. Perhaps she was holding a grudge, but in her opinion, some grudges were meant to be held.

Of course, there were rules to her and Mark's constant sleepovers. Rule number one, no having sex, because sex is notorious for ruining friendships, and she cared about him too much to let that happen. Rule number two— well, actually, that was the only rule. But still, it was strongly enforced.

"Good morning," Mark smiled back at her. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, actually," she responded, standing up and throwing her hair in a bun so she could wash her face. "You?"

"I guess, but I would've slept even better if—"

"No sex, Mark," Cassie deadpanned.

"Why not?" he argued playfully. "You're hot. I'm hot."

"Just because we're both hot, doesn't mean we should be sleeping together."

"That's exactly why we should be sleeping together." Cassie narrowed her eyes, throwing a shoe at him which just barely missed his head. "Fine. But you're missing out, angel."

"If anyone's missing out, it's you."

He sighed dramatically. "And don't I know it."

☆

"So," Meredith turned to Cristina as the interns made their way to rounds, "how's Burke doing?"

"I don't know."

"She doesn't know," George repeated.

Alex made a face of disbelief. "He just had surgery yesterday, and you don't know how he's doing?"

Cassie shook her head at him, adjusting her white coat as she walked. "They're not speaking."

"I thought they made up," Izzie wondered aloud.

"I wasn't talking to you," Cassie snapped.

The rest of the interns carried on the conversation, other than Izzie, who looked to the ground in frustration, seeming as if she were holding something back. Cassie was oblivious to her internal battle.

"They did," Meredith said. "Sort of."

"But she's still not speaking to him," Cassie finished.

"He's not speaking to me," Cristina corrected.

Meredith looked between the two. "They're not speaking to each other."

Cristina suddenly turned to Meredith and Cassie, grabbing each of their arms in the process. "Hey, did either of you ask Derek about Burke's hand?"

"I don't want to get in the middle of it," Meredith sighed. "Derek and I are happy. Can we just keep it that way for a while?"

"You know," Izzie cut in, "you could always just swallow your pride and ask him yourself."

"Well, you could always just learn how to shut up and keep your thoughts to yourself," Cassie shrugged nonchalantly, barely even glancing in Izzie's direction. "I'm sure we'd all appreciate it."

As usual, the group didn't comment on Cassie's behavior towards the blonde. Not only because they were used to it, but also because they universally decided that it was deserved.

The group continued on their rounds. They stopped by Harold O'Malley's room, as well as checked in on Meredith's half sister's baby that was up in the NICU.

As they entered another patient room, they collectively gaped at the sight before them. A young girl slowly walked out of the bathroom, bent over about ninety degrees at the waist.

"You okay, honey?" her mother asked.

"Yeah," she grunted, "can you just help me?"

Meredith whispered, "Scoliosis?"

"Looks like a birth defect," Cristina shook her head.

Cassie frowned to herself. "Looks like hell."

The patient raised an expectant eyebrow at the group of doctors, adjusting herself as she sat on the bed. "What are you all staring at? Really, if you expect me to be the brave and heartwarming differently abled girl, that isn't going to happen. So go ahead and do your thing."

Bailey sighed, looking to Izzie. "Stevens."

"Heather Douglas, seventeen," Izzie began. "Past medical history of VADER syndrome."

"Which is, Harper?"

Cassie stepped forward, giving Heather a soft smile in greeting. "VADER syndrome is a genetic condition that affects the vertebra, anus, trachea, esophagus and renal system."

"Wow, give this girl a medal," Heather scoffed. "She memorized the whole acronym. Which I assure you, is a hell of a lot easier than living with it."

"I'm sure it is," Cassie agreed, before adding halfheartedly, "but I have a photographic memory, so memorizing stuff is kind of my thing."

Heather furrowed her brows as Bailey interjected, "Stevens."

"Right. Heather is in today for a lithotripsy to remove kidney stones, and a thoractoplasty to alleviate the pressure in her lungs."

"Can I ask," Callie wondered, joining the others in the room since Heather was her patient. "I know I'm just here to remove a few ribs, but have you ever tried anything more radical to treat the spinal curvature?"

"Let's see. If by more radical, you mean having a steel rod inserted into my spine, then yeah. We've tried. The rod just bent."

"Removing the kidney stones may seem minor, but it will really improve your quality of life," Izzie told her, making Heather and Cassie roll their eyes in unison.

"Really? So this surgery is going to get me laid?"

"Heather, stop it," her mother scolded.

"Mom, I'm sorry, but she's talking about improving my quality of life. And I don't think doctors should make promises they can't keep."

☆

"Hey," Meredith said to the man working the lab. "I need a CBC and Chem 7 on Harold O'Malley."

"I know your busy, but could I possibly get this blood work put into the system for Heather Douglas?" Cassie asked, coming up from behind her and handing the man a small red vile. "Thank you."

Cristina followed soon after, carelessly dropping samples down on the table. "And I need these labs ASAP."

The lab guy gave her a look. "Everybody needs everything asap."

"Oh yes," Cristina sighed mocklingly, "and all throughout this hospital, people are dying while you're here giving me crap about asap." She turned to Meredith. "Hey, are you okay?"

Meredith shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your father—" she started.

"—freezing up in rounds—" Cassie added.

"—oh god, that was mortifying."

"Thank you," Meredith glared sarcastically. "Thanks."

"Oh, it wasn't mortifying?"

"I just wish that the baby would get well and go home, and Thatcher would go with her. Is that wrong?"

"No," Cristina shook her head. "Wrong, would be if you wished the baby wouldn't get well."

"Or, if you wished there wasn't a baby at all," Cassie said.

"Okay, good. Thanks."

"You know, if you wanted to thank me, um, you could ask Derek if Burke has had any tremors."

Meredith and Cassie shared a look, speaking in union when they said, "Talk to him."

"No, cause then he wins."

"Wins what?"

"Forget it."

It was quiet for a moment, until Meredith suddenly asked, "Do either of you have a father?"

"I did," Cassie said, before correcting, "Well, sort of, before Izzie killed him."

"What about your birth father?"

"Probably in jail. Or dead. Or both."

Meredith pursed her lips, turning to Cristina. "What about you?"

"I have a stepfather," she shrugged. "He's nice. I see him for Yom Kippur."

☆

"You two are way too hot to be doctors," Heather deadpanned, looking between Izzie and Cassie, who were each ignoring the other.

"Okay," Izzie said slowly, adjusting her pain medication. Cassie just shrugged in agreement.

"I mean, aren't people like you supposed to be dumb?" she asked passive aggressively. "I'm just saying, you guys aren't going to be in my surgery, are you? Because I'm a little too young to die."

Cassie gave her a look of amusement, purposely bumping Izzie in the shoulder as she walked to the other side of the room.

"I will be, actually."

Heather narrowed her eyes. "What are you, like, twenty five? No way."

"Twenty three," Cassie corrected. "Yes way."

"Huh," she hummed, turning to Izzie. "What about you, blondie?"

Izzie sighed, looking up to Cassie who was raising a brow in mock inquiry. "I will not be in on your surgery."

"See? I knew it. You're not even a doctor."

"I am a doctor," she disagreed. "It's just that when my boyfriend dropped dead not too long ago, I went a little nuts, so no surgeries for me for a while."

"Oh, please," Cassie scoffed loudly, gaining their attention. "You have no right to play the pity card, when you're the sole reason he's dead in the first place."

Izzie's eyes watered, as she gave one last look to Heather and stormed out of the room.

"Damn," Heather laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry," Cassie frowned apologetically. "That was unprofessional, I shouldn't have said anything around you."

"It's okay. Besides, there's clearly a story there."

"Let's just say that I'm holding a grudge."

Heather twisted her lips, looking down to the ground guilty. "Well so much for my theory that life doesn't suck for pretty people." She gave Cassie a sincere look. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch to you."

"You're in pain. I'm a bitch when I'm hurt, too." Cassie gestured to the door. "Clearly."

☆

Later that day, Derek stood in front of the Douglas' with Callie, Izzie, and Cassie by his side.

"Heather, I've looked through your case history, and I know you've been through a lot of painful and very unsuccessful surgeries," he said. "But if you're up for it, I think I can significantly help the spinal curvature."

Heather frowned. "What do you mean by help?"

Derek smiled and nodded at Cassie, who turned to Heather with a grin. "He means, that he thinks he can get you standing up straight."

She froze. "It's not nice to mock cripple kids."

He pointed to an x-ray. "You see this curved part here? I'd remove it."

"You want to remove a portion of my daughter's spine?" her mother asked incredulously.

Derek nodded. "I would replace it with a titanium mesh cage, which would fill in the space between the vertebra."

"I've seen case studies, there have been quite a few successes," Callie added.

Mrs. Douglas reached down to rest her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "What about the ones that aren't successful."

"Um," Cassie hesitated, glancing to the resident. "They result in paralysis, or death. But I promise, Dr. Shepherd is the best there is."

Heather looked up, a defeated look on her face. "Mom, I know you still think death is the worst thing that can happen to a person. Death is not the worst thing." She turned to Cassie. "I'm in."

☆

"You cheap son of a bitch bastards are going straight to hell!" Cassie heard as she was walking with Derek on the landing strip. To her left, Heather's mother was screaming into her phone, causing the doctors to share a concerned look. "Straight to hell!"

"Mrs. Douglas?" Cassie frowned, "Is everything alright?"

"Insurance bastards," she scoffed. "They say the surgery's too experimental."

Derek sighed in understanding. "They wont pay."

Mrs. Douglas shook her head in denial. "It's a two hundred thousand dollar surgery, plus a hospital stay, plus rehab. Even if I get three jobs..." she trailed off, walking away as she mumbled under her breath. "Son of a bitch bastards."

Derek watched her go sadly. "Well, I guess there won't be a surgery after all. Too bad."

"Yeah," Cassie agreed absentmindedly, her mind flashing back to the ten million dollars sitting idly in her bank account. "Too bad."

☆

Later that day, Cassie found George in an abandoned hallway of the surgical wing, pacing back and forth anxiously. "George," she said, gaining his attention. "You're father's having his surgery?"

He nodded, continuing to walk back and forth. "He's been in there a long time."

She sat on an empty bed, motioning for him to follow. "Bailey and the Chief are taking care of him. I'm sure they would've told you if there were any complications."

"I know, but what if—"

"Sit."

George rolled his eyes. "I'm not a dog."

"No, but you need to stop," Cassie said, reaching up and dragging him to sit. "This isn't helping. Just try to relax."

"I can't relax!" he shouted, more angry at the world than the girl next to him. "He could be dying, Cass!"

"I know," she assured him, her brows caving inwards in concern. "I know."

Sighing heavily, George rested his head in his hands. "How did you do it? When it was your mom?"

Cassie paused, hesitating before speaking. She wanted to help him, but it had only been eighteen months since Bonnie passed away. The wound was still fresh. It still hurt.

"I have no idea," she said honestly. "The weeks before her death were just hospital visits, tubes, and wires. I can barely remember anything. I'm sorry."

"Oh," is all he said.

Cassie looked at him, really looked, and sensed his pain. She understood his pain.

"Your dad will be okay."

George looked up to the ceiling. "Yeah."

☆

Walking through the lobby on her way to the elevators, Cassie felt more emotional exhaustion than she had in a while.

After thinking about it, she realized that George had unintentionally brought up some pretty dark memories, all of which she had tried for over a year to forget.

As she sluggishly walked on the tiled floor, Cassie thought about her mom, which led her to thinking about Denny.

As she attempted to stop the onslaught of tears that were brewing at the surface, luck was not on her side.

A figure going the opposite way bumped into her, accidentally pushing her into the wall. She went to apologize, before she saw the head of blonde hair she despised more than anything.

"Watch it," Cassie snapped, glaring at Izzie, who was collecting the charts she'd dropped on the ground.

"Excuse me?"

"I said watch it. I know you're a terrible doctor, but I'm pretty sure your eyesight is still in tact."

Cassie turned on her heel and continued towards the elevators where she planned to meet Mark, only stopping when Izzie yelled after her.

"Can't you just give it a rest already?"

Slowly, Cassie spun around to face her with a deathly calm expression.

"Pardon?"

"Just give it a rest!" Izzie screamed. "Honestly, aren't you tired of being such a selfish bitch all the time?!"

The entire lobby went quiet, everyone's gaze locked onto the two interns.

Meredith, Cristina, Alex, Mark, Derek, Bailey, and even the Chief watched the interaction. Each of them were stunned into silence.

Cassie let out an eerily humorless laugh. "I'm selfish?"

"Yeah, you are," Izzie yelled, her arms crossed over her chest. "You're selfish. You walk around here, acting like you're perfect while treating me like crap! You act like you're the only one who lost someone that day, and maybe I didn't know Denny as well as you did, but I lost him too! I may not be perfect, Cassie, but at least I don't pretend to be like some people."

"You didn't lose him," Cassie said, almost in a whisper as she narrowed her gaze. She stepped forward, eye to eye with the fuming blonde. "You didn't lose him, Isobel. You murdered him."

"I made a mistake!"

"You killed him!"

"GET OVER IT!" she shouted. "God, it's been months! Just get over it already!"

In an instant, everyone froze. Izzie included.

And the next thing Cassie knew, her fist was connecting with Izzie's jaw.

author's note —
lmao just you wait