⋆◦★◦⋆

lexie, lydia, and cristina walked down the hallway proudly. lexie and cristina looked at each other and smiled. lydia let out a light laugh since she knew both of her friends were wearing diapers. lexie and lydia kept walking and owen pulled cristina away.

the surgery started and lydia was excited to be apart of something so memorable.

"okay. i've gotten the plane. ready to make the first cut." derek said.

lydia heard some footsteps and turned around to see mark walking into the o.r.

"i heard you needed some support." he said.

"you need people to talk to-experienced surgeons. and you can't say no to me because i'm in charge, and this is what i'm prescribing." lexie told the neurosurgeon.

"thank you, dr. grey. okay, let's start." derek said. "making the first cut."

the monitor started beeping and everyone looked over to see why.

"what, did you-you paralyze him?" jackson asked.

"no. one vessel down." derek told him. "settle in. we have many more to go."

lydia looked over at lexie, then at mark and she sighed knowing how long the surgery was going to take.

⋆◦★◦⋆

"i've cleared a path at t-5. and if i continue along this plane, i-." derek started, but the monitor started beeping erratically.

"m.e.p. tracing's losing amplitude. what just happened?" mark asked studying the monitor.

"a vessel burst. it might have been connected to the cord." derek told him.

"but if there's not enough blood reaching the cord-" lexie started.

"i could've just paralyzed our patient, yes. suction please." derek finished for her.

"easy. careful. more suction."

"there's too much blood." lydia said, looking at the patient.

"we're losing him." mark said.

"i should've just cut the cord. this is too risky." derek said, doubting his work.

"wait. it's back. amplitude's up." mark said.

"so the cord didn't stroke out? you didn't paralyze him?" lexie asked.

"the vessel was connected to, the, uh, tumor. we're ok." derek said and lexie sighed in relief.

"nice work, derek." mark congratulated.

"thanks."

lydia noticed something wrong with derek, "dr. shepherd?"

"take off my mask." he said.

"what?" the woman repeated.

"take off my mask. take off my mask!" he commanded.

lexie hurried over to the other side of the table where derek stood and took off derek's mask. suddenly derek threw up in the o.r. and lydia was worried sick about him. lexie's eyes were wide open in shock, as were everyone's in the o.r.

⋆◦★◦⋆

the surgery stopped for a small while as dr. shepherd took a break, as ordered to by lexie and lydia. derek took a breather and sat on a small stool and calmed down.

"get in there. take a breath and get back in there." mark told his friend.

"you can do it, derek." lydia said encouragingly.

"you really should drink something." lexie said to him.

"i'm fine." he said.

"you're not fine. you're dehydrated and you're stressed. you really should drink something." lexie told the man insistently.

lydia agreed with her but didn't say anything. she was however getting annoyed by him not taking care of himself.

"i said i'm fine." derek said again.

"drink the water." lexie sternly told him.

derek still didn't drink the water and lydia was getting fed up with his behavior.

"she said drink it!" lydia yelled at him.

derek looked at lydia and finally drank the water. he knew better than to mess with a new mother who was running on barely any sleep. lexie looked at her friend and gave a thankful nod. mark looked at the woman he had a 'thing' with and gave her a proud nod. lydia could tell he was smiling at her behind his mask and that made her smile behind her own.

⋆◦★◦⋆

bailey walked into the o.r. a little while later.

"dr. bailey, care to fill us in?" derek asked.

"no, i would not. because anything outside of this o.r. is not your concern. your only concern is this patient. now keep going." she told him.

lydia looked at the o.r. timer. eight hours. the surgery has been going for eight hours, ten minutes, and one second.

seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours and soon enough, the surgery had been going on for over thirteen hours. honestly she was only a little tired.

"damn it." derek said.

"what is it." callie asked.

"i can't tell which one of these vessels feeds the cord and which one feeds the tumor." derek told the ortho surgeon. "i have to do a blind cut."

"like a trip wire?" callie asked

"if i cut the wrong one, the entire cord strokes out." derek took a deep breath. "okay, we'll come back to this later."

"later? so you could finish the entire surgery only to cut the wrong one? this will all have been for nothing?" callie asked confused.

"exactly. but thanks for pointing that out."

⋆◦★◦⋆

the next time lydia looked at the time it said twenty-one hours and forty-six seconds. the woman wanted to finish up this surgery and go home to her baby. meredith was watching emily since lydia knew she wasn't going to be home for a long time.

"how many inches left?" arizona asked.

"uh, less than two. so if i do my math, we got, uh, four or five more hours ahead." derek said.

lydia internally groaned. when she got home. she was going to go to bed then hug her baby to no end.

"crap. oh, crap. oh, crap. oh, crap." jackson started.

"what is it?" lydia asked worriedly.

"it's my hand. it's cramping. damn it." he told the woman.

"don't move. don't move." derek told him.

"ah."

"b.p.'s dropping." arizona said as the monitor started beeping erratically.

"okay, we're touching the cord. if we disturb it any more, we run-" derek started.

"pulse is down to fifty-two." arizona said.

"it's getting worse, guys. it's-" jackson told everyone.

"easy, easy. don't move." derek told the boy.

"okay, it's ok. just stay still." lexie said, putting her hand on jackson's hand. "hey, close your eyes and breathe. okay, it's just a spasm."

"b.p.'s back up 100/68." arizona said.

"have you had anything to drink today, dr. avery?" derek asked, a bit concerned.

"what?"

"muscle cramps are a sign of dehydration." lydia pointed out.

"you went without fluids so dr. grey could t get her hands on the retractor. isn't that right?" derek figured out.

"sorry." jackson said.

"don't apologize. just step aside. dr. grey take over."

⋆◦★◦⋆

twenty-six hours and forty- eight seconds, that's how long the surgery has been going on for. for a new mother, separation can be difficult, especially with a job like lydia's. this is the longest she's ever been away from her child but she has the surgery to distract her from it. but sometimes it doesn't work.

"hmm. 'a' or 'b'?" derek asked. "dr. grey... 'a' or 'b'?"

"you're done? you got it all out?" lexie asked.

"except for the blind cut. i just have to pick one, and we're good to go. 'a' or'b'?" derek said

"you're kidding."

"you're stalling. dr. avery?" derek said.

"i don't like to gamble." jackson said.

"dr. robbins?" derek asked lydia.

"um, dr. sloan what do you think?" lydia asked, avoiding the question.

"what, so derek can blame it on me for the rest of his life? this is all you derek." mark told his friend.

"right. my call. great." derek said. "eeny, meeny, miny, moe. catch a tiger by its toe. if he hollers-"

"are you playing eeny, meeny, miny, moe?" lydia asked derek.

"yeah." they both sarcastically laughed.

derek took a deep breath and made the cut.

⋆◦★◦⋆

it was the right cut. lydia went home after a very very long day, she had arizona drive her home. arizona and callie had to help put her sister in the car, lydia could barely do it herself she was so tired.

they were almost home when lydia thought about her baby. "wait, wait, we have to pick up emily. i need to see my baby."

"lyds, it's late, she's with alex, sleeping. we will go pick her up tomorrow ok? tonight, you are getting a good night sleep and we are letting alex deal with his child for the night." arizona said, trying to calm her sister down.

well, it worked. they got home to their shared apartment and arizona helped her sister into bed and all three women were out like a light.

⋆◦★◦⋆⋆◦★◦⋆⋆◦★◦⋆

6/29/20