"The human body is designed to compensate for loss. It adapts, so it no longer needs the thing it can't have. But sometimes the loss is too great, and the body can't compensate on its own. That's when surgeons get involved. We're so hopeful at the beginning of things. It seems like there's only a world to be gained, not lost. They say the inability to accept loss is a form of insanity, it's probably true. But sometimes, it's the only way to stay alive" 

"there's something about her hand holding mine"

Aurora was making eggs when Owen came into the kitchen. He stood behind her and started kissing her neck. She smiled and turned around. She pecked his lips and took the frying pan off the stove. She divided the eggs into two plates and gave him one. He started eating them. "Do you want some more?" she asked him.

"I actually want something else"

He got up and started kissing her.

Beck entered the kitchen where Cristina was already eating breakfast. "Morning", Cristina said.

"You know what's weird?"

"No, but I bet you're gonna tell me"

"Jackson tried to get me on a trip out of town just as his mom is coming into town"

"Why, you wanna meet her?"

"No, of course not. I just don't understand why he's worried. It's not like we're serious or anything"

"Yeah, but does he know that?"

Meredith, Cristina, Lucy and Alex took their seats in the lecture room. "I can't believe Altman postponed our surgery for grand rounds", Cristina complained. "It's just a boring lecture". "Owen told me it was mandatory", Aurora said. "One more hour of sleep, that's what it is", Alex said, folding up his lab coat to create a make-shift pillow. "Oh, no. It's not gonna be boring", April replied. "This is Jackson's mother, Catherine Avery". "She's a urologist, right?" Lucy asked Jackson.

"Yeah. I met her when I was an intern at Mercy West. She's amazing"

"She is a lunatic", Jackson corrected.

"No, she's not. She's brilliant. She says these things that shock you, but then when you think about them later, they change your whole life"

"Or they ruin your whole life. She's toxic. She's a meddler. My mom has no boundaries. Be warned"

"Oh, is that why you tried to ship me out of the state?" Beck asked him. "What? You tried to send Beck away? Wow", Aurora muttered. "Who hides his girlfriend under a rock while his mom comes into town?" Cristina wondered. "I'm not his girlfriend", Beck corrected her. "He's got a hypercritical surgeon for a mom", Kelly said. "I get it". "Is your mom ambidextrous?" Cristina asked him. "I bet she is. All the best surgeons are". "Wait a second. How often do you talk to my mom?" Jackson asked April. "We're Facebook friends", she replied.

"You're... You and my mother?"

"She's a brilliant surgeon and woman. She's a trailblazer"

"And she's got a stalker", Beck finished.

"Hey, you know what? Just meet her. You'll see"

"Wake up, everybody", Catherine said, making her way onto the stage. "I know, I know, it's grand rounds, where we have to sit and listen to somebody talk about how somebody did something and here's how they did it, and there's not enough coffee in Brazil for this. Well, not today. Today we are going to do. Today I'm going to change a life and maybe make medical history, too". Jackson started to sink down in his chair making Beck smile in amusement. "And I can't do it alone, so who wants to step into the future with me?" Catherine asked. April cheered but no one else did. She sunk into her chair with embarrassment. "Okay. That's alright. That's a start", Catherine continued. "Let's see if I can get a few more. Ryan, honey, would you come out here, please? Everybody, this is Ryan" A man in a robe came out on stage. "Ryan, could you show everybody what we're here to do today?" Catherine asked him. He took off his robe revealing Catherine's intention. Everybody looked at it, shocked. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to invite a few very lucky residents to scrub in on this country's first penis transplant", Catherine announced.

"Thanks to a case of penile cancer, Ryan underwent a full penectomy 11 months ago", Catherine explained. "Good margins left him basically cured and cancer-free". She high-fived him. "So that's gone", she continued. "And today we'll be replacing the other thing Ryan lost. A suitable donor's become available here at Seattle Grace-Mercy West, and Ryan generously agreed to fly out and make this day a teaching opportunity. Who wants in on it?" Everybody except Jackson raised their hands and she smiled. "Hello! That's more like it", she said. Jackson looked around, confused. Mark cleared his throat and stood up. "Mark Sloan, plastics", he introduced himself. "Isn't penile reconstruction the standard approach in cases like these? Why a transplant?"

"Well, I can answer your question with a question. Do you like your penis?"

"It does the job"

"Oh, gross", Aurora whispered, sinking down in her chair. "If one day, it wasn't there, wouldn't you want it back?" Catherine asked Mark. "Or would you be satisfied with a reconstructed organ that has very little function?" "Satisfied? No, but that would-", Mark replied.

"Neither would Ryan here. Yes, this is new ground. But here's a young man with his whole life ahead of him, with the will to live it as a whole man, with a bravery and selflessness to help advance medical science along the way. So let's give Ryan a hand"

Everybody clapped and cheered. "And now let's give Ryan a penis!" she yelled. Everybody cheered louder except for Jackson.

The residents were in the skills lab with Catherine. "Who has worked with the tissue of the penis before?" she asked them. "Kepner, keep your hand down", Alex teased.

"Its delicate vascularity demands a grace and elegance that not many surgeons of your station have mastered. The two surgeons to do the best end-to-end anastomosis of their chicken's femoral vessels will scrub in with me. So be cautious, be careful, be brilliant... Begin!"

She made April stand to the back for being too tense. She made Cristina go to the back because her left hand was shaking. "It's very simple, people", Catherine said. "All it has to be is perfect".

In the skills lab, only Meredith, Jackson, Alex and Aurora were left as all the other residents stood at the back, watching. "Excellent", Catherine complimented Meredith's technique. "Very fine work, Doctor...". "Grey", Meredith finished. Alex and Aurora's pagers went off. "Come on. Not now", Alex groaned. They checked them and exchanged a look before looking at Meredith. "We gotta...", Aurora began. "We're out", Alex said, and they left the room. "Hey, they forfeit, right? They walked out", Mark pointed out from where he was watching in the back. "Congratulations. We have our winners", Catherine said. "He's your son, and you're the judge", Lucy said. "Isn't there some rule against that?"

"I don't play favourites, dear. Nepotism is for the weak.

That's what my birthday cards always said", Jackson said. Beck smiled amusingly at him and Catherine looked suspiciously at her.

Arizona, Alex and Aurora ran down the hallway. "What the hell happened?" Alex asked. "I don't know,'' Arizona replied. "Does anybody else know about this?" Aurora said.

"I don't think so"

They entered a room where Zola was on a stretcher and Janet was beside her. "She had a seizure", Janet informed them.

"Temp's 103", Aurora said as they examined Zola. "Abdomen's tender and distended", Arizona said. "Her foster mother said Zola was running a fever", Janet explained. "She's been crying all day. They couldn't get her to stop".

"High-pitched bowel sounds. Call CT"

"Yeah, and I'm gonna page Grey and Shepherd", Alex said. "You can't do that", Janet replied.

"What? The kid's sick"

"Their custody was suspended. I know they're your friends, but at this moment, they're nothing more than a third party"

"It's a breach of confidentiality", Arizona stated. "They're right here", Alex pointed out. "Their custody is under investigation", Janet said. "The last thing any of us needs is a breach of protocol. It could jeopardise the adoption". Zola started to cry. "Okay, okay, little miss munchkin", Arizona said to her. "You're gonna feel a little bit of a sting, and then I'm gonna be all done".

Aurora and Alex were looking at Zola's scans. "Freakin' hell", Alex muttered. Derek entered the room and they started taking down the scans. "That's a pretty nasty bowel obstruction", he commented. "Are you on your own with that?" "No. We've got Robbins", Aurora replied.

"Good"

Alex and Aurora exchanged a worried look as they walked out.

Alex and Aurora were waiting for Cristina and Lucy outside an exam room. They finally arrived. "What? I was about to do an art line with my left hand", Cristina said. "Zola's got a bowel obstruction. We have to operate", Alex replied. "What? Where's Mer?" Lucy asked. "She can't know. Neither can Derek", Aurora explained. "If they get involved, social services will flip out and the adoption's shot".

"Is she stable?"

"For now"

"And that's the right call, right? We don't tell 'em", Alex said. "You just told us it was", Lucy said.

"But I'm right, right?"

"If it'll blow the adoption then yeah, we can't tell them"

"Okay. Alright. That's your decision"

"What?"

"Wait, you just called us down here so we could take responsibility for your decision?" Cristina stated. "How small are your balls?" "Meredith didn't talk to me for weeks because I screwed up her life", Alex defended. "The balls are pretty small right now". "Dr Karev, Dr Sloan. The baby's seizing again", a nurse said, from the doorway of Zola's room. The four of them ran into the room. "Page Robbins!" Aurora ordered. "We're tellin' Mer!" Alex said. "You bet your ass, we are", Cristina said.

Alex, Aurora, Arizona, Derek and Meredith were in a conference room. "Is it her shunt? Is it hydrocephalus?" Meredith asked. "What the hell were you thinking?" Arizona said. "That was her CT before, wasn't it?" Derek said. "I'm sorry but we couldn't tell you then and we shouldn't have now", Aurora said, glaring at Alex. "Come on", Alex said. "No, she's right", Arizona snapped. "The hell he can't. She's my patient", Derek argued. Owen entered the room. "Thank God. Owen, I...", Arizona began. "Look, Robbins told me what is going on, and she is right", Owen said. "You can't see Zola". "Owen, stay out of it", Derek said. "She's probably terrified", Meredith said. "Someone should be with her". "She's sedated. She's not alone", Arizona said. "I have a herd of nurses on a rotating schedule, holding her, singing to her... We've got this". "Did you try an NG tube?" Derek asked.

"The bowels are compressing the VP shunt, and she's hypotensive, so we're taking her to the OR"

"Well, then I'm in there"

"Shepherd, you can't", Owen said.

"I inserted the shunt. It's part of the problem. I should fix it!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Aurora snapped. "The adoption lady's watching her like a hawk. They're gonna be looking for reasons to catch you out".

"Where is she?"

"You'll be paged the minute it's done, I promise. Me or Karev can give hourlies"

"Karev, look at me. Where is she?"

"It's classified. Alex, don't"

"Pre-op. 1608", Alex answered.

"Alex!"

"Thank you. I'm going there", Derek announced.

"No, Derek"

Everyone left except Alex and Aurora. "You realise rules still apply to them, right?" Aurora said.

"I don't need a lecture"

"Yes, you do. I get it, okay? You feel bad but you can't do shit like this. She's not their child right now. They have absolutely no right to know where she is or what she's doing. Meredith brought this on herself by breaking the rules. You know that and I know that. So grow up and start acting like an actual doctor"

Meredith, Lucy and Cristina were sitting on a bench outside the hospital. "Alex was supposed to call by now", Meredith said. "Yeah. In, like, 10 minutes", Cristina replied.

"Do you think it's bad if we call him?"

"Yes", Lucy said.

"What if she..."

"She's not gonna die. Okay? That's not gonna happen"

Meredith stayed silent. "Alright. Do you know how to do single-handed left-handed ties?" Cristina said. "No", Meredith said.

"Try it"

Meredith did it perfectly. "Like that?" she asked Cristina's shocked face. "Did you just do that on your first try?" Cristina said.

"Yeah. Well, you are holding your string too tight..."

"Shut up"

Derek came outside and approached them. "Got a message from Karev", he said. "They had to resect a small part of the bowel, but everything else looks good so far". "Oh, thank God", Meredith sighed.

"Yeah"

He sat down and performed the tie easily. "Did you...", Cristina stuttered and Lucy laughed. "Oh, I hate you people. Don't touch it".

Arizona, Aurora and Alex were operating on Zola. "You know, I really don't get you two", Alex stated. "Arizona, you should understand better than anyone. What if it was Sofia? Do you have any parental rights? If something happens to her, Sloan and Torres aren't around, you got some peds doc saying you don't have a right to see her".

"Mind your own business, Karev", Arizona said.

"I'm sorry, I'm just sayin' it sucks"

"No, here's what sucks. Zola's gonna be fine because we're awesome surgeons, and if Meredith and Derek didn't know she was here, Zola would still be fine, the adoption wouldn't be in jeopardy, and they wouldn't be in a room somewhere going out of their minds imagining the worst"

Cristina, Lucy, Meredith and Derek were waiting in the residents' lounge. Alex and Aurora came in. "We were able to remove all of the adhesions and get the shunt working again", Aurora explained. "We'll monitor her while she's here. She's gonna be fine". Lucy got up and hugged Alex. Meredith started to cry and Aurora left the room. Derek comforted her. "I'll stay with Zola tonight", Cristina said. "I will call if there's anything to worry about. So don't call every five minutes. You guys go home".

Beck watched Catherine and Jackson drinking and talking together. "Stop staring", Kelly said.

"I'm not"

"You are. You care about him"

"No, I'm just sleeping with him"

"You keep a toothbrush at his house and you wear his sweaters. You guys are practically dating"

"Never gonna happen, trust me"

"So, you wanna tell me about this girl you're hiding?" Catherine asked Jackson.

"Can you blame me? Honestly? The way you were all over Sloan today"

"Sloan can take it. You're saying this girl can't?"

"I like her. A lot. I don't want to start this. Look, we're not even actually dating. We're just hanging out"

"I'm gonna meddle one more time. I think you wanna date her but you don't wanna say because you know that's not what she wants"

"Mom..."

"You shouldn't torture yourself wasting your time on someone who doesn't want you"

"Enough, mom, please"

"Are you in love with her?"

"We're not gonna talk about this"

Catherine groaned and Jackson smiled. He looked over to the bar and locked eyes with Beck who'd already been watching. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Catherine noticed this and watched them with interest. 

hope you enjoyed! comment your opinions! song is love grows by edison lighthouse