I am a rock. I am an island. That's the mantra to pretty much every surgeon that I've ever met. We like to think we're independent. Loners. Mavericks. That all we need to do our jobs is an O.R, a scalpel, and a willing body... But the truth is, not even the best of us can do it alone. Surgery, like life, is a team sport... and eventually, you've gotta get off the bench and decide... which team are you batting for.

○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○●○

Victoria stirred and her eyes fluttered open, the sunlight shining through the grey curtains. She was lying in Jackson's king size bed, his arms tight around her. The woman broadly smiled upon remembering the events of the night before. She snuggled deeper into her lover's embrace, wanting to enjoy the little time they had together before having to get up and start the day.

"It feels nice." Jackson whispered into Victoria's ear before trailing kisses down her neck.

"It does." She sighed contentedly.

They stayed in that position for a few moments before Victoria broke it to grab her phone and check on the time.

"What time is it ?" Jackson mumbled.

"It's ten past seven. I must go. I have a reunion and I can't be late." Victoria sighed, not wanting to leave Jackson's arms.

"You're ruining the mood."

"Sorry." Victoria told him before turning around to face him and tenderly pecking his lips.

Jackson deepened the kiss sliding his tongue inside her mouth. She grabbed him by the neck, pulling him closer, smashing her breast into his chest. He moaned against her mouth, climbing atop of his lover. Suddenly, Victoria thought she heard a strange noise through the door and broke the kiss.

"Did you hear that ?" She asked Jackson

"Hear what ?" Jackson frowned.

"I think your roommate is home." Victoria told him after hearing the heavy steps of someone on the other side of the door.

"I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering splendid. Tell me, princess, now when did, you last let your heart decide ?" Percy started singing at the top of his lung with a high-pitched voice.

"Yeah, it's definitely him." Jackson groaned, knowing that what he had in mind for Victoria and him would most likely not happen this morning.

"I can open your eyes. Take you wonder by wonder. Over sideways and under. On a magic carpet ride."

"Is he singing..." Victoria trailed off, not sure of herself.

"A whole new world. A new fantastic point of view. No one to tell us no. Or where to go. Or say we're only dreaming."

"Yes, he is." Jackson confirmed her thoughts while covering his eyes with his hand in embarrassment for Victoria to have witness Percy's weird habits. Victoria tried to hide her laugh but couldn't and she was quickly joined by Jackson. Percyheard them and interrupted his singing.

"Jackson ?" Percy called his roommate. "You're up ?"He started to walk toward Jackson's bedroom.

"You need to hide." Jackson told Victoria quickly getting up. She frowned, not understanding why he was making a big deal out of it.

"What ? Just lock the door." Victoria told Jackson in a whisper. "Or tell him to not enter your room."

"My door doesn't have a lock and Percy doesn't know the concept of privacy." Jackson told her before grabbing their clothes which were scattered on the floor near the door.

"Where do I hide ?" The cardio surgeon whispered shout at her boyfriend, feeling a rush of panic when she heard Percy's footsteps coming closer to the room.

"Under the bed."

Victoria quickly followed his suggestion and found herself laying naked on the dusty floor of Jackson's bedroom. It wasn't how Victoria was envisioning her morning. Jackson threw their clothes under the bed and his T-shirt touched her left eye.

"Ouch ! My eye !" Victoria exclaimed covering her eye with her hand, gradually feeling it welling up with tears.

"Sorry." Jackson apologised before jumping in his bed. Percy entered the room while the blue-eyed man was covering his lower area with his bedcovers. 

"Knock on the damn door." Jackson groaned at his roommate who was loudlychewing an apple.

"Since when are we knocking on doors ? Why- Were you jerking off ?" Percy asked with a smile.

"Get out. Just get out." Jackson sighed at his best friend.

"I'm not judging. It's totally natural. Who were you thinking of ?"

"Percy, out ! Now !" Jackson exclaimed, throwing his pillow at Percy's face. The resident was able to dodge the pillow thanks to a good reflex.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone... to finish off." Percy laughed at his own joke before leaving Jackson's bedroom, closing the door behind him.

"You need to get a lock on your door." Victoria told him before bending her elbow sneezing into it. "And clean your floor."

°•°•°•°•°•

After this morning incident, Victoria ran back to her apartment to take a quick shower and put some fresh clothes on before going to the donuts place around the corner from her home. She arrived at the hospital ten minutes before her reunion. Victoria was lacing her shoes when she saw Arizona rushed in the locker room.

"Tell me what happened." Arizona urged her friend while closing the door behind her.

"Good morning to you too, Arizona." Victoria laughed.

"Sorry. Good morning. What happened ?"

"We decided to take our shot."

"That's it ? I'm going to need more details than that. What did you told him ? What did he reply ?"

"I apologized to him for how terribly wrong I handled our relationship. I told him that I wanted to try and be with him. He stayed silent for quite some time which made me think that this whole thing was a total mistake. Then he told me that I was complicated -which I am- but he told me that I was worth it." Victoria smiled fondly.

"Oh." Arizona beamed at her new friend joy. "I'm like Cupidon. I'm the goddess of love."

"Sure." Victoria chuckled. "I'm thankful for you Arizona. I really needed to talk to someone last night." She told the blonde woman in a serious tone of voice.

"I told you that I was an amazing friend." Arizona stated, proud of herself.

"Yes, you did." The brunette agreed with a nod of her head before getting up of bench and grabbing the box of donuts that she had put next to her.

"Oh, can I have one ?"

"Sorry, it's for cardiothoracic surgeons only."

"Oh. Wow. And me who thought that we were now best friends."

"I need to win them over."

"Why ?"

"Because I'm the new girl who is ordering them around and they don't know me."

"So, you're telling me that you've been here for two months and still haven't met your team ?"

"I met them, well most of them. But I didn't had time for like the big reunion, with the bonding and stuff." Victoria explained to the paediatric surgeon who tilted her head at her answer. "What ?"

"Nothing." Arizona shook her head vehemently with a pinched smile.

"Arizona, let us not have the type of friendship where we walk on eggshells, afraid of saying something to the other. Okay ?"

"Okay." Arizona nodded.

"So, tell me what's on your mind."

"I think you could have handled your arrival at the hospital in a better way."

"I know, that's why I brought donuts."

"You're facing surgeons with big egos who probably feel dismissed and disrespected by you. Donuts are not going to be enough. Did you at least had a meeting with the interim head of cardio ?"

"I e-mailed him to know the specifics of the department." Victoria told her casually.

"You're not being serious right now ?"

"I am."

"Do you know his name ?" Arizona asked the brunette to evaluate the damage.

"I knew it at some point." Victoria answered making Arizona open her eyes wide, stunned to see how disconnected Victoria was from her team. "Listen, I know this makes me look like a douchebag, but I had a lot going on and I'm trying to redeem myself. And by the way, the fault is not only on my side, let us talk about hospitality. I don't remember getting a welcoming party of any sort." Victoria defended herself as Arizona pager went off.

"I have to go. Smile. Be nice and respectful."

"I'm always nice and respectful." Victoria replied before Arizona left the locker room.

Victoria let out a sigh when her eyes looked at the box of donuts in her hands. She realized that Arizona may have been right the donuts might not be enough. 

°•°•°•°•°•

Last night, after her talk with Dr. Maloney, Cristina went to Joe's and drunk shots after shots until the owner had to take her keys. She was rambling to Joe about surgery, cardio goddess, and her destiny when Meredith came into the bar. The resident had received a call from the owner of the bar telling her that he thought she should come and pick up Cristina from the bar. Meredith had tried to ask Cristina what was going on with her, but she could not understand a thing Cristina was saying.

This morning Cristina woke up with a hangover, a mild headache, and puffy eyes. It took her a couple of minutes to recognize where she was, then she went in the kitchen where she got a cup of warm water and added a little lemon juice to cure her hangover. Meredith joined her a couple of minutes later, she took in her best friend appearance before giving her aspirin, the two women spent the early morning in the calm. 

Cristina broke her silence in the elevator of the hospital, confessing to Meredith what she and Lexie had done the day before behind Victoria Shepherd's back.

"Do you think she talked to the chief about what happened ?" Cristina asked Meredith as they were walking in the resident locker room.

"I don't think so." Meredith replied with a frown.

"Did she say something to Derek ?"

"No."

"How do you know ?"

"Derek would've told me."

"Maybe she's in the chief's office as of right now telling him that I should be fired."

"She's not going to say a thing to the chief. She's not that type of person."

"How do you know ? You've known the woman for three months and had one dinner with her, you don't know the type of person that she is. If what I did gets back to the chief my career is over before even starting."

"What is over before even starting ?" Alex asked the women while he passed them by to get his scrubs out of his cubby.

"Nothing." Meredith told him after seeing Cristina vehemently shook her head at her best friend. "Where did you sleep last night ?"

"Somewhere."

"Whatever you do, just remember that you're married." Meredith told Alex with a pointed look. She had seen how Alex and Reed Adamson seem to have gotten into a flirty relationship lately.

"Yang." Karev called his friend, ignoring Meredith. "How is Maloney ?"

"What do you mean ?" Cristina asked while tying the laces of her sneakers.

"Is she a pain in the ass ? I'm on her service today. Do you have any tips for me ?"

"You're not up for it. You're going to fail." Yang told him harshly before leaving the locker room.

"What's wrong with her ?" Alex asked Meredith taken aback by his fellow resident tone.

"Nothing. She's fine." Meredith told Alex, trying to hide her concern for her best friend.

On her way out, Cristina didn't pay attention to where she was going and crashed into Jackson which made her fell against the wall behind her. He quickly apologized and asked Cristina if she was alright but the only response, he got from the woman was her shouting at him to watch out where he was going. Jackson let out a scoff and watched Cristina walk away before getting in the locker room.

"You're late." Reed told Jackson while he was getting changed in a hurry.

"Don't." Jackson warned her, visibly annoyed. This morning had not been an easy one. He had to distract Charles for Victoria to sneak out of their apartment without Charles noticing it which took forever because Charles refused to step out of the kitchen before finishing his breakfast. After a quick shower, Jackson ran into his car which refused to start so he had to take Charles's car, but the man did not remember where he put his keys, so the two residents had to look around the whole apartment to find them.

"Jeez. Someone's in a bad mood this morning." Reed whispered, raising her eyebrows. "I think I have a chance to be Maloney's new personal favorite since Yang is out of the game."

"How do you know Yang is out of the game ?" Jackson asked her while the two friends left the locker room.

"Charles told me what Yang did. If after what she pulled out yesterday, Maloney isn't done with her I call bullshit and favoritism in this hospital."

"Doctor Maloney came after the merge, you can't call favoritism."

"I can call whatever I want." Reed scoffed. 

°•°•°•°•°•

Victoria Shepherd stepped in the conference room twenty minutes late. Her discussion with Arizona gave her much to think about, she grabbed three interns and ask them to buy cupcakes, more donuts, and some good coffee -she found the hospital's coffee foul- milkshakes, and fruits. All cardiothoracic surgeons of the hospital were reunited in this room and most of them where annoyed at the brunette for how late she had shown up to her own meeting.

"Good morning everyone. I'm sorry for my lateness." Victoria apologized to her team while indicating the interns to put everything on the table. "I hope everyone likes donuts and cupcakes. If you do not there is fruits. Go on, help yourself." She smiled at them.

Nobody moved for a couple of seconds as somewhat an act of protestation ; Teddy Altman was the first one to grab something from the table. She had met Victoria on her first day at the hospital and found her to be a skilled surgeon and nice human being, the attending had no ill feelings towards the woman.

"I will make this quick and not take any much more of your time, I know how precious it is. I met some of you, not everyone so I am going to introduce myself. My name is Victoria Shepherd, but I go by Victoria Maloney at work. I am your new head of cardio. I attended Harvard Medical School before doing my residency at Mayo, and before working here I was working at The St John of God Murdoch Hospital in Australia. Now, I want to share the vision that I have for our department with you. I want it to be the best of the hospital, and for this to happen I believe that you must put your trust in me and that I must put mine in you. I am not asking you all the sudden to trust me, I know it takes time and that it is earned, but I hope that for now you can believe that all I want is for things to work out. I am here to make your work easier. Be sure that with me you have a voice, you will be listened and heard. That is a promise that I am making you. Thank you for listening to me. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them now or whenever."

Victoria looked around the conference room to see if someone seemed to want to ask a question. She was about to wish a good day to everyone when a man in the back of the room put his hand up. He was a tall muscular man, looking to be in his fifties.

"I have a question." He said, looking Victoria with his piercing brown eyes.

"Yes. Doctor ?"

"Larry Fitzgibbons."

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Fitzgibbons. Go ahead with your question."

"How old are you ?"

"I am 27." Victoria answered, not letting appear that she was taken by his question.

"So, you're the same age as the third-year residents here." He told her in a very condescending way.

"Yes, but I can guarantee you that I have indeed finish my residency." Victoria chuckle to hide the fact that she was getting irritated by this man tone and attitude.

"Did you ever ran a department before ?"

"No, I haven't."

"So, it's your first time ?"

"Yes, good deduction. I am glad you figured that out just based on my previous answer. It is quite impressive." Victoria sarcastically replied with an angelic smile.

"I don't believe that you're up to the job to be honest." He told her, suddenly the room went completely quiet, everyone stopping the little whispers that they were doing in between themselves after Victoria revelation of her age.

"Well, thank you for your honesty, Doctor Fitzgibbons but Doctor Weber saw me fit to fill up the head of cardio position, so you don't have to be concerned about me being up to the job. I am here because I am an experienced and skilled surgeon, my career proves it."

"You're here because you are Derek Shepherd little sister, and he is the chief protégé. It is called nepotism." Larry contradicted his chief of cardio.

"If I was you, Doctor Fitzgibbons I would be very careful with the words I am using. I will not let you discredit me in front of everyone here in this room. I earned my position by working hard. I am an internationally renowned surgeon. I will not be spoken to like that by a surgeon who picked when he inserted a pacemaker in a patient twenty years ago." Victoria said coldly. She was about to add more but her pager went off. "I wish everyone a nice day. Thank you for your time." The brunette said before leaving the room. 

Victoria walked in the hallway taking some deep breaths and try to calm down sufficiently to not run back into the conference room and make known to this so-called Doctor Larry Fitzgibbons what she thought about him. It was not how she had envisioned her morning. She heard heavy footsteps coming from behind her, in a corner of her head Victoria wished that it were Fitzgibbons so she could lash out against him for the way he talked to her and what he dared to affirm.

"Doctor Maloney ? We are on your service today."

"Names ?"

"Reed Adamson."

"Alex Karev."

"Nice to meet you. Follow me." Victoria told them, walking toward Miranda at the charting station. "Doctor Bailey, you paged me ?"

"Yes, the chief wanted you to take a look at these." Bailey told Victoria handing her the x-rays. "Billy Matthews. He's the limo driver. He flew through the windshield. Multiple crush injuries from an M.V.C."

"Hemopericardium." Victoria mumbled looking the x-rays of the patient. "What hemopericardium can lead to, Doctor Karev ?"

"Huh, cardiac tamponade."

"Which can be detected by ?"

"Beck's triad. Increased J.V.P. Hypotension."

"Last one ?"

"Muffled heart sound."

"Good. Where is the patient Doctor Bailey ?"

"Trauma 1."

"Have you always been at the hospital ? I heard about this merging thing that happened." Victoria asked her residents while walking towards trauma 1.

"No, I was at Mercy West before." Reed rushed to say before Alex could even open his mouth. "I have to say that it is a privilege to work with you, Doctor Maloney. I mean I read every article that you published. It is like a dream come true."

"Ass-kisser." Alex whispered to Reed who chose to ignore him while they entered the trauma room.

"Chief ?" Victoria called him as the monitor emitted a continuous tone.

"Damn it !" Doctor Webber cursed, taking off his gloves. "Time of death. 8 : 47. Traumatic arrest. Never regained a pulse." He explained to Victoria. "Tell them not to book the O.R." He told Reed before passing them by obviously angry.

°•°•°•°•°•

"Jack O'Brien, 47, scheduled for an aneurysm abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. His last C.T. showed calcification, so I asked a C.T angio to determine whether it had worsened or remained stable." Reed told Doctor Maloney, giving her the patient's file.

"Nice catch, Doctor Adamson." Victoria congratulated the resident. Doctor Karev, you can take him down." She told him while handing him the file under Reed's stunned face. Alex smirked at Reed after Maloney left the patient's room.

"Mr. O'Brien, I will see you later. Doctor Karev will take good care of you."

After Maloney and Adamson departure, Alex took a wheelchair and helped the patient sat on it. On their way to the scan room one of the wheels clattered making the resident let out a groan.

"Damn chair. Hang on. Looks like the wheel's broken."

"That's how things work around me. My toaster broke last month, then my cat ran away, and my back porch collapsed. Also, my TV only shows the color green."

"I'll get another chair." Alex told the patient before walking to the other side of the hallway.

"Don't bother. I'll walk. Probably safer." Mr. O'Brien told him, standing up.

"No, Mr. O'Brien, you need to stay in the chair." Alex began to jog to reach his patient. "It's hospital policy. Mr. O'Brien."

"I've also had three car wrecks in the last year." He said before putting his foot in a puddle of water, slipping, and falling, banging his head on the floor.

"Mr. O'Brien ? Somebody get me a gurney over here !"

...

To be continued.

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Note

Hi,

I wanted to thank everyone for liking and commenting on this story so far. It really warms my heart ! I also wanted to apologize for not updating the story earlier. The fact that people liked and seemed interrested in the story gave me the energy and fuel to write again ! 😁