Season Two, Episode Five
Bring the Pain

Maggie watched as Alex fumble on his words, they had just gotten back from there first date and when she had invited him inside he told her that he had to leave.

"Wait, so you don't want to come inside and get laid?" Maggie asked for the second time, she was holding onto his arm so that he wouldn't leave.

"I have to go Maggie" Was all he said before he got away from her grasp and walked out of her apartment door.

"Seriously?" She grumbled. Walking into Pat's room, she was still mumbling under her breath, "Why do men suck?" She asked, rudely plopping herself onto Pat's bed.

"Why do you suck? I'm trying to sleep here" Pat groaned, turning her body so her head was facing her pillow.

"I invited him inside to have sex with me and he didn't want to, why would he not? I'm hot, I got all dressed in this skin tight black dress and he turned me down" Maggie ranted.

"Look Mags, he's probably freaked. This is your first date after you guys agreed to go steady, it's not like you or him have ever made it this far in a relationship" Pat pointed out as the thunder started to rumble again.

"So we can't have sex? I would have never proposed going steady if I knew that I couldn't climb on him naked"

"Then talk to him, maybe that's what he thinks you want" Pat told her reasonably.

"Maybe he's as stupid as I thought, has he even met me? Further then the truth" Maggie rolled to get off the top blanket so she could get under them. "I'm going to bed"

"Yeah, whatever. Goodnight" Pat chuckled at her friend.

Pat had left early in the morning after she received a call that there was a body next to the water so Maggie had woken up to an empty apartment which was fine considering she could get in a extra few minutes of peace and quite. Walking into the locker room as she silently glared at Alex but being pulled from the glare when someone poked her.

"What's your problem?" Meredith asked, her eyes did the squinty thing when she knew that something was up.

"Alex won't have sex with me"

"I thought you guys agreed to have a normal relationship" Izzie cocked her head as she asked.

"We did but I didn't think he would opt out of having sex with me because of it" Maggie rolled her eyes as she jumped into her scrubs.

"Has anyone seen Dr. Shepherd this morning?" Addison stepped behind Bailey and asked.

"Which one" Bailey asked her nonchalantly.

"Male shepherd" Addison replied, looking at Maggie with harsh eyes.

"His names on the o.r. Board. He should be here somewhere" Bailey told her.

"Did you see the look you got from her, Maggie? If looks could kill" Izzie laughed, setting her lotion back onto her locker.

"She doesn't know one thing about me, her opinion on whether or not I'm a good person is based on someone who probably filled her head with false scenarios" Maggie was unfazed by Derek's wife, "Kind of how he brainwashed Meredith"

"Hey, you called she-devil here so now we both have one mark on the bitch level" Meredith defended herself.

Maggie watched as Christina tried to connived Bailey that she was ready but her eyes fell to Alex's who was already watching her.

"Rounds, people" Bailey told them making very intern shut their locker and follow her out of them room.

"What? You're not talking to me anymore?" Alex stopped Maggie before she could leave.

"You're the one who needs to do some talking, I invited you inside my apartment like I had done a dozen times but suddenly you had to leave? What's going on with you?" Maggie whispered quietly so nobody heard.

"I'm fine" He smirked, "What's your problem?"

"My problem is thinking that a person like you could change, so you know what Alex? I am going to ignore you" Maggie scoffed at him before leaving the room to catch up with her group. Walking with them into a patients room, Christina was the most eager to speak first.

"Henry Lamott, age 42, is scheduled with Dr. Shepherd for a spinal implant to control the pain of his herniated disc, he's allergic to all pain medication ... is that?" Christina stopped talking when she heard the sound of moaning.

"Porn"

"Porn?" Dr. Bailey looked over at her, "As in 'porn?"

"All right" Alex said, making Maggie roll her eyes, "What are we watching?"

"Karev, go stand in the hall. Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Lamott, I'm sure you are really nice people and what you do in the privacy of your own" Bailey started but stopped when she heard moaning, "Look, we can't have porn in here, this is a hospital"

"It's for my pain. My doc said it releases endorphins in the brain and help keeps my pain at a manageable level" Mr. Lamott Informed them.

"Really?"

"George- hall" Bailey scolds him.

"Wait, what is this?" Maggie laughed, looking closer at the nude girls.

"Nasty, naughty nurses 4" Mrs. Lamott told them.

Theist four interns in the room watched the tv, turning there heads as the lady in the film bent in a weird way.

"That does not look comfortable" Christina said aloud.

"Trust me, it's not" Meredith answered making Maggie stifle a laugh.

"Get in the hall" Bailey grunted at the four interns, pushing them into the hall.

"O'Malley, Karev you're in the pit today. Stevens, there's a cardiac patient waiting for you up on two. Yang, keep an eye on the Lamott's, I don't want any problems and Shepherd, you're with Shepherd- male Shepherd, he asked for you. Go" Bailey instructed her interns, everyone running to there place.

"Great" Maggie whispered as she headed to go find her brother.

Maggie headed upstairs to the Neuro wing, once she stepped out of the elevator, Meredith immediately stepped by her side.

"Where have you been?" She asked, "Whatever, doesn't matter. Derek's wife walked up to me and asked where he was, can you believe that?"

"Yes" Maggie told her simply. They continued to walk until they met with Derek.

"Meredith"

"Your wife is looking for you" Meredith toofnhim before he had the chance to pull some sorry excuse out of his ass.

"Oh, my god. This is hard for me Meredith"

"Let me make this easy, then. I'm not gonna be that woman- the one who breaks up a marriage of begs you to want me. You can sign the papers or you cannot. The choice is yours, either way, when it comes to this relationship, I'm out. Now where's this patient we're supposed to be helping you with?" Meredith goes off of on Derek and all Maggie can do is stand there in aw.

"Down there" He points with his thumb. Maggie sticks her tongue out when they walk passed resulting in Derek just rolling his eyes.

"Didn't know you had it in ya, super cool" Maggie smiles.

Meredith and Maggie walk into the patients room with Derek right behind them, they each Introduce themselves and then ask what was wrong.

"I've had a twinge in my back for awhile. I thought it would go away but then last night, my legs went numb and this morning, my back- the pain is just too much" Ms. Chue describes the pain at Derek check for any restriction in her legs.

"Ms. Chue, let me put you on a P.C.A pump, give you some morphine, which should help control the pain" Derek informed her as he continued to check for any bumps.

"Thank you"

"But there's a greater problem here, I've taken a look at your M.R.I-"

"Anna, why didn't you call us before coming down here". A man Maggie could only assume to be her father, yelled.

"I'm sorry. There's are my parents" She looked up at the doctors.

"Hi" Derek gives them a nod.

"What's going on?" Mr. Chue asks him.

"I was just about to explain that Anna's M. M.R.I. has shown that she has a myxopapillary ependymoma- it's a tumor in her spinal canal but the good news is that we can operate. You have a 95% chance of fully recovering, if we get you in to surgery as soon as possible. We can't wait another moment with a tumor this aggressive, even waiting another day puts you at risk for permanent paralysis" Derek looked between the parents and the patient softly.

"Father?"

"No. No surgery" Mr. Chue declines.

"Mr. Chue, without surgery, Anna will be paralyzed probably within the next 24 hours" Derek tried to reason with the man.

"There'll be no surgery today, we're taking her home" Mr. Chie told him, not being persuaded.

"Mr. Chue, Anna desperately needs this surgery" Maggie chimed in.

"Then she can have it another time" Mr. Chue told them once again.

"Look, Mr Chue-"

"We are taking our daughter home" Mr. Chue interrupts, this time his voice was more stern.

"You're over 18, Anna" Maggie looked at Mr. Chue for a split second before back at Anna.

"You don't need your fathers consent" Derek finished.

"I'm Hmong and my father is my elder. If he says I go home, I go home" Anna tells them sadly. Maggie looks up at Mr. Chues smug look before the three doctors walk out of the room.

"Hmong? Lets find out what that means" Derek looks at his interns as they walk up the stairs.

"Hmong are members of an ethnic group, children are members of their fathers clan which is why Anna had to follow her fathers orders. Typically men are seen as the leaders you have to abide by and women stay home and do the cleaning, cooking and raising the children" Maggie told him, keeping up with the man as they ran up the steps.

"Uh, okay. Contact social services, see if we can get somebody down here to talk to him" Derek gave her a strange look before proceeding up the stairs.

"A social worker won't help in this situation" Maggie shook her head.

"Do it anyway"

"Do I continue to process her discharge?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, we have to. It's insane but we have to. It reminds me of this case I had in New York in time where this woman came the office-"

"We aren't you friends, Derek. Let's keep conversation not job related to a minimal" Maggie rolled her eyes at how dense Derek was being.

"If you don't need us for anything work related then I'm gonna go" Meredith went along with Maggie.

"Look, I was married for 11 years. Addison was my family, that is 11 thanksgivings, 11 birthdays and 11 christmases and in one day, I'm supposed to sign a piece of paper and end my family? A person doesn't do that not without a little hesitation. I'm entitled to a little uncertainty here, just a moment to understand the magnitude of what it means to cut someone out of my life-"

"You cut Maggie out of your life with no hesitation, someone you had known for 18 years so forgive me when I see warning signs about you needing time to understand all this with Addison when you didn't think twice about cutting ties with your sister" Meredith interrupted the man who was yelling blatantly into her face. Derek looked at his sister and then back at Meredith before scoffing and making his way out of the staircase.

"I'm gonna have to buy you a couple of rounds for that" Maggie gives her a sad smile as she guides her down the stairs.

Maggie stood next to Meredith and Christina looking down at the main lobby, since it was storming there were more people in here than usual and Maggie loved to watch the traffic. Until the lights went on and off.

"You know how long a surgical scar takes to heal" Maggie looked over at Christina who was flinching in pain.

"You must be in pain, you should take something" Meredith added, looking at her.

"Drugs are for babies" Christina told them putting up a front.

"Yeah well, I hate Alex" Maggie groaned, "And my brother, how sad is that"

"And the non sequitur award goes to..."

"Fine, I guess Alex doesn't really matter but my own brother? Come on" Maggie sighed in disappointment, "Bu I still hate Alex"

"I broke up with Derek" Meredith added her sadness.

"Burke wants to have a relationship" Christina followed.

"I can't believe how stupid boys are" Maggie scoffed before walking away from the two so she could check up on her patient.

Maggie knocked softly on Anna's door, letting her know that she was about to walk in.

"Anna, we're just here to see how you're doing" Meredith told her as they walked closer to the bed.

"Why do the lights keep flickering?" Anna asked as the lights above her shut off and on.

"Something about the back up generator" Meredith shrugged.

"Nothing to worry about" Maggie told her, "This limo will provide you with a morphine drip and it should stop your pain"

"I told you, I don't need it. I'm going home" Anna stuttered.

"We know, we just want to make sure you're comfortable until you have to leave" Maggie gave her a sad smile.

"You realize you'll have to sign an A.M.A. form stating that you're leaving against medical advice" Meredith told her, trying to subtly convince her to stay.

"Meredith" Maggie looked at her with stern eyes.

"Fine" Anna responded.

"I know this is new and confusing, I called a social worker and she's willing to come down and talk to you" Meredith told her, trying to help Anna.

"Spare me your white girl cultural divide love, I grew up down the street from here, I play in a band, I went to U-dub. I get it, but my father doesn't. He says no, it's no" Anna stares at Meredith. Maggie felt horrible that she couldn't do anymore but if Anna's dad doesn't agree then there was nothing to do.

"We're talking about your ability ever walk again"

"That's what you're talking about, I'm talking about my family. Have you ever even heard of the Hmong people?" Anna asked Meredith.

"I took an Ethnic and Culture class in college, I don't know much but I do know a little bit about how your culture works" Maggie told her honestly.

"The you know that our religion has got rules that are way old and way set in stone and way spiritual and you don't mess with them. You don't anger the ancestors, even if you pierce your tongue and play in a band" Anna nodded at Maggie before looking at Meredith.

"What are the rules exactly?"

Maggie and Meredith ran down the halls trying to get to Anna's room, the Shaman was supposedly be here any minute to preform the healing ritual and they both wanted to be there to witness it.

"Hey, where are you three going to fast?" Christina ask them when she noticed that they were practically running.

"Collazo is talking George and Alex through heart surgery in the elevator" Izzie told her, she was so excited.

"What?"

"Shepherd's setting up a shaman healing ritual" Meredith turned around and said, "Maggie, let's go!"

"Right, right" Maggie shook her head to get the thought of Alex out of it as she ran towards Meredith.

When they go onto the room the Shaman wasn't there but everyone else was, "Hey, where is he?"

"Your Shamans late" Derek looked at the Chue's.

"My Shaman is never late" Mr. Chue smirked at him.

A little while later a nurse came into the room to tell them that the helicopter had landed and to get ready.

"Anna, we're gonna shut off the P.C.A. pump now so that means you'll be in a lot of pain but it also means you'll be able to find your soul" Maggie gave her arm a squeeze.

"Are you okay with that?" Meredith asked her.

"Yeah. I can't find my soul if I'm medicated. No pain, no gain, right?"

"Well, it's not just for your father. You believe it, too, right?" Meredith asked her, hoping that she did.

"I know it sounds like a load of crap but watch the ritual, you'll see"

"See what?" Meredith squinted her eyes brows at her.

"The moment it happens" Anna looked at them both with optimism. Maggie smiled back at her, she had heard all about healing rituals but she's never seen one in person but she wished she had the ability to put complete faith into someone, "I'm ready"

The three doctors walked out of the room and stood by the window so that they could watch. "How long does it take to retrieve a lost soul?"

"How ever long it takes"

Maggie stood in Joes bar with Pat, Finley and Kelly, each of them sounded like they could use a drink and Maggie promised to buy Meredith a round but when Izzie, George and Christina showed up, she bought them a round too.

"What do you mean he wouldn't come inside?" Kelly asked her, plopping a peanut into his mouth.

"It's exactly how it sounds, we get home from our first date, he offers to walk me to the door and then when I asked him if he wanted to come inside he said no" Maggie groaned, they were all confused as to why he didn't want to come in.

"I though you two were doing good?" Finley furrowed her eye brows.

"Me too but I guess I freaked him out" Maggie cradled her head in her hand and sighed.

"Aw, baby" Finley frowned.

"Guys, this is Alex we are talking about. He's never been in a relationship and assuming by the way he carries himself his up bring wasn't the best so meet him in the middle" Pat gave her friend a rub on the back trying to comfort her.

"You've been spending way to long with those profiler people" Kelly scoffs.

"I work with the F.B.I, Kelly and I only ever spend time with them when there's a dead body for me to examine" Pat rolls her eyes at her friend.

"He's not coming" They hear from across the bar, "You don't think he's coming, even Maggie doesn't think he's coming" Meredith says points at the brunette.

"Hey, I hold zero faith in my brother so putting me in that sentence is wrong" Maggie points at her with her drink in hand.

"He might come" Izzie tells her softly.

"I should just listen to Maggie" Meredith frowns, her head turning once again when the door chimes.

"Don't listen to Maggie, she's the root of all pessimism. Besides, Derek seemed to really like you when you guys were together. For his sake, I hope he shows up" Kelly tells her with as much optimism as possible, he didn't want the girls feelings to get any more then they already have.

Maggie shrugged as she stared at the door, she wondered what kind of evil her brother had in him to do something like this. Sure, what he did to Maggie was top tier but Meredith didn't deserve this especially when she thought she had a fighting chance.

Oooo Alex and Maggie are in the outs..... what'll happen next??(;