Begin the Begin
Season two episode thirteen

Max walked into Rebecca Singleton's room, where she was meeting George O'Malley her intern for today.

"Dr. O'Malley" Max said from behind him, giving him warning that she was there.

"Hi. Um, Mr. and Mrs. Singleton" The male Interns said pointing to the parents "Rebecca, this is Dr. Mallard"

"You don't think it's cancer, do you? Bex is too young for cancer, right?" Mrs. Singleton asked as soon as George was done talking.

"Mrs. Singleton, I'm just now getting caught up with everything. I'm sorry, Dr. O'Malley?" Max said looking at the parents then down at Bex's chart.

"Rebecca's been admitted for-" George said beginning to two Max what he knew but the patient interrupted him.

"Could you stop calling me that?" Bex said calling out George.

"She prefers Bex, not Rebecca" Mr. Singleton said with an apologetic tone.

"Bex has been admitted for an ultrasound guided biopsy on an enlargement of a pelvic lymph node" George said correcting himself.

"Okay. Bex, would you hate me if I checked it out?" Max said in a hopeful tone as she looked at the little girl.

"Okay, I'll just, um..." Mr. Singleton stutters as he walked out of the room to girl his daughter some privacy.

"It's a minor procedure, Bex." Max said hoping to ease the girl "But we'll give you a local anesthetic to mange the pain"

Max pulled up her gown to feel her stomach to see if she could feel anything, "What are you drawing?" George asked to keep Bex's attention away from the pain.

"Just a dumb comic" She told the intern looking down at her sketch book.

"You're really talented" He said looking down at the drawing.

"It's big, I know. It just appeared on day" Mrs. Singleton told Max once she noticed the look on her face.

"I'll perform a biopsy this morning, and Dr. O'Malley will have to take some blood so he can run some tests, and then we can start to get you some answers, does that sound good?" Max said giving Bex a small smile, the patient faintly nodded her head but that was enough for Max "Mrs. Singleton, there's no need to panic, I'll update you every step of the way"

Max was in the cafeteria with Callie, normally she would be having lunch with her daughter but the poor thing was sick and staying with her Mom.

"Look how cute they are!" Max said showing some pictures of Maeve and Aslan to her friend.

"Aw, I want one" Callie said gushing over the small photo.

Max laughed "Which one?"

"The kid of course, you know me, I never want a pet" Callie said taking a bite out of her apple.

"Well, we have to get you a significant other for that" Max pointed out, Callie was relatively new to Seattle Grace Hospital but they became fast friends, one of her best friends actually.

"Right, what about you? Any guy catching your eye?" Callie said in a teasing tone poking Max with her elbow.

Max rolled her eyes "Hell no, I swear that whole Mark situation messed me up forever"

"What do you mean? I mean besides him leaving you all alone with Maeve and never talking to again" Callie joked, Max was used to her unfiltered comments so she never took anything Callie said to heart.

"He was an amazing guy, seven years with the guy of my dreams, that makes it hard to hate him. Sometimes I come across a guy that I find attractive but all I can think about is how happy I was with Mark but then there's this other part of me that hates him, like truly despises him, I often wonder how someone like him, or the man I knew at least, could receive a letter like that and not do anything, not having any desire to contact his daughter. So yeah I probably would never look him in the eyes again but I still remember how great we were and I need to get over that but it's hard I guess" Max said answering Callie's questions, she knew that was way more then she asked for but somehow when she started talking about how she felt she couldn't stop.

"I think I get it, I mean I've never been in a serious relationship but I understand you. You're still hung up on this version of Mark that you knew for so long and it gets hard because you don't think anyone can compete but it's been nine years! Max, you have to start doing things that could make you happy, having sex, going on dates!" Callie said trying to get her friend to come out of this funk that she's been in.

"Callie, I don't need a guy to make me feel happy, I guess it wouldn't hurt to feel appreciated from the male species but for now I don't want that in my life. I want Maeve and I want surgery" Max told Callie sternly, and since she knew her so well she knew that she liked to meddle and she was not here for it.

"Okay, Okay" Callie said lifting her hands up in mock serenader, she knew Max was catching on to her.

"Well, I have to go check up on the labs for my patient, I'll talk to you later?" Max said getting up from her chair and walking away once she saw Callie nod her head.

Max met George at the nurses station hoping for some news.

"I got the labs for Bex Singleton" He said setting her chart on the counter.

"Anything?" Max asked looking at him open the folder.

"Yeah, her hormone levels- estrogen, progesterone- are sky high" He said telling the doctor what he found.

"Huh, well that's- you did a history on her right?" Max said taking the folder to look for herself "Any mention of birth control pills?"

"No, but her parents were right there" The intern said, looking at Max close the folder.

"Talk to her again" Max said giving George back the folder.

"But she hasn't hit puberty yet, isn't it weird she'd be having sex?" George said as if Max was out of her mind.

"These days, Dr. O'Malley, it's not that unusual, and it's not our place to judge, just go find out and then come back to me when you have the asker" She said hoping that he would just do what she said.

George and Max were back in Bex's room giving the girl another ultrasound "See that, Dr. O'Malley?"

"It looks like the tumor is compressing an ovary" He answered as he looked closer to the monitor.

"Yeah, that's why I biopsied both ovaries" Max said putting the wand back and wiping the gel from Bex's stomach.

"Is that bad?" Bex questioned in worry.

"It's really just a precaution, Bex" Max told the worrying girl "Want to apply pressure Dr. O'Malley?"

George hummed a response then took over for Max, the Doctor then took the syringe that was in Bex's stomach and dumped to contents out in a cup "I'm gonna take this up to path, you mind doing the dressings?"

"Sure" George said simply as Max took of her gloves.

"Alright then Bex, we'll get the results then we will be back to tell you and your parents okay?" The doctor said before she walked out the door.

"Dr. Mallard!" She heard as she was walking down the hallway, away from Bex's room, she turned and saw Graham Dumont.

"Dr. Dumont, to what do I owe this pleasure" She said playfully.

"Oh bugger off, I was talking to Callie and we both think you need a night of fun!" Graham said raiding his voice at the word 'fun'

"Come on Graham, you know that I really don't want that" Max said complaining to her friend.

"Quiet down, yes you do, you just don't know it yet! I've already called that lovely Mom of yours and she agreed to keep Maeve over night! So Callie and I will pick you up at 8:00" He said walking away before she could even say anything.

"It's not funny Hammy!" She shouted as she heard him laugh down the hallway. Great now she had to shave her legs.

Max has paged George once she got the results back from the fluid in Bex's stomach, "You paged me?" George said walking into the room.

"Yeah, have a look at this, it's Bex's biopsy" Max said moving out of the way so he could get a look at it.

"Biopsied ovary?" He wondered.

"Not exactly" She replied, writing down the results in Bex's folder "Arrange a meeting with her parents, George. I've got questions" She began to walk out but she thought of something "Oh and find out who the on call psychiatrist is, and see if they are available to join us"

"Does she have cancer?" He asked, he was worried that he would have to tell her that she was dying.

"No. It's not an ovary, it's a testis" She said simply.

"A testis? Are you sure?" He was shocked, had had seen the girl and she didn't look like she would when a testis.

"Yes, Dr. O'Malley, I'm sure"

"Bex is a hermaphrodite?" He said like he just figured it out.

"Yes" She said before walking out of the room completely.

George, Max, the Psychiatrist and The Singletons were all in the meeting room to discuss there findings. Max paged Addison to join for a fresh pair of eyes and ears.

"You're telling me that our daughter- my daughter- you're telling me that my daughter might actually be a boy?" Mr. Singleton said as we walked around the room trying to process the information.

"That- How is that possible? I-I don't understand. I don't understand how that-" Mrs. Singleton also chimes him after her husband.

"Shouldn't this have been detected somehow?" Mr. Singleton asked, still confused.

"Externally, Bex has female genitalia, she looks like a girl. But internally, she has both female and male sex organs" Max said trying to be as gentle as possible but still trying to explaining what was going on with there daughter in a way they would understand.

"So what now?" Mrs. Singleton spit out, "What are we supposed to do? I-I don't understand-"

"Okay, the best news is that the lymph node tumor is benign. So physically, Bex is going to be just fine but emotionally, psychologically, I strongly recommend therapy" Max said telling her patients parents that this was not going to be an easy thing.

"She's already in therapy" Mr. Singleton stated.

"I'm talking about therapy for all of her. This is going to be hard on her but for you guys as well, it's uncharted territory and you guys need to better understand that" She said softly, she knew this wasn't going to be and easy conversation but she knew they had to be ready.

"A big adjustment, what kind of adjustment?" Mr. Singleton said at the same time his wife "Oh, my god"

"Many intersexed people begin to identify very strongly with one sex, and it's not necessarily the sex they've been raised" Dr. Sen, the psychiatrist said.

"She's a girl. She looks like a girl. She has always been a girl" Mrs. Singleton told the four doctors harshly, maybe trying to convince herself.

"This at least helps explains why she feels so different" George said trying to help the parents so from the patients point of view.

"The point is, biologically and emotionally speaking, she has a choice to make" Addison spoke up for the first time, she didn't want to discuss something that she wasn't apart of but she knew she had to advocate for this patient.

"A choice?" Mrs. Singleton asked, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, Mrs. Singleton, a choice. She's a fourteen year old girl, she's already beginning to feel like a foreign object and if the right choice gets to make your child happier and emotionally healthier then I would make the right choice" Max said to the parents as gentle as possible, she didn't want them to think that she was bullying them into a decision she just wanted them to know that their daughter is the main person to be thinking about.

All four of the doctors walked out, leaving the Singletons to think about there decision. So Max and George walked around for a little bit to waste time before they had to head back to Bex's room.

"Um, excuse me" Mr. Singleton said getting the doctors attention "Um, Mary and I were talking, and, uh, we think bex should stay-"

"She cant handle something like this, you saw the scars-" Mrs. Singleton said interrupting her husband.

"Wait, you're not going to tell her?" George asked and when he saw the parents shake their head he got mad "But this could help her. You can't not tell her who she is"

"Dr. O'Malley" Max called out, he was crossing the line "We'll go ahead and proceed with the scheduled surgery to remove the tumor, and then you can talk to your daughter at your own time"

"Actually, we were thinking..."

"We thought, since you're already going neon there, uh... we know 'fixed' isn't the right word, but-"

"We were thinking that with hormonal confusion, it might be easier on her to remove whatever boy parts she has" Mrs. Singleton said for both her and her husband.

"Keep her more of a girl." Mr. Singleton explained more.

"Just to be clear, you're asking me to perform sexual reassignment surgery on your daughter?" Max asked, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, but it wasn't her job to convince the parents of anything.

"Yes" they both said in unison.

"Without her knowing?" George asked with little judgment in his voice.

"All she's said all her life is that she wants to be normal, she doesn't feel normal?" Mr. Singleton asked Max.

"Why can't we just want to put an end to her agony?" Mrs. Singleton questioned, she didn't want to seem like the bad guy here.

"Well, first of all, removing her male sexual organs may not do that. In fact, it may do the opposite" Max explained to the parents.

"But her hormones-"

"Can be controlled with an oral medication" George said.

"We just want the best for Bex" Mr. Singleton said gently.

"To do surgery and alter her body permanently is- Well, I just would never do that on someone who's unaware of the procedure, and you're gonna be hard pressed to find a surgeon who will" Max said then walked away from the parents and George.

Max was really wishing that Miranda was at the hospital right now, because right now she really needed to vent. But of course she had to go to the next best thing, Derek Shepherd.

"Shep, I need to vent" Max called out for her friend who was only a few steps ahead of her.

"Where's Miranda?" He turned around and asked.

"She's on an airplane! And since she's not here you are her replacement" Max stopped walking and gave a little sigh.

"Well thanks, I think." Derek said and pulling Max into the janitors closet.

"Okay, hit me" Derek said wiggling his fingers toward him.

"I've got this fourteen year old girl who has both an ovary and a testis, and I of course told her parents and they aren't going to tell her" She said groaning, she really hated being put in this situation where she couldn't say anything to the parents.

"Well that's their call to make. She is their daughter not yours" He replied back, he knew he may have sounded mean but he knew her and if he wasn't harsh with her then it would just fly over her head.

"I know! It sucks but ever since I had a little girl of my own it's been hard to separate, I see a little girl like Bex and I want to fight for her, I want what's best for this girl and I can't help but think of my daughter, because I know if Maeve was in this situation I would choice whatever I think would make her the happiest, even when I don't like it" She said leaning her back onto the wall behind her.

"I feel like We've had this conversation before, and I'm going to keep telling you the same thing, you do not know this girls life, or her parents. You don't know what it's like for them so you can't think that your right about this because maybe you're not. I'm not saying stop advocating for this girl, I'm saying stop making the parents feel like crap" He said back, knowing that it wouldn't take long for Max to understand.

"You're right, I still wish Miranda was here though" Max half joked.

"Me too" Derek said as he pulled his best friend into a hug.

"Okay I've gotta go check on Bex, I'll see you later"

Max walked into Bex's room with Mr. and Mrs. Singleton following.

"Hey, Bex. How you doing?" Mrs. Singleton asked as soon as she stepped foot into the room.

"Mom, Dad, this is really freaking me out" Bex told her parents.

"Oh, no, everything's gonna be fine, Bex" Mrs. Singleton said in a soft tone.

"It's okay, sweetie" Her Dad added on.

"I'm having surgery to remove a tumor that's compressing my ovary? Right, George?" Bex asked looking for confirmation.

Everyone looked at George expecting him to agree but when he didn't Max called out for him "Dr. O'Malley" she shook her head no, to silently tell him not to say anything.

"George?" Bex called out when he didn't answer.

"What, am I just supposed to lie to her?" He asked looking right at Max.

"Okay, that's quite enough. Dr. O'Malley, please leave the room" Max said sighing as she pointed to the door.

"No, wait. Tell me what's wrong with me, what is wrong with me?" Bex cried out, she was getting worried and George did not help the situation.

"Bex... we learned that your tumor, it's not compressing an ovary" Bex's Dad, Mr. Singleton, began to tell her.

"Then what is it?" Bex asked her parents, she began to get very confused.

"It's on a testes" Mrs. Singleton said finally.

"Like a testicle?" She asked, but once she looked at her mothers face she knew the answer, "I have testicles?"

"Yes, one. Bex, this is a tremendous amount of information for you-" Max began to say but Bed was still processing.

"And I've had it my whole life" She stopped for a second to completely process this information, "Oh, my god. Does this mean... Does this mean I could be a boy?"

Max looked at the Singletons and then at George, neither of them were happy that George forced there hands.

"Yes" Bex finally said after a few moments.

"Okay, Mr and Mrs Singleton please, let's talk in the hall" Max said hovering her hand on there backs "George" She called out so he knows to follow them.

"You engineered that conversation. You forced our hand" Mrs. Singleton said once the door was closed.

"Well, you were lying to her" The intern said simply.

"We were protecting her"

"She's a fourteen year old girl"

"Maybe. Maybe not" George replied back.

"This isn't your life. This isn't your child. Fourteen years we have raised a daughter, and in one afternoon you expect us to- what? What is Bex supposed to do? How is she supposed to go home and tell the other kids- what? You had no right" Mrs. Singleton said beginning to yell, Max stepped in between the two when she began to step closer to George.

Max gave George a look to back away "No, I know. I'm off the case, right?"

The Doctor looked back at the parents "I am so sorry, I promise that I will deal with him, for now you guys should be with your daughter, making sure she feels loved and letting her now that she's still your little baby. I really am sorry" Max backed away from the parents to go find George.

She finally found the intern in the stair well sitting on the floor "Dr. O'Malley"

George looked up from the ground and looked at her face quickly standing up to face the blow he was going to get.

"As a Doctor who is supposed to follow the rules and never step across that line, I am pissed but as a human I am sill kind of pissed but not as much as I am proud. I mean, you did bend there arm a little bit and maybe you could have went about it a better way but I agree with you in a way" Max told the Intern, of course she knew that it was ethically wrong but sometimes when you know it'll help the patient more then hurt them, then you have to do what you think is best, "Just try to never do that again, I understand now but I might not be here to back you up the next time"

Max left the stairwell when she saw him give her a smile smile, she looked at the clock and noticed that she was thirty minutes late to meet Graham and Callie at Joes, so she decided to text Graham and tell him she would just meet him over there. She could definitely use a drink after the day she's had.

//

EEEEE
YALL DONT EVEN KNOW

Not edited

Shake it out - Florence + the machine