xxxi. m&m candy and seminar
3.05

Richard Webber, the chief of surgery stood up on the stage as he got ready to start with the m&m — also known as morbidity and mortality seminar. Atlas was comfortably resting his feet on Dereks lap as the sat amongst the audience. They weren't two far ahead from the group of interns everyone loved so much.

"Okay people. Let's begin. Patient #34986 died last month from complications following a heart transplant. Dr. Burke will present." Dr. Webber moved away from the microphone. The screen behind

"You guys isn't patient #34986..."

"Denny..."

"$8 million. 8 million could get us on a plane to somewhere far, far away." Christina sunk deep into her chair.

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Burke now stands up in front of the audience. He clears his throat before he starts, "Cause of death was an embolus that dislodged from the suture line and caused a CVA with brain stem herniation." People raise their hands with questions.

A handful of people raise their hands, Burke points to female first, "So the company line is he died from a CVA?" The attending asked.

"There is no company line. That's how he died." Burke told her before pointing at someone else.

"Let's get back to this patients need for emergent transplant. You're saying the patient's left ventricle had been weakened by the LVAD malfunction?" An older attending with grey hair folded his hands together as he talked with Burke.

Atlas kept his feet up on Dereks lap as he shifted in his seat, the air in the room becoming thick.

"His left ventricle was weakened by the fact that he had congestive heart failure." Burke bluntly told him.

"Please Dr. Burke. We all know the LVAD was cut by an intern." A doctor by the name of Savoy interrupted.

"The events remain unclear." Burke dismissed.

Doctor Savoy didn't look very impressed, "It's unclear to you 'cause you were in the ER with a gunshot wound. Why aren't we hearing from Dr. Bailey? She was the senior physician on the case."

"I'm the attending on record." Argued Burke.

"Yes, I was the resident in charge." Bailey stands and turns her body to look at the talking — very annoying — Doctor.

Doctor. Bailey moved up to the stage. "Dr. Burke has summarized the medical facts of this case. Are there any questions for me?" Bailey asked into the microphone.

Almost everyone seemed to raise their hands.

╚═ ☆ ═╝

"You recently had a baby, Dr. Bailey?" The same very annoying Doctor asked the resident.

"I don't see what that has to do with..." Bailey shook her head once she was interrupted.

"Sleep deprivation coupled with wild swings in hormone levels are factors that could cloud anyone's judgement." Dr. Savoy announced as he stood up.

"I sleep just fine, Dr. Savoy." Atlas wanted to cheer his best friend on, tell her to bite, but instead of causing a scene he reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag of m&m's.

"Really? Cause if a patient died due to my poor decision making, I'd lose a little sleep over it." Dr. Savoy lowered his voice at the end — everyone could still hear him.

"Let me remind everyone that our purpose here is not to place blame. This is a forum to discuss mistakes in patient care and learn from them." Richard had stood up so he could defend Bailey, not liking the way one of his own doctors was speaking to the resident.

"Well so far I haven't heard Dr. Bailey admit to a mistake." The standing doctor pointed out smugly.

Atlas wanted to hit the look off his face. "Make it stop." Atlas groaned to Derek who chuckled quietly and placed his hands on Atlas's ankles.

"So for a period of several hours, your interns were running amuck in teh hosptal unsupervised."

"I'm waiting for a question." Bailey sassed back and Atlas have her a thumbs up — that she saw and smiled at.

"The question is where were you?" Dr. Savoy inquired.

"There was the shooting, and the ER was chaotic." Bailey calmly stated.

"The ER is always chaotic. Did you page them during this time?" Atlas knew Derek was scared of Bailey on a good day, and terrified on a bad. And today, was a bad day. The Doctor Atlas was really trying to keep his distance from seemed yo enjoy targeting Bailey.

"Yes, I paged them several times." Bailey told him calmly once again.

"So apparently, they thought it was okay to ignore your pages. Doctor why do you think your interns have so much contempt for your authority?"

Alex Karev jumped up, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" He yelled.

"Dr. Karev, sit down." Bailey looked to her intern.

"Next question." Bailey's eyes saddened at the face of Izzie Stevens who stood in the doorway of the auditorium.

╚═ ☆ ═╝

"Derek says that neither of you brought your assets into the marriage." A lawyer walked towards his seat at the end of the table. Both Derek and Addison were getting divorced — not just one leaving and assuming the relationship was over, this was the real deal.

"Well I had my trust fund. And a sparkling personality. And the futon couch." Addison pointed a finger at her soon to be ex-husband.

"Yes, Addison had a very ugly, very heavy futon couch." Derek leaned back in his chair.

"What happened to that couch?" Addison asked Derek.

"We gave it to Mark. She can have him." Derek told the lawyer — him being referred to as Mark Sloan who seemed to be around every corner.

"I don't want him." Addison lowered her voice.

"Ok so that's settled. What else?" Derek asked the lawyer.

"Aside from Addison's trust fund which will remain in her name, we'll spilt everything, stocks, bonds, 401K's down the middle. The only thing that gets complicated is the real estate." The lawyer told the two adults.

"Well let me make this simple. I'd like to keep my trailor and the land is Seattle. Addison can keep the rest." Derek nodded his head.

"Hold on..." Addison trailed off.

"That's the house in the Hamptons and the Brownstone overlooking central park. That's very generous of you." The lawyer looked to Derek, nodding his head as a way to thank him.

"Hold on. He's up to something. I came here to fight over CD's and books. Go to war over a crystal vase. What are you up to Derek." Addison a finger, signalling for the two males to shit up.

"The divorce is my fault, let me take responsibility." Derek told Addison, not knowing that his wife — ex wife.

"We both had affairs."

"You had a one night stand with Mark." Derek grimaced as the words left his lips.

"Actually, it was..." The red head scratched the back of her neck.

"Ok it was two nights. You made a mistake. Atlas and I, we had a relationship. Make these changes. I'll sign them today." Derek leaned back into his chair once more as the adults handed the lawyer some paperwork.

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Atlas was sitting alone in the bar when Derek walked in. The neurosurgeon quickly spotted Atlas and made his way towards him.

"Hey." Derek took a seat across from Atlas, who was sipping on an orange juice — the drink being one of his favourites.

Atlas placed his bright drink down on the table, "hey!"

"Me and Addison signed the papers." Derek watched as Atlas's eyes brightened and his body seemed to relax.

"No joke?"

"No joke."

"Joe! Let's get Derek a beer!" Joe came waking over with a beer in hand, he sent the two a smile before moving back to the counter.

Atlas raised his orange juice as Derek followed the movement. The two placed their glasses together and the glass clinked together.

"To being single!" Atlas cheered.