Season 2, Episode 7:  Something to Talk About
Overall Episode Number:  16
Created by:  Shonda Rhimes

/ / /

Communication. It's the first thing we really learn in life. Funny thing is once we grow up, learn our words and really start talking; the harder it becomes to know what to say or how to ask for what we really need.

- Mackenzie Shepherd-Sloan

/ / /

Mackenzie was sat in a therapy session where Addison and Derek were receiving marriage counseling. Mackenzie sat uncomfortably in her chair.

The therapist looked at Adderek. "What do you, ah, need to make this marriage work?"

"I need her to move to Seattle." Derek stated immediately.

Addison shook her head. "That's just ah..."

The therapist interrupted. "Addison, what do you need?"

Addison sat up straight. "I need him to stop talking to Meredith."

Mackenzie was not happy with the idea of Derek and Meredith not talking to each other. "He works with her," she said softly.

Addison sighed as she looked at Derek. "You want me to pick up my entire practice and move here? Fine! I want you to give up your girlfriend."

Derek looked at her. "I did give up my girlfriend. Okay, you wanted me to take you back, I took you back here in Seattle."

Addison scoffed. "See once again it's all about what he wants."

"Okay she's not listening to me. I'm not gonna move Mackenzie and I back to Manhattan. I'm not the same person you're used to," Derek retorted.

Addison interrupted. "I know you're a flannel wearing, wood chopping fisherman. I get it!"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Oh that's just great. I'm not gonna talk to her anymore if she's gonna behave like this."

A timer dings.

Addison threw her hands up. "Fine!"

The therapist sighed. "Sorry guys. Times up. Good progress."

They both look at him disbelievingly. Mackenzie looked relieved that she didn't have to sit through another argument.

Mackenzie hid her pain as she stood up from her chair. She was probably in pain from sleeping wrong last night.

Whatever it was, she didn't want to bother Derek and Addison with it. They were working on their marriage. Mackenzie's pains were probably nothing.

/ / /

George, Cristina and Izzie waiting at a nurse's station for Bailey for rounds.

"Well we have to do something. Meredith's become like an exhibit," George commented. Cristina groaned. "Like the..." He stopped when he saw Izzie, "hey. Like a zoo animal, like that rare panda that everyone stares at."

Izzie looked down. "Please don't say that to her face. I think that panda died alone."

Cristina chuckled.

George sighed. "This just could just as easily be you, if people knew about you and... Burke." He mouthed 'Burke' to Cristina silently.

Cristina glared, "You take that back."

"No. I'm just saying we should do something to cheer her up," George said.

Izzie looked at him. "Don't worry about it."

Cristina nodded. "It's under control."

George raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what do you guys have going on?"

"Nothing." They answered.

"What?" George asked.

Bailey and Meredith come up together to the nurse's station.

Bailey looked around to see she was one intern short. "Where's Karev?"

"Probably off somewhere, not kissing somebody." Izzie said coldly.

Bailey shook it off. "Let's go, O'Malley."

They start walking off. Cristina, Izzie and Meredith follow a few feet behind them. Meredith has a funny look on her face.

Cristina clears her throat. "Ah hmm. Hey so um after rounds we have something to show you."

Izzie looked at Meredith closely. "Mer? Meredith, can you hear us?"

"She's not deaf," Cristina retorted.

Izzie shrugged. "Well, she looks weird."

Cristina looked at Izzie. "Well what did you expect? Derek didn't pick her, she's gone mental."

"Meredith have you gone mental?" Izzie asked.

Meredith shook her head. "I have not gone mental."

Cristina nodded. "See, okay she's fine," she then got excited. "We have something to show you. So whatever you do, do not get assigned to a surgery this morning."

They walk into an elevator, except for Meredith, who sees Derek, Mackenzie and Addison walk out of the elevator next to theirs. Meredith stares at them. A group of guys point and look at Meredith. Cristina comes out and takes Meredith into the elevator.

Cristina looks to the guys. "Yeah? Mind your own business."

/ / /

Mackenzie groaned gently as she sat down in Richard's office.

Richard looked over at the girl with concern. "Are you okay, Mackenzie?"

"I'm fine, Chief. I just slept wrong last night, is all. I'll be fine," Mackenzie promised. As she positioned herself in the chair, she groaned again.

Richard looked at her again. "Are you sure you're alright? I can page Addison to take a look at any — " Mackenzie cut him off.

"I promise you that I am not going through my first menstrual cycle, Chief. I'm fine. I just slept wrong, is all," Mackenzie assured him.

Richard nodded. "Okay. But if you need anything, tell me."

Mackenzie shot him a smile. "I promise I will."

She was hiding the fact that she had intermittent abdominal pains since she woke up. Something was wrong, but she didn't know what.

/ / /

Mackenzie felt like she was burning up when she sat outside for lunch with the interns.

And it was cold outside.

George frowned at Mackenzie. "Are you sick?"

Mackenzie shook her head. "No, George. I feel fine. I feel just fine. I'm a little hot is all."

"You're sweating, and it's 42°F outside. You sure you're feeling okay?" George questioned softly.

Mackenzie nodded, and she nibbled on her sandwich. When she swallowed, she had this uneasy feeling in her stomach. She tried her best to keep it hidden.

George could see Mackenzie was turning pale, which worried him. He wasn't interested in the conversation that everyone else was having; he was more focused on his little sister.

When everyone else left, George stood up and walked over to Mackenzie, feeling her forehead. "My God, you're burning up, honey. You probably have a fever; you need to get admitted. Do both Dr. Shepherds know that you're running a fever?"

Mackenzie shook her head, visibly shaking. "I didn't want to-to bother them. I thought it was nothing. I thought I was hurting because I slept wrong."

George frowned and opened his arms. "Come on. I'll carry you inside. We'll get you admitted, and find out what's going on. Okay?"

Mackenzie nodded weakly, feeling the energy drain from her body.

George picked her up and carried her inside, taking her to the E.R. He set her down on a gurney in trauma room 2. "It's okay, sweetheart. I'm going to get Dr. Bailey, and have her take a look. Okay?"

Mackenzie nodded weakly, shivering even though she had a fever.

George nodded and looked over at Olivia. "Page me immediately if something happens with her. And don't tell the Shepherds just yet. I don't want them to start arguing about what might be wrong with her."

Olivia nodded. "You got it, George."

/ / /

After George and Burke worked on Mrs. Griswold's heart attack, George got a page from Olivia. His heart dropped into his stomach.

That meant something was wrong with Mackenzie.

George said nothing as he ran down the corridor, mumbling apologies to anyone he bumped into.

His baby sister needed him.

/ / /

When George ran into trauma room 2, he saw that Mackenzie was throwing up blood into a container. She was hooked up to a monitor.

"What the hell happened?" George asked as he began to start an IV for her.

"She had severe abdominal pains, and then she started vomiting nonstop 5 minutes ago," Olivia told him.

George ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it, her appendix ruptured. She was going through appendicitis, and I couldn't see it. Page Bailey and the Shepherds."

As soon as Olivia went to page the three surgeons, Mackenzie stopped moving altogether. George panicked. "Code blue! I need a crash cart!"

George began chest compressions on Mackenzie, trying to get her heart beating again. "Come on, Ellie. You're not dying on me today. Let's intubate, and push one of Epi."

Bailey burst into the room as soon as George started intubating Mackenzie. "What the hell happened?" She asked in worry.

"She was walking around this hospital all day with appendicitis. Her appendix burst, she vomited nonstop for 5 minutes, and now she's not breathing. I'm intubating her to get some air into her lungs." George replied as he worked.

Bailey nodded. "I'll take over intubation, O'Malley. You need to stay on chest compressions."

George nodded and continued to work on compressions. Then he heard that god-awful sound on the monitor. "She's flatlining. BP's dropping."

"Push another epi." Bailey instructed.

Derek and Addison walked into the room to see Bailey and George working on a flatlining Mackenzie.

Derek paled and Addison looked aghast. "What the hell is wrong, O'Malley?!" Derek demanded.

"She had appendicitis, and didn't tell anyone. Her appendix burst, and now she's not breathing." George informed.

"I can't believe you didn't see she was in pain sooner, Derek!" Addison said.

Derek gave her a dangerous look. "So it's my fault that my daughter's fighting for her life for the second time in a little over two months?!"

"You never asked if she was okay," Addison retorted.

"Neither did you!" Derek shouted.

Addison chuckled bitterly. "Look, I know I'm Satan, Derek. But for God's sake, I didn't even know she was in pain or hurting. So don't put the blame on me for this!"

"My daughter is fighting for her life!" Derek screamed.

George finally snapped. "Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, arguing with each other isn't helping Mackenzie right now. I'm in the middle of saving my sister's life! So, you have two choices:  leave the damn room so I can work, or shut the hell up so I can work!"

Derek and Addison both went quiet, shocked at the intern's outburst. They stood off to the back of the room, not making a sound.

Bailey's face contorted into one of panic when Mackenzie didn't show any change. "Hand me the paddles, O'Malley. Let's kickstart her heart."

George handed Bailey the defibrillator paddles. "Here you are, Dr. Bailey."

Bailey nodded. "Charge to 100. Clear!"

The paddles thunked, but Mackenzie was unresponsive. Derek bit down on his lip anxiously. "Come on, baby girl. Come on."

"No change!" George announced.

"Charge to 200. Clear!" Bailey said as she shocked Mackenzie once more.

George shook his head. "Still no change," he revealed.

Bailey looked at Mackenzie. "You don't get to die on me today, understand? I'm not letting you die today," she then prepared to shock the girl again. "Charge to 300. Clear!"

The paddles thunked once more, and for a few seconds, there was no activity on the monitor.

Derek was in hysterics. "Please, God. Please don't take my baby girl. She's just a baby. Please don't take her from me."

George felt his heart fill with sadness, and he started crying —

Beep. Beep. Beep.

George, Derek, Bailey, and Addison all looked up to see that the monitor had picked up a heartbeat.

"Sinus rhythm." Bailey said and used her stethoscope to check a second time. "She has a heartbeat. Her heart is beating."

Derek sank to his knees and let out his choked back sobs. Addison rubbed his back as he cried. George closed his eyes in relief, silent tears falling down his cheeks.

Bailey let a small smile fall onto her lips. "O'Malley... let's get Mackenzie into a patient room, and I'll schedule her appendectomy for this afternoon."

George nodded and he wheeled her out of the room with Bailey.

Derek sat on his knees for a few minutes, not caring about his anger towards Addison at the moment. The neonatal surgeon sat on her knees next to him, bringing him into her arms.

Derek sobbed into Addison's shoulder. "Thank you, God, for not taking her from me. Thank you for not taking my baby away."

Addison let her own silent tears fall. "She's okay, Derek. Mackenzie is okay and she's in the hands of the best doctors here."

Derek only nodded, unable to form any words at the moment. His baby was okay, and she was alive.

/ / /

Addison and Derek were standing on the rooftop of some building in Seattle. They were both anxiously awaiting for any news about Mackenzie, who was currently undergoing an appendectomy.

Bailey had told them to get outside of the hospital for a while so they didn't go stir crazy while they waited for updates.

Derek sighed. "You know when you said you found a lunch spot with a view I knew I should've taken you literally."

"I found it in my best of Seattle guide. It's hardly brown bagging and top of the Empire State building but... they do have these cute little viewfinders." Addison commented.

Derek shook his head. "You always find something to complain about."

Addison sighed. "Okay is there anything that you like about me anymore? Because if there is I really need to know now."

"Well I like that you like cute little viewfinders in every city you live in."

"I don't live here yet," Addison reminded. There's silence for a bit. "Are you gonna stop talking to Meredith?"

Derek nodded. "I will."

"When? Today, tomorrow, next week?" Addison pushed.

Derek shrugged. "Maybe I'm not ready yet."

"Are you ever gonna be ready, Derek?" Addison questioned.

"What if I say no?"

Addison crossed her arms. "Then I'm not moving here."

"Well, I guess we're at an impasse then," Derek said.

Derek left when he got a page. Mackenzie was out of surgery.

/ / /

Mackenzie opened her eyes to see the inside of a hospital room. It had been a few hours since she'd come out of her appendectomy, and she had regained consciousness.

Across the room, in a small plastic chair, sat Miranda Bailey. She looked tired, but she was reading through what was presumably Mackenzie's chart.

"Ouch." Mackenzie hissed as she tried to sit up.

Bailey shot up from her chair. "Mackenzie, lie back down. I'll adjust the bed for you."

Mackenzie laid back in the bed, allowing Bailey to adjust the hospital bed for her. "Thank you. Um... what happened? Last thing I remember, George said he was going to go look for you."

"You were suffering from appendicitis, and your appendix burst instantaneously. You were vomiting blood continuously for 5 minutes, and then your... your heart stopped. O'Malley and I worked hard to get your heart beating again. You've been unconscious for 6 hours," Bailey answered.

Mackenzie nodded. "So I'm guessing you performed an appendectomy?"

Bailey nodded. "I did. And now that you are okay, I am going to vent. Mackenzie Shepherd-Sloan, what the hell is the matter with you? You were in pain, and you didn't tell anybody! Do you know your heart stopped? Your poor father was on his knees, begging for God to bring you back to him. You scared the living hell out of him, myself, O'Malley, and your stepmother! Don't you ever do that again. I may not be your parent or guardian, but I will whoop you on the behind if you ever put me through another scare like that again. If you feel any pain or nausea, then tell someone. What were you thinking? Were you even thinking?!"

Mackenzie looked down at her lap in shame. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't want to burden Papa or Addison with my pain; they're working so hard on their marriage. I thought it was nothing; I thought I was hurting because I slept wrong last night. I didn't want them to worry over it."

Bailey's hard look softened. "Oh, honey, I know you didn't want them to worry. But Derek is your father and Addison is your stepmother. They will always worry about you because they love you. Just promise me that you will never pull a stunt like that again."

"I promise," Mackenzie said with teary eyes. "Papa's gonna be so mad that I didn't tell him. He's going to be so angry with me; George will be, too."

Bailey gently stroked her hair. She was about to say something when Derek strode in. He saw Mackenzie awake, and he instantly sat down at her side. Bailey stood by Mackenzie's other side, a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, sweet girl. How're you feeling? Do you hurt?"

Mackenzie looked over at her father. "I'm tired, sore, and I feel guilty. Really, really guilty."

Derek kissed her hand. "It's okay, sweetheart."

"No, it's not okay. It's not okay at all. I was in pain all day long, and I kept it to myself instead of telling someone. It's my fault I almost died. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry," Mackenzie sobbed.

Derek cupped her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. "Honey... you have nothing to apologize for. I'm sorry that I wasn't very observant or attentive to you, and I should've been. I could've seen that you weren't feeling good. Papa's so sorry, sweetheart."

Mackenzie looked at Derek, their blue eyes looking back at each other. "It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I didn't want you and Addison to worry about something that was probably silly. I know how hard you're both working on your marriage; I didn't want to burden you guys with my problem."

"Mackenzie... you'll never burden me or Addison with anything. You can always come to us for anything at all. I don't ever want you to feel like you can't talk to us about anything and everything. I'm not mad, sweetie. I'm just so happy to see you, and I'm happy to know that you're okay. You're my only baby, Mackenzie. I love you so much," Derek said.

Mackenzie smiled tiredly. "I love you too, Papa."

Derek checked his watch with a frown. "I have another therapy session with Addison later. I can always cancel — "

Bailey cut him off. "I'll stay with her, Dr. Shepherd. I'll make sure that I have my interns check on her periodically throughout the night. She's in good hands."

Derek sighed heavily, but he caved. "Alright. Just page me if you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Papa; I'm in Dr. Bailey's hands. Now go. You don't want to be late to therapy. You know how Addison is about punctuality." Mackenzie told her mother.

Derek chuckled softly, pressed a kiss to her head, and walked out the door. Leave it to Mackenzie to make your day brighter.

/ / /

Addison and Richard were standing in an empty gallery by themselves, watching a surgery.

"He wants me to move here Richard. To pick up everything and move!" Addison vented.

Richard looked at her. "Don't stay for him Addison. Stay for me. Stay for Mackenzie. Stay for yourself."

"Richard, I..."

Richard interrupted, "In Seattle you can be front page news. With your reputation and the money I'm willing to put in promoting you. Seattle Grace will become one of the foremost neonatal hospitals west of Manhattan."

Addison smiles shyly. She looks at Richard who just stares back. "You're serious?"

Richard nodded. "I'm ready to put my money where my mouth is."

/ / /

In the therapist's office, where Derek and Addison are sitting again with their therapist.

Addison sighed. "I've given it a lot of consideration and I've decided to move to Seattle."

"And ah ... well Meredith won't be an issue anymore she's out of my life. It's well, it's taken care of," Derek revealed.

Their therapist looked pleased. "Well, ah, I must say this is, ah, remarkable progress. I applaud both of you. You've, ah, taken a very significant leap."

"That's what marriage is about. Compromise, right?" Addison asked. She holds out her hand to Derek to take. He just looks at it.

Derek nodded. "Yeah it's, uh, ah, well it's about, ah, well give and take."

He puts out his hand to Addison, who's already removed hers, and then takes it back quickly.

/ / /

At the end of the day there are some things you just can't help but talk about. Some things we just don't want to hear. And some things we say because we can't be silent any longer. Some things are more than what you say. They're what you do. Some things you say because there's no other choice. Some things you keep to yourself. And not too often ... but every now and then ... some things simply speak for themselves.

- Mackenzie Shepherd-Sloan

/ / /

3452 words

Next Update:  Let It Be

*I gave Mackenzie the monologues for this episode, and I centered it around her. This episode was fitting for her, and I enjoyed writing it.*

Published:  2/09/2021