RISE UP
5x7

"Rowan, come on. Just consider it?" Mark pleaded in a quiet voice—surprising Rowan, as his voice was usually booming.

"I didn't know you could talk so quiet," Rowan looked to the side, raising her eyebrows.

"You know what, if it's a girl you want.. Yang," Mark suggested.

She loves Mark. She really does, but she knew he wouldn't give up like the rest of them would eventually. Which leads to, how the hell did he find out before she told him? She gave him a look, as if to say 'fuck off' but he doesn't budge.

"Aren't you supposed to be figuring out how to bang Dr. Yang right now?" Mark follows Rowan down the hall. "And who the hell told you?"

"Uh.. Derek?" Mark smiled awkwardly.

"Oh my god," Rowan muttered. "Okay," Rowan stopped, Mark stopping with her, "It doesn't matter anymore. I'm going to be deported and that's the end of it. I will not marry you, not Dr. Yang, not Dr. Grey, no one."

Mark scoffed, "Come on, blondie. You really think any of us—Derek, Meredith and I—are going to let you go? I mean— hell, I'll call Addison to come marry you if I have to."

Rowan pursed her lips with an amused look, "Now that, is someone I'd marry."

Mark's pager goes off, "I gotta go. Don't choose anyone without my approval."

"Not likely!"

"What's not likely?" Meredith walked with Rowan, grabbing her by the arm. "Did you find the future Mr. or Mrs. Potter yet?"

"Just to be clear," Rowan chuckled. "It would be the other way around. I'd be taking their last name."

"Whatever."

"Who have you told, by the way. I wanted to tell Mark, but your boyfriend beat me to it," Rowan said with fake sadness.

"I haven't told anyone," Meredith told the taller woman. "Derek didn't mean to tell him, it just slipped. He thought you told him, and so did I until then."

Rowan gave a nod, "Where are we going exactly?"

"To see dead people," Meredith beamed. "You don't have any mothers in labor do you?"

"Nope," Rowan sighed. "Also did you say dead people?"

"Yep," Cristina nodded at the three look into the room filled with cadavers. "I see dead people."

"Wow, you guys weren't kidding. These are dead people," Rowan pinched her lips together, nodding.

"Get out," Alex sped to the three doctors.

"I need off my Hunt case," Cristina shook her head. "So in a one-time-only offer, I'm gonna trade you my beaten-to-a-pulp traumapalooza patient for no less than, uh, three of your cadavers. Pony up."

"Deal," Alex broke. "Take three. What's Rowan doing here anyway? She's a friggin' attending."

"Thanks," Cristina smiled.

"Just here to hang out," Rowan patted Alex's shoulder.

"So Rowan, who are you voting for?" Cristina raised her brows as she sat in a spiny chair.

"She's not going to tell you that," Meredith squinted shaking her head. "It's me right?"

"I'm not telling," Rowan crossed her arms over her chest, sitting in a chair against the wall.

"I need to be with people," Izzie entered with a tray of food. "Preferably live people—but whatever. Alex, by the way, thank you for bringing me the corpses. It was very sweet."

Lexie sighed opening the door, "Dr. Hunt and Dr. Sloan are operating. Do you think I could try—"

"No," Alex, Meredith and Cristina say together.

Lexie turns to leave the room, but stays in place.

"Hey, so check this out," Meredith picked up her fork then switched to her knife. "my dead mommy taught me a cool way to hold these instruments. If you palm it, you can switch off faster."

"That made me think of a dirty joke I'm not going to share," Rowan leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes.

"When your dead mommy teaches you things, can you see her?" Izzie asks.

"No. I'm reading her journals," Meredith frowned.

"Duh," Izzie shook her head. "I was kidding.. obviously."

"I did see her once, though, and that bomb squad guy.. and Denny," She tilted her head to the side as she chewed her salad.

"Today?" Izzie stared.

"No. I was dead at the time."

"I still feel my mom with me sometimes," Lexie added innocently.

"I gotta get off this case," Izzie left the room with the cadavers.

"Could I—"

"No," The three residents say again.

"Just let her have one," Rowan lifted her head and opened her eyes.

"No."

💍

"How's the search?" Derek opened his chart for the patient he'd been with all day. He was afraid she wouldn't wake up so the least she could do was let him go on with his banter.

"There is no search!" Rowan whisper shouts. "So it's not going anywhere."

"Mark said you chose Addison," Derek pointed his pen.

"Okay, this is not funny. Because I'm not choosing anyone, you get that, right? There is no one. I don't think I'd like to marry anyone in this hospital," Rowan put a hand on her hip. "I'm gonna be deported and that's the end of it."

Lexie passes in a hurry, most likely running from Cristina.

"What about Lexie?" Derek looked down at his chart, yawning.

"Are you joking?" Rowan looked away from Lexie.

"No, I'm not," Derek pushes the pen into his lab coat pocket, shutting the chart and leaning against the nurses station, arms crossed.

"Dr. Grey is an intern," Rowan pressed her lips together with a smile, "If your going to find me a significant other, make it real," Rowan backs up, "I have to go get Dr. Grey and talk to her about something not related to this."

If only she'd known Derek had already put a word in about her situation.

"Hey!" Derek jerked his head up, "Meredith and I were attending and intern when we started this."

"Yeah," Rowan tilted her head and gave a smile, "How'd that work out?"

💍

"Okay, so the placement of the chest tube depends on what needs to be drained from the chest, which you learned at med school," Rowan looked at the intern for approval.

"Y— yeah," Lexie confirmed.

Rowan took Lexie's hand, "And your gonna want to place it here if you need to drain air," Rowan moves Lexie's hand. "here if you want to drain fluid, and here when it's a hemothorax when both blood and air is present. I'm sure you know the difference in the tube sizes."

"Got it," Lexie nodded. "How'd you find out I needed help, anyway?"

"You have Dr. Yang as your resident— it's not hard to figure out she's more worried about herself, rather than her interns," Rowan placed her hand on Lexie's shoulder, moving to get up and back to her part of the hospital.

"Dr. Potter?" Lexie looked at Rowan. "I— I heard about your situation— you being deported."

Rowan froze, "Dr. Grey had no right—"

"Actually, it was Dr. Shepherd," Lexie corrected.

Rowan let out a angry sigh, "Hm. I assume that wasn't the only thing you heard?"

Lexie shook her head nervously, "And I— I know how important you are to my sister—"

"Forget it, Dr. Grey," Rowan shut her down.

"But I'm offering," Lexie smiled, a small laugh falling from her lips.

"Dr. Grey," Rowan chuckled and looked at the ceiling of the room.

"Please, I want to help," Lexie pleaded.

"Dr. Grey.. I can't let you do that," Rowan looked back at Lexie, the intern now standing. "I really appreciate the offer, I do. But not only would it be awkward, you're awful at lying. And your an intern!"

"Meredith and Derek were too!"

"Yes, I'm aware," Rowan's eyelashes flutter. "And I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to decline your offer."

and here comes the
awful waiting for rowan
to agree haha