"Hey beautiful" Neil put up his most cheerful face with a lot of difficulty. Jo on the other end was controlling herself not to break down seeing Neil so frail and fragile. He was strongest of them all and was always at their side whenever they needed any support. Now, he was facing death and she could not be there for him.

"Aud, where are you? I am not able to see you"

Neil looked over at her, adjusted his position and patted the space next to him. She hesitated, but then he pulled her and made her sit on the bed. Sitting so close to him after a long time made her a little self-conscious.

"You had to be a hero, didn't you?" It was Kevin.

Neil shook his head and started to laugh. "I didn't do anything heroic" he added

"Humility does not suit you, Neil. Drop it. Aud told us all about it." Neil turned towards her and raised his eyebrow.

"Oh, come on! It was a wonderful save. Marta would have been paralyzed if not for you. And you too know that very well." Audrey praised him. Coming from her, it was high, and Neil felt warm in his heart.

"I had help from very intelligent and quick-thinking residents. Shaun was the one who alerted me that she should not be moved, and Claire made innovative use of beer pump for blood transfusion"

Hearing Claire's name and seeing the proud look on Neil's face, Audrey felt jealous. She just gave a nonchalant look and turned her face away.

"I've heard about Shaun, he's the autistic one, right? Aud keeps talking about him. But who's Claire?"

"Claire is Neil's favorite resident. She's kinda his second in command for all his surgeries" Audrey told with an exaggerated double quote on favorite.

"Yeah, just like Shaun is to you." Neil gave back "I don't understand how you are allowed to play favorite but not me?"

"I don't favor Shaun, I just cut him some slack as he lacks in social niceties and needs to work on it. But he does pick up small changes in patients and is able to diagnose accurately. It's not the same with Claire."

"Also, the favorite resident comment is coming from your team of residents and nurses, not me."

Jo shook her head in amusement noticing that nothing had changed between Neil and Audrey. They still were bickering like kids not wanting to accept the truth beneath all this that they were still in love with each other.

Kevin caught her eye and gave her a silent indication to start the topic they originally intended to discuss

Jo cleared her throat and started, "So Neil, I went through your case details thoroughly with Audrey and Kevin and all of us are of the opinion that you must go ahead with an additional surgery to contain the bacterial leak"

"I am not agreeing to a Whipple. It leads to too many complications. I don't want to live a life which is unfulfilling."

"Just hear us out Neil. We are not suggesting a Whipple. We know that touching the pancreas is not the solution for you. And it is unnecessary too."

This piqued Audrey's attention and she wrinkled her forehead as this was not what they had discussed, and this information came as a surprise to her.

"I am way past point of treatment Jo. You ought to accept it. Lactate has doubled in 2 hours."

"Its holding steady since then" Audrey interrupted.

"That does not matter; values are still high. Mesenteric bypass has failed. Going back again is pointless."

"At least listen to us Neil." Jo pleaded.

"Matt's mentor, Dr. Richard Webber is an expert in abdominal surgery. We ran the details through him, and he agrees with us that there is high chance of survival if a surgery is performed within the next 6hours. Fortunately for us, he is visiting San Jose for a conference and is willing to spare some time for the surgery."

So, this explains it. Audrey thought to herself and smiled at Jo.

"What more is he going to do than what is already done by Aud and Claire? There is significant bacterial leakage which cannot be contained"

"The current leakage can be managed by antibiotics and we are thinking of resecting your small bowel further by way of donor transplant."

Neil started shaking his head vehemently.

"No, no, don't trash the idea immediately Neil. Listen to us fully. It is just one of the options. You know CT can be very inconclusive in case of abdominal injuries. He can give a clear procedure only after opening up. Donor transplant will be the last option."

"Not good enough. I will have to be on the waiting list for months before a viable organ is available. Even if I get a donation, there is high chance of rejection."

"Why do you have to be so pessimistic? Let us take one step at a time. First, let Jo arrange for a consult with Dr Webber. As of now she has just talked to him over phone. He has not seen your reports yet. Let him go though all the details and then he will tell us the next course of action" Kevin stated.

Neil was silent for some time. All this talking was making him weak. He tried to adjust himself and reached out for some water. Audrey sensed what he wanted and got up to help him. Seeing this exchange, Jo and Kevin shared a look. Suddenly, there was a continuous beep from the monitors.

"What happened?" Jo shouted from the other end.

"His BP is dropping and O2 SATS are also low." Audrey replied all the time connecting him to oxygen. She felt him to rest and came out to continue her call.

"Jo, you go ahead and request Dr. Webber for an immediate consult. I will sign on the privileges for working here and leave it on front desk." "And, thank you"

"Really? Thank you? When did we become so formal, Aud?" Jo sounded offended.

"After both you and Kevin left, Neil was the only one left and you guys know how much I consider you family. Now, the thought of losing him and added to that his stubbornness is just too much." Audrey choked up.

"Its not only that, Aud. Something else is bothering you. Come on, tell us." Kevin prodded

Audrey started to refuse but then said, "He told Claire that he loves her"

Jo and Kevin stared at her in disbelief, but then Kevin said "Why should that bother you? You had already broken up with him to keep your Chief post, right"

"I had presumed it to be a temporary setback. I was going to make amends once I could work out on how to balance both. I never stopped…" she trailed the final words as she could not complete the sentence without breaking down.

Jo looked at her sympathetically and told "Don't worry, everything will be alright. I have utmost belief in Dr. Webber. He has performed amazing life saving surgeries. Matt keeps telling me all his incredible stories. We'll hope for the best"

Audrey nodded and disconnected the call after saying her goodbyes.