Maddie, strategically with Gabe's help, had devised some sort of pn in the form of a tour around the city, with many different types of versation topics. Surely, the pn would have been much more extensive, something pletely exaggerated, if I hadn’t interrupted it. Fortunately for me, Gabe found it amusing to embarrass the teenager.

  As the days passed in Boston, and as the two girls had phey separated the days into dates with me. I had never visited so many pces: museums, art galleries, stadiums, parks, theaters, and above all, malls I possibly knew every mall in Boston now, walking through them without buying anything grew enormously in London.

  Meredith and Teddy, as well as Gabe and the twins, found strong friendships with each other. So much so that after the first sleepover, Meredith was basically anuest in our suite.

  Besides spending time with my family or with the girls, Dr. Grey, as she had promised, had invited me, along with Dr. Thomas, to witness one of her surgeries. In her words, 'one of the iing ones.'

  "I hope we get good seats. If it’s really a surgery with the Grey procedure, the gallery is going to be pletely full," Dr. Thomas said calmly as we walked through the hospital corridors.

  "Dr. Thomas, PJ, just in time," Dr. Grey, dressed in her surgical uniform and followed by a bunuch younger doctors, obviously residents, said with some excitement.

  "Dr. Thomas, like Dr. Donnall Thomas, Nobel Prize winner?" one of the doctors behind Dr. Grey asked excitedly, making the always kind Dr. Thomas smile slightly and nod. "Sir, it's an honor to meet you," the resident said, still excited, shaking Dr. Thomas’s hand.

  Oer ahe small army of residents behind Dr. Grey quickly approached Dr. Thomas, slowly but effectively pushing me behind the wall of people, eae waiting their turn to shake the doctor’s hand and ask at least one question.

  "Ok, that's enough," Dr. Grey ordered, g with a frown. "We have work to do, and Dr. Thomas’s time is too precious to be wasted this way. Doctor," she said, nodding to the man. "PJ, what are you doing back there? e on."

  Moving through a bunch of puzzled doctors, I followed Dr. Thomas and Dr. Grey. I could hear questioed to my identity, including the theory that I might be Dr. Grey's son.

  "I’ve been pnning the operation for days. With Meredith out of the house, I had the opportunity to stay in the hospital to practice my teique much more," Dr. Grey said to Dr. Thomas with obvious excitement.

  "I see your procedure is still as famous as ever," Dr. Thomas decred amused, looking at all the people around us.

  "You know how surgery residents are, or at least how they should be, eager for iing surgeries," Dr. Grey said, smiling at me. "I remember at Dr. Thomas’s celebratory party, you khe basics of the procedure, PJ. How’s your current knowledge on the subject?" the woman asked me.

  "The Grey procedure is for selective hepatic rese. d ultrasound are used to precisely map the tumor and its retionship to hepatic vascur structures," I responded immediately.

  "What kind of preoperative preparation is done on a patient?"

  "Pharmacological agents to improve coagution and redutraoperative bleeding."

  "Do you know the anatomidmarks for the iion of the trocars?" Dr. Grey asked again, smiling slightly along with Dr. Thomas.

  "Umbilical, subxiphoid, right midcvicur line, right anterior axilry line, and right midline," I responded from memory, recalling all the articles I had read and the videos I had seen on the subject.

  "Perfectly correct," Dr. Grey decred, strangely proud.

  "Where we go up to the gallery?" Dr. Thomas asked, smiling.

  "Over there. I asked one of my residents to keep the best seats for you. It’s also he megaphone in case you have any questions," Dr. Grey said, pointing to a door and smiling kindly, an expression I quickly learned she only had when talking about medie.

  From the gallery, along with other doctors, many of them standing due to ck of seats, we watched as the surgery began, from the presentation and expnation of the case by one of the o the first small inade by Dr. Grey.

  Dr. Grey answered and asked dozens of questions to and from the residents, often pausing slightly to make sure I fully uood the procedures, encio ask questions that she redirected to her residents.

  After the pletely successful surgery, Dr. Thomas and sequently I were io chat with the hospital’s surgeons, some of whom I already knew from my first visit to Boston.

  "I heard you’re studying with Gregory House. Thanks to him, many hospitals in the try are trying to have a diagnostic department. Even we have ohe chief of surgery said to me with i.

  "Oh yeah, I’ve learned a lot from him in these few months," I said, smiling slightly.

  "You better be," the man said amused. "I heard from Dr. Parker, the head of our diagnostic department, that a few weeks ago he tried to send a case to Dr. House’s office, and it was rejected. Apparently, they were already w on another case," the man tinued, huffing, "Only work on one case at a time"

  "The cases Dr. House usually chooses are of great plexity," I expined, slightly embarrassed. "A few weeks ago, they were w on a case with a female patient presenting allergy symptoms on her hands' skin, then she had a severe allergic attack to the antihistamine. After that, due to the applied epinephrine, she had a heart attack."

  "Previous heart ditions?" one of the doctors present in the room asked, ied.

  "No, the patient is young with good eating habits. There was nothing in her history indig a previous heart dition," I responded, making several doctors lean in their chairs, thoughtful.

  "Iion?" one of the doctors asked. "Maybe cellulitis," he added.

  "No, there was no fever, and the CBC results didn’t detey iion," I responded immediately, recalling the case and the theories the doctors on House’s team had made.

  After that, the surgeons, as if it were some kind of test, began to theorize. Without the charts with them, I was the only one who could firm or deny any theory.

  After several minutes, having heard everything from pletely seheories to purely theoretical diseases, I finally gave the ao the problem.

  "I never would have thought of a copper IUD, but it makes perfect sense. After receiving that donation, the allergy worsened," the chief of surgery said, impressed.

  "How did they think of that? That type of IUD was distinued after eey," one of the doctors said, surprised.

  "Dr. House’s team always hahese types of cases; they’re used to it," I responded, notig how Dr. Thomas gave me a signifit look.

  So the days passed in Boston. The st days we spent iy with my family and Meredith. We went shopping at one of the many malls iy, buying clothes for everyone, including Meredith, and souvenirs for the people bae.

  After saying goodbye to everyone, before we k, we were already on the pne bae.

  In Medford, after two weeks of not being on the move, the cars were incredibly dusty.

  "Mary got a job at her church. Isn’t that fabulous? It’s even sistent with her and her faith; she’s so excited," Mom said after we returned home and she went to the neighbors to get any mail left at our house.

  "Good for her," Bob responded as we unloaded the suitcases from his car.

  "Yeah, it’s just that she’s worried because she won’t have ao look after Miss services, and Sheldon, who will arrive a couple of hours before anyone else in her house," Mom said, slightly disappointed.

  "Why doesn’t Teddy take care of it? I mean, she basically takes care of Gabe when he doesn’t music lessons a couple of hours before Dad gets home," I said, carrying an incredibly heavy suitcase, surely full of Teddy’s new clothes.

  "I thought about it too, but the job is so they have a little extra money," Mom replied, shaking her head slightly.

  "Well, they're going to be fine," I said, somewhat fident. "It's Sheldon and Missy, they’re smart," I assured, somewhat to myself again as I carried the suitcases into the house.

  "Only a key? You went to Boston, and you only brought us a key? e on," the day at school, Brock asked incredulously, looking at a small key in his hand.

  "Don't be a baby, be grateful I even thought of you enough t you a key," I said jokingly while tapping the bay friend's head. In fact, I had some mifts irunk of my car.

  "This is so cool, someday I'll go to Boston," Geie said, apparently delighted with his own key, staring at it while nodding.

  "It's a great pce," I assured him, lightly pung his shoulder. "Hey Kat! I got a key for you, from Boston." Kat, who assing by in the hallway, didn't stop when I called her. Walking several steps ahead of her friend, Mandel, she kept going, pletely ign my voice, obviously upset. "Mandel?" I called to the irl, who was obviously rushing to catch up with her friend, receiving a hurried and apologetic silent response.

  "Uh, you're in trouble," David decred amusedly, pointing his fi my chest.

  "Shut up," I responded, pushing his hand away, ign his ughter along with Brock's.

  "There arty a few days after New Year's," David said after mog me enough. "She was there, and she was mad, really mad, so whatever you did, it retty bad," he assured, exaggerating.

  "My mom heard that, um..." Brock was expining, nervously stopping mid-sentence when he saw An, who as always, was quietly apanying us.

  "Her mom abahem," An expined with a sigh, making Brood slightly, obviously embarrassed.

  I had some knowledge of family abando statistics. It was quite unusual, to begin with, for a mother to leave her family knowingly. It was obvious that everything depended on each family and their situations, but knowing the Stratford situation... unfortunately, it made a lot more sense for An's family.

  "Are you going to talk to her?" David asked, losing all his good humor and suddenly being serious.

  "No, I don't think it's a good idea to pressure her to talk about it. It would be much better for her to decide for herself. After all, that's what friends are for," I replied simply, gng at An.

  The first day of csses after the holidays funed merely as a review of the topics seen before the break, and before I k, the csses were over.

  "Aren't you busy today?" Brock, who, along with my other friends, was followio the school parking lot, asked.

  "Oh yeah, after this I'm going to the hospital," I expined as we walked toward my car.

  "Then why- oh yes," Brock was saying, immediately ging his expression upon seeing a bunch of bags irunk of my car.

  From every stadium and mall I had visited, I had bought at least one gift for eay friends: Boston team shirts, caps, balls, basically any kind of gift.

  "This is so cool," Geie said, trying on his cap, supported by the others who were also cheg out their gifts.

  "Thanks," An quietly said with his own gifts in hand.

  Outside the hospital, rhythmically tapping the steering wheel of my car, I gathered enough ce to get out aer the building.

  "Ah, PJ, you're bae. I missed seeing you in the ic. House has been more... you know, House, since you left," Fryday said as she walked toward the building when I got out of my car.

  "Impossible, more 'House' than he already is, and it would be the start of the apocalypse, and at least I haven't heard the trumpets," I joked, making the religious woman ugh.

  "Ah, I really missed you. It's really good to have you back," she said, squeezing my arm as she walked down one of the hospital corridors, opposite the one I used to go to the diagnostics lounge.

  Ihe room, only House was there, pying with some kind of yo-yo. "Oh, look who's back, ta ta rara!" House exaggeratedly said, pretending to have some kind of trumpet in his hands. "The prince himself. How is the Athens of America this time of year, yhness?"

  "Cold," I replied, ign House's annoying act.

  "Of course, I remember the snowy nights; it's not something I particurly miss now," House said sarcastically, raising his e. "Are you expeg someone?"

  As I talked to House, I stantly g the door of the lounge.

  "Ah, Chase," House said slowly, nodding. "Still carrying guilt for saving a patient's life," House tinued sarcastically.

  "No, I don't feel guilty," I immediately crified. "But I don't want to be seen as someohout empathy..." I added, falling silent, staring at the man.

  "Uh, you hurt me," House decred exaggeratedly, clutg his chest.

  "As if you care," I scoffed.

  "Yeah, you're right," House agreed nontly, pig up his yo-yo again.

  "Obviously," I said, hanging my backpack where I always left it. "I'm going to the b," I added.

  "Wait," House said before I could try to leave. "Two weeks, let me see it," he added, stretg out his hand.

  "Don't phrase it like that," I said, going back to where I had left my backpad taking out the almost pletely filled notebook that House had giveo study people.

  Ign me, House opehe notebook to the st entry I had made. "Tipton," he said in surprise after reading for a few seds. "Even saying it sounds like money," he added exaggeratedly, raising his eyebrows. "Sounds a lot like your cheerleader," he added arrogantly.

  "Yes, but at the same time pletely different," I replied calmly.

  "Yeah, I know, it's all here," House said sarcastically, lifting my notebook. "Surprisingly well-detailed. I even see how stupid she is," he added ironically.

  "She's not stupid," I decred immediately defending my friend.

  "Oh e on, 'incredibly i' is just an easy way of saying she's incredibly stupid," House decred in mild frustration, rolling his eyes. "Now, talk to me about this case, male, approximately forties, possible cardiadition."

  And so the questioning of my notes began. We were both pletely used to the task by now. Expining my reasoning served as a great memory exercise, and House took full advantage of it. Questions about everything: eye color, smell, the type of socks they wore, different questions to which I occasionally, now very rarely, didn't have an answer.

  "It's almost time for you to need a new notebook. I'm sure if you asked Cuddy, she'd make it herself," House said sarcastically, handing the notebook bae. "Now I have a rick to practice, go away," he added, adjusting the yo-yo in his hand.

  Trying to ighe man's rude behavior, I left the offid headed to the skills b. After two weeks without any practice, I wao have some kind of interaining session with any skills I could practice with what was avaible in the hospital.

  As the day passed at the hospital, and once I had arranged all the test tools in the b, I left for Case's grounds.

  "Look who finally decided to show up," Tim said jokingly, already warming up and smiling.

  "I missed you too," I said sarcastically, throwing my giant friend a bag with the same type of gift I had given my other friends. "I stole it from Boston."

  "Obviously," Tim replied, ughing and cheg out the stuff in his bag.

  "What's going on here?" Case asked, with his alresent frown, as he came out of his trailer.

  "I have gifts," I said, lifting an in my hand, making the imposing man focus his attention on me. "Here," I added, slightly nervous, handing over his bag.

  Unlike my other friends, I had bought Case a new and elegant chessboard and pieces, as his was quite old.

  "Thanks," Case said, nodding curtly with the board out of the bag in his hand. "Now start warming up; we don't have all day," he ordered, cutting off the brief moment of kindness as he walked back to his trailer.

  "Thanks, PJ," Tim said, patting my shoulder with the force his size implied.

  As Case had promised at Christmas, my training had ged its focus, at least for three days a week, where I focused entirely on pung and kig teiques.

  "So, you resolved whatever was b you; that's good," Case said seriously as we started a new game on the new board.

  "I accepted the decision I made," I replied, trating on the game.

  And so the days passed, and with them the week. With no new case at the hospital, I used each day to improve any necessary teiques for my medical career, as well as with Case. I had never felt my training so focused.

  Midway through the following week, during lunch at school, I decided to return a book I had borrowed from the library.

  "PJ, as always, it's a pleasure to see you," Miss Huts said, smiling widely.

  "Likewise, Miss Huts," I replied, as always, feeling slightly strange about the way she looked at me.

  "I told you, you call me Sheryl," she said again, smiling with her eyes extremely wide.

  Without responding, I forced a smile and walked into the library, pnning to greet Tam and Sheldon, who were having lun the room.

  "Your ck of testosterone makes you adorable to women," I heard Tam say as I approached the table he and Sheldon were sharing.

  "I 't argue with that," Sheldon agreed seriously.

  "Hey Sheldon, Tam," I said, surprised by the versation, as I dragged one of the chairs over to their table.

  "PJ Dun, my friend," Tam said excitedly, once again using my full name.

  "Ah, PJ," Sheldon said, stretg his head as if he had a sudden idea. "Of the three of us, you have the most experieh people of the opposite gender."

  "Thanks?" I responded, nodding to my small friend.

  "It wasn't a pliment," Sheldon said, puzzled by my response. "I was w if you had any advie. I'm going to talk to her," he tinued, pointing to a solitary girl at aable. "I'd like to invite her to have lunch with us and possibly share a versation about geostatistics."

  "Geostatistics?" I said incredulously, looking at the girl who was reading a book, possibly oopic. "I see," I responded seriously to Sheldon. "Alright, I'll tell you the secret to talking to girls," I said, l my void leaning in toward Sheldon, making Tam practically climb onto the table to listen.

  "I'm ready," Sheldon said seriously.

  "First, you approach her with a smile," I said, cheg the surroundings before speaking, again making Tam slightly nervous as he received what seemed to him like privileged information. "You introduce yourself and ask if she'd like to join us," I quickly added, adjusting myself in the chair.

  "Got it," Sheldon said, nodding as he left his things oable and stood up.

  Tam, who had obviously expected some kind of secret, moved his food in disappoi before fog his attention on Sheldon and the girl.

  After a few seds of talking to the girl, Sheldon turo Tam and me, surprised. "She knows who I am. It's going well," he decred, smiling, causing Tam to raise both thumbs proudly.

  The girl, obviously notig what Sheldon did, looked at Tam strangely, then resumed her versation with Sheldon before sing the table again, this time notig my presence, which seemed to surprise her.

  A moment ter, Sheldon, followed by the girl, came over to the table I was sharing with Tam.

  "Hey, o meet you, PJ Dun," I said, standing up to greet the girl.

  "I know who you are," she said, studyiill surprised and seemingly incredulous about my presence, ign my hairely.

  "Okay," I said, puzzled, slowly l my hand.

  "I'm Tam," Tam said, smiling flirtatiously.

  "Hey," the girl responded, nodding to my Asian friend. "I'm Libby," she introduced herself.

  "And as I previously stated, I am Sheldon Cooper," Sheldon said professionally.

  "Are you really friends with them?" Libby asked me, still maintaining her incredulity and pointing at Sheldon and Tam, who was still smiling at her.

  "Oh definitely, PJ Dun is my best friend," Tam responded quickly and proudly pletely thirsty for the girl's attention.

  Oh, Tam.

  "Yeah," I responded slowly.

  ---

  Author Thoughts:

  As always, I'm not Ameri, not a doctor, and not a fighter.

  I finally fihe Boston arc, as I said it was pletely summarized. There were certain things I absolutely had to develop with Boston, such as Meredith and Teddy's friendship, as well as Ellis Grey's invitation to a surgery.

  We're getting closer to the end of the first volume. I initially thought eae would st around 100 chapters, but I'm seeing that the first volume might only st between 80 to 90 chapters.

  With that said,

  I think that's all. As always, if you find any errors, please let me know, and I'll correct them immediately.

  Thank you for reading! :D

  PS: PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW.