"hey, shepherd."

"hey madelyn."

"i'm sorry about the brain dead guy. sucks."

"yeah, it does. it's more common then you think, though."

"i wish there was a way to cure brain death, like how you can defibrillate a heart, just shock the brain back into working, you know?"

"unfortunately, it's impossible."

"i know, i know. i'm not stupid, just, sad."

"it's okay."

"i'll see you around, derek."

"see ya around, mads."

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"absent corneal reflexes." madelyn pointed out.

"it's been fifty-five minutes. if he doesn't respond to tests in the next five hours, what?we're supposed to just stand here and watch him die?" argued izzie.

"if he doesn't respond to these tests, it's because he's already dead." madelyn explained.

"technically. legally." izzie muttered.

"actually, izzie. actually dead." madelyn snapped.

"he's breathing. he has a heartbeat."

"look at his eeg. there's no higher brain function. he'll never talk, move, or think again. there's no one in there. think like a doctor, izzie."

"he could wake up. what about a miracle. there are medical miracles you know."

"i know." shepherd appeared out of nowhere.

"you're right. miracles happen. people do wake up. that's why we do a series of tests over a set number of hours. so when we call 'time of death', we know that we've done everything to make sure it's actually time of death, that there isn't going to be any miracles."

izzie looked down, avoiding eye contact and handed derek the chart.

"this is the hard part. to stand around as surgeon and not cut. that's what 'do no harm' means." he said before leaving the room.

"i wish he'd just go into the light already so i can get another case."

izzie shot madelyn a mean look.

"oh, i'm the devil because i'd rather be in surgery instead of standing watch over the death squad?" madelyn argues.

"it's depressing." she scoffs.

"look at his sneakers. they're brand new. and somebody sewed the tear in his shirt. and he has one of those electronic key cards. he belongs to someone. an hour ago, he was out there, alive. to simply stand here and wait for him to die?"

"it would be a waste of life."

"exactly."

"a waste of organs." madelyn said, before both her and izzie ran out of the room.

"i know you see me resecting this bowel. do i strike you as someone who enjoys multitasking?" bailey remarked.

"we have a john doe. in three hours, we have to declare him brain dead. we want to harvest his organs." madelyn explained.

"why are you wasting time on this? you know how many patients we have downstairs." bailey questioned.

"if he does, and he could still live, you know, his death should mean something." izzie added.

"and you want a harvest surgery." bailey concluded.

"i- i want to save lives." madelyn stammered.

bailey gave her a knowing look.

"okay, i wanna harvest surgery."

"getting organs from a john doe is a long shot. without i.d., you can't contact the family without the family, you can't get consent to harvest the organs. let the poor man die in peace."

"what if we can find the family?" izzie asked.

"and get consent?" bailey added.

"we could harvest the organs?" madelyn said almost too excitedly.

"if you find the family." bailey made very clear.

the pair ran out of the o.r. and went to go find the family.

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"madelyn!" george whisper shouted.

"do you, does meredith think i'm gay?" he asked.

"are you?"

"no!"

"really?" she said, before joining izzie, who was talking to the nurse.

"we found this on our john doe. it's a hotel key card. i've called the police, they're going to send someone over maybe they can figure out what hotel he was staying at, get us i.d. from there." izzie explained.

"i'll make sure the police get it." the nurse insured.

"okay. it's really important. we only have a few hours before we have to declare him and i'd really like to find his family."

"you want their permission for organ donation?"

"i just, really want to find them." izzie said, before walking off.

"you have a potential donor?" george called. madelyn turned around.

"what's his blood type?"

"uh, o-neg." madelyn answered. she turned around and walked out of the room.

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"he's stable!" meredith called out to madelyn, who was meeting her at the stairs with izzie.

"for now. i had a radiologist look at his chest. he has a traumatic aortic injury. it's gonna rupture and bleed out." madelyn explained to the pair.

"so he needs surgery." said izzie.

"if he's gonna remain a viable organ donor."

"if he's gonna live." izzie corrected.

"izzie,"

"i'm not giving up on him. he has the surgery, he lives longer. that's the point. i'm going to help find the family. you guys find a way to get him into surgery." izzie instructed, before running up the stairs.

"she's vice president of fantasyland." madelyn said to meredith.

"so who do we go to for surgery? bailey?"

"we need to go higher than bailey."

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"dr. burke." meredith said, opening the door to the men's washroom.

"hello!"

"okay." meredith said, retreating.

madelyn opened the door again.

"dr. burke, um, i know you're busy, but our john doe needs an aortic repair."

"the guy from this morning? isn't he legally dead?"

"well, yeah, he's kinda still around. we gave him two units p.r.v.c.s and put him on pressors."

"on whose orders?"

madelyn left the room. meredith walked in.

"mine." she admitted.

"you get a brain dead john doe a blood transfusion without consulting anyone. and now you want me to repair his heart?"

"well, yes."

"you do enjoy crossing the line, don't you?"

"he is an excellent candidate for organ donation."

"i am a surgeon. i save lives. this guy is already dead. now, this is the men's room. either whip one out or close the door."

the pair quickly left.

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"you're asking my advice?" derek asked.

"yes." meredith confirmed.

"now, who's chasing?"

"not funny. this is important."

"okay. you want to get around to burke? you gotta find a way to get the chief involved."

the trio left derek and went to find george.

"what did i do?" he asked, with his sandwich in hand.

"how close is a match for the liver is your guy to our john doe?" meredith asked.

"very. same type. same size. u.n.o.s couldn't find a better match. why?"

"he's a chiefs v.i.p., right?" izzie continued.

"right." george said, skeptically.

"how much would you kill to be in on a transplant surgery?" madelyn bribed.

"you underestimate me. i'm not a baby. i'm your colleague. you don't have to manipulate me. if you want something, all you have to do is ask."

"we want you to go over burke's head, to the chief." said izzie.

"ask me something easier."

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