Mallie winced as she saw Amelia stood outside of her room after the CT scan had been done. Her handcuffs had not been put back on because the officer had left. All charges had been dropped against them, apparently.
"Hi, mi vida," Mallie said.
Amelia stepped into the room and closed the door, pulling her mask down from her face. She kept her back to Mallie for a few seconds and Mallie could tell she was holding back tears judging by her shaking shoulders.
Amelia took a deep breath and turned around, looking at Mallie.
"You have a minor concussion and I'm going to stitch up your cut for you. Jackson said he'll come down and debride your burn when I'm done," Amelia said.
"Okay," Mallie agreed.
Amelia walked over and pulled on a pair of gloves. She turned Mallie's head to the side and winced.
"Amelia?" Mallie said. "You haven't said anything, yet," she said.
"I just need a minute to get my thoughts in one place so I don't stab someone," Amelia said.
"Ah. I will shut up," Mallie nodded.
Amelia pulled up a stool and sat down, grabbing a suture kit. She opened it up and cleaned the cut carefully.
"Okay, this is gonna sting a little bit," Amelia said, producing the needle with the numbing solution.
"Okay," Mallie said.
Amelia injected it and then moved to look at Mallie while they waited for it to work. She pulled Mallie's mask down, then her own, and leaned forward.
"Kiss me," Amelia mumbled.
Mallie leaned up and kissed Amelia, pulling her so she was sat on the side of the bed. Amelia's hands came up to cup Mallie's cheeks. She pulled back from Mallie and rested her forehead against hers, eyes closed as she tried to calm her breathing.
"You can cry," Mallie whispered, rubbing her hands up and down Amelia's thighs.
"I can't," Amelia shook her head.
"You can. Just because he didn't point a gun at you doesn't mean that you aren't affected by this. You're dating an Afro-Hispanic American. Your sons are Afro-Hispanic Americans. You know what this world is like and you know what'll happen to them," Mallie said.
"That is exactly why I cannot cry. If I cry, I won't stop and the world doesn't need my tears. The world needs us to stop this from happening to anyone else and crying won't get that done," Amelia said, opening her eyes to look at Mallie.
Mallie sighed and cupped Amelia's cheeks.
"Cry. We can't change the world until I'm out of here and that's gonna be a little while. We can take a minute to cry," Mallie said.
"I just..." Amelia whispered. She pulled back enough to wipe her tears before they fell. "I got the call from Bailey and I panicked because she said it was one of your guys and you didn't answer your texts. And then Warren called me and told me that Vic and Andy were coming with him to watch the kids for as long as I needed. And I just knew then that it was about you, because why would all three of them insist on me taking my time when I left? Why else would all three of them have looked that terrified?" Amelia sighed.
Mallie nodded slowly.
"I get it. It's scary," she said.
"That wasn't the scary part. You've been hurt worse than this before in a fire and I don't think I felt as scared then as I did today," Amelia said.
"What was scarier about today?" Mallie frowned.
"The fact that you could've been taken away from me because of something that you cannot change or stop. You could've died because you have a different skin colour and that terrifies me more than a fucking fire does. What if you're walking down the street and you get shot? What happens to our sons if they get pulled over and they're stuck with officers like the ones today?" Amelia said.
Mallie nodded in understanding. Fire was different. Fire was something Mallie was trained to fight and she was never alone or without protection when she did it. But today, she had been without protection and she'd almost been shot for something she couldn't change. She might die on the job, but Amelia couldn't handle the thought of Mallie leaving them any other way than that because the unknown was terrifying.
"I know," Mallie said. She leaned forward and kissed Amelia again. "And it's not okay, what happened. The fact that we were in a jail cell for saving teenage girls from being trafficked is not okay. And it's gonna take a lot to change it. But I'm gonna try. I don't want our boys growing up like this," Mallie said.
"You're not going to try. We are all going to try and we are going to do it. We'll find a way. I swear, we'll find a way. I am not losing you or our boys. I won't survive," Amelia whispered.
Mallie pulled Amelia down to lie on top of her chest and kissed her forehead. Amelia buried her face in Mallie's shirt, tears immediately seeping through the material and soaking Mallie's skin.
"I've got you, mi vida. I'm here," Mallie whispered.
"How are you feeling?" Bailey greeted Mallie as Mallie got changed into the clothes Ben had dropped off for her release.
"I'm exhausted. Jackson gave me pain meds for the burn and they're the exhaustion ones," Mallie said, tugging her hair up into a messy pony. She kicked her feet into the sliders he'd packed and looked at Bailey. "Is Amelia okay?" she asked.
"She's just checking on Grey with Pierce," Bailey said.
"How is Mer?" Mallie asked. "I feel like I haven't had an update in ages," she said.
"We, uh, had to put her on a ventilator about twenty minutes ago. She appears to be back in the coma," Bailey said. Mallie winced.
"Well, shit," she said.
"Yeah," Bailey said.
"Do you think she can make it out of this, Bailey? She's already got signs of long-Covid. She's on a vent and in a coma. Again. She was hallucinating talking to our dead friend from when we were residents. That's not... That's not normal," Mallie said.
"Nothing about this is normal. We have no idea what we're dealing with. It's terrifying," Bailey said honestly. "And I don't know if she can make it out of this. But I do know that she has survived so much and she won't stop fighting until she gets better," she said.
"You're right," Mallie sighed.
"I've signed you off work for a week until Amelia gives her approval that the concussion is definitely gone," Bailey said.
"A week with my babies," Mallie smiled at the thought of spending a week with her sons, Amelia and her nieces and nephew.
"Take it easy, okay? I don't want you back in here any time soon," Bailey said.
"I will," Mallie said.
She shoved her dirty clothes in her bag and swung it over her shoulder. She made sure her mask was still on properly and followed Bailey out of the room. Amelia was waiting at the end of the hallway with Maggie stood a few feet away.
"How are your injuries?" Maggie asked.
"They'll be okay," Mallie nodded.
"And you? How are you feeling?" Maggie asked.
"I'll get there," Mallie said.
"If you need to talk..." Maggie trailed off. Mallie nodded again.
"Thank you, Maggie. So much," Mallie said honestly.
"You ready to get home for some rest?" Amelia said.
"Yeah," Mallie said. She walked over to Amelia and Amelia took her hand, squeezing it as she intertwined their fingers.
"Text when you get home," Maggie said.
"I will. Thank you, guys," Amelia said.
"Yeah, thank you," Mallie said.
They nodded and watched Amelia lead Mallie down the hallway. They reached the elevator and pressed the button, Amelia pulling her phone out and sending a quick message before putting it away again.
Maggie's phone beeped and she pulled it out, opening Amelia's message. Her jaw dropped behind the helmet she was wearing and Bailey raised her eyebrows.
"What?" Bailey asked.
"Amelia wants me to help her pick out an engagement ring. She said she realised after today that she needs to make sure Mallie is gonna be hers forever," Maggie said quietly.
Amelia and Mallie stepped onto the elevator and waved at them. Maggie shot back a thumbs up and Amelia grinned behind her mask.
"What's got you smiling?" Mallie hummed, looking at Amelia curiously.
"I'm just glad that I'm taking you home to our family," Amelia looked up at her. "I never want to go home without you," she said.
"You don't have to. I'm going to be careful, mi vida. I promise," Mallie said.
"I know," Amelia said, resting her head on Mallie's shoulder.
"Okay, and you can text me if you need anything," Amelia told Mallie the next morning.
"Amelia," Mallie sighed, cupping her cheeks and pulling her into a kiss. "I feel fine. I can get up by myself if I get hungry or want a drink. I don't need to stay in bed all day," Mallie said.
"But you're going to because I don't want to have to be Dr. Shepherd and order you into bed. You've got a week off work, at least. Relax. Please," Amelia said.
Mallie nodded reluctantly.
"Fine. I'll have a nap and then I'll shout you for lunch. But I want to spend time with the kids, now I'm home. Even if that means we all get in here for a movie after they finish their online school," Mallie said.
"Deal. Now, sleep. Rest," Amelia said, kissing her three times. "I'll be downstairs. Text me," she said.
"I love you," Mallie said, rolling onto her stomach as Amelia walked away from the bed.
"I love you more," Amelia grinned, closing the bedroom door quietly behind her.
Mallie woke up that afternoon to her phone buzzing off the charts. She groaned and forced her eyes to focus on the blurry writing. Missed calls from Maya, Vic, Dean, Jack, Sullivan, Ben, Andy and Travis.
She clicked on Maya quickly, putting the phone to her ear. The phone rang three times before Maya picked up.
"Maya, what the hell is going on? Is everyone okay?" Mallie asked.
"No, uh," Maya mumbled. Mallie heard shuffling and then some whispering. There was more shuffling and then Maya returned to the phone. "I'm at Grey Sloan," she said.
"Why?" Mallie said sharply, already sitting up in bed.
"Look, did you ever get told about Carina's brother getting diagnosed with bipolar after-"
"After that whole human trafficking scare, yeah. Wait, why are we talking about Andrew? Was he right about that woman?" Mallie said.
"He was. She was here at the hospital this morning so he and Carina followed him. She stabbed Andrew on the train platform and he's in surgery now. We were calling to see if..." Maya trailed off.
"What is it?" Mallie asked.
"Saffie worked to take down human trafficking rings, right? She said she found one in Seattle and that was why she was now based here. We were wondering if that ring was the same one as this?" Maya said.
Mallie chewed on her bottom lip.
"All of Saffie's things are in a storage locker. Sullivan moved them for me after she died because I couldn't function enough to do it myself. That's all of her case files, too. I can look?" Mallie said.
"Thank you. If it's the same, we need everything we can to put them away. We think she was connected to the attack at the house yesterday," Maya said.
"I'll drop them at the Station if I find anything. I'm not allowed outside of the house today, but I could probably persuade Amelia to let me out tomorrow," Mallie said, lying back down in the bed.
"That's okay. How are you feeling?" Maya asked.
"I'm sore but the pain meds are good. I'm in time for my next dose, which is great. And I'm at home with my family and I'm safe, so the bad feelings don't feel too terrifying right now. How are the guys?" Mallie asked.
"They're... They're not as good? Dean's really pissed off and Sullivan isn't... Well, he's not really helping make him feel better, but we're gonna sort it out. It'll be alright," Maya said.
"It will be. Text me when you have an update about Andrew and tell Carina that we're here for her," Mallie said.
"I will," Maya said.
She was silent for a few seconds.
"You know I love you, right?" Maya said.
"I know you love me," Mallie smiled slightly.
"Good. I just... With everything happening, I don't want you to not know that I love you. You're my best friend and I'm so grateful for you," Maya said.
"I love you, too, Maya. I'm so grateful to have you. Now, go back to your girlfriend and text me when you know anything. I'll get to work filling Amelia in," Mallie said.
"I will. Bye," Maya said.
"Bye," Mallie ended the call.
She waited for a few seconds and then the door opened. Mallie smiled when she saw Amelia stood there with her medication and a bottle of water, with a sandwich on a plate in her other hand.
"Maya okay?" Amelia asked, sitting on the bed.
"Andrew DeLuca got stabbed. He's in surgery right now. Remember when he broke down over that sex trafficking case?" Mallie said, taking the medication and getting the right dosage.
"Yeah," Amelia said.
"They think it's related to the case yesterday. They saw the same woman at the hospital. So, they followed her and she stabbed Andrew. Maya was wondering if Saffie had any links between this case and the ring she was working on taking down," Mallie said.
"Her stuff is in that storage locker. We can go in the morning and grab it," Amelia said.
"Thank you," Mallie said. She swallowed her tablets down with a swig of water. "They're gonna text me with updates, but it's just a waiting game, now," she said.
"God," Amelia muttered, running her hand through her hair. "DeLuca's like... a kid. That's not right," Amelia said.
"I know. How are our kids?" Mallie asked.
"Zola is supervising lunch with Bailey and Ellis while the twins are napping. And after lunch, we have some online lessons for Zola and Bailey but Ellis is helping me with some sensory play with the babies. So, all in all, we are great," Amelia said.
"You're going insane, aren't you?" Mallie said.
Amelia groaned and rested her head against Mallie's shoulder.
"I was not meant to be a stay at home mom. I don't know how people do it. They're always there," Amelia whispered.
Mallie laughed and kissed her forehead.
"I know, mi vida. C'mon, let me eat and then I will come downstairs and supervise sensory play from a comfortable spot on the couch," Mallie said.
"Fine. I'm going to check the twins and then get everything ready," Amelia said.
She kissed Mallie and pulled back, kissing her cheek.
"I love you," Amelia mumbled.
"I love you, more," Mallie smiled, kissing her again.
Amelia stood up and walked out of the bedroom, grinning to herself as she headed downstairs.
"Do we talk to Zola about what's going on?" Mallie asked that night, looking up from her phone as she waited for an update from Maya.
"I think we should be honest with her, but in an age-appropriate way. We said we'd do that," Amelia said.
"Before she was placed on a vent," Mallie said.
"It's her mom. She should still know. Right?" Amelia looked at Mallie instead of the nighttime bottles she was making for the twins.
"She should know, but we have to consider what to tell her so she doesn't freak out. I mean, she won't handle her parent being in hospital well, after Derek. Nobody can expect her to and I don't want to send her off the deep end or something," Mallie said.
"We'll talk to her in a minute. We'll sit her down and tell her that Mer is still sick, but Bailey and Maggie are doing their best to make sure she gets better and, until then, we're going to keep going because Mer would want us to do that," Amelia nodded.
"That sounds good," Mallie said.
Her phone rang and she looked down at it.
"Maya," she said, putting the phone to her ear. "Hey, how is he?" she said.
There were a few beats of silence before Maya exhaled shakily.
"He was fine. He came out of surgery and he was fine. And then he took a turn and they took him back into the OR," Maya whispered.
"Is he still in there?" Mallie asked, eyebrows raised.
"Mal," Maya mumbled. "He didn't make it back out," she said.
"Oh, fuck," Mallie mumbled. "Fuck," she said.
"What?" Amelia looked up. Mallie held up one finger as Maya started talking again.
"I'm with Carina now. I'm taking her home and I'm taking leave to take care of her. Dean heard that the FBI are involved on the case because the car she used had Idaho plates, or something. He told them about Saffie, so they said they were gonna call you tomorrow and ask for all of Saffie's work," Maya said.
"I'm going to get it in the morning," Mallie said.
"Good," Maya said.
"God," Mallie sighed, rubbing her face. "Tell Carina if she ever needs someone to cry to, I'm here. I get losing brothers and I know Amelia does, too. It won't be the first time we've helped her," Mallie said.
"Thank you. I should get back to her," Maya said.
"Of course. I'll text you tomorrow when I've got Saffie's things," Mallie said.
"Thank you. Bye."
Mallie put her phone down and looked at Amelia.
"Andrew was taken back into surgery following a complication. He died. She didn't say much else about that. She's taking time off to care for Carina. The FBI are gonna call me tomorrow for Saffie's work because the case has spread over other states," Mallie said.
"Holy shit," Amelia sighed, rubbing her face.
"I know," Mallie groaned. "Should we feed the twins, then talk to Zola?" she said.
"Probably best," Amelia nodded.
She grabbed the finished bottles and they headed upstairs, grabbing a twin each and settling on the bed. Amelia handed Mallie one of the bottles and she held it to Scout's mouth.
"C'mon, hijo, bedtime bottle," Mallie said.
Scout latched onto the bottle and Mallie looked to see Myles drinking from his, finger wrapped around Amelia's thumb tightly. Amelia was smiling down sweetly at him, patting his thigh as his eyes stared up into hers. He smiled around the teat of the bottle and Amelia giggled.
"You're so beautiful, Myles Pruitt," Amelia whispered.
Mallie watched her before a smile spread across her lips. Amelia looked up at her and grinned.
"I want to marry you," Mallie said, biting on her bottom lip as she waited for Amelia to respond.