It's a massive electrical storm in three days and Owen has gathered us all in the main hall to debrief us. "This storm will bring in a lot of casualties." He starts "We're gonna need to make room for them, so let's discharge all patients that can be. Post-op and long-term patients are gonna be transferred to Seattle Pres further inland. We're gonna be bringing in supplements, water, food, meds, lighting. We're gonna be checking and refuelling the back up generators. As for you surgeons, push, postpone or cancel all elective procedures until after this storm."
I glance around the room as Owen keeps talking, Alex didn't come home last night even though I know he wasn't working a night shift. He isn't anywhere to be seen and I am worried. I then spot Alex going over to Derek, he whispers something and then they both disappear, that's weird. Once Owen finishes speaking I head over to Meredith "What does Alex want with Derek?" I ask, she looks up from her tablet with a puzzled look. "I don't know, he didn't say anything other than 'Shephered I need you' He was quite omminous." She tells me, I frown before looking down at her huge stomach "Not long now right?" I ask and she sighs, also looking down at her stomach "3 weeks until the due date." She says rubbing her stomach "Derek thinks I should be slowing down, but I am fine." I raise my eyebrows "Derek's right, that baby could come any day now." Meredith just shrugs "If I go into labour at work, I'll be fine. We work in a hospital." I chuckle and move to hunt down my husband.
When I finally find them, they are in the ER and I pause when I see the person lying in the bed. "What the hell happened?" I ask in shock, there is no way he didn't do this. He was gone all of last night and suddenly one of our coworkers comes in looking like he is on his way to a coma? "What does it look like?" Alex asks as he and Brookes look at a screen while Derek is checking his neuro function. "Brookes, what do you see?" My friend asks and I move over beside Alex "Like someone super messed him up." She answers casually and I snap "talk like a doctor." Her eyes widen and she tries again "Temporal bone fracture with an epidural haemorrhage." Alex and I turn back to the patient as Derek asks "How soon does the bleed need to be evacuated?" and Brookes responds "Like yesterday."
I cross my arms, Alex refuses to look at me and I wish I could get the full story but for right now I stay silent. "Book an OR. Let's get him up here." Derek orders and the intern leaves the area. Once she is gone he rounds on my husband "Karev, what the hell happened?" He whispers "Who did this?" Alex looks nervous, he spears me a quick glance before saying "Make sure he doesn't die. You can't let him die, okay?" Derek narrows his eyes for a moment before nodding and leaving us alone.
I turn to him then and snap "Explain. Now." We both know that he was the one who did this, and I won't lie and say I wasn't the tiniest bit afraid of him right now and what he is capable of. Alex seems to realise this, a look of shock on his face as he remembers my history with violent men. He quickly starts to explain "I saw him and Jo arguing last night before I left the hospital." The intern that the guy in the hospital bed "He didn't know I was there and he started hitting her. I just got so angry that after I helped her back in the hospital I went out looking for him. When I found him he was already like this, then I stayed here with Jo all night. I wanted to make sure that she was okay." A sense of pride comes over me then and I instantly soften.
"You should have called." I say gently "That's not how you deal with those kinds of men, they'll never learn like that." And it's true, the best thing we could have done was get him locked up but I guess it's too late now. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, the dark circles under his eyes giving away that he hasn't slept. "Now she has nowhere to go, she can't continue living with him." He says and that I completely agree with, I let myself think for a couple of seconds before I voice "Why doesn't she come and live with us? At least for a little while." Alex raises his eye brows "Are you sure?" He asks and I nod. He kisses me gently before we leave the room.
-
"I said fight the guy. I didn't mean fight the guy." Cristina says after Alex fills her and Meredith in on what happened last night. He sits down next to me as Meredith says "Alex, this kind of stuff was ok when we first met you, but now?" He clutches my hand I know he is refraining from rolling his eyes. "Now you're supposed to be less stupid. I mean, you could to jail, your whole career, you have a child to-" Alex cuts her off, annoyed by the interrogation "Look, I'm not going to jail." He argues "He was like that when I found him." Cristina scoff and Meredith shakes her head like a disappointed mother.
Cristina throws her hands up in the air "That's your story?" Meredith snaps, her friend adds "No cop is gonna believe you." I am texting to Jo to get here as quickly as possible as Meredith speaks "Alex, it's just. Just tell us." Then before he can answer a familiar voice behind us says "He didn't do." We all turn around and look at Jo. We take in her appearance and she is worse for wear but not like her boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend. "He just found him." She continues "I did it." The girls look at her in disbelief and I sigh "You guys are gonna wanna sit down for this." I say.
"We were having a fight." Jo explains to the two older women "He grabbed my arm. I fought him off. It was just, it got ugly. He fell backwards and he hit his head on fireplace, but hewas yelling when I left. He was fine, I swear." From Alex's reaction, he didn't know that Jo had done this and it makes me wonder why he didn't assume. Alex just looks at her "All right, you gotta go." Is all his response is but Cristina counteracts him "No, she has to explain to them what happened." but Alex argues "No, nobody does anything until we see how Peckwell is." And I hate that Cristina is right becasue I want to protect Jo, but the right thing to do is to admit what happened.
Alex turns back to Jo "Go home. Don't let anyone see you." He orders calmly before looking back at his friends and me "You three don't say a word to anybody until we know exactly what's going on. Understand?" I nod but the other two don't look as convinced. Cristina rolls her eyes and Meredith plays with her wedding ring nervously. Just then Stephanie, one of Jo's class mates comes bursting into the room and stops when she sees Jo "Hey." She says awkwardly "Are you ok?" Cristina immediately leaps into action, protecting the other girl from a game of 20 questions.
"She's fine. You never saw her. What?" Cristina moves to Stephanie. The younger girl hands Cristina the ipad and explains "I have Paul Dawson's CT angio results." as Cristina ushers her out of the room. Jo turns back to us and Alex whispers "Go." Which she listens to. I place a hand on my husbands shoulder "I have a surgery, but keep me update." He nods, hands still on his hips as I leave the room as well.
-
Alex and I head home with Willow as the strom starts, to where Jo is waiting for us surrounded by candles. We put our daughter to sleep before going into our living room. "What the hell happened?" Alex demands as Jo finishes lighting the candles "the power went out half an hour..." I cut her off because that is not what he meant "No you. What were you thinking? Peckwell could have died." The colour drains from the younger girls face "Is he...." Alex shakes his head cutting her off again "No." He answers "He's fine, and you're lucky he's not pressing charges, but you are an idiot."
We both walk closer to her and she wraps her arms around her body. "You get that you could have gone to jail, right?" Alex asks, anger rising in him "You say that you worked so hard to change, to become this new person but then you do this? If you don't wanna be a low-life anymore, you gotta grow up and stop acting like one." Alex told me about Jo's childhood and it is not too dissimilar to his, which is why I understand now why they have been spending so much time together. It's the one part of Alex I will never be able to truly understand.
"No you grow up!" She shouts, pushing at him angrily "Not everyone's like you, Alex. People are horrible. And the last time someone grabbed me like Jason did, I... I promised no one would ever do that again. So I am sorry but not everyone is like you. Not everyone is good." My heart breaks when she says that and I suddenly have more sympathy for her. Alex goes quiet as well. "And know you think I am horrible too." Jo says, a look of realisation on her face. Alex and I share a look before he quietly leaves.
I hear the kettle switch on and I signal for Jo to sit down. She does and I sit next to me. I take in a deep breath, steadying my hands before looking up at her. "I know what you mean." I say "about not everyone being good." Jo looks at me curiously so I continue. "Before I moved to Seattle, I was married. The guy I thought was the love of my life.... almost beat me to death on our wedding night." Jo gives me a look of surprise but stays silent "I know what its like to be hurt by the people who should be protecting you from things like that. But Jo, you can't do that. What you did to Peckwell, it makes you no better than them."
She nods, sniffling as Alex brings us tea. "You can stay here for a while." I tell her "Not forever, but until you can find your own place." Jo envelopes me in a hug. I hesitate for a moment before hugging her back. "Thank you." She whispers.