season 7, episode 1 - with you i'm born again
ALLISON CARTER SURVIVED THE SHOOTING THAT HAPPENED AT SEATTLE GRACE. The trauma fresh to her, which is why there she was sitting in front of a man in the conference room. The room was silent, Allison wanted to get out of there, she hated awkward silence it made her uncomfortable.
"Dr. Carter, can you talk to me about the shooting?" Andrew Perkins, the trauma counselor asked Allison as he leaned forward in his seat. "I have read over what you've been through, but I would like to hear it from you."
Allison stayed quiet for a moment. She is alive and she's grateful. She let out a sigh, "It was a normal day at work and then shots fired." Allison leg started to bounce up and down, "I ran up the stairs before the shooter can shoot me."
"Were you looking for somebody?" He asked crossing his hands together.
"No." Allison shook her head, "I was going to do post-ops and before I know it I heard shots being fired."
"You also saw Derek Shepherd in critical condition?" He asked looking at his notebook.
"Yes." She nodded.
"You watched him almost die right in front of your eyes." He said as Allison glanced at the window behind him, not wanting to think about that day. It felt like she was going to relieve the moment like she did every night.
***
"Hey." Jackson greeted Allison with a smile as he made his way to the nurses station.
Everyone is waiting to welcome Derek back to work since it's going to be his first day back to the hospital since the shooting.
"Hey." Allison smiled at him as she leaned against the nurses station.
"Did you get clear for surgery?" Jackson asked, knowing Allison left the house early to talk to Perkins.
Allison shook her head, "No."
Jackson opened his mouth to say something, but before he had the chance applause was filling the air. Allison looked over to see Derek joining everyone. making his way towards the staircase.
"Hey, uh yes, good morning. Thank you. Thank you very much." Derek spoke up as he looks at the CT scans in his hands. "Good. Thank you. It's uh, it's great to be back. First of all, I'd like to thank Dr. Webber for stepping up in my absence. Thank you. I'm grateful for all of you, for all of your support during my recovery. Thank you, it's just uh, so great to be back as chief." Derek paused once again as he looked at the scans, "I'm sorry. That's a lie. That's what people say, and uh the truth is, I hate being chief. I hate it."
Allison eyes went wide.
"What's he doing?" Jackson whispered to Allison.
"I-I don't know."
"Chief Webber...Chief Webber is our chief." Derek continued, "Um...and I'm sorry, but this giant—Sorry I gotta go look at this chordoma. I-I'm sorry but...I quit. Let's go Kepner."
"What the hell just happened?" Allison asks as she tried to understand why he just quit in front of everyone.
***
"I dig weddings. I do a mean chicken dance." Jackson informed Cristina as he, Meredith, Cristina, Lexie and Allison sat in the gurney in the tunnels of the hospital during their lunch break.
"Oh, there will be no chicken dance." Cristina shot the idea down instantly, "And if you start a conga line, I will physically throw you out."
Jackson snickered as April approached the group, "I just went to the cafeteria, and some nurse called me Reed and then said, 'I thought you died.' "
Lexie shook her head, "Yeah, you don't go to the cafeteria for lunch. They just point and stare."
"Is that why you dyed your hair?" Jackson asked Lexie.
"They stare because we should've died." Cristina remarked.
Allison looked over at April, "Pack a lunch. Keep it in your locker."
Alex approached the group with a sad look on his face before he laughed and brought his hand forward, showing the yellow sheet of paper. "You are kidding me." Meredith groaned, "You got cleared?"
Alex laughed as he nodded, "It's down to you, Yang and Carter."
"You suck." Allison glared at him. Envious that she hasn't gotten cleared for surgery.
"This is not funny." Meredith nodded.
"Well," Cristina commented, "Perkins is no dummy." She pointed at Meredith with her fork, "He can see the crazy right under the Meredith Grey surface."
"Again, Cristina, it's not funny because you're not gonna get cleared either and neither is Allison. The three of us are gonna be serving slushies at the Multiplex."
Allison only rolled her eyes as she popped a grape into her mouth.
"Really?" Cristina asked, "I'd choose dermatology over Multiplex."
"No." Jackson shook his head, "I'd choose gynecology over dermatology."
"Of course you would." Cristina looked at Jackson, "Perv."
"I think I'd go with psych." Lexie spoke as she saw the group was silent she looked at them, "...That was a joke."
The group of doctors forced a laugh as Jackson nodded, "That was good."
"Anyway, I don't know what Perkins' problem is with me." Meredith said, changing the subject.
"Maybe he saw your file." Cristina said.
"Maybe he knew your mother." Alex suggested.
"Maybe he heard how you told the shooter to shoot you." Jackson added as well as Allison played with her necklace.
Meredith narrowed her eyes at him, "Not funny."
"Yet they are all true." Allison pointed out.
"Dr. Bailey." Meredith stuttered slightly as they spotted the attending making her way over to them.
"Welcome back." Allison greeted her.
"You okay?" Alex asked, when Bailey stayed quiet for a moment just looking at each one of them.
"I'm happy to see you all." She spoke up, "Karev, there's a patient in 2304 that needs an endoscopy." Alex grabbed the chart from her hands and walked away, "Grey and Yang, surely your paychecks cover more than stuffing your face in the basement, and you two." She looked directly at Jackson and April, "I'm awfully sorry about the loss of your friends."
Lexie and Allison looked down as April nodded, "Thank you."
"So are we." Jackson added before Bailey looked at the charts.
"2213 has a bowel impaction and I'm sure as hell not about to stick my hands in there." April took the chart as Jackson got up with her to take care of the patient. Bailey walked away as Allison stared at Jackson retrieving figure.
"You like him." Lexie pointed out as she saw Allison staring at Jackson.
"I-I do not." Allison glared at her.
Lexie gave her a look, the 'don't lie to me' look, but Allison ignored it. "I don't." She said once again, "He's like a close friend."
"Sure." Lexie nodded.
***
Allison opened her eyes quickly as she shot up from her bed. The room was dark, her hand went to her chest as tears streamed down her face.
She couldn't breath.
Just in time, Jackson walked inside her room noticing the distraught state she was in, he rushed to sit in front of her.
"Allie, look at me." Jackson said as he placed his hands on the side of her face. "Please, look at me."
Allison stared at him, "I can't breath."
"Breath with me." Jackson softly said as he inhaled and then exhaled. Allison did the same as her breathing began to come back to normal. "Good."
"W-Where did you go?" Allison asked, once she was back to normal, "You promised you wouldn't leave."
"I went to go grab a glass of water." Jackson softly spoke as he caressed her cheek.
Allison nodded, but that's not what she meant. She wanted to know why he left six years ago, but now wasn't the time.
Allison and Jackson have been sleeping together, helping one another with the nightmares.
Jackson made his way to lay down in the empty space beside Allison. Allison carefully laid back down as well staring into his tired green eyes. Both of them having trouble sleeping ever since the shooting.
Allison head came contact with his chest, as his arm was wrapped around her. "I'm here, always." Jackson whispered.
"Always." She whispered back before sleep took both of them.
***
Allison opened the door to the conference room as she stared at Perkins. "Dr. Carter?"
"My best friend got shot. He almost died right in front of my eyes, but he didn't." Allison paused for a moment, "And I'm starting to catch feelings for a guy who left me six years ago. If that's what you wanted to hear, if that what you wanted me to admit to myself that I'm starting to fall for Jackson Avery and that I am relieved Derek Shepherd didn't die then there you go."
"Dr. Carter..." Perkins trailed off but Allison held up her finger silencing him.
"I have nightmares every night wondering, what if I died?, but I didn't. I survived, and I deserve to do my job because I am surgeon and a damn good one."
Perkins grabbed a yellow sheet from his folder as he handed it to her. Allison looked at him in surprise, "Really?"
"You came to terms with the accident." Perkins shrugged, "You're cleared to do surgery, Dr. Carter."
***
Allison eyes travelled to Owen and Cristina who were standing in the doorway of the living room. At the sight of the couple, everyone in the room cleared a path for them as they make their way in front of the fireplace. Cristina looked stunning with her red dress, refusing to wear a white dress claiming it was sexist to wear white on your wedding day.
Allison watched them walk up to the alter hand in hand as she found herself glancing at the man beside her, wondering where did it all go wrong.