"And… I love you so much and I can't leave without you and our ten kids," the words came out softly. The look of happiness and relief that washed over her face was breathtaking. I felt her hands on the side of my face as she pulled me into her. I didn't hesitate to meet her demands.

I pushed away when my lungs began to ache. I rested my chin on her shoulder, keeping the gap in between us miniscule. Images of the shooter pointing the gun at Callie flashed as my eyes closed. I could picture the pain on her face, the smoking gun, and the blood dripping to the floor.

"God Calliope. If you ever do anything that stupid again, I'll kill you," I whispered. I could feel her laugh as she held me tighter. Tiny drops of water fell onto the shoulder of my scrub top; I couldn't help but smile. For a moment, everything felt right again.

I heard Callie gasp as she released me. She began walking behind me down the sidewalk. Turning around, I saw what had her attention; Mark Sloan had been crying. His eyes were red and swollen, his head hung low and his shoulders were slouched. A man with a steel heart had been broken.

Taking strides two at a time, I caught up with Calliope, who had already wrapped her arms around Mark.

"Karev was shot. He's at Seattle Presbyterian. Lexie's with him," he reported.

"Is Lexie okay?" I asked, praying that wasn't the source of his pain.

"Clark had his sights set on her. Thank God the SWAT team shot him first," Sloan said.

My blood went cold. Callie slowly looked over at me, realization dawning on her.

"What?" Mark asked, confusion spreading across his features.

"He came to the peds wing right after that," Callie mumbled. The circle grew quiet; Mark just nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. We stood in silence for a few minutes, no one knowing what to say. I grabbed Callie's hand, lacing my fingers with hers.

The rest of the day got worse as more information was revealed. Owen was shot; Derek was shot. Charles Percy and Reed Adamson were dead. Each new detail hit me harder and harder. Calliope could have been easily added to the count. The shooter had the gun in his hand pointed at her. I don't think I voluntarily let go of her once that afternoon.

Two officers approached me and Callie, each one pulling one of us aside to question us about the day's events. I felt pathetic as I told them about my side of mine and Calliope's encounter; the looks they gave me told me they felt the same. Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders as Callie draped a blanket over me. Briefly, I leaned into her body just before she let go of the blanket. The officer jotted down a few more notes before dismissing me.

After police questioning, we finally went home. It was bittersweet returning back to Cal's apartment that night. I had missed the comfort and warmth that radiated but I knew it wouldn't be the same. She opened the door quietly as I hung up her jacket that she lent me earlier on our walk back to our cars. As we entered the apartment, I glanced at the clock on the stove; the green light displayed 11:53.

Christina sat on the couch staring blankly at the wall. Callie slowly eased down next to her roommate, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Yang's head turned in a robotic fashion, her eyes locking with Callie's. I never realized the bond the two women shared. Christina put her head on Cal's shoulder who in turn wrapped an arm around Christina. I took my seat next to Callie, silence surrounding us but with every blink, I could hear the trigger being pulled.

Edit: I forgot to add this in with my first upload. Tehe.

I hope to continue this story. It will most likely read like a series of one-shots.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. Reading them makes me smile. :)