Basically that's what I'd like to see in the season finale but since it's rather unlikely to happen I decided to write it down. This will be a three-parter and this chapter covers like the last third of the season finale while the next two will focus on what would be the season premiere. This is only the set-up so it's rather short. The next two will be much longer.
I relly hope you like it! The things written in italics are the voice-over. I apologise for all mistakes.
Arizona was tagged as a charcter but doesn't make an appearence in this one yet but she will play a bigger part in the next ones.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned. All the rights to them and Grey's Anatomy belong to shondaland and ABC.
Goodbye. One word, seven letters, two syllables. Bye is short for it. It's one of the first words kids learn simply because it's an everyday word, because we say it on regular basis. There are different kinds of goodbye though. There are ones we are prepared for and ones that come suddenly. There are the ones we throw into the room when we hurry out of the door, the ones when we expect a longer departure and then there are the ones where we have to say goodbye forever.
He walks into the ER after his latest surgery. His abilities as a plastic surgeon are especially needed today with all the burns. There's probably the next patient already waiting for him but he needs to see her before he looks for them. He knows that she must be down here, her name hasn't been on the OR board. She's most likely managing everything down here, organizing the whole hospital and keeping an eye on everything. And she's probably taking care of the emergency cases, saving them before they have the chance to die on the OR table.
He does in fact spot her standing in the middle of the ER checking and updating the charts with her tablet. He approaches her slowly careful not to scare her in the hectic environment.
"Hey," he says calmly and she turns around to face him wearing a small albeit concentrated smile.
"Hey," she replies softly a warm expression crossing her features that is reserved for him, only him.
"How's it going? Isn't too stressful down here?", he asks carefully well-knowing that she could totally interpret the question the wrong way. But instead of throwing a tantrum or anything she simply shakes her head. "I'm fine... We're fine," she rests her free hand in her stomach where the slowly growing bump is barely visible under her scrubs. In fact he probably only spots it because he knows that it's there.
Although things between them had been rather rough at the beginning of her pregnancy he hasn't been anything but supportive and protective. And slowly they are working through their problems and she's actually pretty sure that they're almost back on track.
"Good, great. Things seem under control down here," he comments as he looks around them. Everyone walking around appears to know exactly where they're going or what they're doing.
"Yep, everything's working fine," she agrees and he smiles because he's sure that that's due to her organizing talent but of course she wouldn't gloat with that.
Jackson's about to tell her that he'll look where he can help next when a nurse caring one of their hospital jackets approaches them, "Here Dr. Kepner. The ambulance is waiting for you outside."
With that she leaves them standing there while he looks at his wife with a questioning expression, "Where are you going?"
"There was another explosion and they need a surgeon to take care of the victims at the scene," she explains as she hands him the tablet and slips the jacket on.
"And why do you have to go?", he asks not at all comprehending why his pregnant wife has to be that surgeon.
"They need someone who has experience with trauma and an attending who takes charge, I'm taking a few residents with me though," she tells him as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't have to worry, Jackson. There will be plenty of policemen and firefighters and whatsoever to make sure that we are safe."
"Why can't Hunt go?", he's not letting go of it. April begins to walk towards the entrance and he follows her like a lost puppy. "Cristina's leaving in a few hours. It's the least I can do for him after everything he has done for me in the past years. Look," she stops abruptly and turns around to him just as they have made their way through the doors, "I will make sure that I'm safe and if there's a dangerous situation I'll send Edwards," she tells him jokingly trying to lift the mood. The resident has shown immense talent in trauma lately and was therefore chosen to go on the field trip with her.
"Still... I would rather know that you're safe here in the hospital," he tells her to which she answers with a laugh. "Safe? You do remember all the stuff that happened in this hospital?"
He sighs because she's got a point there. Their working place isn't exactly the safest place in Seattle. Jackson pulls her closer then wrapping his arms around her waist beneath the jacket, "Promise me that you'll come back safe."
"Jackson Avery, since when are you so sappy?", she questions teasingly as she trows his arms around his shoulders and rests her forehead against his.
"I'm serious," he doesn't think that this is funny at all.
"Okay, I promise," April breathes calmly realizing how important this is for him.
"Dr. Kepner? Are you coming?", Stephanie suddenly peaking out of the ambulance causing them to break apart. "Yes, I'm here," April announces loudly before she pecks him quickly on the lips and hurries into the ambulance.
The sounds of sirens and anguished cries are filling her ears before they even open the doors of the ambulance. She quickly looks over at Stephanie who's seated beside her and is met by an expression that could only be described as pure horror. April chooses not to ask whether she's okay afraid of the answer.
Someone rips the back door open and a wave of smoke and a smell that she can't identify invade their senses.
"You're Dr. Kepner from Grey Sloan?", a firefighter who's in the beginning of his forties and covered in dirt asks her urgently as she slowly climbs out of the vehicle with the resident in tow.
"Yes, that's me," she replies looking around her and observing the situation. There are people rushing from one place to another everywhere, policemen trying to bring control and there are people sitting everywhere most of them clearly in shock. She knows that look all too well.
"We've been waiting for you," he tells them as he begins walking towards one of the firetrucks. "I'm Captain Ramsey," he quickly introduces himself and April shots him a small smile in response before turns around to Stephanie who's clearly overwhelmed by whole situation.
She can't really blame her after all she feels exactly the same. She's not sure what she expected but it was definitely not this. The smoke is coming from everywhere, there is so much noise and everything's a chaos. Victims are being carried to ambulances and the ones that don't have severe wounds are being led out of the way. A few hundred meters over the firefighters are trying to stop the small fires that have been caused by the explosion. A nauseous feeling settles in her gut and one of her hands instinctively moves to her small bump in a protective manner.
They come to a halt by the firetruck where a few more firefighters are gathered clearly deep in discussion. Captain Ramsey clears his throat to gain their attention and they all look up from the plan they had been bending over.
"Guys, this is Dr. Kepner. She's the trauma surgeon they sent," she's met by a few curt nods in greeting before the Captain speaks again, "She will be going in there with you to take care of the patient."
"Wait, what do you mean by 'going in there'?", she interrupts confused because she certainly didn't plan on walking into a house that looks like it might collapse any second.
"We have found a young girl that's stuck in there. She needs medical care right now and we might even need to amputate her arm which is why you're here. Don't worry, my men won't leave you out of eyesight and will stay with you the entire time."
April takes a deep breath as she looks at the building again. There is smoke coming from the top but apart from that it looks stable. Of course she knows that doesn't have to say anything but as she looks into the experienced faces of the firefighters she can't help but trust them. "Okay. Edwards go get the equipment from the ambulance."
The resident shots her an uncertain look but April nods to reassure and she sets off for the ambulance.
For a moment she has to think about Jackson and the promise she made. Her hand stills rests subconsciously on her stomach and she takes another deep breath to calm her nerves. She has a patient, a little girl, to take care of at the moment and that needs to be her priority. She can't think about anyone or anything else right now. She needs to be focused just like a soldier that she was trained to be by her mentor.
She can do this and she plans on keeping her promise.
His last procedure was rather quick and rather nasty which is why he's on his way to the attendings' lounge to take a shower and get a new set of scrubs before he continues working. He checks his phone to see whether he's got a new message from April but his screen is blank apart from his screen safer that shows a picture of him and his wife from their small honeymoon at Lake Tahoe.
As he opens the door he comes face to face with Cristina who's in her normal clothes and and has a bag slung over her shoulder.
"Hey, you're already leaving?", he asks surprised as he steps into the room and then waits for her response anxiously. They all knew that she was planning to leave to today but to see her ready to go... well turns out that he hasn't been prepared after all.
"Yeah, I'm all done. I figured that I take the chance and go before anyone can make a big fuss and right now everybody's pretty occupied so..." she trails off as she looks down for a moment before facing him again with a brave smile.
"I get it," he tells her and for a moment they just stand there until he remembers something. "Wait a moment though..." he begins as he walks over to the cabinet and retrieves an affectionately wrapped box full of cookies. "April made these for you as provisions," he hands her the box with a fond smile which she reciprocates.
"Of course she did," she responds and although she would never admit it Jackson knows that she appreciates the gesture. "Where's the not so Virgin Mary anyway? I know I never showed it but I actually like her."
He shakes his head good- naturally at the comment before he replies, "Trust me, she would have loved to give it to you herself but she's on a field mission for Owen."
She looks up at that somewhat surprised. "Owen's still here?"
"As far as I know," he tells her and watches how she puts the Cookies away rather hastily after that. "Look, I'm not a hugger and I know that you're not a hugger so," she holds out a hand at that offering it to him.
He takes it shaking it in his as she tells him, "You're not half as bad as the rest of your family."
He can't help but at laugh at the jab knowing how to understand it. "It was nice getting to know that the brilliant Cristina Yang also has a human side."
They both aren't persons for big speeches and displays of affection but he knows that there's mutual respect and appreciation between them.
She slips her hand out of his walking towards the door and opens until she stops and turns around to him again. "You'll take care of her alright. She's one of the good ones."
Jackson looks at her, really looks at her for one last time. Cristina Yang brilliant surgeon and cardiac goddess. Cristina Yang who operated with him on her best friend's husband at gunpoint. Cristina Yang who cares a lot more about them than she lets on. Cristina Yang who's his friend.
And with a smile he promises, "I will."
"I can't believe that she's really gone now," Owen states disbelievingly to Meredith as they walk into the ER after they just sent Cristina off. He's not sad, not really. They got their goodbye after she unexpectedly showed up in his office mere hours ago. He knows that she'll be fine and that she'll do great things and more importantly he just knows that she's going to be happy.
So no, he's not sad. He's just not really happy about it either.
"I think it's for real this time," Meredith says as she leans against the nurse station beside him and he nods. "Me too."
They stay in silence for a few moments letting it all sink in. He's sure that Meredith understands just as much as he does that it's the best for Cristina and that she wouldn't have been happy if she stayed at Grey Sloan in the long run. But just because they understand it doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt a little bit though.
"Dr. Hunt, there's a massive trauma coming in," one of the nurses approaches him suddenly. He looks around a bit disorientated; he knows that the attack hit Seattle hard but he thought that they found and brought in all of the victims already. He quickly scans the ER looking for other surgeons because he doesn't really feels in the right state of mind for a trauma right now. "Can't Kepner take it?"
"Dr. Kepner is still on the field mission."
"Still?," he asks as he pushes himself up and begins to follow her towards the ambulance bay. Meredith offers him a small wave in parting while quickly nods at her. "Yes, apparently it's more difficult than expected."
Owen takes the trauma gown someone offers him slipping it on and tying it behind his back. He steps outside and waits for the ambulance that will bring the patient. He actually appreciates the few quiet moments of waiting as the time allows him to snap back into trauma mode. The ambulance pulls up then, the sirens echoing in the trauma bay.
As he takes a few steps towards it and for a moment he's confused when he reads 'City of Portland' written on the doors until he realizes that they must have been sent to help out today. Given that he isn't surprised when he doesn't recognize the paramedic that gets out of the vehicle and moves to open the back doors as he starts talking at the same time.
"Female in her early thirties. Has been stuck in a collapsed building. Unconscious, we don't know for how long now but she's got a bleeding wound on her forehead as well as several broken ribs. We expect there to be inner bleeding. Her right shoulder is dislocated too."
The frown on his face increases as Owen listens to the long list of injuries. "Page Shepherd and Torres and get an OR ready!" he orders one of the nurses that followed him outside who hurries inside when he finishes.
When they finally open the doors he sees a disturbed Edwards before he sees her and he already knows then that it's bad, really and utterly devastatingly bad.
"I don't know what happened! One second we were making our way outside and then suddenly the ceiling falls down on us and she's gone. I mean she was right behind me the entire time until she wasn't!", Stephanie exclaims hysterically as she climbs out of the ambulance after the stretcher. He's never seen the young woman so disheveled. Her eyes are frantic, her jacket hanging from her shoulders and her mouth agape as she doesn't seem to comprehend what's happening.
The paramedics begin to push the stretcher towards the entrance of the hospital forcing him to finally look down on it.
He feels like a bucket full of ice water has been dumped on him, like a thousand needles piercing his lungs at the sight of her. She's covered in bandages, scratches and bruises and that's only the part that's visible. She's still dressed in the navy blue scrubs which are clinging bloodstained to her body now.
For a second he closes his eyes trying to get rid of the image and fighting the urge to quit. Because he has to snap out of this trance and start to act. He has to jump in action and treat her. He has to save her.
He has to do that for her, for his soldier.
In French they say 'Au Revoir' and in German it's 'Auf Wiedersehen'. Both of those mean 'To seeing you again'. I like that, that you depart with thought of seeing each other again. But here's a fact; you can never know when and if you'll see the person you just said goodbye to again. There's a reason why they say that anything can happen. Expect the unexpected. Nobody knows what tomorrow brings. Even when you say goodbye with the intention to see each other again in mere minutes you can never be one hundred percent sure when or how you'll meet them again. And that, the uncertainty, the unknown, that's what scares me.
And that would be where the episode would end and we would start writing fics how things could go all summer long. Luckily you won't have to wait that long :) If you'd like I wouldn't mind a review :)