"9-1-1. What's your emergency?"

"I…I found this…this woman. My wife and I…"

"Sir, I need you to calm down and take a few breaths."

"Oh-kay."

"What happened, sir? You said you found a woman?"

"Y-Yes. She's on the ground and she's…I don't think she's breathing. I…I don't know…My wife says she has a pulse. She…She's all beaten up. There's blood everywhere. Everywhere. I've…I've never seen so much blood."

"Sir, what's your location?"

"We're in an alleyway off of Mercer Avenue, a couple…a couple blocks from the hospital. We found in the alleyway in between Marco's Bistro and Summer View Cupcakes…the little cupcake shop at the corner of Mercer and Hill. I…You have to help her!"

"Sir, help is on the way. I need you to stay on the line and describe your surroundings so the ambulance and police and get to you, all right?"

"All-All right."

Owen was just finishing up his trauma shift that night, in the process of closing a chart he had recently completed, when one of the interns had notified him of an incoming ambulance. Exhausted, he considered throwing the incoming patient off to the next batch of doctors who were led by Miranda Bailey, but that had never been his style. He still had a job to do, a patient who needed his help, and no matter how much his feet hurt or his head needed to hit a pillow, he would see to this patient. It was his duty, and far be it from him to run away from his obligations.

Closing the finished chart quickly, he turned to Dr. Bailey who was standing behind him. "You want to take this one with me?"

"You're not capable of handling it yourself, Dr. Hunt?"

He frowned slightly at her question, speaking to him like he was a first year resident. Instead of biting back, he told her, "You could either handle this with me or oversee the residents and their interns, Dr. Bailey. Your choice."

Her head perked up. She thought for a moment before nodding. "All right. Let's go."

They both turned from the station and moved toward the doors that led outside. Owen shoved them open for them both as an ambulance sped up. He wasn't surprised by the lightning fast speed of the paramedics as they opened the back doors and began to pull out a stretcher. He was surprised slightly to see a man, flustered, in the back of the ambulance as the two paramedics pulled a woman out. "Sir, is this your wife?"

He looked up quickly, clearly in shock. "I…No. We found her in an alleyway."

Owen exchanged glances with Bailey, both understanding that wasn't a good scenario. He turned his attention away from the man and focused on the woman on the stretcher as they made their way back into the pit. It wasn't until they were halfway inside did he realize Bailey hadn't followed them in. When Owen turned around, he frowned. Bailey stood glued to her spot, a look of horror on her face. "Dr. Bailey, what's the matter?"

"That's…" Her voice shook. "That's Kepner."

Owen looked down. Though her face was caked over in blood, a likely broken nose, and bruises, he could see through her bloodied clothes, auburn hair, and the watch on her wrist that the woman before him was April Kepner. Panic hit him, and an overwhelming sense of anger to realize that something like this happened to someone he knew. Thankful for his years in the army, the stressful situation did not stop him from completing his job. He helped the paramedics get her into a private room while listening to their information.

It wasn't until the paramedics had left that Bailey finally found her way into the room. Gently, she shut the door behind her and watched Owen check her vitals. "Is she…?"

"She's alive," Owen told her with a nod, pulling the stethoscope off. "She has a pulse."

Bailey nodded. "I…I'm sorry, Dr. Hunt. I…"

"Dr. Bailey," he interrupted gently, looking up from April and inspecting Bailey's shocked face, "It's all right. Let's just…let's just focus on making sure she's all right."

"Right." Bailey shook her head, attempting to shake away the flustered emotions raging through her. "Of course."

Before either of them could return to helping her, a scream filled the room as April awakened and seized away from them. Out of reflex, Owen reached for her but stopped when she cried out again, tightly hugging herself as she rolled into a ball on the gurney. Owen looked up at Bailey, whose eyes echoed the same response. What the hell had happened to her? Something so horrific that he was certain she wouldn't rebound quickly, if at all. "April, April…It's us. Dr. Bailey and Dr. Hunt. We're…You're in the hospital."

Her eyes – one of which he was sure she couldn't see from, it was so bruised and swollen - frantically moved from Owen to Bailey and back to the gingered trauma doctor. Violently, she shook her head.

"April," Bailey gently whispered, "I need to check your vitals to make sure you don't have a concussion. Okay? We…We need to check you out so you can talk to the police about what happened."

April turned slowly to Owen, and through the blood, tears, and swelling he could see fear. "Can you…Can you leave?"

Owen frowned, turning to Bailey who shot him a dark glare. Without a word, he offered her a nod, removed his stethoscope, and walked out of the room. Before he left, however, he turned back to look at her one last time. The hope was gone from her eyes. Whoever had attacked her hadn't simply beaten her down; he had destroyed her soul. April wouldn't be the same, not after this horrible trauma. Gently, with a shaking hand from rage and shock, Owen closed the door.

Bailey breathed in for strength as she flattened out the sheet carefully so April could lie back on the cot. "Okay, April, now I'm just going to…" She stopped when April reached out to grab her hand. Bailey looked up slowly, April's shaking hand sending a shiver down her spine. "What is it, April?"

April's hand continued to violently shake. Her mouth twisted, as if she was trying to form words but was unable to speak. Finally, she sputtered, "You…You need to-to do a..."

"A what, April?"

April looked away, her split limb trembling. "Ah…I…I didn't get my underwear back."

Ignoring the pain in her chest that she was sure was her breaking heart, Bailey gently covered April's bleeding hand in hers – the one that wasn't broken and clutched Bailey's hand like she'd never find stability again. Somehow Bailey's voice didn't betray her and echoed the strength that April needed. "We'll take care of you, April. I promise. We…We'll catch the monster that did this to you, I promise."

"Dr. Bailey?"

"Yeah?" Her voice cracked slightly and she shook it off. This woman didn't need to see her lose her composure, not when she needed all the unwavering support she could find.

"Can…Can someone be in here with me when you do the…you know?"

"Of course. You can have someone with you throughout the entire examination and interview process, April. Anyone you'd like."

She frowned. "Interview?"

"To report this to the police," Bailey offered, returning April's frown with her own when the shattered young woman looked away. "April, you have to report this to the police so they can find who did this to you. April…"

"I know!"

Bailey kept her stance firm as April pulled her hand away quickly and doubled over, as if her entire body and soul hurt from the thought of remembering what had happened…from admitting it to others. April had tried so hard to rigidly control her behavior, Bailey knew, but this outburst didn't surprise her. Neither did the tears that accompanied shaking hands and tormented cries. Taking her hand again, Bailey reassured, "I will be here every step of the way, April. Do you understand me? Every step."

April only nodded.

"April?"

No answer, not even a head movement to acknowledge she was listening, perhaps in some far away land.

"Look at me."

April looked up slowly, silent. The eye she could see out of went large, as if the weight of this moment finally hit her and she was trying her hardest not to cry. "Yeah?"

"This is not your fault," Bailey told her firmly. "You did nothing wrong and have done nothing to deserve this."

"That's not what he said," April murmured quietly.

"Kepner, look at me." She clutched April's hand tighter, a gentle squeeze to emphasize support. "You are not at fault here. What he did…He's the sick one, not you. He…He's the monster."

"Okay."

Bailey knew April didn't believe her.

Moments of silence passed before April asked, "Can I change into a gown, Dr. Bailey?"

"Would you be more comfortable that way?"

April looked down at her bloody clothes and nodded. "We should…catalog the, uh, the evidence."

"All right. I'll…I'll let you change and I'll bring in some bags so a nurse can put the clothes in there. I will be right back." Though Bailey had meant the words to soothe, April stopped suddenly, as if the phrase haunted her, as if she had heard it before tonight. Thinking carefully, Bailey backtracked. "I'll come back when you want me to, April."

"Thank you."

"April?"

"Yeah?"

"Who do you want me to call to come and stay here with you throughout…?"

April shrugged. "I don't care. Someone who can…Someone who can handle this, I suppose."

Bailey nodded even though April was staring down on at her hands, one of which was broken and the other covered in blood. Unable to stare at the horrifying sight for very long, Bailey shut the door gently behind her and moved as fast as her short legs would carry her until she was back at the nurse's station. It wasn't until she reached the stability of the counter and Owen's presence beside her that she addressed the nurse, who looked perplexed. "We need to get the police in here, Mary. And uh…page Dr. Torres."

"She isn't working today," the nurse answered. "Do you still want me to page her?"

"Yes. When she calls, tell-tell that I need her and it's a 9-1-1. Make sure she knows that Dr. Robbins, the baby, and Dr. Sloan are all right before she comes over, though."

"Of course, ma'am."

"Oh, and Mary?" Bailey asked quietly, stopping the nurse before she could turn to the phone. "Page Dr. Wyatt, too."

"Yes, ma'am."

Owen, who had been impatiently waiting while Bailey delivered instructions, crossed his arms when Bailey turned to him. He was about to berate her – or perhaps question what happened in there that he wasn't allowed to know – but his interrogation was halted when he saw the look in her eyes, a look so sad that he was certain she'd crumble beneath any vocal pressure. Because of that, he lowered his voice and asked gently, "Dr. Bailey, what-what happened?"

His mouth dropped open in surprise when she broke down before him, crying softly and leaning on her knees for support as her emotions overtook her. Before he could ask her what was wrong, again, or comfort her in any way, she straightened and furiously wiped her tears. This raw display of emotion was unlike anything he had ever seen from her, and it stunned him. "Miranda, what the hell happened in there?"

Bailey sniffled slightly, breathing in for courage because she couldn't break down in front of April. "Kepner wasn't just physically assaulted, Dr. Hunt."

He frowned, confused. "What are you talking—?"

His break in speech forced her to nod. "We're keeping this under wraps for now, Dr. Hunt. No one finds out."

Owen nodded slowly, as if the news had sent him into shock. "Yea…Yeah. What…What, um, what do you need from me?"

"Well first you can wipe that look of pity off your face," Bailey snapped. "Because if you go in there with that look on your face, you'll only make things worse. If you look at her like that…It'll destroy her. Understand?"

Owen nodded blankly again. "What else?"

"Tell the Chief. He'll like to know."

"What about…What about Dr. Shepherd and…Dr. Sloan. Should we get them in here, too?"

"No. You and I can handle sending her up for an MRI and X-rays. We'll worry about Shepherd and Sloan later. Right now, we need to worry about April. We…she comes first."

"Yes," he agreed firmly, anger shooting through his body as he processed the information, "she does."