Meredith paces for a few moments before taking off her jacket. Carson is in the corner, silently rocking back and forth as Cristina's eyes flitter between the both of them, doing her best to keep calm. Though they can't be anything but calm, especially after the two gunshots they heard coming from down the hall. Carson is in tears as she tries not to think about the fact that those two bullets could have been fired into either her father or her mother's boyfriend. She tries not to focus on that instead, she focuses on Meredith, who doesn't look so good.
"Meredith, are you okay?" Carson glances over at her stepmother who's doubled over.
"You okay?" Cristina asks as she turns around at the sound of Meredith moaning.
"I've been hurling every day this week around…yep, right on schedule," Meredith looks at her watch as Carson makes a face.
"Okay, we gotta get out of here, cause uh, I'm not staying in here after you stink up this place with your vomit," Cristina tells Meredith as Carson rolls her eyes.
"Cristina, we can't-" Carson begins but she immediately stops when she sees Cristina's shocked face.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, get down," Cristina whispers as she ducks.
"What? What? What?"Meredith frowns as she does everything she can to not puke up her guts.
"That's the guy from the elevator," Cristina suddenly realizes as Carson's heart begins to pound; Cristina had seen Gary Clarke too?
"What do mean, what-"Meredith is growing more confused and scared
"It's the guy from the elevator, he asked me for directions on how to get to the chief's office," Cristina says as Carson's eyes widen.
"You told him how-"
"I didn't know who he was!" Cristina hissed.
"I, I, I don't-"
"Meredith, the guy with the gun is looking for Derek," Cristina explains.
"You said his name was Gary Clarke?" Meredith asks as she turns to face Carson who mutely nods in response. Meredith quickly reaches for an empty supply bin and hurls the contents of her stomach into it.
oOoOo
Derek is shaking visibly shaking as he exits the conference room. He stops when he gets to Kevin's body. He's surprised when he finds Kevin looking up at him; immediately Derek steps into doctor mode though Kevin stops him.
"I'm gonna die, Derek; single gunshot wound to the chest and lower torso," Kevin's voice is hoarse and raspy. He's already started losing his color; he'll be gone soon.
"I'm not leaving," Derek says as he reaches out to grab Kevin's hand and squeeze it.
"We-we were gonna get married; go to Fiji and get married," He's talking about Addison Derek realizes.
"Addie's always liked the beach," Derek's eyes are kind and sympathetic as he watches Kevin struggle for air.
"It's alright, it's alright Kevin" Derek murmurs as Kevin squeezes his hand.
"I-I did love her, y'know; I really did," Derek nods in response to Kevin's weak sounding words.
"I know, and I think she loved me too," Kevin shakes his head.
"No, she's, she's still hung up on you; it's why we broke up so many times. She still loves you man," Kevin lets out a rough cough as Derek tries to process Kevin's information.
"Addie and I we-"
"We wouldn't have worked, she still loves you, and I think, you still love her," Kevin's breaths are less steady; it could be any moment now.
"Addison-"
"She loves you, Derek, always has, always will," Kevin whispers as he does his best to keep his eyes open.
"Tell her, tell her I'm sorry, and that I did love her…" Kevin's last breath mingles in with his last words as he stops moving completely. Derek sighs heavily as he hangs his head, quietly reciting an old prayer he'd heard during mass when he was a young boy. After a few moments, he stands up and heads off to get Carson, Meredith, and Cristina.
He's walking across the catwalk checking his phone when a familiar voice stops him.
"Dr. Shepherd," He's finally face-to-face with Gary Clarke.
"Sir, you shouldn't be here, it's not safe," Derek tries to remain calm as the older man approaches him.
"I know it's not safe here, that's the point; this hospital isn't safe," Derek keeps his eyes trained on the man's hand, which is shoved into his pocket.
"You don't recognize me do you?" Derek's heart is beating rapidly in his chest.
"Mr. Clarke, sorry I was, I have a situation going on here, you should go someplace safe so you don't get hurt," Derek says, though he knows he's the one who's not safe. He can't let on that he knows what his plan is.
"I'm already hurt, you hurt me when you decided to kill my wife," Finally, the moment Derek has been waiting on; Gary Clarke pulls out his gun and aims it at him.
oOoOo
Carson, Meredith, and Cristina are quickly making their way down the hallway when a familiar body makes Carson stop.
"Kevin!" Meredith and Cristina are hissing at her to be quiet, but she doesn't listen.
She rushes towards Kevin and cradles him. Though when she picks him up, she knows he's gone. Meredith and Cristina silently stand off to the side as Carson quietly sobs. All three look up when they hear a door open. To their relief, it's Addison, Ryan, April and Addison's friend Naomi.
"Mom!" Addison is rushing towards her daughter, cradling her as she sobs. The redhead does spare a glance at Kevin's now lifeless body, unable to hold back her own tears.
"He killed him! He killed Kevin!" Carson sobs as Addison tries to be strong for her daughter; thankfully, Naomi and April are shielding Ryan from seeing Kevin's body. After a few moments, Addison looks up at Meredith and Cristina.
"Derek-"
"We haven't seen him since just before he and…since before they put us in the supply closet.
"We saw him, the shooter, he's on this floor and he's looking for Derek," Cristina informs Addison, who helps Carson to her feet.
"It's not safe out here, we have to get back to-" Addison begins as Carson races off down the hallway.
"Carson! Carson, come back!" Addison is ready to run after her but Naomi holds her back.
"Nae, let go I have to get-"
"Ryan, Addie; Ryan needs you," Addison glances back at her son who is still standing with April, his tiny body shaking with sobs.
"We'll go after her," Meredith informs Addison who nods gratefully. Though before they leave, Addison grabs Meredith's hand and squeezes it.
"Meredith, be safe; there's someone else to think about now," Meredith nods in understanding before she and Cristina race after Carson.
They're able to reach Carson who has suddenly halted; once they catch up with her, they understand why. Across the catwalk, Derek is staring at the barrel of Gary Clarke's gun.
oOoOo
"Mr. Clarke," Derek tries to keep his voice calm, though his eyes are in a slight panic.
"Shut up, no talking; you're not the man here, I'm the man, I'm the man. I told my wife I would be, I'm the man and a man looks after his wife. But I didn't, I let you decide that she should die. I wasn't a man then, but I'm a man now," Gary Clarke says, inching closer to Derek.
"No, no, no, no!" Carson whispers as she tries to move, though Meredith is holding on to her, while Cristina holds on to Meredith.
"What kind of hospital is this? It isn't safe here; somebody has to protect people, from you, handing down judgments like you're God," Gary Clarke says to Derek; there's less than three feet between the two of them at this point.
"Mr. Clarke-"
"You don't get to be God!" Gary shouts, his gun is a bit shaky as he points it at Derek
"Mr-"
"No talking!" From across the catwalk, Carson and Meredith are able to see just how scared Derek is; his hands are in the air, a clear sign that he doesn't want to die.
"Let go of me! Let me go! That's my father!" Carson does her best to wiggle out of Meredith's grasp, but Meredith has quite a grip for a small person.
"Mr. Clarke, listen to me; I know your loss. I lost my father when I was a kid; two guys killed my father for his watch, right in front of me, right in front of me. I didn't become a doctor so that I could become God; I became a doctor because I wanted to save lives. Look at me, please, look at me in the eye. I'm a human being, I make mistakes, I'm flawed we all are. Today I think, for you, it's just a mistake. You want justice? You want somebody to pay, you're a good man I can see that in your eyes," Derek keeps his eyes on Gary as he talks; he's softening, just a bit, just a little bit. Maybe he can talk him down off the ledge.
"Can you see it in mine? Can you?"Derek is wearing the tiniest of smiles as he watches Gary Clarke slowly lower his gun.
Meanwhile on the other side of the catwalk, Carson is still struggling against Meredith, whose grip is considerably tight. She needs to get to her father, she can't let this man kill anyone else she loves. Without thinking, she draws her elbow forward and then forcefully swings it back, hitting Meredith directly in the stomach. Meredith doubles over, practically falling to the ground. Cristina is there to catch her, but she's holding a hand over her stomach as though she's in pain. Cristina is torn, does she run after Derek's kid or does she help Meredith?
"Go, save Carson; I'll be fine," Meredith has propped herself up against the railing as Cristina looks her in the eyes.
"He'll never forgive me if something happens to Carson," Meredith pants as Cristina nods, instantly running after Carson and surprisingly tackling her to the ground.
"What the hell are you doing?! Stop! Stop it! Get off me!" Carson is shouting, but Cristina quickly covers her mouth. The last thing they need to do is draw the gunman's attention towards them.
Gary's gun is lowered; however, at the sound of the screaming coming from across the catwalk, time seems to stand still. Derek turns, eyes wide as he sees Cristina wrestling with Carson while Meredith rests against the railing, her hands pressed against her stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, Derek notices his face contort into a frown before he raises the gun.
"DADDY!" Carson is frantic as she manages to shove Cristina off of her before desperately trying to run towards her father.
However, it's too late; Gary Clarke fires a single shot into Derek's chest, sending him to the ground.
Chapter 5 to follow…
We're gonna go back to the present after this chapter and see how everyone is coping with the loss. The drama's not over just yet, so keep reading! Updates may get a bit slow, mostly because I'll be heading back to school to finish up my senior year of college. I'll also be interning a bit and doing my job as a nanny, but I'll try and sneak in updates when I can!
Happy Reading (or not)!
Xx