Mark was paged to the pit and he saw a crowd gathering around two ambulances that collided. "Chief, what's going on?"

"Mark." He ushered Derek over. "We paged you after everyone." Mark felt a chill go down his spine. He looked around. He saw Callie. She was fine. Where was Arizona? Lexie? He saw Meredith looking worried, talking to a driver. Oh god, Lexie!

"We got a transfer. Mark." Derek called Mark's attention. "Mark. It's Brooke."

"What? Brooke? What happened. She was with you, Derek what the hell happened?" Mark's heart sunk far past his stomach. His baby girl was in this mess. He looked over the ambulances. They were both flipped over: one on its side and one completely upside down. Oh god. He just got her back and she- did she survive this? Wait. ambulances.

"What was Brooke doing in an ambulance?" He urged.

"She collapsed in a cafe. The paramedics came as she was waking up."

"Has anyone talked to her? Is she alright?"

"We don't know. She was in the one that's upside down." Mark groaned and covered his face. "The door is stuck. We have to wait for the fire department." The Chief tried to appease Mark.

"Can we talk to her from the front? There has to be a way for us to make sure she's okay back there!"

"Mark, there is a paramedic in the back with her. We paged you as her guardian, not as a surgeon." The Chief assured him. "I think, maybe, you should go inside. Maybe visit Sophia."

"No! I'm not leaving Brooke." Derek nodded approvingly at Mark's choice. "I'll wait ."

The fire department arrived at that moment and the Chief went to speak to them, but Derek stayed.

"She'll be fine."

"Derek, she just went through a shooting. And she's probably scared out of her mind, if she is okay. And she may not be. And how will this look if Victoria fights my custody?"

"Focus on Brooke first, Mark." Derek advised. "It's all we can do."

"I don't understand it though. Why did she collapse?"

"Maybe it has something to do with her gsw." Derek shrugged. "Whatever it is, we'll make sure she heals properly this time."

Mark nodded, but stood erect when the Chief walked over to them. "The fire department is going to open the back of the other ambulance first. It will only take a minute, though. The door isn't stuck. While they are doing this, the others will evacuate those drivers. The drivers of Brooke's ambulance are worse off. After they get everyone from the first ambulance, they will start with getting Brooke out and then the drivers. It won't be long now."

Mark nodded and watched the fire department like a hawk. When they went over to Brooke's ambulance, he began to walk behind them.

"Where do you think you're going, Mark?"

"She's going to be terrified. I'm terrified. I just want her to know that she'll be safe, that she doesn't have to worry. And I need to see her, Derek. Just to make sure she isn't d-dead." He stumbled over the last word and Derek's grip on Mark's shoulder went lax after hearing that it was an actual possibility that something serious could be wrong with Brooke and she may not walk out of this; he followed Mark silently, suddenly growing worried.

They arrived just as the fire fighters were prying off the door. Mark's heart stopped when he looked inside. He saw a bloody Brooke looking up at the fighters like an animal. "He-he fell on top of me and was hit in the head with that-" she gestured to a fire extinguisher. "He-he saved me. I ripped my stitches. But he lost consciousness. He-he was fine. He woke up and was talking. He- he just stopped. Oh god..." She trailed off. One fire fighter tried to pry her off gently, but she wouldn't leave. "I can't! He- his name is Will. He told me to keep applying pressure. He said I couldn't let go. No! I can't let go."

"Brooke." Mark leaned in, and she looked up at his familiar voice. "Brooke, let go. You're safe. Come here so we can check you out." Without hesitating, she rushed to her father, a little less that stable. He took her in his arms. "Brooke, are you alright?"

"I-I hit my head." She gestured to her bleeding scalp. "I banged it when we flipped the first time. Oh god. Dad! It was so bad!" Brooke buried her face in Mark. He swept her up, bridal style, recognizing that he needed her to get an exam. "Uncle Derek." She called. "I'm so sorry for this morn-"

"Say no more, Brooke. I'm just glad you're okay."

Brooke smiled slightly. "Please, can you make sure Will is fine. He saved me."

"You got it. I'll be in to check on you before you know it."

Brooke was in an exam room in fresh scrubs while she and her dad waited in silence for her lab work to get back. He was stitching her stomach back up, saying that her head didn't need any. "God, Brooke. How many times have you ripped these?"

"This was the third. And totally not my fault I should add."

Mark chuckled. There's his old Brooke. Alex came in. "Got the labs back. Brooke's in the early stages of sepsis, but she fainted because she was dehydrated." Brooke looked sheepish. "We're going to put her through a few rounds of antibiotics and then she'll be fine and the infection should go away. We'll keep her hospitalized for 48 hours to make sure they're working well, but that's mostly because we want to monitor her after the crash. After that, we're sure she'll tell us if she isn't feeling well, as she lives near, like, eight doctors." Mark chuckled.

"Thanks Karev. And she will." Alex, feeling dismissed, left the room.

"Brooke. If you'll let me, I think it'll be best for me to request permanent custody of you from Victoria. Obviously you need a more stable adult presence, and I can give it to you."

Brooke sighed. Of course she knew this would happen. "I don't want trouble. I'll stay with you; you don't need to confront Victoria over anything."

"Brooke. She's negligent: emotionally and physically. Did she even know you were shot? Don't answer that. I really can't handle the truth now. Right now, she could take you away from me, back to New York or LA or Tree Hill and we'd have a long drawn out custody hearing over who gets you. I want you to have stability and safety and I can give it to you."

Brooke's eyesight was swimming. "I don't need your pity guardianship!" She snapped.

"God Brooke!" Mark exploded. "You're my daughter. "When you get discharged, you will move into the spare bedroom in my apartment. We will get you signed up for school and we will talk about whatever is bothering you! We'll have a real father-daughter relationship. Don't you want that? It's not pity-"

"You have two other daughters! You don't need to suffocate me!"

"You are my baby girl! Brooke! I have other daughters, yes. But we had a special bond! Just let me help you!" Brooke visibly softened and broke down. When Mark went to touch her though, she flinched back.

She was sobbing. "I ca-can't st-stop! I-it hur-rts! I can't br-reathe!" She was rasping at her chest.

"Brooke. Calm down. You're having a panic attack. Brooke!" She wasn't stopping. "Can I get some help in here?" Mark called into the hall. A nurse came in. "She needs a sedative." Mark was getting visibly stressed. He ran his hand through his hair so much it was crazed looking. "She's exhausted. She has a gun shot wound, was in a car accident, and is about to go through a potentially ugly custody hearing! Help her!" He yelled at the Nurse when she didn't move to help.

Once the sedative was injected into Brooke's IV, she began to calm down. He sat next to her on the bed and laid her down. "It's alright, Brookie. You'll be safe. Just go to sleep." Brooke started to see spots. She was suddenly so tired. And her dad was so warm. She cuddled into him and Mark hesitantly ran his hand through her hair, settling it. "Shhhh, it'll all be fine when you wake up." And with his words, Brooke fell into a sedated sleep.

Mark couldn't believe this was happening. He just had to sedate his daughter. He shifted Brooke so that she was curled into him. He was running his hair through her hair when Derek walked in. "How's she doing?" He plopped down in the uncomfortable hospital seat next to the bed.

"She had a panic attack. She's been through too much."

"God. Will-the paramedic Brooke was with-he's brain dead."

"Shit. Brooke's going to be heartbroken. You saw how she was when we were getting her out of the ambulance."

"Maybe we don't tell her."

"Derek. She's going to ask. She has a heart bigger than both of ours combined. And we already went through keeping secrets from her with Zola and Sophia. She's just started forgiving us for that. We can hardly keep this from her."

Hours later, Mark's arm was long asleep from Brooke laying on it, but he was content with just being with his daughter and didn't care.

"Brooke." Mark smiled when he heard her groan. "Hey little one. How's the bed head?"

She smiled. "You stayed."

"Of course I stayed. You're my daughter. You're in the hospital. You need family."

"I was thinking-" Brooke said softly. "that if I stay with you here, in Seattle, I'd like to homeschool myself. I don't think I can enter a school building after what happened in Tree Hill. It'll be too eerie."

"We'll see, Brooke. Maybe we can look at some Seattle schools together and then decide."

Brooke sighed. "That sounds reasonable."

"Derek found your cell phone. It had a few missed calls. And fifteen messages."

"It's fine. My friends back home. We-uh- usually talk every day and the accident prevented that." Brooke lied.

"Alright." Mark conceded, believing her. "You're going to be released tomorrow morning."

"Thank god! Uggh I hate hospitals." She sighed.

Mark laughed. "I guess Sophia is my last hope to pass on my surgical skills."

Surprisingly, Brooke laughed. "Please. Any surgical skills she possesses probably come from her moms!"

"Hey!" Mark feigned hurt, but couldn't stop a smile. He got serious. "I was wondering, if it was okay, if Derek or Meredith came and sat with you. I wanted to go home and get your room prepared since you'll be coming home with me in the morning."

Brooke understood, but she didn't like being left alone. "Can you do that, maybe later. I, just don't want to be alone just yet."

"Of course. I'll be here as long as you want me to be. Maybe when you get hungry I'll go get some takeout near my apartment? You know so you don't have to subject yourself to hospital food..."

"Thank god! Someone who understands the grossness that is hospital food!" Brooke groaned. "What's she like?"

Mark frowned sensing the change of subject. "Who?"

"My sister. Sloan."

"Oh. I don't know her that well, she only stayed with me for a few months while she was pregnant. But, she's nineteen. Blonde. Kind of shallow, but means well." Mark smiled thinking of his daughter. "She came to my door pregnant, but she meant well. Wanted the best for her baby. Your nephew."

"She sounds like me a bit." Brooke smiled sadly.

"Brooke: you're not blonde. Mark joked. "Brooke, if there's one thing I know about you is that you're not shallow. You're compassionate and kind and strong. You're my daughter and I love you. I love Sophia and Sloan. But you're my first daughter. I've loved you for a long long time and it's not going to change any time soon." He stroked her hair.

Brooke smiled "Love you too.