Ch. 11 – Love over fear

"When the world feels evil, we must be good. When the world feels terrifying, we must be brave. This is why love is a revolution. Because it's not easy. Because choosing love in the face of danger is an act of will. Danger on Earth is inevitable. Fear is a choice. Here is how to choose love over fear today: take relentless, tender, fierce care of loved ones and strangers and enemies".

Glennon Doyle Melton

Matthew saw Alma's stepfather pointing the gun at Maggie. He shielded Maggie's body. As he was falling to the ground, taking Maggie with him, he felt the sound of the gunshot and the instant pain in his arm.

Maggie heard the gunshot but she only felt Matthew pushing her and then her body hitting the ground. She opened her eyes and saw Matthew's face. His arm was bleeding. She had never wanted to hurt someone so much in her life. She looked into the gunman's eyes. Her hate was bigger than her fears. And then she heard it again. That noise that froze her blood. She didn't close her eyes, so she saw the exact moment the bullet hit his head. It was horrifying. As a surgeon, she had seen blood, the inner part of the body, she knew exactly how every organ looked and she had seen what a gunshot could do to someone's body. No knowledge in the world could help her make sense of someone's life being taken away that violently.

She knew then that he didn't hate him, she hated the act, the violence. She wouldn't have wished such an ending to anyone. She started feeling so tiny and humble. She thought she knew how fleeting was life. She had witnessed it before. The difference this time was she felt the world was broken and in pain. Violence made everything seem empty and soulless.

"He's dead," Maggie told Matthew, "How are you?"

"I don't know how to answer that."

"I know. I think we are going to need therapy. I'm not saying we couldn't have benefited from it before but this was another level of trauma. A little girl being kidnapped by her stepfather, we being pointed by a gun, your gunshot wound, this man's death."

She got up from the ground and helped Matthew do the same. She used her scarf to cover the entrance and exit wound in his arm. The police officer introduced himself as he was running to them.

Maggie lifted Ruby who was crying and she helped Matthew hold her with his left arm. She was still trembling.

Alma was curled up in the trunk.

"We're safe," Maggie told her, "We're going home. You can leave the car. Come with me"

Alma stood up and she put her arms around Maggie's neck. Maggie helped her get out of the trunk. She asked her to close her eyes, not to see the dead body.

Officer Tanner checked the shooter and notified to the station that he was dead and we were fine. The paramedics were getting to the place but Alma was eager to leave this place behind. Tanner took Ruby's seat and he helped Matthew going up.

Alma was fine. Ruby was fine. Matthew had a gunshot wound because of her.

"I couldn't move. Fear didn't let me move. You not only didn't let fear freeze you, you chose to protect me. The world felt like shit and you protected a stranger. We barely knew each other. You are … I don't know, impressive? What you did... I can't thank you enough. You make me wanna be a better person. You make me wanna believe there's hope in this world."

"Alma is fine thanks to you. You did that, you know?"

Once they reached the road, the ambulance was already there. Agent Parker was also there.

"Matthew? What happened?" Nicole asked. While Matthew's partners treated his arm and interrogated him, Maggie told Parker everything that happened.

The paramedics also checked Alma. She was perfectly fine.

"You need to take her to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. She was recently hospitalized there because of a heart condition. The doctor that discharged her needs to check on her," Maggie said, thinking in how relieved Teddy would feel once she saw Alma was fine.

Before they left for the hospital, Maggie thanked once again Matthew.

"You didn't have anything to do with this situation. I feel I dragged you two to the danger. I'm sorry you must have lost a flight," Maggie said.

"We were where we were supposed to be and you must have lost yours too," Matthew said.

"I'm glad everyone is fine. I don't know how to thank you. Take care of Ruby," Maggie said as she placed a kiss on Ruby's forehead. He did the same with Matthew.

When Maggie was leaving, Matthew called her back.

"Maggie, take the key!"

"I can't take it."

"Yes, you can. This is where your journey starts. Go after what you want. Whatever it is, at least try it. After all, we are alive," he told her as he threw her the key of his car with his good arm.

"You are too good to be true, you know? I hope you two all the happiness in the world. You deserve it," Maggie said and she asked Matthew his phone number.

"The world is a scary place and I could use a brave friend. I'll keep you updated on my journey. And maybe you can tell once you figure it out, how you are."

As Matthew had said, that was the start of Maggie's journey. While Matthew was in his way to GSM, Maggie arrived to the airport and bought a ticket. She sent Richard a message telling him "Please wait for me" and a picture of her boarding pass.

On the ambulance, Nicole couldn't help asking "Does April know where you are?"

"While I was on the car, I told her that I might probably lose my flight because I was giving Maggie a ride when I lost her."

"Why don't you tell her where you are?"

"Because I don't want to lie to her or to worry her. I told her I'd let her know once I had a new ticket."

"Does Jackson know you two are divorced?"

"Maggie told him."

"This is going to be interesting," Nicole said as the ambulance stopped in front of the hospital.

As soon as he passed the E.R. doors, everyone was asking him questions about someone else's status. It was something he was used to except this time, he was supposed to be the patient.

"April, Columbus and Maggie, airport," Matthew answered as he was taken to get an X-ray of his right arm, where he was shoot.

"I didn't know either of them were missing," Owen told him while taking him away. Matthew had only told the paramedics about what happened, but he felt already tired thinking in how many times he would have to tell the same story.

Miranda and Meredith forgot about Matthew once they saw the FBI Agent entering the E.R. Alma was brought back to the hospital. Miranda questioned Agent Parker about what had happened while Teddy was checking Alma's status.

Jackson hadn't heard about Alma being kidnapped, but he could feel how relieved everyone was, specially Teddy. He stayed with them hearing what was going on, to Maggie, while he was being an ass with her.

Agent Parker told them where Alma was found and how Maggie found her and save her with Matthew's help.

"I have to thank Matthew. He took a bullet for her although he barely knew her. April saw it in him. I guess I now understand why she choose him," Meredith said.

Jackson knew it. Matthew was way more deserving of April. He hadn't talked to him. He wanted to check what Maggie told him. If it was true, how was April doing?

Alma's mother came to see her daughter. She cried a river while hugging her.

Meredith left to thank Matthew, and Jackson took the chance to talk with Bailey.

"I need to talk with you," Jackson told Bailey.

"I thought we had agreed you weren't quitting," Bailey said.

"Exactly. I know we'll both agree that's better for me and the hospital, to take a week off instead of quitting."

"Maybe I can agree to that. Finish your shift and take a week off," Bailey said. She didn't want to lose anyone else.

Jackson smiled and when he was about to leave, Bailey stopped him.

"Jackson, where are you going?"

"To finish my shift," Jackson said while walking away.

Bailey's phone starting ringing and she couldn't stop him.

"That wasn't what I meant," Bailey said to the air.

"Ben, is everything ok? Today was one of those days..." Bailey said answering her phone.

"I know. I heard Matthew is there. I wanted to check everyone was fine."

"Alma is here with her mother. Owen is treating Matthew. Maggie is in Europe. April is Columbus. Jackson is taking a week off."

"Wait. You had told me about Maggie, but why did Jackson take a week off?"

"I don't know," Bailey said, clearly upset about it, "I was asking him when you called. Now I lost him. I wanted to know if he's going to bring me back my cardiothoracic surgeon"

"Or maybe you can get your trauma surgeon back."

"Oh... I haven't thought that was an option. Should I worry about Matthew's wellbeing? Is there anything you haven't told me?"

"You are the love of my life. That's all," Ben said.

"And April is the love of Avery's life, that's what you are saying?"

"Exactly," Ben answered.

"That's bullshit. They had every chance to be together and they didn't."

"Waiting game."

"I don't know what that is but do it to me and you are dead, Ben Warren."

"I'm smarter than that."

"You wouldn't be the love of my life, otherwise."

While Bailey was talking with Ben, Meredith was talking with Matthew.

"How are you?" Meredith asked.

"Owen said I'm lucky. Only flesh wounds. I'd recover just fine."

"I heard you saved Maggie. I wanted to thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same," Matthew said.

"If that were the case, I don't think anyone would have shot you in the first place. The world would be a better place if more people were like you. I don't think it's possible, but did anything happened with Maggie's phone? She isn't answering my messages."

"She was just having a bad day. The good news is she took the bad she was getting and turned it into a chance to start a journey with her biological dad."

"I don't know. I think she's running away from something."

"Maybe, but problems are mental creations, you can't successfully run away from them. They will go with you anywhere. I know it from my own experience."

"I know. Richard will be there for her. I shouldn't worry. I just want to hear it from her. I'm letting you go, you must be wishing to go back to your wife after this awful day. Goodbye, little Ruby," Meredith said leaving them alone.

Matthew was discharged so he had to leave too. He had to take care of his right arm, he wasn't supposed to do any effort with it. While he was placing Ruby in her seat, he thought about how complicated it was going to be for him, as a single parent, having to take care of her with one arm only. He was lucky, though. He didn't want to think about what could have happened.

He took Ruby and went to the door. Jackson saw him leaving and went to talk to him. His shift was over. His week off was on.

"Matthew!" he said while running towards him. "Let me take Ruby. You shouldn't be doing any effort."

"Hi Jackson. Thank you, you shouldn't have to bother," Matthew said.

"It's not a bother. I can't believe I have only seen you in pictures. Nice to meet you, Ruby," Jackson said and Ruby gave him a smile. "Where you going to Columbus with April?"

"Yeah, I was."

"You lost your flight?"

"I lost my flight."

"I want to see Harriet... and April. I'm worried about her. I miss them. I'm going to Columbus. You should come with me on the jet," Jackson said, leaving Matthew astonished.