AN: Thank you for all the birthday wishes and reviews, they were appreciated. I didn't want to leave you wondering for too long. I've worked hard on these chapters and they've been a long time in the making. This chapter was actually how I envisioned chapter 30 ending but then it just became so long and took me in a different direction before coming back to this. Chapters 29-32 have actually been semi-written since the very beginning of this story and have always part of the plan, I just wasn't sure where and how they would fit in.
Hope everyone is safe and healthy. Have a safe holiday weekend! Happy reading :)
Chapter Thirty-One
Teddy
"Arizona!" Teddy screamed, a blood curdling scream that alerted Owen, the medics, and soldiers standing around them. "Help, we need help, she's buried!"
At this, everyone dropped what they were doing and more than two dozen people sprung into action as they worked to move the rubble surrounding the blonde doctor. In less than a minute, Arizona's head appeared from the rubble as the men and women continued to work together to free her. Teddy reached down with trembling fingers and felt her neck for a pulse. She breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the blood pumping in the artery beneath her fingers but her relief quickly turned to panic as she noted her friend wasn't breathing.
"Owen, she's not breathing." Teddy . She leaned down and sealed her lips around Arizona's, pinching her nose, and attempted to give her a rescue breath but she could tell the issue was that her chest couldn't expand due to the rubble.
"Try again." Owen said as he continued to frantically help unbury the blonde, her chest and abdomen now visible and free of rubble. Teddy leaned down again, repeating the process, giving her friend two rescue breaths and watched in satisfaction as Arizona's chest rose. She waited a few seconds and leaned down and gave her two more breaths.
Just as Arizona's legs were free and they pulled her to the ground away from danger, Teddy leaned in to give her another two breaths when the blonde began to cough and moan, "Teds, get your mouth off of me."
Teddy laughed at her friend and hugged her tightly. Her heart was racing and she hadn't even realized she was crying until she saw the wet drops landing onto Arizona's face, neck, and chest. "You scared the shit out of me, Arizona."
"Sorry, Teds. I scared myself too."
"Owen, Owen, come take a look at her." Teddy called frantically as she began cutting the scrub shirt from Arizona's body with her trauma shears. The blonde attempted to sit up but Teddy pushed her back down. "Stay still until Owen clears you of crush injuries."
Arizona was thankful she was wearing one of her spaghetti strap tank tops beneath her scrubs since clearly, Teddy had no concern for her modesty at the moment as she cut away her scrub top to allow Owen to do a quick but thorough examination. Luckily, the blonde had no serious injuries aside from her collarbone and a few possible broken ribs on the left side along with some mild cuts and bruises.
"You're lucky, Dr. Robbins, I can't believe you don't have more serious injuries than you do. " Offering a hand to her, Owen asked, "Can you stand?"
Arizona nodded her head yes and without another word, Teddy and Owen reached down, offering steady hands to assist and support her in getting off the ground. She began coughing and spitting the dirt from her mouth and throat as she was able to expand her diaphragm fully, her chest was on fire. Teddy rubbed her back and waited for the blonde to clear her airway as she surveyed her for injuries once more. Finding nothing, Teddy wrapped her arms around Arizona tightly.
"I love you too, Teds." Arizona whispered into her hair as she returned the hug just as tightly, despite the bum arm and painful ribs.
Arizona
"Come here, let me check you out." Teddy said, wrapping an arm around Arizona as she heard her wince into their embrace.
"It's just my shoulder, Teds. How's Hera?"
"Shepherd is checking her out now but she seems to be ok. Owen, I need you to take care of Arizona's shoulder." Teddy said to the redhead who was watching them from nearby.
"No, I think I should wait for Callie." Arizona protested. She was not looking forward to this and she was in part trying to stall but she also truly believed that it would hurt less if the Latina did it herself. And her shoulder and chest were both on fire, the idea of anyone touching it made her want to vomit.
"Seriously, Callie is going to take pleasure in causing you pain once she hears about all of this. I think Owen is your best bet, Riz."
"That clavicle needs to be put back in place sooner rather than later, Robbins. Do you want a shot of morphine first?" Owen asked as he inspected the bone. He would prefer to get some imaging to make sure there wasn't soft tissue damage or damage to the socket or bone itself, especially with suspected broken ribs but that wasn't an option and it seemed like a simple injury.
"No, I don't want to be loopy when I see Callie. Although, maybe she would be less likely to kill me if I was high on morphine." Arizona joked. Teddy gave her a sympathetic smile and held her right hand tightly for support.
"On the count of three. One...Two…"
"Oh, fuck, Owen you said on three." Arizona gasped as the fire in her shoulder simmered but it was back in place.
"I know, you tense on three if I do that so I lied." Owen said simply with a shrug of his shoulders. He grabbed a few pieces of cloth and made a sling around Arizona's neck, placing her injured arm in it. With the other piece of cloth, he brought it around her upper torso, over her chest, and tied it under the armpit of her other arm to keep her from lifting her bad arm.
"Keep it immobilized like this until either Dr. Torres or myself can do a proper examination of that shoulder." Owen instructed.
"How are you feeling, Blondie?" Mark asked as he approached the trio.
"Like I was nearly crushed by rubble. And I'm not particularly fond of Owen at the moment either."
"I popped her shoulder back into place." Owen explained.
"She wanted to wait for Callie." Teddy added.
"He didn't warn me. He said on three but he didn't wait until three."
"It's better that way, you don't tense, hurts less." Derek said as he joined the group.
"That's what I said." Owen replied.
"They're right, you know. Lots of sports injuries in my day, it's best if you don't see it coming. Besides, that pain, nothing compared to what Torres is going to do to you when she gets her hands on you, Blondie."
"Hey Hunt, we are loading up the last of the survivors now." Grady said, interrupting the colorful retort Arizona was about to give Mark.
"Ok, we're coming," Owen shouted to Grady. The radio cracked and the frantic voice of Washington was heard over Captain Grady's radio.
"Washington to Captain Grady, do you copy?"
"I'm here Washington, go ahead."
"We have a code black at the hospital, sir. A bomb has gone off at the hospital."
"Repeat that, Washington." Captain Grady said, everyone stood completely still and was staring intently at the radio in his hand.
"I repeat, we have a code black. A bomb has gone off at the hospital. The building is still standing but there are doctors and patients inside. I can see a fire on the east side of the building. Rebels are heavy in the area, Carter and I are unable to get close enough to safely assist. We are requesting immediate back up."
"Washington, what is the status of the people inside?"
"I'm not sure. I think some of the people on the first floor may have been killed or injured. The bomb seemed to go off near the burn unit on the east side of the building. We haven't been able to contact anyone inside. There's a heavy presence of rebels in the area, they are armed and sticking close to the hospital. I am worried that they are planning for another bomb to go off, it seems the hospital is the target. The hospital is officially under attack, sir."
"We're on our way, Washington, I'm sending a closer unit for back up. As soon as they arrive, begin evacuating if it is safe to do so."
"Copy that, Captain."
"Alright guys, pack it up. We are going now." Grady yelled as people around them sprung into action.
"Did he say code black?" Mark asked with a look of panic on his face.
"A bomb went off in the hospital, Mark. Meredith…" Derek said as realization hit him.
"Teddy...I'm going to be sick." Arizona warned a split second before the contents of her stomach splattered the ground near Teddy's feet. Teddy rubbed her back as Arizona raised her head and the two looked at each other.
"Tim..." Teddy whispered.
"Callie." Arizona replied as a second wave of nausea hit and she emptied her stomach once again. Without further words, Teddy helped Arizona up and the two ran to the truck, closely followed by Mark, Derek, and Owen. They climbed into the back at lightning speed and Owen hit the back of the truck twice to let the driver know all was aboard and they took off.
"Little Robbin to Big Rob, do you read me?" Arizona asked frantically through the walkie-talkie. Her dirty hands shook with fear and dread as nothing but static was heard.
"Calliope, are you there?" Arizona tried again but got nothing. Teddy placed a comforting hand on Arizona's arm.
"It's probably too far away to reach, Arizona."
"No, I spoke to Tim and Callie on walkie-talkies when I was stuck in that building. Oh God, Teddy what if they're injured or…" Arizona didn't need to nor could she finish that sentence. Her stomach threatened to force her to vomit again at just the thought of it.
"They're not, Arizona. They are going to be just fine."
"How do you know?"
"I don't but I have a feeling."
"Callie had a feeling and I didn't listen to her. I should have just stayed with her like she asked me to. She needed me and I left her to go play army. What was I thinking?"
"Hey, we needed you, Arizona. Callie didn't like it but she understood that. You saved two little girls' lives today. And Shepherd and Sloan, they helped save some kiddos too. Stop blaming yourself. We needed you here, she understood that."
"Little Robbin to Big Rob, please Tim, answer me." Arizona tried again with growing panic. She waited a few seconds before repeating her plea twice more. When her pleas continued to go unanswered she tried one last time, "Timothy Daniel Robbins, answer me right this second."
"Arizona, I don't think he has the walkie-talkie or it's broken or something but he's not answering honey, just try to relax." Teddy said, her own nerves on edge and Arizona's constant fidgeting with the walkie-talkie was driving her up the wall.
"Damn it." the blonde cursed, throwing the walkie-talkie at the ground and sending a piece flying into Owen's leg across the vehicle. He looked in her direction with a puzzled look. "Sorry Owen."
Teddy gave her the side eye and she knew it was a warning. Her best friend's patience and nerves were wearing thin. She watched Teddy intently as she sat across from her in the vehicle. The fourteen mile drive seemed to be taking forever so she watched as Teddy's lips moved ever so slightly, the same way she knew Callie's did. They hadn't discussed it but Arizona recognized that it was Callie praying, she didn't make a fuss about it or say that was what she was doing but Arizona had noticed it and the blonde had come to find comfort in it. But she hadn't seen Teddy pray in a very long time and it made her feel more anxiety than comfort. Still, she closed her eyes and mimicked her best friend as she prayed for Callie, Tim, and the rest of the hospital staff and patients. She prayed like she never had before.
Tim
"Nick. Nick!"
"I'm here." Nick said, standing up and dusting himself off, holding a hand to his bleeding forehead. Tim coughed through the puff of smoke and rubbed his irritated and watery eyes. The explosion had knocked them all off their feet. Tim's ears were ringing and he felt slightly dizzy but otherwise he seemed to be uninjured.
"We've got to get everyone out of here." Tim said. He realized the hospital must be the target, it probably had been all along.
"I'll head to the triage center to check on the doctors and patients in the ED. You go check the OR's." Nick said. The two men nodded at each other. A sound from behind them had them both reaching for their guns but to their relief, it was Dr. Jackson Avery.
"The burn center is demolished. I was on my way there to check over Sloan's patient's and it's gone, there's no survivors." Jackson said, it was clear he was in shock.
"Come here man, sit down." Nick said, sitting Jackson down on the floor. The two men looked him over and though he had some cuts and bruises from being closer to the blast than they had been, he seemed to be ok.
"There's a lot of armed men outside." Jackson said, staring off into space.
"We need to evacuate everyone but we need back up to do it safely. See if the Chief can get through to anyone and send us some help. The rebels are probably surrounding us and going to try to prevent us from evacuating." Tim said to Nick, "Have the Chief send doctors upstairs to get the pediatric and women's wards emptied. I'll meet them once I've checked on Callie."
The three men split up, Nick and Jackson heading to the triage center to find the Chief while Tim went to assess the situation they were in and to check on Callie. Carefully he crept toward the dilapidated part of the building and glanced through the wreckage. Fires were still burning in a few places and he knew they had been lucky that the blast had gone through the other outer wall and not through the opposing wall into the building, if it had it may have taken out the entire first floor. Either way, the east side of the wing was unstable and the pediatric unit rested partially above the burn unit. Evacuating the peds ward would be his first priority once he checked on his sister's ortho goddess. Deciding that was now top priority, he took note of the few men he could see through the hole in the wall and quietly made his way upstairs to the OR that Callie was currently occupying.
Callie
"What the hell was that?" Callie asked as a deafening boom sounded and the building shook. She used her body to shield the open wound of the child she was operating on while Alex leaned over the top half of the child, protecting her head from any falling dust and particles.
"Was that a fricken bomb?" Eliza asked, grey eyes wide as they looked to her left where Callie stood beside her.
"Yea, it was a freaking bomb. And it was close. Too close. Fricken seriously." Alex grumbled in disbelief from the head of the bed.
"Statistically speaking, we are far more likely to be killed in a car crash with odds of 1 in 103 fatality. Or of dying in a plane accident is also more likely with 1 in 11 million odds along with being struck by lightning which is a 1 in 3,000 chance in your lifetime, or getting bit by a shark 1 in 11.5 million odds. Since 1970, 51.53% of terrorist attacks in the U.S. have been bombings. The state of Washington is ranked 6th in the US with 88 attacks. But I have no idea what the statistics are in a hospital in Afghanistan" Lexie rambled nervously.
"Shut up little Grey." Callie said, grumpily. She looked around at the four other people in the room. Ben Warren had stood from his chair where he had been reading a book, his part of the job having gone smoothly with intubating and properly sedating the child they were currently working on. He walked over to his fellow doctors and the five of them shared a silent moment as they were all lost in their own thoughts momentarily.
"What do you need?" Ben asked.
"I'm not sure, I'm thinking." Callie replied.
"Talk to us, what are you thinking?" Ben asked calmly. Four sets of eyes rested on the ortho doc, waiting for her to speak.
"Her tibia is broken in three places and her fibula is just shattered. It's like a jigsaw puzzle in here." Callie commented as they stared at their first real look at the damage to the little girl's leg. The imaging hadn't shown the complete story and her injuries were far worse than they had anticipated. Callie's heart sunk because she knew this would take hours of her hard work, skills, and pure determination but a bomb had just gone off, she probably couldn't afford to provide the time it would take to pull a surgery like this off successfully.
"What about doing just a simple repair to stabilize the blood vessels and bones then we can go back in to do the plates, screws, and open reduction tomorrow when things are more stable and secure here?" Eliza suggested.
"But look at this leg, Dr. Minnick. The imaging just didn't show exactly how much damage there is. She needs a graft, plates, wires, pins and rods. It's going to take several long surgeries to repair this. And even then, the muscle and nerves might just be too damaged but I have to try. She's only six years old." Callie explained.
"Callie, we don't have that amount of time. Ameera is becoming more unstable and she can't take much more anesthesia, not to mention a fricken bomb just went off. We need to stabilize her and move her." Alex said as he carefully watched the child's monitors.
"Karev is right." Ben said as he too glanced at the monitors.
"Callie?" the OR door opened slowly and a blonde head peeked in, a mask covering his mouth and nose as he edged further into the room.
"I have an open child in here, Tim, what's going on out there?" Callie asked, not looking up from her work.
"Rebels have moved into the area, we can assume the hospital is the target, we need to evacuate. A bomb went off in the street and took out the burn unit. We requested backup so we can do it quickly and safely. I just wanted to make sure you guys were ok. I need to get to the peds unit, the floor is unstable, they will be evacuated first. Cal, you need to finish this up quickly, ok?"
"Tim, her leg is mangled, even with Alex, Lexie, and Eliza's help, this is a challenging surgery and she's only six years old. I could use Arizona and Owen's help. Are they back yet?"
"No, we haven't heard anything from them in a while. My walkie-talkie was broken in the blast. We're using our two-ways to communicate now."
"What if we just do damage control, repair the blood flow and try to stabilize the tibia with temporary plates until we can place a rod? Then we can go back in tomorrow." Eliza suggested again.
"I'm afraid that won't be enough, her leg is so damaged it could get infected or the blood flow could easily get interrupted and then we would have no choice but to amputate. I'd have to monitor her closely all night until we could go back in to complete the surgery tomorrow,"
"Callie, the hospital is damaged from a bomb and is surrounded by armed rebels, coming back for another surgery isn't an option and staying the night here is completely out of the question. Stabilize her and we can transfer her to the city but you guys need to get out of this OR as soon as possible." Tim said.
"Damn it." Callie swore, she was frustrated. She loved a challenge and this leg was a surgery she would have rocked back home. It was the kind of surgery that made her fall in love with ortho. She could take these bone fragments and piece them back together, creating a new structure that gave someone back their ability to walk. It was a powerful feeling and she had desperately wanted to be able to do the same for this child. "Tim, she's six years old. She won't make it on a two hour trip through a war zone with her leg this unstable. She needs it repaired now."
"We could amputate." Eliza replied, earning her a truly horrific Torres death glare.
"Callie, she's right and you know it. I hate to advocate for removal of a limb on a six year old when there is even a tiny chance of the limb being viable but Eliza is right, it's the safest option for her and the quickest way to get us out of here." Alex said with a grim look on his face. He might not be an ortho doc but Arizona had been mentoring him on peds cases for the better part of six months and he had learned a lot. This little girl was being pushed to the limit with the anesthesia as it was.
"I can fix her leg. I just need time." Callie sighed. She felt defeated and hated the idea of amputation, especially since she truly believed she could repair the child's leg.
"You don't have time, Cal. If another bomb goes off, she will die anyway, along with you. I'll be back, I need to evacuate the peds ward. I'll send the Chief up."
"It's not necessary, Tim. My team and I will discuss a plan and get her ready for evacuation." Callie replied shortly, not liking that Tim was both right and trying to bully her into a decision with a threat of sending the Chief. Tim had barely left the room and the four surgeons were currently discussing options when the door opened again.
"Torres." Callie heard her name called from the doorway, she knew it was the Chief before she turned her head to glance at him.
"I'm a bit busy, Chief. What's up?" Callie said, trying to keep the irritation in her voice to a bare minimum.
"How much further do you have on this surgery?"
"This kid's leg is a mess, Chief. It's going to take me hours to repair it, we are discussing a plan right now but frequent interruptions aren't helping. Even if we stabilize her and get good blood flow, her leg might just be too damaged. She may lose this leg."
"We are evacuating."
"Sir, I still have hours to go even if it's just to get her stabilized."
"Then either stabilize it enough to let the doctors in the city finish the surgery later or make the call to amputate. Either way, I need you out of this room as soon as possible, Torres."
"If I don't finish this surgery now she will more than likely develop an infection that could kill her, Chief. Not to mention, the doctors in the city are probably not as skilled as I am and wouldn't be able to pull off this repair." Callie replied, she wasn't being cocky, it was just a fact.
"Torres, I know it sucks but a bomb just went off and destroyed the burn unit. Rebels are still in the area, they are armed and dangerous and could attempt another bombing, we are evacuating now. Time is of the essence. Patients are being transported via buses to a hospital in the city and my doctors are going back to base as soon as we can get everyone out of here."
"She can't travel two hours to the city like this, Torres. I know it sucks but we're going to have to amputate." Alex said grimly.
"How fast can you do that?" Webber asked.
"She's six, sir. I don't want to mangle her."
"She has us to help, we can get it done quickly, sir." Lexie replied.
"They can make it pretty when she gets to the city, Torres. I need you to stabilize her enough for transport and get the hell out of here. I'll be back in twenty minutes to check on you."
"Damn it." Callie said, "Eliza, get the bone saw."
"Bone saw." Eliza said, handing it to Callie. She shook her head with a sickening feeling. This is not how she had imagined this surgery going when she wheeled the little girl into her OR.
"Now is the time to leave if you want to evacuate. Once I start removing this leg, no one can leave until she is stable." Callie said. She met two pairs of brown eyes, a pair of gray, and a pair of hazel. None of them blinked, she saw no sign of hesitation. "Ok then, let's do this."
Callie set to work, the four of them working like a well oiled machine. There was no art in amputating, Callie thought grimly but that didn't mean she still couldn't rock this surgery and give the child the best chance at being able to have a prosthetic in the future. An image of blonde hair and big blue eyes flashed across her mind and she wondered how the pediatric surgeon was doing at the moment. She hoped she was safe and doing better than they were here at the hospital. She sent a silent prayer up, her lips moving under her mask as she prayed for the child and the blonde.
Tim
"The peds unit and the nursery are empty sir, I have all the children in the triage center being tended to by Dr. Grey and Dr. Yang for the moment." Tim reported to the Chief.
"Yang and Grey are in charge of the cabbage patch? Oh, I would pay big bucks to see that." Erica Hahn said as she approached Tim, Nick, and the Chief.
"Dr. Hahn, how is the men's ward coming?" the Chief asked. He had assigned Addison and Nicole to be in charge of evacuating the nursery and women's units. Erica and Burke had been in charge of evacuating the men's unit. Many of the interns and residents had been assigned to help Tim with the evacuation of the unstable peds unit and running the triage center.
"Burke and I gave O'Malley, Percy, and Avery instructions and they are currently evacuating the last of the patients to the triage center."
"What's the evacuation plan, Robbins?" the Chief asked.
"Washington and Carter are nearby and have radioed for back up. As soon as the cavalry arrives, they will make their way to us to help us evacuate the patients and staff safely and efficiently. They should be here any moment so we should get ready to mobilize."
"Hahn, could you go check the OR? Dr. Torres is working on one of the children, I need a status update on how she's doing. I need them out of there ASAP, please emphasize that. Maybe she will listen to you."
"Yes sir." Erica replied as she headed to the second floor, eager at the chance to boss the Latina around a little bit. Tim watched her go, he didn't trust her but he had work to get done down here so he would let it go for the moment.
"Robbins, do you read?"
"I'm here, Washington." Tim replied over the crackling of the two-way radio attached to his belt.
"Rebels are moving in through the east side, looks like they might be attempting to enter the hospital through the hole in the wall. We need to evacuate now. The cavalry has arrived."
"Roger that."
"We are sending troops in from the east to distract them and cover you so we can evacuate safely. You will have backup arriving momentarily through the triage entrance."
"Thanks Washington, see you soon." Tim said, signing off. He found Nick and the eight soldiers that accompanied the doctors to the hospital everyday. They split into three groups, one to help lead the evacuation, one to follow the evacuation from the rear, and one to guard the aast wing to prevent rebels from gaining access to the hospital before evacuation.
"Stay safe bro." Nick said, hugging Tim tightly before he set off with two other men to lead the evacuation.
"Always." Tim replied with a cocky grin. The three men assigned to protect the patients and doctors from the rear as they evacuated set out to the triage center after a short debriefing among them. Tim had volunteered to be one of the four to protect the east wing, this way he could at least be sure Callie and the rest of the doctors and patients left the hospital safely.
"Robbins, you and Yates take positions near the stairwell and main hall. Gleason and I will take the halls on either side of the east wing. Silence your radios and stay where you can see us."
"Yes sir." Tim responded, taking a position on the stairwell so he could watch Callie's OR door from this position.
Karev
"Torres, you're seriously a rockstar. I know amputating sucks and you probably could have saved this kid's leg under normal circumstances but that is the quickest I have ever seen anyone do such a clean amputation." Alex said to the brunette. He wasn't one to freely give out compliments and he wasn't an ass kisser, he was just seriously impressed. And he knew Callie could use all the compliments she could get after having to remove a six year old's leg.
"Thanks Alex. Now, let's get her closed up and a bandage on this." Callie said. "Does anyone want to leave? I really only need one person to assist, the rest of you should go."
"Not a chance. Robbins is my mentor and I know you think she's all rainbows and butterflies and fairy tales and that you're the scary moody one but Robbins is way scarier than you when she's pissed. No offense. Maybe because you don't expect it out of her. So, I'm sticking with the tiny human and you for her, until I know you're both safe."
"First of all, I am way scarier than Arizona, are you kidding me Karev? But, besides that you are a good one, Karev. Arizona has been telling everyone for weeks and I have to say, I didn't see it but now I do." Callie said with a smile beneath her mask. Karev blushed and kicked at the ground with a foot as he replied with, "Whatever."
"Yea, I'm not leaving you either, Callie. Or Ameera." Lexie replied as she stroked the sleeping child's hair.
"I might as well stay and see this through." Eliza said with a shrug.
"As happy as I am to hear all of you be supportive, I have to insist, Dr. Grey, Dr. Minnick, go ahead and go. Karev and I can assist Dr. Torres. Warren, if she's not under anesthesia anymore, I want you to go too." Chief Webber said as he entered the room once again.
"With all do respect sir, we're staying." Eliza replied.
"Where's Dr. Hahn?" the Chief asked suddenly, looking around the room and noting that the cardiothoracic surgeon was nowhere to be found.
"I'm not sure, why would Erica be here?" Callie asked with a confused look. Alex made eye contact with her and shrugged.
"None of you have seen Dr. Hahn?" the Chief asked worriedly. Everyone shook their heads in the negative.
"I'll be right back. Don't let anyone in until I get back." the Chief said before disappearing again.
"What the hell was that about?" Callie asked. Again, Alex shrugged. Hell if he knew. He was still on his high. No matter what was going on or the fact that they had just had to amputate a child's leg, they had rocked this surgery while a bomb went off in a war zone. He was feeling pretty good about that, not to mention, it would give him one hell of a story to tell the ladies.
"Lexie, hold right here." Alex instructed as he let go of the limb to cross the room for the wrap they would need. Part of a successful amputation meant leaving a healthy stump so the child could get a prosthesis someday, hopefully. Alex knew that Callie was meticulous in the way she wrapped the stumps. Unfortunately, they had performed plenty of amputations together recently and he was fairly familiar with her process so he knew exactly which supplies to grab.
Alex returned to the table and handed the supplies off to Callie just as the door burst open. Alex looked up to see Dr. Hahn and was about to lower his gaze back down to the wound they were currently dressing when he noticed the gun and then the two men that followed her into the room. Alex and Lexie stood on the opposite side of the table and had a clear view, as did Ben from his position where he now stood at the head of the bed to closely monitor their tiny patient. Callie and Eliza had their back's to the door and were currently unaware of their intruders.
"Chief, what's going on? We're almost done, we're working as fast as we can." Callie said, not looking up from her work but assuming the Chief was there to pressure her into hurrying this along some more.
"Callie, stop what you're doing." Erica said. At this, Callie finally lifted her gaze but didn't turn around as she made eye contact with first Lexie and then Alex and saw their expressions. A look of confusion passed her face and then she sent a questioning look to Alex. Arizona was right, the Latina had very expressive eyes, he thought.
"We're almost done here Dr. Hahn." Callie replied as she quickly placed a piece of tape over the gauze to secure the bandage they had just placed. She still needed to wrap the leg with some ace bandages but for now, at least it was covered and stable. She was afraid to turn around, she knew it was bad by the looks on the faces of Alex and Lexie.
"Dr. Torres, I said stop. There are some men here that require your assistance." Erica repeated with her harsh voice. Even two gunmen apparently couldn't soften up the surgeon.
"I've been shot." One of the men replied, as he limped further into the room, the door closing completely behind the two men. At this, Callie finally turned to face them.
"Remove the bullet and patch him up or your friend dies." The man holding the gun to Erica's back demanded.
"She's not my friend." Alex replied under his breath. He saw Lexie give him a look from his peripheral but he didn't acknowledge it, his eyes were focused on the gun wielding man.
"We have a patient on the table in here, a child. We can go to another OR and I will gladly remove it for you." Callie replied, trying to get the men away from the little girl they had all worked so hard to save.
"No. Move her. We stay here." The man with the gun said, now aiming it at Callie.
"Ok, just put the gun down." Alex said, his hands in front of his chest in a non-threatening manner. The gunman now looked at him and focused the gun on Alex. Looking around for something to lay the girl on, Alex grabbed the sterile drape that currently covered the child and laid it on the floor. With the help of Ben, the four surgeons lifted the child and placed her gently on the floor of the OR.
"Lexie, watch her monitor, do not take your eyes off her." Alex instructed. He watched as Lexie took off her sterile surgical gown and used it to drape and shield the child's naked body before he turned his attention back to the man climbing onto their table.
"No funny business or I shoot her and then each of you." The man with the gun threatened.
"If you want your friend's leg to get patched up, I suggest you take your gun out of my face." Alex said as the gunman pointed the gun at each of the doctors in turn.
"I suggest you keep your dirty American mouth shut or I will shoot you first instead of the rude woman." The man replied, training his gun back on Erica.
"This is going to hurt." Callie warned as she brought her scalpel to the wound on the man's leg to widen it. The man gritted his teeth but to his credit, he didn't make a sound as Callie dug for the bullet. "Got it, now just a few stitches and you two can be on your way."
Tim
"Everyone has been evacuated with the exception of the OR. I think it's safe to move out if they are finished with the surgery." Vlausen said to Tim and the two other soldiers.
"I'll go check." Tim offered but he was stopped by the Chief approaching them.
"I think there's a problem, gentlemen." The Chief said, catching their attention, "I sent Dr. Hahn to check on Dr. Torres and see how the surgery was coming. I just went to the OR to check myself and they never saw Dr. Hahn."
"Is it possible she just evacuated without saying anything with the rest of the group."
"It is but I think it's a bit uncharacteristic. Dr. Hahn likes to be in charge and she enjoys bossing people around, harassing my OR staff is right up her alley. I sent her on purpose, I don't think she'd miss the opportunity to try to boss Dr. Torres around."
"Yates, Gleason, maintain your positions. Robbins, come with me." Vlausen instructed quickly. Tim's spidey senses kicked into full gear. It could be a fluke, maybe Erica just decided to evacuate with everyone else. She did tend to care about her own skin but Tim's gut told him that something was up. He followed Vlausen and the Chief up the stairs to the OR quietly.
"Robbins, you take the left side, I'll take the right. Chief, I want you to knock on the door and check on the staff, once we know they are secure, we will do a sweep. If something is off, we can only hope they will find a way to alert you." Vlausen instructed. The Chief nodded his head and waited for the two men to take their positions. The Chief opened the door slightly but could only see Ben at the head of the table.
"Torres, how is it going in here?" The Chief asked, he noted the door was blocked from opening further.
"We're just about done." She replied but her voice sounded strained.
"Did you have to amputate?" the Chief asked, noting the strain.
"Yes sir." Alex's voice could be heard.
"Do you need assistance?"
"No!" Tim could hear Callie, Eliza, and Alex all reply at once and he knew then that they were in distress. He just needed to find a way to confirm it.
"Ok, did Dr. Hahn ever stop by to assist?" The Chief asked, sensing trouble.
"Uh, yea, she did but we didn't need her help." Callie replied. "An amputation really isn't something an OBGYN can help with. I'm not sure why she thought I'd need her."
With that, Tim's suspicions were confirmed, the doctors in the OR were definitely in distress. Tim cursed under his breath. Why couldn't anything just be easy and go as they needed it to? The Chief turned to look at the two soldiers to see if they caught on to Callie's hint. Noting that they had, he turned back and made eye contact with Ben and nodded his head slightly.
"Yea, Dr. Hahn is amazing at delivering babies but I'm not sure she can tell a fibula from a bone saw. Do you have an ETA for us, Dr. Torres? We really need to evacuate." The chief replied, letting her know he had understood her message.
"No sir, we are doing the best we can. Maybe ten minutes."
"Ok, I will just wait out here for you then. You've got ten minutes Torres, after that we have to evacuate whether she's stable or not. I will come in and assist if you need it." The Chief replied, hoping to coax someone into the hall but at the very least, letting his staff know that he was there and wasn't planning to abandon them in their time of need.
"Understood sir." Callie replied.
Stepping away from the OR door and out of the line of vision should the door open, the three men gathered to discuss a plan, "What are we going to do?"
"We don't know how many are in there or if they're armed. We can assume so, how else would they be holding your staff hostage? How many surgeons are in there?"
"Torres, Karev, Grey, Minnick, and Warren for sure. Plus the child. And I am assuming Dr. Hahn." The Chief listed the names of his staff.
"So seven potential hostages?" Vlausen asked, weighing their options. Just then the OR door opened slightly and they heard Callie's voice call, "Chief, we need you in here."
"We can't give them another hostage." Vlausen objected.
"One moment Torres, I'm just calling over the radio to give a status update. Transport is waiting for the child so they can get her to the city." The Chief called, hoping to buy a few moments.
"The child is dead." A man's voice, deep with an accent could be heard a split second before he rounded the corner. They caught him off guard, clearly he had expected only the Chief. His gun was fixed on Erica Hahn and his eyes widened in surprise at the sudden appearance of not just one surgeon but the two soldiers with him. The OR doors quickly slammed shut behind him causing the man to jump. A jumpy gunman wasn't a good sign, Tim thought.
"Drop your weapon." Vlausen demanded.
"Drop yours or she dies."
"If you shoot her then we will just shoot you."
"Maybe but her blood will be on your hands. And trust me, I would take pleasure in shooting this mouthy and rude woman." The man replied as he pressed the gun more firmly into Erica's side causing her to wince.
Everything happened quickly, the OR door opened silently and a split second later, Ben injected the man from behind in the neck with a syringe. The man's eyes opened wide as realization struck and Tim saw his fingers tighten on the trigger. Two guns went off a few seconds apart, echoing loudly in the small hallway. Erica dropped to the ground, cursing, blood spilled from her leg as she gasped and held pressure. "He shot me, he fucking shot me."
"He saved your life." The Chief said, applying pressure to the wound. Tim lowered his weapon, his heart hammering wildly in his chest. He had done the only thing he could, he had aimed his gun at Erica's leg and shot the outside of her thigh, grazing her but it was enough for her to drop to the ground just as the gunman pulled the trigger. The gunman's bullet lodged into the wall across the hall instead of into Erica's back as he fainted from the large dose of anesthesia he had been injected with.
Tim raced into the OR to find a second man passed out on the table and Callie, Lexie, Alex, and Eliza transferring the child onto a backboard. He sighed in relief as he saw the doctors unharmed. "Is everyone ok?"
"Yea, we're good. Who was shot? Is everyone ok?" Callie said as she stood and hugged him. "Ben gave him a shot of propofol, he will be out for a while. Is Erica ok?"
"Yea, everyone is ok. The gunman was going to shoot Erica so I shot her in the leg to force her to drop to the ground. It's a flesh wound, she's pissed but she will be fine." Tim replied.
"You shot Hahn in the leg? Dude." Alex said with a half laugh and a smirk as he shook his head and held up his hand to high five Tim. Tim smiled slightly at Alex but he didn't want to celebrate shooting another person, even if it was Erica Hahn and even if it was to save her life.
"Come on guys, let's get out of here." The Chief said, peeking his head in the room. Alex grabbed one side of the backboard while the Chief grabbed the other.
"Careful of her leg." Callie shouted, she grabbed the back end of the backboard where she could watch Ameera's leg for too much movement, "I'll keep her leg stable, you guys worry about getting us out of here."
They exited the OR to find Erica being supported by Gleason and Yates who had joined them. Everything seemed in order and the group made their way to the exit. Vlausen led with Gleason, Yates, and Hahn following. Eliza was behind them, carrying the front of the backboard while Alex, Lexie, Ben, and the Chief kept their positions on the sides. Callie kept the child's leg stable as they walked while Tim brought up the rear.
Arizona
Arizona jumped from the still moving vehicle as soon as they pulled up as close to the hospital as they safely could with the barricades blocking them from getting too close. She was running full tilt toward the building when a pair of arms caught her from behind. "Get off me!"
"I can't let you go in there, Phoenix. We have orders from the Captain and your Chief, no one goes into that building."
"Calliope is in there, Nick." Arizona shouted, fighting for him to release her.
"I know, they're working on that little girl you saved. As soon as she has her stable enough, she will get out of there." Nick replied while Arizona continued with her struggle.
"Let go of me Gilbert or I swear on Andi's grave that you will be sorry." Arizona growled.
"I'm not letting you go in there, Phoenix." Nick replied, but he loosened his grip and the blonde relaxed a bit. "You done being crazy?"
"Bite me, Nick. Where's Tim?" Arizona asked, her eyes scanning the crowd for her brother at least he would back her up.
"He's in there watching over Cal like you asked him to."
Teddy joined the pair and Nick loosened his grip on Arizona altogether, though he watched her carefully for any sign she was going to run toward that building again. "Teddy, Callie and Tim are both in there."
"I know." Teddy replied, rubbing a hand up and down Arizona's back. Teddy had just been informed by Owen that there was a hostage situation and she wasn't sure how to tell Arizona. Before Teddy could speak, Owen approached the group. "One of the doctors was shot, Teddy?"
"Shot?" Arizona asked, her heart pounding in her chest. Teddy looked at Nick and he nodded his head, knowing what she meant. He placed a comforting arm around Arizona as Teddy took her hand in hers.
"Arizona, sit down." Teddy instructed.
"No, I'm not sitting down. What aren't you telling me, Teddy?" Arizona asked, her body frozen in fear.
"Gunmen entered the building, it seems they took Dr. Hahn hostage and then entered an OR where they then took the staff occupying the OR hostage as well."
"Callie is operating." Arizona replied in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Teddy, please tell me she's not in that OR."
"Arizona, she is but Tim is in there, they will get them out of there."
"No. Was Callie shot?" Arizona cried, her knees threatening to buckle. Teddy's grasp on Arizona's hand tightened and Nick anticipated the move, she tried to run toward the building again but was held back by her friends.
"Teddy, answer me right fricken now, was Callie shot? Let me go damn it."
"Arizona calm down, you can't go in there." Nick said as Arizona fought him. She couldn't breathe, the two people who meant the most to her in the world were in that building because of her. She stepped away from Teddy and Nick and emptied the contents of her stomach onto the side of the road for the third time. How she still had anything in her stomach to reject she had no clue.
"I don't know who was shot, just that it was a flesh wound and…"
"And what Teddy?" Arizona asked, her throat burning with unshed tears and bile.
"It was a female doctor."
"Oh God." Arizona cried, her legs now buckling completely as Nick held onto her firmly, keeping her upright but supporting her full weight.
"Arizona, they are going to be just fine, you'll see." Teddy said, rubbing Arizona's back.
"You don't know that, Teddy." The blonde yelled at her friend.
"They're coming out!" Owen announced as he walked back to Teddy and pulled her close, placing a tender kiss on the side of her head. "Robbins just radioed to let us know."
"See, they will be out in just a few minutes." Teddy said, keeping her hand on Arizona's back.
"Ok, ok, they're going to be ok." Arizona whispered aloud but it was for her own benefit.
"I see them!" Nick shouted and they could see several figures in the distance leaving the building.
Callie
"We need to get out of here now." Tim said, as he saw armed men enter the building from afar, they were closing in on the evacuation exit. He ushered Lexie and Ben to the front of the group so they were between the other soldiers assisting Hahn and Eliza who was still carrying the front of the backboard. The group quickened their pace and Callie sighed in relief as they exited the building. She looked up and could see the army personnel and vehicles in the distance, awaiting them. She wondered if Arizona was there waiting for her and a smile crossed her face as she thought of her sexy blonde. Her sexy blonde that was in big trouble and in for one hell of an ass kicking. She was definitely looking forward to kicking that fine ass too.
Not paying attention to her surroundings or her footing, Callie tripped and stumbled, her hold on Ameera's leg faltering and the shifting of her weight causing her to knock the backboard from Alex and Richard's hands. The full weight of the backboard tugging on Eliza, causing her to trip as well, the weight pulling her backward. Callie quickly made her way to the child who was now on the ground to assess her wounds. Her leg was bleeding mildly and Callie was concerned that the fall had jostled her leg enough to pop some of the sutures. Knowing this wasn't the place to examine her, she did a quick scan of the rest of the child for injuries.
"She ok?" Alex asked.
"Yea, I think so, sorry guys, I just tripped." Callie replied sheepishly. She didn't want to confess that she hadn't been paying attention because she had been looking for her blonde while fantasizing about punishing her.
Tim placed a comforting hand on Callie's back and the group worked on getting Ameera safely secured back onto the backboard. Tim and Webber grabbed one side while Alex and Lexie took the other. Eliza resumed her position in the front and Callie grabbed the rear. With six of them now carrying the child, she was more secure on the board and they could move quicker. Ben, Gleason, Yates, Vlausen, and Erica were now way ahead of them and nearly to the barricade now.
"Come on guys, let's get out of here." Tim said as the group started moving once again.
"We were pretty frickin badass in there." Alex said with a cocky smirk.
"I was a badass." Callie replied with a smile, "You were scared of a petite blonde that believes in fairy dust. There's nothing badass about that, Karev."
"You're scared of her too and you know it." Alex replied. He knew Callie enjoyed teasing him and he really didn't mind. It had been one hell of a day and despite everything, he was feeling pretty damn good about the work they had completed. And, as a bonus, he knew this would definitely earn brownie points with his mentor. It was a shame she would have to leave for Malawi for three months but as soon as she was a permanent fixture at Seattle Grace, he was planning on applying to be her fellow so he could use all the brownie points he could get.
"No, you know who was a badass? Tim was a badass. He saved Dr. Hahn's life by shooting her in the thigh." Lexie replied, "I kinda wish I had gotten to shoot her. I mean to save her life of course."
"Yea, ok, Lexie is right." Alex said with a giant smile, there was laughter from the group, even the Chief joined in, unable to stop himself.
Alex turned his head to look over his shoulder at Callie who smiled her giant, mega-watt smile. He knew Arizona would be swooning if she saw that one and he smiled bigger at the thought before a sight out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. Callie saw the expression on Alex's face change from one of happiness to one of confusion and then fear as realization struck.
Callie turned her head and saw the man with the explosive device a split second before he launched it toward the building behind them. Her heart raced in her chest as she yelled, "Get down." She could see the confusion on people's faces as they turned to see what she was yelling about. An explosion could be heard and the ground beneath her feet shook. She felt a force from behind knock her off of her feet and then there was nothing but blackness.
Arizona
Arizona could now see the group walking toward them and she could actually make out the figures of her brother and Callie. Ben, Gleason, Vlausen, and Yates had just made it to them with an injured and complaining Erica Hahn. A huge smile had broken across Arizona's face when Erica told her that Tim had shot her and how he should be suspended for negligence. The peds surgeon hadn't been able to hide her pure delight, though she had tried valiantly. She owed that boy a very large drink, she thought to herself. Just as a smile crossed Arizona's face, a boom sounded a split second before she saw the explosion hit the hospital. The ground shook beneath her feet and the force knocked her to the ground. Her injured shoulder was screaming in pain as she landed on it for the second time in just a few hours. It took a moment for her to get her bearings but the second she did, she was back on her feet, running toward the explosion before anyone could stop her.
"Callie! Tim!" She screamed as she ran but a set of strong hands grabbed her around the waist, stopping her a second time. She kicked and screamed and fought against the stronghold of the person she was being restrained by. A soldier she recognized but wasn't familiar with held her as she kicked and screamed for him to let her go. "Let me go, please, let me go! Oh God, Callie, Tim."
"I can't let you go, ma'am."
"Tim, Calliope…" She cried, her body going limp as the fight left her. Her heart was broken, they had been so close to the building, if it collapsed, there's no way they could survive that. She watched for the smoke to clear to see if she could see their figures laying on the ground anywhere. The hospital was still in one piece and looked solid for the moment. A gasp escaped her lips as the smoke began to clear and her eyes adjusted, straining to see someone, anyone. She turned to see that Owen was holding Teddy back and Riggs had a hold of Nick by the collar of his shirt, she made eye contact with each of them, their looks just as solemn and grim.
As the dust settled and the smoke began to clear, Arizona heard someone shout, "I see them."
She looked up immediately, her eyes desperately searching for any of them and then she saw it. A gasp escaped her lips once again as the wind caught a strand of dark hair and she watched it blowing on the pavement in the distance. She looked over her shoulder again and saw Teddy being hugged by Owen but Nick's gaze met hers and they nodded to each other. Arizona brought her foot back and connected it with the shin of the man holding her, forcing him to release her. She heard Riggs grunt as Nick did the same and the two raced toward the hospital. Footsteps of others running toward the scene could be heard behind her but Arizona didn't turn to look and see if they were hands to help her or restrain her.
"Arizona!" She heard Teddy yell her name but that only spurred her on faster. She had seen dark hair splayed across the ground and she was not stopping until she reached her. She fell to her knees as she saw the dark hair and the body laying facing away from her. She reached over and gently turned the body, her eyes widening as Eliza's face appeared before her. She checked her pulse and sighed in relief that she was both breathing and had a pulse. She did a quick check of her and saw that she didn't seem to have any injuries aside from being unconscious. Derek or Amelia would have to clear her for spinal injuries. Not wanting to cause any further damage she called Nick over. She removed her sling with a grimace of pain and then carefully, the pair rolled Eliza onto her back.
"Let me help." Mark said as he dropped to the blonde's side a split second later and placed a comforting hand on her upper back as they safely got Eliza onto her back.
"I thought it was Calliope." Arizona whispered. He nodded and rubbed her back a few times in a supportive way, no words were needed between them. They both looked up as they heard a moan and saw Lexie sitting up holding her head as if she thought it would explode if she let go of it.
"Little Grey, are you ok?" Mark asked, jumping up and running to her. He kneeled beside her and carefully peeled her hands away from her ears just as Arizona reached them. She looked up at him in confusion, it seemed the explosion had stunned her, probably from the sound of it.
"Lexie, where's Tim and Callie?" Arizona asked but the younger surgeon couldn't focus, she was too dazed by the explosion. Sloan motioned for the interns who were arriving with cots to come in and help get the two women to safety. Jackson, Meredith, and George took off toward the barricades with Lexie as Charles, Amelia, and Matthew assisted Eliza.
"Chief!" Mark yelled, spotting the man a few yards away. Arizona followed him and found the little girl laying beside the Chief. The Chief was unconscious, Mark and Nick went to his aid and Arizona quickly examined the child. April dropped to her side a few moments later, to assist her with the child. She saw Derek now checking over the Chief with Mark and Nick. The wound on the child's leg was wrapped but spots of blood had appeared on the gauze that had been meticulously wrapped around the wound. Arizona could recognize Callie's work anywhere and her heart ached as she realized even under pressure and stress, Callie had taken her time on this procedure. Amputating the limb must have been a tough decision for the ortho goddess.
"Callie!" Arizona yelled frantically as she stood once again. "Calliope!"
She looked back down and Ameera's frightened eyes were opened. "Hey, hey there little lady. It's ok. Remember me, I'm Arizona and I'm here to help you."
The child's eyes never left Arizona's as she worked to get her back on the backboard with one arm and April helping on the other side. Nick's voice was heard over her shoulder. "You're going to hurt yourself. I'll help get her out of here, go find Callie and Tim."
She watched as Nick and April scooped the little girl onto the backboard and began carrying her toward the stretchers that had been wheeled as close as they could get them without entering the danger zone Arizona stood again, searching frantically. "Tim! Callie! Alex!"
"Here, over here." Mark shouted and started to run toward the other side of the path. Arizona followed his gaze and saw a boot sticking out of the rubble, she ran after Mark. Her brother's face appeared a split second later as they cleared the rubble and dirt from around him. Ben suddenly joined them and leaned down on Arizona's other side.
"Tim, Tim, wake up." Arizona said, touching him gently. She felt for a pulse and sighed in relief as she felt it. He looked as though he had been thrown by the blast and had been knocked unconscious. With Mark and Ben's help, they log rolled him onto the backboard.
"I've got him." Ben stayed by Tim's side, assessing him for injuries until Jackson, George, Matthew, and Charles returned to help with Tim and the Chief. Arizona breathed a little wasier as she looked over her shoulder and saw them carrying her brother's body to safety.
"Callie! Alex!" Arizona screamed, her throat raw from all of the dust she had inhaled recently and from all of the screaming and crying she had done. With Tim being tended to, Callie was once again her sole focus but she cared about Alex too and hoped for his safety.
"Torres!" Mark yelled and they froze as they heard a sound behind them.
"I can't find her. I've been looking for her." Alex said, limping toward them. His face was bloody and he seemed to have a twisted ankle Arizona noted as she turned to face him.
"Are you alright, Alex? I think you need to lay down." Arizona said with concern for her friend. He looked like he had been in an explosion with his face covered in dirt and soot, his clothes tattered and blood stained.
"Yes, my head is pounding and my ears are ringing." Alex replied, he sat on the ground suddenly and Arizona rushed to his side, kneeling next to him.
"Mark, he needs a stretcher." Arizona said softly as she looked over her friend. Mark nodded and ran off in the direction of the nearest group of interns.
"No, no I want to help find Torres. She smiled at me and then the fricken hospital blew up and she was gone."
"Alex, we will find her, you need to get looked at." Arizona said as she assessed her friend for serious injuries. Cristina, Leah, and Jo arrived a few moments later and helped a protesting Alex walk to a stretcher not far away.
"Calliope!" Arizona screamed.
"Torres!" Mark echoed.
A cough could be heard and Arizona turned to see Callie standing a few feet away. Her face was covered in soot and dust littered her black hair but she looked mostly uninjured. Arizona ran to her, slowing her speed so as not to hurt her as she reached her.
"Oh Callie." Arizona whispered at the sight of her girlfriend before Callie collapsed into her arms. "Help! Help, we need help!"