A/N: Wow sorry this took me forever and is kind of a mess.
At first, Stephanie couldn't feel the pain.
She was so focused on protecting April's body from the falling debris that when a piece landed on her she shook it off like water off a duck's back. Even as her vision started to blot with dark clouds she merely blinked them away, focusing all of her energy on watching for the rise and fall of April's chest among the shaking of the ground.
It was only when the shaking stopped and the Earth was steady beneath her knees that her right arm gave out beneath her and she cried out in agony. Bursts of pain radiated from her shoulder blade as she rolled on her side to stop herself from collapsing on top of April.
"Oh god," she moaned, "Oh my god."
With her good arm she reached back to April's neck, making sure to locate her pulse before finally shutting her eyes against her growing headache.
"You can't arrest again," she whispered hopelessly, "Because I can't perform CPR if you do."
As April continued with her rhythmic gasps for air, Stephanie found herself reminded of the way her younger sister used to cry in the same gaspy way before bed every night when they were little.
It was always something. She was either thirsty, or hungry, or not tired, not feeling well- the list went on and on. So she'd gasp and cry until their mother would come in and sing her to sleep. Always the same lullaby, over and over. Did she even know another lullaby? Stephanie's mind grew foggy, and she could hear her mother's voice in her head.
Rock a bye baby
"Alright Dr. Edwards we're coming in!" Owen's voice called out from the doorway.
On the tree top
The clattering of shelves and boxes being pushed aside made Stephanie's head throb. She focused on April's gasping breaths.
When the wind blows
"Dr. Edwards, are you still with us?"
The cradle will rock
Owen's voice was closer now, almost there.
When the bough breaks
Suddenly, the gasping stopped. Stephanie's mind reeled as she jerked back to reality. Beneath her fingers April's pulse was slowing to a stop.
"NO!"
Despite the throbbing in her temples, despite feeling like she was going to throw up, and despite the fact that every time she moved her arm it felt like someone was sawing into her shoulder and back, she found herself back on her knees performing compressions again.
Every time she pressed on April's chest she screamed, unable to control the pain in her arm. It took everything in her power to keep going, to keep her arm from collapsing under her.
Then, just when she didn't think she could take it anymore, everything seemed to happen at once.
"Oh my god, it's April. Hunt, it's April!"
"What?"
Derek pulled Stephanie off of April as Owen took over compressions and Alex stood back, staring at the scene.
"You have to save her!" Stephanie cried, clawing at Derek's arms around her waist.
"We are, we're going to save her" he said, taking Stephanie's face in one hand and examining her pupils, "Did you get hit on the head?"
"I brought her back twice," Stephanie mumbled as everything started to get fuzzy again, "Her lungs… might be punctured, probably punctured..."
"Pupils are dilated," Derek said to Alex and Owen, "No obvious injury but I don't want to risk it, I'm taking her out. Can you two get April?"
"I had her… I brought her back..."
"We've got her Shepherd, get Edwards out of here."
Stephanie was too weak to protest as Derek lifted her into his arms and carried her through the wreckage and out of the supply closet.
"She had a pain response..."
"I know, you did a good job. You brought her back. And now Hunt and Karev are taking care of her. Can you tell me what happened to you? Where did you hit your head?"
Before Stephanie could reply they were stepping out into the light and she groaned in pain, shutting her eyes and begging whatever higher power there might be to let her lose consciousness. There were voices everywhere, some talking, some shouting.
"Derek!" that one she recognized as Meredith,
"Meredith, I need you to find Avery. It wasn't Leah Murphy, it was April."
Leah? With her last strands of consciousness Stephanie felt a tight panic rising in her chest.
"What? How-"
"I don't know, but she arrested again. Hunt and Karev are in there with her, but you need to go find Jackson. I'm going with Stephanie in the rig."
"But where's Leah?"
"I don't know."