That night, Addison's thoughts and concerns invaded her mind and didn't allow her to fall asleep for even a second. The feeling of nostalgia took hold of her as memories of her previous pregnancies played over and over in her mind, bringing both joy and worry.

The arrival of her two daughters, those moments of excitement that were so different and special at the same time... the happiness with Derek upon learning they would be parents... the reactions of their families and friends...

That first ultrasound of Olive back in 2006, where they heard the heartbeat for the first time... Or the time they accidentally found out it would be a girl, and their bodies overflowed with emotion...

Her first steps... Her obsession with carrots during the early years... Olive's first words... Or the excited screams at seeing her little sister for the first time on the ultrasound screen...

She also remembered the butterflies in her stomach every time her babies kicked... Arleth had kicked the most...

The excitement of watching her belly grow and the joy and –the arguments– in choosing the perfect name. How could she forget when for several weeks Olive was called Bella? She even had photos of her surprise baby shower at the hospital, where Nancy had painted a bear with the name Bella on her belly. That's why with Arleth, they didn't want to name her in any way until they saw her and could decide on her name.

All those memories were still very vivid in her memory. However, alongside those beautiful moments, also came to her mind the worries and fears of motherhood. Sleepless nights, uncontrollable crying, colic, dirty diapers, and the endless tasks that came with caring for a baby. In this case, two babies. Because Arleth was still a baby.

Addison knew that being a mother again implied immense responsibility and dedication, and that intimidated her.

She wondered if she was prepared to relive everything that implied... to experience it again knowing that her husband wouldn't give up his job to care for the third baby full-time like she would.

She was torn between the nostalgia of past moments and the fear of facing the challenges of motherhood again.

She thought and thought as she watched her daughters sleep peacefully in her bed. Arleth was in the middle, between her and Derek; to her right, Olive was holding onto her waist, because she had joined later.

She looked at them and couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like to be a family of five in that bed. She imagined the possibility of seeing the two of them growing up alongside another child.

The idea of giving them a little brother or sister was starting to allure her. She imagined how their interactions would be, the shared laughter and the bonds that would form... they would share games and adventures... They would treasure unforgettable memories in their minds... they would have unconditional support for each other for the rest of their lives...

Three was a nice number. Three siblings. Three friends living in the same house, Derek would say... Three Musketeers. Three mini Montgomery Shepherds... Three hearts beating thanks to her and Derek's love... three little lights brought to life by the two of them...

Maybe a new pregnancy wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe a new addition to the family wouldn't be a bad thing...

Life was giving her a new opportunity, a third chance to experience the wonder of bringing a new being into the world. Why should she waste it?

Perhaps this was a compensation for all the effort it took to conceive Arleth. Maybe this pregnancy wouldn't resemble the previous one at all...

Arleth had grown so fast... she was just days away from turning five months... the new baby would grow just as fast and in a moment, before she knew it, both Arley and the baby would be going to kindergarten like Olive. And Olive? How could it be that she'll start primary school this year when she was born practically yesterday?

Life since becoming a mother was passing by too quickly. What did it matter if she lost one or two years of work if she could make up for it by spending that time with her loves?

Enough. It wasn't necessary to think about it anymore. She already knew the answer that was screaming in her heart. She gently moved Olive and got out of bed, not making any noise that could wake them. She walked on tiptoe, excited, to Amelia's room.

"I'm going to keep it," Addison said, opening the door.

"Hmm?" Amelia asked, opening one eye, not understanding what her sister-in-law was referring to.

"The baby. I'm going to keep the baby."

"Oh... well, I'm happy for you," she said, yawning.

"I'll tell Derek as soon as he wakes up. Or should I prepare a special surprise for him? With Arleth, I gave him a onesie on his birthday that I actually bought to tell him about Olive, but at that moment I was furious with him and... Now people make cakes to announce surprises. Should I buy one that says 'Baby 3 on the way' in buttercream? Or is that too cheesy? I could give it to him for dessert and..."

"Addie, Addie. I share your excitement, I really do. But it's 4:45 a.m., and I have an operation in less than three hours and..."

"Oh, you're right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have woken you up. It's just that I've had insomnia for days and..." she said, moving away.

"Hey..."

"Yes?"

"Congratulations. I'm really happy for you and the baby," she smiled.

Addison simply smiled and returned to her room, much calmer than before. She thought about waking up Derek to tell him, she really wanted to shout it to the whole world, but seeing that his alarm would go off in just two hours, she preferred to wait.

~•~

When Addison woke up, it was already ten in the morning. Because she had slept poorly the night before, she fell back asleep and didn't even hear when Derek got up and went to work.

She turned to look at Arleth, and she was still sleeping next to her. There was an empty baby bottle on Derek's bedside table, so she deduced that he had given it to her earlier and put her back to sleep so as not to wake up Addison.

She quickly took her cell phone and dialed Derek's number. He didn't take long to answer.

"Hey, Addie."

"Der, I didn't hear you leave."

"I know, you were very tired. I didn't want to wake you up. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes... I..." she smiled as she remembered what she was going to say, "Der, I need to talk to you."

"Does it have to be now? I have a lot of pending paperwork. Today is a day of pure administrative movements and..."

"At what time will you come home?"

"I don't know. I'll try to free up as soon as possible, but I can't promise anything. What do you have to tell me?"

"Uhm... I'll stop by the hospital after picking up Olive from kinder. Do you want me to bring something for lunch?"

"Okay, I'll wait for you in my office. Let me know when you're here."

"Okay, I will."

"See you then, I love you."

"I love you too... Der?"

"Yes?"

"We'll have a lot of hot sex tonight."

"Oh..." he smiled shyly on the other end of the phone. Addison could feel her cheeks getting red without even seeing him.

"Goodbye," she quickly cut the call before he could say anything else.

~•~

Derek put the phone back on its base and continued with the pending paperwork. Addison had intrigued him with the call, but he couldn't think about it at the moment. He wanted to hurry to finish before they arrived that afternoon.

He focused on that for a few hours and only looked up when he heard April Kepner, who entered his office completely covered in blood.

"Dr. Kepner...?" he asked, not understanding anything.

April made no sound from her mouth. She was trembling, very frightened. Probably in a deep state of shock. Derek quickly got up from his seat and approached her.

"April, what is it?"

"Did you know... I grew up on a farm?

"What happened?"

"I grew up on a farm, so, you know, blood… doesn't bother me. I... slaughtered a pig once. That was a lot of blood. 'Bleeding like a stuck pig', you know, that's a- that's a saying... to bleed like a pig. You know… It means something. But you don't think of people as having that m-much blood, I mean, you learned in med school how many pints we all have in us, but you don't realize until you see it... you don't get how m-much blood... and a skinny person?"

Derek looked at her worriedly, not understanding what she meant.

"I mean, my God, Reed, she's like, she is almost anorexic. She's like five pounds. You-you wouldn't think she'd have that much blood in her, but... but she did...I mean, she-"

"April, April, April," he said, holding her face and forcing her to look into his eyes.

"She, she..."

"April, you're in shock. It's all right. Tell me what happened..." he said calmly, trying to calm her down too.

"Reed's dead! Someone shot her!" she cried unable to stop.

~•~

Since Addison had decided that dawn to continue with the pregnancy, her life seemed to have transformed into a canvas of vibrant colors and full of joy.

Suddenly, her mind had been flooded with new dreams, expectations, and plans. She wondered when the birth of her third child would be. Perhaps in November? She still had to have a blood test to determine exactly how many weeks of gestation she was in. She was already experiencing some symptoms so she should be about... Seven or eight weeks? Or maybe more?

She was also filled with questions about the baby's sex. Would the long-awaited little boy that Derek desired come? Or would it be another girl, thus completing a wonderful trilogy of girls? In the Shepherd family, women had a great advantage over men... Derek had four sisters... and the same happened with the nieces, there were eleven girls against six boys...

Would they decide to wait for nine months to know the baby's sex, or would they prefer to find out immediately? Although the wait and surprise were invaluable with Arleth's birth, would they be willing to do it again? Could they endure the anxiety again? She had to start thinking about new baby names...

Who would this baby resemble? Would it have her features like Olive? Or would it resemble Derek more, like her sister Arleth? Maybe it would be a perfect combination of both daughters or perhaps it would be a completely new mix.

"Can we go have lunch with Dad now?" Olive asked, bringing her back to reality.

They had passed by a restaurant to buy Italian food, and the little girl was starving. She had been waiting since she came out of the kindergarten to eat something.

"Your father told me to let him know when we're here, but he's not answering his phone," Addison said, walking with Olive hand in hand and Arleth in her arms, trying unsuccessfully to locate Derek.

"What if Dad's in surgery?"

"I don't think so, he didn't tell me anything about surgeries today," she said without taking her eyes off her phone.

"Can I go to the daycare after seeing Dad?"

"Since when do you want to go to the daycare?"

"Maybe Tuck and Sofia are there..."

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Amelia said when she met them in the hallway.

"We came to have lunch with Dad! And Mom has a surprise for him!"

"Oh, I see... Ols, don't you want to come with me?"

"I can't, I have to go with my dad."

"First your parents have to talk, boring stuff for grown-ups. Do you want to be there while they talk about that?"

"Mmm..."

"Don't you want to go for ice cream in the cafeteria?"

"Ice cream before lunch?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sometimes it's fun to reverse the order..."

"Can I, Mom?"

"Yes, you can. Just for today."

"Okay, let's go, Ols? Arley will come with us too."

"Yes!"

Addison thanked Amelia with a look and handed the baby to her. She knew she was taking the girls so she could tell Derek with more privacy. They probably wanted to wait to tell Olive.

~•~

"The police are on their way. What's the procedure?" said Derek on the phone, getting more and more nervous, "You're the head of hospital security. How do you not know?... I know it's never happened before!" he flipped through the pages of the hospital security protocol, "Oh, I found it! Lockdown. Nobody moves in or out. Yeah... nobody moves, nobody breathes until we know what's going on."

Derek quickly hung up the phone and returned to April, taking a wet cloth to wipe the blood from her forehead.

"The police are almost here. I will leave you here... are you okay alone?"

"You're leaving? You said no one was leaving or moving..."

"No one, except me. I am the head and this is my hospital," he headed to the door.

"But what if they shoot you or...?"

"I will be back. I am the chief."

~•~

"Mmm... this mushroom risotto smells delicious, but, hey. Enough. I know you're hungry, little light, but you have to wait until we get to Dad's office. I can't open the food without him, we're supposed to have lunch together... I promise to give you some of this risotto later after I talk to him... He needs to know that you're on the way, little one." Addison gently placed a hand on her belly while speaking quietly to the baby. Her conscious self knew that the embryo couldn't even hear her, but she already wanted to make it part of her daily life. If it was going to be part of her family, she should start including it in everything, right?

"What are you doing here?!" Derek's voice took her by surprise, making her jump slightly. He was agitated, running from one of the hallways.

"Oh, Der. I told you we were coming for lunch. Why weren't you answering the calls? I didn't know what you wanted, but I brought Italian food..."

"We're in lockdown!" he exclaimed nervously.

"Oh, I didn't know... well, we won't leave."

"That doesn't mean... you have to stay where you are."

"Doesn't that mean exactly that?"

"Come here..." he said, placing a hand on her back and leading her to a cleaning room," go in here."

"What? Why here?"

"There's a shooter in the hospital."

"What?!" she asked nervously.

"Stay here! I'll come back when it's safe. Don't move from here!" he said, closing the door.

"Derek, Olive, and Arleth are with Amelia in the cafeteria!" she shouted.

"I'll go get them. Don't move from here!"

~•~

"The last time we came here to get ice cream was when your sister was born, do you remember? and now she's here with us..." said Amelia, leading Olive by the hand to the cafeteria. She was holding the baby in her arms, who was very alert, observing everything.

"Yes. I ate chocolate ice cream that day."

"And what are you going to order today?"

"Chocolate ice cream."

"Don't you want to try a different flavor? Maybe strawberry, or vanilla..."

"Hmm no. I want chocolate."

"I see that you're very loyal to that flavor, huh."

"It's the best," she said, shrugging.

"Hmm... it's strange. There's no one here."

"Is it closed?"

"I think so. I don't understand why if it's lunchtime..."

Amelia's pager began to beep repeatedly. She took it to see what it was and had a message telling her to stay where she was and not move until further notice.

"Hmm, something is happening at the hospital... I think we should go home, Ols... I have a bad feeling."

"And my ice cream?"

"We can buy it on the way..."

"Is that blood?" she asked, seeing a puddle of blood under one of the tables.

Amelia quickly noticed that the blood was coming from the head of an unconscious person who was under the table. They were probably dead.

"Oh, God... Olive, don't look at that," she stood in front of her to prevent the girl from seeing the whole scene, "let's go."

"But what about my mom?"

"Your mom is with your dad, let's go..."

"Amelia!" Mark shouted, causing both of them to turn around.

He was completely covered in blood from head to toe.

"What's going on, Mark?"

"There's a shooter at the hospital. Get out of here right now, it's dangerous. You need to find a safe place to hide."

"What?!" she said, panicking.

"Go, Amelia. It's Gary Clark, he's come for Derek and he's killing all the medical staff."

"Where's Derek?"

"I don't know. But you need to find a safe hiding place."

"Why are you covered in blood? Were you shot?"

"Karev was shot..."

"Is he... dead?" she asked with a trembling voice.

"No. Lexie and I found him in time, he'll survive. They're moving him to Seattle Pres now. I need you to get out of here as soon as possible, there are a lot of people dead!"

"I... "

Loud gunshots could be heard coming from one of the hallways on the same floor they were on. Olive and Arleth started crying, scared.

"Get out of here!"

"I need to know where Derek is! I... I can't... I can't leave. I can't let it happen again!" she said, handing the baby to Mark and quickly walking away.

"Amelia!"

"Take care of the girls!"

"Come here, Amelia!" He also picked up Olive and followed her quickly.

"These girls are our responsibility, Mark... I need you to take care of them in case their parents or I don't survive today."

"Amelia, stop talking nonsense. Come here and let's get out of this place now!"

"I can't, I have to go with Derek. Goodbye, Olive. Remember that Aunt Amy will always love you. Take care of your little sister, okay? I love you."

Amelia said those last words before disappearing down the hallway, leaving Mark with Olive and Arleth in his arms, crying, terrified.

"I want my mommy!" Olive cried, frightened.

"It's okay, Ols... we'll go home..."

~•~

Amelia ran up the stairs at full speed, headed for Derek's office. She wasn't sure if he was there, but she needed to warn him as soon as possible that the shooter was Gary Clark.

Addison was still hiding in the cleaning room, trying to stay calm.

She didn't know how long she had been there. The minutes were getting longer, the wait was endless, and the uncertainty of not knowing what was happening was tearing her apart inside. All she could think about was her daughters, who had been left with Amelia in the cafeteria, and she didn't even have time to say goodbye to them in case something happened.

She couldn't remember the last thing she said to Olive. Did she tell her to behave? Did she tell her to take care of her sister? And what did Olive say?

No. Intrusive thoughts were creeping into her mind and making her worry even more. They would be okay. She didn't have to think about the last words she said to them because they wouldn't be the last. She would see them again. They would be okay. They would all be okay, and this would just be a bad memory.

Isn't that right?

She saw a shadow suddenly. A shadow approached her.

She wiped the tears that had inevitably escaped from her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and managed to recognize Amelia running in the distance. She was the only person in that hallway.

"Amelia!" she opened the door slightly and shouted to her.

She turned around, startled, and went to where Addison was.

"Addie, I... what are you doing here? I need to find Derek and..."

"Amelia, come here. Don't make any noise."

"I can't, Addie. I have to tell Derek that the shooter..."

"Derek already knows! Come in here now," she took her by the arm and pushed her inside.

"Add..."

"What's wrong with you, Amelia? What were you trying to do? Risk your life to be a hero?"

"I..."

"Where are Arleth and Olive?" she asked with tears in her eyes, fearing the answer when she saw her so nervous.

"They're with Mark."

"And where is Mark?"

"They left here, they are safe... God, Addie... I have to go to Derek."

"Amy, Derek told us to stay here. It's not safe to go out."

"But Gary Clark is coming straight here. This place isn't safe!"

"Gary Clark?"

"The shooter."

"The shooter is Gary Clark?"

"Yes, I thought you already knew."

"Is that the guy who sued Derek last month for the death of his wife?" she asked, increasingly nervous.

"Yes, Addison! He came to kill Derek!"

"Oh, God..." she muttered, and a wave of dizziness made her grab onto one of the shelves.

"Hey, Addison. Careful," she held her with her hands when she saw her wobbling.

"I don't feel well," Addison mumbled, sitting on the floor of the room.

"Relax, Addie... don't panic."

"How can I not panic when I'm finding out that a lunatic came to kill my husband?" she asked, her voice choked up.

"Stay calm... if Derek knows, he must have left..."

"Derek doesn't know! Derek only knows there's a shooter! He doesn't know that he's coming to kill him!" she began to cry nervously. Her body was shaking and she was having trouble breathing normally.

"Oh, crap."

"I think I'm gonna faint. I can't feel my legs," Addison rambled.

"Addie, please... I need you to be okay..." she said nervously.

"I'm gonna be sick."

"Addison, not here. It's a 2x2 room, the smell will be unbearable, please hold on..."

"I can't! I'm pregnant," she exclaimed, putting a hand on her stomach.

"Is it too early for symptoms? How long have you been like this?"

"I don't know! Since I found out I've been vomiting."

"Wow, the miracle of life is wonderful..."

"I'm scared, Amy. I can't lose Derek... I... I don't know what I'll do without him. Our whole life... our plans, our daughters... I can't without him," she said between sobs of despair.

"Shhhh! Addison, be quiet," she whispered nervously, seeing a shadow through the window.

"What's happening? What is it?"

"It's the old man... he's there... be quiet."

Addison quickly covered her mouth, trying not to vomit.

"Addie, calm down," she whispered.

Addison shook her head, sweat dripping quickly from her forehead, mixing with her tears. She was making a great effort not to explode.

"He's leaving... keep quiet... he's in the main hallway, getting farther away... hold on... he's leaving..."

"He's... gone?"

"He's getting farther... oh, no... Damn it!"

"What's wrong?"

"There's Derek!"

Addison quickly grabbed a tray from the cabinet and threw up inside.

~•~

Derek was rushing down one of the upper hallways when the voice of an older man called out to him.

"Dr. Shepherd?" said Gary Clark, once he finally caught up to him.

Derek quickly turned around and walked towards him.

"Sir, you shouldn't be here. It's not safe."

"I know it's not safe here... that's what I mean. This hospital isn't safe. You don't recognize me, do you?"

"Oh... Mr. Clark. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. Please, go to a safe place so you won't get hurt."

"I've already been hurt."

Derek looked at him, not understanding what he meant.

"You hurt me when you decided to kill my wife..."

The older man pulled a Beretta m92 handgun from his pocket and pointed it directly at Derek, leaving him speechless.

"Mr. Clark..."

"Shut up. Don't speak anymore. You're not a man. I am. I'm a man," he said with a trembling voice. "I'm a man... and a man takes care of his wife, but I didn't... I let you decide that she should die... at that moment, I wasn't a man. But I am now."

At that moment, Amelia, who had quickly come out of the cleaning room as soon as she saw her brother, approached running down the parallel hallway, with Addison following her, begging her not to say anything, to stay silent.

"No, n-no!" Amelia tried to shout. But Addison covered her mouth with her hand.

"Amelia, please, stay here. Don't try to be a hero now," she said nervously, almost unable to pronounce the words out of fear.

"What kind of hospital is this?" Clark continued speaking without realizing their presence. "It's not safe. Someone must protect people... from you! You make judgments as if you were God."

"Mr. Clark," said Derek, raising his hands, trying to stop him.

"You're not God!" he shouted. "Don't speak!"

"Mr. Clark, listen to me," he pleaded with tears in his eyes. "I know about your loss. I lost my father... when I was a child. Two men killed him for his watch, right in front of me... right in front of me... I didn't study medicine because I wanted to be God. I studied because I wanted to save lives."

Clark continued aiming, trying not to be moved by what Derek was saying.

"Look at me... please... look into my eyes... I'm human... I make mistakes... I have flaws... we all do. Today, I believe... for you, it's just a mistake. You want justice... you want someone to pay."

The man kept looking at him, trying to hold back the tears.

"You don't want to take my life, you... you... you're a good man. You're a good man. I can see it in your eyes."

He shook his head, still pointing the gun at him.

"Do you see it in mine? Can you see it? I'm a person. Just a regular person... I'm a father of two little girls. Olive and Arleth... they're my whole life, they need me... my wife needs me... I... make mistakes. I've made many mistakes throughout my life, but... I'm a good person. You can see it in my eyes."

Clark began to lower the gun slowly.

Derek began to breathe a little easier, believing that he had managed to make him reconsider. Mentioning the children always makes people softer.

Addison let go of Amelia, who started to walk quickly towards her brother.

The door behind Derek opened unexpectedly, and April came running nervously.

"Dr. Shepherd! Thank God you're back!" April exclaimed.

Derek turned to look at her quickly, and from there, everything began to occur in slow motion.

Clark aimed the gun at Derek again, and this time, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

"No!" Amelia cried out desperately, and Addison tried to hold her, but she was too strong. She exerted a supernatural force to break free from her grip.

The bullet traveled quickly and hit Derek in the chest, causing him to collapse immediately to the ground and blood to start gushing from the wound.

He looked up, confused, still stunned by the sound of the gunshot. He could recognize familiar voices in the distance, perhaps it was Amelia?

Wasn't Amelia with Olive? Where were Addison and his daughters?

His vision started to cloud.

The color black took over his field of view, he couldn't distinguish anything other than lights and shadows.

He couldn't hear anything more...

Was everything coming to an end?

Was this how his own story would conclude?

Would he never see them again?