Jo Wilson stood in the rain outside Grey Sloan Memorial, her coat soaked through and her hair sticking to her face. She didn't feel the cold. All she could feel was the hollow ache in her chest and the weight of the words she couldn't take back.

Inside, her ex-husband Paul Stadler's shadowy presence still lingered in her memory, a specter that had shaped her choices and haunted her relationships. And now, Alex Karev's absence felt like a fresh wound on top of an old scar. It wasn't just that Alex had left her for Izzie. It was that he'd taken away her belief that something lasting was even possible.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, pulling her from her thoughts. It was Levi Schmitt.
"Jo, you coming in? There's a patient in the pit asking for you by name."

Jo sighed, brushing her wet hair from her face. "On my way."

The lyrics of Taylor Swift's "The Last Time" echoed in her mind:
"This is the last time I'm asking you this, put my name at the top of your list."

She wasn't sure how many more times she could survive being left behind.

When Jo arrived in the pit, she spotted him immediately. She hadn't seen him in years, but there he was—Chris, her first love from college. He was sitting on a gurney, clutching his arm in obvious pain. His face lit up when he saw her, and for a moment, Jo forgot how to breathe.

"Jo," Chris said, his voice a mix of surprise and relief. "I didn't think it'd actually be you."

Jo blinked, shaking herself out of her daze. "Chris? What are you doing here?"

"I'm in town for work," he said, wincing as he shifted his arm. "Got into a stupid biking accident. Didn't expect to find you here."

Jo grabbed a pair of gloves and gestured for him to follow her to an exam room. "Well, life's full of surprises, isn't it?"

As Jo examined his arm, the past came rushing back in pieces. Chris had been the first person who made her feel seen, the one who encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. But their relationship had ended abruptly when Chris got an opportunity abroad, and Jo, too afraid to leave the fragile stability she'd built, had let him go.

Now, as they sat in the sterile hospital room, the years between them seemed to collapse.

"You're still as determined as ever," Chris said, watching her work. "I can tell."

Jo smirked, but her tone was tinged with sadness. "Determination only gets you so far."

Chris studied her, his expression softening. "Jo, are you okay?"

Jo hesitated, then shook her head. "I'm fine. You should worry about yourself."

Over the next few days, Jo found herself thinking about Chris more than she wanted to admit. He hadn't just resurfaced in her life—he'd reopened a door she thought she'd locked forever. But she wasn't the same person she'd been back then, and she wasn't sure if she had it in her to revisit that chapter.

Chris, however, wasn't content to stay on the sidelines. He showed up at the hospital one evening, waiting for Jo outside after her shift.

"Chris," she said, startled. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured you owed me a drink," he said, his smile disarming. "You know, for patching me up."

Jo rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Fine. One drink."

At the bar, their conversation flowed easily, the years between them melting away. They talked about their careers, their travels, and their regrets. Jo found herself laughing in a way she hadn't in months, and for the first time in a long time, she felt something close to hope.

"You've changed," Chris said, his tone thoughtful.

"Good or bad?" Jo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Good," he said, his smile soft. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

Jo's expression faltered, the weight of her past creeping back in. "Yeah. I have."

Chris reached across the table, his hand brushing hers. "You don't have to do it alone, you know."

Jo pulled her hand back, her walls snapping up. "I've learned not to rely on people too much."

"Jo," Chris said gently, "I left before, but I'm not going anywhere this time. If you'll let me stay."

Their rekindled relationship wasn't without its challenges. Jo struggled with her fears of abandonment, and Chris had his own doubts about whether they could truly move forward. But they were both determined to try.

One evening, as they walked through the rain-soaked streets of Seattle, Jo stopped abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Chris asked, his brow furrowing.

"I'm scared," Jo admitted, her voice trembling. "Every time I've let someone in, they've left. I don't know if I can survive that again."

Chris stepped closer, his gaze steady. "I can't promise I'll be perfect, Jo. But I can promise I'll try. And I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me to."

The lyrics of "The Last Time" played in Jo's mind again, but this time, they felt different:
"You break my heart in the blink of an eye."

She realized she had a choice—to let her fear dictate her life or to take a leap of faith.

Jo looked up at Chris, her eyes shining with both vulnerability and determination. "I don't want you to go."

Chris smiled, his relief evident. "Then I'll stay."

Their relationship wasn't perfect, but it was real. Jo learned to trust again, and Chris proved that he was willing to fight for her, even when things got tough. Together, they began to build something new—something stronger than what they'd had before.

And as Jo stood in the rain outside Grey Sloan Memorial, waiting for Chris to pick her up after a long shift, she felt a flicker of hope. Love wasn't easy, but for the first time in her life, she believed it might be worth it.

Because this time, it wasn't just about staying. It was about choosing each other, every single day.