- One Month Later -

"Hey Ava." Connor greeted the CT fellow once he walked into the ED from the waiting room. She had her hair in a braid and tied to her left side.

'That's a new look. She looks good...Wait, did I just say that?' He thought in his head.

"Hey." She greeted back and the two started to walk together.

"So, I heard that Robin tried to shoplift your family store?" Once again, she brings up Robin's name to get a reaction from him.

Not once has it worked.

'Why do I keep talking about his ex-girlfriend?' Ava asked herself in her head.

"Yeah, the head of security called me about it. Apparently, my dad recognized her and stopped them from calling the cops. Good thing to say the least."

"Remember that patient at Groote Schuur I told you about? The one that had psychotic episodes for a full year after the tumor was removed." She pointed with her finger. "I guess in Robin's case, instead of having psychotic episodes, she has impulses to shoplift." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, she told me about doing that to other stores." He nodded. "We talked and she said that she really wants to be normal again, so she decided to go to Minneapolis and stay with her mother."

Ava leaned forward to look at his face. "And how do you feel about that?"

Connor shrugged his shoulders. "All that matters to me is she gets help and that she's happy. And personally, I think it was a good idea. It was taking a toll on her father, who alone has been dealing with PTSD after being shot. Most of all, I'm glad we parted on good terms as friends."

"Well, as long as you're happy with the way things are in the world. Then you should be happy with the way you are." She ended with a sarcastic tone and a smile on her face as they stopped walking.

"CT's own Dr. Phil? Thank you." He slightly nodded as he looked at her.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "Doctor who?" Ava had a confused look on her face.

"Dr. Rhodes." The voice of the troll of the ED walked towards the two. "CFD just called. They've got a man trapped in a collapsed building and need a surgeon. You're on trauma today?"

"I am" Connor answered.

"Good." He nodded. "Ambo's waiting to take you there right now," he turned to face Ava, "and take Dr. Bekker too."

Ava raised her eyebrows hearing her name.

"You could use a second pair of hands." Dr. Stohl finished.

Before Ava could open her mouth to speak, Connor beat her to it. Her eyes changed towards his direction on her left.

"She is CT. How about one of the other trauma surgeons?" He looked at her before looking at the Chief of the ED.

"I'm already losing you. I can't afford to lose another." Dr. Stohl explained then turned to face Ava. "I'll let Dr. Latham know where you are. Let's move it." He nodded one last time before walking away from the two.

"Well..." Connor started "it looks like you're gonna be a trauma surgeon today, Dr. Bekker. Try and keep up now." He smirked before walking towards the doctor's lounge.

Ava shook her head with an amuse smile on her face.

"This cowboy."

Connor and Ava both threw on a pair of the hospital's full zip sweaters, grabbed two medical field backpacks and hopped on Ambo 34 to the accident scene.

Once they arrived at the scene, they put on a pair of goggles and two CFD firefighters opened the doors, revealing themselves to be Kelly Severide and Joe Cruz of Squad 3.

"What happened?" Ava jumped out of the ambo

"Building's condemned." Joe started to explain.

Connor picked up one medical backpack and helped Ava put it on before putting on his.

"Suppose to be empty, but we thought we heard somebody inside." Joe continued.

"Turns out to be a squatter. Guy's name is Gray." Kelly spoke as the four of them started to walk towards the collapse building. "He's got a big chunk of concrete compressing his left leg and a piece of rebar straight up through his groin. We got pressure on it, but he's bleeding pretty bad."

"If we stop the bleed, can we get him out?" Connor asked they were about to enter inside the hazard building.

"Hard to say." Kelly responded.

"Hey, Lieutenant!" A firefighter called out.

"Yeah?" Kelly responded heading in a different direction.

"Uh, the concrete's a bear." Joe turned on his helmet flashlight as he started to lead Connor and Ava into the wreckage. They crouched down in the dark area, watching where they're going with the limited sunlight that was leaking through the cracks. Walking through large broken pieces of wood, bricks, concrete and cement. "We can't use the bags on it, but we might be able to break it up with the air chisel." They walked further inside. "Be careful. We haven't been able to clear a path yet, so we're gonna have to sneak through." A piece a wood above their heads shifted, causing some dirt to fall. "Watch your heads." The firefighter warned them.

"Yeah." Connor replied as they crouched down further to get through the mess. Ava trailing close behind him.

Finally, they arrived at an uneven open area with broken concrete, leveling everywhere and two male figures. One of them was a firefighter with his helmet flashlight on, kneeling next to a man who had dry blood on his forehead and had an oxygen tube connected to his nose based on the light shown on his face.

"Ah, here we go, Gary." A familiar voice spoke. It was Christopher Herrmann from Truck 81.

"We got Dr. Rhodes and Dr. Bekker." Herrmann assured the victim.

Connor walked around them on their right to set down his medical backpack and take off the thick hospital coat he was wearing to work better. "Now, Gary, we're gonna take good care of you, all right?"

Ava stood on the other end taking off her medical backpack.

"All right. Hey, you're okay." Herrmann tried to assure the patient.

While the two surgeons were getting ready to prepare, a couple of firefighters came with flashlights to light up the area for them to see the scene better. As well as try to get the concrete off Gary.

Ava climbed up on Herrmann's left side to help apply pressure to Gary's wound as Connor climbed up across from them.

"Let's see what we got here, all right?" He carried a few gauzes with him.

The firefighters added more light to the leg, showing the rebar going through his leg. It was covered in blood and the area was slightly purple.

Herrmann shifted his hands a bit for Connor to see, causing more blood to leak out.

"Wait, hold pressure, hold pressure." The three of them quickly moved their hands to stop the bleeding from getting worse.

"All right." Said Herrmann.

"There." Connor gave him some gauze to put pressure.

"Yep." Said Herrmann.

"Move your hands." Connor told Ava as he took out a tool. "Just a bit."

"Can you see it?" Ava leaned her head down to look.

"No, can't clamp the artery. Rebar's in the way." Connor pulled the tool away.

Connor looked up at Herrmann. "Herrmann, any chance of getting him out of here?"

Herrmann released some air he didn't he was holding in. He had some sweat cascading down his face. "We're gonna try the air chisels, but it don't look good."

The two surgeons listened to him as he spoke.

Connor looked up and started to think on what to do. He had an idea but knows there's a risk that comes with it. But with the way things are now, they didn't have much of a choice.

"All right, we're gonna have to do a REBOA." He stepped down towards his medical backpack.

"What?" Ava jolted at his words.

"Gary?" Connor ignored her and started to talk to Gary. "An ER-REBOA is a catheter with a balloon at the tip that I can thread into your aorta." He looked through the bag for it. "Once I inflate the balloon, it'll keep you from bleeding."

"Okay." Gary agreed, wanting the bleeding to stop.

"One moment." Ava grabbed Herrmann's hands to change the position.

"Ready." Herrmann looked down at what she was doing.

"Keep pressure there." She instructed.

Some more blood came out when she removed her hands.

"Got it. Yep, hang on." Herrmann assured her that he can handle putting pressure on the wound. "Watch it." He told Ava as she climbed down. "Hang on, bud." He continued to comfort Gary.

Ava walked around and kneeled towards Connor.

"Connor, we can't do that. Once you inflate the balloon, we'll only have 30 minutes to get him out of here."

"He's lost too much blood already." He lifted his head to look at her. "It's gonna take a lot of movement to get him out of here, and we won't be able to maintain pressure." He diverted his eyes back to the bag.

"So, you're going to risk prolonged loss of circulation instead?" She warned him what will happen once they use the balloon.

He turned and spoke softly so Gary wouldn't hear. "I realize it can necessitate amputation, but I promise you, if we don't place a REBOA, he's going to bleed out right in front of us." He explained why for his decision.

"Hey." Gary noticed they were talking quietly to each other down there.

"Yeah?" Herrmann replied.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gary looking down at the two.

"Nothing, Gary" Connor climbed back up. "We're gonna get you out of here as fast as we can."

"Okay." Said Gary.

Connor started to get the balloon ready and proceeded to do the REBOA.

"Easy." Herrmann continued to comfort him.

Connor shifted his eyes to look at Ava as she watched him work.

"Easy. Just breath, buddy." Herrmann spoke.

Connor inserted a needle.

"Hang in there." Herrmann spoke.

Connor looked up as he finished. Ava and Herrmann looking at him, then back at Gary.

Once Gary was settled, Herrmann went to assist the other firefighters to help cut the concrete while Connor and Ava continued to work.

Some time has passed by and while the first responders were working, it caused the ceiling to shift slightly causing more dirt to fall around them, broken electricity were affected causing sparks and some wood to fall. They all ducked down till the shifted stopped.

"We're good. Keep going." Connor spoke as he grabbed a tool.

Herrmann looked up at the ceiling. "This place is unstable. Another shift like that, and the whole thing's going to come down, Rhodes."

"Guys, you gotta go something." He looked at the firefighters.

"We could try coming from another angle, but it'll take 20 minutes." Joe responded.

Connor and Ava looked at each other.

They didn't have 20 minutes.

The REBOA could only last for 30 minutes.

Time has already passed by since.

Ava signaled with her head to the side for them to talk. They both leaned in close across Gary.

"His leg's already cold." Ava stated. "All it's doing now is preventing us from getting him to the hospital."

There was only one way for all of them to escape with Gary alive.

Connor took a second to process their situation before replying, "Yeah."

Connor leaned back a bit to properly talk to Gary. Ava stepped down where she was to walk around to Connor's side and get the necessary tools for what they're going to do next.

"Gary..." Connor placed his left hand on Gary's shoulder. "listen to me." Gary turned to face the doctor. "Your leg is trapped, and we need to get you out of here. I'm afraid that the only way to do that is to amputate."

Once those words left Connor's mouth, Gary quickly switched his focus from his leg to the doctor.

"What? No."

"Gary, I'm very sorry, but your leg has gone without blood for too long."

Connor reached to his side to grab the red band from Ava's hand to tie around Gary's leg in order to cut.

"Is that cause of that thing you put in me? That balloon?" Gary remembered what he did earlier.

"We had to do that so you wouldn't lose even more blood, but now that it's in, every minute puts you in more danger." Connor started to tie the band.

"No." Gary tied to resist.

"Gary..." Connor was shoved by Gary.

"Dr. Rhodes..." Ava saw Connor needed help.

"Get away!" Gary shoved him again.

Ava pulled Connor back to try and reason with their patient.

"Gary, listen to me." Ava climbed up and placed her hand on Gary's shoulder as she leaned to speak. "I do not want you to die. We have to get you to hospital. Do you understand?"

"You are not taking my leg."

"I wish we didn't have to, but you've lost a lot of blood and you are in grave danger."

"You can't." He started to sniffle. "Please. There's gotta be another way."

"I'm sorry, there isn't." She spoke with a straight face. "And I know how terrible this seems, but you have a lot of years to live and a lot of life to experience, and I don't want you to miss out on that, but you will unless you let us help you right now."

Seeing Ava had managed to mostly calm down Gary, Connor climbed over to Gary's left side and continued to tie the red band around Gary's leg.

"But it's my leg." Gary spoke softly and shook his head in refusing to live without it. "I can't..."

Connor's eyes rolled up to look at Ava to see how she'll respond back.

"You can." She assured Gary.

Taking her words to heart, Gary nodded, finally agreeing to lose his left leg.

"Good." Ava nodded at his consent.

'I've never seen Ava act like this before.' Connor thought in his head.

Getting the signal that Gary was on board, he finishes tightening the band and signaled to Ava that he was ready to begin.

"Now, Dr. Rhodes is going to numb you up." She turned to face Gary again. "After that, you won't feel anything."

Connor injected a needle.

"Just keep looking at me, Gary. I've got you." She assured him that he won't be alone.

Seeing that Gary was ready, Connor took out a medical titanium cordless cast saw and started to cut off Gary's leg.

Gary held in his emotions as he continued to stare at Ava.

"Gah!"

"Baghdad." Dr. Stohl pointed once he saw Connor and Ava arrive to the ED with their patient and CFD firefighters and paramedics with them.

"All right, Karen tell the O.R. we're on our way up as soon as this rebar's out." Connor called out to the charge nurse.

"100 milligrams of ketamine." Connor announced.

"Get me a cut-down kit." Ava instructed

"And hang two units of O neg on the rapid transfuser." Said Connor as they finally arrived in the room.

Once inside, Ava got on the other side of the patient's bed. "On my count. One, two, three."

They all lifted Gary onto the bed.

"All right. Thanks, guys." Connor thanked CFD as they pushed the gurney out of the room so the doctors and nurses can work.

Connor and Ava quickly started to work, removing the blanket, gauzes and bandages that was surrounding the wound.

"Is that a REBOA?" Dr. Stohl walked in the room and saw the balloon.

"Couldn't get it down in the ambo." Connor explained as he worked. "Pressure tanked every time I tried."

"Of course it does. A REBOA in the field is a problem waiting to happen." He thought it was a bad idea to do. "Whose idea was this?"

"Mine." Connor looked up for a second.

"Dr. Rhodes, do you realize..."

"It was the right call." Ava cut him off.

Connor looked up at her defending him.

"There was no other way to get him out of there alive." She continued before going back to work.

'Ava is defending me?' Connor thought in his head.

Her explanation was enough for Dr. Stohl to back down.

"All right, wound looks good." Said Connor.

"Taking down the REBOA." Said Ava.

"Watch the pressure." Dr. Stohl reminded them.

Ava slowly undid the pressure and they watched the monitor.

"Pressure's holding." Said Connor.

"Vitals are stable." Ava looked back from the monitor to Connor.

"All right, let's get this thing out and get him up to the O.R.." Connor announced.

"Ready?" Ava took hold of the rebar.

"Yep." Connor responded holding onto the remainder of Gary's leg.

"One, two, three." Ava counted as she slowly pulled the rebar out.

After a few painful seconds on Gary's end, the rebar was finally removed from his leg. Ava looked down at the hole in Gary's thigh.

"No bleeding. Let's go." She confirmed and pulling up the gurney railings and making eye contact with Connor. "Nice job, Dr. Rhodes."

They pushed the gurney out of the room and headed straight upstairs.

The surgery was successful, they were able to save Gary.

Connor went to check in on him in the ICU after he woke up a few hours later.

He knocked on the door.

"Hey, Gary." He walked towards the bed.

Gary remained quiet.

"How you doing?" He asked.

Gary looked at him then back at his missing left leg. "It's weird. I can feel it, like it's still there."

"Yeah, it's called phantom limb pain." Connor looked down at the missing leg. Uh...takes some time, but it will fade." He looked back at his face.

Gary looked up at him.

Connor looked back down. "Listen, Gary, I am...I am very sorry about your leg." He apologized.

Gary remained quiet before starting to speak.

"At least I'm still alive." He thought about it again. "I'll find a way to move on." He assured the doctor.

Connor nodded. "All right, bud. I'll check on you soon." He said before leaving the room.

"Also..." Gary started to speak again causing Connor to turn around. "tell Dr. Bekker, thank you for me. It was her words that got me through to the end. They meant a lot."

"Of course." Connor smiled then left the room.

"Never knew Ava Bekker had a compassionate side to her." Connor spoke softly to himself.

As the day came and went, Connor was ready to leave the hospital. Not before heading to the CT floor to see a certain CT surgeon before he left.

"Hey." Connor approached Ava at the nurses' station, getting her attention. "Thank you for today. Uh, you were great."

Ava paused a moment to reflect on what happened today.

"I did feel a bit like Bonnie Henna out there." Ava grinned.

"Who?" Connor spoke with a confused look on his face.

"South African action hero!" She smiled at him.

Connor slightly nodded at the facial expression she was giving him. "Have a good night." He started to walk away.

'Did Ava always look that cute when she smiles?' Connor thought in his head.

Ava looked down then back up at his retreating figure.

Instead of going home, Connor went to the store.

He approached the latest new Porsche at the car shop.

"Good evening, sir. Can I help you?" A man in a suit approached him

"I'm looking for a change." Connor opened the car door and got in. "What model is this?"

"The 911 4S. Beautiful car." The man answered.

"Yes it is. You got the keys?" He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.

"I'm sorry, but we're actually done doing test drives for the night." The man spoke apologetically.

"I don't wanna test drive. I want buy it." Connor stated.

"Oh, of course. Just give me a moment." The man spoke softly realizing he just made a sale.

Next day, Connor drove to work in his new sports car. Breaking it in, it felt nice. A new fresh start and change. Something he never done before. Usually he doesn't show off his money, but after everything lately, it just felt right to do.

Once he finally made it to Med, he drove to the valet curve for them to park his car.

"Thanks." Connor spoke giving the valet his keys. The valet was lost for words as he stared at the expensive car.

Connor swung his messenger bag over his right shoulder and looked up to see his rival walking around his car and staring at it.

"Wow~" She spoke what seemed to be an American accent instead of her usual South African accent. "Some showy new wheels." She grinned.

Connor walked right beside her.

"Not cheap. What are we talking? 125?"

"Yeah, in the neighborhood."

"Not one I ever lived in."

"Morning?" Connor greeted the brunette who was eyeing him.

"Good Morning." The attractive woman stared and grinned at him.

Ava smirked at the scene. "Nice looking. But is she attracted to you are the car?" She mocked as she stopped open the door for them.

"Why don't you go ask her then?" He shrugged his shoulders as he walked past her.

Ava stared at his back then back at the woman who had an upset look on her face seeing that the handsome CT surgeon didn't come walking back to her.

A smug look appeared on Ava's face.

'Why do I feel happy that he rejected her?' Ava asked herself in her mind. 'That is a nice car though.'

Later during the day, Connor and Ava were in the middle of performing a tumor and kidney removal from Will's patient.

"Will, I'll come find you when we're done." Connor briefly looked up at the monitor room then back down at his work.

"I'm good." Will responded from the monitor room."

"Kidney free?" Ava asked.

"Yep, from everything but the renal vein. I'm vessel looping the inferior vena cava below it now." Connor responded.

"I'm curious. Any reason why you decided to pass on that brunette from this morning?" Ava paused what she was doing to turn her head to face him.

"She was cute but seemed to be an off limits type of woman."

"Not your type? Not feeling lonely after your breakup last year?"

"I'm over that already. And I'm not really interested to do any hookup nights." He switched tools with a team member. "How's things going on your end? He asked Ava.

"Opening the right atrium." Ava talked as she worked. "I can see the bulb of the tumor." A few more seconds later. "There we go." She removed the tumor and passed it over to one of the team members to place it in a tray. "Your turn."

"All right. Tumor is one long stalk now. I'm gonna tease it out as we remove the kidney." A few seconds and hand movements later. "Kidney is detached." Connor reached inside. "And here we go." He carefully took out the large tumor and the team members helped put it in the tray. "All right. Got it."

"One piece? No stragglers?" Will asked.

"It's whole." Connor replied.

Will nodded and left the room.

"Impressive. Bet your mojo's gonna last all night long. Too bad she's not getting any of it from you." Ava teased.

'Why did I just say that out loud to him? Am I really that happy he's not hooking up with that woman?' Ava asked herself in her head.

'Why is she so interested on what I do on my off hours?' Connor thought in his head.

The two surgeons stared at one another for a few seconds before they started to close the patient.

This chapter covers 3x07-08

*They're slowly starting to see each other differently

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