Chapter Eleven- Lead you home
In the silence
Deep residing violence of two hearts beating for each other
In the quiet stillness I'm reminded of what it means to love another
Ohhh I would carry it all for you
When the light has gone and all the night has fallen
When the light burned things collide
When the silent songs inside your heart come calling
Let it lead you home to me
-Lead you home, Emorie
5 days later- April 27th
"Come on, it could not have been that bad," Steph jokes as she and Jo walk into the lunch room to use the vending machine so that they could grab a quick snack before surgery.
"It was awful, you weren't there. I mean, what part of compartment syndrome and blood going all over my shoes sounds not that bad?" Jo exclaims.
Steph inserted a five dollar note into the vending machine and selects option '3' for a packet of plain chips, "when you put it that way, it doesn't sound great."
"No, it doesn't. I'm intern, I can't afford to be buying new shoes so I spent hours last night trying to get them clean. Long story short, I couldn't and now Karev owes me a new pair," Jo begins as Steph reaches for her dispensed packet of chips. Jo then inserts a fiver dollar note, so she too could have some chips. "Anyway, I'm thinking namebrand. Something real fancy."
"Nike," Steph suggests as Jo grabs her packet.
"Nah," Jo replies as they begin to walk out of the lunch room, "I've never been a Nike girl... or name branded anything girl. I only suggested because I wasn't buying," she admits. Steph turns to her in dismay, "I lived in my car, I didn't exactly have money."
"Sure, but once you got married things would have improved financially," Steph responds.
Jo moves her head side to side, "his parents gave us some money to help us start our life. We used it to put a deposit down on a house and committed to a 30 year loan. I went to med school while he earned a modest teachers salary and we had two kids. Doesn't exactly scream out wealthy enough to buy name name branded possessions."
"Get Karev to buy you Nike or Adidas shoes. Your feet will thank me later," Steph advises.
"Okay, I will," Jo chuckles. "You know, it's pretty cool that we're doing surgery together."
"Well, you're lucky I beat out Leah in Yang's skills lab. You're probably not familiar with the concept, given you're Karev's only intern," Steph mocks.
Jo hits Steph playfully on the arm, "Hey, watch it!"
"Surgery to correct Coarctation of the aorta isn't easy, are you prepared?" Steph asks.
Jo nods her head, "as much as I can be. But given everything going on in my life right now Karev has be mostly observing."
"Well, screw that," Steph responds.
"Normally I'd be right with you. But not in this case. You didn't see me in Connecticut. If my melt down was filmed then it'd go viral. I'm no where near in the headspace I need to be in for operating right now," Jo explains.
"Still no signs of his memory returning?" Steph asks.
Jo sighs and shakes her head, "no. Nothing I'm showing him, or talking to him about is helping him remember who he was."
"That sucks," Steph responds.
"He might not ever remember. The brain isn't an exact science. But I don't think I can live with this 'Christopher-Jake' person. I know that he doesn't want the life he can't remember, so where does that leave us? I don't want a divorce, I don't want any of this. But yet I seem to have all of it," she sighs.
"Jo, it's only early. You just need to give it more time, and don't give up," Steph advises.
Scene break
That afternoon
"I thought you were waiting for me in PT. What are you doing out here in the car park?" Jo asks as she walks over to Chris, who was leaning against their car.
"I don't have keys, so I couldn't get in," He replies.
"Well, We need to go get the kids. I didn't want to drag them around the hospital while looking for you. I was worried," Jo responds.
"Ma'am, you don't have to pretend to worry about me, I know I'm not the man who you fell in love with," Chris replies.
Jo sighs, "I wasn't pretending. You're a good guy... and I know you're in there somewhere, you're just a little lost."
"Well I must have been, for somebody like you to love me," Chris replies, causing Jo to smile. She just couldn't understand how it could be so obvious that her husband was in there at times, but then be a completely different person.
Jo watches as Chris' eyes and attention drift over to a scene happening behind them. Jo turns her attention and sees a woman arguing with a tow truck driver. Jo chuckles as she remembers their first meeting when Chris stoped the car she had been living in from being towed.
A man rushes over to the tow tuck and appears to pull out his wallet. Jo had never seen Chris so attentive. His eyes were fixated on the scene unfolding front of him. The man passes some cash over to the tow truck driver and he places it into his pocket and gets back into the car. The man and woman engage in a brief exchange and then part ways. Jo watches Chris as he continues to look in the same direction, even after they had both left.
Chris gasps, "I remember,"
Jo shakes her head in confusion, "You what?" She asks him.
"I remember. We met when you were living out of your car. Some guy wanted to tow you, but you couldn't afford to pay him so you were arguing. I paid him for you. It was the event that started it all... that started the life we have together," Chris explains happily.
Jo's eyes light up and she almost throws herself at him for a hug. He spins her around and then they kiss before he places her down.
"You remember," she gushed happily. "We need to get you to see Amelia and Derek, like now because you baby, are a medical freaking marvel!"
Jo grabs a hold of Chris's hand and pulls him in the direction of the hospital. At the rate they were moving, everyone around them was slow.
"Woah! Look out!" A young woman calls out as they rush by her.
Alex watches as Jo rushes towards him with Chris. "Wilson! What are you doing!" He calls out, "slow down!" He calls.
"He remembers! He remembers!" Jo yells out joyously as she continues to rush by him. The lift, Jo knew, was going to be too slow, so she choose to take the stairs.
Jo rushes him to the reception desk at the neuro wing, "Sarah, I need you to page Dr Shepherd ," Jo requests.
"Which one?" Sarah asks.
"Both, he remembers!" Jo gushes.
Sarah gasps, "oh my, that's great news. I'll page them to consult room 4. You can wait there."
Jo nods her head and leads Chris into the consult room, where they both stand in the middle. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. I didn't realise how much I missed this smile."
"You have no idea how much I've missed you," Jo responds.
Chris nods his head, "I think I do. I saw how disappointed and disheartened you looked each time I didn't remember. I'm sorry I put you through that."
Jo shakes her head, "no, don't apologise, it wasn't your fault. You were sick."
A few moments later Jo and Chris were interrupted by Amelia and Derek, who both walk into the room at the same time.
"Jo, Chris, what's going on?" Amelia asks with concern, fully expecting there to be something wrong.
"He remembers," Jo smiles.
"Wow, I didn't not see that coming," Amelia comments.
"Well, me either, given nothing was working. But he saw something and it triggered everything," Jo explains.
"I saw a car being towed," Chris grins as he looks at jo.
"And that triggered everything?" Derek asks curiously.
"It's how we met," Chris grins as he continues to look over at Jo.
"Ah," Amelia and Derek respond in unison.
"We'll do some tests, a repeat head CT and ask you some questions. It will take about an hour," Amelia states.
"And Jo, I'm sorry, but you can't be here when he has the tests. We need to see how accurate Chris' memory is and having you in the room my affect his answers," Derek advises.
Scene break
Jo had a spring in her step as she walked into the daycare. It was a spring that's wasn't easily missed, and it fact had been noticed instantly by staff.
"Dr Wilson, you seem happy today," Allison, one of the teachers comments.
"There's a lot to smile about today," Jo responds happily.
Allison gasps, "did Chris remember?"
Jo nods her head, and smiles, "Theo is going to be so excited. Everyday he asks me if daddy remembers him yet. I can't wait to finally answer yes. Now, where are my munchkins?" Jo questions.
"Grace passed out after her last bottle and Theo was insistent that he needed to help keep her safe so he's sitting on a chair with a book next to her cot describing the pictures," Allison chuckles.
Jo smiles, "I'll gather their stuff before I bother them then." Jo gathers up Theo's bag and Grace's bag, along with her empty bottles and leftover formula.
Jo opens the door to the cot room and sees Theo sitting next to Grace, who was still sleeping. She was hearing him try to read her a book.
Jo quietly walks over to Theo and strokes his hair, "Hey bud, it's time to go."
"Okay," Theo replies, "Gracie, I go put book away." Theo jumps off the large chair and goes to put the book away. Jo carefully picks up Grace and successfully transfers her to the pram without waking her.
After putting the book away Theo runs over to Jo with his bag on his back, "How did you get your bag on?"
"Miss Allie helped me," Theo smiles.
"I have to tell you something," Jo begins. Theo looks attentively at Jo, "When you see daddy..." Jo continues.
"Is daddy going to remember me yet?" Theo asks.
Jo bends down to Theo's level, "Yes, he will," she says smiling.
"Really?! Because I sad when daddy doesn't," Theo responds.
"I know baby, but daddy got his memory back today. So he remembers who you are," Jo explains.
"Can I see the doctors and say thank you?" Theo asks curiously.
"Sure baby, but let's do it tomorrow. Daddy really wants to see you. He was sad when he didn't remember you, but now that he can he wants to hear all about what you've been doing," Jo responds.
"Okay," Theo smiles.