Code Red - part 3

Amelia's heart skipped a beat as she watched Owen's body go limp once the excavator removed the last piece of rubble from his body.

'Oh no…no….no…..please no…. universe, please don't take away another man that I love. I cannot afford to lose another loved one.' she pleaded silently.

' Someone go get one of our ambulances!' she heard April order, as she rushed over to Owen's side and felt for a pulse. He still had a pulse, but it was weak and thready. He was in shock and needed to be resuscitated immediately.

' Owen!' she pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks… ' Owen, please don't leave me and our baby….please….stay awake for our sake…'

' Owen' a primal groan of anguish escaped from her throat when Owen's body remained limp.

' We have to transfer him to Seattle Presybetarian as soon as possible.' April, stepping up to take charge of the situation, instructed the group of residents and interns gathered around her.

' Amelia- he'll be fine ok?' she gave her downcast looking colleague a big hug.

Amelia could only nod in reply, she really wished she could believe the statement.

An ambulance arrived at the scene a few short moments later.

A couple of paramedics immediately sprung into action- applying splints on his 4 limbs.

' Careful' April warned as they slowly lifted Owen up on a stretcher to transfer him to the ambulance that had arrived. ' He might have internal injuries and fractures, you want to handle him gently.'

' Do update me on his condition, ok?' April said as she gave Amelia a warm hug. The neurosurgeon, who was still in a daze and in shock over the events that had transpired, could only manage a weak nod in reply before she climbed into the ambulance.

The ambulance arrived at Seattle Presybertarian Hospital in record time. The paramedics had inserted an IV line and ran fluids into his body in the ambulance. In the ER, the efficient ER attendings there discovered that Owen had pneumothorax, probably due to the debris pressing on his lungs. He was being intubated immediately, and a chest tube was inserted into him to drain the pneumothorax. More IV fluids were given to resuscitate him as his body had gone into shock.

The whole time when Owen was being resuscitated in the ER, Amelia could only stay at the waiting area in the lobby and wait. She wasn't allowed in the ER by the doctors there, as Seattle Presyberterian had strict rules about family members not being allowed to be involved in the management of a patient.

She alternated between sitting down on one of the uncomfortable chairs, with her head in her hands, and pacing back and forth the waiting area. Now she fully understood how family members of patients felt when they waited for news of any sort from her and her colleagues.

After pacing for the 10th time, she sank back on one of the seats, sighing. She looked up at the white hospital ceiling and prayed to the powers above to save Owen. She had already lost her father, Ryan, her unicorn baby and Derek. She couldn't bear to lose her husband too. Surely the universe can't be that cruel, can it?

Just then, her phone rang. It was Maggie. In the chaos of the past hour and her anxiety about losing Owen, she had forgotten about her sister.

' Hello?' she answered, her heart pounding in trepidition of further bad news from Grey Sloan.

' Amelia'. Maggie sniffled at the other end of the line.

' Maggie! Are you ok? Is everyone ok?' Amelia asked concerned.

' I've been looking for you. I was at home when I saw the fire in the news. I immediately drove to the hospital and saw a huge crowd at the hospital compounds but I couldn't find you. Where are you? Are you ok?' Maggie rattled on anxiously at the other end of the line.

' Yes- I'm fine…but Owen isn't.' Amelia replied, her voice quivering.

' Oh no….what happened?' Maggie whispered.

Amelia swallowed and tried to regain her composure before answering. ' The ER exploded and he was trapped under a rubble. The firefighters removed the rubble and he lost consciousness after that. They're working on him in the ER now.'

' Amelia' Maggie voice sounded genuinely sympathetic over the other end of the line.

' I….I can't afford to lose him, Maggie.' Amelia admitted, her voice now shaking as tears pooled in her eyes. ' Every man I've ever loved has died - my dad, Ryan, my baby, Derek…. I don't want the universe to take Owen away from me.'

Amelia had told Maggie about Ryan and her unicorn baby a few weeks ago, and Maggie had uttermost respect for her after hearing the entire story.

' Owen will be fine, Amelia. Trust me. The doctors there are doing their very best to save him.' said Maggie, trying to comfort her.

' I know.' Amelia conceded with a sigh. ' It's just….I hate the feeling of being helpless, not being able to do anything to help.'

' I know that feeling very well..…' Maggie's voice faltered as she recalled the few weeks prior to her mother's death and how she wanted to try every means possible to save her mother.

A comfortable silence ensued as both sisters were lost in their own thoughts.

' Do you know how's everyone else?' Amelia asked, hoping to divert her mind from worrying about Owen.

' Edwards is in the ICU in Seattle Presybetarian.' said Maggie with a sad tone in he voice. 'She ran into the fire trying to save intern Cross when he was trapped. She has extensive burns over her whole body, so does Cross. I'll go over to see them and Owen later.'

' Oh my God.' Amelia whispered in shock.

Stephanie was Amelia's favorite and most trusted resident. Even though she had been not in her best mood lately and was always so hard on herself, she continued performing her job flawlessly. Stephanie loved tagging along with Amelia and learning things from the neurosurgeon. Amelia, in return, loved teaching Stephanie.

' I think both of them and a couple of interns are the only ones injured, besides Owen.' said Maggie softly. ' Everyone else that we know were either at home or managed to escape unharmed.'

' Thank God.' Amelia muttered under her breath. The hospital didn't need any more casualties.

' Listen, you concentrate on Owen first ok?' Maggie added when Amelia remained silent at the other end of the line. ' Do update me on his condition.'

Just then, two doctors appeared from the ER and made their way towards Amelia.

' Maggie- I've gotta go, the doctors are coming.' informed Amelia, a tone of urgency in her voice.

' Ok, do keep me posted.' said Maggie. ' Hugs to you and prayers for Owen.'

Amelia's heart pounded rapidly as the doctors now stood in front of her.

' How's he?' she asked in a small voice, afraid to hear the answer. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to prepare herself for the bad news that was about to follow. Surely, after receiving bad news about her loved ones so many times in her life, she would have been well prepared for this. And yet her knees still shook and she clenched her fists tight until her knuckles turned white.

' Dr Shepherd, I'm Dr. Anderson . We've managed to resuscitate your husband. He had a massive pneumothorax and required a chest tube insertion and intubation. He's still sedated, but his vital signs are stable for now. He also sustained a left radial and right tibial fracture. We did a bedside ultrasound and it showed a splenic rupture requiring urgent splentectomy. We need you to sign a consent form for that, if you agree to the surgery. After the surgery, he'll be transferred to the ICU and we'll continue monitoring him there.' a kind looking doctor informed her with a warm smile on his face.

' Ok- thanks.' Amelia said, breathing a deep sigh of relief, although she knew he was not totally out of the woods yet. ' Go ahead with the surgery. How long after the surgery can I see him?'

' You can visit him in the ICU a couple of hours after the surgery. We've to get him settled in first.' answered Dr. Anderson as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

The next day

Amelia sat at Owen's bedside in his room in Seattle Presybetarian Hospital, staring at his still form. Owen had been transferred from the ICU to a regular room a few hours ago. She hadn't moved from her seat in the past couple of hours or so, staring at the various monitors connected to her husband. There hadn't been any changes in his vital signs for the past 2 hours, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the monitors for fear that if she did so, his vitals would drop. The doctor in her knew that it was an irrational thought, but the wife in her just couldn't help it.

He had been extubated and weaned off sedatives a couple of hours ago, and the intensivists told her that he might wake up at any minute. However, they also warned her of the small possibility that he might not wake up at all. She couldn't bring herself to think of that possibility.

Amelia felt like she had been to hell and back for the past 24 hours, which seemed like eternity. The hours passed by like a whirlwind, a flurry of activity. She was in a daze the whole time.

A lot had happened in the past 24 hours. Amelia had gone to the cafeteria for a snack and sat alone, staring out of the cafeteria window. She knew that even though Owen's vital signs were stable- he could crash at any moment, and that scared her.

After a few hours, she was being called to the ICU to see him. Even though she had seen patients with monitors and tubes connected to their listless form daily, that couldn't prepare her for the shock of seeing Owen's lifeless body connected to the various tubes and wires. She held his hand, as tears rolled down her cheeks. She pleaded silently for him not to leave her and their baby alone. No, she couldn't go through another pregnancy alone.

She also visited Stephanie and Cross, both who were still in critical condition in the ICU. Their vitals signs were stable, but they were not out of the woods yet. Her heart broke for Stephanie. Stephanie was her favorite resident, and she just couldn't bear the thought of rounding on her patients without Stephanie there to present the cases to her and performing surgeries without Stephanie as her assistant.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had not eaten a proper meal for the past 24 hours. She had gone to the cafeteria again for some sandwiches and hot chocolate a couple of times, for the sake of her baby, but she had thrown up all her food. She had not showered as well, and she was in the exact same clothes she was wearing when she first entered the hospital.

She perked up as she noticed a slight movement of Owen's right hand.

' Owen', she whispered, as she held his hand. ' Owen, wake up, open your eyes.'

Her heart sank when Owen's eyes remained shut. Maybe it was just a reflex movement?

After a few long moments in which she settled back in her seat, his blue eyes finally opened.

' Owen.' Amelia whispered, smiling at him as tears of relief rolled down her cheeks.

' Where am I?' he asked groggily.

' Owen- you're in Seattle Presybetarian hospital.' Amelia answered as she took his hand.

Owen frowned in reply. Amelia didn't know whether it was due to the pain he was experiencing, the confusion, or both.

'You remember what happened?' she asked, her neurosurgeon mode taking over.

Owen remained silent, looking around the room with a confused expression on his face. His entire abdomen hurt, and when he looked downwards, he noticed a cast on his left arm and right leg.

' There was a fire and explosion in the ER, and you were trapped under a rubble. The firefighters had to remove the rubble. Do you remember that?' Amelia asked softly.

Suddenly, all the memories of the past day returned to him- the ER fire and explosion, him being trapped under a rubble.

' Oh the fire.' he whispered.

He tried to adjust his body position, but winced when he felt a sharp pain on his abdomen.

' My whole body hurts.' he muttered.

' Owen- don't move. You just had a major surgery. Your spleen ruptured and had to be removed. You were also intubated, and they inserted a chest tube as you had pneumothorax. The endotracheal tube and chest tube had just been removed earlier today.' said Amelia softly. 'And you have fractures on your left arm and right leg. I'll call the nurse to give you some analgesics.'

As Owen kept still, obeying her orders, she pressed the nurse call button.

After being administered a dose of morphine, Owen succumbed to sleep as Amelia continued sitting by his bedside and staring at the monitors until she dozed off.

A few hours later- Owen opened his eyes. He still felt pain on his abdomen and his limbs, but it had dulled.

His gaze fell upon his wife who was dozing on the uncomfortable reclining chair by his bedside.

' Amelia' he called out softly.

Her eyes opened and she immediately stood up from her chair.

' Owen- are you ok? Do you feel better now? Are you still in pain?' she asked with concern.

' I'm feeling better now.' Owen croaked. ' The pain has dulled. I still don't think I can move much though.'

' Don't move. You need to rest.' Amelia ordered as she straightened a kink on his IV line. There were dark rings under her eyes, indicating that she did not have a good night's sleep. She looked worn out and tired.

' You look tired.' Owen pointed out in a hoarse voice. ' Did you even sleep or eat? Or shower?'

' You need to rest, Owen.' Amelia said, deflecting his question.

' Amelia…' Owen repeated. ' Did you eat?'

' Yes, I did!' Amelia replied, a little louder than she intended. ' Baby needs to eat.'

Despite his discomfort, Owen's heart warmed at the mention of their baby.

' Yes, you're eating for two now.' Owen managed a small smile as his eyes travelled to her still flat stomach.

' I've only fed Baby sandwiches and hot chocolate for the past 24 hours. 'Amelia admitted. ' I haven't been sleeping or resting properly too….I was just so worried about you. Oh gosh, I'm such a bad mom already.' she rambled. Her face was scrunched and she looked like she was about to cry.

' Amelia,' Owen whispered. ' Please don't cry. I'm fine now. And you're going to be an amazing mom. And I'm going to be an amazing dad.' he tried to comfort her. The anguish of seeing his wife cry was even worse than the physical pain he felt at the moment.

Amelia shook her head as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

' Don't do this to me again, please.' she pleaded. ' Don't ever leave me, do you hear me? Do you know how it felt like- the fear of losing you? After losing all the loved ones in my life? I can't do this without you, Owen. I….I can't bring up our baby alone.'

The combination of the stress, lack of sleep and her pregnancy hormones caused her to finally break down.

Owen slowly reached out his right hand and placed it on top of Amelia's hand, trying to reassure her as she sobbed quietly, releasing all the stress she felt.

' Amelia- I'll never leave you. Or Bean.' he croaked.

' You better not.' Amelia warned , smiling teary eyed at the mention of their baby's nickname.

Owen reached out his right hand to stroke Amelia's still flat belly.

' Hey Bean', he whispered hoarsely. ' It's your daddy here. I love you so much and I can't wait to meet you.'

' He or she can't hear you yet.' Amelia pointed out, still smiling.

The sharp pain Owen felt radiating through his abdomen that moment didn't stop a smile from forming on his face. This was his dream all along, of becoming a father, and the fact that he was going to be one trumped the pain and discomfort he felt.

He then looked up at Amelia as their eyes met.

' I love you and Bean so much.' he whispered, full of love.

' We love you so much too.' she replied.

Although Owen's whole body was battered and bruised, Amelia was just so glad that he was alive. That was the most important thing, that he survived the entire ordeal, which was a miracle in itself. Sure, Owen had a long road to recovery lying ahead of him. There would be many painful physiotherapy sessions and another surgery to remove more pieces of his ruptured spleen. His chest would hurt everytime he inhaled for at least another month or so. His left arm would be casted for 6 weeks and his right leg for 8 weeks. However, despite the painful road to recovery he would go through, he would persevere for Amelia and their baby.

The couple held hands and sat in silence, savoring the moment together.

They could imagine their future together, with their children running around the house compound, filling the house with laughter. The future was uncertain, the future scared them. There was no guarantee that the baby she was carrying would turn out to be healthy. But they both knew that they would be able to get through this together. The future was theirs and no one could take it away from them.

Their precious moment was interrupted by a call from Maggie- informing Amelia that both Stephanie and Cross were stable enough to be transferred to regular rooms too and were expected to make a full recovery.

At that moment, Amelia realized that she had a lot to be grateful for- her loving husband who miraculously survived the explosion and fire, her unborn baby, her sisters and her colleagues. The universe was no longer conspiring against her.

Ok guys, this is it- the ending of the 'Code Red.' series. I hope you like it! Comments, reviews and messages are very much appreciated :) I would love to hear from you!