36. The Building Collapse

When it finally reveals itself, the future is never the way we imagined it.

-Meredith Grey

The wedding was relatively small. Despite Ella's romantic attitude, she was notoriously private in making sure no one except close and trusted family members and friends saw her in a poofy white dress she secretly loved. Then, the wedding dress was packed in a box and tucked away in their new home together near the hospital. Another bunch of interns came around and Taylor graduated from his fellowship with flying colors.

"I'm thinkin' of hanging around you for awhile," he said jokingly when she had scrubbed in on a trauma with him. "You're like a miracle worker right now. Saving lives left and right, do you ever sleep?"

"Nope. All I do is fix people." She shrugged and he smiled. Nudging her playfully, he felt a flicker of relief when she smiled back.

.

The alarm rang and she woke with a start, an immediate yawn coming out of her mouth. "What time is it?" she snapped, slapping the person beside her. Who had she stumbled into her bed with? She recognized the wallpaper of the room she stayed in at Noah's and the door was half open, revealing Theresa in the bathroom. Sitting up, she ran her hand along the wall for the light switch and flicked it on.

"What!" the someone beside her yelled and sat up with a start. Taylor's blue eyes were wide with fright as he glanced around her rapidly.

"Hey," she mumbled and there was a pause before he responded back. His face was covered in sweat and she frowned, pulling her sleeve up so her fingers could grasp it and wiping the sleeve across his head. Scrunching up her nose, she got up to the door, feeling her muscles ache. Then, did everything come back to her. After shift, they had a race on who could run around Boston faster.

Safe to say, it was the worst idea ever. Although, she had won, of course despite the multiple trips to the bathroom. Speaking of, she darted out of the room and nearly into Theresa on her way to the bathroom as she keened and promptly emptied water and acid into the toilet bowl. Her sister-in-law held her hair back until she was finished before she leaned back and sat down, head resting against the cold tiles.

"Rough day?"

"Rough everything," she said as the green-eyed woman leaned down with a towel to wipe around her mouth. "Thanks."

"You should really tone it down."

"Can't refuse a good challenge. God, I didn't think I was going to be this sore." She groaned as Taylor came out, stumbling like a zombie towards the living room.

"You're pregnant, Em. You're going to be tired, you're going to be sore. Running around Boston does that to you," Theresa mused, sitting down beside her. "Come on, get in the shower. I'll whip you up something to eat before you get to work." The woman pushed her sister towards the shower before getting up and taking out a towel for her. "Make sure you get behind the ears," she added teasingly. Emily shot her a glare as she stripped, stepping into the tub and pulling the curtain around.

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbled but felt relief when the searing water washed away any pain. It reminded her of Mark and the parts of her that ached for him hollowed out her insides. She needed him to call her.

.

Meredith knew things. Well, everyone knew things. But she had a terrible childhood so it made her susceptible of knowing when people weren't stable. Like now. Lexie was off doing some paperwork for Thatcher while Mark was keeping her busy and she was here, waiting for Bailey to come and take her to surgery. Ever since Emily had up and left, he had taken to Little Grey like a big brother.

Big brother to her stupid little sister she loved with stupid puppy eyes. Little sister. Lexie was her little sister. And as much as Meredith was scared to love her, she did. That's why she was doing this. It was something Emily would've done. Emily probably would've asked to be tested even though Thatcher was Lexie's dad. But she was different now. Less stable. The last time they had spoken, she realized that the brunette sounded better but still off. Still healing.

For God's sake, she was Emily. She loved with her whole heart and never held back and that meant when George died, she could barely hold it together. Meredith knew that. And now he was gone. There was bound to be a few cracks without anyone who knew George to help her. She'd fill in the cracks with glue that hadn't set and tape that'd fray. Meredith knew that Emily wouldn't fix it until someone made her fix it.

Sometimes, she hated that her friend was in Boston. Sometimes, she hated the distance because she could feel Emily drifting away again. Something bad was coming and she knew it. Now, they had to just wait for it to play out.

.

Three days after her Boston marathon, Emily was paged to the E.R. The T.V. was on and there was a startling calm to it. Many of the beds were prepped with trauma kits as a black jacket was shoved into her hands. Her Mass Gen jacket. Confused, she unfolded it. Putting it on, she joined the line of other doctors waiting beside her. It consisted of Tom, Taylor, Matthew and Noah. She frowned slightly, tucking the necklace under her shirt.

"What's happening?" Tom asked as Noah broke line, a commanding aura around him. He scanned them, watching as the T.V. switched to the news.

"We are deployed as the triage team from this hospital. A building collapsed with an estimated a thirty casualties so far. Now, I need you all to assess, tag and move on to the next one or go to triage and do what you can. Search and Rescue are continuously bringing out new ones and I need you all on your A game." He held his hands behind his back, pinning them with a stare again. "Be careful, be cautious, be smart. Quick and dirty, no muss, no fuss. Understood?"

"Yes," they chanted back and he nodded. Turning around, he grabbed a trauma kit and they followed suit, loading into the ambulance. The doors swung shut as Emily huddled in between Tom and Taylor. Noah and Matthew sat on the other side, swaying as the sirens wailed. They dodged between traffic and sped through the highway as they drove as fast as they could to the site. Noah brought out some black devices, hooking one on his jacket.

"Radios. Use 'em when you need to, always answer and tell us where you are. You report back to me when I tell you to."

"Yes, sir." Emily grabbed the radio and hooked it to her jacket when the ambulance stuttered to a stop. Opening the door, Taylor jumped off the rig first, his green trauma kit swaying from the momentum. Landing beside him, she used his shoulder to steady herself before glancing up. Her eyes widened as Tom came beside her.

"Holy shit." Swallowing, she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah."

In front of her, a grey building was swallowed in dust and ash, steel beams and glass panes shattered. It was three stories tall, an apartment building. Tenants streamed out, scared and hurt. There were tents and rolled tarps for color-coded triage. There was a loud crash and a large flare of fire ignited before dying off again. Dust and smoke poured out the broken windows as people screamed. The thundering rain nearly drowned them all out as Emily ducked on instinct, raising her arms as glass shattered.

"Let's move, people!" Noah yelled and immediately made his way to the red zone, stopping beside a small child. Nodding, she grabbed Tom's hand and he pulled her along. Taylor went off to talk to the Search and Rescue leader while Matthew went with the trauma surgeon.

"Come on," she urged to Tom. They ran to where people were coming out of the building. Their sneakers slapped against the pavement as the sudden stream of people ended with a woman, her auburn hair getting soaked in the rain but her skin covered in dust.

He darted ahead, taking a hold of the middle-aged woman. She was coughing but seemed relatively unscathed. "Are you alright, ma'am? I'm a doctor."

"My daughter, she's with her father and brother. We were just having lunch-" She broke off into a fit of coughs and Tom turned back. "She's hurt. I have to find them!" She lurched against him, trying to struggle back towards the building that made no movement.

"Ma'am. I'll go find them," she promised, sharing a look with Tom that told him she wasn't going to go in yet. Pulling up her hood to preserve heat, she came closer to the woman. "What's her name?"

"R-Rebecca. She's wearing a blue t-shirt with a unicorn. She loves unicorns. And Hunter, he's wearing his pajamas still." Nodding, she held onto the woman's hands. "Find them. Please." Looking at Tom, she drifted her gaze to triage and he nodded. When he took her away, she ran to the yellow and red sections. She'd had to go in when Search and Rescue cleared the first floor no matter how much it ached to see the woman so heart-broken. George would thrive in this situation, she mused painfully as she spotted a man gasping for breath. He was under the yellow zone and no one seemed to notice. At least he's covered, she thought dryly. He coughed once, twice, before she reached him.

"Sir, what's wrong?" she asked, taking out her stethoscope and unzipping her trauma kit. Listening around his heart, she heard a weak, thready pulse and weaker breath sounds. Pulling it off and around her neck again, she was about to lift his chest when he coughed so violently, blood spilled over his lips.

"My head… it's so…" His eyes rolled back into his head. Gesturing for one of the other doctors to help her on scene, she took out an ultrasound from her bag.

"Cut open his shirt." The other doctor took a pair of scissors, snipping away his shirt. Squirting out some gel, she rubbed it around the heart to find the right spot. Looking at the small screen, she determined it as cardiac tamponade.

Shuffling through her bag, she found the biggest needle she had and handed the screen and wand towards the other doctor. He looked at her nervously but did as she gestured for him to do. His hand shaked and she glared up at him, the needle barely pressing into the man's chest.

"Get your act together. If I don't get this right, he will die," she snapped and he nodded nervously. Taking the needle, she used her fingers to find the fifth intercostal space and pressed the tip in slowly. "Show me the screen," she said and he did so. Pushing in further, she was careful to not puncture the heart as the needle filled with blood. The cavity clearer, the man woke up and she covered the syringe so he wouldn't see. Pressing gauze to the little needle mark, she smiled at him.

"What happened?" he mumbled drearily and she smiled.

"Welcome back, sir." Taking back the ultrasound, she told the man across from her to help him get to the paramedics as her radio buzzed. Grabbing her trauma kit, she answered.

"Where are you, Em?" Tom's voice crackled over the feed.

"Red zone. Meet you at the blue zone," she told him as a large burst of Search and Rescue workers came through with a bunch of people.

"It was a party in one loft," one of them told the paramedics who swooped in. They were all either unconscious or dead, impaled and bloody. "The lights fell down and crushed all of them. They need a hospital now." Matthew suddenly appeared beside her, taking vitals of the first casualty before clicking his radio.

"I'm going back to the hospital," he announced before letting go. "Em, you coming?"

"Can't have all of us leave," she teased quickly and he grinned, pushing the gurney away towards the rows of ambulances. Watching them go, she felt a quick tug at her jacket. Glancing down, she saw a girl with a blue shirt, a unicorn smack in the middle. Looking around, she spotted Tom coming towards her. "Are you Rebecca?"

"My daddy's hurt!" she said after a confirming nod. "I need to show you. I think he might die!" She was only around nine. "I need you to go inside. The other people won't listen. Hunter is staying with him!"

"Rebecca - I - I can't go in there. It's not safe for me to go inside. But I found your mommy-"

"No! Daddy's shoulder looks weird and he keeps saying that he'll see me later. But he's lying. I can tell because when I went to go find you I heard him praying." A conflicted look passed their faces and Tom looked more determined that ever to barge in. "Daddy only prays when something bad is going to happen."

"We have to go, Em. Dr. Moore," he spoke into the radio, "we need permission to go in."

"Taylor, what floors are safe?" her brother asked as Emily leaned down.

"What floor are they on?" Rebecca held up three fingers. "They're on the third floor." Noticing the girl whimpering, she frowned. Crouching down, she noted the way she clutched her wrist. "Are you hurt? Does your wrist hurt? Hey!" she yelled at a resident from Brigham's who ran over. "Can you check out her wrist?"

"'Course. Come here, sweetheart. We need to get you warm and dry," the resident gestured but Rebecca fought against it.

"I need to show them where daddy is!"

"Third floor is more unstable. They're going through the roof." Taylor's reply crackled through and Em groaned. Turning back to the Brigham resident, she found Rebecca gone.

"Where is she?" The resident turned around, adjusting the pack around his shoulder. He glanced around and shrugged.

"I thought she was just behind me!"

"You have to got to be joking me. Come on, Tom." She threw a hand towards the entrance and dove into the building. He grinned and followed in after her.

"Emily, report! You better have not gone in there," Noah warned. "Em!" Immediately, she was faced with clouds of ash and dust. Raising her hand, she sealed her mouth shut and held her breath, wafting away the smokey air. A lot of tables were overturned in the lobby, wires where lights were supposed to be and the wooden floors were scratched. Blood stained the floor and walls but no bodies were in sight as she scanned the area. A flash of blue darted up the stairs and Tom tugged her in that direction.

"Emily, report!" This time, Taylor barked out the order, worry weaving his tone.

"I am not leaving a kid to die," Tom grunted out in response as he threw a beam out of the way to get to the staircase when a shadow was casted across the wall. Climbing up, she rounded the corner, spotting a man carrying a child. His head was red with blood as he stumbled, falling down the last five steps. Backing down the steps, she caught the child as he fell, crashing into the wall. Tom immediately took the kid from her, allowing her to inspect the dad.

"Sir, can you hear me?" she said, tilting his head up at her so she could inspect the head lac. Taking out a flashlight from her pocket, she watched his pupils dilate. Responsive. Good.

"Rebecca…" he moaned and she looked up at the top of the flight of stairs. Rebecca was there, clutching her arm. Emily gestured for the young girl to descend before inspecting the father's shoulder.

"Tom, how's Hunter?"

"Good. He can stand, a little bit tired. The dad?"

"Pupils responsive but he has a scalp lac that looks pretty deep and - take a breath for me, sir," she instructed and he did so, "-breath sounds are weak. We need to get him out now. Help me pop his shoulder in. Rebecca, come here." she addressed it to the girl as she descended the stairs. Tom looked up, telling Hunter to stay put. The young boy looked close to tears as the male surgeon carried his sister towards him. He whimpered at the man's cold hands but shushed when he saw Rebecca.

"Rebecca, we've got to get out before the whole place crumbles," he said urgently, wincing as a few pieces of concrete dusted upon them. "Go with your brother. Can I trust you guys to get out? No playing," he said sternly and she nodded shakily. Putting her down, he brushed a few hairs back. "Find a doctor, get your wrist looked at. You're very brave," he whispered and she hugged him before running after her brother.

"You're good at peds," she joked and he grinned as he helped lift the kids' father down to the main floor. "Thinking of claiming it?

"I don't know," he teased as they laid him down on the floor. "Can I set the shoulder? Haven't done one in a while."

"Yeah. I'm going to start checking out his chest. Come here." She scooted around so he could take her place. Sitting the man up, Tom counted to three before jerking it back into place. Immediately the man screamed and there was a loud bang. Looking up, the two surgeons felt dust from the ceiling against their faces. Little crumbling remnants of the ceiling scattered over their faces. Their skin was coated with grey as there was the building rumbled. It felt gross on her skin when rain dripped down her face and down her hair, causing the dust to turn into a thick mixture, streaming into her mouth and eyes.

"Get out of there! Now! What the hell did your guys do..." Noah's voice faded over the radios as Tom and Emily shared a look. Hoisting her bag onto her shoulder, her grip on the father tightened. They were about to move when the ceiling crumbled. A large slab slammed in front of them, blocking their exit.

A web of cracks spread throughout the structure. The concrete was coming closer to their heads as they dropped to the ground. Covering their patient, the two surgeons used their free hand to cover their necks. Dust plumed upwards from the floor, sneaking into their lungs and drying them out. Lights flickered and there was a small whine of electricity. Everything seemed quiet when there was another crack of concrete. Glancing at the support beams near the stairs, she saw them slowly bend from the weight when finally with a twang, they snapped and the concrete broke.

The crack spread across the floor like veins as the floor fell from under her. And for a moment, she was weightless. Then, gravity slammed her to the ground and she watched in slow motion as the ground fell beside her. Tom hit a cabinet, flipping him onto a table as his back landed on the table with a loud crack echoing in her ears before rolling off and under the shadow of an impending slab of concrete.

It was the last thing she saw before the darkness. For a moment, she thought the black minutes of peace was her ascending to whatever afterlife there was. Then:

"Come in. Come in! Emily? Get Search and Rescue in there!"

"Noah, I'm going to go in."

"No! That building's still not stable." The conversation went back and forth as Emily blinked open her eyes. Her body ached as she pushed herself up. The dad was obviously dead, the way his head was at a certain angle and his eyes blank said everything. Glancing for the man she had come in with, she spotted a pair of legs underneath a chunk of concrete. Panic and horror immediately seizing her body, she got up and ran towards him, not caring of anything else as she hauled the large piece of the ceiling off. Tom was slack-jawed and ashen, his eyes open as he searched for a familiar face. Spotting her, he tried to say something but he couldn't breathe.

"Crap, crap, crap! Tom, you do not die on me," she hissed, searching around her for their trauma kits. Taking the stethoscope, she ripped open his jacket and pushed up his shirt, haphazardly listening to his breath sounds and heart. "Okay, okay, okay. You - you have a collapsed lung." She ripped open the trauma kit, finding a needle and stabbing it into an intercostal space. Taking out, air immediately hissed through the opening and she sighed as he breathed easier. "I need to take off your shirt," she told him and she pulled his shirt back down, grabbing a pair of scissors from the kit and snipping away.

Colors ranging from sickly purple to vibrant red varied on his chest and his fingers twitched as she felt his rough abdomen. Internal bleeding. He shivered and she swallowed painfully, speaking to her radio.

"I'm okay, Noah, but Tom sustained massive injuries to the abdomen. We fell through the basement and he's going to die if we aren't fast enough," she said as she listened to his weak heart again. He was already dying. She knew it. "We need, we need to get him to the hospital." Letting go of the button, she tried tugging his arm. "Can you move your legs?" The two of them glanced down to his feet. They didn't move. "Tom, this isn't the time for games. Can you move your legs?"

"Em…" he managed to gasp out and she grabbed his hand, fingers brushing over the wedding band he refused to take off. She would always tease him about it. His hands were like ice, colder than hers that were freezing from the rain. Death had already touched him. He gasped painfully, coughing and sputtering. "God… I'm so sorry. I didn't… if I… I can't feel my legs." Blood poured out of his lips and she hid her tears, brushing a few wet strands back from his face.

"Shh." The brunette crouched over him, pressing a finger to his lips. "Save your strength," she whispered against his hand as cramps pressed against her abdomen. Keening over, she felt something warm and wet trail down her legs. Glancing down, she watched as dark red stained her scrubs. Looking back up at Tom, she saw his wide eyes and she knew that he knew.

"Your baby," he gasped, every breath a challenge, "Your baby, they're dying. It's my fault, I'm sorry."

"Sh… It's not. Don't worry. It's okay."

"Don't say… that…" He looked away but she cupped his cheek and turned him towards her.

"I love you. You're my best friend, you can't die." Her voice broke and tears traced her cheeks, clearing a path on the dust that rested on her skin. Hot and racing, they fell onto his jacket as she covered him up with his jacket again to keep him warm. He was so cold. His skin was pale, the blue veins tracing up and down under his thin skin.

"Tell Ella that - that I love her and that I'm sorry," he stuttered, knuckles brushing against her cheek as she held onto it. "You've be-been the greatest," he breathed, trying to finish his sentence, "best friend someone could ever have. The… the best sister."

"Tom, no," she whispered, gripping his hand as if she could squeeze life back into him. He held on as hard as he could until slowly, his fingers uncurled and the muscles went lax. Opening her eyes, she saw his eyes drift off, focusing on nothing.

Knives stabbed her abdomen, paralyzing her for a few moments before she managed to press her fingers near his carotid and found no pulse. Getting her weight from her feet straight onto her knees, she leaned forward and began C.P.R, ignoring the feel of more blood staining and trailing her legs as a large clot pressed against her thigh. Pressure was building up in her body as she continued to press against his chest.

"No! No, no, no. You can't leave. Not now. Come on. Tom!" Her voice rose with desperation as she pushed harder against his chest. There was a hard crack. She had cracked a rib. She had cracked his rib. Behind her, there was a scratch of concrete against floor and a slight rustle of dust as Search and Rescue came over the edge.

"Emily, we've got to get you out of here." It was Noah. Although his voice twisted in rage, it faded away when he saw what she was doing. Search and Rescue workers landed down beside her, attached to ropes. She didn't turn around towards him, simply continuing the resuscitation until arms wrapped around her to pull her away.

"No! We can still save him!" she screamed in vain as they pulled her away. She struggled but the pain building up in her abdomen was too much and she fell limp against the man's restraining arms. "We can still save him. Please, don't leave him there! Don't leave him here!" Fire burned on her face and she could barely breathe let alone live with the agony festering like a parasite in her stomach.

Her shuddering breaths made Noah's heart break as she finally fell to her knees. They took her out and exited the building as her shoulders shook in silent sobs. A new pair of arms wrapped around her and she clawed at the throat of her brother who had the mask of a soldier. His eyes glistened as she smashed her face into his chest, screaming until her voice turned sore.

"Tom, no - he isn't dead!"

She managed to break away and began running towards the building but stumbled and fell to her knees. Rain pelted on her like bullets, and parts of her she never knew existed pulsed in torment. The pain was unbearable. Noah knelt beside her, taking her into his arms and held on for dear life as his eyes stung. Blinking, the tears became nestled in her hair as she wailed like a banshee. The sky was dark and grey with grief as if some higher power were mourning. For a moment, Emily thought they shouldn't be, for an angel had returned to their ranks.

Then she realized perhaps, they were mourning for her. For in an instant, she had lost everything.

A/N: Edited - October 16, 2018

Next: The week after.