The Home and The Heart

The Best Day

Jo had forgotten how truly sweet freedom tasted. Sure, there had been a certain level of freedom since she had fled the home she shared with Paul, but this was something else entirely, she never had to look over her shoulder again.

She could go out, not having to worry about bumping into somebody she used to know, she could go to work at the hospital without worrying that she would turn a corner and her monstrous husband would be standing there waiting, and finally, she could marry the true love of her life without any restraints or fear.

The judge had been harsh, but fair. Going into the legal battle, Jo knew that less than ten per cent of abusers in domestic relationships were given jail time. Jo found herself being grateful that she had taken photos of her injuries all those years ago, no matter how much it hurt her to do so at the time. When Jo thought about it, she was also happy, albeit darkly, that Paul had done what he did in the hospital lobby, in plain sight of eyewitnesses and multiple security cameras. Sure, it had hurt and the bruising had taken a few weeks to disappear, but what difference was another injury going to make? At least this one finally got Paul the consequences he truly deserved.

...

True to their word, everybody gathered at Joe's Bar that night after everybody was done either at the hospital or finished with daily errands. One by one, they trickled in, ordering a drink (or several) and sitting at one of the three tables that Joe had pushed together for them.

If somebody had told Jo five years ago that she would be Chief Resident at one of the country's top surgical training programs or sitting at a table surrounded by people she thought had initially hated her, she would have laughed in their face. Jo was many things, she could be prissy and maybe a little bit sensitive sometimes when she thought nobody was watching, but most of all she was grateful. Grateful for her life, her job, her friends, a beautiful child growing inside of her and her amazing fiancé (she had called Alex that for the first time that afternoon and Jo honestly thought he was going to burst out in tears).

Bailey had walked in last, having had complications with a patient in surgery. She ordered something called an Early Onset Alzheimers, Jo didn't know what it was but Bailey seemed to be enjoying it. So much so that she ordered a round of them for the table. The mood was jovial, to say the least. Despite the fact that Jo was sticking to soda, the atmosphere in the bar seemed to still Jo's fast-beating heart, the feelings of the day slowly leaving her as she listened to old stories from the hospital about brides with no eyebrows and panties pinned to bulletin boards.

"I actually told Bailey they were mine, and the whole day she didn't shut up about it. Every time someone would walk past her she could have a face of thunder and start muttering under her breath about horny interns." Callie laughed, passing her blue drink over the table for Bailey to finish.

"Torres, come on. I knew they didn't belong to you all along. I can confidently say that I genuinely hate the fact that I caught Grey and Shepherd in... compromising... positions more than once." Bailey shot a half-hearted glare over the table at Meredith, who covered her face with her hand as she laughed.

"Oh come on Bailey, you find everyone everywhere, no matter how hard people try to stay out of your way." Meredith continued to giggle, and it was infectious. Jo knew that there was always something happening at Grey Sloan Memorial, whether it be good or bad. But sometimes, just sometimes, Jo thought that the amazing miracles that they performed or the love that the staff had for each other was enough to outweigh the toll of the death and the job at least a little.

...

"It was nice tonight. To just sit in Joe's and listen to our friends talk about the old days at Grey Sloan. Your intern years seem so far away now it..."

"Are you saying I'm old?" Alex interrupted Jo as he reached into the fridge, pulling out a carton of orange juice before closing it.

Jo laughed loudly.

"Well, you said it not me..." She trailed off, giggling when she saw him roll his eyes.

"It was nice. And you are right, it was a long time ago. Richard was right in that speech he gave on our first day, more people would leave than stay. Derek, Mark, Lexie, O'Malley, they're all dead. Brooks is dead, Christina is gone, Izzie is gone, Edwards is gone, Shane is gone, and Leah is gone. You are the only one in your intern class left, well aside from Warren but you get what I mean. Mer and I are the only ones left really, aside from Bailey and Webber, everyone else comes and goes." Alex said, somewhat somberly.

"I mean, I have obviously heard stuff about the hospital when it was Seattle Grace from you, but only the bad stuff, I guess. The shooting and Izzie and stuff..." Jo looked down at her bump, where Alex's large hand was resting.

A look quickly crossed Alex's face and then vanished. Jo knew that Alex didn't like talking about Izzie and she fully understood why. He had loved her, a lot, and she had abandoned him. Alex had stood by his wife during her whole illness and she just left him, saddling him with the divorce and her medical bills in the process.

"I'm sorry, I know you don't..."

"No, It's fine, really. She was in that part of my life and I was a completely different person back then, believe me. You and this baby are my life now, my whole life." Alex bought up his free hand, cupping Jo's cheek and bringing her lips towards his.

"So, about that proposal acceptance?" Jo asked when she pulled away, a smirk crossing her features.

The judge annulling the marriage was more than Jo could have hoped for, as Jo didn't have to worry about getting Paul to sign divorce papers from the jail cell he would now call home, or splitting marital assets, she could just walk away. A similar smirk crossed Alex's face as his eyes scanned her face.

"You want the ring? You know that once this ring is on your finger, it's never coming off, right?" Alex stood, hurriedly walking over to his wooden bedside table. He opened the drawer, carefully pulling out a black velvet box that he had hidden amongst rolled-up sock pairs.

"You're sure you want it? You know..." Jo cut Alex off abruptly by rushing over and kissing him, effectively shutting him up.

"Yes, you jerk, I am one thousand per cent sure. Now put that ring on my finger and marry me before my belly gets so big all of the dresses pop."

The pair laughed loudly together, falling back onto their bed. For the first time in a long time, Jo went to sleep that night in her fiance's arms without checking the door three times, without nightmares, or checking her phone was within reachable distance in case the cops needed to be called in the middle of the night. She just slept, soundly. Well, that was until she was woken to the sudden swift pain of her child kicking her hard in the ribs.