After Afterall

37

MEREDITH

When the elevator opens to the third floor, everything is the same. I don't know what I expected—maybe some man to just be standing there holding a gun or some kind of carnage—but everyone seems relaxed. I reread my page: Code Silver. I'm pretty sure that means weapon, but maybe someone made a mistake. The likelihood of there being a weapon in this hospital is pretty unlikely. We have some of the best security of any hospital in the country.

Cristina walks up to me. "Are we supposed to be freaking out or no?"

"No, I guess not."

"Cool. Have you told Derek yet?"

We begin walking down the hallway. "How am I supposed to start that conversation?"

DEREK

"Sir, I have to impress upon you that you cannot go to the scene of a potential mass shooting!" Alan says. "We do not have enough information, but if there is still a live shooter at the hospital, protocol says—"

I'm walking down the hallway towards the elevator which will take me to a car. "Does it look like I give a shit about protocol, Alan?" I ask, jamming the down button.

Grant and Toby are by my side, but Alan, my Vice President, my Secretary of Homeland Security and my Secretary of Defense are all following closely behind.

"Sir, your Chief of Staff is right," Denise, my head of Homeland Security, says. "We can't allow you to put yourself in harm's way. You have to stay here."

"I'm on the phone with the police. SWAT is on their way. They have it covered, sir."

I drop my voice when I say, "Meredith isn't answering her phone. Not her cell or her home phone. She could be ignoring me, so I had Toby call and she didn't answer. She's there and something is wrong. I'm not going to just sit by while the woman I love could be in danger."

"Sir—"

"No!" I shout. "If one of you won't drive me, I'll drive myself. Or I'll walk. But I'm getting there."

I push the elevator button again.

A second later, Toby says, "I'll drive."

"Good."

MEREDITH

Cristina and I walk up the steps from the second floor. All she wants to talk about is the baby, which is exactly what I don't want to talk about. "So if you have it—"

"I probably won't," I tell her.

"But if you do, I hope it has his hair."

I can't help but smile. "Me too."

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Tonight, I guess. I mean, I need to find out how long I've been pregnant. That'll determine what we'll do next. I just can't believe this has happened. Did you know I've never taken a test before? I mean, what girl who made it through college didn't take a pregnancy test once or twice?"

Cristina shrugs. "I've taken at least three."

"See! You've been doing it right. What a mess."

"You know what's a mess? This whole weapon thing. I mean, there is no weapon and I have surgeries that I can't perform and it's all bullshit. No one has told us anything. No one is around."

I look around and Cristina's right. No one is around. "Where is everyone?"

"Hiding, I guess, but it—"

Bang.

Bang. Bang.

Cristina looks at me, "Wait were those...?"