¹ 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹𝘀, 𝐝.𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝

lxv. ❝want me to kick his ass?❞

lxi. ❝want me to kick his ass?❞
5.19

"Nothing we do can stop death. We can hold it at bay now and then, but everyone dies, and that's not on us." Richard told the three in front of him.

Derek took a breath, "I took a pregnant woman in for a simple surgery, and I botched it. That is on me. I should feel bad about that. And you? You should feel badly that while I was out here, you sent Atlas here thinking he could fix me. Why would you do that? Why in the gods name would you do that?!"

Richard licked his lips. "I — I was trying to help. He wanted to come, he didn't know he should though, he came to me saying it might have been good if we all just left you out here alone. I was trying to help, Derek."

"You were trying to help yourself, not me. Yourself. I hit the ring — the ring he gave me, into the woods. In the woods. Then I told him to leave." Derek placed his beer down. "You destroyed me."

Derek got up abruptly and went into his trailer, slamming the door being him.

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Anyone who knew Atlas, knew he loved his sleep. He could sleep four hours if he didn't have any interruptions, but being a doctor, friend, brother and son, really changed that. Especially when Oliver tended to wake his brother up in the middle of the night with girl problems.

But Callie Torres didn't know this yet, and even if she didn't, it wouldn't have changed the fact that something had happened to Christina.

Atlas home phone rung and the man reached over to grab it, not bothering to look at the caller id. "Hello?"

"Atlas! It's Callie. Something happened." The ortho resident sniffled as she talked to Atlas.

"What? What happened?" Atlas threw the blankets of himself and started to get out of bed. "Is everyone okay?"

"It's Christina. O-Owen chocked her. She's locked herself in the bathroom. I don't know what to do."

"I'm on my way." Atlas hung up the phone and got out of bed fully, he moved down the hall towards Stars room where she was sleeping peacefully.

Atlas gently lifted the sleeping Starlee into his arms, once she was settled peacefully and safely in his old he moved towards the front door. Once outside he locked the door before he put Star into her car seat and then drove to Christina's apartment.

Atlas knocked on the door of Christina and Callie's apartment before he entered. Callie stood there with a panicked expression, "Thank gosh your here. I called Meredith but she was in surgery."

Atlas nodded, "Do you think you can take Star? She's sleeping and won't be a problem."

"Of course." Callie nodded and took the sleeping child from Atlas's arms.

"Christina? It's me, Atlas." Atlas announced as he knocked on the bathroom door.

The lock on the bathroom door unlocked. "What's going on?" Christina asked, gesturing go outside the bathroom where Callie was no holding Star and where Owen was visibly upset.

"Callies with Star and Owen is upset." Atlas told the resident before he sat down on the floor beside Christina. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Christina didn't sound so sure. She held her head down so Atlas couldn't see her neck fully.

"C. Can I see you neck? I promise I won't get mad, I just wanna make sure your okay." Atlas asked softly and reached out to grab the Korean woman's hand.

Christina slowly lifted her head so Atlas could see her neck. Atlas gasped quietly when he saw the two bright red hand marks that wrapped around her neck, the marks were starting to bruise.

"Are you sure your okay?" Atlas asked as he reached out to touch her neck but brought his hand back, not wanting to hurt her.

Christina nodded. "I am okay. Uh, there's no change in visual acuity, no petechiae. I'm okay."

"Good. What happened?" Atlas proceeded to ask.

"He had a nightmare. He didn't mean it." Christina looked up as there was a knock on the door.

"Christina, please." Owen said through the door.

Christina didn't look panicked but Atlas held his hand out to stop her from opening the door anyways. "Do you want me to kick his ass? Because I will."

Christina smiled slightly. "No. No. It's okay. He didn't mean too, it was an accident."

Atlas nodded and moved his hand so Christina could open the door so Owen could come into the bathroom.

The door opened and Owen peaked his head inside. "I am so sorry. I don't know what happened. I don't remember." His voice broke. "I don't know what happened. I'm so sorry." He cried.

"Look at me." Owen looked at Christina. "I am okay."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Derek had been convinced by Oliver and Meredith that he needed to man up and come back to the hospital, that Izzie needed his help and he was her only change. Derek agreed and came back it. That lead us to now — Derek was scrubbing in when Atlas walked through the door, his head down.

Richard turned to Atlas. "Uh, it's not a good time. He's still scrubbing in."

Atlas nodded, he knew this. "I know. It's uh — here. It's his favourite scrub cap." Atlas handed Richard a scrub cap with ferry boats all over it.

Atlas backed away, leaving Richard and Derek alone.

Atlas held his own scrub cap in hands, he wasn't sure why he had it with him, he didn't have any surgery's in the next little bit. He wanted to be there to support Izzie and the surgery she had to go through, he had visited her throughout the day but now, now he felt the need to be there physically in the gallery.

Atlas had three scrubs caps, one with bright yellow sunflowers scattered around it. One that was blue and had snowflakes scattered around it — it was almost exactly like the box Derek had given him the first Christmas after they met. And his favourite scrub cap was his Stitch one that had Stitch (from Lilo and Stitch) scattered all around it.

"Atlas." Derek spoke from behind the cardio surgeon.

"What are you doing? You're gonna have to rescrub." Atlas pointed out.

"I can't do this. I'm not ready." Derek breathed out.

"Yes, yes you are." Atlas told him.

"I need to know that at least I have you. No matter what happened in there, I need to know." Derek told Atlas worriedly.

"I'm here no matter what. I love you, and you can do this."