Shooting Stars

CHAPTER 62

The residents lounge was filled with the quiet rustling of papers and the steady scribbling of pens against clipboards. Aria stood alongside Alex, Cristina, Lexie, and Jackson, all of them focused on finishing their patient notes.

Well, mostly focused.

Alex was tapping his pen against the counter in frustration, while Cristina scowled at her chart, muttering something about how interns were a "waste of oxygen." Jackson was flipping his pen between his fingers like he was trying to show off, and Lexie was biting her lip in deep concentration.

"If we all stopped acting like bored toddlers, we'd be done already," Aria teased, signing off on her last note.

"You sound like Kepner," Cristina deadpanned. "That's disgusting."

Before Aria could respond, the door swung open, and Meredith walked in, radiating pure fury.

"Alex," she snapped, storming over to them.

Alex straightened, his brows furrowing. "Uh, yeah?"

"I'm probably going to get fired today," Meredith said flatly, arms crossed. "Are you happy with that?"

Aria's head snapped up, eyes narrowing in confusion. "Wait—what?"

Alex opened his mouth, but Meredith cut him off.

"No. I want you out of the house by the end of the day," she said sharply.

Aria's stomach dropped as she glanced between her twin and her boyfriend. "Okay, what the hell is going on?"

Meredith ignored her, shooting Alex one last glare before turning and walking away.

For a moment, there was nothing but stunned silence. Then Cristina let out a low whistle. "Damn, Karev. What'd you do now?"

Alex exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "It's complicated."

Aria crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. "Clearly."

Before she could push for more, their pagers all went off at once, the high-pitched beeping sending a jolt through the room.

Jackson glanced down at his. "E.R. Alert. Looks big."

That was all it took. Whatever had just happened between Alex and Meredith would have to wait.

They all rushed toward the main atrium, joining the growing crowd of residents and attendings. Richard Webber stood at the center of it all, his face set in grim determination.

"A 757 went down in the sound," he announced, his voice carrying over the crowd. "We're looking at about 200 injured passengers. We're the designated crisis center. Families will be instructed to come here to find their loved ones."

Aria felt her stomach twist. Plane crashes were a nightmare, the kind of trauma that would push the hospital to its limits.

"We are activating surge protocol," Richard continued. "Dr. Hunt is gonna be running the show. It's gonna be chaotic. You need to listen carefully. You need to stay focused. Do not contribute to the panic. Now get to your stations."

Owen immediately took over, barking out assignments with military precision.

"Dr. Bailey, let's clear any beds that we can. Discharge or transfer. Okay, uh, Grey—" He nodded toward Meredith. "Torres, you'll be with me. Kepner, set up the E.R. for triage."

His gaze shifted to Lexie. "Grey, I want you running the family center. Take over in the cafeteria."

Then his attention turned to Aria. "Other Grey, you're with Robbins. Get ready for incoming trauma cases."