13

." Eleanora breathed out, entering her brothers office without knocking. The man looked up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Ella, hey!" Max greeted, face breaking out into a grin at the sight of his older sister. "You wanting to get away from the sad, Alzheimer people for a bit?"

"No." Eleanora stated, her face pale. Max notices after a moment, face growing a little serious as he stands up.

"What's wrong? I-is it Lexie?"

"No, Max, it isn't Lexie." Eleanora tells him. She takes a deep breath, voice coming out shaky. "It's Callie."

Max's entire being stiffens, fear gripping his heart and his throat closing. It was quiet, tense for just a few moments before he sprung out from behind his desk, stopping in front of his older sister. His chest was heaving, his breathing quick and panicked.

"Where?"

"She's five minutes out." Eleanora whispered, Max not hesitating to rush off towards the ER. Eleanora turned around to follow him, but took a moment.

She let her eyes close, trying to keep herself calm and control her breathing. After a few seconds, she opened then again and hurried after her younger brother, three words repeating in her head.

_______

doors to the ambulance bay open, Eleanora glancing over her shoulder as she hears her husbands panicked voice. He was in surgery and they had sent Meredith to get him, knowing Eleanora would be unable to hide her feelings from him.

"What the hell happened?" Mark asked, voice hard. He settled beside his wife, panicked eyes flickering between the Chief and her. They then landed on Max, his face turning worried.

Max paced back and forth in front of the line of Doctors, hands shaking as he periodically ran his fingers through his hair. It was obvious he was a mess.

"Car versus truck. That's all we know." Hunt informed the Plastic Surgeon. Eleanora leaned into him a bit, not wanting to have to change her gloves due to touching him.

"They're just a few minutes out, Mark." She told him, voice still a little shaky but much calmer than her brothers.

"The-they don't have any news on if Callie's even alive." Max snapped, eyes full of unshed tears as he looks over at Mark, scoffing. "They don't know anything about our damn baby, either!"

"Max, that's enough." Eleanora told her brother, voice firm. He scoffed again but went silent, continuing to pace.

"Well, why the—why the don't you know?" Mark snapped, beyond worried for his best friend, her girlfriend, and their unborn baby shared with his brother in law. "Someone get me a trauma gown!"

"Mark, you need to sit this one out." Richard started. He then moved his eyes to Eleanora, finally noticing her gloves and the yellow trauma gown. "You too, Amedeo."

"I'm not sitting this one out. That's Callie!" Mark snapped, Eleanora's angry eyes turning to the Chief.

"That's my friend and my niece or nephew, Chief! I'm not-"

"Which is why you two ." He replied, voice firm. Eleanora felt her hands shaking, Derek and Cristina both sharing a look when they noticed. Max straightened up, anger evident in his body language. "I'm sorry. You two can't be the Doctors on this one."

"What the hell do you mean?" Max hissed.

"Screw you." Mark stated, trying to shove past the group. Eleanora stayed silent, which made her friends even more weary.

"Sloan-" Owen started, but Mark just sent him a glare.

"Screw all of you!" A nurse handed him a trauma gown, Eleanora scoffing and turning her back to the Chief to take a few deep breaths. Webber walked closer to Eleanora's husband, who was trying to ignore him.

"Look at me, Sloan. Look at me!" Mark finally did, chest heaving with shallow breaths. "Maybe I don't understand the bond you have with Torres, how you have it, but I understand she is your family. Callie Torres and that baby are your family, and the best way that you can help your family is to step back and let the rest of us do what you can't rationally do— save their lives. Okay?"

Mark stayed quiet for a moment before Derek said his name, tearing his gloves off as he spoke.

"I'm in the room. You hear me? I'm in the room because can't be!" Mark points to Max, who had gone back to pacing.

"Okay." The Chief agreed, nodding. Eleanora turned around when the sound of the ambulance grew closer. Richard turned to her then, meeting her fiery and determined eyes.

"That baby is your nephew or your niece. Not to mention the fact you have gone through your pregnancy with Torres. You are to sit this one out, too. You can help your brother."

"With all due respect, Chief, that's a horrible idea." Eleanora snapped. Eyes widen throughout the group, Cristina and Jackson both letting out low whistles.

Eleanora Amedeo-Sloan has spoken to the Chief like that. In fact, she rarely ever got this riled up. Alex, Cristina, and Meredith had seen it once or twice, maybe, but Jackson had never seen it before.

He shares a look with April, both of their brows raised a bit. could be scary?

"She just suffered a traumatic brain injury, not to mention what the baby is probably going through. I'm Shepherds best resident, I know every move he's going to make before he even of them, not to mention I'm a genius. Putting someone else as his resident on this case would just be jeopardizing Callie and that baby."