⇢ CHAPTER 34

service again." Holly groaned as she walked next to Jackson, "Which means all I'm going to hear is Mark me to tell Lexie to take him back."

Jackson chuckled, sipping on his coffee before he shrugged, "It can't be that bad." Holly gave him a look, "...I feel so bad for you that I would trade services with you."

"Thanks." Holly rolled her eyes with a smile at his insincere voice as she grabbed a chart from the Nurse's station before pointing behind her, "I have to go find Sloan."

"All right." Jackson chuckled, watching her walk away before Charles came up to him and he quickly diverted his eyes to his chart.

"Dude," Charles teased, "you're so whipped."

"Shut up." Jackson deadpanned, looking at his chart briefly before closing it, "At least I to her, how's it going with Reed?"

"Ouch."

✧

"What do you think this lockdown's about?" Holly questioned, clicking her pen as she finished marking one of Mark's post-op charts and placed it back in the Nurses Station.

"I don't know." Mark sighed, his eyes moving to the left as he saw Lexie approach him, he told Holly, "Go make yourself busy, Red."

Holly rolled her eyes, beginning to walk up the stairs to simply stand at the top of them before she heard footsteps behind her.

She turned around as she heard Nurse Vivian yell at the man behind her, "Sir, you can't leave this area."

Holly quirked an eyebrow, realizing the man was Gary Clark she whispered under her breath, "Mr. Clark..."

"The hospital is in--" It felt as if time had stood still-- watching Mr. Clark raise a gun-equipped hand as he began to fire two shots into Vivian. And all at once, time resumed. It only took one second for her lifeless body to drop.

The next second, Holly began to run for her life as others screamed, "Get down! Get down!"

"Holly!" Lexie screamed, remembering Holly had been at the top of the stairs once she heard Gary Clark shoot again.

Holly, who had been running away towards the staircase, felt two bullets barely miss her legs as she opened the staircase door and quickly flew up the stairs. she thought before she accidentally tripping on one.

Holly squeaked in pain before bringing herself back up, almost falling as she grabbed the handle to open the door to a random floor before slamming the door shut.

Holly leaned against the door on the floor as she brought a hand to her bruised cheek before covering her mouth as tears poured out of her eyes, hearing someone from a few floors below open the staircase door before yelling, "Damn it!"

She immediately recognized the voice as Gary Clark's, which brought no help to her anxiety as she breathed in and out rapidly, hoping he wouldn't enter the floor she was in-- which she quickly recognized as the O.R. floor-- and her prayer was answered as she heard him open the door to another place.

Holly let out a small exhale as she whispered, "What the hell is going on?"

✧

Unwrapping her hands around her arms, Holly quickly looked left and right before reaching into her pocket to call 9-1-1.

"H-Hello?" She whispered, continuing to look around as she held in a sob, "M-My name is Dr. Holly Kepner and t-t-there's a shooter--- h-he was the husband of a woman who was d-declared brain dead and was taken off the s-support. His name is Gary Clark." She inhaled sharply, looking at her phone battery percentage which read one percent, "His name is G-Gary Clark... hello?" She whimpered upon hearing the call disconnect and her phone die, her only source of communication with another human being was gone, "...Hello?"

✧

Holly shakily had her arms crossed in front of her chest, staring at a dot on the floor as she tried to calm herself down-- counting down from a minute before she quickly moved her head left and right. Upon seeing no one, Holly resumed to stare at the dot and count for another sixty seconds.

"You already told me what Shepherd said." Owen argued in the O.R. with Jackson, Teddy, and a few nurses with an anesthesiologist upon hearing there was a shooter in the hospital before whispering, "Okay." He nodded, "I'll take him up myself. Everyone else, stay here."

"I'm coming." Teddy commented, holding onto the bedside rails.

"No," Owen disagreed, "no, you stay put."

"I'm a Cardiothoracic surgeon." Teddy reminded, "He has a penetrating injury to his chest." She shook her head as Owen walked to the end of the bed, "You don't get a vote this time. I'm coming." She nodded her head, "Let's go."

Owen opened the door and began to wheel out the patient before he froze upon hearing someone scream. Teddy and Owen abandoned their patient as they saw Holly on the floor with her hands around her head, "Please, don't shoot!" She sobbed, "Please, don't shoot. P-Please, don't shoot. Please--"

"Kepner." Owen spoke, approaching her slowly as Jackson rushed out of the O.R. upon hearing Holly's voice as well, "It's--"

"Please-- I'm somebody's child." Holly cried, slowly getting up with her eyes closed and her hands up in surrender, remembering one part of what April told her to say in the event someone held a gun to her-- not realizing Owen was in front of her due to the shock, "Please, don't shoot. I--"

"Kepner!" Owen shouted, grabbing a hold of her shoulders and Holly opened her eyes sharply, inhaling as she saw Teddy and Jackson behind him.

"I..." She started, looking back at Owen, "He... He shot people-- H-He shot Vivian a-and--" Holly sobbed, wrapping her arms around her as she leaned forward.

"Kepner, wait in the O.R. with the rest, I'm sure the authorities are on their way." Owen assured, gesturing her to join Jackson as the others as he nodded his head to Teddy, "Let's go."

Jackson brought up a delicate hand up to Holly's cheek as his thumb carefully brushed across the bruise, "Are you okay?"

Holly shook her head, more tears building up in her eyes, "I-I tripped a-and--"

"It's okay." Jackson wrapped his arms around her shaking frame, offering her comfort as the rest stared at her, "You're okay."

"H-He tried to s-s-shoot me." Holly recalled, the memory of bullets almost hitting her and Gary cursing at not finding her resurfaced in her brain. Jackson held on tighter and stifled a nod, looking at the nurses who held a petrified look on their face as well as pity before Holly held onto Jackson's shirt tightly, "I-I don't know where April is-- o-or Lexie."