redamancy

Addison is gone when she wakes up, so Charlie does as she promised and sets off to get coffee. Now, of course, she could just bring her coffee from home or even pick it up at the vendor outside the hospital, but Charlie knew that the Cafe on Liberty did the best lattes in the city and Addison deserved only the best.

So dressed in jeans a jumper and a beanie on her head, she sets off to get her girlfriend the best coffee in Seattle.

'It's nicer than a typical Starbucks Charlie thinks as she enters the cafe. There are people already crowded in the shop. People on their laptops, students on their way to college. Lots of people and lots of expensive things.

Of course, it was a good sight for a robbery.

"Nobody moves and no one gets hurt." A gruff voice shouts in the cafe. Charlie turns from her place in front of the cash desk and faces three men, balaclavas over their faces, pistols in their hands. Charlie puts her hands up and gets on her knees. "Empty the register." One of the men points his gun to the cashier.

The two other men are frisking the patrons, and stealing their belongings. A woman cries next to Charlie, cradling her stomach, it's clear she is pregnant and in distress. Charlie thinks that she looks a lot like Addison. Charlie looks at her, her red hair frames her face

Charlie takes a second before speaking up.

"Hey, we've got a pregnant lady here. She's in distress." One of the men turns to her. He walks over and presses the barrel to Charlie's head.

"You being funny? Huh?"

"No, I'm sorry. Please listen, she's pregnant and in distress, this isn't good for mother or baby. Just let them go, please."

The guy who holds the gun to Charlie's head steps over to the pregnant woman, she starts crying a lot harder now.

All she can see is Addison.

Charlie sets her jaw and takes a breath. She just sees red. Before she knows it, she's charging at the guy. Her shoulder collides with his legs and he goes tumbling.

She holds him down for a few seconds, then the gun goes off.

She gasps, a sharp intake of breath.

Pain

Wet

She can feel the blood. The man throws her off of him, she goes tumbling. The main guy gets off the floor and shoots her again, this time hitting her shoulder.

Charlie screams out in pain.

"This is what happens if you start being stupid. We don't want no more stupid people."

Multiple more gunshots sound and Charlie squeezes her eyes shut, trying to even out her breathing

Charlie groans in pain, she holds her side. The blood squirting out. The pregnant lady crawls over to her, holding a cloth to her side. "Shh. Shh. It's okay. My name's Emily. Thank you." Emily smiles down at her and holds the cloth to Charlie's side. She writhes in pain and gasps for air.

They're trapped for 15 minutes before a SWAT team surrounds the place and Charlie thinks that she's going to die in a cafe, in the arms of someone who looks a lot like Addison on a random Tuesday in March all because she wanted to get her girlfriend expensive coffee

The police storm the café. Loud voices shout, then she's jostled and she feels a stretcher placed under her. Someone shines a light in her eyes and people are talking to her. All she can do is groan in pain and think of Addison.

*

"There's been a shooting in Liberty street, multiple casualties, get ready people." Chief Webber shouts to his staff.

The ambulance pulls up in the emergency bay. They're ready for whatever arrives in that ambulance.

"What have we got?" Bailey asks as the paramedics open the door.

"We've got a female with 2 GSWs. She bleeding out and needs major medical assistance."

"What happened?" Meredith asks, taking the chart from a paramedic as the doors of the ambulance open.

"Victim of the shooting up on Liberty. Witnesses say she tackled the shooter. He shot her twice." The paramedics pull her out of the ambulance and Meredith screams.

"Oh my god. It's Charlie. Dr Bailey! It's Charlie!" Meredith shouts.

"Clear the way people. We got one of our own." Bailey begins to pull the gurney inside the hospital.

"Charlie, can you hear me? Charlie?" Meredith holds her hands to her side as the gurney is rolled through the double doors.

She can feel the blood draining from her body. She groans and writhes in pain.

"Mer?" A scared Charlie calls out. "It hurts. It hurts so bad. I was-I was getting coffee. I was getting her coffee." Charlie starts to sob she's in so much pain.

"Hey, it's okay, listen to me. You're going to be okay."

Charlie starts to cry; her eyes fill with tears. At least she won't die alone. At least she'll be surrounded by the people she cares about.

"I did it because of Addison."

"Did what? Charlie, what did you do?"

"Emily...she-she looked like Addison. I-I couldn't stop thinking about her."

"Hey, it's okay, listen to me. You're going to be okay." Meredith takes her hand as they wheel her into a trauma room and start to cut off her clothes Charlie ignores everyone and focuses only on her friend. She starts to cry; her eyes fill with tears. At least she won't die alone. At least she'll be surrounded by the people she loves.

"You," Bailey points off to a random nurse. "Page the chief, and get him down here, now."

"Addison." The redhead was the only thing on her mind right now. Her eyes start to drift close as she fights to keep them open

"She's fine, Charlie. She's okay. You're going to be okay. Just stay awake for me." Meredith grips her hand and reassures her.

"Beck, why in the hell did you think it would be a good idea to tackle a shooter," Bailey asks her, while she attends to the wound on her shoulder.

"For the scars, chicks dig scars." Charlie laughs and then sucks in a breath in pain.

"Beck, you better pray to Jesus you don't die because if you do, I'm going down to the afterlife to get you back.

"I knew you liked me, Bailey." Charlie manages to crack a smile.

"She's losing way too much blood; we need to get her to an OR now."

That's when the tears started to roll down her cheeks heavily. "Addie?" Charlie calls out. "Where's Addison?"

"Charlie, Addison is fine. We'll find her." Bailey holds her hand. "We're taking you to an OR, okay? Just hang in there."

Dr Bailey explains to Chief Webber what happened with Charlie.

He lets out a sigh and rubs the bridge of his nose.

"Is she okay?"

'We've got her stable but she's in the OR now. Grey was with me when they bought her in, but she didn't scrub in with me. She's outside the OR with the rest of the interns. They shouldn't see their friend like this.

"Good, good. Has anyone told Karev? Or even Addison for that matter."

Bailey just shakes her head; the Chief takes it upon himself to deliver the news.

*

Dr Bailey forbids any of the interns from scrubbing in. If something went wrong, heaven forbid, she wanted to be the one to blame, not any of Charlie's friends. They gather outside the OR double doors. Waiting.

George sinks to the floor. His head falls into his hands. "She can't die. Right? Like she's gotta live?"

"She lost a lot of blood, George." Meredith elbows Cristina in the ribs. Meredith gives her a look. "But...she won't die because...because she's Charlie. That dumbass is going to live and be a hero because of it."

"Does Alex know?" Izzie says as she stands by the window, observing the world, distracting her from the pain of the present. They all look at each other. Shit. Someone has to tell Karev.

*

They manage to find Alex before the Chief does.

It doesn't go down well.

"Alex, you have to listen to me, you have to listen to every word I say okay? Well as you know we've got some people from the Liberty Street traffic collision in the ER, but something else happened. Three men stormed a café and-"

"What are you trying to say Mer?" He asks a look of confusion on his face.

"Charlie was shot." Cristina blurts out.

"What?"

"She's fine- "

Meredith carries on speaking to him but the words fall on deaf ears. He just walks past them and heads towards the gallery. He looks down and sees Dr Bailey elbow deep in her chest.

Alex thumps on the glass. Bailey looks up at him.

"Karev, get out of here, I don't want you seeing this."

"Alex, you can't be in there," Meredith says at his side, placing a hand on his bicep, he shoves her off and storms out of the gallery.

*

Addison finishes saving yet another life. She scrubs out and checks her pager, Chief Webber wants to see her. She heads to his office and gently knocks on his door, peeking her head inside.

"You wanted to see me Chief."

"Addie, come in. Sit down."

She smiles at him and takes a seat in front of his desk. He rounds it to sit on the corner.

"There's been an incident. There was a shooting at a café on Liberty Street."

"Oh okay, well do you need me to scrub in? I haven't got any more surgeries today."

"No, no, it's fine. Well," Richard tries to find the right words, but there aren't any. "Addie, I need you to listen to me, okay?" She nods her head and continues. "Dr Beck was there." Her face falls and she lets a shaking breath. "The police say it was a robbery gone wrong. Witnesses say, she attempted to bring down the shooter and he shot her. She's in surgery right now with Dr Bailey and Dr Burke." Addison closes her eyes and takes in a breath. She slowly rises from her chair and bolts out of his office.

She reaches the O.R. but is met with a wall of interns. Meredith catches Addison before she can run in. Her arms tighten around her waist, pulling her back.

"Charlie!" Addison screams. Meredith struggles to keep a hold of her. She manages to get out of her grasp and dashes into the scrub room.

"Jesus, somebody get her the hell out of here. I do not want her watching me as I hold Charlie's insides." Addison stands, her chest heaving. At that moment, Charlie's BP drops.

"She's crashing." Dr Bailey shouts. Meredith pulls Addison out of the room, not letting her see the chaos she knew would about to unfurl.

Then Charlie flatlines.