xvciii. ❝you're okay❞
7.22

"It's the first time you'll see it." Derek held his husbands hand as he lead him towards something. Atlas was blindfolded, eye open underneath the blindfold as he tried to peek at where Derek was leading him. "I want it to be a surprise."

"Okay, okay." Atlas tripped, hands flying out to grab ahold of anything, Derek being the one to help steady him. "Phew."

"Okay, you can open your eyes." Derek removed the blindfold and watched as his husbands looked at the sight in front of him.

"It's your dream home." Atlas bounced on his feet, gaze moving around everything he could see.

"Our dream house." Derek happily said, after all it was his and Atlas's dream home where they could grow old together and expand their family, even let Snacks have a large backyard to run around in.

Derek stepped forward, tripping on a piece of wood that he hadn't noticed he left in the way. He landed on his knees, causing the skin to red and unfortunately for him he scrapped some skin causing blood to soak his pants. "Ouchie."

Atlas crouched down, checking his husband knee out to make sure that he didn't do to much damage. He wouldn't want to have to call Callie because of their old bones. "You're okay, love."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

"A 757 went down in the sound. 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. We are activating surge protocol." Richard Webber looked at everyone standing and laying attention. His voice carried. "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."

Atlas was helping little Grey run the family centre with Eli, a nurse that Bailey has been cozy with. It's already been a hectic morning — Atlas had learnt that Meredith tampered with Derek's Alzheimer's trial — and now there's parents and loved ones yelling at them for information they don't know.

"Please make sure you give us a cellphone number." Lexie informed the families that were stepping up to write names and numbers down.

"Matthew Ruiz? Do you have —" A woman asked, looking towards Lexie for all the answers that she didn't know.

Lexie shook her head sadly. "No one from the flight has arrived yet. As soon as we get..."

Another woman stepped closer, voice braking, earnings moving side to side as she shook her head. "Do you have a list of people they're bring to the hospital? Because we - we —"

"Folks." Eli stated loudly, catching majority of the groups attention. "It can take emergency services quiet a long time to move and identify people in a situation like this. Please just try and be patient."

People were pushing themselves forward, asking for information that no one had. Eventually when people started asking for someone higher up, a supervisor, that Atlas stood on a chair and told everyone that the hospital hadn't been told anything.

When he was done, he stepped out of the room and ran right into Bailey. He could tell that Bailey was struggling about the fact that she takes the plane when she visits her family, that it could have been her and her son, or her family.

Bailey wrapped her arms around Atlas, taking him but surprise. She just held on and didn't let go.

Atlas hugged her back, "You're okay, Bails, your okay."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Christina has always found comfort in Atlas. He's been her mentor, someone that she looks up to, a friends who's always there to help. When things were wrong and she couldn't talk to Meredith, than she talked to Atlas knowing that he wouldn't judge.

"Owens upset with me." Christina said the second she closed the door of the empty conference room that she had pulled Atlas into.

"What? Is everything okay?" Atlas asked softly, not wanting to spook Christina with questions.

"I'm pregnant. About six weeks." Christina was quick to inform Atlas.

Atlas blinked in shock. He's known for forever that Christina doesn't want children of her own, that she wants to focus on her career and not become a mother who doesn't spend time with their child and avoids it. He knew that she wouldn't necessarily be a bad mother, but it was that she didn't want to be, and that was okay. 

"Pregnant?" Atlas let his jaw drop slightly, eyes widening at the news.

"Owen wants me to keep it. He went all life-y with the fetus having hands and the fact that its settled into my womb." Atlas watched as Christina teared up as she talked, not letting the tears fall from. She hugged herself, keeping her own arms wrapped around her. "I can't — I can't be a mom, Atlas. There's good parents, you, who want their children, and then there's me who doesn't want them." Christina let out a shaky exhale of air. "He thinks that we can compromise, than I can be fixed."

Atlas took a small step forward, hand outreached. "You don't have to be a mom, C." Christina stepped forward and into Atlas's open arms. She didn't hug him, only letting him hug her. "You're okay, it'll all be okay."

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Oliver skipped up to April, a smoothie in each hand. "April!"

April whirled around from the spot she was standing, having been looking at the paper on the wall. "Hi Olly."

"Congratulations." Oliver handed the smoothie to April, smiling so wildly that his cheeks hurt.

"Congratulations to you too." April smiled back just as widely.

Oliver Lee-Sunny and April Kepner had been awarded chief resident. Essentially April was president chief resident, and Oliver was vide president chief resident.

Oliver gave April a high five. "We'll be the best chief residents ever."

April was happy. She was happy that she got chief resident. But she was also happy that Oliver was happy too. All the other residents were upset about not being picked, feeling as if they should have gotten picked over the red head who lived on a farm, and the bright and shiny mcangel.

╚═ ☆ ═╝

Atlas, Oliver and April all sat in a booth at Joes bar. Atlas was drinking a lemonade, Oliver drinking a scotch and April drinking some kind of fruity drink.

Oliver was drinking for two reasons. Reason number one being that he had been awarded chief resident with April. Reason number two is because his wife, the woman he's in love with, has tampered with his brothers husband trial. Little did he know that the phone calls he kept dismissing was Meredith calling saying they had gotten temporary custody of Zola.

April was just celebrating the fact that she had gotten chief resident. She was happy, and drinking away the looks of jealousy she had received earlier.

Atlas — he had been invited by Oliver and April when they noticed that he was drinking alone. Starlee was with her grandmother, and Derek was out doing gosh knows what to blow off some steam since the ending of his trial.

"Congratulations you two. I'm proud."

Atlas went home after that. He got a cab since he didn't want to risk anything. When he arrived home, he found that his husband wasn't home. Snacks was waiting for him though, happily wagging his tail when he noticed his human was home.

Atlas sniffled and rubbed his nose. He picked Snacks up and went into the backyard, climbing onto a hammock and laying down.

Snacks whined, running his wet nose into Atlas's chin. "You're okay. We're okay."

════════ ☆
end of act three.
short book hiatus before
act four starts.