"There's no such thing as magic. As far as we know. And while as surgeons, we study the secrets behind the human body's intricate network of cells, tissues and organs, when things go wrong, horribly, horribly wrong, there are only so many tricks we have up our sleeves to put a body back together. But there is a kind of power, more of a spell really, and when we get it right, it can be pretty damn magical. As surgeons, we are no stranger to the breaks and tears in the human body. In fact, we sacrifice the better part of our twenties learning every possible way to make it whole again. But there are some wounds a surgeon can't repair. Not on our own. It takes a kind of power we just don't have. There's no such thing as magic. Not in the traditional, abracadabra, genie in a bottle kind of way. But there is a magic in knowing that while not everything can be repaired, most everything can be survived"

"it won't wipe off your face no matter how hard you try"

Alex was in the hospital waiting room with his head in his hands. Richard approached and put his hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to see her?" he asked.

Alex entered the hospital room and Lucy sat up. "Hi", she said softly.

He stayed silent.

"Is she... Is Mia okay?"

"She's fine. No thanks to you"

"Alex..."

"What the hell happened?"

"Look, I got a really bad headache and I needed some painkillers. Clearly I took too much"

"That's what those were? Painkillers?"

"Yeah"

"And that's the story you're going with? A headache?"

"You don't believe me?"

"No, not really. Because you've been off for months now. It wasn't a headache then and it's not a headache now. You have to be honest with me or this is never gonna work"

"I am being honest with you"

"You're still gonna double down after you almost killed our daughter"

"But she's okay"

"And she almost wasn't!"

Tears filled her eyes.

"I'm gonna go get your discharge papers". He left the room.

She broke down in tears.

Cristina got into the elevator with Beck who was wearing a hoodie and had earphones in. "Just because a family overhears you say eight days, it's not like, magically on day eight, the guy's gonna wake up", she ranted. "I mean, it could be day four or day ten". She looked at Beck and realised she was staring into space. She took out one of her earphones and put it to her ear. "What is that?" she said. "The soundtrack of your broken heart? You gotta get over pretty boy. Your boards are in, like, a week".

"I'm trying. It's kinda hard when we work in the same place"

The doors opened revealing Jackson. Beck froze. "Out of order, Avery", Cristina said, pressing the close doors button. "Take the stairs".

Arizona entered a patient where Jackson, Aurora and Dr Boswell were. "Dr Robbins, we were just getting started", Jackson said. "Arizona", Dr Boswell stated.

"You guys know each other?"

"Yeah"

"No", Arizona said. "We met briefly".

"We had coffee"

"Dr Boswell is the craniofacial specialist we flew in to help with Tyler's case", Jackson explained. "You're Dr Boswell?" Arizona questioned. "Yeah, how about this little guy", Dr Boswell said. "Brown on the outside. That can't be comfortable, huh?"

"Well, welcome. We're glad to have you"

"Are you kidding? I mean, the combination of encephalocele and facial cleft, surgeons go their whole career without seeing one of these. So I'm thrilled to be here"

"What's your approach?"

"I'd like to get a couple more scans before I commit to anything"

"Okay, go ahead"

"Yeah"

"We can talk strategy later"

"I'll look forward to that". She left the room.

"Can we believe we got her, huh? She's a rock star", Jackson commented. "Yeah, she seems competent", Arizona said.

Cristina, Stephanie and Beck were in Paul Dawson's room, staring at him. "So let's say I pursued a different course of therapy", Cristina said. "Okay", Stephanie said.

"Don't speak"

Beck rolled her eyes.

"Patient suffered aortic transection, miraculously repaired by me, and then had a post-op inferior MI that led to cardiac arrest. So I induced hypothermia. Let's say, hypothetically, I did not. What else could I have done? Don't answer that. I could've taken him straight to the cath lab. But no, I could not have because he had had heparin after his surgery, that would've caused his aorta to blow. And then I'd have to tell the kid that Daddy's a goner 'cause I blew it? No. So I was right. Right?"

"Right", Stephanie agreed.

"I'm not asking you"

Beck gave her a look and Cristina sighed.

Alex, holding Mia, and Lucy arrived home. Lucy stood awkwardly by the door while Alex took Mia to the kitchen. Realising she wasn't behind him, he peered out of the door. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Nothing. I just, um... I'm gonna take a shower"

"Okay"

"Okay"

Beck walked to the nurses station and saw Jackson. They locked eyes and she quickly turned around, walking the other way, meeting Cristina and Meredith. "Someone's got her bummer face on", Cristina teased. "Everywhere I turn, he's there", Beck replied.

"So we'll walk this way"

"But I have to go this way", Meredith pointed out.

"Yeah, but Beck's little broken heart needs to go the long way"

"Okay. Well, if it's for Beck's little broken heart"

"Beck's little broken heart wishes you both would shut up", Beck snapped, walking off.

Cristina was speaking French on the phone in Paul's room when Beck walked in. "Are you still on the phone with France about the coma fix?" she asked her.

"No, I'm booking us a vacation in Nice. You want a facial the first day?"

"That sounds delightful"

Cristina continued speaking French. She hung up. "Their trial was specific to coma patients with head trauma"

"Mexico City's trial focused on comas triggered by diabetic ketoacidosis, so..."

"So you have nothing"

"Yup"

"Great"

"Perfect"

Alex put Mia in her highchair but he couldn't stop staring at Lucy's handbag that sat atop the kitchen counter. He looked at Mia again then back at the handbag. He went over to it and looked at the doorway. He turned it upside down, emptying its contents onto the floor. He almost sighed with relief when all he saw was her purse, gum, a phone charger, tampons, some lipstick and mascara. But then, rolling around in that pile was a pill bottle, full to the brim and brand new.

Jackson came over to meet the other board members who were waiting outside the bathroom. "Good. I didn't miss it", he said. "Nope. Just in time. I think", Callie replied. The door to the women's bathroom opened and Bailey stopped in her tracks when she saw them all. They all stood up straighter and she looked down. She started walking past them. "Well, it was her idea", Cristina stated. "No, you won't come out of the lab. You gave us no other choice", Callie pointed out. "Bailey, just hear us out", Arizona pleaded. "Yeah, Avery wants to apologise", Cristina said. "We all want to apologise", Jackson corrected. "Yes, he screwed up. He knows that. He should've had your back more", Meredith added. "Derek, go", Callie instructed. "Yeah, you know, I would be just as mad as you are", Derek said, jogging to keep up with her. "You've seen me mad. I hang out in the woods and I drink myself into a stupor. But the thing I've learned from hiding out is, it doesn't work. And, Bailey, we need you. This hospital does not work without you". They all sighed as she walked back into her lab, the door shutting behind her. Arizona and Aurora's pagers beeped. "9-1-1 in the ER. Gotta go", Arizona said, rushing off with Aurora. Callie marched over to the door and slammed her palm against it. "Guess what, lady? This isn't even your lab", she said. Okay? We bought it for you". She looked at the others. "Was it too much?" she asked them. They all nodded and walked off.

"What's going on?" Owen asked, running over to Arizona and Aurora who were bringing Ethan in on a stretcher. "He got into his grandma's sleeping pills. Unresponsive. BP 74 systolic", Arizona explained.

"Okay, let's get him to trauma room one. Let's prep for a gastric lavage"

"No! You're too close to this. I got it. Alright, let's start a flumazenil drip, now"

"When I woke up from my nap, he was on the floor", his grandmother said. "I couldn't wake him". "You know what happens now?" Owen replied. "She is legally obligated to contact social services".

"It was an accident"

"He took an overdose, Nancy. What were you thinking? Were you thinking?"

"Please, he can't die. Oh, God. He can't die, too. He can't"

He turned around to look at Ethan again. Instead he found Aurora staring at him in concern.

Cristina and Beck ran over to Owen, who was still watching Arizona and Aurora take care of Ethan. "Is he stable?" Cristina asked. "I think so," he replied. Aurora approached them. "We're still monitoring him", she explained. "But we got him in time to administer the flumazenil to reverse the effects of the zolpidem. So hopefully, he'll wake up soon".

"Okay. Listen, about the social services..."

"I already called them. I'm sorry. I had no other choice. The social worker's on her way". She reluctantly walked away.

"It's a gaba agonist", Beck stated. "Yeah", Owen said.

"Zolpidem is a gaba agonist. We can reverse the effects"

They ran off.

"Wait. We want him to wake up", Stephanie said as they walked into Paul's room. "So why are we giving him sleeping pills?" "Zolpidem triggers the gaba pathway, causing drowsiness in normal brains", Beck explained. "Where the chemical balance has been disturbed, studies have shown that the drug can reverse the effect". "This could actually wake him up?" Owen questioned. "So how long before we...", Stephanie began. "All the cases said it took only minutes", Beck interjected. They stood there and waited. Waited for a miracle.

Lucy walked into the kitchen to see Alex standing against the kitchen counter, staring at a pill bottle that he held in his hand. She looked at the ground to see the entire contents of her handbag scattered across the floor. "You went through my bag?" she questioned.

"Did you just get these before we left the hospital?"

"You emptied out my bag?"

"Can you answer the damn question?"

"It's the same bottle from before"

"Quit lying to me! I know the other one was empty"

She looked at the floor.

"Do you even care that Mia almost died?"

"Of course I do!"

"Clearly not"

"That's not fair. You don't understand"

"Then explain it to me"

She shook her head with tears in her eyes.

"Fine". He stormed off and she heard his footsteps going up the stairs.

"What are you doing?"

"Dumping 'em down the toilet. Since you don't need 'em, right?"

"Alex, stop it"

He came back down the stairs and tossed the empty bottle at her feet.

"You're being a dick"

"Oh, I'm being a dick? That's rich"

"Stop"

"No, you know what? Get out"

"What?"

"I don't want you around our kid anymore"

"You don't mean that"

"I don't think it's safe for you to be around her if you can't admit that you have a problem. So, get out"

"Alex, please, let's just talk about this"

"I don't wanna talk to you. Not right now. Please, just leave"

"No, I don't wanna leave. I wanna stay. Please"

"I can't let you stay. Not like this". He grabbed her gently by the shoulders and tried his best to make her leave. She started to sob as he opened the front door and left her out in the cold.

She pounded on the door. "Alex, please! Just let me in! It won't happen ever again! Please!" She fell to her knees and tried to breathe. Her phone fell out of her pocket and she stared at it.

Cristina, Beck and Owen were still waiting for Paul to wake up. "Damn it", Owen muttered. "Give it another minute", Cristina suggested. "Some patients woke up after five minutes. Others...", Beck pointed out. "It's been an hour", he said. "And there's a social worker downstairs waiting to take Ethan away".

Owen entered Ethan's room where Aurora was sitting with him. "Hey", he greeted them. "You want to tell me what happened?" "I just wanted to go to sleep," Ethan replied.

"Ethan, you know how dangerous it is to take medicine that isn't yours? You could've died. Never take any pills without a parent's permission"

"I don't think I have any parents anymore"

"Hey. Hey, that's... That is not true. Your dad is..."

"Can't you try something else? Why aren't you trying anything?"

"We are", Beck said as she appeared in the doorway. "We're trying everything we can think of to wake him up, Ethan. We haven't given up on him. Neither should you".

He started to cry.

"Hey. Hey. Come on", Owen said softly, rubbing his head. He turned around and nodded at Beck in gratitude. "It's gonna be okay. Okay?" he reassured him. Aurora and Beck exchanged a look.

Alex returned to the ER to grab some charts with Mia in his arms. Once he had grabbed them, Jackson caught up with him and they walked out together. They heard some commotion and turned around to see Jack and Lucy arguing intensely. "What's up with that?" Jackson asked.

"I don't know and I don't care anymore. I knew that guy was trouble. I knew something was going on that she wasn't telling me. Whatever. Let's go"

"Joe's?"

"Yeah, I just have to find Mer. She offered to take Mia for the night"

Cristina found Beck in the residents lounge. "Hey, can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked her. 

"Sure. Yeah. What's up?"

"What you came up with today, for Paul. That was amazing"

"Thanks but I hardly deserve credit for that. It didn't even work"

"Maybe but it was a good idea. My mind never even went there and someone said sleeping pills and you knew. You need to stop wasting your energy pining over Jackson. It's not good for you. You are an amazing surgeon, maybe even almost as good as me. But you are undermining yourself by letting yourself get distracted by a guy. You're better than that. I just thought you should know that"

"Thank you"

"No problem"

Owen and Aurora lied in bed together in an on-call room. "You've changed", she stated. "You want a baby again. Don't you?"

"I just want you"

"But Owen..."

"I just want you". He leaned in and kissed her. He stopped and stared at the look on her face. He realised she wasn't convinced.

She turned away from him.

Alex arrived home and found Lucy sitting on the bench, on the porch, in the dark. "Oh, man. You're killing me here", he groaned. "I'm trying to do this the easy way. I'm trying not to hurt your feelings. You just gotta understand, I'm just trying to do what's best for Mia. So, can you just...". His sentence was cut short when she looked up at him, revealing bruising on her eye and a cut on her lip. "Can I stay? Please", she said softly. 

hope you enjoyed! comment your opinions! song is do you believe in magic? by the lovin' spoonful