Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jo’s morning isn’t starting off great. First day as Chief Resident and not only does she not have the respect of her coworkers, she’s got a migraine that’s burning itself into her skull. She sent everyone off where they need to be and then barricaded herself in a supply closet. The darkness of the small room bringing her a tiny amount of relief. 

“Jo? You in here?”

Shit. Alex…

Suddenly she remembers that she was supposed to be working on a case with Alex this morning. He mentioned it last night as they’d curled up in bed together but with her hectic morning it had completely slipped her mind.

“Hey,” Jo lifted her hand weakly as Alex finally stepped into her line of sight. “I’m sorry, I totally spaced on our case together. I have a migraine and I’m stressed out beyond belief. This whole Chief Resident thing is taking its toll on me.”

Alex looped his arm around Jo’s shoulder, bringing her into a hug she hadn’t realized she’d needed. A deep breath escaped her and before she could comprehend what was happening, Jo was quietly crying into Alex’s shoulder. He took it in stride, rubbing her back and quietly reminding her to breathe. 

“What’s up with you, this is more than just first day jitters,” Alex pulled back, eyes raking over Jo as one hand came up to brush away the tears that had collected on her cheeks. “Are you okay? Talk to me.”

Jo was about to answer him when the past week played over again in her mind. Her emotions had been all over the place, she hadn’t been able to sleep, and her period was late. All three things she had just chalked up to stress and the price of being a perfectionist. Now though, as she stood crying in a supply closet, Jo thought something else might be amiss. 

“I… I don’t know,” Jo bit back the urge to tell Alex her suspicion, not wanting to unintentionally spook him. “I’m gonna find some pain killers and then I’ll meet you in Frankie's room?”

Accepting her answer easily enough, probably because the plan involved seeing him again so soon, Alex pressed a chaste kiss to Jo’s lips before leaving her be. Once she was alone, she rummaged around the shelves for a moment before coming up with pain killers for her head and two pregnancy tests. She knew Alex would start to wonder about her whereabouts if she didn’t show up soon, but the anxiety of not knowing pushed Jo to run to the restroom first.

Whatever the outcome, you will be fine. You’re Jo Wilson, you’ve got this. 

Jo breezed into Frankie’s room a few minutes later, face flushed as she took in Helm, Alex, and Frankie's mom all staring at her. She waved her hand at them, promptly asking Helm to present the case. She could feel Alex’s gaze on her as Helm talked, but she tried her best to ignore it. 

“Good job Helm, now you can see if mom has any questions,” Jo gestured to Frankie’s mom, who was eyeing Alex appreciatively. “Mrs. Baner? Any questions for us?”

“Not today, just take care of my baby,” she ran a hand through her son's hair, smiling at him before turning to Jo. “He’s the light of my life, I want to make sure you all give him the best care. Do you have children Doctor Wilson?”

Jo’s eyes widened as she stared at the woman with a stunned expression. The question had shocked her, her brain suddenly unsure of how to answer. Her uncharacteristic delay was only made worse when both Alex and Helm turned to her quizzically.

“Um no,” Jo voiced much quieter than normal, her heart beating erratically as her fingers slipped into her lab coat and grasped the two plastic sticks in her pocket. “No, I don’t have children yet. But I can assure you that Doctor Karev and I will take excellent care of Frankie. He’s one of the best peds surgeons so you’re in good hands. If I had kids, I’d want him to take care of them.”

“I have to agree with you Doctor Wilson, we do love having Doctor Karev around,” Mrs. Baner added looking at Alex with that smirk again. Jo could sense Alex gawking at her, this time not trying (but failing) to hide the fact. “Well thank you for stopping by doctors.”

Jo turned and exited the room without a goodbye, hearing Alex wrap up the pleasantries as she began to walk further and further down the hall. Her chest was constricting, a swell of burning nausea rising up her esophagus as she heard Alex calling her name from behind. 

“Jo! Hey,” Alex huffs, finally catching up with her. Resting his strong hand on her shoulder as he steered her into an empty exam room. “You’re acting really weird, you kinda freaked back there. Will you please tell me what’s wrong?”

“I’m fi-”

“You’re not fine, Jo. I know you better than I know myself,” Alex brushed away a stray hair from Jo’s eyes as she fought back the urge to cry. “Babe, I’m worried about you. If it’s just nerves then fine, but I think it’s more than that.”

Not trusting herself to say something coherent, Jo lifted the pregnancy tests from her pocket and placed them in Alex’s hand. She hadn’t removed her own hand from on top of his, but the wide eyed look he gave her told Jo that Alex knew exactly what she’d given him. 

“I haven’t looked at them yet,” Jo could feel the tears welling in her eyes finally spill over as she looked up at Alex. “That’s why I didn’t know how to answer Frankie’s mom. Because I hadn’t looked at the pregnancy tests I just took.”

“Oh,” Alex blinked, his free hand wrapping around Jo’s waist and rubbing her back softly. “Do you… do you want me to look?”

Staring at Alex deeply she finally allowed herself to actually consider the situation. She was, for the first time in her life, finally at a place where a baby wouldn’t be an inconvenience or a problem. She was loved by this amazing man in front of her and she had a job where she was excelling. So really she had no real reason to worry about bringing a child into the world. It was a safe and stable world that she had worked so hard to build.

“You look, I trust you,” Jo lifted her hand from on top of Alex’s and watched his face closely as he turned over both plastic sticks. His expression remained unchanged, eyes moving back up to meet Jo’s. “Well?”

Alex didn’t say anything as he moved his hand from Jo’s back to her stomach, a small grin breaking on his face.  

“Surprise.”

Jo can’t help the combination of tears and laughter that flow out of her as she reached up to kiss Alex sweetly. His hand is still pressed against her abdomen as he’s laughs along with her. 

“I guess that’s one way to celebrate you coming back home,” Jo raised her eyebrows suggestively, hinting at the night that they’d conceived as giggles burst between every few words. “Good surprise right?”

“The best I could’ve asked for,” Alex assured Jo as he kissed her again, a groan escaping from his lips as his pager began to beep. His eyes darted to the device, brows furrowing as he leaned back from Jo. “It’s Frankie, I gotta go. I’ll page you if I need you, okay?” 

Jo nodded, relishing in the feeling of Alex’s fingers trailing over her still flat stomach as he hesitated pulling away from her. 

“Go, sick kids need you,” Jo laughed as she ushered Alex away, squeezing his hand as he finally stepped out the door. “I’ll see you soon.”

-

Soon happens to be ten minutes later, Jo receiving a 911 page from Alex that has her speed walking across the hospital to get to Frankie’s room. Alex and Helm are arguing in the hall, an angry expression on his face as he listens to the fumbling intern. 

“I-I-I don't know what the…,” Jo approaches the duo as Helm stutters out an excuse. “I can’t, I don’t know!”

“What’s happening here?” 

“Frankie’s had a headache for awhile,” Alex sighed as he looked from Helm to Jo. Even pissed off, Alex's eyes immediately went to Jo’s midsection, which made her blush. “Now we’re trying to figure out if he got Vitamin K last night or not.” 

Jo rolled her eyes and grabbed the tablet from Helm, punching in her login as she spoke to the intern. 

“He's asking you what he was given last, something to thin his blood or make it clot?”

“I know that. I-I can't open his chart,” Jo tried her login again as Helm explained to Alex what her issue was, but it failed once again. “The screen is locked.”

Jo peered up at Alex, nodding to confirm what Helm had just relayed. An angry groan sounded from Alex, his fist pounding against the wall as he let out a breath of frustration. 

“Okay Helm, prep Frankie for a CT so we can see if we have an issue. And page Shepherd please,” Helm nodded and ran off, Jo looking for instruction from Alex, who was focused on her. “Can you talk to the nurses and see if any of them gave Frankie his injection? I don’t know what’s happening with the computers, but I don’t wanna take chances here.”

“I’ve got you covered, you go make sure he gets his CT,” Jo moved to walk away, but Alex grabbed at her hand so she was pulled into his embrace. His body was still tense with anger, but his eyes were scanning her with concern. After a few beats she asked, “What’s wrong?”

She knew Alex well enough to know that it wasn’t just Frankie clouding his mind. Jo watched for a change in his expression, but none came. 

“Nothing just… be careful?”

“Now you’re going soft on me,” Jo chuckled as she leaned up and pecked Alex’s lips, pulling away and beginning to walk down the hall. “We’ll be back soon!”

-

Fortunately Frankie’s CT scans were clear, but back in his room he immediately began vomiting from the headache. Alex was worried, but tried not to show it for Frankie and his mom's sake. His mind was running a million miles a minute as he went through everything that had happened since he’d clocked in that morning. The hospital was under a cyber attack – hence being locked out of the system earlier, his patient was quite possibly on the verge of a stroke, and he was going to be a father soon. Alex pushed everything irrelevant to the side however as he sat beside Frankie and pulled the little boy into his side.

“I feel like I'm gonna die,” he bemoaned, his tiny head falling against Alex’s chest in exhaustion.

“What? You're not gonna die.”

“Will you do me a favor?,” Alex looked down to Frankie, who wore a serious expression as he glanced up at Alex. 

“Anything.”

“If I die... will you marry my mom,” Alex laughed at Frankie’s request, but the boy continued talking. “She really likes you. And I know she'll be safe.”

“You're not gonna die,” Alex stated again. He looked around the room, assuring no one else was around, and leaned down to look at Frankie in excitement. “But you wanna know a secret?”

“What?”

“I can’t marry your mom, because I’m gonna have a baby soon,” Frankie’s eyes widened as he processed Alex’s news. It felt good to get the secret out in the open, even to one of his patients. “Yup, I’m having a baby with Doctor Jo.”

“Well… if you can’t marry my mom, I think Doctor Jo is a good choice,” Frankie barely got the words out before he began heaving again, Alex rubbing his back as he leaned over the basin. 

In all honesty he hadn’t been sure at first if he was ready for fatherhood. Of course Alex had been overjoyed that he and Jo had made a new life, but there was a lingering doubt in the back of his mind that any child of his would come out just as screwed up as him. But sitting here now making sure that Frankie made it through the day, Alex was almost certain that he was ready for whatever challenges being a parent would bring.

-

Jo felt like she’d talked to every nurse in the hospital at this point. After going through the grapevine, she’d finally found a solid answer and was racing back to the Pediatric Ward to deliver her news to Alex. For some reason he wasn’t answering his phone and her texts left bouncing back instead of sending. The nausea that had been lingering all day was finally rearing its ugly head, but Jo pushed on, figuring she would have time to vomit after she saved Frankie’s life.

Her feet tapping impatiently on the elevator floor, she checked her phone to see if any of her messages had gone through. With a hand firmly pressed on her stomach, she closed her eyes as she bit back the bile rising in her throat. As the ancient elevators crawled upwards she realized she was still for the first time all day. This only made her even more aware of the escalating physical symptoms threatening to consume her. 

Finally, the elevator beeped as she arrived on the surgical floor. Jo’s eyes flew open and she all but ran from the metal box on her course for Alex and Frankie. She made it about three feet before a solid body blocked her path, finely tailored suit jacket and pressed linen pants coming into her view.

“Hey Brooke.”
Jo froze in horror, mouth slightly ajar as her gaze moved upwards to meet the dark green eyes of the man she’d tried so desperately to forget. She took in the face that haunted her nightmares, the one that sent her screaming and crying into Alex’s arms at 2 AM. He looked older, his face worn by time, but still handsome as ever. The signature devilish grin plastered on his face sending an electric shock down her spine. Like a grotesque halloween mask, it was the same face he would give her before pummeling her into the darkness.

Her breath caught in her throat as time seemed to stop around her. She forgot about Alex and Frankie, her baby, everything that had happened today as the world around her shrunk down to her and the man in front of her.

Paul. Paul had found her.

Chapter Text

Her breath caught in her throat as time seemed to freeze around her, Jo forgetting about Alex and Frankie, her baby, everything that had happened today as the world around her shrunk down to her and the man in front of her.

Paul. Paul had found her. 

Jo barely registered Arizona and Paul speaking, her blood pumping loudly in her ear as she tried in vain to process what was happening. Her day had been so normal, well as normal as any day at Grey Sloan, and now… Now her ex husband was standing in front of her and her boyfriend was waiting for her down the hall and she was pregnant and she had a patient that might be dead by the time she got to his room.

“I’m sorry, I have to go,” Jo made her leave from the tense environment she’d found herself in while Arizona was still there, but that didn’t stop Paul from grabbing her arm and staring her down.

“You go, we’ll meet up later,” Paul met Jo’s eyes and that twinkle that she’d always feared was lingering there. “It’s okay, I’ll find you.”

Her legs were the only thing keeping Jo afloat right now, her body seemingly knowing exactly where to go as she navigated the hallways of the pediatric ward. Her heart was beating out of time and her breathing was staggered, the all too familiar signs of an anxiety attack creeping up and through her body. She needed to get to Alex before she let her emotions overtake her, she needed to make sure that Frankie was okay.

“The Heparin should have helped by now,” Alex’s voice rang through the hallway as Jo approached Frankie’s room, making her heart drop. “I think I made the wrong call.”

“Wait. Heparin? No. I texted,” Amelia and Alex both turned to look at Jo, eyes wide with frantic expressions painted on their faces. “They didn't reverse him.”

A brief silence fell over the three doctors as they watched Frankie lying helplessly in his mom's arms. Jo could feel the bile rising again, begging her body to cooperate for just another minute as she settled her hand onto her stomach again, pressing a bit harder than she had before. She’d failed at the one thing that she’d tried so hard to accomplish, the thing that had driven her to run around the hospital like a chicken with it’s head cut off in search of solid answers. 

“Damn it. We can't access the reversal agent,” Alex looked to Amelia, who nodded at him as they moved into the room. “Prep him to move.”

“What is it? What's wrong,” Frankie’s mom sounded desperate, Jo’s heart aching as she listened to the pleading mother.

“Frankie's AVM might be bleeding. We've got to get him to the O.R. now.”

“But the medicine you gave him,” her hands were brushing Frankie’s curls back now, staring forlornly at her son who laid pale and weak on the bed. “It was supposed to help.”

“I'm sorry. We need to go,” Alex ushered Frankie’s mom, Helm and Amelia out of the room, eyes drifting to Jo who stood in the doorway, face blanched as she stared helplessly at the scene before her.

“Hey. I'm so sorry,” Jo’s eyes flitted from Alex to her feet, the overwhelming feeling of guilt and anxiety climbing to new heights as she felt his glare. “I texted. It didn't go through.  And then…”

There was a pause and Jo could feel the tension between her and Alex. It didn’t seem real that they’d just been hugging and kissing only hours ago, elated over the new journey they were about to embark on. 

“And then what,” Alex’s voice was dripping with venom as he stared Jo down, waiting for an answer from her. 

“Nothing. It can wait,” Jo finally looked up from her feet, teary eyes meeting Alex’s angry ones as she sucked in a deep breath. “Just go help him.”

Staring at her only a second more, Alex turned and left the room. Once he was out of sight, Jo let the sob she’d been holding back take over her body as she rushed into the bathroom and emptied her stomach into the toilet. She was almost certain she wasn’t going to make it through today.

-

Alex felt bad, but only a little bit. He knew that he had pushed Jo to the side as they’d rushed to get Frankie to an OR, but the combination of the rising heat and the cyber attack had begun to drive him insane. He’d apologize later, his guilt would eat him alive in the meantime. And he really did need to focus on helping Frankie right now. 

Pulling his scrub cap and shoe covers on, Alex sighed as he thought about the day he’d had so far. All he wanted was to curl up in bed with Jo and hold her close, forgetting about the day they’d had and enjoying the excitement of their new future. As he let his mind wander, Alex’s gaze hovered to his right, visions of Jo vanishing from his head as his blood ran cold at the man he saw sitting next to him.   

“What are you doing here?”

“Hi. Paul Stadler,” the man’s cheery tone didn’t distract Alex from the fact that he was sitting next to a complete monster. “Orlando Medical.”

“Yeah, I know who you are,” Alex spit the words out, watching carefully as Paul’s jaw tensed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry,” Paul’s tone had an air of amusement to it and Alex had to clench his fists to hold back from punching the man. “Have we met before? You know, your face looks kind of familiar.”

Everything fell into place now, Jo’s late arrival to Frankie’s room, her skittish behavior, the sorrowful look on her face. The feeling of guilt settled heavily in his stomach now, realizing that Jo had run into Paul and he had treated her like absolute shit right after. 

“You… you absolute fucking piece of garbage,” the words are out of Alex’s mouth before he can reign them in, his eyes ablaze as he stares down a confused looking Paul. “I know what you did, I know why she’s the way she is. And if I were you, I’d be halfway out the door right now because if I didn’t have Jo to think about then you’d be in a pile on the floor already.” 

“Doctor Karev,” both Alex and Paul looked up as Helm’s voice interrupted their heated conversation. “Doctor Shepherd said Frankie's angio shows a bleed.”

“Yikes,” Paul smirked at Alex, his eyes alight with a devilish expression. “Don't let me keep you, Doctor Karev.” 

Alex stared down Paul, not moving until Helm beckoned him again. He made his way to the scrub room, hands under the water and scrubbing harshly before he could verbalize how angry he was. 

“Intern, what's your name,” Alex knew his tone was harsh, but he couldn’t hold back.

“Helm. Like ‘Hellmouth’ without the ‘outh’,” the blonde girl was tying her scrub cap and mask into place, watching Alex cautiously.

“Don't scrub,” Alex ignored the confused looks of both Amelia and Helm, continuing on. “I need you to find Dr. Wilson and bring her here.”

“You want me to call her?”

“No, I want you to find her and bring her here,” Alex stopped scrubbing to stare pointedly at Helm, eyes meeting her with a serious expression. “And don't leave her side.”

“Why?”

“Just do it. Now!”

Helm ran off then, leaving Alex and Amelia alone and in the middle of an awkward silence. 

“What's going on,” Alex wanted so badly to answer Amelia’s question, to let everything that had happened that day out and into the open, but he couldn’t. He knew that once he started talking that the words would never stop. He needed to focus. Focus on Frankie, on Jo, on their child. All of them were innocent in this and all of them were now at risk if he blew his lid like he so desperately wanted to. 

“Nothing, let’s get in there.”

-

Jo couldn’t breathe, she was gasping for air and clutching her chest by the time she made it outside. How had this happened? How had such a happy day turned into a living nightmare for her? She’d pissed off Alex, possibly killed a little boy, and her abusive ex husband was running around Grey Sloan right now. 

Trying to contain her emotions Jo took a steadying breath before heading back inside. She needed to focus on something, anything else, before she drove herself to insanity. 

“Heat getting to you?”

Jo hadn’t made it more than 30 feet inside the hospital before running into Doctor Webber. She probably looked like death, she’d been crying and throwing up for the past half hour. 

“Yeah.”

“How is it I never knew you studied under Paul Stadler,” just the sound of his name sent Jo’s mind spiralling again, one hand coming up to wipe the sweat collecting on her forehead. 

“Uh, it's a... long story,” Jo’s head was swimming now, her vision spotty as she reached out for the counter of the nurses station. 

“Wilson,” Webber’s hand was on her arm then, the feeling of another person bringing Jo back down to earth and calming her slightly. “You feeling okay?”

If only you knew the half of it. Jo had to restrain her word vomit explaining her pregnancy and her past with Paul and the horror and fear climbing up her throat at an alarming rate. 

“Yeah I just need to sit down,” her voice was weak, her body was weak, and all Jo wanted was Alex, who was angry with her and in a complicated surgery, to come and hold her. She’d never had another person to turn to when she’d been with Paul before, but now that she did Jo found herself craving his presence. 

“Let me help you, come on,” Doctor Webber led Jo to a chair, watching carefully as she settled her head between her legs. “You want me to page Karev?”

“No! No, he’s in surgery,” Jo was quick to push off the suggestion of Alex, not wanting to bother him while he was working on Frankie no matter how much she wanted him there with her. “I’ll be okay, I swear.”

“Doctor Wilson.”

Jo’s head popped up nervously at the sound of Helm‘s voice. She’d been with Alex and Frankie, what the hell was she doing here? 

“What is it?”

“Dr. Karev said I had to find you and bring you to him,” Helm wrung her hands awkwardly as she looked between Jo and Webber “And I'm not allowed to leave you alone.”

Helm’s words made Jo’s stomach sink as the realization that Alex had seen Paul floated into her mind. Alex knew he was here and he hadn’t killed Paul and all he wanted was for her to be with him. An odd combination of fear and relief flooded Jo’s chest then, her breaths coming out quietly as she met Helm’s gaze. 

“Oh shit…,” Jo nodded and stood, Webber’s hand coming to help her.  “Okay let’s go Helm. Thank you Doctor Webber.”

Jo walked behind Helm, hand cupping her stomach gently as she felt a small wave of relief rush over her. She would be fine facing Paul now because she knew that she had Alex by her side. 

-

Alex was radiating nervous energy as he and Amelia worked on Frankie. They’d gotten him into the OR fast enough that there was no major damage, calming Alex only slightly. He’d sent Helm out over 45 minutes ago and she still hadn’t returned. 

“Shunt's in,” Amelia's voice brought Alex out of his reverie, their eyes meeting momentarily. “Nice work, Karev.”

Alex’s eyes flitted behind Amelia, finding Helm in the scrub room as she motioned towards the door. She’d found Jo. 

“Can you finish this up,” Amelia fixed Alex with a pointed look, her blue eyes begging him to explain what was going on with him today. 

“Alex, what’s happening?”

“Nothing, family emergency,” Alex looked to Helm again, her nervous energy doing nothing to calm his frayed nerves. “I’ll explain later. It’s just… I have to go.”

“Then go. Frankie is in very capable hands here.”

Alex thanked Amelia once more, knowing he’d have to explain to her later exactly what was happening. Ripping off his mask, Alex began to scrub out, eyes flitting to Helm. 

“Where is she?”

“The on call room down the hall,” Helm watched Alex as he scrubbed, waiting for him to say more. “Anything else sir?”

“No no, you’ve been great,” Alex eyed Helm then turned back to his hands. “Scrub in and see what Shepherd needs for the rest of the day.”

Heart pounding, Alex left the scrub room and let his feet pound loudly down the hallway as he raced toward Jo.  He burst into the first on call room he found, finding Jo pacing nervously across the small room. He didn’t miss the involuntary flinch of her body as her eyes darted up to look at him. 

For a long moment, Alex and Jo stood across from each other saying nothing. Jo’s features were clouded with fear, her brows furrowed as she wrung her hands. Alex could feel the tension radiating off of his own body as he finally broke their brief silence. 

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“I ran into Paul, before Frankie’s surgery,” Alex watched as Jo’s face remained unchanged. Instead her eyes focused on him and his demeanor. 

“Yeah I figured.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m… I’m fine, I’m okay,” Jo stumbled over her words as her eyes met Alex’s for the first time. That seemed to break Jo’s trance, her tears finally beginning to fall down her face as she shook her head. Her fingers clutched at her scrub top, her hand resting uneasily on her abdomen as she began to sob in earnest. 

“Come here babe,” Alex moved forward and pulled Jo into his arms, her body falling weakly into him. “It’s okay, you’re okay. I’ve got you, you’re safe. I’m not gonna let anything happen to either of you.”

“He’s here and he’s going to ruin me again and I-I… I can’t do it again. I have this baby and this life and and you. ” Jo’s desperate cries grew louder as Alex tightened his grip on her shoulders, pressing her closer to his chest. “I can’t fight him again. I have too much to lose.”

Alex pressed his lips into Jo’s hair, working to calm her cries as his hands rub her back slowly. He’d seen her cry before, hell he’d made her cry before, but the distraught sobs coming from her now were different from any of that. Jo had never told him exactly what had happened with Paul, only sparse details here and there. But he’d held her when her nightmares got to be too much, he’d seen the way she reacted to the domestic abuse victims they handled, he knew that today was her worst case scenario.

“You’re not alone, I’m not letting you do this alone Jo,” Alex kept his voice low and calm, Jo’s face still pressed against his chest. “We can do this however you want, but I’m not leaving you no matter what. You’ve got me and Mer and dozens of other people in your corner, okay? Nothing is going to happen to you or our baby.”

Alex’s hand slid from Jo’s back to her stomach, a mirror of his actions earlier when he’d looked at the pregnancy tests she’d handed him. Just hours ago, things had been so good for them and now… well now Alex could only pray that the day ended well. 

+

They stay in each other’s arms for a while longer, not exchanging any words but just taking time to rest in each other’s embrace. When they finally leave the on call room, Alex and Jo bump into Meredith, who drags them into an empty patient room and gives them some unfortunate news. 

“I just operated with Paul Stadler,” her eyes instantly flit to Jo, who’s face blanches as she turns to lean over the waste bin in the corner to vomit. “Well I’m assuming you already knew he was here.”

Alex’s hand is on Jo’s back in an instant, fingers gently rubbing circles as she continues to vomit. Meredith eyes the two for a second, taking in Alex’s unfazed expression before gasping in shock. 

“Oh my god! You- oh god,” Alex looks up at Meredith, whose eyes are wide as she takes in the sight before her. “Oh we’ve gotta get rid of him, this is not good.” 

“Yeah no shit Mer,” Alex turns back to Jo, who’s standing upright now and leaning into his embrace. “How do you want to handle this? We’re playing by your rules.”

“I want to be divorced,” Jo settles her head on Alex’s shoulder. “I want to never see his face ever again.”

“Well then, I'm coming with you for that,” Alex insists. 

“No, you are not going anywhere near him,” Meredith interrupts, both Jo and Alex looking at her. “Alex, you nearly killed a man you thought was hurting Jo. I don’t think you should be near Paul again.”

Jo’s eyes move from Meredith up to Alex, a silent conversation happening between the two as Meredith stared on. Finally Alex spoke up, looking pointedly at his friend, “I’m not leaving Jo’s side until that bastard is out of this hospital. And that’s final.”

“Okay fine, but I’m coming too,” Meredith glances between the two before letting out a sigh. “Someone has to make sure you both make it out of this ordeal.”

-

Alex hesitantly leaves Jo to round on Frankie, leaving Jo and Meredith to keep themselves busy while trying to avoid running into Paul. The last thing either of them want is an awkward confrontation, especially one that might set Alex off.

“Today was so good and then everything just… crumbled,” Jo groans as she lays back on the couch in the resident’s lounge, eyes closing as she settles a hand onto her still flat stomach. “The last thing I imagined was him showing up and now it’s my reality and I just don’t think I have it in me to fight back this time.”

Meredith stares at Jo for a moment, eyeing the young resident as she takes slow steadying breaths. She lays her hand on Jo’s shoulder, speaking in a steady tone, “You are amazing, you’re brave and resilient and you haven’t come this far to just come this far. You are Jo Wilson, I know exactly who you are.”

Jo peaks her eyes open to look up at Meredith, tears glistening in them as she stares at the woman who used to kick her out of bed. Her heart warms a bit at the thought of Meredith thinking so highly of her, but she pushes it down and offers up a thank you instead. 

“Hey, he’s down the hall,” both Jo and Meredith look up to see Alex standing in the doorway, eyebrows furrowed as he stares at Jo. “I uh, saw him when I was leaving Frankie’s room and Arizona’s with him… He’s got the divorce papers and everything, just waiting for you.”

A sudden wave of fear washes over Jo, the certainty she’d felt regarding her impending divorce now leaving her as she looks up at Alex. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she wanted to be done with Paul and that chapter of her life, but facing him, even with Alex and Meredith by her side, still scared her shitless.

“Come on, I’ll be right next to you the whole time,” Alex steps forward and extends his hand towards Jo, waiting for her to grasp it before pulling her up and into his arms. “In just a few minutes, this will all be over and you’ll never have to see him again.”

Jo nods, knowing Alex was right and that once she signed her name on the papers that she would finally be free of Paul Stadler once and for all. She would be able to move on, to finally accept Alex’s marriage proposal and take his last name like she’d wanted to since the first time he’d asked her to. Jo would finally have control over her own life, that thought alone pushing her out of the room and down the hall towards the room that Alex led her too. 

“Ready?,” Alex asks, squeezing Jo’s hand once more.

“As I’ll ever be.”
Jo and Alex walk into the room, Meredith standing outside the door to keep watch. Arizona smiles at the duo, walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her. Jo takes a breath and settles herself into the chair across from Paul, eyes meeting his in an act of unexpected bravery as she spoke, “You have the divorce papers?”

Paul’s eyes move from Jo to Alex, his throat clearing as he looks up at him, “Uh, if you wouldn't mind, Dr. Karev, I'd like to have a moment alone with-”

“Actually, I do mind,” Alex’s voice came out harsh and cold, taking on a tone that Jo hadn’t heard since she was an intern. “I'm gonna stay right here.”

“Okay then,” Paul sighs, turning back to Jo and gesturing towards the papers between them. “Let's get this done, shall we?”
Jo reaches for the stack of papers, grabbing a pen and signing the pre flagged pages before passing it across the table. Her eyes flit up to Alex, who met her with a small smile. She could feel the relief already coursing through her as she watched Paul signing the same pages she had. When he finishes and folds the pages back, Alex reaches forward and grabs the stack of papers.

“We've got it. It's faster this way.”

“I'm really happy for you, Jo,” Paul meets Jo’s eyes as he stands, fingers drumming along the table in a way that makes her heart clench. “I hope this brings you... some real peace. You deserve it. We both do.”

She almost leaves it at that, almost lets him walk away with no words said, but she couldn’t. Jo stands, eyes blazing as she speaks to Paul, “You don't deserve anything good. You're a monster.”

“Glad to see nothing has changed,” Paul spit, turning around with an all too familiar glint of anger in his eyes. He twists towards Alex, voice still dripping with venom. “You better watch out, she can be a real piece of work.”

“I know her well enough without your twisted view clouding my judgment,” Alex spat back, taking a step towards Paul as he clenched and unclenched his fists at his side.

“Okay, walk away, Dr. Stadler,” Meredith walks into the room then, standing right inside the doorway as she watches Alex and Paul stare each other down. 

“No, no. She is a liar. She is pathological. I mean, what kind of woman changes her name and disappears on her husband without a word,” Paul’s bitter tone carries through the room, echoing the nightmares that haunted Jo as she stares at him in horror. “Do you know what that did to me? What that did to my reputation, to my career? 

“You are... torture. You are hell. You walk around and you ruin lives, and no one ever stops you. They... they just believe you. 'Cause why? 'Cause you're pretty? 'Cause you're sweet,” Paul slams his hands onto the table, Jo involuntarily jumping as he leans towards her. “Your looks will fade one day, Brooke. Your looks will fade, and you'll be left with the truth. And you point fingers at everyone else around you, but you're the monster.”

“Okay that’s enough you need to leave,” Meredith’s stern tone finally gets through to Paul, the man leaving the conference room without another word. As soon as he ‘s out of sight, Jo collapses into a fit of tears, Alex wrapping his arms around her shaking body as she sinks to the ground. 

“You did great, it's over now,” Alex whispers, eyes watching Meredith exit the room again. “You did good babe, you never have to see him again.”

Jo nods, but can’t stop the trail of tears flooding her cheeks. She thinks that maybe she’s crying in relief, her body finally coming to terms with the fact that this is well and truly over. 

It’s over. 

Almost ten years on, Jo finally feels the relief and comfort of writing Paul out of her life. Her mind flashes briefly to the night she’d finally left, the fear that still gripped her heart as she made the decision to walk away and never look back. She wishes desperately that she could tell that girl, scared and alone and bruised Brooke, that things would be okay. That she’d find a man who loved her, who cared about her and gave her the stability she’d been deprived of for so long. 

She knows she’ll never be able to turn back time and console herself, but Jo takes a small amount of comfort in the fact that the little life resting in her womb will never have to worry or fear like she had for so long.