The next few days pass slowly, a bit of a blur, perhaps, now that Maddox looks back and barely remembers what happened. The thought of not being good enough, or tough enough for the position, or of not even being cut out to be a surgeon, do not leave her head until the fateful day would be upon her.

Outside of her, however, things don't seem to have changed much, even with the death of George's father, so Maddox wonders if she's being over the top, but since she knows well how she feels, she almost worries more about feeling so guilty about something that was out of her hands, something over which she had no control. George, far from talking to his friends about the recent loss of his father, locks himself into the strange relationship he now has with Callie, who begs them for some help —apparently George has turned into a sex machine, and when Maddox hears this it's the first time in days that her face shows any emotion: surprise.

Contrary to what Addison would think of such a situation, Maddox, far from pulling away from her for showing so many emotions together in one moment, leans on her more than ever, seeking unconditional support which she gets from the redhead, who looks at her and reflects on the relationship they have formed. She finds it amazing how easily she is able to get the brunette to calm down, or get a point of reality to cling to when she feels that everything around her overcomes her, and Addison feels somewhat proud of herself knowing that she is able to remedy all the damage she has caused around her through that girl.

Still, Maddox also thinks it's time to resume family life at Meredith's house, and Addison understands when she tells her the night before, aware that she should maintain the relationship she has with the rest of the interns. The only one who notices her presence the next night at Meredith's mother's old house is Izzie, who offers her one of her cupcakes, and Maddox instantly feels good, sinking her teeth into the warm snack and remembering everything she's experienced in those four walls. She and Izzie joke and talk about what happened the last few days at home, and the blonde doesn't ask any questions —even though Maddox knows she's dying to know where Maddox is the rest of the time— so Maddox feels like telling the truth.

But Meredith and Derek walk into the kitchen at that very moment, surprised that Maddox is home, and they start talking as if it's nothing, as if they also don't make a big deal about Maddox sleeping the last few days somewhere unknown. The brunette knows Meredith will have told Derek to be patient with her, so she smiles at her complicitly from somewhere in the kitchen as Derek tries to get one of Izzie's treats, who warns him about how hot they are.

Life at home is warm, homey and reminds her why she signed up for the Seattle Grace program, but when it's time to go back to the hospital, all the fears and worries hit her again, no matter how hard she tries to hide them from the rest of the interns. However, Addison's frequent glances at her and Bailey getting rid of the intern shift that day don't make things any easier for her, because it's her turn to take over the pit, and Maddox knows she needs to face her fears in order to overcome them.

She doesn't say anything, but the rest of the day she dwells on the fact that she's afraid to go back to the routine. Since when is she afraid to help people, to improve their lives? Since when is she afraid that she's not good enough for what she's been preparing for almost six years of her life? This is not her, and she knows it.

"I thought you were about to go back to New York," Maddox surprises Mark one morning, appearing from behind him with a steaming mug of coffee in hand. "Bone dry cappuccino as a goodbye."

Mark gives her a serious look at first, but can't stop his lips from betraying his gesture, rising in amusement. "I thought so, too. But turns out you have a chatty friend who let me in on the detail of the Chief retiring and looking for a candidate. So, I'm still here."

"You?" Maddox smiles broadly, taking it as a joke, but when Mark raises his eyebrow behind his coffee, Maddox clears her throat. "I thought Derek would be the Chief. Or even Burke, I guess."

"Wow, way to underestimate me. Or your girlfriend," Mark raises his eyebrows when he sees the intern's surprised expression. "You didn't know," and it's not a question.

"What do you mean? I didn't know she wanted to be Chief," Maddox frowns, but she sees Addison exit the elevator just then, and the redhead, seeing the two of them together, squints: it's never a good sign when Mark and Maddox are together, for some reason. "Why am I hearing through Mark about the race for Chief?"

Addison sends a menacing look at the man. "Thanks, Mark."

"Always a pleasure."

"Now you're friends with Mark?" Addison asks as the man smiles at them one last time and walks away.

"I like Mark."

"It'll pass."

"Answer me!" Maddox whispers with a shout. "Why didn't I know about that?"

The redhead sighs, taking off her glasses. "There's nothing going on at the moment. Richard is planning on stepping down and everyone's trying to impress him, but there isn't a final answer. Besides, I didn't want to add any drama. There's no way I'm Chief, so I didn't want to really talk about it."

"Why do you say that? Your work is impressive," Maddox goes to say something else, but the wall clock indicates that she's already past the hour mark, and if she's not on time she won't get rid of Bailey this time. "I'm running late. We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Maddox leans forward to say goodbye to Addison, as usual, but opens her eyes wide and recoils when she realizes where they are. She stretches her lips into a strained smile, as if to say 'soon,' but Addison simply rolls her eyes and nods, as if she doesn't believe Maddox's gesture. Still, she doesn't give it any more thought, because she knows that if she overthinks the matter, the Chief of Surgery position won't be the only thing they talk about that night.

"Morning," Maddox greets as she arrives, putting her hands in her pockets to disguise her nerves.

"Where were you?" Bailey snaps at her with the folder in hand, and Callie accompanies her with a stopwatch.

"Dr. Sloan needed something before the triage, but don't worry, it's done. Did I miss anything?" Maddox asks Cristina and Meredith, this time in a whisper.

"Not much. George is married," Cristina shrugs as she tries to hide a mischievous smile.

Maddox turns around quickly, frowning. "What do you mean married? When did this happen? Married to who?" Just then, George activates the camera to document the triages, snapping a picture of Callie, and Maddox opens her mouth in surprise. "George and Callie got married? This is better than a soap opera."

"Karev, you're next," Bailey says in a somewhat exasperated tone. Maddox tries to understand her, because she imagines trying to balance life at home with being a resident and opening a free clinic can't be easy.

"People!" Chief Webber's voice breaks through over all the others; Cristina, Meredith and Maddox whisper about Callie and George's recent wedding, though Maddox doesn't object to such a decision at all —if they're both happy, that's on them— though it does seem a bit rushed to her. "Look, I'm sorry. I have to interrupt the session for a moment."

"Chief, I like your new hair!" Sidney exclaims, smiling. "It brings out your eyes."

Beside Maddox, Cristina snorts and Maddox tries to avoid it with a cough. "Oh my God."

"Do you need something, sir?" Bailey looks for a moment at Sidney, who doesn't catch the reproach in her gaze, then focuses on Webber.

"We just received word of a mass casualty incident nearby. All available level one trauma centers have been asked to respond. I need to send a team into the field immediately."

Cristina raises her hand. "Is this a part of the exercise? Are we supposed to act appropiately tense?"

"This is not a drill, Yang. This is an emergency situation, and I need all hands on deck," Maddox, as convinced as Cristina that this was part of the triage exercise to manage her emotions, frowns as everyone around her begins to wonder what this is all about, and the uncertainty in Webber's words makes everyone a little fearful of the gravity of the situation. "I don't have details, just orders."

And so, just as quickly as it begins, the triage ends. They stuff everything they need to prepare into the rescue bags: from disinfectant to needles of a thickness Maddox wouldn't wish on anyone. Apparently, the situation is critical, and if you add to that George's sudden wedding, the doubts she's had recently with her medical career fall by the wayside. It's cold that morning in Seattle, so even the thick coat she bundles up in isn't enough, so she goes in search of George for some company.

However, Cristina retains her by the arm in a millisecond. "I have a thing," the girl suddenly confesses. "News," she clarifies, seeing that Meredith and Maddox are too busy getting the rest of their things ready.

Maddox turns around, and decides it's the perfect time to blurt out her news, too. "I have news, too."

"You're not pregnant, right?" Meredith steps forward. "'Cause I can't handle the extra months of bitchiness."

"We're catching a ride with Seattle authorities. Space is tight, so hold your kits on your lap," Bailey interrupts them, moving toward the exit and causing Cristina and Maddox to share a look: better save the news for later.

"Where are we going?" Alex asks, patting Maddox's arm as it's the first time he's really seen her that day.

"We'll know when we get there."

"Woah, woah," a paramedic restrains them. "I'm holding supplies there. I only have room for five."

"Uh," Bailey groans and hesitates at the same time. "Yang, O'Malley. Stay with the Chief and take care of the incoming wounded. The rest of you come on."

Maddox mentally celebrates not being written off, which on the one hand comforts her, feeling she's once again ready to help people, and on the other worries her —perhaps her ambition will bring out the worst in her as she celebrates Cristina and George staying in the hospital.

"Hey, what was the news?" Meredith asks the two girls, who look at each other again, as if trying to agree on who goes first.

"Forget it," Cristina finally says, giving up with a sigh. Maddox has no idea what she'll want to tell them, but she knows Cristina isn't daunted by just anything, so she wonders if it will be as hard to believe as her having to tell them she's dating Addison Montgomery.

Maddox shakes her head seconds later, smiling as if apologizing to Meredith for putting off the news. The drive to the accident scene is uneasy and impatient, as if they all know about the misfortune that is about to befall them. Bailey instructs them to put their nametags over their Seattle Grace jackets so they can know they are doctors, and also to wear victim identification —green, no priority; yellow, moderate situation; red, must be moved immediately— and Maddox hopes there aren't too many red tags in her briefcase.

When they arrive at the crash site, the picture is both bleak and terrifying at the same time. They are in the harbor, where a ferry has been hit by a cargo ship given the fog and the poor visibility it has caused. There are paramedics, firefighters and other medical personnel and city authorities everywhere, but Maddox sees almost more occupied stretchers and people resting on the ground. She takes a big breath of air while trying not to let out a —Holy mother of.

Alex is the first to react, and allows himself to give Maddox a little push to get her out of her reverie, and she silently thanks him. She watches as Alex runs off towards the dock, where stretchers are already prepared for the victims still in the water. Izzie turns away from them briefly, though she sees a middle-aged man catch her eye and pull her off somewhere. For her part, Meredith shares a glance with the brunette, hoping to stay close to her in case something happens, since there is no longer any sign of Bailey on that stage, and that worries them.

In less than an hour, Maddox has already had to place the 'nothing to do' tag three times on the gray plastic covering the corpses on the dock. She hates feeling this way, but the habit is making it less and less painful, as if by the third time she's closed the eyes of someone lifeless she's already lost her senses. The feeling that she doesn't belong in that world is dissipating each time she tends to someone who is still alive, who is badly wounded but will eventually survive. She has patched up some breaches, disinfected wounds and helped people lie on stretchers, instructing paramedics and other attendants to take them to Seattle Grace. Around her, her coworkers seem a bit more daunted than she is, and it's something that doesn't go unnoticed to the fleeting glance Bailey casts at her four interns that day.

"Doc! Are you free?" One of the paramedics approaches her. "I need a hand over here."

Maddox quickly turns around, putting on her stethoscope to be ready. "What do we have?"

"Twenty-nine-year-old woman, head concussion which causes her to lose track of time and has trouble recognising faces after a few minutes. She said the first time I asked her there was someone with her, but she hasn't been able to tell me anything else, so we couldn't find out if it's true or it's the concussion talking," the paramedic passes the gurney to Maddox. "I have more people to look for. Think you can handle this one?"

"Yeah, sure," Maddox takes a breath to calm herself, knowing that this time there's no Bailey holding their hands, and that this is the first time she's going to have to act alone, so she mentally reviews the protocol. She brightens the girl's pupils, though not without difficulty, because she is clearly disoriented. "Hey, it's okay. My name is Maddox, I'm here to help, okay?" The girl doesn't stop moving, but Maddox can see her doing so with pain on her face. "Take my hand. That's it, yeah. I need you to stay still for a second."

"Micah...," the girl keeps repeating, swallowing hard.

"Is that your name?" The girl shakes her head awkwardly, so Maddox again insists more softly. "Okay, you came with someone named Micah?" At this, the stranger nods fervently. "I need to know your name, darling."

"Micah."

"I promise we'll find Micah. But you've gotta tell me your name so we can send you to the hospital. Do you remember your name?" Maddox sees the girl put her hand to her chest, and fearing something else might happen to her, Maddox follows her hand with hers, ready to find some injury, but finds only a driver's license with a picture of a blonde girl with green eyes, matching the girl in front of her. "Natalie. You're Natalie, remember?"

The girl nods, somewhat calmer. "Nat."

"Okay, Nat. I'm taking you to somewhere quieter. Your pupils are looking good, which means you don't have any more trauma to your head than what we already know of. You have a few bruises in your face, but nothing seems serious. I'm going to treat a cut in your cheek, so squeeze my other hand if it hurts. Nat, can you tell me what happened? Where were you?"

Nat hisses in pain as the disinfectant brushes against her skin, and Maddox continues to talk to her to encourage her to respond and distract her from her pain. "Outside. A boat collided with us. I fell and my head hurt. I don't remember."

"That's perfect, Nat. You're doing good. Can I lift your shirt? I'm afraid you're hurting in other places, too," and as Maddox predicts, on her ribs her skin is purple and red, but, thankfully, no external bleeding. Maddox is concerned about the internal bleeding, however. "You probably have a few ribs broken. I'm giving you a yellow tag. Can you see what's written in it?" Nat nods, so Maddox smiles a little. "That's great. You're going to be fine."

"What happened?" Nat mutters, frowning suddenly. "Micah?"

Maddox swallows, knowing she's going to experience what the paramedic warned her about earlier. "It'll be okay, Nat. My name is Maddox, and I'm a doctor. You're going to be just fine. Do you have a photo of Micah with you?" Nat shakes her head, but just as she is about to speak, her pupils dilate and she begins to convulse. Maddox places her in the position outlined in the protocol and injects her with the indicated medicine, and quickly changes the yellow label to a red one. "I need help here! Take her to Seattle Grace. Her name is Natalie and I believe she has severe internal bleeding. Tell Dr. Shepherd she's going to need a CT and an MRI," the paramedic nods and quickly lifts the gurney into the ambulance. "By the way, do you have a list with the names of the people found? She kept calling a name but I don't know who the person is."

"Not yet, but some of us are collecting the IDs of people who haven't made it. We're sending them straight away to Seattle Grace after we're done here."

"Okay, I'll check later. Thanks. And take care of her, she's losing her memory constantly."

Maddox gives Nat's hand one last squeeze, who whimpers faintly as her skin leaves the doctor's, and the doctor promises her with a look that she will find Micah. However, she doesn't even know where to begin. She doesn't know if Micah is male or female, if they are a relative, if they are her partner or a friend, or how old they are. She doesn't even know if they're still alive or not. Still, as bad as she feels, Maddox must continue to care for the people around her who still need her.

As she turns around, a blonde girl with braids bumps into her legs, and Maddox nearly jumps, startled. "Hey, kid. Are you okay?" The brunette crouches down to be at her height, and checks to make sure there's not a scratch on her skin. She doesn't seem to have any trouble standing, so she appears to be perfectly healthy. "Are you lost?"

The girl shakes her head with a frown, and Maddox finds it strange that she is so serene in such an environment. Her graceful braids are swaying in the wind as she turns and points to a lost spot on the pier on the horizon.

"You need help finding your parents?"

The little girl shakes her head again. She insists on holding her arm outstretched toward a spot in the sea, behind a pair of ambulances, and it is only when Maddox heeds her that she sees a semi-conscious man lying by the water, with a jacket much like her own over his body and a briefcase like the one she has brought along with her. The little girl seems to notice that her warning has had an effect, because she takes her hand and guides her to where the man is.

"Sir, are you okay?" his leg is well bandaged and tight, so no more blood is coming out of the wound. Maddox again repairs to the jacket over him, which keeps him warm, and spreads it over his body to cover bits of his uncovered skin. The brunette frowns when she sees Meredith's ID photo on the jacket's breastplate. "This is Mer's?" she asks herself. She quickly turns around to look for it, because if that's her jacket, and surely that's her briefcase, Meredith can't be far behind.

The girl clutches at her jacket and tugs, pointing out to sea again. At first Maddox doesn't seem to pay much attention to her, trying to find her friend among so many medical personnel and so many victims, but when the girl makes such an effort to get her to look out to sea, Maddox understands everything.

"Meredith is down there?" Maddox's tone of voice is so concerned that the girl takes a step back, but nods. "Are you sure? Did she— uh, did she have blue eyes and blonde hair? She did," Maddox nods to herself as the girl confirms with a nod. "Okay," Maddox doesn't take five seconds to strip off her medical devices and jacket, which she wraps around the girl and makes sure her picture is in plain sight, just like Meredith's. "I know this is scary, but you must get some help. Find an adult and show them this place. Okay."

The young woman jumps into the water, and wonders why so many people are bent on skinny dipping when the water is so icy that she could freeze to death at that very moment. The salty water gets in her eyes and stings against some still open cuts on her bare skin, but that's the least of her concerns. She tries to keep the air in her lungs as she tries to catch a glimpse of Meredith's body underwater. She worries about how little precaution she's taken and how she's blindly trusted her own assumptions —and the vague directions of a little girl— but if there's even the slightest chance that her friend is down there drowning and freezing, Maddox isn't going to risk wasting a second.

She has to come back to the surface for air a couple of times until she catches a glimpse of the blue uniform they were dressed in earlier that morning. There is little visibility in the sea and the cold chills her to the bone, but she has to reach out further —just a little further— to grab Meredith's wrist, which has her eyes slightly open but Maddox seriously doubts she is conscious, and fearing the worst, she tries to pull harder on her to pull her to the surface.

She feels the air running out of her lungs. She has never been prepared for this kind of situation, and now the worry of not being enough to be a surgeon permanently fades from her head, which is bent on saving her friend. Her chest hurts with the constant pressure of running out of oxygen, so she makes a few last efforts to wrap one arm around Meredith and with the other drag her into the air.

Just when she thinks she's going to fall unconscious, she succeeds. She takes just a few seconds to catch her lost air and doesn't even think about the cold, but pulls her friend's unconscious, icy body up onto the wood of the dock with unsuspected strength.

"Mer," she whispers and coughs, kneeling beside her, pressing her hands against her chest to the rhythm of a CPR. "Come on. Hang in there," she tries to get the water out of her lungs, but knows she won't make it on her own, so she temporarily desists. "Fuck it," she catches her breath a few more times before picking up Meredith's dead weight, carrying her with one hand on her back and the other behind her knees. She doesn't know how she's being capable of this when her chest burns and she feels like she has every part of her skin frozen, but she doesn't stop until she hears voices.

"Maddox!" It's Derek, which comforts her slightly. "God, Meredith. What happened? She was in the water?" Derek looks incredulous but strangely certain, and Maddox just has to nod. "Oh my God. She's not breathing. We have to take her to an ambulance. Meredith. Meredith!"

The girl nods quickly, moving to the nearest ambulance and pulling out the stretcher. "I don't know how long she's been down there. A kid —she told me. She didn't have her jacket on."

"Neither do you," Derek looks at her mildly, because he's too focused on Meredith. In fact, Maddox is surprised he's talking to her when Meredith doesn't even have a pulse. "You're blue. You need to sit down and put something warm on. Are you feeling okay?" Maddox doesn't respond, just looks at her hands and arms, and sure enough, her skin has a whitish, purplish hue that reveals her veins more than usual. "I'm gonna need some help here! Fast!"

"I kissed her," Maddox mutters. "Don't hate me. I kissed her—" Maddox closes her eyes and falls, unconscious, but before she hits the ground a paramedic holds her up.

"We have an emergency here! Two doctors to Seattle Grace. Go!" Derek orders in a shaky voice before the doors close behind him.