Not for the first time, Briar is all but living in the hospital. With Callie facing a long recovery, and her goddaughter in the NICU, she doesn't have any intentions on being anywhere else.

At one week old, Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres weighs in at 1 pound, 1 ounce. A fact that terrifies Briar, just as much as it awes her. She's so small, yet so strong: surviving despite all the odds being stacked against her. No one could deny that she's Callie Torres's baby from that fact alone.

Briar spends half her time holding Sofia's tiny little hand through the hole in the incubator, and the other half with Callie. Sofia is at Level III, meaning that she has constant monitoring: from the NICU team, but also from just about every nurse and doctor at the hospital, everyone wanting to be there for the parents by supporting their baby.

Briar's entire camera roll is filled with photos and videos of Sofia. She has pictures of her, Mark, and Arizona holding her hand and sitting by her incubator, all of which get sent to the group chat with them and Callie. She can't wait for the day Callie is added to those pictures, but for now she snaps them every second she gets, knowing that Callie relies on them to show her her baby while she can't see her personally.

Briar knows how much it's killing her to not see her.

Every time they show her a picture or video, there's immediate joy that turns into grief over not experiencing these moments herself, and it's heartbreaking to witness.

Currently, she's sitting against the wall outside of the NICU, staring through the window at Mark who's sitting and speaking to her. She left when he came in, since she's been trying her best to give him and Arizona space while still being supportive.

"Hey, how's she doing?" Jackson asks her, standing above her and looking into the NICU.

"Great." Briar answers with a pleased smile, before taking another bite of her lasagna casserole. She's made more casseroles in the last week than she has in her entire life (which is saying a lot, since she'd grown up poor), only going home to whip up meals for her, Mark, Arizona, and now Callie, since she's recovered enough for the lighter ones. "She only stopped breathing once, and she started up again really quickly. She's improving a lot."

"That's amazing." He says genuinely, and she gives him a small smile before her eyes go right back to her goddaughter–not that she can really see her, since she's so small and covered in wires and tubes. "When's the last time you slept?"

"What time is it?" She asks back, because she has no idea. When she isn't by either Callie or Sofia's side, she's been mostly on ortho, performing surgeries that Callie currently can't. She's thrilled that Richard finds her capable of so many solo surgeries, but she wishes it wasn't at the cost of Callie's health.

"Uh, 7." He answers, checking his watch, and Briar hums.

"So it's been about . . . 30 hours. Not bad." She says lightly, before looking up at him. "I heard you're helping Chief Webber with his islet cell trial today. That's exciting!"

"Yeah, I honestly can't wait." He tells her, sounding excited. "What about you? Anything exciting?"

"Knee replacement and ACL reconstruction." She tells him, taking another bite before leaning her head back against the wall. "I still have two hours though, so I'm going to be here until then."

"Do you want me to bring you anything?" He asks her, sounding concerned, and Briar tilts her head as she thinks about it.

"Can you grab me another blanket from my room and bring it to me tomorrow?" She asks, knowing that he's going to be going home tonight. "I should really swap them out. Thanks, Jay."

The nickname slips out, and Briar frowns to herself for a second before deciding that she likes it. She knows someone named Jay, but it's not like she sees him that often–or at all, anymore. It fits Jackson.

"You got it." He gives her a dorky salute with a blush, and she laughs at him, genuinely glad that he stopped to chat. "Also, want me to take that?" He asks, nodding to the now empty container in her hand, and she gives him a thankful smile as she hands it over, not wanting to go back to the resident's lounge to take care of it.

"Thank you. Also, there's some casserole containers in the fridge for all of you guys, don't forget." She tells him, having made it a point to stock both the resident's and attending's fridges the last time she went home to cook.

"Thanks. See you later?" He asks, and she nods, her attention once again moving to Sofia before she decides to go in again. Mark will have to leave soon for his operations, and Briar wants to debrief on how Callie's doing, since Cristina is in charge of her care currently.

✦

Sofia opens her eyes.

Sofia opens her eyes, and Briar is staring straight into Callie's, a fact that brightens her entire day. She only keeps them open for a second, but Briar lucks out–she'd been taking a video to send to her parents, since Mark has been asking her for updates every five minutes. Behind her, she hears April gasp, but she pays no mind to that or the way she rushes from the room.

"Oh, hello there." She coos, holding her hand through the hand hole. She still can't get over how she can do that with one finger. She's so incredibly small. "I'm Briar, I'm your godmother. You're so beautiful. So, so beautiful. Go back to sleep, baby, your parents will be here when you wake up."

She waits a minute, nodding to Rachel, the neonatal nurse currently on shift, before rushing after April, worried that she's going to go tell Callie without any video evidence. That will only crush Callie. Really, it should be Mark or Arizona telling her, but she doubts April will have thought of that.

When she gets there, it's to find Callie sobbing and desperately trying to sit up, Cristina moving to stop her. April is nowhere to be found, but it's easy to imagine what must've happened, and Briar moves to help Cristina calm Callie down.

"Hey, hey, please stop." Briar begs, gently putting a hand on her shoulder and pushing her back down.

"I'm missing her!" Callie sobs back, sounding both heartbroken and angry, and Briar feels tears forming instantly. She blinks them away, knowing that her crying will only make things worse.

"I know, honey." Cristina sympathizes, moving to check her sutures.

"I'm missing her. She could die, and I'll never–I could miss her whole life." Callie sobs, still holding on to the hanger above the bed, trying to sit up. Briar gently grabs that hand, still holding her shoulder with her other hand.

"Callie, hey. Look at me." She says forcibly, holding eye contact when Callie does. "I know that this is not the way you imagined this going, but both of you are so strong. Sofia is fighting so hard, and she's doing that for a lifetime with you. Yes, she opened her eyes, and I'm sorry that you weren't there to see that. I have a video of it for you, whenever you want to see it. She has your eyes, and she's so strong, and she's going to have so many firsts that you can experience with her. First time rolling over, first time eating real food, first time walking . . . I could go on for hours. You're going to be there for all of those as long as you let both of you recover." She says, relieved when Callie slowly starts to calm down enough for Briar to remove her hand from the hanger.

"You have a video?" She sniffles, and Briar nods, already moving to grab her phone from her pocket.

"I do. Here." She holds the phone out so that both her and Cristina can see, loving the awe in their faces.

"I'm so scared." Callie whispers, after having Briar play the video another ten or so times, and making sure that she sends it to her. She can't pick up her phone right now, her nerves not recovered enough, but someone else can show it to her later.

"I know. I am too." Briar admits, with Cristina nodding along. Cristina is Sofia's second godmother, and Briar is already imagining all of the godmother and goddaughter activities they can plan with Sofia. She can't wait. "This is all really scary, but you have to believe that it's going to be okay. We're doing everything we can, Callie, and I mean that."

"I know." She whispers, smiling shakily at them, while Briar wipes her face clean and pushes her hair back so that it's not sticking to her forehead bandage anymore. "I just–I really need to see her."

"I know." Briar agrees, sharing a look with Cristina, knowing that the two of them have to make a game plan. "We're going to make that happen for you, okay? Just–get some rest, honey, and Cristina and I will figure this out."

They watch as she loses the battle against falling asleep, and Cristina gives Briar a confused look.

"We can try asking Stark–" Cristina starts, but Briar shakes her head.

"He'll say no, especially if I ask. He hates me." She says, rolling her eyes at the thought of the doctor. "We need to bring Callie to her."

"I mean, yeah, but she can't sit up." Cristina sighs.

"She doesn't have to." Briar says slowly, her mind working overtime before she lights up. "Look, it's too risky to have Callie in the room, but there's a window outside of the room. We can wheel her there, and she can at least see Sofia."

"Yes! Okay, we just need Stark's schedule." Cristina agrees, and Briar nods.

"We can have April get that. We can rope everyone in, because we'll need distractions. I'll tell Alex and Lexie, you tell Meredith and April? Jackson is on Webber's trial today, so I'm not sure how available he'll be, but if either of us see him alone we can try." She says, giving her a fist bump when she nods.

"Look at us, already the godmother dream team." She laughs, before leaving to go find her boys.

✦

"Lexie, have you seen Alex?" Briar rushes out when she sees her, hoping to only explain once . . . and without Owen nearby, which he currently is.

"He's with a patient." Owen explains, nodding to the patient room. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just have a question for him." She lies, smiling at Owen. "How's trauma been? You miss me?"

"Every day." He deadpans, making her laugh, before giving her a smile. "Honestly, yes, but I understand why you're mainly ortho right now. I will be stealing you back the first chance I get, and you can tell Callie that."

"Careful, she bites." Briar teases, just as Alex leaves his patient's room, looking annoyed.

"How'd she take it, Karev?" Owen asks, and Alex rolls his eyes.

"Bitchy, 'cause she's a bitch." He says bluntly, moving past Briar, who raises her eyebrows. Owen is not going to like that answer.

"She's also dying and she's alone." Owen points out. "She hasn't had any family or any visitors since she got here."

"Well, maybe that's 'cause she's–"

"Let's keep our assessments to ourselves." Owen says, moving to walk away before turning back. "Karev, what's your plan for Chief Resident?"

"My plan?"

"Mm-hmm. Besides badmouthing patients, all your colleagues are showing some kind of leadership potential. Grey and Avery, they're on clinical trials. Kepner is overhauling the surgical checklist. Your best friend over there is working to become double certified, frequently runs the pit, and is currently taking charge of ortho. They have a plan. I was just wondering if you had a–"

Briar bites back a smile, turning to share a look with Lexie. On one hand, it's a relief to know that Owen thinks so highly of her, but it is quite awkward to be around for this verbal beat down, especially when it's directed at her best friend.

"African kids." Alex blurts out, interrupting Owen and making Briar slowly turn back to face him.

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, I'm going to bring over about a dozen kids from Africa and, uh, get them surgeries. Badly needed surgeries." He says, clearly coming up with that on the fly, and Briar shuts her eyes.

"Huh. Sounds pretty ambitious." Owen states, clearly not believing him.

"Well, I'm an ambitious guy." Alex laughs it off.

"Also sounds like you just pulled that out of your butt." Owen calls him out.

"Oh, no, sir. It's a–it's a plan that I've, uh, been plan–planning." Alex stumbles.

"Okay. Well, good. Let me know if I can help." Owen says, leaving right after. Lexie and Briar instantly turn on Alex.

"Right outta your butt." Lexie teases.

"Who's paying for this?" Briar asks, shaking her head at him. "This is a new low, Alex. You realize that he's going to be looking for a plan from you soon, right? Hunt doesn't let things go."

"Oh, fuck off." He snaps back, moving to leave before Briar pulls him back. "Look, I don't want to–"

"Shut up, this isn't about you." Briar shuts him down, leaning in. "We need to talk about Callie."

✦

"Callie, wake up." Cristina whispers, while Briar motions for the other residents to move into the room with their equipment. "Just stay still and relax. Let us do everything."

"What?"

"We told you we'd figure it out." Briar whispers back, motioning for her to be quiet with a finger over her lips.

They all work diligently and quickly, getting Callie ready to be transported and making sure that she's as comfortable as possible, before beginning the trek to the NICU. Jackson leads the way, with Alex and Briar in the back by her head with the portable monitor, and the other four at Callie's sides.

An alarm starts beeping, and Lexie rushes to turn it off. Briar holds her breath the whole time, her heart in her throat. She doesn't want to get caught–she doesn't care about the personal consequences, only that they would make them return Callie to her room without seeing Sofia.

"Tell him that chole moved to 8:30 tomorrow." Bailey's voice rings out as soon as they clear another set of doors, making all of them jump.

"Back, back, back." Jackson whispers, ushering them. Briar moves them back as quickly as possible, terrified of Bailey catching them. "Okay, I've got this."

A moment later Jackson is rushing towards Bailey, and they all wait with bated breath.

"Dr. Bailey!" He calls out, sounding as charming as ever, and Briar fights back a grin. "Can I–Can I ask you something?"

"Well, what is it?"

"Uh, h–how's your day going?"

"How's my day going?" She repeats, sounding confused. "Uh, my day should've ended three hours ago."

Lexie and April peak around the corner, quickly moving back and waving for them to move. They rush into action, and Briar fights back a laugh when they clear the doorway and she sees Bailey ranting at Jackson with her back turned toward them. It gets harder to hold in when she sees Callie turn her head away from Bailey with wide eyes, and the thought of Callie murdering her is the only thing that stops her from making a noise.

"I'm tired, it's late, and I still have six more things to do before it's over, and now I have you in my face asking me how my day is going." She snaps, while Jackson takes one quick look at them. Briar winks at him, throwing up a thumbs up before they clear the hallway.

As soon as they get to the NICU, Briar and Alex start taking off their white coats in favor of the pink protective gown, taking the time to wash their hands and apply hand sanitizer before rushing in. Briar takes a second to pull the blinds, making sure they have a clear view, and smiles when she sees that Jackson has joined the others.

"Here, grab that side." Alex whispers, and Briar joins him in carefully moving Sofia's incubator to be close to the wall, with her facing Callie. Briar steps back as soon as she's set up, delighted when she sees the enamored look on Callie's face as she sees her baby. She goes unnoticed as she takes a video and pictures, knowing that they'll want to look back on this later.

She can't wait to tell Sofia how hard her mom fought for her.

✦

Briar is preparing to hide away in the tunnels they found intern year–she has a bed set up down there–when Jackson shouts her name and rushes to join her.

"Hey, thanks for–" She starts, but he interrupts her.

"I have something to show you." He says, looking nervous, and she raises her eyebrows. She has no idea what could be so important, but she isn't about to turn him down, instead following him outside and to his car, where he makes her close her eyes.

"Are they shut?" He asks again a minute later, and she fights the urge to yell at him, curiosity killing her.

"Just as shut as they were a minute ago." She quips, hearing him open his trunk and start moving things around before he tells her to open them.

Inside of his trunk are two dolls, and Briar instantly freezes when she sees the bright red packaging on both, with white lettering reading American Girl, next to a star. There's a clear circle where the head goes, and that's the only part of the dolls Briar can see, but it's enough to have her bringing a hand up to her mouth while tears form in her eyes.

"So, they aren't Addy, but . . . I thought it might be nice for you to be able to play with Sofia." Jackson blurts out, sounding nervous still. "And it turns out that you can customize a doll, so . . . that one's you. It's not perfect or anything but–"

Briar cuts him off, spinning around and pulling him down into a kiss.

It's short, and not the best kiss that Briar has ever had. She started crying the second she saw the dolls, the combination of leftover childhood trauma and recent trauma being too much, and she can taste that in the kiss. They're both exhausted and it was too quick and sudden to be the kiss, the one that people dream of and make movies about.

Except, it was with a man as amazing as Jackson, so it's everything she's wanted for her entire life.

"Um." Jackson says, startled, one hand touching his lips. Briar stares back, feeling her entire face turning bright red before she turns back to the dolls, desperately changing the subject.

"So, that one's me?" She asks, pointing to the one that's obviously her: brown eyes, her wavy brown hair, her freckles. He even got her face shape right, a fact that has her heart bursting.

Kiss him again, she thinks, but fights back the urge. She can still feel her face flaming, and Jackson hasn't said anything. She's too scared to look at him, worried that she read him wrong and he's not actually interested in her.

"So, that's Sofia's." She blurts out, looking to the other doll, only to see the name Marisol etched on the box. "You lucked out, with her having Callie's eyes. If she had Mark's this wouldn't be as accurate. Ooh, does she have a book?"

Jackson doesn't answer, and Briar tries to think of something else to do. She's a second away from just leaving, feeling so awkward, when she's spun back around and kissed properly. And, well, that is the best kiss she's ever had. His hands are on her hips, and hers automatically go around his neck, giving in to the feeling a second later and kissing back.

It's perfect, and Briar feels like she's floating–up until the moment he tries to lift her up onto the ledge of his trunk and she hits her head off of the still open door. That pulls them apart, with her hand flying to the back of her head as her eyes start watering again, this time for a completely different reason.

"Ow." She says with a frown, rubbing the sore spot for a second. It's not the worst head injury she's ever had, but it still hurts. A moment later, she catches Jackson's surprised and horrified look and bursts out laughing, her whole body shaking with the force of it.

"I'm so sorry," He blurts out, before starting to laugh as well, still trying to apologize. "I thought that would be, you know, sexy and I forgot about the door and–"

"We suck at this." Briar wheezes out, her chest hurting more than her head does at this point, due to the force of her laughter. "Your face, I–I'm literally going to pee myself."

"Hot." He jokes, making her laugh even harder. It takes a few minutes for them to calm down, since they keep setting each other off. "You know, this is not how I imagined this going."

"You've imagined it?" Briar questions with a small smile, leaning carefully against his car.

"You haven't?" He shoots back with a smirk, before grinning. "Oh yeah. All the time. I think the first real time was that boring house party Hunt and Shepherd threw, when you tried to play strip poker with me."

"And you wouldn't let me." She pouts, jabbing a finger at his chest.

"Nope. You were wasted, so clothes were staying on." He shoots back, and Briar swallows thickly. That should not be as hot as it is to her. "Anyway. You're a competent surgeon, so yeah, I pictured this a lot."

"You pictured this?" She jokes. "Also, thanks for saying that, because I bet with Lexie that you had a competency kink. Now I'm twenty bucks richer." She says brightly, reaching up for a high-five and laughing at the blush on his face.

"Seriously, though, I have pictured kissing you." She confesses, rolling her eyes fondly at the smug look that lights up his face.  "Turns out, I also have a competency kink. Who knew?"

"So . . ." he says, trailing off and looking lost. "What are you looking for?"

"Honestly? Jackson, I don't really know." She admits, feeling guilty when his face falls slightly. "I know that I really like you, and that scares me a lot. I–I've never really dated anyone, not properly at least. I've had situations with a few girls in college that never went anywhere, and then I met Kelly and married him the same night. We were both working through shit and hiding in each other and–I don't know how to do this."

"Briar–"

"Like, I'm a full on mess." She continues, panic filling her. What is she doing, trying to get in a relationship? "Full on. I'm full of trauma, and I'm obsessed with my job–I'm literally camping out in the tunnels at my work. I have a sleeping bag in my locker all the time, in case I decide to just spend the night here. What sane person does that!?"

"A dedicated surgeon." He interjects, while Briar waves her hand, brushing that off. "We established that I have an, as you put it, competency kink, right? Nothing you're saying is putting me off of this."

"Really?" She asks, genuinely surprised that he hasn't walked away yet.

"And I've dated before, so–so I can show you how to, if you'd like." He suggests, sounding nervous again, and Briar freezes. "Or we can pretend that this never happened, it's–"

"Yes." Briar rushes out, calming down in the face of his panic. And isn't that how it is with them? One of them freaking out and getting helped by the other, over and over again. "Yes. We should–we should do that. We should date."

"Wow, okay." Jackson says, running a hand over his head and looking overwhelmed. Briar understands the feeling. "I have to say, I didn't see that coming when I bought those dolls, or I would've done that sooner."

"Oh, shut up." Briar scoffs, trying to pretend his words don't have her blushing. "Okay, so, we should really talk about this, but I'm a second away from passing out. So . . . talk later?"

"Talk later." He agrees, but he does kiss her again before watching her walk back into the hospital. She waits until she's bundled up inside her sleeping bag in the tunnels to let out the squeal she's been holding in, her entire body feeling full of energy.

It's only when she wakes up hours later that she realizes she left the dolls behind.

✦

The next morning comes with a wake up call, as much as she hates it.

He brings her the blanket she'd asked for, and breakfast from the diner they typically frequent. Briar takes one look at him, all dressed up for work in an hour, and knows that they won't work.

"Jackson." She says hesitantly, biting her lip as she sets down her drink–orange juice, not coffee, which made her smile at how well he knows her– and looks at his eager eyes. "I don't think we should do this."

"Oh." His face drops, and Briar honestly wants to disappear. A second later, he puts on a forced smile, which is even worse. "Okay. Um, that's okay. I know you were overwhelmed last night and–"

"No, that's not–" Briar starts trying to explain, giving up and moving her food out of the way so that she can reach out and grab Jackson's hand, relieved when he doesn't pull back. "I don't regret kissing you. I don't regret any of it, but . . . I need to be here for Callie and Sofia, and I want our relationship to be good. I'm camping out in the hospital, Jackson. You're ready for work and I'm preparing to rush into the locker room so that I can brush my teeth. I'm a mess."

"I'm okay with that." He tells her, so genuine that Briar hurts with it.

"I'm sure you are." She sighs, giving him a weak smile. "Jackson, you're an amazing guy. I don't think for a second that you would judge me or use anything against me, but I care. I want to do this right. I want to have fun with you, and go on silly little dates, and sneak around the house that we live in with way too many people. I want us to last as long as we can, and that's not going to happen if we're never able to see each other."

"So, you want to wait?" He asks her, sounding relieved, and Briar nods quickly.

"Yes. Yes, I want to wait. And I'm not saying that you have to wait for me or anything–"

"I will." He interrupts, putting a finger over her mouth to shut her up. "I've already waited a year, what's a little more time? I think it'll be worth it, so yeah, I'll wait. Now, eat while I tell you about Webber's trial, and then I'll walk you upstairs to go visit Sofia."

She sinks back in her seat, smiling to herself. It's not everything she wants, but it is everything she needs right now.

That has to be enough.

✦

"Alex, this is–"

"A mess?" Alex fills in with a self-deprecating sigh, frowning down at the scattered papers on his bed. Briar has a handful of her own, and is going through them with a highlighter, after making Alex make multiple copies.

"It's brilliant. I mean, it's a lot to figure out, but I really think we can make this happen. I mean, Stark will look like even more of a heartless bastard if he doesn't help, since we're talking about dying children here. What did Owen say?"

"He got me in touch with the military about ground transport." He explains, making Briar smirk at him.

"So what you're saying is that I was right about getting him involved?" She asks mockingly, stretching out more before freezing. "Alex."

"Briar."

"Why the fuck have I been sleeping in the tunnels when your trailer is parked at the hospital?" She questions, reaching over and punching him in the shoulder with a scowl.

"OW! How is that my fault?" He snaps back, glaring at her while she contemplates hitting him again.

"You've seen me sleeping in a sleeping bag and never offered!"

"Since when do I have to offer shit to you? You know you're always welcome." He defends, only making Briar frown at him more.

"'Cause I forgot that you're staying here! Man, I could've saved myself so much back pain." She whines, before reaching out for one of the charts again. "Oh, wow, can I do this surgery?"

"If you want to do it pro bono, it's all yours."

"Sweet, I'm in. When do you go to Stark?"

"Tomorrow."

". . . Dude. You need to organize this way better."

✦

At five weeks old, Sofia goes into heart failure.

By that point, Callie is in physical therapy, working to get her strength back. She can walk again, and Briar takes her to multiple appointments, staying by her side as she makes therapist after therapist quit.

On the same day that Sofia has surgery, Callie develops an abdominal wound dehiscence, working herself into a rupture. Briar doesn't operate on her, since she was in an O.R. when she fainted on Arizona, but Cristina and Bailey do, and they text her to keep her updated since she's still Callie's Power of Attorney.

Briar never could've predicted how much that title would be used when she accepted the role all those weeks ago.

"Dr. Sloan says she's closing now." An intern, James, reports while holding her phone. "He also says to tell you that Stark is getting ready to clip the P.D.A."

"Great, thank you." Briar answers, taking a deep breath. "Do me a favor? I know Dr. Sloan is going to continue texting, but unless it's life or death, I can be updated after."

"Understood."

"Thank you." She gives him a gentle smile, clearing her mind so that she can finish her current operation: an acetabular fixation that she's been practicing and studying for all week. She has a small window to work with, seeing as the acetabulum is the socket of the hip joint, surrounded by large blood vessels.

The fact that Webber signed off on her performing it solo has her more determined than ever to make no mistakes.

All of the surgeries go well, and Briar feels like floating as she hunts down Alex to brag about it.

✦

At twelve weeks, Sofia hits the weight of 5 pounds, 8 ounces. Briar cries when she helps weigh her, beyond relieved to see her looking so strong and healthy. Her hair is growing. She has eyebrows and can keep her eyes open for longer periods of time, and Briar is completely obsessed with her.

She's aware enough to back off, not wanting to seem like she's trying to be a parent or take up any extra time with her. She's still sleeping in the trailer with Alex, although that's more for convenience and a love for her best friend than anything else.

Her camera roll continues to be filled with Sofia, although now she has pictures of Callie holding her, since they've both recovered so beautifully.

Over all, Briar is thrilled, and that doesn't change even when Alex tosses her a bag and announces that the trailer got towed.

"What do you mean, it got towed?"

"I mean, it got towed. Are you deaf?" He snaps back, shoving folders in his bag. "I didn't pay the tickets, so–"

"What tickets?" She questions, pulling her hair up into a french twist. "Alex. You're supposed to ask me for help, you know that."

"I already have, and you've done enough." He says firmly, referring to the amount of money Briar has poured into his project. He's put every cent he has into it, and money that he doesn't, and she's been helping fund it as much as she can. She isn't rich by any means, but she's put all of the money in her checking account into it, leaving her with her emergency funds only.

Maybe she'll regret that, but she knows how to get by with nothing, and she can do it again if she has to. It's nothing when compared to the children she can help Alex help.

An hour later, she gets assigned a child by Alex, who hands them all folders on their child.

"What's this?" Jackson asks, flicking his open.

"What's this? It's your kid. Your African kid." Alex snaps.

"Oh, that's happening?" Cristina asks.

"Today?" Jackson adds on, making Briar roll her eyes at the both of them.

"Tonight." Alex says, looking harried as he glances between them. "The first group gets here tonight. I've been telling you this all week! Look, each of you gets your own kid. Some of them will be traveling with family, a few of them are orphans, so you are in charge of your kid, right? You're like their ambassador."

He goes to hand Cristina a chart before pulling it back. "Wait, you can't have her, you'd be awful to her."

Lexie and Briar burst into laughter at that, watching as Alex goes through the children, trying to decide who to give to Cristina. "Um, him. No. Yes, him." He finally decides, with Cristina snatching the folder from him with a dirty look.

"He's melting down." Lexie sings as she's handed a folder.

"And taking my money with him." Briar mumbles, even though she isn't bitter about it. She did offer, after all.

"Train wreck." Jackson jokes.

"Evil spawn is now Mother Teresa." Cristina announces, leaving with Jackson.

"Karev!" Arizona shouts down the hallway, rushing over to them with clear excitement. "They're here! They just touched down in D.C. and they're gonna change planes and have dinner, and then they'll be here."

He gives her his patient smile, and Briar chokes down a laugh, remembering every time she called him psycho for that smile. Arizona doesn't get freaked out by it, instead pulling him into a hug and laughing brightly.

"You did it. You know, I never thought you would. I didn't think you could, but . . . you did." She tells him, sounding proud. "Well done, Karev."

"See?" Lexie asks, but Alex and Briar are too busy giving each other panicked looks before bolting. Alex throws up in the garbage bin behind the desk, while Briar rushes to find an empty closet to freak out in.

✦

"Briar, get in here!" Alex calls out, and Briar sighs as she enters the conference room he's in with Lexie, who looks horrified as she goes over their paperwork.

"Oh, hell no." She says, moving to leave, only for Alex to tug her back in and force her into a seat.

"Oh my God!" Lexie shouts, looking scandalized. "How did you let this happen?"

"It just happened." Alex defends. "I asked for things, and–and–and people started saying yes. And–and I–I paid for it myself at first, and then Briar saw that I was stressed and helped me pay, but we both maxed out our cards, but the ball was rolling and–and planes were reserved and–and a freakin' military transport. I mean, what am I supposed to say? 'Sorry, never mind. Lack of funds. Keep your dying kids where they are?'" By the end he's shouting, while Briar avoids eye contact with Lexie.

"Well, yeah." She says, waving one of the many pink slips in his face.

"No! You say 'I'll pay you when you get here. Keep the receipt. Send me the bill.'" He says, repeating the words Briar has heard him say over and over throughout the last few weeks. "And now, I mean–oh, God. Right now they're eating $8 airport hamburgers that I can't pay for."

"Guys, this is–I mean, this is fraud." Lexie exclaims, making Briar bury her face in her hands. "You have actually grifted people."

"I can't do this." Alex panics.

"Well, yeah, well, you–you have to now." Lexie shoots back, going back to looking through the paperwork that Briar has been too scared to. "I mean, you already did it. You could go to jail for this." She says, looking up only to find that Alex has left the room, and turning to Briar.

"Really, Briar? You didn't stop him? You helped him?" She questions, sounding disappointed.

"Look, we're talking about life changing–life saving–surgeries." Briar says weakly. "I–I thought things would work out, I don't know. I have to go!"

She rushes from the room, ignoring Lexie shouting after her, in search of her only option left.

✦

Briar takes a deep breath, trying to force the words out of her mouth. It's harder than it seems: Briar hates asking for help, and especially for financial help. A result of growing up in a household where she was forced to pretend things were fine, even as the bills stacked up and they were evicted more than once, no doubt.

The worst he can do is say no, Briar thinks, feeling sick. She hates that she's even putting him in a position like this, but she doesn't want Alex to go to jail. If he did, she'd confess and go in with him, and she doesn't want that for either of them.

"Look, I–I did something really bad. Really bad." She confesses, avoiding Jackson's curious eyes. "Alex and I, we–we drifted people."

"What?" Jackson asks, sounding shocked, and she swallows thickly.

"It–it was an accident!" She blurts out, squeezing her eyes shut. "We just couldn't fully afford this whole Africa project, and uh, we mayhavepromisedpeoplemoneywedon'thave." She rushes out, the words getting mixed together in her panic.

"Oh, wow." Jackson says after a minute, and then: "how much?"

"What?" She asks, surprised that he isn't yelling at her or expressing his disappointment.

"How much do you owe? I have a few credit cards, so I'm sure we can make that work if I can't pull the money fast enough."

Briar stares at him properly, feeling as if the world is spinning around her. She knows that Jackson has money, but this is insane.

"Um." She says, panicking still. "I was too scared to ask exactly how much, but I–I can ask Alex."

"Alright, just let me know. I can write checks or swipe my card." He says with a nod, and Briar gapes at him in complete disbelief. She has to be dreaming.

"You're–you're not serious." She says, and he laughs, nodding.

"I am. I mean, anything else and I'd ask more questions, but this is serious, and it's dying children, so. Just let me know."

"I think I'm going to pass out." Briar says breathlessly, laughing hysterically while Jackson helps her sit down, looking at her like she's the crazy one, when he just offered up an unknown amount of money.

"Please don't do that. Do you want water? Here, just wait here." He says, rushing off to go buy her a water bottle while she gapes after him, completely lost on how this is her life. She was hoping for a loan, sure, but she figured it would be a partial one if anything. Not a full one. Paying that back will be a bitch, but it's better than losing their jobs and getting arrested.

She definitely picked the right guy.

A few minutes after he leaves, Alex comes running over to her, making her heart drop until she sees the delight on his face.

"Dragon Lady gave me $200 thousand!" He shouts. She stares back, taking a second to remember that Dragon Lady was the patient who he referred to as a bitch the day they snuck Callie in to see Sofia. Alex had gotten her to promise him $100 thousand for his project, only for her to die shortly after.

"No fucking way." Briar gasps, gaping when Alex waves the check at her.

Jackson comes back to find them jumping around while holding each other's arms and screaming, and clears his throat pointedly, looking amused when they jump apart.

"What's going on?"

"You can keep your money, but thank you so much." Briar gasps out, planting a kiss on him and ignoring Alex's smirk. "We got it all covered. Oh my God!"

They go right back to jumping, before Briar drags Alex into her car and to the bank, not willing to waste a single second for the money to be cleared.

✦

The infant carrier test–sitting in a carrier for an hour without apnea or bradycardia–is the last hurdle before both Sofia and Callie can finally go home after over three months in the hospital. Bailey, April, Owen, Cristina, Briar and the parents all stand and watch as Sofia does perfectly fine being inside the carrier for that time, with a countdown starting during the last ten minutes.

At the two minute mark, Briar gets out her camcorder that she bought purely for Sofia purposes, laughing when April grabs it from her and points it at the rest of them. She waves at the camera, excited for Sofia to see this someday.

"Five more seconds!" Mark calls out, holding out his watch, and all of them start the countdown.

"Five . . .  four . . . three . . . two . . . one!" They shout, throwing their hands up at one.

"That's one hour." Mark declares, moving to grab Sofia while the rest of them celebrate. Briar turns to Callie, ready to cheer with her, only to see her face fall as she stares intently at Sofia, looking scared.

"You did it, big girl." Arizona tells Sofia proudly, while Owen grabs the camcorder and April starts taking polaroid pictures of them with Sofia. Briar gets one with her, and one with her and Mark, before jumping out of the way so that the parents can bring her home.

"For the grad wall!" April calls out, bouncing over to take a picture of Mark and Sofia. Briar smiles at her, loving how excited April can get. It's adorable.

"Callie, you okay?" Briar questions, seeing that Callie still looks worried.

At the same time, Mark picks up Sofia's carrier, ready to leave.

"Wait, wait, wait. Put her down." Callie calls out.

"I have got the apnea monitor, the O-2–oh, Callie, you need to steal some of those NICU blankets 'cause they're the best!" Arizona says, not having heard Callie, who throws her hands up.

"Okay, everybody, stop. Stop, stop, stop." She begs, running a hand through her hair in stress. Mark carefully sets Sofia back down. "She's not ready. No, she can't leave. She's–she's been watched by doctors 24 hours a day."

"She still will." Mark says, pointing at himself and then the mom's, all of whom are surgeons.

"Okay, well, her lungs–she could get R.S.V." She says next, making Arizona state that that's true for any kid.

"She's not getting in a car, it's not safe!" Callie bursts out, starting to cry. "It's not safe! The last time she was in a car, she nearly died. We both nearly died. Get–get her outta that thing! Get her–give her–give her to me, Mark. I'm not kidding, get her out of that thing, give her to me."

She rushes over, starting to unbuckle Sofia before Mark can move, only for Bailey to go over and put her hands over hers.

"Oh, Callie. Callie. Okay, okay, you're right! You are absolutely right. Cars are not safe for children. Neither are bookcases, or squirrels, uh, strong winds, uh, people who sneeze! They're all gonna get your baby. But, honey, you don't feel this way because you were in an accident. You feel this way because you are a parent. It'll pass, mostly. Some of it never will."

While Callie calms herself down, Bailey gently buckles Sofia back in, and Briar and April exchange a watery smile.

"Briar, can you drive us?" Callie asks quietly, surprising Briar. "You–you're a safe driver, please."

Briar looks over at Owen–she's technically still on shift–but he nods at her, so she nods at Callie, reaching out to rub her arm.

"Yes, of course. I have to be back here in two hours to meet my child for Alex's project, but I can drive you and get you all settled in before then."

"Thank you." She whispers, and Briar just smiles back.

"Don't worry about it. I'll run and steal some NICU blankets for you, and we can all meet in the car?" She asks, tossing her keys to Mark in case they get there before she does.

Getting to watch Callie being wheeled out of the hospital with Sofia in her arms is the biggest blessing.

✦

so . . . we're getting somewhere?

dont kill me!! that would just be such a boring start to their relationship, because they would never see each other outside of work. briar was too focused on Callie & Sofia to go get in a relationship. but, we're making moves towards it!! they're communicating!! it took 28 chapters, but we're getting there.

thank you for all the responses to that google form! I am reconsidering some ideas id scrapped because of the responses, so that's exciting for me!

godmother briar <3 parents mark, Callie and Arizona <3

also, side note for any American citizens reading this. do the world a favor and make sure you're registered to vote, and check out project 2025 while you're at it. unfortunately none of the presidential options are good people; we're stuck with genocide hungry assholes, but we have to do what we can to preserve our rights as much as possible and project 2025 is going to strip those away even more. please, please, please do your research, register to vote, and VOTE!

I know people hate when politics are brought into things, but I can't sit here and write about a lesbian couple from the perspective of a bi woman, as a lesbian myself, and say nothing about a plan that would strip their present day rights away. this will direct effect so many communities, particularly POC and LGBTQ+ people.

I love you all!! Stay safe!!