When ambulances park in front of the hospital that morning with gunshot wounded people, Maddox knows it's going to be a tough day. Still, that's not half of what awaits her.

"Good morning, Dr. Shepherd. Bailey put me on neuro today," Derek turns his head away from the computer to greet her, and since his expression isn't too jovial, Maddox takes it to mean he was expecting to see another intern. "I'm not Meredith but you could at least pretend to be happy to see me," Maddox laughs a little, but seeing the corners of Derek's lips turn up only slightly, she purses her lips. "Tough morning?"

"It's going to be," Derek sentences, nodding. He glances back at the screen. "Can you imagine? You're at work, you're doing your job and someone comes and shoots you, puts a bullet in your head. Nineteen years old."

"I called her parents as soon as I got the case. They're on their way. Also—"

"We need to get her to the OR immediately. The bullet went through the midline."

"Also, uh..."

"Look at the size of that hematoma. Also?" Derek asks, turning around. "You said also twice."

Maddox nods, her gesture somber. "Yes. Also she's pregnant. What do you need me to do, should I page Dr. Montgomery Shepherd to check on the baby?"

"No, she's too damaged to wait. We don't have time to waste. Prep the OR and then we'll call Dr. Montgomery Shepherd. If Kendra doesn't hang in there until we operate, the baby will be far too gone," Derek looks at her for a few seconds and then comes to his senses. "We have some tests on Kendra when she was admitted earlier. The CT scan shows this brain damage, but there is also an ultrasound that should show the baby's condition. Take a look," the man hands her some sheets, which Maddox quickly glances at. "What do you think?"

"The fetus is twelve weeks, according to the exam. It appears to be healthy, there are no abnormal behaviors, and everything seems to be developing well. Its heart is still beating, which seems like a miracle compared to its mother's condition. I would say there would be a chance to save the baby if it weren't only 12 weeks old. But considering that Kendra probably won't withstand the brain damage, I'd say there's no chance this baby would survive if we took it out."

"Exactly what I thought," Derek nods. "How do we proceed then?"

"Well, considering the facts, we have to try to save Kendra's life first. Give her a craniotomy and remove the bullet as soon as possible without damage, if possible, and then keep her vitals. However, if she doesn't make it, there's no chance for the baby," The man nods again, agreeing with her, and looks away from her to place his gaze on the x-rays once more. "I'm sorry. She's too young to go through this. I'll prep the OR right now."

"Wait, I'm going to walk with you. How have you been the last few days? Everything okay with your family?"

"I'm going to a store tomorrow to buy a T-shirt that says 'Stop asking me about my family,'" Maddox says, and it's the first smile she gets to see from Derek that morning. "I have two families now. Very dysfunctional families. The first one, the biological one, is good. I reconciled with my parents. Yes, I called them. Yes, they called me. No, I don't plan to visit them for a couple of months because I don't want Easter or 4th of July surprises. And the other family is crazier than my real family. Cristina thinks Burke is punishing her for something, Izzie and Alex aren't speaking and I'm guessing it's because Alex made some very hurtful comments, George is dating someone now so our house looks like a circus, and Mer, well, you know her. When will she be mentally stable? I, on the other hand, am fine."

"Wow, it's like you have your answers ready at home."

"I practice my lines every morning in front of the mirror. What is your life like now? I sense a bad vibe between you and Meredith."

"We're done," is all Derek says.

"So, you and Dr. Montgomery Shepherd?"

Derek laughs. "Look, I know you're friends with my wife now, so you don't need to call her that. All I'm saying is that I'm working on it. I'm not going to explain my life to an intern," Maddox directs a sneer at him.

When they enter the OR, it's already set up and Kendra is there, so Maddox looks around, amazed at the efficiency of the workers. Derek enters the scrub room to get ready, while Maddox stays outside, as her pager beeps at her. She doesn't have time to answer it, however, because a cheerful voice startles her.

"Dr. Easton! I'm glad to find you here," Kate greets her. "I was the one who called you, I didn't know you'd be here by now. Kendra Thomas' parents are here. I said the doctor assigned to her case would be here to explain everything. How is she?"

Maddox purses her lips. "Not very well. I'll get Dr. Shepherd, he's the one operating on Kendra."

"Hey, by the way, I was thinking of asking you the other day, do you feel like having drinks at Joe's? There's always a good atmosphere there and we could talk and catch up."

"Uh—"

"Dr. Easton," another voice interrupts them, and Maddox almost sighs with relief when she sees Addison. "Is Dr. Shepherd in yet? The patient's parents are here."

"Yes, he's in. In fact, Kate told me—"

"So what are you waiting for, Easton? You can chat later, there are two lives at stake now."

Addison gives her one last look before closing the door to the scrub room, and Maddox doesn't know how to interpret it. Kate composes a grimace on her face. "I don't want to be a problem for you. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Maddox nods, forcing herself to smile, and as she enters the scrub room she huffs. "Dr. Shepherd, Kendra's parents are here."

Derek doesn't even look at her, just washes his hands, and Maddox assumes Addison's presence there has something to do with his sudden bad mood. "Let them know the situation, have them sign the consent forms, and then get going."

"Yes, Dr. Shepherd," nods Maddox, taking off her scrub cap. Addison is still there, peering through the glass and turning her back to her. "Are you okay?" The brunette whispers.

"There's something going on between Meredith and Derek. You're friends with both of them, do you know what's going on?"

Maddox smiles sadly. "I figured out a long time ago that the best way to keep their good mood is not to ask questions about the other. So no, I don't know what's going on between them. For what it's worth, I think she's seeing someone."

The girl leaves the room, feeling defeated. She doesn't stand a chance with Addison, not even the slightest chance, because Derek will always be around.

Maddox is getting a bag of chips from the vending machine when she sees Derek speed past her, a folder in her hands and chasing someone. "Shit," Maddox mutters to herself, tapping the machine so that her bag of snacks drops sooner. When it does, Maddox takes off running after the neurosurgeon, who climbs the stairs to catch up to Addison. They both look at her, expectantly. "Yeah, don't mind me. I'm his shadow today. I'm not here."

"Hey, you got a minute?" Derek heeds Maddox, or ignores her, Maddox doesn't know.

"You ready to talk?" Addison asks.

"My patient, Kendra Thomas, is brain dead. Her parents want to keep her alive to have the baby."

The woman looks for a second at Maddox, who doesn't notice, then snorts imperceptibly. "So you want me to talk to the parents."

Maddox follows them as they make their way up the stairs, eating her snack and listening but only to the medical words —although the mischievous tone behind Addison's silences is evident. "Well, I've already tried, but I think a neonatal would have a better shot at it than me. It's just that you could give a lot more detail—"

"I said I'll do it," Addison replies curtly, causing both Maddox and Derek to stand on their step and in somewhat awkward silence. When they reach the room, Maddox tries to pretend she's really not there, because the tension Addison exudes is evident, and Maddox feels like the daughter in the middle of divorced parents fighting over her. "Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. Dr. Shepherd asked me to talk to you about your daughter and her pregnancy."

"We've made up our minds," the father says. "She's going to have the baby."

"I know Kendra meant the world to you, and I know the terrible grief you must be going through right now, but from a medical standpoint this is a very bad idea."

"It's just that we love our daughter. Please try to understand," the mother says, because the father's face is angrier.

"I get it, I really do. You think that if you love her enough or love her baby that it will keep her close to you, but she's already gone, and if you go through with this you're taking a risk... I mean, if Kendra were to get an infection, she could pass it on to the fetus and it could cause brain damage—"

"We're taking the risk," the man interrupts.

"Your daughter is brain dead. She can't regulate her body temperature, or hormone production. These things are very important to a fetus," Addison tries again.

"You guys can regulate those things, right?"

Addison looks at Derek. "We could try..."

"Well try, damn it! What's the problem here?" The father bursts out.

"The problem here is that I see you want to use your daughter's corpse as an incubator, that's the problem."

Maddox opens her eyes wide, surprised by Addison's lack of calm, who normally knows how to control the most frustrated patients, but it is Derek who apologizes to leave the room, also surprised by his wife's attitude. "They just lost their daughter," he reminds her as they leave the room, shocked.

"I know, I was trying to get them to see that, Derek, she's not going to wake up."

"A little sensitivity would be nice here, okay? They love their daughter. They don't want to let her go."

"What they're doing isn't out of love, Derek. It's... It's like you. Like when you pretend you love me but really you're just using me to feel some need you have to be a nice guy."

Derek tenses and looks at Maddox behind him, who tries to dodge his gaze. "Now is not the time to talk about this. We'll talk about this later."

"You walk away? That's all I get?" Addison yells after him.

"Calm down, please."

"You're not going to yell at me? Call me names? Or, I don't know, ignore me in an elevator? I want you to care! I sleep with your best friend and you leave. He comes here from New York and rubs it in your face and you still get a good night's sleep. What am I supposed to do? Oh, I know, maybe what I should do is go out on a date with the vet," Maddox ducks her eyes, embarrassed that she's partially been the one to unveil that truth to her. "Because that seems to be something that makes you go into blind rage. Oh, but wait. That won't work either, because I'm not Meredith Grey!"

Silence falls in the hallway. Maddox gawks, and Derek doesn't even flinch. He looks down, aware that there are other people on the floor, and when the three of them peek out, Meredith herself is there, looking up with her mouth open and slowly reddening. Derek gives her a last look, disappointed, and goes downstairs as if the topic has nothing to do with him, and the truth is that Maddox is somewhat disappointed with the man: she expected at least a clarification of the matter. So she decides to act herself.

"Come with me," Maddox whispers forcefully, taking her by the arm firmly. Addison lets herself be dragged away because she has no strength left, and because she would rather leave there quickly than be the cause of further tension and loss of dignity. Still she is surprised by Maddox's grip, who clenches her jaw and directs her to the nearest restrooms. When she closes the door she puts the latch on. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't want to talk, Maddox. Let me go."

"No," Maddox firmly refuses, much to Addison's surprise. "No. Look in the mirror. Dry your eyes, take a deep breath and look at yourself. Because I don't see you anymore. I know I haven't known you for a long time, but as far as I know, this isn't you. You're Addison Montgomery. You're one of the best surgeons in this country. You're brilliant, you're successful, you're important. You're not chasing a man, a man who doesn't stop and try to fix things the moment you say what you just said to Derek. You don't chase a man who doesn't love you the way you love him. And I know I've said before that I can't stop you, but I'm going to now. Take a deep breath, Addison," Maddox says, more softly this time, and walks over to her to look at her reflection in the mirror. "I know it's been years. I know this doesn't seem like something you're going to get over. But you will. And I know I'm young, a kid, practically, but you have to trust me on this. You can't drown in this sea of sorrows. You can't lose yourself to someone who doesn't see you."

"Shut up," Addison mutters, covering her face with her hands.

"No," Maddox repeats again, frowning. "You need the truth, and I may sound obnoxious but—"

"Maddox, shut up."

The brunette clenches her jaw, feeling small next to her. Addison is probably right —Maddox is no one to meddle in her life, let alone her relationship— but she's only trying to help. Her voice turns cold when she speaks, and Addison closes her eyes tightly when her coldness hits her unexpectedly. "I'm clearing your schedule for today. You don't have surgeries, so I'll call Dr. Bailey to help me run your cases. I'll also talk to Kendra's parents. Clear your head, think about what you want. You're in no position to help your patients right now. If you'll excuse me, Dr. Montgomery Shepherd."

The rest of the day Maddox spends answering Dr. Bailey's messages, to whom she goes for help only when she needs it. She spends hours on the pediatric floor, going from room to room to check on the mothers and their children, and is thankful that everyone is in good condition, because her head keeps traveling to Addison. It makes her angry to have a crush on such an emotionally unapproachable person as the redhead. Couldn't she like someone else easier? No, it had to be Addison Montgomery. Addison Shepherd. Whatever.

She also talks to Kendra's parents, who cling to their daughter's body in deep sadness. Maddox feels like crying, but swallows her feelings, apologizes heartily to them and reminds them of their daughter's kindness and solidarity. When Maddox leaves the room she doesn't know if she has achieved her purpose, or if her parents want to go through with the plan to have their dead daughter live to grow their grandchild, but she is startled when she opens her eyes, tired, and sees Bailey standing in front of her.

"Dr. Bailey. Do you need anything?"

The woman looks her up and down, in a way Maddox is used to by now. "A woman has been discharged to the obstetric surgical floor and I see that the signature is not Dr. Montgomery Shepherd's."

"Yeah, it's mine. She was my patient. I discharged her because she was fine."

"Only residents and attendings can sign discharge papers."

"Dr. Montgomery Shepherd authorized me to sign. You can ask her if you don't trust me. I assume you have heard what happened before with Dr. Shepherd, so you will understand that she is not at her best mentally to help her patients. I took over, as per her wishes," Bailey frowns, surprised by her words. "There were no incidents with Dr. Montgomery Shepherd's patients today, so I had everything under control. I checked their I.V.s, their blood work, their babies', and their children's health. Is there anything else you need, Dr. Bailey?"

"No," she replies after a few seconds of silence. "That would be all. Are you okay?"

"Fine," Maddox merely replies.

"No, you're not. And when you finally blow up, make sure you don't do it in front of everyone. I expect that from you, Dr. Easton. Now go home, you're done with your shift."

"Yes, ma'am."

She doesn't waste another second and heads for the locker room. It's still early, early enough for the interns to leave, anyway, so she's alone. She quickly takes off her hospital uniform, changing into street clothes, and pulls her hair back into a ponytail to cool her face. She clenches her fists tightly in frustration and stifles a scream so as not to alert anyone. She stuffs everything into her locker, pulls out her backpack and rushes out.

She doesn't run into anyone from her intern group, so she's grateful for that. She knows Alex has left that morning for Mercy West with Burke to get the heart for Denny, but about Izzie, Meredith, Cristina and George she knows nothing. They are her family, yes, but she's grateful not to be around their overwhelming presence because right now she needs calm.

"Dr. Easton!" Webber's voice is unmistakable behind her, and Maddox pauses in her place, biting her tongue. On a day when she wants to leave more than anything, it's the day everyone decides to hold her back. So she turns around and purses her lips into a strained smile. "I heard you took over the pediatric floor today. I talked to Dr. Montgomery Shepherd earlier, so I must thank you for that. I hope there were no incidents over there."

"No, sir," Maddox shakes her head. "Everything was fine. I was on my way home, actually. Dr. Bailey said I could finish early tonight."

"Of course. You look like you could get some sleep. Have a good night, Maddox," Richard taps his hat, and Maddox says goodbye with a little forced smile.

As she heads for the exit it's drizzling a bit, so she busies herself with finding her car in the parking lot quickly. However, she sees a rather familiar figure sitting on one of the wooden benches, enduring the rain, as if waiting for something. Maddox knows she shouldn't, but her heart wins out over her mind and she walks over, locks of hair sticking to the back of her neck and forehead.

"Not sleeping in the trailer today, I see."

Addison lifts her head, and Maddox can see that her cheeks are wet, and not just from the faint rain. "No."

"Beds in the on-call rooms are pretty comfortable. Not good enough for attendings?" Addison keeps looking at her, and feels uncomfortable not detecting the humor in the girl's voice.

"I don't want to spend any more time than necessary in this hospital after what happened today."

"That's probably the best decision you could make today."

The woman sighs, nodding to herself as she ducks her head. "You've come here to make fun of me now?"

"I've come here because a friend doesn't let another friend spend the night outside, especially with this cold and the rain, not even after this friend tells the other friend to shut up. I'm taking you with me now no matter what you say, so I'd appreciate if you left your pride and ego aside and came with me to the car."

"Maddox—," Addison sighs but is interrupted.

"Shut up," Maddox offers her her hand. "We're even now. Would you like grabbing something to eat on the way? I'm starving."

"Yeah, I'm not going to Meredith's house. Especially tonight."

The brunette shakes her head, her arm still outstretched waiting. "We're not going to Mer's. I promised no ambushes next time, didn't I?"

"Where are we going then?"

"You said 'we', so even your subconscious mind knows you already agreed to coming with me. You just have to trust me here," the corners of her lips lift almost imperceptibly, but Addison can see it. Addison can see Maddox the way the brunette sees her, so she takes her hand and stands up. "That's it. Now, McDonald's?"

The food is still warm when Maddox brakes the car in front of an unfamiliar house. It's nighttime, and the neighborhood is lit only by streetlights, but the layout of the houses and the low noise reveal that it's a familiar neighborhood. Maddox busies herself with grabbing the bags and passes her backpack to Addison, who looks at it, hesitant. "Would you mind taking out the keys? They're in the smallest pocket. Yes, there. Now, take the larger key and open the main lock. With the smaller key open the latch. Okay," Maddox nods slowly as Addison pushes open the door and reveals a dark house, a staircase on the left side and much cleaner than it would have appeared.

"What's this?" Addison asks, turning around. "Is this yours?"

Maddox shakes her head, turning on the light and setting the bags on the kitchen table. "No. It's my mom's."

"Your mom's? And how come you live in Meredith's house with roommates?"

"This is where my mom grew up. My mom's family emigrated from Cuba when she was very young. My grandparents had to work very hard and in illegal conditions to raise my mom and aunt. Eventually they saved enough money to buy a house, a real house, and after my grandparents died, my mom kept it. This is where she grew up and it holds very important memories for her, so I didn't want to be the one to taint it for her. I want her to remember it as the place where she grew up, not as a place where I lived while I worked. I wouldn't appreciate this place enough, so I want her to keep it for herself," nods Maddox. "Of course, I had a hard time convincing her. I got an apartment for myself, and even though I wanted to pay for it, my parents did anyway. She let me do it in case I visited a couple of times a month and kept it clean and nice. Sometimes I water the plants, but gardening is not my thing, it's hers."

"You seem to come over a lot, then. It's tidy and looks cared for."

Maddox nods. "It's my mother's. I promised I'd do it, so I do. I used to come only once every few months, but since I've been an intern I come even twice a month. It's the only place I know where I can be away from everything and no one knows. Well, not anymore," Maddox laughs a little. "It's been a rough few months, but coming here is like having a piece of my mom close to me."

Addison smiles helplessly. "You're a mama's girl."

Maddox smiles as she nods. "It's unavoidable. She's the best person I know. When she got sick, I drowned myself in studying because if I had spent all that time thinking about her possible death I would have gone crazy. Part of that got me to where I am today, but I wouldn't trade my mother for anything in this world. That's why I was so angry when my brother left. He left her and everything she had done for him. You don't do that to a mother. Not to a mother like ours," the brunette murmurs, popping a french fry into her mouth.

"And your father?"

"He, uh, he was in the army. He comes from a very traditional family, so he started working very young, but as soon as he married my mother, his family didn't want to do anything with him. You know, marrying an immigrant and all that. He decided to stay with her against all odds and I respect him for that. But still, he's an army guy. I love him, he's my dad and all, but I don't know. He's always had this fixation on making my brother become a mini him, and when we all realized he wouldn't be able to do it, I became the mini him. That's why I'm good with guns. He would teach me everything they taught him. And me, being this irrational person who was obsessed with pleasing my parents because if I didn't do it, who was going to do it? It was my way of thanking them for everything they had done for me. I did everything they wanted me to do, and I didn't do what they didn't want me to do. And I'm tired. I'm sorry. I'm tired and I'm talking a lot."

Unconsciously Addison rests her hand on Maddox's arm, who looks at her. "It's okay. Really, I'm listening. I understand. It's normal for kids to want to please their parents by trying to get their approval."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Addison. I'm not a kid anymore and the most unpleasing thing I've done in almost twenty-five years of life is run away during Thanksgiving. There are things they don't know about me because it wouldn't be what they expect of me, but I'm tired and I'm sorry," Maddox rubs her face with her hands, tired. "I'm sorry. This hasn't been my best day."

"You don't need to say you're sorry. I understand," Addison's hand reaches for hers in an attempt at comfort, but Maddox's pulse quickens and she can't think of anything else but to pull her hand away or, conversely, hold it closer than it already is.

"I, uh. I should show you to your room," Maddox decides on the first option and gets up from the table, clearing her throat. "It's upstairs. It's got clean sheets because I've spent a few nights here in the last few months, and I can lend you some blankets. If you open the closet there will be clothes of mine, feel free to take what you need. If you want to take a shower, the bathroom is inside the room. Mi casa es tu casa," Maddox smiles a little. "Do you need anything else?" The brunette cocks her head, surveying the room and thinking about the nights she's spent there, then rests her gaze on Addison, who looks at her a little too intently for her liking. "Addison?"

"Oh, no, no. This is already too much. I should have confronted Derek in the trailer after all."

"I don't think you should have. You deserve your own time and space too. He's been pretty unkind to you since you arrived, so I don't think you should crawl to him every time you blow up. You have your dignity and, like I said, you don't have to chase him. You compared yourself to Meredith and he didn't even say anything, he just stood you up there in front of everyone. Someone who loves you doesn't do that. Hell, if he loved you like that he wouldn't have put you in that position. Move on, Addison. If staying at an intern's house isn't your wake-up call, I don't know what is," Maddox jokes a little, trying to take tension out of the atmosphere. "You can sleep over anytime you want. Friends care for each other."

"Even when they tell each other to shut up," Addison smiles a little.

"Exactly," Maddox laughs. "I know this must be confusing and scary, but there's so much for you in the world, Addison, even if you leave Derek. You still have so much to live for, even if you don't see it that way. Now I'll stop talking like an old woman and leave you alone."

"Wait," Addison says. "This is where you sleep. It's only fair that you have it and I get on the couch."

"No way, Dr. Montgomery," Maddox scoffs. "That back of yours should have a mattress. I'll be on the couch. I'm going to study, so I won't get much sleep today."

"Such a bad day, huh? I guess we can both relate. Take those books up, I'll help you study."

"Really?"

"It's the least I can do. You got me a bed."

Maddox smiles. "Okay. Gee, all right. I'll be right back. It was cardio's turn today," the brunette says almost shouting for Addison to hear, "it was neuro's turn yesterday, and the day before that OB's, but since you're here I can take OB again. I'm already at the door and I have my eyes closed in case you're still changing clothes! I don't see anything." Still with her eyes closed but smiling she hears the door open in front of her, and the sight of Addison in her bedclothes is even more shocking than she had expected. She lets out a shaky laugh, hoping the woman doesn't notice. "Rocking my clothes, I see."

"They're comfortable, I must admit. Maddox," Addison tries to get her attention.

"Yes?"

Addison takes her by surprise and hugs her, and Maddox freezes, not knowing what to do. She's too close, it smells Addison all over, and she feels like Addison is going to notice her heart hammering against her chest, so she tries to calm down. "Thank you. And I'm sorry. You didn't deserve my attitude this morning. I was angry and you were there, but you've done the nicest things for me since I got here. I'd say you're the best thing I've found in Seattle, so," Addison admits, her eyes watery. "Thank you."

The redhead slowly pulls away from her, finding it hard to let her go after holding her so close, and Maddox feels her breathing too close. I'm dying to kiss you, she thinks.

"About that study session?" she really says.