INT. GREY SLOAN MEMORIAL – ICU ROOM – NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)

A few minutes after Jo presses the call button, Owen Hunt enters the room quietly, followed by Ben. 
He pauses when he sees Link awake and exhales in relief.

OWEN
Hey… look who’s finally with us.

Link forces a small smile. Jo straightens a little, still perched on the edge of his bed, her hand resting on his neck in silent support.

LINK
(clears throat, weak)
Hey, Hunt.

OWEN
How’re you feeling?

LINK
Tired.
(confused)
Hurts… everywhere. 
But at least I’m here.
I hear I have you to thank for it. 

OWEN
(light joke)
You have the whole hospital to thank for it. 
That room was pretty crowded.

They all share a soft smile — a brief easing of the tension.

LINK
Yeah…

Owen and Ben exchange a quiet look before Owen turns back to him.

OWEN
(more serious)
You’ve been through a lot.

He steps closer, glancing at Jo, silently checking whether he should proceed. 

She nods.

Owen’s expression shifts, then he gestures subtly to Ben.

BEN
(soft, steady)
Okay. We are going to talk you through what happened… and what we had to do.

Link’s body tightens, almost imperceptibly. Jo notices and gently takes his hand.

LINK
(concerned)
Alright.

BEN
The explosion caused a piece of the ceiling to penetrate just below your clavicle — pretty deep.
We had to perform an emergency thoracotomy to control the bleeding and repair a laceration to your subclavian artery.
You also had tears in the intercostal muscles and a lung laceration.

Link swallows hard, absorbing the words.

OWEN
You also suffered multiple rib fractures.

BEN
Your body took a serious hit. But you fought through it.

Link lets the news sink in.

LINK
Okay… 
How long till I can get out of this bed?

OWEN
Easy, tiger.
You lost a lot of blood, and your body needs time.
You know that better than anyone. 
We’ll take it one step at a time.

Link closes his eyes briefly, overwhelmed.

A beat.

LINK
We have babies on the way.

Jo squeezes his hand, soft but steady.

JO
Baby, we have time. 

He nods faintly, letting that anchor him.

A moment later:

LINK
Were there… any more people injured?

Owen and Jo exchange that terrible, quiet look.

OWEN
Your patient didn’t make it. 
And Monica Beltran…

A beat.

A long, heavy, suffocating beat.

LINK
(quiet)
God…

Ben lowers his eyes.

LINK
What… what caused the explosion?

OWEN
Acetylene tank. Emptied in the OR.

Ben steps in gently, voice softening.

BEN
You’re alive, Link.
That’s what matters right now.
 
Link nods, but it’s automatic, not truly absorbed.

OWEN
One step at a time, okay?

LINK
(distraught)
Yeah…

OWEN
I’ll be back in the morning.
Get some rest. Both of you.

JO
(quiet)
Thank you… 

Ben gives Jo a reassuring glance before they exit.
The door closes softly behind them.

Silence settles.

Jo stays close as she watches the shock settle into Link’s body.

JO
(softly)
Link…

He doesn’t answer.
 
The weight of everything — the injuries, the deaths, the months ahead — sinks in all at once.

JO
Hey…
I’m right here.

She gently touches his hair again, slow and grounding.

JO
You’re here.
And I know some little monsters who can’t wait to hear your voice.

Link nods faintly, but he’s drifting — not to sleep, but into the shock of a reality he can’t yet hold.

Jo stays with him, steady, anchoring him to something solid as his world tilts.

FADE OUT.