For a long time, Megan believed that Owen would find her. Once she got the right information to the right person who knew the right people ... Owen would come. It was what kept her going, from refuge to refuge. Somehow, he would find her. He was her big brother and he would find her. That rat bastard Nathan had probably moved on, but Owen wouldn't give up on her.
And then she gave up on him. Too many years of hiding and traumatic encounters and near-starvation took its toll. She was gravely ill. And the political situation worsened beyond belief. It became more dangerous than ever for her to be discovered. So she found one last hiding place and prepared to die. Curled up in a cellar, hidden from the enemy, she felt foolish to think that she ever would escape this hell on earth and see her family again. She would just die and it would be over. She would be with her father again, at least.
But death didn't come. She had the vaguest images of soldiers with American flags on their uniforms. They didn't mistreat her, they picked her up so carefully. Then she was in a vehicle, and then an ambulance and a medical tent.
The next days were chaos. Barely alive, all Megan wanted to do was sleep. They had to insert a feeding tube because she was so weak. She was at some sort of base and many people in uniform had so many questions. A woman with a high-pitched voice seemed to be protecting her, letting her sleep. Megan learned her name was Dr April Kepner. Every time that Megan woke up, April told her that Owen was coming.
And then he was there. Older, sad and happy at the same time. Megan smiled at Owen and clutched his hands. Everything was going to be better because her big brother was with her.
There was a helicopter ride. Then an ambulance. Followed by an airplane. She didn't want to talk, just rest. Every time that Megan fell asleep, she was holding one of Owen's hands. Every time that she woke up, he was there. Bringing her water, fussing over her, making sure she was warm and comfortable. April was there as well, it turned out that she was a colleague of Owen's.
Owen pulled out a rectangular screen that he called an iPad. He showed her a video message from their mother. Evelyn was barely coherent as she wept and spoke. Owen held Megan's hand tight, then wiped away her tears.
He coughed and looked uncomfortable. "There's another message ... if you want to watch ... it's from Nathan."
"No." Megan closed her eyes. "I want to sleep."
"Okay."
Next, a military hospital. She felt well enough to start taking bites of food, but she was still weak. The people in scrubs, they frowned at her. She wasn't allowed to look at her own chart. All Owen would say was that she had more than one bacterial infection. In her weakened state, her body wasn't fighting hard enough. They wanted her to gain more strength before going home to Seattle.
April quiely approached Megan when Owen was out of the room. She was holding sheets of paper. "Nathan is a friend of mine and he has written some emails-"
"No." Megan shook her head and looked away. April quietly retreated.
On a day that Megan felt stronger, she sat up in bed, still holding Owen's hand. Megan looked at his left hand and raised her eyebrows.
"You're married." Her slim fingers touched his silver band. "I missed your wedding..."
Owen smiled, his blue eyes gentle and sad. "I can show you photos."
He pulled out the iPad and started thumbing through the screens. Then, proudly, he showed her a photo of an Asian woman.
"She's beautiful!" Megan smiled weakly.
"Her name is Cristina." Owen slowly scrolled through a few more photos and she watched. The way that his wife smiled at the camera ... at the man behind it ... Megan knew that her brother was happily married. She leaned her head against his shoulder.
Owen showed her another photo, this time of two little girls. One had black hair and one had red hair. Megan gasped. "Owen! You're a daddy!"
"Uh huh." He grinned from ear to ear. "This is Chloe and Mallory."
"I want to hear everything about them. Your wife, your daughters ..." She yawned.
"Later." Owen turned the screen off.
In the next few days, she learned everything she could about Owen's wife and children. Finally they left in an airplane. She woke up in a different hospital. Her mother was there, weeping and smiling and clasping her hand.
Megan knew that she should be feeling better than she actually was. But she wasn't. At least she was home – her mother had told her that she was in Seattle Grace. It had been a surprise when Owen appeared wearing scrubs. Her big brother was a civilian, and the Head of Trauma.
Her primary doctor was Miranda Bailey, who was very attentive and kind. After a flurry of tests, Dr Bailey brought in some infectious disease specialists who explained why her liver and kidneys were failing, in terrifying detail. Evelyn and Owen stayed with her afterwards, encouraging her to have faith.
"This isn't fair," Megan said. "I didn't lose all those years just to spend the rest of my life on dialysis."
The next day she woke up to see Owen standing by her bed with his wife.
"Hi." Sleepily, Megan extended her right hand.
"I'm glad to finally meet you." Cristina shook her hand. "I would have dropped by earlier but you've been so ill."
"As my new sister, I need to ask you something," Megan said. "Be completely honest."
"Okay." Cristina frowned.
Megan's hand went to her head. "How shitty does my hair look?"
Cristina smiled, knowingly. "It looks like crap."
"Your hair?" Owen was dumbfounded. "That's what you're asking about?"
"I assume that I'm going to be meeting your daughters soon," Megan replied. "I don't want to scare them."
"I'm on it," Cristina promised.
That afternoon, Cristina brought in her friend, Dr Meredith Grey, and a young nurse named Kimmy.
After the introductions, Meredith turned to Cristina. "You're right, this is a hair disaster."
"How bad is it?" Megan winced.
Cristina handed her a mirror. Megan looked into it and gasped. She was too thin. Her skin was yellow. And her once lustrous hair was dry and patchy.
Cristina produced a plastic bag. "We have dry shampoo, a brush and comb, some scissors and lots of hair bands and clips."
"Kimmy is going to do the actual work," Meredith said. "She's got a YouTube channel on hair."
"What's a YouTube?"
Two hours later, Megan looked in the mirror again. Kimmy had given her a pixie cut. She was wearing a bright blue headband, to cover up the worst of the patches.
"Thanks for doing your best," she sighed.
"It will grow back and then I'll hate you for your flawless hair," Meredith said. "I've seen photos of you before."
"I can't wait." Megan yawned. "I don't mean to be rude but ..."
"But you need your sleep." The women quickly packed up their things as she drifted off to sleep.
Evelyn spent every day with her. Sadly, she didn't get to meet her nieces. Cristina explained that they had colds and couldn't visit Megan in her weakened and vulnerable position. Owen showed her more photos of them
A week later, Megan was nauseous and short of breath. Evelyn accompanied her as Dr Bailey put her through more testing. She got to meet more doctors, who were eager to meet her. She tried to remember their names. Derek Shepherd. Callie Torres. Richard Webber.
There was one doctor she refused to meet. Nathan Riggs. Owen had gently informed her that Nathan worked at Seattle Grace. Megan insisted that he not come near her.
ooOoo
One day Evelyn sat with Megan, giving her a manicure. They were passing time before hearing what Dr Bailey's new treatment plan was.
Megan watched her mother carefully. She had the feeling that something was being kept from her, but Evelyn wouldn't divulge any secrets.
Finally Dr Bailey entered, with Dr Grey and Dr Yang.
"We have a plan," Dr Grey informed Megan. "We propose a kidney and liver transplant which should be the boost your body needs to get well. Your current ones are failing."
"Oh." Megan blinked. "How long will it take to find donors?"
"It's been arranged," Meredith told her. "Owen is your living liver donor."
Moved, Megan couldn't say anything. Her eyes filled with tears.
Cristina smiled kindly. "He's in excellent health and can handle donating a portion to you. Promise me that you'll take good care of it."
"I will. But I also need a kidney donor..."
Dr Bailey cleared her throat. "We have a 'domino' plan. One of our doctors will donate a kidney to one of my patients, their sister will donate a kidney to Dr Grey's patient, and that patient's son will be your live kidney donor."
"Oh my God." Tears ran down Megan's face. "Have I met this doctor? Who is it?"
Evelyn and Cristina exchanged a long look. Bailey spoke. "His name is Nathan Riggs."
"No." Megan shook her head.
"Yes," Dr Bailey told her. "This is the best plan available. We tested your mother and she's not an ideal candidate to donate ..."
"He really wants to do it," Evelyn informed her. "He also said we should tell you that he's involved because you'd want to know."
"Damn straight I'd want to know!" Megan paused, feeling another wave of nausea. "Oh God, Nathan?"
"We're going to let you process this," Bailey said. "But you don't have much time. I've booked the surgeries two days from now." She turned and left with Dr Grey.
Cristina edged closer. "Nathan is very sorry about what happened."
"He asks about you several times a day," Evelyn added.
Megan looked at her mother. "So you talk with him? Do you know about the cheating?"
"Yes." Evelyn was sad. "He's ashamed of what happened. He apologized to me, for cheating on you and then losing you."
"If it helps, it took Owen months to talk to him in a civil manner," Cristina said.
"I can't do it." Megan laid her head back against her pillows. "What about UNOS? Can't I get the liver and be on dialysis?"
"You're at great risk for multiple organ failure," Cristina told her. "You need the kidney now. And it's not coming directly from him."
"I don't want him involved in my life in any way," Megan growled.
Evelyn squeezed her hand. "Megan, I can't lose you again. Think about it."
Megan looked at her moher. She sighed and nodded.
ooOoo
The next morning, Megan was in a foul mood. She refused to speak with anyone trying to talk her into the kidney transplant. She didn't want to owe anything to Nathan.
Her back was to the door when she heard the voices of childen. Slowly, she rolled over.
Owen and Cristina were in the doorway, with two small figures. Their daughters were swaddled head to toe in surgical gowns, masks, and gloves.
"Hi!" The smallest child waved at her. That would be Mallory.
Megan smiled, the brightest since her rescue.
"We've wrapped them up like this because of germs," Owen informed her. "We wanted to show you why you should accept the kidney."
The older girl, Chloe, was staring at her with wide eyes. "Hi sweetie," Megan said. She turned away, shyly, and clung to her father's hand.
Cristina came closer, holding Mallory's hand. She lifted up the toddler so that Megan could see her better. Mallory reached out for her. "HI!"
Laughing and crying, Megan grabbed her gloved hands. "Hi Mallory!"
"That's her favorite word," Cristina smiled.
"Hi!" Megan marvelled at how wriggly and excited the little girl was. Her gloves and mask had been duct-taped to the little gown she was swaddled in. "You look like a surgeon!"
Mallory's brown eyes sparkled and she grinned behind her mask. Her tiny hands gripped Megan's tightly.
Owen murmured something into Chloe's ear before picking her up. Chloe looked at Megan.
"Hi Chloe. I'm very glad to meet you," Megan told her. "I hope that we can become friends."
Chloe's posture relaxed a little. "Hello."
"Hi!" Mallory shouted. One of her gloved hands reached for Megan's face. "Pretty lady."
"Oh thank you!" Megan chuckled. "Wow. I love you and I love your sister and we just met."
"I don't know if you like to play tea party, but Mallory does," Cristina said. "Chloe is all about Lego right now."
"I like Lego and tea parties!"
"Well, you can come over and play Lego and have tea, once you recover from your surgery," Owen told her.
Megan's smile dimmed and she looked away.
Owen looked at Cristina, who nodded. Owen placed Chloe on the floor, and Cristina led the girls out of the room. She closed the door behind them.
"When Nathan appeared in Seattle, I lost my temper just looking at him," Owen confided. "I punched him the first time I saw him speaking with Mom. Got suspended."
"Why is he here?"
"He was visiting April when Cristina needed to hire a cardio surgeon in a hurry. She had no idea that he was the Nathan that had set your loss in motion. I was away at a conference and when I returned, the contract had been signed."
"I see."
"Crisina made me go back to therapy or she was going to lock me out of the house," Owen continued. "Nathan and I ... have found a peaceful middle ground."
"I waited so damn long for you to find me." She began to weep. "I kept thinking that I should have let him take the helicopter."
His large hands grasped her slim hands. "I'm so sorry that I didn't find you."
"I have had such hate in my heart for him. I want him to stay away from me as much as possible." She closed her eyes, tears running down her face.
Owen gripped her hands. "You're not getting his kidney. But he is willing to give up a body part so that you and two others can thrive. He's going ahead with the surgery even if you don't want to."
"Did he even care that I was gone?"
Silence. Megan finally opened her eyes and saw that Owen was crying too.
"I gave up looking for you before he did," her brother confessed.
Shocked, she pulled her hands back and stared at him.
"We searched everywhere. We pored over maps, trying to figure out how far the helicopter could have flown with the fuel it had. We tried to think of where the pilot might have tried to land if there was a mechanical issue, or a strike. And finally, I gave up. Went back on duty, survived an attack that killed everyone in my unit, was discharged honorably."
He looked sorrowful. She was reminded of their father, in those precious few weeks he had between his diagnosis and his death.
Owen continued. "I'm not saying that I know what you went through. I will never know that. But I know trauma. I didn't get help when I should have. I ... hurt Mom and I hurt Cristina..."
He wiped away his tears. "I got help and I thrived. I have an amazing wife and the best daughters I could ask for and now I have a second chance to be your brother. Please take the kidney."
"Do you have your iPad with you?" Megan asked.
He blinked, surprised. "It's in my office."
"I want to see Nathan's video."
ooOoo
Standing in the attendings' lounge, Nathan stretched. The day had been spent going over his cases with residents and other attendings, since he was about to become a patient himself.
Owen entered the room and headed straight for him. His movements were so purposeful that Nathan briefly wondered if he was going to get punched again.
Instead the other man grabbed him in a tight embrace. "She's taking the kidney," Owen said. "Thank you."
ooOoo
Two months later
Owen opened the front door to his mother's house and his girls ran in, eagerly. "We're here!"
"Where's Auntie Megan?" Chloe asked Evelyn.
"Right here." Slowly, Megan entered the living room.
"You're not using your walker!" Owen grinned.
"Nope." She carefully sat down on the couch. Mallory immediately climbed onto her lap and kissed her cheek.
"Well, have fun. I'll be back after work for the girls." Owen hugged his mother before leaving.
Chloe sat down next to Megan and handed her a bag. "We got new books from the library."
"Great! We can start reading them after I have my breakfast." Megan looked up and frowned. Evelyn was looking at her strangely. "What?"
"I almost forgot what day it was," her mother said. "It's the anniversary of your accident."
Megan paused. Her recovery was in the early stages. Now that her body was able to fight infections, she was rebuilding her physical strength. Spending the occasional day with her nieces was the idea of her therapy team, to help her form new connections and rebuild trust.
And Nathan had visited her for the first time last week and that had not been awful.
"I forgot what the date was a long time ago," Megan admitted. "It was better to not think about how much time I was losing." She turned her attention to Mallory, who was tugging on her shirt. "Yes?"
"Play dolls?" The red-haired girl looked hopeful. Owen had brought her childhood toys down from the attic and the girls had plenty of play sessions with them.
"After breakfast. We have the whole day to play together!"
"And read," Chloe reminded her.
Megan laughed and put her arms around both girls. "Of course." Just for this day, she would stay in the present. In a world full of hope.
Author's Note. So I started writing this not long after Owen finally started talking about Megan on the show, and it's been heavily revised many times. I may have an entirely different idea on how to introduce Megan to the Parentverse after the season premiere, but I'm happy with this.
I try to keep the Parentverse timeline aligned with the show timeline, which is why Diego isn't in the story. Not that the show timeline makes sense...
Big thanks to Lovemesomeowen for the bad ass beta reading.
