Where did everybody go? Chapter 1: Starts with Goodbye, a grey's anatomy fanfic

Meredith's POV

I was sitting on my doorstep,
I hung up the phone and it fell out of my hand,
But I knew I had to do it,
And he wouldn't understand,
So hard to see myself without him,
I felt a piece of my heart break,
But when you're standing at a crossroad,
There's a choice you gotta make.

We were standing at the hall of the Seattle Tacoma Airport.
All the people were running past us in a hurry, but I couldn't move, didn't want to move.
I had a lot of suitcases in my hands. I was so excited, but I was already very stressed out.
Our flight would leave in one hour –I had one hour to say goodbye. Then I'd never look back.
My life in Seattle would be the past. I need to put it behind me. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to make this step; to leave my hometown, my house, my friends, my hospital, to leave everything but my family.
If I was honest with myself, I am scared. Would I make it? Was this really the right decision?
There was no one who could give me an answer. I sighed audibly.

I guess it's gonna have to hurt,
I guess I'm gonna have to cry,
And let go of some things I've loved,
To get to the other side,
I guess it's gonna break me down,
Like falling when you try to fly,
It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life,
Starts with goodbye.

"Mommy, mommy!" a little girl came running, followed by her aunt, who was slightly out of breath.

"Aunt Tina bought me a pink candy bar." she said excitedly to me, and showed me her special candy bar.

I know there's a blue horizon,
Somewhere up ahead, just waiting for me,
Getting there means leaving things behind,
Sometimes life's so bitter sweet.

"Oh she did?" I raised an eyebrow. "Did you say thank you to her?"

"Yep!" Ellis smiled.

"Good girl!" I said to Ellis and placed a kiss on her cheek. She was such a great girl. And she totally looked like her father.

"When is Uncle Alex coming?" Bailey wanted to know. Over the years, Alex had become the closest thing to a father –the kids adored him.

"He's coming in a few, Bailey. Don't be so impatient," Cristina said.

"I don't want to move, Mum. Why can't we just stay here?" he asked sadly. He didn't want to leave his friends, his aunts and uncles and his father-substitute behind.

"You don't want to leave either!" he shouted. "I want to stay here!"

"Okay! Stop it, now!" I said a little bit louder. "We have discussed this very often and you both know that we need to move, we have no other choice. So, I don't want to hear another word about this from you!" I said with my strict voice.

"Whatever," Zola turned around.

"Oh, boy, she talks like me," Cristina said proudly.

"Seriously, Cristina? Seriously? Everyone is freaking out and you…" I shook my head.

"You know that you could have this every day, if you would come with me to Zurich!" Cristina told me smirking.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed. "That's what I need." Why was everything so f*** complicated?

"So, are we cancelling the flight and you are going to move to Zurich?" Cristina asked hopefully.

"We are not moving to Zurich." Amelia said affirmative. "We have to do this."

No one said a word. This was the first time that day, that Amelia had said anything.
Amelia was depressive and at home the whole day. Everything we did didn't help to make her less depressed. For a while, she hadn't said a word. Now she was saying one or maybe two sentences a day at least.

"Everything is okay, Amy. We're going, I promise," I said with a shaking voice.
Everything was a mess.

My whole life was falling apart and I wasn't able to do anything against it. I did what I could, but it wasn't enough. Everything was too much for me. I just hoped that it would get better in our new life.

"Hi guys!"

That couldn't be true.

Slowly, I looked around and saw not only Alex.
Maggie and Callie were also there. I didn't know that they were coming as I have already said goodbye to them because they had to work today.

"Surprise!" they laughed.

"Are you coming with us?" Ellis asked Maggie.

"Sorry, Sweetheart, but I need to stay here!" Maggie said and placed a hand at her very pregnant belly. She had married two years ago and now she was pregnant with twins.

"Oh, okay," she nodded.

"You didn't have to come, Maggie. You should be resting." I said to her.

"No. It's okay. I wanted to say goodbye to my sister and my little nieces and my nephew."

I smiled for a brief moment. Over the years, Maggie and I had become Close –it'd be hard, to lose her.

"You have to come for a visit when the twins are born."

"Sure." I would never miss out on seeing my little nephews or nieces or niece and nephew for the first time.

Jason and Maggie didn't want to know what they were having, so we had to wait. I was so happy for my little sister –she has everything she had ever wanted. But I was also a little bit jealous because she had a husband and she was pregnant and I had kids but I had no husband –to be honest, I was alone.

Zola walked over to Callie, "Where is Sofia?"

"She is coming with Arizona. They should be here soon." Callie answered.

"Really?" Zola smiled happily.

That'd be the hardest thing for Zola, saying goodbye to her best friend.
Bailey and Ellis and also Olivia have already said goodbye to their best friends. Only Zola hasn't. I'm sure that she will start crying as she knew Sofia more or less from the day when Sofia was born.

I was sure that Zola hated me for leaving Seattle. But what could I do? I couldn't leave Zola here, but I also couldn't let Amelia down. She needed me.

Everyone needed me.
I felt as I had no other choice than helping Amelia and moving. When I needed her, she was there for me and now as she needs me I have to be there for her.
She was like a sister to me and she was counting on me.

"What's wrong, Bailey? I thought I'm your favorite uncle and I don't get a hug?" asked Alex, pretending to be hurt.

"I don't want to hug you because I don't want to leave you." my only son said to his father-substitute. "I can stay with you!" Bailey suddenly exclaimed.

"I'm sorry buddy, but you can't. Your mum needs you. She needs her only man in her life." Alex tried to persuade Bailey.

"No, she—" it was enough for me.

"What have I told you a few minutes ago?" I just wanted to leave Seattle, right now.
Bailey got quiet and hugged Alex.

About half an hour before our plane leaves, Arizona and Sophia came. They were stuck in a huge traffic jam which was why they were so late.

"Fia!" Zola hugged her friend for more than two minutes.
Our flight was called up. "Zola say goodbye to Sofia. We really need to go now." I told my eldest daughter.

Tears ran down her cheeks. "I'll call you, promise," she said quietly.
"Sofia could visit us during her school holidays." I promised the two girls.

"Yeah?" Sofia asked, also crying.
"Of course." Callie said.

"We have to go," I said, trying not to think about everything which had happened before.
I brought our package to the check-in point and the kids followed me.
Also, our friends came with us. Before we went into the passenger part I hugged everyone for one last time.

"Thanks for everything," I said to Alex.
"You don't have to thank me. You are my best friend –person. That was a given." he said. After a few seconds he continued "Jo and I will visit you in a few weeks, hopefully."

I smiled. It'd be good to have them with me.
"But we won't be able to stay longer than five days. We will have to get back to work then." Alex said.

"I know. I'll miss you. All of you," I said sadly.
"We will visit you as often as possible." Callie promised me, "And we'll take care of Maggie."

I laughed. "Great."
We said one last goodbye before we went into the passenger area.

No one said a word –even Livi was quiet.
Zola carried Livi, while I shoved Amelia around. We had to pay extra for her to be able to fly with us.

Time, time heals,
The wounds that you feel,
Somehow, right now.

"I'm tired," Amelia grumbled.
"You will be able to sleep at the plane." I answered Amelia. Today had been one of her talking days. Today, she had already spoken more than in the last three days together.

"Fine," she looked for a brief moment at Livi and then she closed her eyes.

A few minutes later our flight was called.
A bus came and brought us to the plane.

I sighed. I'd never come back.
I was leaving my home.
I needed to do this. After everything that has happened in Seattle this was my big chance to forget about everything, to leave everything behind and start fresh.
This is what we all needed.
This is what we have to do.

If I had known at this time what would happen in my new life, maybe I wouldn't have made this step. Maybe I would have stayed in Seattle.
But I had no idea.
The plane took off. I looked one last time through the window at Seattle and said goodbye to the city which was for such a long time my home –I started to leave my past behind.

I guess it's gonna have to hurt,
I guess I'm gonna have to cry,
And let go of some things I've loved,
To get to the other side,
I guess it's gonna break me down,
Like falling when you try to fly,
It's sad, but sometimes moving on with the rest of your life,
Starts with goodbye,
I guess I'm gonna have to cry,
And let go of some things I've loved,
To get to the other side,
Starts with goodbye,
The only way you try to find,
Moving on with the rest of your life,
Starts with goodbye,
Na na na na na na na.

-
Starts with goodbye – Carrie Underwood, co-written with Curly97