Life Is Short
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
A/N: I posted this story here before, but I didn't like it and decided to renew it. For those who already read it: It is a bit changed, so I would recommend to read it again.
Chapter 1: Everybody has to grow up
It was morning, morning after prom night, morning. Meredith's alarm went off. She turned it off, and pulled herself out of bed. She walked to the bathroom and locked the door. She looked at herself in the mirror to see a very stressed out ,–hasn't-slept-all-night-, Meredith. She starts brushing her teeth
VO: We all hope, that one day we can tell our parents that we have grown up. That we're adults now…
As she stoped brushing her teeth, images off what Derek and she did last night popped into her head. She saw how she just walked out of Finn and Derek without saying anything.
VO: For some people that day never comes.
Twenty minutes later, she found herself in the hospital again. All the interns were walking after Dr Bailey, accept for Izzie and Alex.
"How was Izzie last night, when I left?" Christina hissed at George.
"She was alright, she just still needs to face the truth" He hissed back.
"Oh, she still seemed pretty devastated yesterday."
"Yeah, she was."
"Where's Alex?"
"With Izzie, at home."
"I hope she is going to be O.K" George said after a few seconds.
"She is, probably, I hope" Christina looked at Meredith finding it odd she hasn't said a word since the locker room. "Are you okay, Mere?"
Meredith kept looking forward. "I'm fine just haven't slept so much" She sighed, thinking about Derek and that she might have to work with him today, or worse, with Addison. She decided to avoid them as long as possible.
"So if the tea-party is over I like to go on with the day." Dr Bailey barked at them, in her usual tone. "Okay, O-Malley you're with Shepard today, Yang you can go visit Dr Burke and Grey you are with me."
Meredith sighed out of relief and everybody went their separate ways.
"What's wrong Grey? You look like you haven't slept in a month." Dr Bailey said as she looked through some charts.
"I'm fine I just need some more coffee."
"Well go find it fast, because we're having a stupid teenage case today."
They walk into a room to see 2 teenagers kissing each others
"What is it?" Meredith said, she didn't find anything unusual.
"Look closer, Grey"
Meredith lowered her sight and she saw that their arms were full with blood, and nails were keeping them together.
Dr Bailey and Meredith walked in further
"Can I ask, how exactly this happened?"
"Okay, we were a little drunk" The boy answered embarrassed.
The girl sighed
"Okay, we were very drunk, and I decided we should be together for ever and she agreed…"
"I did hesitate." The girl added.
"So we thought we should connect, and then I had this idea."
"Well, if you want to connect, propose or something." Dr Bailey said as she looked at the chart.
The girl and boy sighed
"Grey, what's the immediate concern?"
"Infection and damage to tissue and bones." Meredith answered.
"Well, go take a CT scan. If it's all clear I schedule a surgery for this afternoon."
"Okay" She walked to the teenagers, making herself ready for another long day at work.
By the end of the day everybody was glad to go home. Meredith was glad that she managed to avoid Derek and Addison her entire shift. She did bumped into him twice in the hallways, but she just walked away quickly…
It had been two weeks since Meredith's and Derek's little 'get back together' and Meredith wasn't feeling so good…
Meredith's alarm went off and she stepped out of bed. She started feeling the nausea again and she ran to the bathroom. As she emptied her stomach in the toilet, Izzie walked in.
"Are you okay?" She ran towards Meredith to hold her hair."You havebeen sick for 3 days now."
"I'm fine it's just the flu." Meredith said as soon as the nausea was less.
"Well, I still think you should stay at home!" Izzie said as she wetted a cloth.
"No I'm fine! I'm going to work." She started throwing up again
"Seriously, Mere you smell and you should really stay at home because you're not fine"
"Okay, but only for one day" She started to stand up from the bathroom floor.
"Then I'll call bailey" Izzie said as she helped Meredith stand up.
Meredith wasn't that concerned about her being sick she was more concerned it wasn't a flu. When Izzie went to the hospital for a meeting with the chief, Meredith sneaked out the house to go to the store. She went to the pharmacy and got lavender conditioner because she didn't want to look to suspicious because the real reason she came there was to get a pregnancy test…
It was dark outside and Meredith was at home, lying in her bed as she looked at the ceiling. Next to her there were lying two pregnancy tests. Why must this happen to me? She thought. She knew how she got pregnant and from who but why, why must this happen to her?
She got up and wrapped the pregnancy tests in a piece of toilet paper and threw it away.
After a couple of days and some serious hesitation, Meredith decided she would have an abortion. Still every time she thought about it, it made her feel guilty, she would be having an abortion without telling anyone, not even the father of the baby and somehow she also felt sorry for her baby even when it was unborn.
After all she still decided to go ahead with the abortion. It was on her free day and she told Izzie she had to go do some paper work at the hospital; it was a lame excuse but Izzie fell for it and she got out of the house safely.
She stepped into her car and she started thinking again. Am I really doing the good thing? It kept going through her head and she let her head fall on her hands that were holding the wheel. Tears kept running over her cheeks. She looked at the house and saw Izzie peeking outside. Damn. She thought. She realised she had to go fast if she didn't wanted to seem suspicious. So she drove of…
Ten minutes later she was parked in front of the hospital. Still she wasn't sure about what she should do. Tears still streaming down her cheeks and it seemed like she hadn't slept for weeks. She put a hand on her belly and realised she couldn't do it, she just couldn't. It was cruel, she just couldn't but she couldn't tell Derek either or anyone else. It would show of sooner or later and people would notice and Derek would notice. No, she couldn't stay, so she decided she would stay as long as she couldn't hide it anymore and then she would go away, start a life somewhere else.
After one month, Meredith was exactly one and a half month pregnant and she could still go to work because it didn't show anything. She was still sad about thinking she had to leave soon but she tried to keep it out of her mind until she couldn't anymore…
It wasn't her best day today, she had to work with Derek and had to watch herself not to reveal her secret. She knew she sometimes put a protective hand on her belly, but he couldn't find out, never.
"Good morning Meredith." Derek said, he was looking through a chart.
"It's Dr Grey and good morning to you too Dr Shepard"
"Okay." He sighed. "Dr Grey we need to talk"
"Not now" She answered shortly she turned around and started walking to their patient's room.
"You have been saying that for weeks now" he sighed again. "Please Meredith just a second" his voice was starting to rise.
Meredith was quiet and she just kept walking until Derek pulled her into the stairwells.
"I really need to talk to you" He was almost yelling now.
Meredith put a hand on her belly, it was just a reflex because he was yelling. But as soon as she realised it she pulled her hand away.
"Okay." Meredith sat down and he sat down besides her.
"After that night I just couldn't stop thinking about leaving Addison I just, just couldn't stand it anymore" He sighed. "I signed the divorce papers today I left them in the trailer and went to work, now Addison ignores me, but she did sign the papers. Look" He pulled something out of his bag and gave it to her
Meredith looked at the object that Derek handed to her, it were the papers. Her mind was going crazy and she couldn't think straight anymore.
"I wanted to show them to you, I want to be with you again, Meredith. I love you."
With those words she put her hand to her belly again and pulled it off fast.
"I, I have to go" She was starting to panic, she handed him the papers back and hurried out of the stairwells, out of the hospital into her car and she drove off. When she got home nobody was there and she ran upstairs took a suitcase out of the closet and started putting clothes in it, money, and her conditioner. She left a note for Izzie and George and ran of.
Izzie, George
I can't take it anymore
I have to go
Don't bother looking for me
Take care
Love,
Meredith
Meredith was standing in front of the hospital. She left her suitcase in the car and was looking at the entrance. She was standing their a few minutes and felt that all the eyes were on her, so she decided to go in…
She walked straight to the chief's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in" Dr Webber answered.
Meredith walked in. "Hi Chief"
"Meredith, Shepard was already looking for you"
"Yeah, I, uhm, need to talk with you about something"
"What is it?" He leaned back to the chair…
An hour later Meredith was standing in the airport, she didn't plan this so fast. After a long conversation the chief finally agreed with her and signed a transfer. She could only start at the hospital in Boston in 2 weeks but she was still going right away, she would have some time to think. A few days ago she also found an apartment, she was lucky that she found one that fast or she wouldn't have a house for a while. She didn't have furniture though but she would take care of that when she got there…
Meanwhile Izzie was coming home…
"Meredith! Are you here?" She yelled. She walked upstairs and opened Meredith's door a little after she knocked. "Meredith?" She called hesitantly. She turned the light on and saw all the mess and walked slowly inside. She looked around and saw the note on Meredith's bed and read it. "Oh, my god Meredith." She sat down on the bed while a tear ran down her cheek.
Meredith finally managed to get a plane that went to Boston. She was sitting and she kept thinking about if she did the right thing. That thought didn't escape her mind a single time. But she couldn't turn back anymore now!
Her hands were on her belly the whole flight. She hoped everything would turn out well and she and her child could live a happy live in Boston. But when she arrived in Boston she could only think about a good night sleep she walked to the nearest hotel, it was late so she couldn't go to her house, she would get the keys tomorrow.
In the hotel room she let her self fall in to bed, she didn't unpack anything or even eat anything. She just lay on the bed and silently fell a sleep…
Izzie ran out off the house, in her car and to the hospital. The whole ride to the hospital seemed to be an eternity and she couldn't stop thinking about Meredith's note. When she finally arrived in the hospital she ran inside. She yelled for Dr Bailey to the receptionist, but she didn't know where Dr Bailey was. She yelled to a nurse, she said she was coming out of surgery and pointed to the surgery board. Izzie ran to the OR scrub room. She saw Dr Bailey washing her hands.
"Dr Bailey, I need to talk to you" She said gasping.
"Oh, Izzie are you back?" Dr Bailey asked surprised.
"No, but I really need to talk to you!"
"Sorry, I'm kind of in the middle of something Stevens."
"It's Meredith Dr Bailey, she took off"
Dr Bailey looked at Izzie as she said that. For a moment she looked actually concerned. She got up and dried her hands. "Where did she go?"
"I don't know but she left a note, she said not to bother to come looking for her. But I'm going, don't know where, but I am."
Dr Bailey walked out off the scrub room. "No you're not, give her some room. If she doesn't return in a couple of days then you can."
They walked to the nurses' station.
"Where are you going?" She said while a tear began to form itself in her eye. "We DO need to find her"
"I'll have to go check up some patients now" She said as she began to walk faster.
Izzie stopped walking, she turned around and ran out of the hospital she got back in her car and started talking to herself "I need to find her" she said as she was dialling the number of the vet office of Dr Finn Dandridge. Since his relationship with Mere wasn't that serious or long she didn't have his cell phone number.
"Hello Finn, this is Izzie"
"Hello, everything alright?"
"I wanted to talk with you about Meredith, she ran of." She sighed. "Do you have any idea she went?"
"No, not really, since Meredith and I broke up a week ago" He sounded a little surprised
"Oh, I 'm sorry."
"Didn't she tell you?"
"No, not really, no" It was silent for just a second. "bye then"
"Goodbye"
Izzie sighed as she thought about Meredith. "I really need to find her" She said to herself. She picked up her cell and dialled Meredith's number. She already called her when Izzie was still at home but she didn't answer. But she knew one thing she needed to find her. Of course Meredith didn't pick up her cell, again. She went back to the hospital to inform her friends.
When she got there. They had already been informed by Bailey and just like Izzie they were very worried about Meredith.
"Where could she have gone?" George asked to the other interns.
"Why did she even go" Christina asked a little sarcastic.
"I don't know, I don't know" Izzie said she was freaking out
All the interns except for Meredith, of course, were sitting out side the hospital watching the parking lot.
"She probably screwing Dr McSteamy in New York" Alex said with a smirk.
They all looked at Alex
"How could you say that" Izzie said disgusted from what Alex just said."
"Yeah Alex, seriously?" Christina added.
"She would never do that, right?" George sounded a little insecure now. "She wouldn't just…leave us like this, while doing, well…that, right?"
As they wondered about all the questions two weeks past by they tried to call Meredith a lot but she didn't answer. They worried every day. But nothing happened…
It was morning, all the interns were standing ready for rounds. Izzie wasn't rounding with them, she was going to start again in a week but she wanted to get used to it a little, so she just watched. They waited for Dr Bailey to show. Suddenly Christina's phone rang.
"Hello"
"Is this… Christina yang?"
"Yes."
"I'm calling about Meredith…"
The interns listened to Christina's conversation. She seemed worried. Just when Christina shut her phone Bailey walked in.
"Okay, ready for rounds people?"
"No" Christina spoke up.
"And why would that be Dr Yang?"
"It's Meredith, something happened to Meredith…"
VO: Sometimes, people can't grow up on their own, they need help. But when you realize that yourself. It may be too late.
To be continued...
Well... what do you think... I changed the story a bit… Review!