So here is the sequel to my other Grey's Anatomy fanfiction! I've decided to go ahead and write it because so many people seemed to enjoy the other story. And that made me very happy. So please read and review this! I don't know how many chapters it will be, but let me know what you think :) And read Coming Together first, so you understand what's going on. Thank you!
Pushing Through
Almost a month through treatments, Lexie Grey felt her body being drained of all her energy. She could barely get out of bed without feeling like she was on a moving boat in an ocean that had constantly been at high tide. And to make things even harder, her brain was due to be operated on in just another week. Thinking of someone cutting into her own head made her feel ill; she was supposed to be the surgeon, the one behind the scalpel. She was not supposed to be the patient.
The only up-side to having found out about her brain tumor was gaining a relationship with her half sister. Meredith spent as much time as she could, sitting and visiting with Lexie. It wasn't too hard for her to drop by, seeing as she worked at the hospital and had been there everyday anyway. The two of them spent countless hours talking and learning more about one another.
Lexie's morning of radiation therapy was rough, but she only had to push through it for a few more days. Scans had shown that the size of her tumor had gone down quite a bit, meaning surgery to remove it would be much more successful. And that made her not loathe the treatment as much, because she knew it was working and soon she would be tumor free. By next month she might even be back to work. At least that's what she was hoping for; she couldn't stand to just lie in a hospital bed all day, it started to make her feel stir crazy.
Early afternoon, Lexie decided to try and take a walk down the hall. She needed to get out of that bed before she lost her mind. Carefully while holding onto the pole of her IV, the dark haired woman planted her feet on the ground and stood up. A tiny wave of nausea hit her, but she pushed past it and continued to complete what she'd set out to do. She slowly walked over to the door, opened it before making her way out through the hallway.
"What are you doing out of bed, Lex?" Meredith Grey's voice questioned as she quickly walked over to her. She was in the middle of her afternoon rounds, but seeing her sister not in her room had her very concerned. "You need to go back to your room, right now! You just had your radiation therapy, and I know how sick you feel after that. Walking around is only going to make you feel worse!" Meredith spoke sternly, grabbing her sister's hand, trying to lead her back to the room.
Lexie shook her head, pulling her sister to a stop and looked her right in the eye, "If I spend another minute in that damn room I'm going to lose my freaking mind! I'm feeling fine so let me walk. Walking is good, Mer; you should be encouraging that." Her tone on the brink of losing it; she really could not bare to stay in that room any longer. She missed getting to do her job. Taking care of patients and learning how to become a better surgeon was her passion, but now she was stuck being the patient. And that bothered her terribly.
Seeing how agitated her sister seemed to be getting, Meredith sighed and let go. She knew she was right; it was much better for patients to get out of bed everyday and walk, to prevent blood clots and anything else that could happen. "I know, Lexie. I know I should encourage you to keep walking, but you're my sister and I just can't bare to see you so ill! Though if you're not feeling too bad right now then definitely continue your walk. Just make sure not to overdo it! I'm done with my afternoon rounds in another hour so I'm gonna come check on you then. Be careful please, I love you," The dark blonde doctor spoke, pressing a motherly kiss to her sister's forehead. She gave her a quick hug and then reluctantly went to finish completing her rounds.
Once her sister left, Lexie continued to walk down the hallway. She didn't really know where she was walking to, but as long as she was out of that hospital room she could careless where she ended up. While on her walk she watched as the doctors (many whom she knew) and nurses were busy wheeling patients to the ORs or down for x-rays. It made her frown, because that's what she was supposed to be doing. It was her job to take care of other people, to fix whatever problems they may have. Why did things have to go south and result in her being one of those people who needed to have something fixed?
Doctor Mark Sloan held a steaming cup of coffee in his hand as he walked down the hallway. He was headed to find Derek, but when he saw Lexie walking in the other direction he turned to catch up with her. "Lexie, it's good to see you out of bed. How are you feeling? Ready for that nasty tumor to come out yet?" When he finally reached her, he smiled at her and pulled her in for a friendly hug. Ever since he found her lying on the floor, many weeks ago, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He knew he shouldn't be thinking such thoughts of her, especially when she had been suffering with cancer but he couldn't help himself. Lexie Grey was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. How could anyone come across someone like her and not have intimate thoughts?
Peering up at the other doctor, the rather handsome doctor, Lexie felt a smile spreading across her face. "I'm more than ready to have this abomination removed from my brain. I want to get back to my life, and continue working on becoming a surgeon. It really sucks being the patient!" She spoke while looking up at Mark's smoky blue eyes. Those eyes made her feel tingly inside, and had her smile grow in size. Sure her sister might have been married to Doctor McDreamy, but Mark Sloan wasn't far behind him. In fact, in Lexie's eyes, Mark Sloan was McDreamy because every time she looked at him, she felt butterflies fly around in her stomach. And it didn't help that he had been the one to find her, when her headache was so bad that she fell on the ground. No, that just made her like him even more.
"Pretty soon, you'll be back to doing what you love. Shepherd's the best neurosurgeon; he will get the entire tumor out and have you back to normal quicker than you think!" The dark blonde man stated, looking across at Lexie with a friendly and warm smile. He couldn't help but take in the natural beauty of her. Even with how sick she'd been, and the devastating effects of the treatment, he still found her to be one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. And if it hadn't been for her having a brain tumor, he would most definitely ask her on a date. But he couldn't do that, not when she was suffering through so much pain. He didn't want to add any more emotions or stress for her to deal with.
Smiling back, Lexie nodded. She longed for the day where she would no longer suffer those chronic headaches, and the awful radiation she had to be put through each morning. "You know, it's actually because of you that I've found the reason as to why I have had these terrible headaches for so long...If you hadn't helped me and took me to Doctor Shepherd, I might be dead right now. So thank you, Mark Sloan. You've kind of saved my life..." She slowly walked closer to where he stood and pulled him in for a friendly embrace. A way to show her appreciation for what he'd done. And to satisfy her need to have physical contact with him.
Surprised to have Lexie's delicate arms around him, Mark pulled her closer and relished in the moment they were sharing. "Well I'm glad I was able to find you and help you figure out why you were having headaches all the time. And I hope the two of us can be friends even after you're well. You're a very kind person, Lexie. You're also funny; I like people who are funny," He smiled down at her, not ready to let go of her yet. Her face glowed as she let out a laugh, a laugh that made Mark's heart skip a few beats. Her brown eyes, almost that of a Mocha, sparkled with a smile. And that only made him want to see her smile more; he wanted to see her happy, she looked even more beautiful when she was happy. Not paying attention to his actions, the plastic surgery attending inched his face closer to Lexie Grey's, so close that their lips brushed together. And again, they brushed together but longer and much more deeply.
When the two finally pulled apart, Lexie stood staring up at the man in astonishment. Sure she'd been kissed before, but never like what she just experienced. "Wow," she whispered, breathlessly, "That...That was one hell of a kiss!" Cupping Mark's face in her hands, she pressed another kiss to his lips and smiled. "You're an excellent kisser, Doctor Sloan...You made me forgot about my tumor! I haven't been able to forgot about that since the diagnoses, but when you kissed me all I could think of was how I've never felt anything like that!" Lexie felt much better about her decision to walk around the hall, and run into Mark. He made her heart flutter with joy, and even more when he kissed her.
"You're not bad yourself, little Grey," Mark grinned, pulling her into his arms and kissing her forehead. "I should probably take you back to your room so you can rest. Maybe we can finish this tonight; I'm off the clock around 7:30...I'll come see you after, if that's okay with you." Before she could protest, he lifted her into his arms and carried her back to the hospital room that she had spent the last month in. Gently, he laid her in the bed and reached down to kiss her cheek while stroking her hair. "Get some rest, Lexie. I've gotta get back to work before the chief finds me and kills me! See you this evening."
Derek Shepherd was busy looking over recent scans that he took of Lexie's brain when he saw his best friend come running towards him. Looking up from his computer screen, he turned to Mark. "What are you so happy about, Sloan?" He questioned, seeing the ridiculously huge smile on his face. He grabbed his half-full coffee mug and took a sip while waiting to hear the other's response. It wasn't often he had seen his friend that happy.
Mark's smile only grew as he approached where Doctor Shepherd was standing, "I ran into Lexie on my way down here... We kind of kissed each other, and it was amazing! Well I mean we didn't start off by kissing each other, we were talking and I just - I couldn't help myself. She's so beautiful and her eyes, they're so warm and welcoming. I tried to talk myself out of kissing her, because she's sick and shouldn't be worrying about things like that...but I couldn't help myself! And she seemed to enjoy it herself, so no harm done. Right?" He anxiously glanced at the other, wondering how he would feel about the situation.
Nearly choking on his coffee, Derek turned away from the computer to stare at his best friend. "You kissed Lexie?!" He wasn't really shocked, but he was a bit surprised to hear that. He didn't think that would be the best thing for Mark to do right now, when Lexie Grey was suffering with a serious illness...and also his patient. "You know Mer is gonna kill you when she finds out...She'll say you took advantage of her ill sister! Plus Lexie still has a long road ahead of her...and you probably made that a bit longer by kissing her. Because she's gonna expect you to be there with her now; she's not like other women you've slept with or kissed, she's Lexie Grey. She's not a one night stand, Mark; she's a relationship type of woman. So if you're going to kiss her, you better plan on sticking with her. I'll never hear the end of it if you don't!"
"We kissed each other, Derek. I kissed her, she kissed me and we both really enjoyed it. And I do plan on staying with her, being there for her as she deals with this disease. Lexie is different, I know that, she's got a heart of gold and I would never be able to break it. Besides, I've seen the wrath of Meredith Grey and prefer to never witness that again!" Mark spoke, meaning every word that came out. Lexie Grey was indeed different than the other women he'd dated, and that made him want her even more.
At five o'clock that evening, Meredith finally finished the last of her rounds and decided to go get herself a coffee and one to bring to her sister. As much as she loved her job, sometimes she just needed a break. Seeing how sick these patients could be really tore at her emotions and made her heart burst with pain. Even more so now because her own sister was dealing with a very serious illness. An illness that may be fatal or may not, it all depended on if the radiation therapy had done it's job and shrunk the tumor. If it did, then her sister would live tumor free and get her life back...but if the therapy failed, she'd be lucky to have her sister for even one more year. And that thought hurt deep, because she spent most of her life hating Lexie. She didn't even give her a chance when they first met several months ago...those several months that she could have spent getting to know her sister. She could have formed a relationship with Lexie sooner, and maybe she could have helped her get diagnosed earlier.
Carrying two steaming cups of coffee, Meredith opened the door to her younger sister's room. She smiled softly when she saw Lexie sitting up in the chair, which was right beside the bed, and watching the TV. "You must be feeling better, Lex. And I'm glad," the dark blonde woman spoke, kissing the top of her head as she hand her one of the coffees, "I brought you a coffee. Figured you'd probably enjoy it. What have you been up to all day?"
Smiling happily, Lexie took the coffee and a big gulp out of it. "Heavenly," she said, enjoying the bold and creamy taste. "That was very sweet of you, Meredith. Thank you, I really needed a cup!" And she sure did need that cup; she hardly ever had coffee these past few weeks. She had a hard time drinking water, yet alone a cup of strong coffee. But now, she felt great and was easily able to drink a delicious cup of her favorite coffee. "Well I walked around the hallway for a little...and ran into Mark Sloan. He's such a kind man, and a really good friend. You know, he's the one who helped me the day I was diagnosed...I had a terrible headache that day and fell as I was walking to get a pain killer...I couldn't get up, my legs felt like noodles, and there he was...standing over me and helping me to stand. If it weren't for him, I might not even be here."
Hearing that only made the other feel guilty. She couldn't believe that she wasted so much time ignoring her own sister; her sister, who happened to be one of the sweetest and most caring people alive. Meredith sighed, placing a hand on Lexie's head and stroking it warmly, "I'm glad he was there to help you, Lex. I really am, and it makes me feel so bad that I wasn't. I chose to hate you for no reason. I should have been there for you and maybe, maybe you would have found out about the tumor sooner! I should have been a better sister to you, Lexie! I'm so sorry!" She cried out, setting her coffee aside and wrapping her arms tightly around the younger woman.
"Stop it, Meredith!" Lexie ordered softly, wrapping her own arms around her older sister. "You don't need to be sorry, and you don't need to feel bad about anything. Just because you hated me doesn't mean that that's the reason my tumor is here...and if you even think that, you need to have your own brain checked." She sighed sadly, and felt pain in her heart when she heard a quiet sob come out of the other. Hugging her sister closer, Lexie stroked her wavy hair gently. "Please don't cry, Mer...Please don't; you'll make me cry too," she whispered, kissing her head motherly.
Peering at the brunette, Meredith's face was covered in tears and her eyes were red and puffy. She squeezed her tight while stroking her back in gentle circles. "I do need to be sorry, Lexie! I've wasted so much time hating you when I had no reason to...I could have been getting to know you; we could have been working on our relationship...and now you could die! You might fucking die, Lexie, and I've only spent a month with you...not even! How can I not be sorry? How can I not feel bad for not being here for you? You've felt alone for so long, and all I did was make you feel worse! And you're not even mad about what I've done...You're nothing like me, Lexie; you're a forgiving, sweet, and loving person. I'm a cold, grudge-holding, and angry person. But yet you still want to be my sister, you wanted so bad for me to accept that and all I wanted was for you to go away. Even after all I've put you through, you're still here with your welcoming heart. And I just - I want to be your older sister, I want to protect and take care of you...but I can't - It hurts knowing that I might lose you. I can't lose you, Lex, you're the only family I have left. I know I've got Derek, but you're my sister." Tears poured out of her eyes as she held the other close in her arms, rubbing her back soothingly.
The pain in her sister's voice brought tears to Lexie's eyes as well. She pulled her close, cupping Meredith's head in her hands, and looked into her blue eyes - that held strong pain in them - with empathy. She felt terribly awful for the older woman, she didn't want her to think so negatively. "You're not a cold or angry person, Meredith...Please don't think that. You're just more assertive than I am, and that's not a bad thing." Brushing a hand softly through the other's hair, Lexie frowned. "You are my sister, and no matter what you do I will always love you. You could kill me in my sleep and I would still love you. But, uh, please don't do that." She stroked her forehead comfortingly, holding her tight. It broke her heart to hear how upset her sister was about the possibility of her death. "I'm not going to die, Mer; I promise. I won't leave you, I know how much pain that would cause you and I don't want to cause you pain. And if it helps, if after my brain surgery I don't wake up, you can keep me plugged in for as long as you want. I don't think that's going to happen but if it does, you make whatever decision you need to. Whatever will cause you the least amount of pain. I love you so much, Mer, and I hate that I'm making you hurt so much. I wish I didn't have this damn tumor...it's hurting you as much as it's hurting me!" She spoke gently, trying to soothe her sister. She carefully placed Meredith's head near where her heart would be, hoping its beat would help to calm her down. "We'll be okay, Mer, I promise."
Mark Sloan walked into Lexie's hospital room at just ten after eight in the evening. He smiled when he saw that she was sleeping peacefully in the bed. Quietly he took a seat in the chair that was right next to her bed, and leaned down to kiss the top of her head softly. "Sloan," a voice from near the window spoke, nearly scaring him to death. He turned to where the voice came from and was a bit shocked to see Meredith sitting there, giving him an intense stare. "Oh, Meredith, hi. I didn't even notice you were over there. How are you?" He asked, his voice a tiny bit nervous as he didn't know if she'd seen the kiss he gave to her sister.
"Good, great," Meredith's tone not too friendly towards him as she give him the death stare. "You kissed my sister...just now. Is there a reason for that, Mark?" She knew she shouldn't be so hard on him, after what Lexie told her about how he was there when she was diagnosed. But still...Lexie was her sister, her little sister. And she had the right to give the death stare to any man who looked at her sister in such a lustful way.
Gulping, Mark could only imagine the reaction she would have to their lip-smacking kiss in the hallway. He would be dead for sure when she finds out about that. "Well, uhm, I - she's my friend. I just - It was just a friendly gesture." He was lying, not about Lexie being his friend, but about the friendly gesture of kissing her forehead. That wasn't a friendly gesture, he knew, it was a sign of affection. He liked Lexie a lot, and cared for her a great deal. But telling her older sister that would like signing his own death warrant.
The blonde woman shook her head disapprovingly, knowing a lie when she heard one. "Lexie is my sister, Mark. If there is something going on between the two of you, I have the right to know about it. Now you can either tell me the truth, or you can leave and come back another day. The choice is yours." She said, not moving her eyes from his. She watched as he seemed to battle inside on what to say, waiting for an answer. Curiosity peaked as she longed to know what was going on between the two.
Mark knew that there was no way for him to get out of this without telling her what was happening. And he hoped Lexie wouldn't be mad that he was telling her sister. "Well...I ran into your sister earlier during her walk. We were talking and I kissed her, then she kissed me. And I want to be here for her, to help her through this illness that she's dealing with. I care about Lexie, I care about her a lot. She's something special; she really is and I can't stay away from her..." He braced himself for what Meredith would say or do. He wondered if she would be mad that he felt that way about her sister, or if she would be okay with it. Mark hoped it was the second choice.
"Lexie isn't a woman that you should toy around with, Sloan." Icy was the tone in Meredith's voice as she glared over at him, "Lexie is my younger sister, who has a heart the size of Jupiter and I swear to God if you break it, I'm gonna break you. I know how you are, Mark; we all do! You sleep around with women all the time, and don't even give a second thought. But you better not even think about doing that with my sister! If you want to kiss her and be intimate with her, then you have to stay with her. You can't just forget about Lexie, she's not the same. She's a lover, she won't fight you. She'll let you do whatever you want, because that's how fucking loyal she is! And if you ever take advantage of her loyalty, you will find yourself floating at the bottom of a river! Do you understand me, Sloan?!" When she received a nod in response to her question, she sighed. "Good. You better take wonderful care of my Lexie, Mark. I mean it. She's the sweetest and loving person you'll ever meet, so don't break her. Or, believe me, you'll be very sorry."