Summary: Lexie never imagined her life would end up this way. Following the sudden death of Meredith and Derek in a plane crash, Lexie must find a way to cope with the new responsibility of raising her niece, all the while trying to move on with her life. AU in which Mark and Lexie live.
…..
The images filled her head.
The sounds of Arizona's screams, the memories of Meredith's breaths slowing as she died beneath the wreckage of the plane. Christina sobbing over Meredith's cold, bloodied body. Derek's body hanging limp over the front of the plane. Every time she closed her eyes, there they were.
And today was no different.
Lexie woke up screaming Meredith's name, tears streaming down her cheeks as her fingernails dug into the sheets. Alex shot up next to her, pulling her into his arms as she tried to control her breath. It wasn't the first time he'd stayed with her since the plane crash.
"Lexie, you're fine. You're at home." Lexie pulled away, rushing out of the room and into the nursery. Zola was sleeping in her crib, safe and happy as she dreamed. Lexie lifted Zola up, careful not to disturb her as she moved to sit in the rocking chair. Zola grabbed onto her shirt unconsciously, though the gesture soothed Lexie.
After everything Lexie had been through with Mark's children, it was almost as though the world was playing a cruel joke by making her Zola's legal guardian. Though, in all honesty, Lexie loved being with Zola more than anything.
Lexie rocked Zola gently, humming to her as she slept peacefully. It could've been minutes or hours later that the little girl began to wake up.
"Good morning, sweetie." Lexie kissed Zola's cheek, getting up to change her diaper. "You're the cutest baby in the entire world, yes you are," Lexie cooed, distracting the toddler so she could change her clothes. Lexie handed her off to Alex while she got ready for work, and by the time she got to the kitchen Zola was happily eating her eggs and fruit. Lexie ate a piece of toast as she went around the kitchen cleaning up after Alex's mess.
Alex and Lexie had gotten into somewhat of a routine, taking care of each other and making sure that Zola was always happy and taken care of.
Within fifteen minutes the three of them were in the car, heading to the hospital. Lexie never knew she could miss surgery as much as she did at that moment. She wanted nothing more than to hold a scalpel and cut into something.
"Take it easy, will you? I really don't want to have to put you back together after you screw up a surgery." Lexie rolled her eyes at Alex's harsh words, knowing it was just his stupid way of showing he cared.
"I'll try not to kill someone, don't worry." Lexie patted him on the shoulder as he parked, wasting no time getting out of the car and taking Zola to daycare. The little girl patted her cheek lovingly as they walked, and Lexie couldn't help but smile and hold Zola just a little bit tighter.
Lexie was just leaving daycare when she saw him. Mark. The man she'd been actively avoiding since the plane crash. She hadn't even spoken to him at Derek and Meredith's funeral, despite how much she'd wanted to. He called out her name, but Lexie turned and walked away towards the surgical wing, knowing what would happen if she talked to him.
Lexie glanced at the OR board as she passed, but she stopped in her tracks as she read her attending's name.
Shepherd, Amelia.
"Lexie, are you okay? Lexie?" Avery's voice pulled Lexie back to reality. The look on his face reminded her of how residents would look at her after the shooting; Jackson looked at her as though he thought she was going to break down at any moment.
"Mind your own damn business." She snapped, turning and walking over to the residents' lounge. Lexie sat down on the bench, taking deep breaths as she tried to ignore her frustration.
"Lexie Grey, right? Meredith's sister? I remember you." Lexie's head whipped to the entrance, finding Amelia casually leaning against the door frame.
"It's great to see you again, Dr. Shepherd." Lexie forced a smile before quickly changing into her scrubs.
"I'll pretend that isn't a complete lie. I know you wish my brother were here and, honestly, so do I, but you're stuck with me." The two completed rounds before Amelia led Lexie to the CT booth, scans still up on the screens.
"Oh my god, what is that? An aneurysm?" The words left Lexie's mouth the moment she caught a sight of the screen. It was quite possibly the largest brain aneurysm Lexie had ever seen.
"It's the motherlode of all aneurysms. And guess who's going to help me clip it tomorrow." Lexie stared at Amelia, suddenly realizing just how similar she was to her brother. "Derek thought you were meant for this. I hope you don't disappoint." Amelia added, handing Lexie the patient's chart as she walked over to the nurse's station. Within minutes, Mark approached her.
"What do you think about Lexie Grey? She spent a lot of time in Derek's OR before, he even had notes to write a recommendation for her." Amelia questioned, still unaware of Mark's history with her.
"Well, she was his wife's sister…and she's definitely talented. Take it easy on her, she's been through a lot." Mark's eyes followed Lexie as he spoke, his mouth turning up into a smile as he saw pure excitement on her face.
"You like her." Amelia laughed, shaking her head as a nurse handed her a chart.
"I love her." Mark sighed, walking away as an idea planted itself in Amelia's head.
Meanwhile, Lexie spent hours in the lounge examining the medical history of the patient and every scan she could find. For the first time in months, she felt like herself, like who she had been before the plane crashed. She wasn't just the sad girl who had lost her sister and inherited her niece in one fell swoop.
Her pager beeped, pulling her out of her thoughts as she ran to the ER. By the time she got there, Amelia was already waiting outside of the elevator trying to rush up to the OR.
"I have a patient with acute subdural hematoma, you're scrubbing in." Lexie nodded, grabbing the other side of the bed as they got him up to surgery. By the time they both scrubbed in and Amelia began the craniotomy, the patient had started coding.
"Give me the paddles, now!" Amelia lifted the paddles, placing them on the patient's chest. "Clear!"
"We have a rhythm." Lexie declared in relief as Amelia composed herself before continuing with the craniotomy.
Hours had passed by the time Lexie and Dr. Shepherd had completed the surgery, and Lexie was exhausted. Skipping sleep to cuddle with Zola hadn't been the greatest choice this morning.
"I'm impressed, Grey. You did well, considering it's your first day back in surgery." Amelia commented, removing her surgical gown as she exited the OR.
It wasn't until she was standing in the scrub room that it all hit Lexie. She froze momentarily before the sob left her throat, thoughts of Derek flooding her mind. The sobs turned into laughs within seconds, though Lexie still wasn't entirely sure if she was upset or happy. All the while, Amelia just watched, entirely confused at the scene. One look at her face sent Lexie into another bout of laughter.
"I'm sorry. It's just, you're exactly like him." Lexie's laughs died down as she spoke, and she exhaled loudly as she wiped her tears away. The two stood there in silence for a few moments before Amelia interrupted.
"You and my brother were close, right?" Lexie nodded, not sure where the conversation was going. "Can I meet her? Zola, I mean?" Amelia's expression had shifted from confusion into what seemed almost like fear.
"I can make that happen…you are her aunt, after all." Lexie smiled, understanding how Amelia was feeling. Lexie had only known Meredith for years, so she couldn't imagine how much more devastating it was for Amelia having lost the brother she'd known her entire life.
Lexie left Amelia in the scrub room in search of an on-call room, knowing she'd need a nap if she was going to make it through her shift.
She could already feel that today was going to be a long day.