Title: Leave Out All The Rest

Author: Darley1101

Rating: Mature Readers Only

Pairing: Mark/Lexie, Alex/Izzie, Arizona/Callie, Meredith/Derek, Owen/Cristina

Premise: A tragic accident alters everyone's lives forever. Some will find themselves drawing closer to those they love, while others spin out of control. None of them will ever be the same.

Warning: Story contains character death. The death of a child is also included. Deaths will be revealed in the first chapter. The story is based on the aftermath.

Author's Note: The idea for this story came to me when several friends brought up their wills. One had made provisions for her children while the other hadn't. Not entirely uncommon. Most of us don't think about dying young. Yet it happens every day. Children also seem to die on a daily basis. Few parents prepare for this and are left not only emotionally reeling, but financially as well. Death seems to either draw people closer or push them apart. It is a heavy topic to explore but I think you will find this story an interesting one. It is a tale of not only death but love and self discovery. The title comes from the Linkin Park song by the same name. I encourage you to listen to it. It sets the tone of the story.

Things To Remember: I do nothing without reason and I treat stories like a puzzle. Each chapter will be another piece, slowly revealing the big picture. This first chapter only allows for one view point. There are several big facts missing. When those facts are revealed I think they might amaze you. And do not worry about John. He is a friend. Nothing more. Nothing less. This will make more sense after you read this chapter.

Side Note: This story will not take away from Underfoot or There All Along. I will be wrapping up Underfoot shortly and There All Along is a fun, light hearted tale that will be easy to write. This one is a bit draining so updates might take a while to post. I hope you guys will stick it out. Alex/Izzie, Meredith/Derek, and Mark/Lexie fans will not be disappointed.

Chapter One

I dreamed I was missing…

Working triage was simple. The ones that could be stabilized were stabilized, and the ones who were too far gone were made comfortable. No risk of emotional attachment; either with co-workers or patients. Cold, hard medicine. The kind Isobel Stevens should have gone into to begin with. If she had her heart would be whole and she wouldn't have a dead fiance and an ex-husband under her belt. The past was the past and she was trying hard not to live there. What was the point? It wasn't like she could rewrite history by thinking about how she could have handled things differently. Best to leave the past in the past and focus on the future. 99 percent of the time she succeeded. There was that one percent, though, that kept reeling her back in. The dead girl lying on the gurney before her fell into that one percent.

"Why did they have to bring you here," Izzie whispered as she methodically unhooked wires and monitors from Molly Grey Adams limp form. It had taken her twenty minutes to realize the young mother brought in by ambulance looked familiar. Another ten minutes passed before a nurse ran in saying they had a name. Molly Grey Thompson. Meredith and Lexie's younger sister. Recognition had slammed into Izzie like a jackhammer hitting cement; hard and brutal. Even harder was knowing Molly couldn't be stabilized. The old Izzie, the Izzie who let her heart get involved, reared her ugly head and it was with a trembling voice the new Izzie called the time of death. Damn it. The past was suppose to stay in the past, not show up in her E.R. and die!

"Henderson says the husband was D.O.A." The matter of fact words came from a co-worker Izzie knew nothing about. Half the time she couldn't recall the short, stoic faced man's name. Something common like Smith or Jones. Or maybe it was Harris. Who knew. Who cared. Not Izzie. "E.M.T. bring in a purse or a cell we can use to find an emergency contact?"

E.M.T. hadn't brought in shit. Just a busted up Molly Grey Thompson and a ton of anguish. "No," bit out Izzie as she tossed a jumble of used wires into a nearby trashcan. Did she admit to knowing the patient or did she go on to the next one? Million dollar question. In the past she wouldn't have had to even ask it. Two years reconditioning oneself changed a person. In the end she admitted to knowing the sister. Meredith might forgive her for letting Molly die but she sure as hell wouldn't forgive having to wait because Izzie had grown a block of ice where her heart use to be.

Doctor Common Name lingered in the door, his bugged out blue eyes traveling over every inch of the trauma room. "You might want to get a hold of the sister stat. Police called child protective services in to come get the kid."

"Kid," the word echoed past Izzie's lips. A faint memory of Meredith meeting her pregnant younger sister flashed before her eyes. Ah hell. She hadn't just let Meredith's sister died, she had let a mother die. Even worse.

"Four year old girl. Not a scratch on her. Weird huh? Parents are creamed but the kid comes out okay."

Four years old. Old enough to remember. Poor baby. "She's not okay," Izzie hissed as she slammed the chart into the waiting hands of the guy from the morgue. Without waiting for a response she hurried from the room. She felt the sudden urge to take a shower. To wash away the traces of blood that clung to her. First she had to contact Meredith. Having someone else do it was heartless. Better to hear the news from someone who cared. Shit. A cold trickle slipped through Izzie's blood as a little of the ice around her heart started to melt. A tear pricked the corner of her eye as she made her way toward the nurses station. She had told countless people that their loved ones had died but none of them had hurt. This hurt. It caused a soul tearing pain that Izzie never wanted to feel again.

"Dr. Stevens, Dr. Harrison said you know the sister of the car accident…" The words faded in the background as another familiar face came into view. Callie Torres being wheeled pass on a gurney. Unlike Molly she was very much alive and begging someone to tell her where her daughter was. Taking a few halting steps backward Izzie prayed the other face from her past wouldn't see or recognize her. No such luck. Callie's pain filled gaze met her's. There was nothing left to do but ask how old the girl was, what did she look like, what was her name, and promise to find her.

"Should have chosen somewhere other than Tacoma," she muttered as she hurried toward the bay where most of the EMT lingered. It took one try to find the guys that had brought in Callie's little girl. The same guys that had brought in Meredith's brother in law. No point in wasting two ambulances for the dead. Dead. Heart pounding, Izzie pressed her clenched knuckles to her mouth to keep from screaming. The unfairness of it all was starting to sink in. First Meredith's sister, now Callie's daughter. A little girl who had only been allowed to enjoy life for one short year. It seemed cruel. Even crueler was Izzie having to bear the news. It would be a tough pill to swallow regardless, but to hear the news from the woman who had broken up your marriage? It went beyond cruel.

"You are a doctor. You tell people that their loved ones have died on a daily basis. Today is no different." Saying the words didn't help. She could repeat them a thousand times and the weight of it all would still be there. It would still fall on her shoulders to tell a woman she had wronged in the most painful of ways that her child was dead. It would still fall on her shoulders to call up a woman she had once thought of as a sister and tell her that her baby sister and brother in law were dead, leaving her niece an orphan. She could feel the weight start to physically drag her down. Her shoulders sagged. Her chin dropped. Her lips fell into a frown. Almost immediately, she told herself to snap out of it. Awful as things were there was nothing that could be done to change what had occurred. Whether Izzie sucked it up and did her job, or whether she sat on a bench and cried, the dead would still be dead.

Bracing herself with a deep breath, Izzie forced herself to retrace her steps. It wasn't difficult to find Callie. They had moved her from a triage room to a curtained off area reserved for patients who had been stabilized and would be released once it had been established that they would remain stabilized. It wasn't very comforting to know Callie was fine, just a few minor scrapes and what looked to be a broken arm, while her daughter had been killed on impact. Ironic that the opposite had been true for Meredith's sister. "Do you have family coming," Izzie asked cautiously as she inched her way to the foot of the gurney. There was no way in hell she was hell she was telling Callie her daughter was dead if she was alone.

"Arizona and Mark should be here any minute," the other woman croaked out. Arizona and Mark. Mark was an easy recollection. Anyone who had worked at Seattle Grace knew who Mark Sloan was. Plastic Surgeon extraordinaire. Arizona was trickier. It took a few moments for Izzie to remember the pretty blonde pediatrician.

"Is Mark Sofia's father?" A curt nod was the only answer she got. Her stomach dropped even lower. It was like a double blow. At least for Meredith's family. Unless Lexie was no longer with Mark. Still, Mark was close to Derek and Derek was close to Meredith. Any way it was spun life for Meredith Grey's family would never be the same. Damn it. If anyone deserved a happy life it was Mere. Sweet, kind hearted Mere who had a heart so big it burst with love for everyone around her.

"Dr. Stevens…Izzie…don't beat around the bush. Just tell me." A hopeless desperation clung to Callie's tone. It was almost as though the mother already knew her baby was gone. Intuition, Izzie thought miserably.

"I think it would be best if we waited until…"

Callie cut her off by shaking her head. Her pain glazed eyes were locked on Izzie, the dark irises fixated on one particular part of her body. Shifting uncomfortably, Izzie felt one of her hands involuntarily move to the slight rounding of her stomach. Beneath the trembling fingers she felt her own son shift and move. "What if it was your baby? Would you want to wait?"

Tears burned Izzie's eyes. Her son was a constant emotional tug of war for her. In the divorce Alex had given her full rights to the embryos and had made it clear he never wanted to know if she used them or destroyed them. Keeping that promise had been easy at first. She had been fixated on making sure the pregnancy took. Now, two months before her due date, she was wondering if Alex had meant what he said or if he had said it because he thought that was what she wanted to hear. Every day she teeter tottered on whether or not she should call and tell him he was going to be a father. She wanted to believe he would be happy, that he would love their son as much as she already did. She wasn't sure though. One thing she was sure on was her son would know his mother loved him. And if anything ever happened… "I would want to know," she answered. Callie nodded, anguish etched on her face as she waited for Izzie to say the words aloud. "I don't know the details. If you like I can ask the EMT or one of the police…" the shaking of Callie's head stopped her. Details were not needed. "She's gone Callie."

"Did…did she at least make it to the hospital," Callie choked. Izzie shook her head. A strangled sob escaped Callie's lips as she tried to curl on to her side. The various wires and her cast kept her in place. It was pure torture. Everything in Izzie screamed to offer comfort but a good doctor did not do that. They said what needed to be said and let the family do the comforting. Callie's family wasn't there, though, not yet. And, once upon a time, they had shared friends in common. Muttering a curse, Izzie moved closer to bed. She started to reach for Callie's hand only to be told to get out. To take her pregnant belly and get out! When she didn't budge, Callie spat out hurtful words. Alex had cheated on her with Lexie. Callie herself had slept with Alex when he was dating Izzie. Alex didn't even seem to miss his ex-wife. And wasn't that just what Izzie deserved for what she did to Callie's marriage? Adulterous whores did not deserve happy endings. Izzie didn't even deserve the baby that was nestled in her womb. It wasn't fair! Callie had been a good person and yet again Izzie came out the winner.

Logic told Izzie that Callie was only saying those things in an attempt to make someone else hurt as much as she was hurting. The pain piercing Izzie's heart probably didn't come close to the pain burning in Callie's. "I should have waited," Izzie whispered as she backed up. Her body tangled with the curtain that separated Callie from the rest of the E.R. Grabbing a fistful of the fabric, Izzie tried to sort through the damage before her. Protocol was to wait until family arrived to give bad news. She had crossed a line. Again! All because she had let her former bleeding heart take charge.

"Told her, huh?" The question came from Dr. Harris…or was it Smith? Now Izzie wished she had taken the time to remember who each of her coworkers were. Or at least this one. He was always there to back her up and never expected anything in return. The least she could have done was remember his name.

"I should have waited," Izzie repeated, her tear glazed eyes dropping to the shorter man's name badge. Dr. John Smith. Common name had fit him well. The word common described him in general. Average height, plain brown hair, regular blue eyes, and a forgettable face. He had heart though, she thought miserably. He was the doctor who sat next to patients holding their hands. The kind of doctor Izzie use to be.

"She didn't want to wait," John reminded her. His gentle hands untangled her fingers from the curtain and guided her toward the small break room behind the nurses station. "I heard her manipulate you into telling her."

"I've had patients try to manipulate me before. I should have known better. I did know better. I just…" Squeezing her eyes shut, Izzie shook her head. There was no excuse for breaking protocol. For two years she had been so good, so careful. She never let herself get close to a patient. Never did more than what was expected or necessary. She had been the perfect triage doctor. The first time a blast from her past explodes on to the scene she loses her cool. Two years of model doctoring down the drain.

"I could make excuses for it, if you think that will make you feel better," offered the other doctor. It wouldn't. Nothing was going to make her feel better. "Or I could tell you that we all slip up and get too close. Especially when it comes to patients we know. Best thing to do is forget about it and move on. You can't undo things that have been done."

Oh how well Izzie knew that. John was right. She couldn't take back telling Callie when there was nobody around to comfort her. Best thing to do was move on and focus on…her heart lurched. Focus on contacting Meredith about Molly. "I don't think I can call Meredith," she whispered. "I don't think I can tell her that her sister and brother in law are dead. I'll just mess it up like I messed up telling Callie that her daughter was dead."

John let out a sigh and carefully forced her to sit in one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs that littered the small room. "You can. You will. This Meredith is your friend. You obviously care about her. It will be easier coming from you. She will know you are telling her out of love, not obligation."

"We haven't spoken in years."

"Love knows no time limit" chided John. "Face it, whatever excuse you have I'm going to come up with a rebuttal. Might as well get it over with. If you like we'll put the phone on speaker and I'll stay with you while you make the call. You have to do it though, Dr. Stevens. Not just because she's your friend but because you were her sister's doctor."

He was right, damn him. Muttering a few choice words, Izzie rose from her seat and walked toward the phone on the wall. She wouldn't put it on speaker but she was glad for the support her unlikely friend was offering. Her fingers shook as she dialed the familiar house number. Meredith seldom answered her cell. If she wasn't at home, Izzie would call Seattle Grace. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four…and then Alex's familiar voice wrapping around her as he said hello.

"Shit," she whispered. It took all her strength not to hang up. "Is Meredith there?" The shaking in her voice was humiliating. With any luck Alex wouldn't recognize who was on the other line.

"Iz?"

No such luck. Her fingers curled tighter around the phone. "Yeah," she squeaked out, her stomach flip flopping as her heart started to race. Her heart picked up more speed as the baby she carried gave a hearty kick, as though to say 'tell him I exist.' She couldn't. This wasn't about her, Alex, or their baby. It was about Meredith. "Is Meredith there? I really need to talk to her."

"Yeah. She just walked in." There was a pregnant pause before he asked if everything was alright. Izzie choked back a sob. "I know things ended bad, Iz, but if you ever need to talk I'm here."

"I do…we do…just not tonight. I need to tell Meredith something." Closing her eyes, she pressed her forehead against the cool wall. She felt John place a reassuring hand on her shoulder. It was nice to know that two years of indifference on her part hadn't altered his compassion. She wasn't sure she could have done this if he hadn't been there. "You'll be there for her, right? She isn't going to be alone tonight?"

Alex grew silent. "You're not sick again are you," he asked in scared whisper. Izzie bit out a no and asked again if someone was going to be home to be with Meredith. "Yeah. I'm in for the night. So is Shepherd and Lexie."

The mention of Meredith's other sister was like a stab to her heart. All she could hear was Callie telling her that Alex had cheated on her with Lexie. She wanted to blame him, to be angry but what good would it do? They were divorced and he had tried telling her there was someone else. She just hadn't listened. She wondered if they were still together. "Good," she said at last, pushing her own selfish musings to the side. "She's going to need you."

There was an agonizing moment of silence as Alex handed the phone off to Meredith. Rip the bandage off, Izzie thought. Just say what needs to be said. It killed her to do it. Every sob that came from Meredith wracked through Izzie's body. There were questions, but no accusations of letting Molly die. There was also some begging that Izzie stay with Molly's daughter until Meredith or Lexie could get there. It was with a shaky voice and uncertainty that Izzie agreed. What else could she do? She had just blown apart part of Meredith's world.