-1Okay, so this was written at the end of the first episode in the 3-part saga that Grey's is currently working on, directly after Meredith falls into the water. It's my first attempt at a full-length Grey's fic, so please review and let me know if it's worth continuing! Enjoy!
From the Bottom of a Well
In her dream, Meredith is floating in an endless sea. She is cocooned by the water. It laps gently against her skin, pulling her deeper if she starts to rise towards the surface. It fills her lungs whenever she takes a breath. But she isn't drowning and she isn't afraid.
She feels ... peaceful. Relaxed. As if she is young again and unaware of all the ways a heart can break. As if there has never been a moment in her life when she was lost or uncertain.
Sometimes, she hears voices, or thinks she does. She can't really make out the words - they have that garbled, faraway timbre that one usually hears when just coming out of a deep sleep. It's an intrusion on her quiet little world, but she doesn't really mind because the tone is familiar, almost as soothing as the water itself.
Almost.
Mostly, she just floats. She isn't aware of doing anything to pass the time. She doesn't think of how she got there or whether she should leave. She just ... exists. She is free of responsibility, of boredom, of heartache, but it's a strange kind of freedom because she is tied down to the feeling. She can't imagine leaving such tranquility.
And then one day, without warning, the saltwater stings as it trickles down her throat and she begins to choke. The ocean around her, which has for so long been her sanctuary, turns violent as she gasps and kicks her legs furiously upward.
Breaking the surface - finally, finally - and gulping in a breath of fresh air, her eyes fly open. She is terrified, still sputtering, still struggling ... and alive.
XXX
At the heart of Seattle Grace, calm and dimly lit in the midst of a 3 a.m. lull, an alarm goes off in the front desk area. One of the two nurses on duty checks the screen, blinks, then picks up the phone and punches in a number. "Page the Chief," she says, trying to keep the words crisp and professional. "She's awake."