So this is a one-shot I was thinking about doing and midway through writing CH3 I decided to give it a gander and see where it took me. Funnily enough, I finished it and thought why not give it out and share my beautiful disaster with the world.
So this takes place during season 6 episode 4 when Thatcher comes in with problems and it turns out Meredith has to give him a chunk of her liver. The episode always annoyed me because everyone practically guilts her into doing it and when re-watching it the other day while doing revision, I was thinking how terrible everyone would feel if something had gone wrong... Well then this baby here was created.
It's AU yes and some medical terminology and scenarios are very very unlikely but it's all for the course of the story.
I am not going to give any warnings so basically, take this as if you were watching an episode. You may cry from feels, or die from emotions, or want to end the writers life then bring them back for more, it just depends on how you take the story.
Enough of my ramblings, on with the show. Enjoy and drop me a review on the way out- I will be back with CH3 probably tomorrow afternoon depending on how my day of revision goes.
Cristina walked along side Meredith as they wheeled her to the OR room, Meredith looking up at her when they stopped at the double doors waiting for Bailey.
"Am I stupid for doing this?" She asked, Cristina shaking her head.
"I lost my dad a long time ago, and the fact you are doing this to save yours, even if he was a crappy dad, is amazing. You're a good person Meredith, doing this or not, but this, this just shows it" She sighed and looked down, looking back up when she heard Derek approaching.
"Is it too late for me to talk you out of this?" He asked her with a serious face, Meredith opening her mouth the speak but Cristina beat her to it.
"Meredith is ready for this" Derek just raised his eyebrows, Meredith looking back down again. Derek was about to speak again but Lexie come up to Meredith, Mere looking up at her. She didn't speak but instead wrapped her arms around the woman, burying her head into her neck.
"Thank you for giving me my dad Meredith" Meredith nodded, Lexie pulling away and walking back to the waiting room, Mark meeting her at the end of the hall. Bailey come up the the foot of her bed, shaking her head at Cristina and Derek.
"This is not how this is going to work- do I need to find you something to do?" Cristina scoffed, Meredith grinning as she shook her head.
"No, I have a penis" She glared at Derek before turning on her heel and walking away, Meredith looking after her before turning back to Bailey who was still staring at Derek.
"I am going to sit by her head, I won't say a word" His innocent look was nothing on Bailey, the woman pursing her lips at him in annoyance.
"Shepard this is my OR" He nodded his head, gripping Meredith's hand in a sign of determination.
"I respect that Dr Bailey, but this is my wife that you are cutting into" She turned to look at Meredith who was grinning childishly towards her, though her eyes begged the woman to agree, Bailey sighing and ushering the nurse to wheel her in, Derek at her side. Derek and Bailey headed to the scrub room, Derek still needing to scrub and wear gloves despite the fact he was not touching a scalpel.
"You know, that girl has done some stupid things in her time, but I can't help but respect her for doing this. I mean, the man isn't no more than a piece of gum on her shoe but, the fact she is still giving him her liver is just- it's says a lot about who she is" Bailey commented, watching as Meredith took a deep breath, impatiently waiting for them to enter and put her under.
"She is doing this for Lexie, not Thatcher" Derek corrected, knowing that if it wasn't for Lexie, Meredith wouldn't even look twice.
"That still says something Shepard. She has known Lexie for what, a little over 2 years, and is still willing to do this for her. I hate to say it but, it rubs off on me" Derek laughed, knowing that it was hard to set an impression on Bailey like that.
"You should tell her that you know. It would mean a lot" Bailey just laughed, pulling her hands out from under the running water.
"And give her the satisfaction, not a chance" He laughed and followed, the two accepting the nurses offers when they held out gloves.
"You ready for this Grey?" Bailey asked, Meredith being able to see her grin form under the mask. Another person encouraging her, great.
"See you later" She just looked straight ahead, not bothering to make eye contact with Derek as they covered her mouth and nose and she fell unconscious. 5 minutes later she was all ready and Bailey was on her stool with her hands out over her bare abdomen. She looked between her abdomen and Meredith's face, sighing as she noticed Derek subconsciously stroking her hair under her scrub hat. She crouched down to Meredith's ear line, saying loudly but with a slight shake in her voice.
"I had 5 interns, 4 of you have been on this table. One of you has cancer, one of you died. You better not pull anything funny on me Grey" Derek made eye contact with her before she stood back up straight, rolling her shoulders back and accepting the blade from the scrub nurse. As bailey located the liver, she pulled out the section she needed and placed it carefully into the ice basin.
"For a woman who drinks a lot of tequila her liver is beautiful" Bailey commented, Derek laughing.
"Monitor her while I take this next door. I have to see that mans liver for myself to believe he really needs it" The nurse nodded and she looked to Derek before stepping down and taking her gloves off to replace them, taking the basin and leaving to the other OR. She entered the room, Richard looking up and frowning when he saw Bailey.
"I had to see that mans liver for myself"
"It is not pretty" They finally removed his liver, Bailey cringing at the shrivelled up organ as Richard disposed of it.
"Want to do the honours?" She nodded and stepped up next to him, the man stepping aside and watching as she placed Meredith's liver into his bare abdomen. Bailey's beeper went off, Bailey tearing her eye line away from Thatcher as she looked down at her hip.
"I'll take it, you finish in here with Karev" She nodded and allowed him to take the pager from her hip, Webber frowning and leaving the room with a fresh pair of gloves on. He entered Meredith's OR, Derek standing over her in utter panic.
"What happened?"
"She started bleeding and her blood pressure dropped. She was stable one minute and then the next- she wasn't"
Meanwhile, Bailey finished up Thatcher and sent him off with Alex to recovery, him telling her to tell Meredith he will be in to see her when he has done his post-op check up. Bailey goes back to Meredith's OR, the sight greeting her knocking her off her feet.
"What happened?" She asked, Meredith's heart going through the roof while her blood pressure continued to drop. Derek stood at the back of the room, his hands on his head in stress, his eyes watery while Richard continued to pull clot after clot out of her.
"She is haemorrhaging"
"Do you need any help?"
"Get Karev back in her. You need to tell Grey" He said, Bailey nodding and running from the room.
"Karev!" She shouted, Alex about to enter Thatchers room.
"He is coming out now, is everything okay?"
"Go to OR 2 and help the Chief. It's Meredith" He threw the chart at her and sprinted off into the direction of the OR rooms, Bailey looking in to see Thatcher stirring slightly. She headed tot he waiting room, Lexie being asleep on Mark's shoulder.
"if it's bad news I don't want to wake her" Bailey sighed and nodded, Mark closing his eyes momentarily.
"Wake her" He nudged her shoulder, whispering softly into her ear as she slowly began to wake.
"Are they out? Is everything okay?"
"Your dad is starting to wake and is doing fine. His surgery went really well" Lexie sighed and stood, a grin on her face.
"Thank God, I need to go and see him" Before Bailey could get another word out she ran off, Mark nudging her arm.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Meredith, she is still on the table. Something went wrong and she starting haemorrhaging" Cristina ran up to Bailey, glaring at Mark before putting her full attention on the woman.
"Is Meredith awake yet?"
Alex ran into the room, getting his gloves on and standing on the other side Meredith.
"What happened?"
"She started haemorrhaging. I need you to suction the best you can while I try and find the source of this bleeding" Derek paced anxiously, watching in horror as they tried to control the bleeding in his wife's body.
"She didn't want to do this. Everyone kept telling her it was the only choice but I told her not to. I told her he wasn't worth it and now look" Alex felt a pang of guilt hit him in the face, knowing he was one of those people who convinced her to go back in. He told her that he was the sick one, that she had to do it. Now he would gladly take his dying on a bed than her on this table. Time seemed to go on forever, everyone looking up when Cristina ran into the room, her eyes wide in dread.
"Yang you need to leave this OR right now" Richard yelled, though she never moved.
"Yang leave right now" He shouted again, the woman running so she could get to the gallery. When she got up there, Mark was standing in the corner, Izzie coming in behind him.
"Hey how is Meredith doi-" She stopped mid-sentence when looking down at the chaos in her OR, the bleeding still trying to be controlled. Nobody spoke, the silence in the room deafening as they continued to listen to the distressed beating of her heart, the continuous pacing of Derek and the shouts and commands between Richard and Alex. It wasn't until a pain gasp was heard behind them that the situation really dawned on them. Lexie stood in the door way to the gallery, her face swollen and red from the tears as she stared in shock at her dying sister.
"No, no this can't happen. I told her, I made her do this. I ran to him and never even asked and now she is... No-" Mark was at her side, lowering her into a seat as she cried continuously. All of their attention was torn away from her as the painful sound of her flat line deafened them, the 4 fighting to get down the stairs into the OR. They all ran in, not bothering to listen as Richard told them otherwise, the man not even caring as he started compression's.
"9 minutes" Derek mumbled to himself, Alex looking up at him.
"What?" Everyone looked to Derek, his eyes not leaving Meredith's face as he spoke louder.
"If she goes over 9 minutes you have to stop"
"No, you can't just stop like that" Lexie cried, Mark holding her back as Cristina pulled her hand out of Izzie's and stood at the foot of the table.
"Meredith doesn't want extreme measures. Not after last time" Cristina said, Izzie turning away as she put her head in her hands.
"But we got her back last time- we did it" Alex argued, Derek shaking his head.
"9 minutes Alex"
"We have 7 minutes left- come on Mere don't do this. Don't let him win" 5 minutes passed, her heart still failing to pump as everyone watched in agony.
"Come on Meredith. You come back last time, you come back. Don't scare me like that again" Cristina mumbled, not thinking as she grabbed her feet, Richard looking up. His mind flashed back to that day, Meredith lying on the table, blue and cold and dead. But this was different. She was warm and surrounded by people who loved her and, dead.
"Don't do this Meredith. Do not do this- Charge to 200" Alex stepped back and watched as he shocked her, there still being no sign of heart activity. They charged again to 300- then 350 but nothing. They all looked up at the clock on the side ticked loudly. It's been 8 minutes.
"Meredith please! I'm sorry, I never wanted you to die for him after all he did to you. Please come back Meredith please" Lexie sobbed and fell to the floor, Mark lowering her down as he made eye contact with Derek who was breaking down very slowly but gradually at the back of the room.
8 minutes 15 seconds
"Come on big Grey, push through" He whispered, nobody hearing over Lexie's pain filled sobs.
8 minutes 20 seconds
"5% chance Meredith! You gave me that 5%- give it back to yourself damnit. Don't do this" Izzie came to Cristina's side, the two of them gripping her feet in chance of sparking some life back into her.
8 minutes 35 seconds
"You survived a bomb and a drowning Meredith. You told me you wouldn't leave me, not like last time. You promised me, I am your person and you never break a promise with your person. Wake the hell up!" Izzie wrapped her other arm around Cristina as she cried, burying her head into her chest to try and control the sobs threatening to break free.
8 minutes 45 seconds
"Don't let him win Meredith, don't let that son of a bitch take more from you than he already has" Alex whispered in her ear, a set of tears rolling down his cheeks he never knew were coming.
8 minutes 50 seconds
"I never told you I love you. Damnit Meredith I love you so much, even when I hate you. I love you" Derek watched the seconds tick by and crumbled when her heart monitor never even flickered.
9 minutes.
There was no heart activity and her time was up. Richard agonisingly stepped away from her, pressing the button to silence the monitor as he looked up to Alex.
"Call it" Alex looked up at the clock, the words coming out in hiccups.
"Time of death, 19:08"
I once told you that we have days were medical miracles happen. Tumours disappear and people miraculously make recoveries that were sought to be impossible. I also once told you that I wasn't finished, and that I had a lot more to say. Well, today is just not one of those days and me? I am done talking.
Are you crying? Because I am. I love you darlings... ;)