Chapter 2
"Who are you?" I dared to ask her, not knowing if I really wanted an answer. "You can see me?" She was very surprised and shocked at that. She looked terrible, I didn't notice it at the site, but now I can see her clearly. She had cuts and bruises all over her body, her clothes were thorn and it looked like she had been in the woods for a while. "Yeah I can see you." I don't know why this was shocking to her, but it just was. "I need your help." She begged me, grabbing my arm. Her touch was cold, like ice. Then Jo suddenly came into the room and the woman vanished into thin air, almost like white smoke does. Oh my word, what the hell just happened! First a man walked through her and now she does some Harry Potter trick.
Jo saw the shocked expression on my face and looked at me worried, "What's up with you?" I'll have to fix my face expression or they'll think I'm going crazy in here, "Nothing, I'm good." Giving a little smile that needs a lot of improvement.
"Oh yeah I heard that you are feeling very good, hmm? Talking to Mr. McDreamy like that." She laughed at me. "Yeah, I don't know what came over me; I just blurted it out like that." We laughed together and then I remembered the boy from the building site. "What happened to Robbie? The little boy." I asked eagerly. "He is doing seemingly good, broken arm though, but he is very glad he got his teddy back." She looked at me sternly almost like my mother does sometimes when I'm being a smartass, "That was a very dumb move you did, and over a damn teddy bear!" Now she was just cross with me. "What the hell where you thinking? Were you thinking at all? Do you know what you put me through?" Oh she is really mad now; she keeps swinging her hands in the air and pointing at me. "You are doing that thing again where I don't get a chance to answer any of your questions, Jo." I said with a little smile to get off the hook, because I don't have the energy to get into it right now, and my headache is back full blown.
"When can I get out of this place and back to work?" I have to get back to the internship or they'll throw me out. "Shepherd just said that he wants to keep you here for the day to see if you hallucinate again, that is why we stopped the morphine and pain meds, so you'll be able to go home tonight." No hallucinating, right, got to remember that. "I have to go now, get back to work. Don't go doing anything stupid again! See you later." Jo smiled and waved at me while leaving the room, but I know that this is not over. She'll be hassling me all over tonight to know what I was thinking, and to be honest, I don't even know what came over me.
I can't stay out of work for two days. I have to go talk to the chief. Now where the hell is my clothes, as I got up I headed straight for the closet in the corner, it was empty. "Oh yeah my bag is in the locker room." Making my way out of the room with a nightgown on, I tried to be as stealthily as I can possibly be, so that the nurses won't send me back to the room. Almost all the halls look the same, green flower paintings on the white walls with different types on each, but the painter's style looked the same. While I was making my way down to the locker room I could see that there were a few people looking at me strangely, was my butt open or something? Checking, no…my butt is good.
As I got dressed in the locker room, a new intern was staring at me. She was a small girl, dark pixie cut hair, but her scrubs looked different to ours. She must be from another department or something, but she kept staring at me, is there a third eye on my forehead or something because it is getting creepy now and awkward.
Better get out of here. Damn, the hospital is packed with people today; they are all probably from the accident yesterday, the poor victims' families. "What are you doing out of bed?" A stern voice came from behind me that scared the crap out of me. It was Dr George O'Malley. "Hi, uhm, I'm actually on my way to the chief's office. I need to talk to him about something. Have you seen him today?" I asked with a smile but I think he noticed that I was breaking some rules. "Yeah he was there a minute ago." He looked in the direction of the office and then back at me, he kept looking at me saying nothing for a while, almost looking like he is processing something. "Aren't you suppose to rest? In a bed and not out here walking the halls." He was actually nice, nothing like the others I have met so far. I wonder why they called him 007, he looks nothing like a Bond spy, but he did have that charming boyish look with brown hair and greenish eyes.
Then I heard a voice from behind that made me jump a little, "Oh, he is there alright." It was a male voice, faint and rusty, almost hard to hear. I turned immediately around and there was nothing. When I turned back to face George, he looked at me curiously. "Uhm…I thought I heard a bee or something." Trying to sound convincing enough, luckily he bought it. "Okay, well he was there, when you're finished you should really get back into bed." He walked off in the direction that I came from. I didn't want to waste any time, so I continued to walk to the office.
What was that? Or WHO was that? That voice was not familiar, sounded a bit old though, he had an accent but I couldn't place it. He sounded more like a character from one of those old black and white movies Jo keeps watching. Damn the meds must still be in my system, it does take a while to work out though, but I have never heard of anyone having this type of hallucinations or this many before.
Finally, there's the office. The door is a bit open, so he must be in. "Excuse me, Chief?" I peeked from the side of the door. He glanced at me over his glasses, "Yes, come on in Grey." He was busy with some paperwork at his big desk. It is a very nice office, windows all around except for the wall behind him and the wall where the door is. Behind him there is a big bookshelf, looks old and it is filled with medical books and biographies of well known doctors. "I would just like to know if I can continue with the internship tomorrow. McDre…" I quickly cleared my throat before continuing, "I mean Dr Shepherd said that I'm being released tonight, so there isn't any other reason for me to miss another day."
"Yes, that is true…" He gestures for me to sit down on the leather brown chairs in front of his desk, "But how do you feel?" He probably means 'have you seen anymore ghosts lately?' Does hearing them count? "I'm doing great, thinking clearly and can't wait to get out there and learn more." I bet I just sounded like a true nerd, an eager nerd. He lowers his glasses and then folds his hand in front of him on the paperwork he was busy with. His eyes were stuck to me. I didn't realize before how grey his hair was, and the small wrinkles under his puffy eyes. I think back in the day he must have been handsome.
"Well if you are sure that you want to start that soon after the accident, I'll put you with Dr Yang. You can learn a lot from her; just don't get on her bad side." Her bad side? I think I'm about right in the middle after the firemen slip up. I'll have to prove myself to her and Dr Bailey, after the accident I think I'm about on the bottom of everyone's lists to succeed. "Thank you very much sir, you won't be disappointed." I walked out as fast, but normally, as I could, so that he couldn't change his mind.
This headache is really killing me. I better get back to bed before anyone else catches me outside or looks at me weirdly. I wonder how long these effects of the meds will last; I didn't get that much, though. Suddenly I got the chills, as I hugged myself I noticed that my arm had a big bruise on it that wasn't there this morning. Could it be…? Oh my word...that's not possible. It looked just like a hand; was it the blond woman's hand from a few minutes back? She was a pigment of my imagination, imaginations don't leave marks unless you're crazy and that you think you can fly; now that would leave a mark.
"Hey, where have you been?" As I looked up I saw Jo heading my way, "I have been looking for you for a while now and you were suppose to be in your room." She reached me and saw the bruise on my arm, "Oh hey, yeah I wanted to go see the chief about starting tomorrow again." She raised an eyebrow "You really want to start so soon? I mean you could probably take a day off or so?" I tucked my hand in my jean pocket to act more normal about the bruise, "No, I'm ready to start." We started walking together in the direction of the cafeteria "I don't want to be known as the stupid hero forever, I have to start working. With who are you paired with?"
"I'm in Trauma, it is 'go-go' the whole time and we get some pretty weird cases, you know, mostly was from when the building collapsed." She glanced in my direction. "Yeah, I know. Speaking of, I would like to go see Robbie. Is he still here?" We stopped now, we were in the cafeteria. Jo grabbed a tray and handed it to me then took one for her. "Yeah, he is. His father is still in Dr Altman's care though, but he is doing well."
"Wait who is Dr Altman?" I asked confused because I haven't heard of their work before. "Oh that's Dr Teddy Altman, she did some work in Iraq or something, and now she is our head of cardio." Jo said as she grabbed an apple and a juice box, "She is really good though; you should see how Dr Yang is when she is around her." She started giggling in the middle of the sentence. I picked up a muffin and some water "Why? I thought Dr Yang's a badass." As we walked over to a table, it is actually the first time that I really look at the cafeteria. It is a very big space, with really big windows. Tables of all sizes are placed around with a sort of courtyard outside, with more tables. It is actually a very beautiful space.
"Yeah Dr Yang's a badass, but she is really into cardio and I heard rumors that she dated the previous cardio head, all went good but then he left to go work in some other place. Now Dr Yang wants to be at the top again, but the Chief told her she should try out other specialties too." Jo sometimes liked to gossip, but this is helping me a lot because now I know how to get into Dr Yang's good books. "Do you know yet who they put you with for tomorrow?" Jo continued casually. "Yeah…Dr Yang." I said with a hint of desperation in my voice. "Oh man, that sucks ba…" Jo got cut off when Dr Yang suddenly appeared next to us.
"Heard you were on my service tomorrow." Dr Yang asked me, but in a way she didn't, it was more like a statement or something. "Yes, I'll be here bright and early and won't disappoint you." I think that was a little bit too much desperation that time. "Yeah well if you do you're out number three." Then she just walked off to another table where a few residents were eating.
"Number three?" where did that come from? "Oh yeah, I heard she gave her interns all numbers because she doesn't want to bother learning your names." Jo told me while wrinkling up her nose. "Do you think they know I'm Meredith's half sister?" I quickly asked Jo. "No, I don't think so. They are all too busy with their own little problems. I think Shepherd is calling you 'Little Grey' though, because Meredith is his wife and this way they know who they are talking about, you know?"
"Wait, what? Derek and Meredith are married!" I was literally shocked; I did not expect that to come out. "Yeah…wait, you didn't know that?" Jo asked surprised. "No, I have been out for the last day and a half, remember?" As I glanced to the table Meredith and Derek were sitting at, I could see that they were actually happy. Dr Yang sat there also, "Is Dr Yang and Meredith friends or something?" I touched Jo's arm lightly to get her attention. "Hmmm…oh yeah they are best buds. It's a bit weird because Meredith can actually be nice and Dr Yang…well you know." As Jo spoke she also glanced over her shoulder in their direction.
"Is Meredith the resident you were put with in Trauma?" I asked Jo, because I just realized that I never asked her who the doctor was she was put with. "No, she's in General. I'm with this red headed, bubbly girl, April Kepner. She is actually really good at trauma, a very fast thinker." Jo poked me while speaking and showed me the red headed girl. She doesn't look much older than us though but I can see why Jo said bubbly. She keeps laughing and smiling the whole time, nothing like the other surgeons I have met so far.
We just finished eating and were on our way out, "Where is Robbie now?" I asked Jo, "I think he is with his doctor now for a checkup or something, ah man I forgot her name…o yeah Dr Torres, she is also actually very nice, she's the head of Orthopedics…" Jo continued talking but I dosed off. There was a man at the front entrance of the hospital that kept trying to open the electronic doors as people walked in, almost like a doorman or something. "…earth to Lexie, are you even listening to me?" Jo waved her hand in front of my face, she must have noticed that I lost track of what she was saying. "Sorry, something just caught my eye, what were you saying?" I tried so sound as if I was interested in some more gossip news but I wasn't really. My headache is strong on and I can't take any more meds for now, just until I know that I'm not going crazy. "I was just mentioning a few things about Dr Torres and Dr O'Malley but I'll tell you later. I have to go now; I'll come by your room when I'm done, okay?" Jo walked off in the direction of Dr Kepner, who was waiting for her.
Okay, now I have to find Ortho. There's Dr O'Malley, maybe he can help me "Dr O'Malley?" I waved him down and rushed over. "You can really just call me George, Lexie." He has such a nice smile. "Oh well George, do you know where Ortho is, I want to check up on someone there." His smile just went away, like I told him his dog just died. "Yeah, I can take you there if you want to?" He had a new sort of smile now, not as bright as the first one though. "Yeah, that would be great, thanks!" I think I just made a new friend.
"So what do you specialize in yet?" He looked at me as we walked through the halls, "Nah…I'm just a resident, I like cardio though, but that is more of Dr Yang's territory. I'll have to see what awaits me; maybe I won't be here long." That is something strange to say, "Ortho is just up here to the right." He continued as if he didn't say that.
We walked into a room with a few beds in, and with a few nurses and patients. We headed straight to a dark haired woman with a lab coat on, "Callie?...excuse me, Callie?" George tried to get her attention but it didn't seem like she wanted to talk to him. "What is it George?" She looked up from her file and seemed a little impatient with him, but then she saw me and gave a little smile. "I have someone here for you." He turned to me, gave me a smile and walked off as fast as he could.
"Hi, I'm Lexie Grey. I wanted to know how Robbie was." I walked a bit closer to her as I talked. "Oh the stupid intern…wait did you say Grey?" looks like that got her attention. "Yeah", I didn't know how to respond to that other as 'yeah'. "Robbie only has a fractured arm; he would be good in a couple of months." Then she looked up to me and crossed her arms over the file. "Thanks, I just wanted to make sure he is alright." She kept looking at me like I was on display or something. "Well, I have to get going. See you later, and thanks again."
I rushed off just like George did, but I did have somewhere to be, my bed. I'm exhausted now and I have to get back if Shepherd wants to release me anytime soon.
When I got to the room, it was exactly how I left it, bed unmade and curtains shut. Just as I was about to dose off for a nap, I heard Shepherd's voice by the nurses' station. I hope he is here for me, because I really want to go home right now. These past two days was just too crazy for me. "Hey Doc, are you ready to let me go yet?" I was sitting up now and Shepherd was in the doorway, with what looked like my file. "I heard that you have been out all day?" What is with that damn smile of his? "Yeah, I had a few errands to run."
"Oh yes, I heard all about them. Wanting to start working tomorrow, right?" He lifted one eyebrow as he was speaking, and shot me a look like I was 5 years old and ate all the candy up. "I have to, or I'll lose my position here…" He nodded as if he understood what I was saying. He continued to write for a while and then stopped and looked at me, "Seen anymore ghosts lately?" He gave me a silly smile. Voices don't count really. "Nope, all good here, I really think it was just a reaction to the meds or when I fell or something." He kept nodding, "That's good to hear. Well, then you're all done here Lexie, I do want to schedule a checkup for next week thought. Just talk to the nurses and they'll help you. Good night and keep it easy, don't run after anymore bears you hear me? Try to run away from them, but only if they are alive." He laughed as he walked out. How did Meredith get to marry him? She's friends with Dr Cristina Yang and it didn't look like Dr Bailey really liked her, but in fairness, who does Dr Bailey actually like?
It is already late, where did the day go because I don't think I was out that long. I have to get my things together so that when Jo comes, we can just head home. There isn't much to get here, except the roses. I wonder where my phone is, my mother must be worried sick by now, and I think Jo would have given her a call though.
"Hey, you ready?" Jo just popped up by the door; it startled me a little bit. "Hey, yeah I'm ready; Shepherd already gave the okay so I can leave. I was just thinking where the hell my pho…" Jo cut me off and held my phone in her hand. "You mean this old thing?" She gave a little smile as she walked over to me and handed it to me. "What would you do without me?" She was right, "I'd die…oh to soon isn't it?" She gave me a shocked face but I know she didn't take it to the heart. "Yeah, a lot too soon Lex!"
On our way home we picked up some Thai food because I don't even know what we still have left at the apartment. Jo isn't much of a groceries buying girl, neither one that cleans the dishes, but she does have her moment sometimes. We parked the car and headed up to our apartment.
"Well I can see that you didn't do much unpacking." I teased her a bit, "Hey! I was at the hospital the whole time, right next to your bed, so don't come and give me any crap, got it!" She held up a fork in my direction, "What you going to stab me with a fork?" I said while unpacking the food. "Yeah, death by fork seems catching don't you think?" She smiled as she opened the containers. "Yes, but not very original." I could feel a touch of awkwardness after that blow she gave me about being next to my bed the whole time.
"I didn't know you were there with me in the room." We were sitting on the couch now and everything we bought was spread out on the coffee table like a buffet. "She kept her head down while nodding, "I know, but I couldn't leave your side, you know that." I could see that she was still hurting a bit, but Jo didn't make it a habit to show her emotions, she kept it all in sometimes. I better get the air clean and just talk it out now before it becomes a bigger problem later, "Jo, I don't know why I ran back to the teddy bear really, it was just like an instinct I had. When I was that age I also had a teddy, it was actually more like a ragdoll, but when I lost it, it was like the earth stopped and everything was taken from me. I didn't want the boy to feel like that. His father didn't look that good when I saw him, and I didn't want him to lose his teddy too." She was looking around the room now and not trying to look at me. "I know what you mean with losing things, I was once there too remember? What you did was very stupid even if you did try to do the right thing. It felt like I was losing you, like my world collapsed, and I don't like feeling that way. Out of control and can't do anything to help or change what happened." She began to tear up as she talked but she kept it in.
"I'm really sorry," I grabbed her hand; "I know it was a shitty thing to do, and I promise that it won't happen again." She looked at our hands and then saw the bruise on my arm again. "What is that? Did you get that from the accident?" She held up my arm to see better in the dim light, "It looks like it still hurts." Do I tell her the truth or do I lie to her? I don't want to lie; lies have a way of getting out and hurting people. "It only hurts a little bit, but not that bad. Uhm…I want to tell you something actually. I didn't get it from the accident; I got it this morning in the hospital." She looked at me a bit confused, "Did a nurse do this to you?" She looked a bit angry now.
"No, it wasn't a nurse. I don't actually know what it was really. There was a woman in my room this morning, the same one I saw at the accident site." She was still listening intently, "There were a lot of people at the site, it could have been one of the family members that got lost or something, but why would she hurt you?" I haven't told her yet of what happened there, about the 'outer body experience' or something. "No, I don't think she was a part of the accident, I saw her after I ran back to get the teddy." Now she really looked confused. 'What do you mean after you ran back? You were knocked unconscious and a wall was on top of you." How was I going to explain this to her…
"Okay so you like Supernatural, right?" She nodded her head, "Well yeah, have you seen Dean's jaw line? The creepy things are just a bonus!" She said that a bit too enthusiastically, but it was true, he is really hot. "Okay but I mean more of the creepy things right, like ghosts and things." She got up to get some water, "Wait Lex, are you still seeing things? The meds must have been worked out by now." She said as she made her way back to the couch. "No, it's not the meds. It began before I was even given anything. Jo…I saw you when I was lying on the ground, I mean it was like I was standing behind you in the crowd, I saw my arm sticking out of the rubble and you huddling down beside me screaming my name and then a few firemen showing up and Dr Bailey trying to feel a pulse. I saw everything!" I started panicking again and Jo just looked at me with wide crazy eyes, "Please say something Jo". She opened her mouth a few times but nothing came out. After five minutes she could finally say something, "I don't know what to say, I haven't heard anything like that before. I mean, you couldn't have known where we were all standing or what it looked like. I don't know what to say to you Lex…could it have been a dream maybe?" She was a bit stunned at what I had said, but I didn't know how else to put it. "No, I don't think it was a dream because you usually only dream of places you have seen before or people you have seen. I saw a lot of new faces I haven't seen before at the accident site. I also saw weird things at the hospital. People were staring at me like I was abnormal. I also heard voices and when I turned to face them, there were no one there. Don't look at me like that, I'm not crazy!" She looked at me like I was from another planet and that she didn't knew me at all. "I'm sorry, but this is just weird and you know that. People who usually say that they see things, go to the mental hospitals or charge you $20." Now she just looked at me with pity. I hate it; she knows that I don't like talking about mental hospitals, especially because of my dad being in one and all.
"I should not have said anything; I thought I could tell you everything but apparently not. Just forget what I said." I walked off in the direction of my room, "Wait Lex! Don't be like that, I didn't mean it." She shouted after me but she was right, if I say anything else they would admit me to hospital and I'll be in the room next to my father, one big happy family, I'll just have to play it safe for now.
I can't believe Jo reacted like that, she is usually open minded about things. We have been through a lot, good and bad, and we always sticked together. My room is still as I left it a few days ago, bed unmade and that night's clothes scattered everywhere. I don't really want to clean up now but I don't have a choice, I don't want to go to sleep now, too much has happened tonight.
Damn, these clothes still has that stench of tobacco and tequila. As I threw the clothes into the clothes hamper a note fell out of my jean's pocket. I was just a napkin from that bar; I think it was called Joe's Bar or Joe was the barman, I'm not sure but it is close to the hospital. As I aimed for the dustbin I noticed some writing on it. A number was written on it, with some words, 'Call me anytime, Mark S.' Who's Mark? I can't remember much of that night anymore especially after the accident. All I can remember the last day is that 'outer body experience' I had. It keeps replaying in my head, over and over again. I'm going to throw away this napkin note. If a guy tried to pick me up that night, there must be something wrong with him because I was drunk out of my mind and any guy who tries to pick-up a drunken girl is not for me.
I think Jo went to bed because I just heard her door close. Time to take a shower, because there won't be time for that tomorrow morning; I want to be out of here bright and early and not bump into Jo.
It's nice to be in my own bed again, even if the mattress is ancient with a lot of bumps. The shower did me good, my headache is better now and I do not want to drink my pills. I can survive without them for now, and I want to do a little experiment, if I don't drink my medicine, will I still hallucinate? I don't even know if I'm actually hallucinating anymore, I think it's something much more than that.
Where am I? It looks like a hospital and I can smell some disinfectant, but this is not Seattle Grace though. It is really quiet in here. It looks like I'm in the locker room; it looks very similar to ours. Wait, why am I moving? It's not me walking but it is my body that is moving though. As I'm about to fix my hair I realize that it is not me that is looking back in the mirror. Wait a minute, this face looks so familiar. She has dark, short pixie cut hair; I think I'm the girl from this morning in our locker room. 'Reed! We have to go now!' a male voice is coming from the other side of the door, then it opens and a man is looking straight at me. He is very tall and has dark hair; he must be a doctor because he is wearing a lab coat. He is out of breath and some sweat drops are falling from his face. "What is going on with you?" I asked him. "Where have you been this whole time? The whole floor has been evacuated because some lunatic is going around shooting people!" He came into the room and grabbed my arm, or actually her arm, but I felt it. He dragged me out when I suddenly see a man coming straight towards us down the hall, he has a gun in his hand and his clothes are filled with blood. "OH MY WORD" I screamed, we rushed back into the locker room and tried to lock the door but the lock wouldn't turn. We stacked some chairs in front of the door when suddenly the door handle starts moving. Then suddenly everything went black, and then I just hear 'pop pop'…
I was sitting straight up in my bed now. Wide awake and dripping with sweat with my heart trying to climb out of my chest. What was that? It felt way too real to be just a dream…