Greys Anatomy Season 9 Episode 2
Hey guys, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 2!
When a loved one has passed away, you go through the five stages of grief. There's denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. When you go through this process of healing, it is essential that you pass through these stages as smoothly as possible, or who knows how your own life can be impacted.
Cristina sighed as she walked into the waiting room. There was Callie, hugging April and jumping up and down. And now, she was going to have to completely drop a bombshell on her life.
"C-Callie?" Said Cristina. Callie looked up, and saw Cristina.
"Well? How's Mark?" Asked Callie.
"Well…let me explain. In the middle of surgery we found that he had an inflamed aortic valve, which made him septic…He's alive, but his organs are shutting down, and it doesn't look like he'll be waking up. He's on life support." Said Cristina. Callie chuckled. Cristina was confused. Callie chuckled again.
"Um…I'm sorry, I don't understand." Said Cristina.
"It's…it's funny b-because…I was just told that my wife is going to live…and now…I was just told that the father of my baby was going to die!" Laughed Callie, laughing hysterically.
"I-I think she's in shock." Stated April. Cristina sighed.
"Arizona did that. I mean, in the crash. She was laughing hysterically." Said Cristina.
"It's the first of the five stages of grief. Denial." Said April understandingly.
"I-I mean…it's Mark, my best friend, Mark! And now he's…" Callie struggled to get the last word out. But the shock soon hit in for Callie, as she stopped laughing, and the tears began to set in. She looked up at Cristina. Cristina didn't know what to do or say. Callie simply ran out of the room. Cristina sighed, and ran after her.
"Callie, wait!" Yelled Cristina, as Callie ran into the car park and into the rain.
"Callie, I don't know what to say. If you want some time, that's perfectly accept-" Began Cristina. Callie cut her off
"Tell me, was there anything you could have done?" Sobbed Callie.
"Um, I don't know…maybe…uh…I guess. When Lexie died, we thought Mark was just going catatonic…but he was really just suffering from the tapenade. Maybe if we had caught it early on, we could have done more…but it's a longshot." Said Cristina. Callie just sobbed more.
"Callie, I'm so sorry. I really am. I remember when I lost my dad…it's what made me want to be a surgeon." Said Cristina.
"Is there any chance he could wake up?" Asked Callie. Cristina's silence immediately answered her question. She began to sob again.
"Mark's been there for me the whole way…when I quit my job and went to Mercy West, when Arizona dumped me at the airport, when I was in the car crash, when Sofia was born…and now he's not going to live. And now, Sofia only has two parents…" Said Callie.
"Wow, the poor girl." Said Cristina. Judged by Callie's expression, Cristina knew it was much too early for jokes.
"Cristina, just tell me everything. From the beginning, to the end. I want to know it all. I've heard it in everyone's perspective but yours. I want you to tell me…everything!" Said Callie. Cristina took a deep breath, and began to unlock the memories she had secluded for so long.
They were back on the plane. They had just taken off. No-one was sure why Arizona was on the plane, but judging by her sombre expression, they had guessed that she had found out that Alex had accepted the fellowship to John Hopkins and pulled him off the case. Meredith, Cristina, Derek, Mark and Arizona were all sitting at the front of the plane, while Lexie cowered in the back. She was too embarrassed about her flustered confession to Mark to face anyone.
"You really should talk to Lexie. She's your sister." Said Derek to Meredith. Meredith just flicked through her magazine.
"Last time the two of us got involved in Lexie and Mark's relationship, you nearly lost Mark as your best friend." Said Meredith.
"Fine, I'll speak to her." Said Derek. He took off his seatbelt, and despite Meredith's protests, made his way to Lexie's seat. He sat down next to her and there was an awkward silence.
"You know, you don't need to sit here. I'm fine on my own, just wallowing in loneliness." Muttered Lexie.
"Lex, I know you're upset about Mark. But I have known him all my life, and he has never loved anyone like he loves you. You just caught him by surprise. You know, ever since you broke up, he's been the one that's convinced you don't have feelings for him." Said Derek. Lexie cracked a smile
"That's impossible, I've always loved him." Smiled Lexie.
"What about Karev and Avery?" Inquired Derek. Lexie's eyes bulged out.
"Look, Alex and Jackson were just rebound things that I thought would go somewhere, but it didn't. Most of it was just meaningless sex. Think about out, I hooked up with Alex literally an hour after our first breakup, and Jackson after our second. And great, now I'm a whore." Said Lexie, breaking out into tears. Derek put his arm around her shoulder.
"Lexie, you're not a whore. You're actually my favourite sister. Have I ever told you that?" Said Derek, smiling.
"You see me as your sister?" Asked Lexie.
"I do, Lexie. And you and Mark are meant to be together. If he doesn't dump the eye doctor for you, then I'll punch him in the face." Said Derek. Lexie broke out laughing, but then, the plane bumped and hit some turbulence. Lexie instinctively grabbed Derek's arm and dug her fingernails into his flesh. Derek winced, as her fingernails left a mark.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! It's an instinct, I've always been scared of planes. It's silly, is-" But Lexie was cut off by yet another row of turbulence.
"Well, it's a bumpy flight." Groaned Derek.
"But it's a practically cloudless sky." Inquired Lexie. Derek looked outside, and saw that she was right. The sky was completely blue. Suddenly, the seatbelt sign flashed on. Derek quickly fastened his seatbelt, and Lexie too, but Lexie's was not fastened enough.
"Lex, here, let me get that for y—" Another row of turbulence occurred, bigger then the last, and Derek and Lexie's stomachs began to drop as the plane began to descend.
"What's happening?" Screamed Arizona. Suddenly, oxygen masks popped out from the roof.
"Derek!" Screamed Meredith. He heard Arizona and Cristina screaming, and Mark calling Lexie's name. Derek became sicker and sicker as the plane descended closer to the trees. Soon, the sickening crunch of the trees being squashed under the plane was heard, and soon, the sound of twisting metal was heard. Derek and Lexie held hands frightened, as their tiny portion of the plane disconnected from the other. The back of the plane had come straight off.
Lexie screamed. Derek screamed too. Unfortunately, the wind was whipping in his face so fast, that Derek's seatbelt ripped, and helpless, Derek flew out of the plane like a ragdoll. Lexie screamed yet again, but the roaring wind drowned it out. Eventually, the back of the plane hit the ground, and Lexie blacked out.
"That's how it started. I was awake the entire time. So was Mark. We got up, and Arizona woke up. She realized what was happening, and began screaming her head off. I realised that Meredith, Derek and Lexie weren't there, but I realised that Meredith was just a couple of yards away. I woke her up, and I told her that Derek and Lexie were missing." Said Cristina. Callie looked on in horror.
"We tried to get sense of where they were, but Arizona wouldn't stop screaming…I may have told her to shut up." Said Cristina. Callie looked shocked.
"You told my wife to shut up? On the scariest day of her life?" Said Callie.
"Ignoring that comment. As soon as Arizona was quiet, we heard a banging noise. Mark, Meredith and I went to investigate." Said Cristina.
"You just left my wife there?" Shouted Callie
"We thought she was fine!" Cried Cristina
"Yeah, and you thought Mark was fine too, didn't you? But no, now he's on frickin' life support, Cristina!" Shouted Callie.
"You've obviously reached the second stage of grief. Anger. I realise that you are under a lot of stress, Callie. But you weren't on the plane. I was! So I'm sorry if my first instinct was to go find survivors. Now let me continue." Said Cristina. Callie was silent, so Cristina continued.
"We found the back of the plane in a clearing. Lexie was pinned under the wreckage. One look at her, and I knew she was terminal. Mark was in denial. At that point, Meredith went off to go find Derek, so Mark and I tried to lift the plane off her, but it was no use. Mark sent me to go get supplies, but I knew it wouldn't help. I said goodbye to Lexie, and went back to the fuselage." Said Cristina. Even though Callie had heard the story many times, it still made her heart pang knowing how Mark must have felt.
"So, I went back to the fuselage, and I immediately realised why Arizona was screaming so much. Her tibia was poking out of her leg. We tied a tourniquet and splinted her leg, and then I checked on the pilot, Jerry, who claimed he had lost feeling in his leg." Said Cristina.
"Meredith came back, and we decided she should say goodbye to Lexie before she died. But as soon as we got there, and saw Mark sobbing into the plane, we knew we were too late. Meredith began crying hysterically, and Mark went catatonic. Hence the tamponade." Said Cristina. Callie began to sob again
"So, Meredith and I went looking for Derek. We soon found him, with his hand injured. We stabilized his hand, and then, I may have screamed at Mark to help." Said Cristina. Callie glared at her again.
"I didn't know, alright? I have PTSD, I'm not good in those situations!" Cried Cristina.
"You were a good man in a storm, Cristina. You tried to help everyone. You splinted Arizona's leg, you did the pericardiosentesis on Mark, you stabilised Derek's hand, you even helped that pilot guy…Gary?" Asked Callie.
"Jerry. His name was Jerry." Said Cristina bitterly
"Right. Do continue." Said Callie.
"Anyways, we realised that Mark had a tamponade, we did the procedure, and we brought him back to the fuselage. We heard a helicopter, but the flare gun didn't work, so we were stranded. In the middle of the night, we ran out of matches…" Said Cristina, and she paused.
"Why did you stop?" Asked Callie.
"Well, um…this is where is gets really graphic." Said Cristina.
"I'm a surgeon, Cristina. I can handle it." Said Callie. Cristina took a deep breath in.
"Mer, my gum's gone stale." Moaned Cristina.
"Deal with it." Grumbled Meredith. But then, a sound that fully awakened everyone emerged from the forest. It was a wolf's cry.
"I'm really hoping that was just a deer." Whispered Arizona.
"Just think. We're more likely to become food then we are to find it." Said Derek.
"Thank you, Derek, I'm still content in believing that was a deer." Said Arizona.
"There could be bears out here." Cried Meredith.
"A little optimism wouldn't hurt." Mumbled Arizona, but she was cut off yet again.
"Alright, no-one can fall asleep. Arizona, you've got to make sure Mark does not fall asleep. If he does, he could die. Derek, wake up!" Screamed Cristina, as Derek mumbled yet again.
"Meredith, keep Derek up." Said Cristina. But Meredith had nodded off too.
"Meredith!" Yelled Cristina. Meredith awoke abruptly.
"Stop yelling, Cristina, my ears are thumping." Said Meredith. Cristina looked at Meredith. She definitely seemed out of it.
"Mer, is there a chance you could be concussed?" Asked Cristina. Meredith looked up.
"I don't know, maybe." Said Meredith. Cristina looked at Meredith.
"Meredith, I want you to talk to me. Tell me everything, about the hospital, about your friends or family." Said Cristina. Meredith looked at her, confused. She yawned, and began to talk.
"My name is Meredith Caroline Grey…" Began Meredith. Cristina interrupted her immediately.
"Your middle name isn't Caroline. It's Ellen. Caroline was Lexie's middle name." Said Cristina.
"Right, I got confused. Sorry, I'm tired. I don't even know half the stuff I'm saying." Said Meredith
"Don't stop, go on." Said Cristina.
"Well, I'm twenty-nine years old…I'm allergic to pollen, and I'm married to Derek Shepherd. My dad is Thatcher Grey, and my mom is Ellis Grey. My mom died of Alzheimer's, then my other mom died of the hiccups." Said Meredith
"Mer, you're definitely concussed. You need rest." Said Cristina. Without an argument, Meredith began to doze off. As the wind whipped around the survivors, Cristina allowed her thoughts a trip to Owen. She wondered if she made a mistake in leaving him. She wondered if he was searching for her. Soon, Cristina drifted into sleep.
"All I could think about in that forest was Owen. Owen, my person, and how I was this close to walking away. Then I realised, walking away, and losing him are two separate things." Said Cristina. Callie looked puzzled
"Did you actually come up with that, or was that from one of your inspirational novels?" Asked Callie. Cristina glared at Callie.
"You can't take this lightly, Callie. I was this close to never being able to see him again." Seethed Cristina
"How do you think I felt with Arizona and Mark?" Said Callie. Cristina exhaled and decided to continue the story.
Arizona's Dream
Arizona wasn't in a plane crash. She wasn't coughing up blood. Her tibia wasn't exposed to infection. She was at home, in her apartment, snuggling up with Callie. The morning sun was peaking through their curtain. It was blissful, watching her girlfriend sleep. Arizona wished she could stay like this forever, until Sofia's cry came from her cot. Callie's eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning, beautiful." Smiled Arizona. Callie smiled, and gave Arizona a big kiss. The two got up and went to check on Sofia. Sofia was in her cot, giggling joyfully.
"Good morning, sunshine." Said Callie, lifting Sofia out of her cot. Arizona smiled as she watched. This was her family. The two most important people in the world to her. Callie and Sofia. However, there was a giant crash, and a car smashed through the wall of the apartment. Arizona stepped back in shock, and ducked under the couch in order to block herself from the wreckage. As she opened her eyes, she saw Callie laying on the hood of the car, a bloody and shrivelled mess, like she had been in the accident. Arizona screamed in shock, but then her stomach went cold as she heard a gurgling noise from under the car. Arizona looked underneath the car, and there was Sofia, still and quiet. Arizona quickly proceeded to vomit.
"Everybody, get up now!" Barked a voice, waking Arizona from her sleep. Suddenly, she realised that she wasn't supposed to fall asleep, or Mark may die. But when she saw Mark's chest heaving, she sighed in relief.
"Robbins, run it down for me." Yelled Cristina.
"My tibia is constantly exposed to infection, and I'm coughing up blood, so I expect some internal bleeding. Mark is still critical but stable." Said Arizona. Cristina nodded, and began to walk away.
"Wait, what about Jerry?" Asked Arizona. Cristina looked confused for a moment, and then remembered that was the pilot.
"Oh, right. Jerry, how you doin'?" Called Cristina. No response. Cristina hurled a rock at the cockpit, making a loud metallic sound, but still no response.
"Jerry?" Asked Arizona fearfully. Cristina ran into the cockpit. Jerry lay still and silent. Cristina jabbed Jerry in the leg with a pen. Still no response. Cristina checked his pulse, and there was nothing.
"Darn it. He's gone. Must have died in his sleep." Muttered Cristina. Arizona began to sob, as Cristina exited the cockpit.
"I suspect a haemorrhage. Maybe that's what caused his paraplegia." Said Cristina, but Arizona cut her off.
"This…sucks! Now Jerry's dead! We all dismissed him because we were so worried about saving ourselves and each other, and none of us knew him! We made him our last priority, and now he is dead! Frickin' dead, gone off with Lexie!" Sobbed Arizona.
"Arizona…" Sighed Cristina, but Arizona cut her off.
"You know, he had a wife. And two kids. Now think about how they'll feel when they find out that their dad is dead. Someone has just lost their husband. And it was our fault! As doctors, we need to make it our priority to save everyone we can! We could have saved Jerry, but we didn't because we were soooo worried about Lexie, and Derek, and Mark!" Cried Arizona.
"I'm right here, Arizona." Mumbled Mark. Arizona sighed, but Cristina was silent.
"Don't just stand there! Go do something useful!" Yelled Arizona.
"Arizona, shut up! I hear something!" Yelled Cristina. Arizona was offended. A couple of feet away, Meredith screamed.
"Helicopter! Helicopter!" Meredith screamed. Everyone looked up, and saw the slowly descending helicopter arrive. It landed right near the fuselage.
"We're saved!" Screamed Cristina and Meredith, quickly embracing. Callie leapt out of the helicopter, and went straight for Arizona and Mark.
"Arizona, honey, you're alive! Mark, is he-?" Asked Callie, tears in her eyes
"H-He's alive. Tampenade, but Cristina and Meredith did a pericardiosentesis." Said Arizona. But Callie's eyes were bulging out.
"What happened to your leg?" Shrieked Callie.
"Nothing, just get Mark on a helicopter! He needs help, now!" Screamed Arizona. As Callie loaded Mark onto the helicopter, paramedics loaded Arizona in as well. Bailey jumped straight out of the helicopter, and went to Cristina, Derek and Meredith.
"You're all alright? Thank God, now run it down for me, Yang." Said Bailey. Yang took a deep breath.
"Mark had a cardiac tampenade. Mer and I did a pericardiosentesis. For now, he's stable but critical. Arizona has an open tib-fib compound fracture and is coughing up blood. She needs urgent examination too. Derek's hand is broken and mangled and needs an ortho consult, now! Meredith has a concussion and a head lac, but is otherwise fine. I dislocated my shoulder, but I'm fine too." Said Cristina.
"What about Lexie?" Asked Bailey. Cristina inhaled, and Bailey assumed the worst.
"Oh no." She said.
"She was pinned under the wreckage and had terminal crush injuries. There was nothing we could do. Also, the pilot, Jerry, reported paraplegia straight after the crash, but died overnight of a suspected haemorrhage." Said Cristina.
"Cristina!" Cried a voice. Cristina's heart dropped. And there was Owen.
"Owen…you're here." Said Cristina.
"Quickly, get on the helicopter. Mark and Arizona need emergent surgery." Said Cristina. Meredith and Derek got onto the helicopter, assisted by Bailey. Owen guided a suddenly quiet Cristina onto the plane, and they all took off.
"Wait! We need to get the bodies!" Cried Cristina.
"Don't worry, we got an extra helicopter for that." Said Owen. Cristina smiled. She took one last look at the wreckage and destruction, and then it was out of sight
"And that's that. I'm so sorry, Callie. You've lost a loved one in this crash. But now, even if there is a heaven, Mark can be with Lexie." Said Cristina. Callie nodded, and wiped a tear from her eye.
"You know, we should be thankful. Plane crashes generally have no survivors. In this one, seven went down, four survived. That's what I call overcoming the odds. And by keeping him on life support…I'm keeping him from seeing Lexie." Said Callie.
"Callie, you can take all the time you need." Said Cristina.
"We need to let everyone know. Arizona needs to know. So does Derek. And Sofia needs to see her father one last time." Said Callie. Cristina nodded, and held out her hand to Callie. Callie lay her head on Cristina's shoulder, her eyes red and puffy, and the two walked back into the hospital.
Arizona was eating her dinner. She has chicken casserole and green jelly. Callie walked in.
"This food is disgusting. I thought the point of this place was to heal people, not make them sicker." Said Arizona, followed by a chuckle. Callie didn't laugh. Arizona's smile dropped
"Oh my God, that's your 'something is wrong' face. What happened?" Asked Arizona
"Mark." Said Callie.
"Is everything alright?" Asked Arizona, her eyes light with alarm.
"Earlier this afternoon, while Kepner had you in surgery, Mark began to code. Cristina took him into surgery, but they found out he was septic. By that point there was nothing they could do. He's heading into multi-system organ failure, and he's on life support." Said Callie. Arizona was in shock.
"Now…now Mark's dead too?" Said Arizona, tears forming in her eyes.
"Not dead. Dying. And I want you there to hold his hand when he dies." Said Callie.
An hour later, everyone was gathered around Mark's bed, ready to say goodbye. Meredith, April and Cristina were both crying silently. Webber was silent. He couldn't believe that his old student was dying. Even Bailey was crying in shock. Callie had informed Derek. Derek was obviously still in shock, but he said a tearful goodbye.
"Mark, you have been my best friend all my life. Sure, you made a few mistakes. Like, sleeping with my wife, then sleeping with three of my five sisters. But you've always been there for me. Rest in peace." Said Derek morbidly. Meredith wiped a tear from his cheek and kissed his forehead.
"Mark, we didn't get off to the greatest start. But after Sofia was born, I really knew you were part of my family. You were like my fun big brother, always teaching me how to loosen up and have fun. I know what it's like to lose a family member, and it's not a good feeling. It's like a piece of you has been torn out, and I don't want to have to deal with that feeling again." Said Arizona, tears leaking out of her tiny eyes. She looked at Callie, who was just about to sign the papers to take him off life support.
"And…done." Callie sighed. She had basically just signed a contract to kill Mark. Mark was about to die because of her. In a way, she was happy that he could go be with his one true love, but also unhappy that she would lose him forever.
"Say bye-bye to daddy, Sofia." Said Callie. Sofia, of course, didn't understand, so she just began to giggle.
"Torres, do you want to say goodbye?" Asked Owen. Callie sighed, and sat down at Mark's bedside.
"Mark, I know you can't hear me. But there are so many things I want to tell you. You have been my best friend for three years, and I love you so much. We have a daughter together. You were always there for me. You always found time for me when I was in trouble. And I wasn't there for you on that plane…so I just ask you one thing. Please. Just go on. Be happy with Lexie. That's all I ask. Rest in peace." Said Callie. Most of the people in the room were crying by now.
"W-Wait, I have to say something." Interrupted April. Everyone looked at her.
"I know he isn't here right now…but I'm sure that if Jackson were here, he would be beside himself. Mark was always a great mentor to him. That's all." Said April, stepping back. Bailey stepped to the front of the bed. She looked at Callie as if to ask for permission. Callie nodded. Bailey began to pull all of the tubes out of Mark one by one, leaving only the morphine drip. Everyone waited in silence for five minutes. It was torturous, watching their friend die. Eventually, Bailey leaned over Mark and checked for any signs of life.
"Time of death, 23:51." Said Bailey. And that was it. The death of Mark Sloan.
Sorry to all Sloan fans, but we all should know that Eric Dane is leaving in Season 9, so I thought that it would go something like this, I guess. So yeah!
~~~!TDG!~~~