Meredith had been bent over the operating table since five am and the muscles in her back and neck were tight and achy. An eighteen year old girl named Maeve was in a car accident, head on collision with a drunk driver, and a piece of metal from the car was pierced through her abdomen. Meredith worked all morning to remove the object carefully and repair any damaged organs. Maeve made it through surgery and Meredith couldn't wait to tell her family. After she heard the news about Derek, she had felt so relieved to know he was okay and she wanted to be able to give other families that same relief. She quickly found the worried woman in the waiting room and approached her with a comforting smile.
"Mrs. Charles? Your daughter did excellent in surgery. Her stats are great, do you want to see her?" Meredith watched Maeve's mother as tears of joy slipped down her face and her shoulders slightly lifted as if thousand pound weights had been taken off of them. She showed the woman to Maeve's room and gave her privacy to visit her daughter. She watched as she sat by her daughter's bed and pushed her hair back, gently stroking her face and whispering soothing coos to her. Meredith naturally thought back to seeing Derek for the first time after his accident. She had been so stressed all day that when she finally saw him alive she thought she might explode with happiness and relief. She could only imagine Maeve's mom felt the same way standing above her daughter right now.
Meredith sat outside Maeve's room updating her chart when a familiar slim figure appeared into her view. "Lexie! I thought you went back to New York last night?" Lexie was only in for the weekend to make sure Derek was healthy and that Meredith was handling everything okay.
"I was going to but then Bailey asked me to stay for a surgery so I figured a couple more days couldn't hurt. Plus I really like being back here with you, Derek, and the kids. I've missed so much, Zola knows curse words already!" Lexie's smile was so bright as she told Meredith her good news, Meredith couldn't help but feel bright and shiny. In all honesty, she'd missed her sister and she hadn't realized there had been such a void in her heart until she came back.
"I swear Zola needs to get her mouth washed out with soap! Derek said 'fuck' one time in front of her and suddenly that's the only word Zola knows how to say," Meredith said with a hearty laugh. "But I'm really glad you're staying Lex, it won't totally suck having you around a bit longer." Meredith felt happiness and hopefulness course through her veins. Between all the fights with Derek about going to DC and Derek kissing Renee and then Derek almost dying, Meredith forgot what it was like to be happy and relaxed. She feared that once things really settled down her marital problems would resurface but she thought the fights and the issues wouldn't be so bad if Lexie was around. Lexie ALWAYS had this childlike, innocent giddiness to her as if nothing could truly bring her down.
When Mark died, Lexie was crushed, even more heartbroken than when her mother died. It was probably the only time Meredith had seen Lexie so dark and twisty in the years she'd known her. Very shortly after Mark died Lexie left for New York City to do her fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital. She said she needed time away from Seattle because it brought her too much heartache to stay. At the time Meredith thought she was being irrational but after her experience with Derek's accident she could picture herself moving away if Derek hadn't made it. Of course they had kept in touch with Lexie, Zola begged Meredith and Derek to call her every single night right after she left. But as the months passed, they spoke less and less as they became busier with their changing lives. Meredith had been so wrapped up in her own crap with Derek she hadn't even thought to check in on her sister and see how her fellowship was going or how she was handling her grief or if she started having sex again regularly. She made a silent promise to herself to get to know Lexie again and try harder to keep in touch.
Their conversation was cut short when Lexie's pager blared. "Bailey 911. Ugh, gotta go! I'll see you at home, Mer." She quickly sprinted down the hall to the ORs, leaving Meredith alone once again. Meredith watched her sister go before heading to the lounge to get her stuff and head home to her gorgeous husband and kids.
