Title: A Measure of Life

Chapter: Chapter Three – Headlights On Dark Roads

Author's Note: First and foremost, I would like apologize to my readers for taking so long to update this story. I would blame it on writers block and real life getting in the way, but nothing sounds more than a jumble of words trying to find the right excuse. Anyway, after almost five months, I bring you the third chapter. Hopefully, I will begin writing chapter four soon; however, it may be a few more months. At least it's not so evil at the end. Please enjoy, read, and review. Reviews are what make me keep going!

The title, "Headlights On Dark Roads," is a song by Snow Patrol.

viii.

You know how people long to be eternal. But they die with every day that passes... They change, they deny, they contradict--and they call it growth. At the end there's nothing left, nothing unreversed or unbetrayed; as if there had never been an entity, only a succession of adjectives fading in and out of an unformed mass. How do they expect a permanence which they have never held for a single moment?
Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

ix..

"What?" stumbled Meredith.

"His car was struck by two others on the way to the hospital," Derek replied in a weak attempt of being soothing as Meredith drew a sharp breath. "He is currently stable, but we won't know the extent of his concussion until we get the labs back. The patient appears to be suffering from…"

"George. The patient's name is George."

"Not now Meredith. You need to know your boundaries. In this hospital you're a surgeon, first and foremost."

"And he's a person, Dr. Shepherd." With a turn of her heels she walked purposely in the other direction.

x.

The basement of Seattle Grace housed a multitude of unneeded gernies and a mismatched vending machine, a favorite of the faculty. The hallway was softly lit and hid the imperfections of the lower level. One particular figure took refuge in the solitary of the dimmed hallway. Meredith Grey, who sat atop a lone gernie, hugged her knees close and placed her head on them as an insuppressible bubble formed within her chest, Derek's words still ringing in her ears.

Drawing her hand down to the left lab coat pocked, Meredith pulled out a silver cell phone. An indescribable feeling welled within her as the second speed dial was pressed. Meredith sighed, her cell phone pressed against her ear, as a familiar ring sounded. Its mechanic ringing sang in one ear until her own voice appeared on the other end. "You have reached the house of Meredith, George, and Izzie, if you wish to contact one of us please leave a message and we will try to return it as soon as possible. Thanks." A beep echoed through the phone as the intern delivered her message.

Meanwhile at the Grey residence, things were indeed gray, as Isobel Stevens sat at the desolated kitchen table. She starred ahead with blurred vision and continued to do so as a familiar voice spoke from the blinking answering machine. "Izzie, there has been an accident. It's George. His…his car was hit on his way to work this morning. At the moment I've been told he's stable, but results are still pending on what may be a concussion," Meredith paused slightly as Izzie held one hand to her mouth, connected only to Meredith though miles of coiling wire. "I know this is a difficult time for all…for you, but…I think he needs us there, you especially. Please, just…come."

Izzie sat in silence long after Meredith's voice faded. She sat there trying to come to terms with Denny's death and the fact that her best friend was lying in an unknown hospital bed with no one around; she promised herself she would never leave someone she loved to suffer alone, again. Pushing the chair behind her, Izzie Stevens walked through the dark house to the transparent front door. With a slight push she exited the house, holding the helm of her pink gown and a heavy heart.

A heavy heart also resided within Meredith Grey as her cell phone snapped shut. Placing her head against the cold wall, she closed her eyes, deep down knowing there would be consequences for the way she talked to Derek. Drawing a shallow breath she attempted to regroup, if only superficially. However, a pair of fast-paced footsteps interrupted the complex thoughts of the miserable doctor.

"Are you treating the invisible man or is there a patient I can't see?" came the stern voice of Dr. Bailey as Meredith opened her eyes.

She mutely shook her head.

"Then what are you doing down here?" Dr. Bailey added ominously.

"I was just…and then I…" Meredith paused, faltering for a clear answer.

"You were just going upstairs to get Dr. Shepherd his lab results. Right?"

With a resigned nod of the head Meredith reluctantly walked down the hallway toward the stairs, swearing that as she left, she saw Dr. Bailey rub her eyes and sit on the same gernie Meredith had just vacated.

"We live out our lives trying to be the strongest person we can be, a superhero, but eventually we all come to our breaking point, feeling as if each step will be our last," she thought climbing the stairs back to the second floor.

xi.

Dr. Richard Weber stood before the organized clutter that was the OR board. His mind drifted back to the past few hours, how the times had morphed into unbelievable chaos. He thought by doing the prom for his niece he was doing the right thing, but at the current hour of two o'clock, Richard Weber was unsure if his perception of right was actually right.

"A full house," whispered Richard Weber to himself as the sound of footsteps came up behind him.

"I take you have heard about George O'Malley."

"Unfortunately I had heard about Dr. O'Malley. Have you told Bailey yet?"

"No. I doubt that she doesn't already know. We are currently waiting for the test results to come back," sighing the fellow doctor looked from the busy OR board down to his old tennis shoes.

"You're doing all you can, Derek."

"All I can for whom?"

Before Dr. Weber could respond to Derek's comment the head nurse appeared.

"Chief, you are needed in OR 4 immediately."

"Right," replied Richard as he looked back at Derek, staring at his shoes and walked down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Dragging his attention from the floor back to the OR board, he felt a slight brush against his arm. Turning his head toward the doctor dressed in dark blue scrubs next to him, Derek looked directly into the face of Addison.

"Busy day. Do you have any surgeries scheduled because I thought we could maybe get some coffee later and, talk." When Derek didn't respond she continued. "I was wondering where you went last night, after seeing your patient and all. By the way, how is that patient?"

"What? My patient…yes, my patient is doing fine. Addison," Derek began before a familiar figure came into view. "Meredith."

xii.

Isobel Stevens stood before the E.R. wing of Seattle Grace Hospital. She felt out of place dressed in a ball gown while everyone around her was appareled in scrubs. Walking toward the nurse's station, Izzie caught sight of a familiar face, Olivia.

"Olivia," spoke Izzie as a piece of her dress was tightly intertwined between her fingers. "I was wondering if you knew which room George was in."

Giving a distant smile Olivia nodded. "He's right down the hall in room 269."

Holding her dress even tighter, Izzie stayed on the same spot, not moving, hardly breathing. Olivia hesitantly moved toward Izzie.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

Izzie firmly shook her head no before responding. "I wanted to apologize, for the other day. I didn't mean to snap at you so, and…I owe you an apology. I'm sorry." Olivia registered her surprise as Izzie began walking down the hallway.

Clutching the doorknob in her hand, Izzie turned the silver sphere. Room 269 was brightly lit and white, observed Izzie, as she stood in the middle of the door frame. To her surprise George was sitting up in the sterile-looking hospital bed talking to Dr. Callie Torres.

"Izzie!" exclaimed George, to the best of his ability, upon seeing Izzie standing before him. "I wasn't sure if you would find out about the accident or not, but I'm glad you're here." A small smile spread across her lips as she shut the door behind her and walked forward. "Callie was just telling me the extent of my injuries. Apparently I'm in good condition after the collision I had."

"We did a series of x-rays of his wrist and leg, since they were the main areas which were impacted from the crash," holding the x-rays to the light Callie continued as Izzie leaned forward. "He has a minor hairline fracture in his left wrist and a moderate fracture in his ankle. They should heal within the next few days as long as George takes it easy."

Izzie nodded slowly, not saying a word.

"I will be back later to check the healing process and to secure the bandages," said Callie grabbing George's chart before closing the door behind her.

xiii.

Meredith Grey shuffled her feet as she walked down the vivacious hallway which made up the second floor of Seattle Grace Hospital. People filled every surface of the floor, yet she never felt more alone. Every step seemed to stretch the destination standing before her. A deep sigh filled her lungs with air, as she walked towards her temporary destination. Labs firmly grasped between her thin fingers, Meredith lengthened her steps and walked purposely towards Dr. Derek Shepherd.

"Meredith."

She would know that voice anywhere. However, by the look which spread across Addison's face, Meredith could tell that her name was not a subject that should be brought up in casual conversation.

Addison's booming voice echoed through the sterile, white hallway. "Meredith!? Meredith Grey, Derek! There was no patient last night, was there?" He couldn't decide which was worse in her tone, the incredulity, or the desperation. "Well, I guess that would explain the black underwear I found in your jacket pocket, seeing as it is not mine!"

Derek Shepherd's mouth dropped slightly. He starred with disbelief at his wife, whose rage and alarming tone caused everyone around them to pause. His mind searched for the right words to appease her, yet he knew anything he said would be a lie.

Meredith Grey halted in her tracks, not daring to go farther. Standing in the middle of the hallway, she was a perfect target. This she knew, and therefore wasn't surprised when Addison caught sight of her. Meredith watched Addison throw a new set of sharp words at Derek, not retreating from her spot. Sighing once more, Meredith moved her feet once more to her "destination," bracing herself for the onslaught.

"Dr. Shepherd," spoke Meredith as she directed her attention away from Addison, who stared toward her with a disgusted expression. "I have the labs you requested for Mr. O'Malley. It appears that…"

Holding up his hand, Derek silenced Meredith. "Thank you Dr. Grey. I feel that since you are in close relation with the patient you should not be involved…anymore." His eyes went from the shocked look displayed on Meredith's face to the satisfied expression Addison held. "Please go prep Mr. Johnson for surgery. We'll operate today."

Meredith stared at Derek as he took the labs from her hands, and walked in the opposite direction, slowly rubbing his eyes. Exhaling one loud huff, Addison turned and climbed the stairs away from both Meredith and Derek. Following the pathway Derek had just traveled with her eyes, Meredith lowered her head and walked in the direction of her patient's new room. As she walked away from the confrontation, she mentally prepared herself for what was inevitably bound to occur between the infuriated couple.

xiv.

Christina Yang sat on an empty bench on the first floor doing post op-notes for Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd. While filling in the names of the medications her patient was taking, Christina cursed at herself for turning down that hallway. It was right after she had practically run into Meredith in hope of finding a new patient. Instead of finding a patient from the crash on the highway she ended up finding an infuriated doctor in search of an intern. Addison, who at the time was talking to Dr. Bailey, had just taken on a woman who was having severe pelvic pressure when Christina accidentally crossed her path.

"Yang, where do you think you're going in such a hurry?" replied Dr. Bailey. "I thought I told you to watch my heart attack patient."

"I was, but there's nothing more do to with her. Her labs came back negative and everything appears to be stable," said Christina as she slowly began to inch away from her resident. "I was actually hopping I could get a new patient since this one seems to be recovering fine."

"I don't do switches. I assigned you this case and you will stay with this case."

Addison looked at the conversation in front of her, before she decided to interject.

"Dr. Bailey, I have a few cases which need extra assistance."

"Fine. Yang, go with Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, but I still expect to see the post op-notes for my patient."

"Dr. Yang, you're going to do a pelvic exam on a patient of mine in room 439 along with her post op-notes." Christina followed Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd past Dr. Bailey silently cursing herself for falling into Addison's trap.

While Christina Yang recounted the events of the past hour, another figure reminisced over the unfound memories haunting her mind. A body appeared next to Christina, as she continued to write in information regarding her patient not even bothering to look up, followed by a deep sigh.

"What is it?" asked Christina not taking her eyes off the papers before her.

"I didn't say anything," responded the figure.

"Sighing like that obvious means something's on your mind, what is it Meredith?"

"I…It's just that," she began before abandoning the thought altogether.

"What, trouble in paradise?" asked Christina once more with a tense voice.

Meredith's eyes flashed toward Christina, who continued to focus on the papers resting in her lap.

"I would hardly call the situation paradise, seeing as I am not only hated for being a dirty ex-mistress who happened to sleep with her boss even though he is married and…"

"Not everything is about you, Meredith. There are more important things to worry about at the moment, like if Burke will ever be able to operate again. And I still can't believe you slept with Derek."

"What? Oh and Burke has nothing to do with you, right?"

The two friends exchanged intense looks with each other, they both knew that the other was right; however, neither would ever admit it openly. Christina turned her eyes away from Meredith as she turned her attention back toward the papers sitting in front of her, but didn't bother to continue her work. Meredith watched Christina as she pretended to focus back on her "busy" task at hand. That is, until another figure caught her attention.

"Izzie?"

"What? Mere, that makes no sense," Christina inquired.

"No, it's just…"

However, Meredith failed to explain the situation properly to the women sitting beside her before a familiar face in a pink dress appeared.

"Izzie. I…I didn't think you would be here, yet."

"Meredith, when I got the call I got here as fast as I could," stammered Izzie, bringing her eyes to face Meredith. "I came down here looking for a cup of coffee."

"Right."

"I heard Bailey talking about George with Satan," mentioned Christina as she looked at Meredith. "I mean Addison. I haven't seen him all morning. Speaking of which, he was supposed to come in early in order to help out with all the trauma patients. Anyway, how is he?"

Izzie looked at her friends sitting next to her. "He appears to be fine. Callie was there when I arrived and said there were a few fractures. I have yet to hear news from Dr. Shepherd."

"I just passed him in the hall…"

"After such a lovely confrontation."

"…he now has George's lab results. From what I can tell he has a minor concussion and doesn't appear to need surgery."

Grabbing the mess of papers and shoving them into a large unorganized pile, Christina jumped to her feet. Meredith and Izzie exchanged looks as they watched Christina walk toward the elevator. Motioning toward the two doctors sitting side by side, Meredith and Izzie obediently stood up and followed Christina back to the second floor. If there was one thing Meredith knew, it was that they, the five interns, would always be there for each other.

xv.

"Dr. Karev, go prep Mr. Johnson in room 272 and get ready to scrub in."

Alex Karev smiled his famous "evil" grin and walked past Meredith who had left Christina and Izzie, when she heard Derek's voice in the other room talking to Alex. Her thoughts raced as she thought of the reason why Derek would change his mind so quickly. As Meredith moved her foot forward, Derek Shepherd appeared in the doorframe.

"Dr. Grey," he began. "I do believe I requested your service with this surgery; however, since you failed to do what I asked, you are now off this case."

"What! I was currently on my way to go prep Mr…" Meredith paused as her thoughts shifted. "This has to do with Addison, doesn't it?"

Derek did not reply.

"You say medicine isn't supposed to be personal, yet twice today you have taken me off your cases due to personal feelings. How is medicine not personal when you bring every inch of your life into it?"

"Meredith, you must understand that I have to instill peace between Addison and me, and you and me. By taking you off the cases it's the only way to keep that red boundary line drawn."

"Is this a real line or should I get you a marker," mumbled the women, recalling a time when Derek spoke the same words to her. Raising her voice slightly, she continued. "It's been a pleasure working with you Dr. Shepherd. Next time you might want to consider the line you are crossing before sleeping with the enemy."

"Meredith, please."

"Don't Meredith please, me."

Her head turned deliberately away from him, as her footsteps echoed down the hallway, leaving him standing alone in the doorframe.

xvi.

George O'Malley was at number 72. He was at number 72 of his quest to count the tiny dots on the ceiling when the door opened; he had reached number 75 when the door had shut once more. George had realized that being a patient in a hospital was far worse than being a doctor within the restricting walls of a hospital. As a doctor one was allowed to roam the too brightly lit hallways, and it was one's responsibility to treat the patients. However, when one was a patient, George realized, one had to wait for the doctors to diagnose a problem. Physically speaking, George O'Malley hated being a patient, lying in an uncomfortable bed staring at the ceiling.

A large squeaking noise arose from the too small hospital bed.

"There is a perfectly good chair in the corner."

Pushing him over the intruder responded. "Chairs are very uncomfortable."

A small smile appeared on George's face.

"Besides, I figured you could use some company."

"Is it…weird for you to be back since…you know."

"It feels as if I never left, sadly. I have a feeling this hospital has a far greater memory then we do, George. The walls remember everything," the figure chuckled slightly. "Like the time when you preformed your first surgery and were formally dubbed 007."

"Thanks Izzie, for bringing that wonderful memory to the surface."

The two turned and looked at each other with matching expressions. Warm rays of light spread across the room, as the door opened once more. Shuffling footsteps could be heard against the hard floor, before a large groan escaped the lips of the male.

"This is a very small bed, not big enough for three people."

"Shut up George. We're here for you, and this is how we show our support."

"No, no. This is how you pretend to show your support, when really both of you just want to feel better."

"I think he has a point Mer."

Silence blanketed the room, as George feel once more into counting the dots lying above the three figures.

George O'Malley was on number nine, when the two women next to him fell into a fit of laughter. It was at this point, that he decided to let the tiles be, and cherish the moments before him.