Sypnopsis:
"If I don't say this now, I will surely break…and I'll look after you." With Izzie, Meredith, Cristina and Alex about to enter their second-year residency and George repeating his internship, it seems like things are finally settling down at Seattle Grace Hospital, right? WRONG! With troublesome interns, flaring tempers, new doctors and explosive confrontations, our favorite characters discover that this is only the calm before the storm. Because someone in the group is hiding a devastating secret from them all…
A.N.: A huge apology for not updating sooner! This chapter has caused me a bit of a writer's block, since my muse decided to take a vacation right after I finished finals. I'll be updating more (I promise)! Anyhoo, enjoy this chapter; I know I did…
Previously on Grey's Anatomy:
-Dr. Alex Karev: I just don't want to subject the woman I love to stay by my side if I follow down my father's path. I certainly can't expect you to do that for me. You deserve so much more than I can give you.
-Ava: You became a doctor…somebody who spent years to learn the art of healing has something good inside of him.
-Helen: Derek, from what you said, I can tell how much you love this Meredith. But I know from experience; loving someone isn't always easy. And I know that if you love this woman so much, you'll be willing to do anything for her. Tell her how much she means to you; but give her a push in the right direction.
-Dr. Meredith Grey: I want to open up to you, I really do. But the thing that you have to understand about the dark and twisty Meredith is that she's going clam up and want to deal with things in her own little way. I'm always going to fight the urge to run and hide.
-Dr. Derek Shepherd: I've always been there…and I'm never going to leave.
-Dr. Cristina Yang: So this is it? The end of a relationship that has seen more than a fair share of setbacks? We're just going to pretend that we never met?
Love, along with medicine, saves lives. As doctors, we don't like to believe that. We choose to believe that our skill was the only factor that helped the patient survive surgery. But even we can't deny that love has helped produce miracles. Sometimes, however, that very love has the capability to wreck lives. Relationships are destroyed, sometimes beyond repair. But as they say, we can't control our destiny…
Meredith snuggled up to Derek, listening to his deep breathing. She kissed his lips, feeling a smile spread across her face. He wrapped his arms around her, groaning in contentment. Derek cracked one eye open, a lazy smile tugging at the corner of her lips. After a few minutes of playfulness, they rolled out of bed. "Damn," he mumbled. "My shift starts in half an hour…what I wouldn't give to spend the whole day in bed with you." He looked at her with an impish grin as Meredith chuckled and threw a pillow at him. "You wish," she giggled. "Chief is going to…" She stopped suddenly, her hand flying to her mouth.
Brushing off Derek's look of concern, she flashed a dazzling smile at him. "I'm okay, before you can ask. I just felt nauseous for a second." Stroking her cheek, he pulled Meredith against his chest. "I can ask Richard for a day off. If you're feeling sick, you shouldn't go to work." She gently pushed him away. "No way! I'm a resident now, with my own interns to keep out of trouble. I can't afford to skip the day. They need to learn…"
Derek grinned at her look of determination. "Okay…get in the shower. It'll make you feel better. Meanwhile, I'll go make breakfast."
Thirty minutes later, the couple was piled into Meredith's car and driving towards the hospital.
Izzie stood in the locker room, changing into her white lab coat. She stroked her embroidered name, feeling nostalgic. All around her, people were getting hooked up, while she felt like she was drowning in an ocean of misery. She missed Denny, but she found herself pining more for George. Her best friend had avoided her like the plague ever since her confession, and Izzie fervently wished she could turn back the clock to simpler times. She jumped when Callie barged into the room in a raging bad mood. Does she know? Izzie swallowed involuntarily, remembering the time when the chief resident had threatened to beat Meredith up. Luckily, Meredith had had Izzie to protect her, but now she was totally alone.
When Callie gave her a withering glance, she smiled shakily. "Good morning, Dr. Torres." Watching the other doctor carefully, Izzie breathed a sigh of relief when Callie grunted a response. "Dr. Stevens…what's going on with you and George? I thought he'd be glad to have you as his resident, but he was in a raging bad mood yesterday. Did something happen between you guys?"
Not knowing what to say, Izzie could only shrug. "I don't know; maybe he's just pissed about repeating his intern year. Anyways, I've got to do rounds with my interns, so…you know, have a great day breaking bones or something."
Before her burning face could give her away, Izzie hurried out of the locker room, cringing as she felt Callie's intense gaze following her.
George slammed his fist against the elevator wall, grateful that there wasn't anyone around to witness his uncharacteristic behavior. Wincing in pain, he rubbed his sore knuckles and slumped to the floor, gripping his head. Why, oh why, did life have to be so complicated for him? Not only did he have to repeat his intern year, he had to do it with Izzie as his boss! What the hell had the chief been thinking, assigning his former best friend to his intern group? It was bad enough that he couldn't seem to stop fantasizing about her day and night, but now he had to work with Izzie. Sighing, he got up as the elevator chimed cheerfully, announcing his arrival on the surgical floor. As he got off the elevator and walked up to the nurses' station, he suddenly stopped in shock when he recognized one of the figures. "Mom?!" he called out in confusion. His mother turned around, a grin spreading across her face as she took in the sight of her son.
"Oh, Georgie! Don't just stand there; come and give your mother a big, warm hug!" He laughed and enveloped her in his arms, burying his head in her shoulder. She cupped his face in her hands and looked at him straight in the eye. "Young man, you and I need to talk."
His throat suddenly tight, George suddenly had an overwhelming urge to tell his mother about his situation with Izzie. Maybe she could help him gain perspective and sort out his feelings. After all, he needed to tell someone his problems before he cracked from the strain.
Turning the corner, he stopped by the supply closet. "Here, Mom. We can talk privately in here." Noticing his mother's dubious glance, he chuckled, remembering her fetish with sanitation. "Don't worry, its very roomy and clean in there." Taking her hand, they walked into the cramped but comfortable space. What he didn't see was Callie, standing right outside the door.
Meredith ran into the bathroom and threw herself frantically into a stall, closing the door just in time. In the next second, she was bent over the toilet bowl for the third time in less than an hour. She had barely gotten through rounds before the nausea had made its pressence known. Retching miserably, she barely heard the bathroom door open.
"Mere! Are you in there?" Her best friend's voice echoed loudly to her, causing her to groan and continue throwing up. She heard Cristina sigh. "Your intern tracked me down. Told me to look out for you because somebody looked like they had been through the wringer." Cristina chuckled. "Bet you and McDreamy had naughty reunion sex last night. Oh, everybody knows that you guys hooked back up. By the way, did you know that the new cardio head is an arrogant, bull-headed asshole? He keeps calling me Burke's playmate! In front of my interns, too. God, I hate him!" She stopped her rant when Meredith emerged, her face as pale as alabaster and cold sweat trailing down into her scrubs. Cristina stared at her best friend, shocked into silence. "You look like hell, Mere!" When she received a withering glare, she shrugged. "It's true! What the hell did you guys do last night?" Realization dawned on her as she remembered the last time Meredith had been puking her guts out. Cristina released a shaky breath, taking her best friend's hand in a comforting grip. "Oh, my God…are you pregnant?!"
Meredith raised her frightened eyes at Cristina before she suddenly burst into tears. "I don't know!" she wailed in despair. "I've already thrown up three times this morning! Seriously, what am I going to do?! I don't think I'm pregnant."
The Asian doctor looked at her with sympathy. "You've got to get yourself checked out. Maybe you just have a really bad case of the stomach flu-" Meredith abruptly wrenched her hand away and ran back into the toilet. As she started vomiting again, Cristina smirked. "Oh, right. You're so not pregant." After Meredith was done, she took her gently by the arm. "I'll talk to Dr. Ko for you. She's the new OB/GYN head, and she'll give us an answer." Hugging her trembling friend, Cristina managed a smile. "It'll be okay, Mere…"
George felt his Mom's piercing gaze on him as he shifted uncomfortably. He cleared his throat. "So, Mom…how have you been? Ronnie and Jerry okay?"
His mother nodded. "Everyone's okay. But George, is it true that you married Callie? I was just talking to Chief Webber, and he said that you guys got married in Vegas? How come nobody told me? I should have been there for my son's wedding. Lord knows your father would have wanted to see you marry someone that you love."
George hung his head, feeling like a kid who had been caught stealing cookies out of the cookie jar. "Mom, I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing. There just wasn't time to call everybody up by the time Callie and I decided to elope to Vegas."
Louise O'Malley studied her son carefully. His face was lined with fatigue, but one look at the miserable grey eyes told her that George was carrying more than guilt for not telling her that he was married. When she gently tilted his head and forced him to look at her, George continued to avoid her gaze. Heaving a sigh filled with anguish, he finally shoved his trembling hands into his scrub pants and decided to confide in his mom. With tears flowing down his face, he took a deep breath, terrified about her reaction. "Mum…I did something horrible, and I need to know what to do. I got into a fight with Callie a while ago, and I was questioning my marriage. I went over to Meredith's to talk to Izzie, and apparently, we had a one night stand."
Hearing his Louise's gasp of dismay, George hung his head. "I was so mad at myself for cheating on my wife. But that's not even the hardest part. I…I think I'm falling for Izzie. Oh, God! Mom, I don't what to do." He collapsed against her shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. His mom tousled his hair and sighed. "George, I'm not going to say that what you did wasn't wrong. It was a terrible and unfaithful thing to do to Callie. You broke your sacred vow to her. But Georgie, do you know why your father and I lasted for 40 years? Yes, bless his heart, our marriage wasn't perfect and we had our share of arguments. But what kept us going was that we knew that we loved each other. Despite his faults, I cherished him from the day I met him until the moment he took his last breath."
George hugged his mother closely, gently wiping away the tears that were forming as she spoke. Cupping his face in her hands, Louise's eyes hardened as she drove home her point. "Baby, a successful marriage isn't a one way street. If either one of you doesn't love the other enough, it's not going to work out. In other words, if you're pining for Izzie, then you can't possibly love Callie enough to do her justice. I trust you…I've raised you to be a good man with the right morals. And I know, without a doubt, that you'll make the best decision that you can under these circumstances. Don't worry, son. An answer will come to you; just follow your heart."
As Louise hugged a weeping George, little did she know that her daughter-in-law was standing right outside the supply closet. Callie angrily swiped away the tears that were falling. Her world had just shattered before her eyes, but she'd be damned if she let go of George without a confrontation with Izzie Stevens. Clenching her fists and squaring her shoulders, she stalked towards the elevators, determined to find the blonde resident.
Mia put away the transducer and smiled sympathetically as Meredith leaned over the examination bed and vomited again into the trashcan. As she started printing the pictures, Meredith groaned miserably, her face pale and shining with a layer of sweat. "Well, Dr. Grey, it appears you're pregnant, but I'm pretty sure you deduced that yourself. Your obstetric ultrasonography tells me that you're 8 weeks pregnant. Congratulations! If you don't mind me asking, who's the father?"
Cristina, eyes glowing with triumph, took the initiative. Grinning like the Chesire Cat, she announced loudly, "McDreamy!" Noticing Mia's look of confusion, she elaborated. "Dr. Derek Shepherd. Head of Neuro. They've been dating for about a year." When Meredith groaned and elbowed Cristina in the ribs, she protested. "What?!"
Laughing, Mia handed Meredith the sonogram pictures. "Well, once again, congratulations. By the way, you might want to let this Dr. Shepherd know that's he going to be a daddy." Turning around to leave, she missed the look of panic that flashed across the resident's face.
When the exam room door closed, Meredith whipped around to face Cristina. "Holy shit…I'm really pregnant. Oh, my God! I'm McPregnant. How could this happen to me!" Hearing her friend's wails, Cristina was shocked. "Whoa, hold it! Meredith, you're nurturing the ultimate sign of love between you and McDreamy. You're going to be a mother, and you're gonna have to grow up. Like you told me once a long time ago, this baby is innocent, and it deserves every chance it can get to live its life. Now, you're going to get your ass off that bed, march upstairs, and tell Derek the good news. You have an obligation to protect the growing human inside of you. And you know what? I know for a fact that you and Shepherd are going to make damn good parents." Handing Meredith a tissue to wipe her face and helping her off the bed, Cristina smiled and hugged her best friend. "You're going to have a McBaby." Laughing, Meredith playfully swatted Cristina's head, the panic attack receding as they walked over to the elevators.
Just as Callie was about to give up and confront George first, she saw Izzie walking out of the on-call room, heading for the elevators. Just as the doors were closing, Callie barged in and blindly pressed a floor button, while Izzie continued scribbling on a notebook. Raising her head, she gave a start when she saw Callie. Before she could open her mouth, the older woman raised a hand. "No, let me talk first." Noticing that Callie's voice shook with barely controlled anger and just a hint of sadness, Izzie's heartbeat jumped erratically. Does she know? Did George tell her? She swallowed, her face suddenly feeling flushed. Nodding, she gestured for the Chief Resident to start talking.
"Stevens, remember that conversation we had less than a month ago? In this elevator? I asked you, no…begged you, to give me my husband back. Little did I know that I raised this issue too late." Seeing Izzie's panicked look through a curtain of tears, Callie choked out her words. "I overhead George telling his mother. About your one night stand." She spat out the words, hurt and beyond disappointed at her husband. "I thought we could be friends after Cristina's wedding planning forced us to acknowledge each other. But, God! You slept with another woman's husband! How can you sleep at night, knowing you wrecked your best friend's marriage?!" Ignoring the younger woman's expression of shame, Callie shook her head. "I'm not going to jeopardize my career over this, but know this…I hate your guts!" Seeing that the elevator had reached a floor, she hurried off, but not before snarling over her shoulder, "I hope you burn in hell, you treacherous bitch!"
Izzie crumpled to the floor, sobbing as the elevator doors closed. Ever since she had slept with George, she had dreaded the day that Callie would find out about their affair. Somehow, she had always expected that Callie would be angry enough to want to break her bones. But as Izzie shook from the force of her tears, she found that this civilized confrontation had only made her feel a hundred times more guilty.
Getting off on the surgical floor, Meredith's throat tightened as she immediately spotted Derek chatting animatedly with Mark. The two best friends were howling in laughter, Derek's eyes shining in contentment. Feeling a nudge from behind, she turned around to stare into the eyes of her now impatient best friend. Cristina gently pushed her, "Go tell your knight in shining whatever…go on!" Her legs suddenly feeling like jello, Meredith forced herself to walk towards the chuckling friends. Turning around, Derek spotted her, a radiant smile spreading across his eyes. "Meredith!" Clutching his hand tightly, she nodded at her friend. "Good afternoon, Mark."
Pausing for a second, she accepted Derek's kiss, sighing as she stroked his cheek. "Derek, I've got to tell you something." When his eyes suddenly became concerned, she hurried on. Oh, what the hell! "I'm pregnant!" she blurted out before she could lose her nerve. Barely noticing that Mark's jaw had dropped to floor, she concentrated on Derek. His look of shock suddenly changed to a excited yell. "Are you serious?! I'm going to be a father! Oh, my God!" Lifting Meredith up, he swung her around and around, laughing as Mark began whooping. Serenading her with enthusiastic kisses, Derek hugged Meredith closer and whispered, "Thank you…" Still holding her around the waist, Derek addressed their now boisterous coworkers. "Drinks tonight at Joe's are on me!" Tuning out the loud cheers, the happy couple stared at each other, realizing that this was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
However, the world turned upside down when a thunderous voice broke through the noise.
"MEREDITH GREY! DEREK SHEPHERD! Don't move!"
Meredith whipped around, horror stealing her breath away as she recognized the voice. Is that Finn? Her mind whirled as she took in the ragged and deranged appearance of her ex-boyfriend. His eyes gleamed with dementia, but what made her heart stop was the shining silver gun he clutched desperately in his right hand. Beside her, Derek stood frozen as well, his trembling hand gripping Meredith's in a protective grasp. His breathing was shallow; not that she could blame him. At this rate, Meredith felt like she could pass out at any second. She watched Finn carefully, hoping this was all just a bad nightmare that she could wake up from.
Beside her, Mark, Cristina and the assorted staff could only stare in shock as the danger unfolded. Standing behind the admit desk, Mark tripped a silent alarm for the police, desperately trying to look discrete.
"You took her away from me, you bastard!" Finn was shouting. "My life was perfect when Meredith was in it. She gave me a reason to live, but you? You just wanted a good playmate, somebody who would cling to you like a faithful puppy dog. But ever since she chose you, I've lost my practice and the love of my life! You have everything, while I have no reason to live!"
Meredith gasped, and she tried desperately to find encouraging words that would get them out of this mess. "Finn, I…" She abruptly shut her mouth when his eyes turned an even darker shade of blue, insanity raging just below the surface. "SHUT UP!" he bellowed in rage. The gun he held in his right hand wavered unsteadily as he pointed it in Derek's direction. "You took her away from me…and you're going to pay for that!"
Derek closed his eyes, trying to prepare for the inevitable. He dimly heard Meredith and Mark scream, "NO!" But when the gun went off with a deafening bang, he felt no pain. But he did hear the sickening crack of a skull as it hit the floor. Hesitantly, he cracked his eyes open, afraid to look. What he saw next made his breath leave him in a explosive whoosh.
Meredith lay crumpled by his feet, blood blossoming across her chest.
You're in my arms,
And all the world is calm,
The music playing on for only two.
A life goes by,
So close together,
And when I'm with you,
So close to feeling alive.
Romantic dreams will stop,
So I bid mine goodbye and never knew,
So close was waiting, waiting here with you.
So close to reaching that famous happy end, How could I face the faceless days,
And now, forever I know,
All that I wanted to hold you,
So close…
Almost believing this was not pretend,
Now you're beside me, and look how far we've come,
So far, we are so close.
If I should lose you now?
We're so close,
To reaching that famous happy end.
And almost believing this was not pretend,
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are,
So close,
So close.
And still so far…
-Jon McLaughlin, So Close
So sorry for the cliffhanger, but I felt that this was an appropriate place to end the chapter! Like it, love it, hate it? In the next chapter, we'll find out what happens to the lovable doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital. I forsee an update really soon, but please review (it gives me inspiration)!