Author's Note: Thanks so much for the reviews. I know, the whole Izzie thing was a bit dramatic-but in reality, I needed an excuse to get Meredith on the plane. Now...Read and Review, please!


She heard the sounds-she saw the lights. It still didn't seem real. Meredith sat in the chair at Seattle Grace hospital, scanning faces. So far, she had managed to get by without being recognized, but she knew it wouldn't last long. Toying with her jacket sleeve, she looked down at Elizabeth in her babyseat. "Hey sweetie...are you hungry?"She asked, pulling her out.

"I need to check on her. She's my intern-I'll scrub in if I have to."

Meredith heard the voice coming from the hallway and almost instantly cringed. Bailey.

"I'm sorry Doctor Bailey, but you're too close to the case-"

"Oh, like Shepherd isn't? Fine..But I expect updates on Izzie's condition."She said, walking into the waiting room. Stopping dead in her tracks, she stared at sight before her. "Grey? Is that you?"

Meredith turned her head, nodding. "Hi, Doctor Bailey."

Walking closer, Bailey stared at the child in Meredith's arms. "Well, I may have heard a rumor or two about you comin' back, but I didn't think it was true. What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. Derek...Doctor Shepherd-he came to visit me. And then Burke...Chief Burke-I guess he called him to tell him about Izzie. So here I am."

"So I see. And this is..."Bailey said, sitting next to her.

Looking at her daughter, then at Bailey, Meredith smiled. "This is Elizabeth."

"She's yours?"

"Yeah."

Bailey nodded, for once not giving orders. "How old is she?"

Meredith's heart sunk. She knew once she said how old Elizabeth was, Bailey would know. "She's almost two."

"Almost two, huh? Well, she's a cute little thing."

"Thank You, Doctor Bailey."Meredith said, sighing.

"She's Shepherd's, isn't she?"Bailey asked, protruding the silence.

Without a word, Meredith simply nodded.

Nodding, Bailey felt sympathy for her, becaus being a mother herself, she knew how Meredith felt. "Don't beat yourself up, Grey. You did what you thought was best for your child...that's all you can do."

"I guess so."

"You guess so? Grey, when I was your age, I was going through alot of trials myself as an intern. Granted, I didn't have a kid back then...but I still blamed myself for alot of mistakes. And you know what?...I still do. But we all do. You can't beat yourself up over that."Bailey said, staring at the little girl. "She's beautiful."

"Thank You."

Bailey sighed, standing up. "I'm gonna go see if I can get an update on Izzie. Have you seen the others?"

"Not yet, no."

"Do they know you're here?"

Meredith shrugged.

Nodding, Bailey left the room.


Derek walked into the waiting room to spot Meredith standing with Elizabeth by the wall. "Izzie's in ICU."

Spinning around, Meredith looked concerned. "So she's okay?"

"She will be. I was able to stop the bleeding-there was internal damage, but she's sleeping now. I told her you're here."

"You told her?"

"She saw me...I had to tell her."Derek said.

"Oh."

Derek nodded, walking towards them. "I could watch her...or you could put her in the hospital daycare."

"Why?"

"Well, I assumed that you wanted to go see Izzie. But if you think it's too soon-"

"I don't even know how long I'm here. I guess now is as good a time as any. But wait...I'm not...family."Meredith said, growing sad.

He understood. "She asked that noone notify her mother...so you, Cristina, George and Alex...you all are her family."

"Okay. Are you sure?...I mean, I can't just show up there in ICU, wanting to see Izzie. Everyone will be there...there'll be questions-"

"Then deal with them. Mer...they miss you, too. So go."

Knowing that she couldn't wait forever, Meredith decided that she'd go.


"So what?...we can't all go in there at once."George said.

"Well one of us has to...we're taking our lunch, and Iz is in there"Alex said.

She heard them...and it brought her back. She was just outside the ICU, and was beginning to feel that maybe she made a mistake. They wouldn't just forgive her. They wouldn't let her walk in. Opening the door, Meredith watched their expressions change.

"You're back?"Cristina asked.

"I had to come. Please...don't hate me."

George walked towards her, hugging her tight. "You're back. You're here and..."He pulled back. "You're back?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "She here, isn't she?"

Meredith sighed, looking into Izzie's room. "So, I know we have catching up to do but...one of us has to go in there."

"And what-you want it to be you?"

"Cristina!"George blurted, looking over at her.

"What?...I just don't think Meredith should be the first to see Izzie. She can't just-show up with her kid and expect to be given special treatment. We have protocol to follow here."

"Wait-"Alex said, still processing what Cristina had said. "You've got a kid?"

Meredith nodded, knowing that some resistance was to be expected. "I thought everyone knew by now. After-"

"After one day on a whim, you suddenly decide to write McDreamy and tell him he has a kid?"

"Cristina, why are you so bitter about it? Don't you think she's been through enough?"George asked

Cristina nodded, sighing. "I know. But it's-God, Mer...you never call or anything? I was supposed to be your...person. Okay, yeah-that sounds really bad out loud."

Meredith knew what she meant. And it hurt. Coming back wasn't easy, she knew that. George was surprisingly defensive to her, and for that she was grateful. Alex was quiet, and Cristina for once seemed to be emotional.

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know. And I appreciate it."Meredith said, sighing. She was thinking about all the times they had had, and the ones she had surely missed. It hurt to know that she had missed so much, that because she chose to run meant that she lost the best friends she'd ever had.

They all exchanged glances and decided that Alex should be the one to go in first, because he was her boyfriend. George got paged and had to leave, but Cristina went in next with her regards. It ended up being a short visit, because she had to leave, too. Meredith stood in the doorway, finding herself being brought back again. There, in the hospital bed, was Izzie.

She was the one who had argued with George over bedrooms, she was the one who had complained with her over men, who had woken up early just to make breakfast. She was the one who had gotten them to decorate at Christmas, because she was excited. She was Izzie.

Taking a deep breath, Meredith walked into the room. "I'm not sure what to say to you. I should have a million things to say to you. But I don't. I can't...I can't think of anything."

Izzie stirred a little in her bed, but still didn't wake up.

"I'm sorry. Okay? That's what I have to say. I'm sorry. For everything. For...leaving. For not telling you that I had a kid. For leaving you when you needed a friend."Meredith said, finding herself wiping away a tear. She was focused on Izzie, and didn't hear the door open. "I've made mistakes. I know that more than anyone esle does. And-I'm sorry. I want Elizabeth to know who her mommy's friends are...not that we're still friends or anything. You don't owe me that much. But I really am sorry, Izzie."

A hand reached out, handing her a tissue. Looking up, her eyes met Derek's. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Will she be okay?"Meredith asked in a tiny voice.

"She'll need to stay here to heal, but she should be."

It was all she needed to hear, and she felt her defences melting away. Along with them, her excuses. Izzie needed her, and until she was sure she was okay, Meredith wasn't leaving.