You Might Die Trying
A.N: So yeah, thank you for all of the awesome reviews for the last chapter! I'm really happy that people are enjoying this story. So, at the end of this chapter… there is a little bit of violence… so just consider yourself warned.
Also, big thanks to those of you who always review – you know how much to rocks – so thank you.
Also, check out Trapeze, The Great Escape (updated with Ch. 15), and All My Defenses
Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy… if I did… there would be a lot of things different.
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Chapter 9: New York Minute
"In a New York minute,
everything can change.
In a New York minute,
Things can get pretty strange."
- The Eagles
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Dr. Miranda Bailey was tired. Tired and annoyed at the elevator that was moving at a snail's pace. Between a baby, a husband, and a job, she had barely had any time for herself. Nothing, not even a single second to think about what she might like to do rather than been in this hospital, dealing with her interns. Her interns that were always the ones getting into trouble; the interns that always had trouble surrounding them. It was like it was their calling card. Wherever they went, there was always some kind of mess for her to clean up. They were trouble, but they were hers. They were her trouble-making interns, and she was damn proud of them.
The elevator finally chimed and the doors opened, allowing those already riding to step off and for those wanting a ride to step on. She took a few steps forward and entered the elevator. Luckily, no one else was on and she had a moment to herself. A free moment to think about anything she wanted, but all she wanted to think about was her interns, her selfish, greedy, surgery-loving interns. She knew that she had lucked out with them, that even though they did cause problems, they were still the brightest of the entire group.
The chime of the elevator interrupted her thoughts again and the doors opened, creating room for her to step out onto the main floor. She walked slowly out of the elevator and began to make her way towards the cafeteria, but stopped when she saw her interns flooding the emergency room desk, which was strange because they were supposed to be off tonight. She picked up the pace and made her way over towards them, when she got closer she noticed that two were missing. Grey and Stevens.
"What are you fools doing back here?" Bailey asked even though she was afraid of their answer. "Don't you understand the meaning of a break? Of your shift being over? Of going home?"
George shuffled nervously beside Cristina and Alex. His eyes fixated on the floor. He looked up briefly and cast Cristina and Alex an anxious glance before returning his gaze to the floor.
Bailey took another step closer to them and sniffed the air, wondering if they were all drunk. "Did you not understand me?"
"Dr. Bailey," George started. "Izzie called us. There's been some sort of accident."
Bailey blinked. "What kind of accident?"
"McDreamy was unconscious at Meredith's house," Cristina blurted out without thinking.
Bailey stared at Cristina, amazed. She always said whatever she wanted and had no problem being blunt about what she thought. She didn't seem to care about how her words affected those around her. Bailey turned her gaze towards George and Alex, noticing that George was fidgeting more than usual, and then continued. "Is he alright?"
"We don't know," George said softly. "Izzie called us."
"Stevens found him?" Bailey asked, trying to hold the surprise from her voice. "Where is Grey?"
George shrugged. "Izzie said she wasn't there."
Bailey took a deep breath and tried to collect her thoughts. Meredith should have been with Derek. He wouldn't have left her alone somewhere. Not now, not with everything that had been going on. She looked worriedly at the ambulance bay doors before returning her stare to her interns. "Karev, page the Chief and make sure there is a room ready for Dr. Shepherd when he gets here."
Alex scurried away, not bothering to argue. George and Cristina shifted uncomfortably in front of Bailey, both unsure of what to say or do.
Bailey gave Cristina and George a once over. "Are you two too drunk to work?"
They both shook their heads, choosing to remain silent instead of speaking.
"When did Stevens call?" Bailey asked as the tension inside of her mounted.
"Five minutes ago," George answered, his voice betraying him.
Bailey looked at George. She could see the fear in every line of his face. "Can you handle this?"
George nodded. He could do this. All he had to do was pretend that this wasn't one of his bosses, that this wasn't one of Meredith's boyfriend or his friend. This was just another man that happened to get injured. Nothing more.
The sound of sirens stopped Bailey from asking her next question. She motioned for Cristina and George to follow her as she made her way towards the ambulance bay, and for once there was no fighting. Everyone was silent.
The sirens grew louder and they could now see the flashing red and white lights in the distance. He was almost here. Bailey shifted her gaze towards George and Cristina one more time; concerned that one of them was going to crack. She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, knowing that there was nothing she could say or do to help them prepare for this moment. She clenched her fists and thought about how the sleepy hospital was about to awaken because of one very important patient coming through the doors. One of their own. Just like it had been when Burke got shot except for this time there weren't any other victims. This time it was just Derek. This time the injury hadn't been inflicted at the hospital. No, this time it had happened at a home, where someone had meant to hurt him, where he was the target, which made it all the more frightening.
The ambulance rounded the corner and made its way towards the doors. Bailey, Cristina, George and Alex stepped out of the hospital and waited, all seemingly transfixed on that one car that held one of their own inside of it. The ambulance came to a slow stop and the paramedics popped out. Bailey and Cristina moved quickly towards the ambulance doors to greet the paramedics that had been working on Derek in the back.
"What do you have?" Bailey asked as she grabbed a hold of Derek's gurney to help him out of the ambulance.
"40 year old male, closed head injury. He was unconscious when found at his girlfriend's house, and not breathing," the paramedic near Derek's head said.
Bailey began to move alongside Derek's gurney as they made their way into the hospital. "Has the bleeding stopped?"
The paramedic squeezed Derek's air bag. "It has. We wrapped the wound lightly."
"But he hasn't woken up at all?" Cristina interrupted, her usual loud voice quiet and reserved.
The paramedic shook his head. "Not once, and we've been unable to get him to start breathing on his own again."
Silence fell over the group as they rushed Derek inside of one of the hospital rooms. Once inside, the paramedics fell out of the way, knowing that there was nothing more they could do. Cristina stepped in instantly to intubate Derek, while George and Alex hooked him up to the monitors. His heart rate was weak, but there. Bailey moved towards the head of Derek's gurney to undress his wound, but she knew that the act was futile. She wasn't going to be able to see anything from the outside.
The door opened, interrupting the silence that had fallen over the room. Cristina pealed her eyes away from Bailey and looked towards the door to see the Chief standing in the doorway, a look of disbelief covering his face. Outside, Cristina could see the crowd that had formed. Nurses and doctors peered into the windows, all wanting to know what had happened to Dr. McDreamy. She could almost hear the speculation now.
The Chief moved towards Bailey. "What happened?"
"Izzie found him," George whispered, still in shock. "He was unconscious."
"Where is Stevens?" The Chief asked as he looked around the room.
Alex saw Izzie running down the hallway towards the room and motioned outside. "She's coming right now."
The Chief nodded, and then began to assess the wound with Bailey, neither wanting to say what they knew it was. Cristina watched as they looked back and forth between each other. Something was wrong. She moved towards the windows and closed the blinds, not wanting the noisy nurses and doctors to see inside any longer, and then returned to the side of Derek's bed. She returned her stare to the Chief and Bailey, frustrated with their lack of communication. "What's going on?"
Bailey looked at the Chief. The Chief gave her a small shake of the head before he turned to leave the room. He made his way quickly towards the door, but was stopped when Izzie came thundering into the room. Ignoring the Chief, she moved immediately to the side of Derek's bed, panting heavily. Her hair messy from the run and the knees of her jeans soaked in his blood. The Chief blinked in acknowledgement of Izzie's presence and then hurried out of the room, leaving Bailey alone with her interns.
"How is he?" Izzie asked, still out of breath.
"He needs an MRI," Bailey breathed. "I'm taking him." She paused, knowing that what she said next was going to cause an argument, but then bit the bullet. "Karev, you're coming with me."
Cristina stepped forward immediately. "That's not fair, Dr. Bailey. We should all be able to go."
Bailey shook her head. "No. You three are staying here. Keep yourselves busy, but you're staying here. I'll page you if I need you." She looked at Alex and motioned towards the door. "Lets go."
Cristina stood numbly as she watched Bailey and Alex push Derek's gurney out of the room. She needed to be there, she needed to be helping. She couldn't be the one not in there helping, she had to be busy.
"What happened, Izzie?" George asked, interrupting the silence.
Izzie stood in the corner of the room, unmoving. She stared at the floor, refusing to meet his eyes, unsure of how to tell them what the police officer had told her.
"Iz, what happened?" George tried again, taking a step closer to his best friend.
Goose bumps scattered across her skin at the memory of Derek's still body on Meredith's bedroom floor. She shivered slightly, but still refused to answer him.
George took another step forward and placed a gentle hand on Izzie's shoulder. "Izzie…"
Izzie continued to look downwards. She shook her head, silently wiling him to stop asking. She couldn't do this with Cristina in the room; she couldn't be the one to tell Cristina what had happened.
George moved his hand under Izzie's chin and forced her head upwards. Her body shook as her eyes met his. He kept his hand firmly underneath her chin and asked again, "Iz, what happened?"
Tears splashed down Izzie's cheeks. "She's gone, George." Her voice broke as the sobs racked her body. "She's gone."
George removed his hand and wrapped his arms around Izzie in a comforting hug, not knowing what else to do or say.
Cristina stirred behind them. "Meredith's gone?"
Izzie nodded against George's chest. "He has her." She breathed in a shaky breath before continuing. "He did this to Derek, and then he took her." A few tears snaked their way down her cheeks. "She's gone."
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The door slammed and the loud thudding of his footsteps echoed in the room, awakening Meredith from her semi-conscious state. She wrestled with the cuffs that were chaffing her skin, but found little satisfaction. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room and she could see different shapes surrounding her. His profile came into her view causing bile to rise in her throat. She didn't want to talk to him. He had killed Derek. Derek. The one man that had ever made her feel like love could really exist. Derek.
"How are you, Dr. Grey?" The man asked as he approached her.
Meredith shuttered. She hated the sound of his voice. She hated the fact that she could recognize the voice, but not place it.
"Answer me," he said firmly.
Meredith remained silent. It didn't matter what happened to her. Derek was dead. He was alone in her house, lying on the floor, unconscious. Dead. Her Derek was gone. Her heart ached at the mere thought and her breathing quickened. She didn't want to die alone. She bit her lip and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.
The man took a few steps closer to Meredith, anger seeping from every pore on his skin. "Answer me," he yelled.
Meredith could feel his body heat. She could hear his labored breath. Meredith took a deep, cleansing breath, and tried to ignore the fact that he was talking to her. She didn't want to talk to him. She just wanted to be left alone. The man moved closer to her, so close that she could feel his breath on her skin. His warm, disgusting breath cascaded across her skin. It reeked of alcohol, and it felt like fire as it hovered over her skin with every breath he took.
He lifted his hand and slapped her, hard. "Answer me."
Tears pricked Meredith's eyes, her cheek burning from the skin-to-skin contact. She gazed upwards at him, unafraid of what he would do next, and said, "No."
He struck her again. "Answer me." A few seconds passed and Meredith had still not answered him, so he hit her again. "Answer me."
Tears tumbled out of Meredith's eyes, leaving damp tracks down her cheeks. The wetness stung her tender skin, which only caused more tears to fall. She breathed in, trying to calm herself, but she couldn't. She couldn't get any air.
The man whipped his hand across her cheek again. "Tell me."
Meredith inhaled sharply at the feeling of his hand across her cheek again. She closed her eyes and tried to think of Derek. Derek and his hands, his lips, his body. Derek's eyes piercing hers. She needed Derek.
The man stood up and moved away from Meredith. "Your mother was right. You will never amount to anything." He paused, a grin spreading across his face. "She regretted having you, and now I know why." He hesitated again, and then moved closer again. "She hated you." He laughed. "I think she'd like me more after knowing what I've done." He stopped laughing and looked down at Meredith before he raised his leg and kicked her swiftly in the stomach. He ground his foot into her stomach and then brought it back down to the ground. "Next time I come down, you better talk." He looked at her one last time before he turned and made his way back up the stairs, leaving Meredith all alone again.
Okay, now…things are getting a little bit heavier in this story… and there is still a lot more to come… so I hope you're still enjoying the ride. I dropped a few more hints about who the crazy guy is… and we have Derek. Poor Derek. He is not doing so well… and I can't really say if he is going to be doing any better soon or not.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I really am trying to update more frequently, along with working on a new fic… that I'm trying to get a head start on so the updates will be more frequent… that fic should be coming out soon. But this one and The Great Escape are my top priorities right now… and there is a lot more to come in both of them. Especially, this one.
Anyway. Really hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always… like it? Love it? Hate it? Curious? Have a guess?
BE KIND. REVIEW.