"Thank you for your help, Dr. Kerev." Erica said.
"Any time, Dr. Hahn." He nodded and finished scrubbing out. He dried his hands and picked up his pager and cell phone. "Let me know how he does."
Erica nodded glancing at the young doctor. "Ever talk to Grey?"
"No." He sighed. "I don't know where she is. Lately things have been a little strained at the house. She probably just forgot." He shrugged.
"Forgotten or not. There will be consequences." Erica said shaking her head. "I know you all have been going through hard times, but it doesn't excuse not showing up for work."
"I'm sure she'll show up." He assured her turning on his phone.
"I hope so." She nodded and walked out.
He returned his eyes to his phone. "One voicemail" blinked on his phone. He hit play and brought it to his ear.
"One new message. Today, twelve sixteen." The recording said telling him the time the message was recorded.
"Hey, Babe…" Meredith's voice came. Then there was a pause as she took a deep, shaky breath. "God…I'm not ready to do this. I love you so much, please remember that. As you probably know, I'm not coming into work today, and when you come home, I won't be here. There's something I have to take care of. Hopefully… I'll be back in a few months. Why and where doesn't matter right now. Just, know I love you more than anything." Her voice was quivering, and he could tell she was trying to hold back tears if not crying.
He leaned back against the sink as she shock set in. His hands shook slightly as he stared at the phone. The recording was telling him to press a button to save, delete, or replay the message. Slowly, he hit the number five button and brought the phone back to his ear. The message replayed. Once again he hit the button. Each time, his motions and thoughts became more and more frantic as if, if he listened to it one more time it would change. But it didn't.
--
The air was chilly as to be expected in New York during the fall/winter months. Pulling her luggage behind her, her eyes swept the area looking for her brother. Finally her eyes settled on him. He was leaned up against his expensive car looking at his phone. Wiping remnants of the tears, that she had been crying over the last five or six hours, from her eyes, she walked over and stood before him. His eyes wondered up and fell to his phone again. Doing a quick double take, he stood up straighter snapping the phone shut.
"You look like crap." He stated bluntly as she hugged him.
"Thanks." She replied rolling her eyes. "I feel like crap."
He pulled back and studied her appearance. "So what makes my baby sister leave her life in Seattle to come to The Big Apple?"
"I want to get away from the rain." She stated. Somehow, he understood that she wasn't talking about the tiny droplets of water that fell from dark clouds. "But we'll talk about why later."
He smiled at her and opened the door for her. She gave him a weak smile back and got into the passenger seat. He ran to the other side and slid in behind the wheel. After starting the car and safely maneuvering the car out of the busy parking lot, he glanced over at her.
"How long are you staying, Mer?"
"I don't know. It depends." She said quietly shutting her eyes. Her head was throbbing with pain which was more than likely a side effect of having a brain tumor.
"Depends on what?"
"We'll talk about it later."
--
"Very much bachelor pad." She observed as she walked around Mark's very large apartment. She hadn't been to New York it since he moved into the new building a year back.
"Just how I like it." He said with a proud smirk. "No girl can tie me down."
She rolled her eyes. "One day, Sloan. One day."
"Mock me if you will, Baby Sis. But let us remember I'm older, so I'm the boss."
She rolled her eyes again. "Hasn't worked on me since I was twelve."
He disappeared into the guest bedroom to put her suitcase in there. When he returned she was staring longingly out the window.
"Mer?"
"Hmm?"
"What are you thinking about?" He asked as he walked up beside her.
"Nothing." She replied quietly as she turned away from the large window. "It's a great view."
"Talk to me, Mer." He followed her to the couch and sat down opposite of her.
"I don't really feel like talking."
"I can't help if you don't tell me."
"You cannot tell Mom and Dad. They'd be mad that I didn't tell them, and somehow someone at the hospital will find out. And Alex will know, and he will worry. And that would defeat the purpose of me leaving." She rambled.
"And your purpose was?"
She sighed. "They have enough to deal with." She mumbled.
"Who has enough to deal with?"
"They do. Alex, Izzie, Christina, and George are going through… a lot. And I've been really trying to be there for them. But Burke's picture keeps coming up. And Callie won't stop talking about a baby. And George won't forgive. And… And the damn patients are haunting Alex."
"Now, I'm confused."
She wiped the gathering tears from the corner of her eyes before they fell. "Christina's wedding failed. Burke walked away. Christina was crushed, and she hasn't come back from that yet. George and Izzie slept together, but George is married to Callie, who all the sudden wants a baby. And George feels guilty and can't bear to look at Izzie. He's always so mad and goes off at the smallest of things. Izzie in love with him, but he won't be with her because he's married!" She rambled as a few tears spilled onto her cheeks. "And she's baking and depressed all the time. Then there's Alex. He found a donor for my heart transplant and his liver transplant patient. After we did the surgery, they were doing well. His patient unexpectedly contracted rabies and died. Then my patient died. And he blames himself. He can't sleep. He can hardly function." She cried. "And I love him so much, but I can't do it."
"You can't carry their loads. That's why you left?"
She shook her head trying to rid her eyes of tears. "No, I can do it. I've been trying, but every time I make progress something happens and we're right back where we started."
"So you're frustrated?"
"No you're not listening! I can do all of that. I could be there for my friends and for him. But I have a brain tumor." She sobbed. "I can't put that on their shoulders on top of all that. I can't do it to them!"
He stared at her as shock and concern overwhelmed him. Slowly, he pulled her into his arms and allowed her to sob onto his shoulder. There were questions that had to be answered. But he let her cry for now as his own head raced with thoughts. Fate is definitely a bitch to people who didn't deserve it.