Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, et al.

Author's Note: If you are reading this story, please comment, it would mean a lot to me.

So Sting and this song are like magic … amazing and fragile like we all are sometimes. Find the song if you haven't heard it before.

Chapter 6 – Fragile

Lyrics for Sting's "Fragile":

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime's argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are how fragile we are
How fragile we are how fragile we are

Chapter 6 – Fragile – Meredith Grey

Meredith stood over a young girl, no more than twelve years of age. She had come to the clinic with her mother hours ago, but eventually she had to go back to attend to the family. Meredith insisted that the girl would be fine to stay on her own until later when one of them would take her home. Owen helped reassure the older woman and after only a moment or two, she acquiesced. To Meredith it seemed the villagers were growing more trusting of them over time and she noticed little examples of that almost daily now. She was treating the girl for an unidentified rash, a deep skin infection – that somehow had lodged itself next to the bone of her femur – she winced as Meredith cleaned her wounds.

"Shh, the worst is over," Meredith whispered, keeping her eyes locked with the girl's while she worked. Of course, she knew the girl couldn't understand her, but she hoped with her soft voice and gentle touch that she would be able to calm and comfort her. "You're okay now," she soothed, a small smile played along her lips as she went back to work.

The natural light in the clinic was dim; rain fell outside with no sign of letting up. There would be fewer people here this afternoon, she mused. The rain kept them at bay for some reason. Perhaps they hunkered down, shying away from any large amounts of nature's water now. She looked outside briefly and watched as the rain pelted down into the brown earth – dropping from the sky in literal sheets – with virtually no place to go. Inches of water lay above the surface now and it reminded Meredith of Seattle.

A flutter escaped from her heart and flew out into the atmosphere all around her, be still, be calm, it's okay to miss it – it's okay to miss him – she coached herself, having already come to terms with her deep feelings for Derek and the fact that they only seemed to grow stronger without him nearby – for without carrying the memory of him with her – she felt incomplete, imbalanced at best.

Meredith turned her attention back to her task, locking her eyes with the girl's fearful brown ones, wordlessly making any attempt to quell her fears once again. Meredith's eyes scanned her entire form, she was beautiful and young and yet, she had seen so much tragedy. Her eyes were shaped like almonds, her skin – aside from the evil wrath of her infection was a flawless deep brown – perfectly tanned, perfectly lush and supple from years under the sun's warm rays. Meredith smiled once more; she felt the tension in the girl dissipate under her touch as she began to apply some antibacterial ointment to her wounds.

The girl, named Made, closed her eyes then and lay perfectly still, perfectly trusting. Meredith smiled and surveyed her own skin then, translucent compared to the Made's, except for the many freckles she had collected in the last ten days. She found herself scrutinizing Made's worn body – so bruised, so broken – yet slowly healing and rejuvenating as time moved on. She and this girl were so different in circumstance, yet so much alike they almost cancelled each other's pain. Meredith finished her treatment by gently wrapping Made's muscle with protective gauze.

"Looks like the rain will stay for a while now," Owen said, his voice filling the quiet all around them as he walked into the small room. "How is she?" he inquired as he came to stand next to Meredith.

"Hmm, pretty well, her bone was fine, but she'll need to come back. I'll have to give her a kit and teach her how to change the bandages," Meredith stated, curiously looking down at Made, her eyes remained closed. "I think she fell asleep," Meredith whispered, reaching down she moved the girl's long hair away from her perfect heart-shaped face – she melted a little bit on the inside as her eyes lingered on the girl's sleeping form, the frailty of her young body, evident – she was exhausted, yet so at peace, Meredith was reluctant to wake her from her unexpected slumber.

"Lets let her sleep, it's slow enough, probably the wind and rain lulled her there," he offered.

"I'll get her kit ready, anyone else out there?" she asked.

"Nope, Made was the last, we won't see too many today, at least there was a healthy turnout this morning, busier with women and children it seems, since you've arrived," he stated factually. "Let me get her kit, you can finish up with her chart," he said and exited the room. Meredith reached down and grabbed a blanket from the underside of the gurney. She covered Made's body – a shiver ripped up and down her spine – won't her mother be worried about her?

Meredith sighed and removed her gloves. She deposited them in the trash and exited the room, she would wake Made soon, leave her be for now to sleep in peace and rejuvenate and heal. She promptly grabbed a sweatshirt and pulled it on, suddenly feeling the need to be cloaked, safe and warm for some unknown reason. The air in the entryway was thick with humidity, it smelled of moss and rain and fresh soil and salt water – out with the old, in with the new – nature's way of cleansing the earth.

She sat down with her paperwork at the main desk, switched a small battery-operated light on and uncapped her pen. Meredith trained her eyes on the landscape through the large doorway in front of them. The rain fell with purpose, there was a reason for it – she closed her eyes – she let the sound consume her … she could be in Seattle; for the rain sounded the same, no matter where it fell. She opened her eyes – the scene in front of her wet, wild with wind, bright green blowing palm leaves, solid earth – everything was comingled …they were in the midst of another storm.

Owen came back in with some supplies and like the soldier he still was, he packed Made's kit with precision, always serious, always down to business. Except when he wasn't, for Meredith had come to learn one thing about Owen Hunt very quickly and that was that he was fragile – in the most masculine way of course – but so very fragile nonetheless. She also knew that he cared, about the people here and his mission, but he also cared for the human condition at large and that seemed to encapsulate Meredith too. He asked direct questions – but he only cared for the honest answer – he didn't want an answer if it wasn't from the heart. In many ways he was a tortured soul just like her and in other ways his fortitude and courage reminded her of a strange combination of Alex and Cristina or maybe Bailey – yes, he reminded her of Miranda Bailey – and she sighed on that thought.

"Something's amusing?" Owen asked with half of a grin, looking up from his paperwork. He brought the kit over to the desk, pulled out a chair and sat down next to Meredith.

"Oh, no … you, you remind me of my boss from Seattle Grace," was all she offered.

"How so?" he asked, mentally counting the small vials of ointment, he grabbed a set of inventory papers and got to work.

"In a variety of ways, but mostly … you're strong. You're all about the business, which I know just masks the intense feelings we sometimes have, but I think you have this fine line of knowing how to keep yourself in check – while balancing your emotions – and I … I find that admirable," she said softly. Owen smiled weakly, had she touched a nerve?

Meredith looked down at her paperwork to get back to business herself – but her mind busy now – shutters of Dr. Bailey and then her mother and all of her friends and Derek crowded brain – and she couldn't shake them into nothingness like she had been whilst at the clinic, she had no way to move them to the deep recesses of her mind, for they were with her now.

"Well, if you ever met Dr. Bailey – she's tortured, she's strong – she has a new baby at home and she's just always trying to find the balance, a comfortable balance of all the hats she wears in her life – trying to have it all and be everything to everyone who needs her – she's remarkable," Meredith offered with a smile. She caught Owen's eyes with hers and saw a flicker of a smile cross over his face too. She moved the pen through her fingers, twirling it around and around and around.

"Hmm, it is a balancing act, it is, and no I too have not perfected that yet, but I keep pushing myself to the limits to find it anyway –beauty marred by tragedy for example – seeing it, and living it will only enhance our life experiences … at least that's what I keep telling myself late at night when can't seem to close my eyes," he replied, somewhat resigned to his station of limbo. He turned his head and looked at Meredith, square in the eyes.

"Hmm, so … how can you get yourself to the point where you're balanced and can sleep again?" she asked, always curious for his thoughts. "It's been a while since you've been … balanced, am I right?" she added, learning to push the envelope with him.

"Well, it's my belief that you can have it all in your life – it's just that it has to be balanced, it's like fate, the natural order of things, the way things were meant to be – the timing has to be right for our dreams to come to fruition," he said softly. Meredith's heart skipped a beat. "And as far as sleep goes, I've been off-kilter for so long now, as much as I want balance – and sleep for my tired eyes – I can't expect it to come for me," he said resolutely. "I'm nothing if not deeply flawed, Meredith," he chuckled; his best attempt to lighten the mood was made.

Meredith's mind rolled over Derek then and she let him linger this time without thinking and she wondered if their timing had ever been perfect, even down to their initial meeting – was it truly meant to be or just circumstances that brought them there to that cherished moment – what was balanced that night? What was created that night when their souls first met? Was she balanced before and never knew it – because God help her, she always felt like she was missing something, until she met Derek – so the question was, did Derek bring something to her life that was meant to alter the natural balance of her inner self forever and ever?

"How do you explain natural disasters like this then – is the balancing act just another explanation for the horror of what happened here – do you think that seismic earthquakes are Mother Nature's way of balancing things out?" she asked cautiously, trying to deflect the conversation away from herself and back to more neutral territory.

"No, there is no explanation – well, there is a scientific explanation – the cause and effect of it all, but really doesn't it just make you stop and think? I mean how did you end up here on the other side of the world, away from everything and everyone you've ever known? It's a decent question, one I'm sure you've been asking yourself," he persisted.

Meredith's heart raged in her chest, damn it, she silently chastised herself, and not for leaving Seattle because this was a wondrous opportunity to make something out of nothing – to feel when she felt numb – but now she felt the greater potential to lose Derek in the process and she couldn't deny it, for as much as he hurt her … she knew deep down that he balanced her too, it was just that she needed more, more than that for herself to survive them over time.

"It's true. I do nothing but think about this island and what's happened here, it's all around us all the time," Meredith countered. "But as far as asking myself that question? Well, what put us here were the fragile circumstances of our lives – the choices we have made, the things we have done, put us here – so are you saying it's all part of the natural balancing act within us, that we somehow belong here?" she challenged.

Owen locked his eyes on hers. He sighed and pressed his lips together, put his hand up to his temple and rubbed slightly, perhaps at a loss of what to say to her. She couldn't read him, she only knew how she felt inside and no words could describe the battle going on within her body. Her heart clenched …damn it, what had she done? How was she going to make it right, balance herself out? How on earth would she get this done? She was in too deep; she was drowning from the weight of her unanswered questions. Thunder clapped all around them, shaking the small clinic, bringing Meredith back to her reality.

"How am I ever going to …," she sighed, unable to continue aloud … balance my life without Derek, without him here with me, how will anything ever feel balanced, she asked herself silently.

"Like I said, I'm deeply flawed, but being here somehow evens me out and I know that you know what I mean," Owen said softly.

Meredith shook her head. She laid her pen on the desk. "But I feel like it's pulling me further away, that I've cast myself out to sea … and might never be found, that I might never find the balance all by myself. I want to believe I can, I just feel lost most of the time," she said sadly, her heart on fire, her mind keen on Derek.

"So," Owen said as he too, lay his pen down. "There was a man?" he asked simply, his question hung in the air.

"Yes," Meredith answered truthfully, thunder cracked around them again, the storm was moving out to sea.

"Is he deeply flawed?" Owen asked, a smirk crossing his face.

Meredith laughed out loud then, so loud her laughter sounded outrageous considering all of the pain and hurt that surrounded them. Owen chuckled along with her. If he only knew, if he only knew! Was all Meredith could think as she wiped her glistening eyes with the backs of her hands, if he only knew!

"No more than I am," she admitted after a beat; her eyes still cloudy.

"So then it's all about timing then, right?" he asked.

"How do you mean?" Meredith asked.

"Well, if you're meant to be together, it's not a question of if, it's just a matter of when," he replied softly.

"I suppose you're right," she smiled. "Can I ask you to remind me of that in the middle of the night when I can't sleep?" she kidded.

Her voice rang out into the small area and all became quiet as the rain became more intermittent and the storm began its journey out to the sea that surrounded them. Meredith picked her pen up and began twirling it in her fingers once more.

"So, ah … being here has not changed things for you like you hoped … you wanted to be set free of this man of yours?" he asked.

"No actually," she breathed. "Everything has changed – except for that one thing – it seems that small part of me who simply aches for him and cannot find balance without him," she whispered, more for herself to hear than as a declaration to Owen.

"Well, then no amount of land or ocean you put between you will intimidate that force, you just have to wait for the timing to be right and then you'll naturally be ready for each other," he said simply.

And on Owen's words, the rain all but stopped and everything was quiet. Both of them looked through the doorway. Large droplets of water fell from the oversized palm leaves as they swayed in the variable wind that remained.

"Storm's gone," Owen said quietly.

"Yeah, just like that," Meredith agreed.

Owen stood up and walked to the doorway. Just then a woman walked by, she seemed to come out of nowhere; she was wearing a simple top and a brightly patterned sari … she was a gorgeous soulful woman who seemed to be indigenous of the peace found within this island. Meredith had seen her several times and each time she noted something different about her – she was a breath of fresh air with her radiant beauty and inviting, yet private physique – Meredith couldn't tell how old she was, but she was definitely wise. She watched as Owen nodded his head and she raised her hand to him.

"Who is that?" Meredith inquired. Owen turned around to her. "I've seen her around here and there and … she's mystifying," she added.

"Oh, that's Ketut," he said with a smile. "And you're right, she's an amazing woman, she's the fourth daughter of the fourth-generation of a long line of midwives on the island," he continued.

"Hmm, I thought there was more to her, she always makes eye contact with me and I … I can see now that she's seen miracles," Meredith said softly. "It makes all the difference, don't you think?" she asked Owen.

"She restores the balance, she brings life to the island, with her knowledge and her hands, she calls herself a "baby catcher", she speaks broken English, she's lovely," Owen spoke softly.

"Does she have family here still?" Meredith inquired, standing up, hoping to catch one more glance at Ketut. She walked to the doorway and they walked outside.

"Some perished, some survived," he offered, squinting up and into the bright overcast sky. "She asked about you – she asked me about you too – talk about natural balances," he smiled. "She asked me about the woman doctor with the 'gentle white hands'," he said as he turned to Meredith. "See, she's not the only one who's mystifying," he chuckled as he ducked back inside the clinic, leaving Meredith alone with her thoughts.

Meredith took a deep breath of the salty fresh air and pressed into her lungs. Another storm had passed and balance had been restored for now. It was true that the world was an imperfect, fragile place, populated with even more imperfect, deeply flawed people … all of whom were looking for balance within themselves and those around them.

Meredith sighed, the sun broke through the clouds and she could see the blue sky for the first time all day. Birds began to call out to one another and life woke up all around her once again. A warm breeze pushed against her back and she leaned into it, feeling the aura of Derek all around her, deep within her deeply flawed self. And that would have to be good enough, for now. She missed Derek – she more for ached for him, but the sun on her back and his spirit within her soul would have to sustain her until their timing was perfect – because Meredith wouldn't accept anything other than the perfect balance of them once they were ready to find each other again.

Chapter 6 – Fragile – Derek Shepherd to follow.