I'm sorry about the lack of updates. Here's the next chapter. Just thought I'd let you know that this only has one or two more chapters left in it. Please review.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A few hours later Meredith and Lexie, supported by George, reviewed the plans that they had made for Thatcher Grey's funeral. As sad as the whole process was both Meredith and Lexie had found a kind of inner strength from not having to shoulder the responsibility alone.
"I should take this over to the funeral home," Lexie said, clearly not wanting to do it.
"I can do it," George offered. "If you want I'll take it over and help clarify everything. You two should stay here and… talk or something."
"Thank you," Lexie said appreciatively as George picked up the plans for the funeral.
"I'll bring some take out home for dinner," he offered,
"Thanks, George," Lexie said again. "But not Chinese. I hate Chinese food." Meredith smiled a little, amused by a little thing that they had in common. "What?" Lexie asked her.
"Nothing," Meredith replied. "Would you like a cup of tea?"
"Yeah, a cup of tea would be good," Lexie said with a little smile.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Alex, you need to go on fluids," Izzie insisted as she watched Alex lying on the couch in the surgeon's lounge.
"I'm fine," Alex moaned. "It was just a few shots."
"It was more than a few shots," Izzie insisted. "And you should get over the fact that Meredith and Lexie kicked your ass at drinking and start helping yourself."
"I said I'm fine!" Alex replied angrily. Cristina entered the surgeon's lounge and switched the radio on. She turned the volume up loud and smiled to herself as Alex buried his head in a pillow.
"Bitch," he moaned angrily.
"What was that, evil spawn? I didn't quite hear you," Cristina teased, turning the volume up even higher.
"Fine! You win!" Alex yelled, sitting up. "I admit defeat. Now turn the goddamn radio off!" Cristina smiled to herself and lowered the volume.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Bailey asked, annoyed at all the noise that the residents were making. "You're all carrying on like a bunch of whiny interns."
"I need fluids," Alex moaned.
"What the hell happened to you?" Bailey asked unimpressed, looking him up and down. Izzie gleefully opened her mouth to tell Bailey all about it but Alex got in first.
"Sympathy drinks with the Grey sisters," he muttered.
"I see," Bailey replied, clearly unimpressed but deciding to spare Alex the lecture. She pulled a prescription book out of her pocket. "Yang, get Karev a banana bag. If he's not looking two hundred percent better once it's run through send him home."
"With great pleasure," Cristina said with a mischievous smile. Alex groaned and put a pillow over his face.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Meredith brought the cups of tea that she had made for Lexie and herself over to the table.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked her sister. Usually Meredith wouldn't ask such a personal question, she hated being asked personal questions, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Lexie sighed.
"Alcoholism is an illness," she said. Meredith nodded. It was something they had learnt in college. "I'm a doctor and I never tried to treat him for his illness," Lexie said. "I made excuses for him. I blamed my mother's death, the stress of Molly having a sick baby, me being away at college. Hell, I even tried to blame his guilt over not being a part of your life." Meredith didn't say anything. She wasn't sure where this conversation was headed. "I shouldn't have made excuses for him. I should have acted as a doctor would. I should have tried to get him into a detox program and AA and encouraged him to see a councilor. Maybe then…" her voice trailed off.
"Lexie," Meredith said, surprised at how bad she felt for her sister. "Medicine helps those who help themselves. You and I both know that he wouldn't have gone into a detox program because according to him he didn't have a problem. You're his daughter, not his doctor."
"Yeah, but I'm a doctor," Lexie argued. I put all his symptoms – the slurred speech, the memory loss, the balance problems- down to his drinking. What kind of doctor am I?" She paused for a moment. "What kind of daughter am I?"
"This isn't your fault," Meredith said, trying her best to reassure Lexie. Nothing about his behaviour was different to how it had been for a long time, am I right?" Lexie nodded, a tear streaming down her cheek. "There's a reason they don't let us treat relatives," Meredith said. "We're too close. Now, even if he had displayed some unusual symptoms earlier, the result still would have been the same. I know it's hard to accept but there's nothing that you could have done to save him." More tears streamed down Lexie's face. "Don't think that you're a bad doctor just because he isn't here, okay?" Lexie nodded, taking a shaky breath. Meredith wasn't sure what to do next. She had meant every word that she had said but now Lexie was crying and Meredith wasn't exactly the hugging type.
"I'm sorry," Lexie said, crying, knowing that she was making Meredith uncomfortable, as she put her head in her hands.
"It's okay," Meredith replied. She stood up and went around the table to where Lexie was. Meredith supportively put her hand on Lexie's shoulder, hoping that it would help her somehow. Lexie surprised Meredith by getting to her feet and pulling Meredith into a hug. To Meredith's surprise she felt comforted by the gesture and didn't feel the need to pull away. Instead she felt almost whole for the fist time in a long time. She had never imagined that Lexie Grey of all people could make her feel anything but pain.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Doctor Shepherd," Izzie said, catching Derek on his way to surgery.
"Yes, Doctor Stevens," Derek replied, turning to face her.
"George just called."
"Is everything okay?" Derek asked, immediately worried about Meredith.
"She's fine as far as I know," Izzie replied, knowing how protective Derek was. "George just said that Thatcher Grey's funeral is tomorrow afternoon. I've arranged for the afternoon off to support Meredith. I just thought that you might want to know." Derek nodded.
"I'll reschedule a surgery," he said. "Thank you for letting me know." Derek gave Izzie a sad smile and turned to walk away. He stopped for a moment, remembering how Meredith hadn't wanted him to go to Susan's funeral.
"Doctor Stevens," Derek said, turning back around.
"Yes?" Izzie asked.
"Do you think that Meredith would want me there?" Izzie nodded knowingly.
"Even if she doesn't say it, she wants you there," she replied. "I know it and you know it."
