Okay next chapter is up. Sorry for the delay, I just hadn't had a chance to update.

…

It was soon after 12pm when Search and Rescue had entered the building. Stabilizing the roof took longer than they thought.

The hospital was on standby. For the incoming teenagers. They were being triaged by a team of surgeons of Seattle Grace doctors who had been sent out. Dr Roach's interns were sent with him along with the other group.

Meredith had left Kaylee with Charlie. Patricia was watching them.

Meredith took Cooper with her out to the warehouse. She wanted to see Jasmine and Jackson the moment they were brought out from the warehouse. She had been there since 8 that morning along with all the other families and friends. Volunteers had set up a stand for coffee and drinks.

Meredith stood close to one of the search and rescue members who were waiting outside for news to give the doctors to prepare for the trauma. She could hear the conversations from the inside.

"Come in John, this is Matt. We are inside. Everything is stable. We are on our way to find the trapped."

"Come in Matt. Keep in contact." John the Search and Rescue guy said into the walkie talkie.

Meredith had hope filling inside of her. She had Cooper with her. He was better than before and more happier. She looked over at the triage tents that were set up. She saw Derek and smiled at him and he exchanged a smile back.

Derek

As a doctor you have to keep on your toes and most of the time be patient.

We all sat around waiting for news of the rescued kids being brought out. We had no idea what some of the injuries persisted of. We were working with 15 people from Seattle Grace, 30 from Mercy West and about 20 from Seattle Presbyterian hospitals. We had a huge triage tent set up with beds and medical supplies on hand to stabilize patients before sending them off in ambulances. We know that the kids will take a while to be brought out so we are prepared with other helpers and workers. Everyone works together. We have also been paired with another doctor so we can work as a tag team.

"Dr Roach do you mind if I go and stand with Meredith." I asked.

"Sure. We don't how long it is going to be so go."

"Thank you sir."

I walk towards her and wrap my arms around her waist. Cooper is happily awake. She was hoping for a miracle so was everyone else. I just had this gut feel that there wasn't going to be miracles for some families. I really hoped our family had one.

"You got a good spot here." I tell her.

"Yeah I know. I can know what is going on. It's good."

"Do you need a drink or a break to go to the toilet? You must be dehydrated."

"I'm fine. Cristina and Izzie are on their way down soon so I will have them to hold him."

"Well remember to take a break. I don't want you passing out and needing medical attention." I say kissing her lips.

"I won't I promise."

"Good. Now I'm going to go to the toilet before everything starts. I could be here a while."

"Okay I'll still be here, waiting."

I left her but was glad when Izzie and Cristina walked into the grounds. I pointed them in the direction of where she was.

Meredith

Being a mother is hard. You have to keep on top of your game just like when your being a surgeon. Falling between the cracks can mess up your routine of getting your kids to bed on time. Or even that one simple surgery of removing an appendixes. You move so fast you don't know how to stop so all those simple routines fail that you have your life being determined by someone else.

"I don't know how long we will be here for. Let's just hope it's not all day."

"Meredith." I hear from behind me.

Turning I see Izzie and Cristina.

"Hey girl, how you holding up?" Izzie asks.

"I'm good. I am just waiting."

"Okay we will wait with you." Cristina says.

"Here hand me Coopie." Izzie tells me taking him from me.

After half an hour a voice came over the walkie-talkie.

"John this is Matt. We has found our first victim. A male 15 years of age. Appears to have been hit with one of the beams falling throughout the cave in. We will bring him out for the parents to identify. His ID says Joshua Thompson. Someone will be out soon with him."

My face drops. They have found their first victim.

"Okay I will go and look for the family." The guy says back.

He leaves to go and find the parents of the boy.

"Mer It will be fine. You talked to Jasmine and Jackson."

"I know I just wish they would be brought out already."

...

The body of the 15 year old was brought out. The parents were distraught and asked to identify him. They carried him into the triage tent before he was whisked away in an ambulance to the morgue.

After an hour 10 kids were rescued. Most of them only had scratches and bruises; a couple had some broken bones from where they had some roof fall on them. They were found altogether huddled under some furniture and were near the body of the deceased boy.

Just before 5pm of this Saturday 40 kids had been rescued. The result of the deceased still stood at one. Jasmine and Jackson were still not one of those 40 kids rescued.

Search and Rescue had come out and said that there was an area that had been affected with most of the cave in and would take them a while to get through without injuring any kids.

Jasmine

How do you know when it's your last day, if you did know would you spent in differently by staying at home and watching a movie in the arms of your boyfriend or would you spend it with your family. People can never determine when they will die so it always happens before they get the chance to say they are sorry for breaking their mothers' favourite vase or by breaking their fathers' favourite toy car.
When we pass do we feel guilty for not saying sorry? Or do we feel guilty because your death has ruined the life of your loved ones.

It was starting to get freezing. We had been talking to Chloe and a few other people. Our section had been blocked off by fallen in roof. We were so close to that second exit but that no longer existed. It had disappeared. I had no idea how far we were from being rescued or if we weren't going to be rescued.

It was silent. The only noise was of the talking of Chloe, Jackson, Lucas, Jessie and Andy. We didn't know if they had started the rescue or not. We were lost but we tried to keep each other's spirits up.

"Jackson what would happen if I died. I would never tell my parents I was sorry."

"Jas we will be fine. We will all be fine."

I kept asking myself. How long could I live like this?

Charlie

You know that the situation is bad when no one says a word and they tread lightly around just in case you are like ice and you will break if they say something. People just need to get over the fact that its life and that it happened. I just wished that people would tell me what was going on instead of changing the subject when I came by.
Why do people do that? Is it because we are actually made or glass and one word would make us break.

I sat with Kaylee. She was missing Meredith and Derek. I was missing Jackson and Jasmine. I had to keep my niece happy and entertained so she wouldn't ask where they were or what had happened because explaining something like this to a 4 year old is hard. Telling a 4 year old that her uncle has died. That's just wrong and sad but it happens. Sometimes I wish it didn't.

"Charlie I'm hungry." She tells me.

"So am I." I tell her.

To tell you the truth the thought of eating made me feel sick.

"Come on let's go and get some dinner." I tell her. "What do you want?"

"I feel like pizza."

"They don't sell pizza at the cafeteria."

"Well can we call Jackson to go and get it?"

I felt myself tear up. She has no idea.

"His at work sweetie. We might be able to find someone out here." I tell her.

"Okay." She says grasping my hand.

She's the happiest girl in the world. I wouldn't want to burst her bubble.

In the waiting room there were so many people. Mainly because some of the injured had been brought here. The causalities were in a good way. There was only one out of the 50 or so people rescued.

I held Kaylee's hand tightly.

"Charlie, Kaylee." We hear.

We turn around and see Alex and George walking towards us.

"Hi uncle George. Hi uncle Alex."

"Hi Kaylee. Where's your mummy?"

"I don't know." She says.

"She's gone to the accident scene."

"Oh so you have been left here." George says.

"Yeah. Dad's off somewhere and Derek is there as well. So Patricia is watching us but we were hungry and wanted some pizza but we didn't know anyone to buy us some." Charlie says.

"Well we would be no help here so we will drive you." Alex says.

"Thank you."

"No problem kids. Anything for my favourite girls." George says.

Alex bent down and picked Kaylee up placing her on his shoulders. Just so she didn't get lost in the huge crowd of people.

At least I know someone will be there for you when it gets tough.

...

When it was 10 o'clock they made progress in clearing the blocked off area. Some of the kids had been in there since this time the night before. The darkness was not working well with them all but the search and rescuers were working for those kids and because it's what they love doing.

Meredith had not taken a break since she had been there at 9 that morning. The only time she took a break was when she fed Cooper.

Meredith

It was now dark and getting cooler. Izzie and Cristina had left me. So I stood there with Cooper next to John, next to the red tape just waiting for the news of Jackson and Jasmine being alive. I tried calling them but they hadn't picked up. So I just waited and hoped.

Cooper was asleep in the carrier and sucking his thumb. I wondered if he knew what was going on. I also wondered if Kaylee knew.

"You need to take a break Mer." I heard.

I turned to see Derek placing a coat over my shoulders. Mark was with him as well.

"I'm fine."

"Meredith seriously you need to sit. Have some food and drink. You need to keep your strength up. I don't want you collapsing on me. Jackson or Jasmine wouldn't want that either."

"Fine. I'll take this off so I can go to the toilet." I say referring to the carrier.

Derek helps me take it off and he puts it on. He looks at me and his face looks worried.

"Meredith you feeling alright." He asks me.

"I.. Um..." I say before blacking out.

Derek

I look at Meredith after putting the carrier on. She looks like a ghost.

"Meredith are you feeling alright?" I ask.

"I... Um..." She says before collapsing into Mark's arms.

Mark wasn't expecting it.

"Come on we will take her to the tent." He says.

Mark picks her up into his arms and carries her to the triage tent. I follow him as he lays her on one of the beds.

"Sloan what happened?" Dr Roach says approaching.

"Meredith collapsed. We think from exhausting and dehydration."

"Okay we will call the ambulance and send her to the hospital." Dr Roach says.

"Sir can I go with her." I ask.

"Sure Shepherd."

"Thank you Sir."

Is stood beside her bed. I kissed her forehead then took my phone out.

"Hi mum. I suppose you have heard. Could you swing by home and pick some things up for Meredith. It's a long story but could you meet us at the hospital. Okay thank you Ma. I will see you then. The kids. I will leave them with me but I might need some more things for Cooper. Just some nappies, wipes and things like that. Okay see you soon bye."

I hang up just as the ambulance drives in. Meredith is loaded into the ambulance.

"Sir are you coming?"

"Yes, just give us a second." I tell them. "Mark can you drive the car back please."

"Sure."

I throw him the keys then jump into the ambulance.

Richard

Being the man in charge is a challenge. Trying to do your job along with all those extra incidences and paperwork. Getting home at a decent hour of the night and being a father. I've been the man in charge for 7 years. I don't know how much longer I could be the man in charge because when your family is in danger you kind of forget how to do that.

"Chief we have an incoming." One of the nurses says.

"From the warehouse?"

"Well it isn't one of the trapped kids it's one of the parents she has collapsed of dehydration."

"Okay then."

I get my trauma gown on and my gloves and go to the ambulance bay with another intern. The ambulance pulls into the trauma bay with the doors opening.

"22 year old female. Has collapsed of exhaustion and dehydration." They say pulling the gurney out of the ambulance.

That's when I see Derek then Meredith.

"Derek."

"Richard."

I don't say anything but we bring the gurney inside with Meredith and into the trauma room.

"Give her an IV and start the fluids to hydrate her." I say.

I turn to Derek.

"Okay Kaylee is with Charlie and Patricia. I'm pretty sure she has them in one of the on call rooms sleeping. So if you want to drop Cooper off to her."

"Ma's on her way."

"Okay. We will get her hydrated and then get her in a room. She can spend the night here."

"Thank you. She is usually so good but this has hit her hard. She forgets the stupidest things like not rehydrating while breastfeeding."

"Derek we all do things like this. It doesn't matter if you always do it. Sometimes you can forget and these things can happen."

Meredith

My eyes slowly opened. I didn't remember what had happened. I remember talking to Derek and taking the carrier off and then I blacked out. I looked down and saw my arms connected IV's and lines injecting fluids into my body. I then looked to my side and saw Derek. He kissed my forehead and pushed the hair from it.

"Where's Coopie. I remember he was asleep in the carrier and then I blacked out. Did I drop him?"

"No he is fine. His right here." He tells me pointing to a bassinet. "His sleeping soundly."

"Okay good." I say. "What time is it?"

"Just after 1."

"Any news on the trapped?"

"Yes." He says with a huge smile.

"What, what happened?"

"All the kids have been found. Jackson has a broken arm and some scratches and bruises. Jasmine has a broken leg and the cuts and bruises."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes I am."

He says kissing me.

"Were all the kids alive?"

"Sure were." He tells me.

"That's good. That's really good." I say as he lies beside me. "Where's Kaylee?"

"She's with Charlie, who's with Patricia."

He wraps his arms around me.

"The kids are going to be so dead."

"Yeah they are both grounded for a very long time."

"Can I go and see them?" I ask.

"We will see them in the morning. You need to rest and so do I."

I knew that his eyes were closed and he was ready for sleep.

"Derek."

"Yeah."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Understanding what?"

"Me, and how sometimes I just need to be on my own if things like these happen."

"That just means that I get you. I've gotten you since we were 14 years old."

"I know. I love you. I would want you to know that if something happens to me."

"Meredith I will always know that. Yet again I have known that since we were 14. Well I have come to realised that in the last few years."

"Really?"

"Yes really. Now get some rest Kaylee will want to see her mummy and Cooper will need you. Also Richard won't let you out if you are rested and well."

"That would be Richard."

"Hey he means well. His looking out for his kids."

"I know. He always has."

Derek kisses my forehead and pulls me close to his chest. My head lays next to his heart and the beating sooths me and makes me smile. His beating heart also makes me feel safe and it finally gets me sleepily. Now I know why Coopie loves laying across my chest or being in the carrier.

I feel better. I feel safe. I feel loved.

What'd you think let me know. So next chapter is helping Steph baby shop.