Hello :)
After almost fifteen days I finally update this story. This is the longest chapter I have writen so far and I am thinking of posting longer ones, because I know Youy like reading them :) I don't know how ofter I will be able to post, but I will try my best.
"Mommy, look!" She heard Nora shout and looked up from the book she was reading. It was her favorite. "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Meredith saw Nora jumping from one leg to another and laughing. Meredith smiled and returned to her book, but soon she was forced to stop reading because an oddly familiar voice called out.
"Meredith? Meredith Grey? Is that really you?" She saw a young blonde walking her way. She could not be older than twenty, but Meredith had a feeling that she knew her from somewhere.
"I'm sorry, but I can't remember your name." Meredith smiled apologizing and stood up. Woman was taller than her, had brown eyes and right now she was wearing big glasses.
"It's me, Izzie! You used to babysit me when I was little."
At that moment Meredith remembered her. She was that little annoying child who could never shout her mouth, when Meredith had to watch her. She needed money so babysitting was the only opinion because of crazy school lessons.
"Isobel Stevens." Meredith smiled and fastly looked at Nora who was playing with other kids. "You have grown up!"
She smiled. "I'm eighteen now."
"Time has flown. The last time I saw you, you were — "
"Nine. That was before we moved away. If I remember correctly, you were together with that boy. What was his name?"
Meredith rolled her eyes. "Finn, and let's forget about him. He is the one mistake I have made in my life."
Finn Dandridge had been her first boyfriend. They were together for eight months in tenth grade before she broke things off. He wanted more, wanted to control her life, have sex with her and make Meredith his personal toy. Meredith was smart enough to leave when she has a chance. If she had stayed, right now she would be married to him, would be his personal sex toy and would never go anywhere without him.
Izzie didn't say anything. She looked around and then asked something to Meredith. "Do you have any children?"
"I do." Meredith smiled and looked at Nora. "Right there, next to the swings."
"With yellow bunny?" Meredith nodded. "She is beautiful."
Nora was friendly and joyful child. She liked to explore and make new friends. Right now she was running around with another girl of her age, who looked just like Izzie, but only younger. Meredith didn't hear what Izzie was saying, because she was to focused on the girls. She wanted to know, but at the same time she didn't want to sound rude.
But that little girl was Izzie. She had seen photos of her when she was younger. This girl was exact copy of Izzie. The same blonde hair, brown eyes and face.
"Meredith?" Izzie asked, when she hadn't said anything in some time. Meredith was too deep into her own thoughts that she didn't hear Izzie talking. When she finally broke the silent and returned to the reality, she returned her attention to the woman in front of her. Izzie was watching her daughter.
"Your daughter is beautiful."
"Thank you." She smiled. "But how did you know?"
Meredith looked at her own daughter and smiled. "She looks like you."
"What do you do now, Meredith?" Izzie asked, as they both sat down on the bench.
"I'm surgical intern and full time mom."
"I would have never imagined you as a surgeon!" Izzie shouted in surprise, and Meredith smiled. She wasn't the first one who said that. Meredith had said before that she was a surgeon intern, going to be a surgeon and saved lives everyday, but they though that wasn't for her. In their eye Meredith was small un too kind to be a doctor. They thought about her as a teacher or nanny. Meredith hated it. She always wanted to show them how strong she was, that she could be a doctor and save lives. She was excellent at her job and most important — she loved it. She loved her job.
"What about you? Where are you going to study?" Meredith asked.
"I haven't thought about that. I still have time." She watched her daughter and smiled. "I am trying to be with Sarah, she needs me." She looked back at Meredith. Meredith was able to see pain in her eyes. "She is sick. She has a type one diabetes."
Meredith knew what that meant. Sarah's body can't produce insulin, so they need to inject insulin everyday for the rest of her life. There was no cure for it. Little Sarah will need to live with it all her life, everyday inject insuline or she will be dead. Without insulin, organs will shut down and death will occur.
Meredith touched Izzie's hand and squeezed it. "Did she get it from you?"
"No. Her father has it. I only get to know after she got sick. He thought that I didn't deserve to know about it." She said and sighed. Meredith would never imagine herself in her place. If Nora was sick, she wouldn't know what to do. She had no one to lean on, no one to help. She was alone.
"I'm sorry." Meredith squeezed her hand. "You will get thought it all."
Izzie didn't replay. She was too deep into her own thought, and Meredith didn't want to disturb her. Izzie had a lot on her shoulders, and so did Meredith. She had to think how to take care of Nora and finish her intern year. She had three months left, and then she would be a resident. Three more months…
"Nora, come on! We are going home!" Meredith shouted to Nora. Izzie had left a moment ago with Sarah and Meredith thought that it is they time to go. Sky was getting darker and darker, signalizing that soon it would rain. They had fifteen minutes walk to their home, so Meredith hoped that they would make it on the time.
Nora ran to her mother and took her hand. She was sweaty from running with other children and also exhausted. Meredith was sure that soon she would need to carry her. And that happened two minutes later.
"Mommy, I can't walk!" Nora complained and sat down in the grass. Her cheeks were red, and she couldn't keep her eyes opened. Meredith smiled at her daughter and took her in arms. She started carrying her and soon Nora was sleeping. Her head was resting on Meredith's shoulder and her small arms was hanging over Meredith's shoulders. After ten minutes they finally reached they house. It was two story house with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, one kitchen plus living room and a home office. The house was made from yellow bricks with white windows and doors, had small flower garder around it and garage a few feet away.
Meredith slowly opened the door and closed is just before thunder was heard. Nora whimpered in her sleep and Meredith stroked her small back. She carefully lied her down in Nora's bed and took of her shoes and jacket, so she would be more comfortable. Meredith put the duvet up, so little girl wouldn't get cold. She turned on the baby monitor and left the room, before closing the curtain. Although, she turned on the baby monitor Meredith left the door open. Meredith wanted to be sure that she would hear Nora if something happens.
She went to her room, that once was Ellis and sat down on the bed. Meredith had a lot in her mind, but before she could think of anything her home phone started ringing. She fastly went down no to wake up the sleeping child and answered the call.
"Hello. Can I speak to Meredith Grey?" Asked a woman on the other end.
"That would be me." Meredith answered and went to sit on the couch. The house was dark and the only light came from the outside. The sky was dark, but she could see some car lights driving by.
"My name is Catherine Fox. Do you have a moment to talk?" She asked. Meredith had heard her name before somewhere, but couldn't remember exactly where.
"Yes, I have." Meredith answered politely.
"I wanted to talk to you about something very important." She started. "I'm a doctor at Mas Gen, and I'm working with your mother Ellis."
Meredith took a deep breath. Talking about her mother was painful. Ellis had left her alone, and Meredith would be never able to forgive her that. She didn't know her mother, she was a stranger to Meredith. Ellis Grey was nothing to Meredith and would always be.
"I'm listening." She stood up and walked away from the couch.
"Listen, I know about your relationship with her, but this is very important. She needs your help."
"I don't want to be rude, but if you knew something about our relationship, you wouldn't have called, Ms. Fox." She put the accent on the last part of the sentence. She hated when people saw her as Ellis Grey's daughter. She was raised by Melissa Grey, her grandmother, but people somehow managed to know about her mother that she was the excellent Ellis Grey, the winner of three Harper Avery awards, wife of talented surgeon Richard Webber and mother of Maggie Webber, little genius Einstein, and Meredith Grey - the unwanted daughter of Ellis Grey.
Ellis left twenty-five years ago, three weeks after Meredith was born and was never seen again in Seattle. From her grandmother Meredith heard that she moved to Boston, met Richard and married him, gave him a daughter and played happy mother. It was still unknown how the medical world heard about Meredith ten years ago.
"Meredith, if it wasn't the matter of life and death I wouldn't have called you."
"Then I advise you to start talking before I end the call."
"This may sound crazy, but your mother needs you to marry my son." Meredith was out of her breath. Had she heard right? That couldn't be true, she thought to herself. She stood up from the couch and went to onther side of room. She stood against the window and watched as cars went by. The rain was pouring and Meredith anger only gray bigger.
Ellis didn't have any right to say what Meredith should do, what should she choose and how to live her life. She handn't been in her life for twenty-five years and now someone other was calling to announce that she had to marry someone. Meredith was trying to keep her anger down, not to shout at the woman on the other end and not to wake up her daughter.
Meredith took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She won't marry Catherine's son. She won't be her mother's toy to play around. Meredith had her own life without Ellis in it. She was happy to be a mother of Nora, to be a doctor and save lives. Meredith wanted to make her dead grandmother proud by becoming the woman she always Meredith to be — selfless, caring and extraordinary.
Meredith didn't want to be recognize as Ellis Grey's daughter.
"I won't do it." Meredith said and heard Nora cry through the baby monitor. She had a reason to end that pointless conversation with women she didn't even know. "I have to go, Ms. Fox."
"Meredith, please — " Catherine tried to talk, but Meredith cut her off.
"I don't have a time for games. I won't be a toy in my mother's life. Goodbye, Catherine." Meredith ended the call and threw the phone on the table before running up to her daughter's bedroom. When she walked in she saw Nora sitting up with red eyes and wet cheeks. Seeing her mother running inside, Nora pulled off the duvet and opened her arms for Meredith. Nora wrapped her small arms around Meredith's shoulders and sat in her lap crying softly.
"Don't cry, darling! I'm here. Mommy is here." Meredith whispered and kissed her wet forehead. "Mommy is here, and will always be my little sunshine…"
"You look like a crap, Mer!" Cristina shouted, and she saw her best friend walking towards her.
"I feel like a crap." Meredith answered and sat down. She had slept less than four hours last night and was tired. Meredith had done everything to keep her eyes open, but nothing was working - even four cups of coffee. Nora had stomach flue, and Meredith was up all night. She had left two days to work, and after them she would be gone from Seattle. Meredith had already passed her intern exam with 98% that was the highest score in the hospital.
Meredith closed her eyes and replied to Cristina. "Nora is sick. I haven't slept more than four hours. I'm not even sure I slept four." She opened her red eyes and looked at Cristina, who was looking at her with condemn. "What?"
"Why didn't you stay at home? You can't treat sick people looking like that and be on the edge off sleeping."
"I have two days left. If I take a day off, I have to work later and then my leaving will be longer." Meredith stood up and learned against the table because she felt dizzy. In a short moment, Cristina was by her side and helped Meredith to sat back down. She touched her forehead and felt it burning.
"You might be sick, Mer. You are burning up and the lack of sleep you got last night makes things worse." Cristina tried to look into Meredith's eyes, but she had closed them and fallen asleep. Cristina needed to shake Meredith to wake her up.
"What?" Meredith asked and looked angry at Cristina. "I'm fine."
"No, you are not. I will call Owen and — "
"You won't call him!" Meredith stood up but felt dizzy, and Cristina caught her again before she managed to fall. "I'm fine, you can let me go."
"What's happening here?" Asked a voice behind them. Meredith turned around and saw Owen standing on the other side of nurses station. He was wearing his white coat and had some folders of documents in his hands. Being the chief of surgery was hard. He was working without days off, always bringing paperwork home and staying up late. Cristina was living with Owen, as she was his girlfriend, but sometimes she liked to spend the night at Meredith's because of Owen when he drove Cristina mad.
"Meredith is too tired to work with patients." Cristina answered in Meredith's place, and she wanted to object, but Cristina let her go and Meredith hit the floor. Her bottom was hurting and she hissed in pain. "See!" Cristina shouted and helped Meredith to get off. Meredith was rubbing her sore bottom.
"Grey, what's happening?" Owen put his files down and helped Meredith to sat down. For the last few minutes someone was helping her to sit down, and Meredith was angry. She didn't need help. She was alright, and she could work, because she was independent. Meredith had two days left before three weeks long break through her first and second year. Monday's morning she would leave with Nora for Steamboat Springs. She had already talked to the chief's secretary there, who at the same time was also an intern there. April Kepner had said that the chief had gone away for some time, and she was trying to manage the hospital in his place. April had called him and the chief had approved her transfer to his hospital. Meredith couldn't remember the name of it, but it started with S.
"I'm fine, Hunt."
"It doesn't look like that." He said and looked at the watch on his hand. "I have a meeting with Dr. Shepherd in ten minutes." Owen looked back at Meredith and sighed. "Go home, Meredith."
"I can't. I am leaving in two — "
Owen interrupted her. "It wouldn't change your leaving. Go and get some sleep, and be back tomorrow." He smiled and left Meredith in the hands of Cristina. Cristina helped Meredith to get up and walked with her to the locker room. She tried to help Meredith, but she refused.
"I'm not a little child, Cristina! I can take a care of myself." Meredith answered in anger and took of her scrub top. "I'm a mother, I can take care of myself!"
"Sometimes I can't decide who is more mature — you or Nora."
"Ha, ha, ha!" Meredith laughed sarcastically and pulled up her old jeans. "Very funny, Cristina, very!"
Cristina smirked and looked around. "I will miss you, you know." She said.
"I will miss you too." Meredith smiled at her sleepy and tried to find her t-shirt. It wasn't in her locker. She looked around, but couldn't find it anywhere. "Have you seen my t-shirt?"
"You are sitting on it." Cristina pointed and rolled her eyes.
Meredith stood up and was in the middle of putting it on, when someone came in. Cristina turned around and met George who looked like he had ran a marathon. His hair was messy, and he was breathing heavy. Luckily, Meredith was standing behind the lockers, so he wouldn't see her without a t-shirt on.
"George, what did you do again?" Cristina asked him while Meredith tied her converses.
"You… You... have to… come... with me." He said between heavy breaths. Meredith took Cristinas hand and went around the lockers. George was surprised to see her dressed in casual clothes. He automatically stood up and tried to steady his breath. "Where are you going?" He asked Meredith. She only rolled her eyes and put her phone in the bag. Right now she wanted to go home and sleep.
"To the better fields, O'malley." Cristina patted his back and turned to Meredith, who was yawing at that moment.
"Meredith, I thought you were leaving in two days." George took a step closer to Meredith. "Are you leaving already?"
"Home, I am going home." Meredith answered and rolled her eyes. She turned to Cristina and gave her the car keys. Cristina nodded her head in understanding and put the keys in her locket. She will drive Meredith's car to her house later. When Meredith yawed again, the doors opened again and another inter came in running.
"Did you see him?" She asked. She was also out of breath and was looking at George.
"Yes, can you believe that?" George answered and then looked at Meredith and Cristina. "You have to come with us."
George and the girl walked out of the room, and Meredith and Cristina had no other choice but to follow them. They were walking in front of Cristina and Meredith talking to each other about someone who Meredith didn't know.
"George still has a crush on you." Cristina smiled wickedly and hit Meredith with her hip.
"Please, don't remind me about him." Meredith looked around. "I don't want to remember his obsession with me."
Cristina only laughed and received a look from George. Cristina shrugged, and when he didn't look smiled at Meredith. "Too bad that you didn't give yourself to him. I bet your kids would look — "
"CRISTINA!" Meredith shouted and received a look from everyone around them. "Shut the fuck off!" She whispered. "I don't like him!"
Cristina didn't get a chance to replay, because George and the woman in front of them stopped. "What are — "
"Shhh!" The woman turned back. "We don't want them to see us."
"What are you talking about?" Meredith asked and looked above them. She only saw Owen talking to another man who almost immediately caught Meredith's attention. He was tall with broad shoulders, he had chest muscles that could be seen under his light button up shirt and perfect posture. He had dark hair that were perfectly brought back. He had light skin, dark eyebrows and dark stubble. He had high cheek bones, big lips and long nose. But his blue eyes and long lashes made Meredith's knees weak. His eyes were beautiful and hypnotizing. The moment when they eyes met everything around them stopped. Meredith saw only him, and Derek saw only her. He was caught by her green eyes, and she was caught by his blue one's.
They stood like that for a moment, looking at each other and ignoring the world. But it all ended when Meredith heard her name.
"Meredith, what are you doing?" George pulled Meredith back, and she lost the sign off Derek. She looked ar George and remembered where she was. "Do you want us to be caught?"
"What are you talking, bambi?" Cristina asked. She stood next to Meredith frown. "Owen is talking to another doctor, nothing big."
"Nothing big!" He almost shouted. "Do you know who he is?"
While they both argued Meredith thought about the mysterious man around the corner. She had never seen him here. He wasn't from Seattle Grace, or she would remember him. At the same time Meredith remembered Owen talking about meeting Dr. Shepherd. He must be Dr. Shepherd that Owen was meeting.
"He is just a human like us." Cristina argued with George. Meredith saw that the other girl had left, leaving them alone.
"But he is the legend." George argued back. Meredith had enough of it all. She had listened to them arguing before, and right now she wanted to go home and sleep. While Cristina and George were arguing she turned around and left. They didn't notice her disappearance, so Meredith was able to leave peacefully. She climbed into the taxi that was waiting and left the parking lot.
In fifteen minutes she would be home. Meredith tried so hard not to fall asleep in taxi and it worked, because her mind was occupied with something else. The mysterious Dr. Shepherd with blue eyes didn't leave Meredith's mind for the next fifteen minutes.