Chapter 2

Everything is real.

Her gaze is hazy at best, her head pounding, she felt liquid streaming down her face, flooding her sight until all she can see is red. She can't find her voice, her mind is screaming, but she is silent. Someone is calling to her, gently touching her with latex gloves.

"Ma'am, can you hear me?" The voice is male, heavily concerned. "Can you respond to me if you can hear me?"

She tried desperately, 'I hear you!'

"She's not responding, Eric." The voice is grim.

"Load her up," Eric seemed to respond equally as troubled. "What about the others?"

"Three dead on the scene. One may never walk again, and the other, well, he'll heal, mostly." The voice said sadly.

"And her?"

"I don't know." The sirens were loud, everything was loud. She wanted to yell at them to turn it off, give her back the silence. Her mind was foggy, a haze of gray at best. There was sound in every direction, she couldn't locate the sources of the noises.

'Meredith, where are you? Meredith, please help me!' She screamed then everything went black. The spinning stopped, the bright lights were gone, the noise was gone. It was quiet, eerily quiet. And she was gone into the black haze.

The paramedics rushed into the ER, giving a quick report to the doctors. The red-haired trauma attending was flipping through paperwork, quickly skimming the assessment conducted on his first patient, a female, late twenties, head trauma, possible spinal injury. It's the moment he looks up from the clipboard and down at the unconscious body on the stretcher does his heart drop.

"Someone, get over here right now!" Owen yelled; he ran a hand through his hair. He instructed one of the resident's too take the stretcher into ER and page Derek. Cristina, appeared a few moments later, tying her hair up, she did not spare a glance at the stretcher before she approached Owen.

"I'm here to help, what can I do?" Cristina looked at him. Her eyes narrowed. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Cristina, I need you to go be with Meredith," Owen told her sombrely.

Cristina looked at him confused, "What, why Meredith?"

"It's Lexie," Owen's expression was sympathetic. "The patient is Lexie." Cristina's eyes grew wide, a deer caught in headlights. "Cristina, I need you to focus!"

"Lexie," Cristina stared at him dumbfounded for a fraction of a second, she looked at the ER doors, then Owen. She ran back into the ER, she wanted to catch Meredith before she entered the page for the ER.

She dashed through the door, only to hear her best friend's piercing cry, "Lexie!"

"Meredith," Cristina had dragged her friend into the locker room. "I need you to calm down and focus!"

Meredith's mouth opened, but no sound came out. She felt a lump forming in her throat. "Lexie," She pushed her name through her dry lips, and let her gaze fall back to her best friend.

"Is in the best hands possible," Cristina told her calmly after a moment of silence.

Meredith was pacing the room, her chest felt tight, and a headache pulsing at the back of her head, because she was right. She could do this; she could walk down to the ER and calmly watch the doctors of Seattle Grace Mercy West tend to her sister. Her sister, who was lying on an ER bed, covered in blood, her blood, unconscious.

"No," The word broke free before she could let herself consider anything more. "No, all the blood," Meredith breathed out slowly, her breathing began to increase. "Lexie is laying on that bed, dying." The blonde lifted her gaze to Cristina's locked her gaze with the Korean woman's. "I can't do it again; I can't lose more… not anymore." Her hand paused to touch her lower abdomen.

"You won't lose her," Cristina's voice trailed off at the end and she stared at Meredith, imploring her to understand. This was her resident, this was three, Lexipedia, Little Grey, laying on that ER bed. Cristina pressed her lips together. "You're not going to lose her," Cristina said tensely.

"It's Lexie down there," Meredith began to weep. "My sister, Cristina, my sister is laying there possibly dying." She wringed her hands together a little.

Cristina pulled her friend into an embrace, "Lexie isn't going to die."

"My little sister," Meredith wept.

"Is going to live," Cristina promised.

The next few days were touch and go, there were bruises, cuts, abrasions, on her legs, arms, face, all over her body. Some would scar, some wouldn't. Possible nerve damage to her left side, physical therapy for six months, with world renowned therapist of course, and they'd work from there. The head trauma had been more worrisome, she'd suffered epidural hematoma, but Derek had managed to subdue the hemorrhage, saving her life. Derek had shaved a section of Lexie's hair, Meredith noted, she'd need a haircut.

Lucky, the police and other doctors and nurses had told Meredith, they kept batting that word around. Lucky, she could be worse off like Marcus the driver of the SUV, or dead like his three friends. Jonah had come out the least scathed. Meredith sat at her sister's bedside, counting down the list of what she'd need. A haircut, physical therapy, possibly minor plastic surgery, counselling, nothing else to be done, nothing else could be fixed.

Meredith looked at Lexie, "I need you to wake up, Lexie. Wake up. I'm right here." Meredith took her hand and tried to fight off her tears. She'd cried enough. She'd cried enough for a lifetime she thought angrily. She blew out a breath, trying to keep her tears at bay.

The door to the private room opened and shut quietly, Meredith looked up quickly expecting Derek. But there stood, none other then, Jackson Avery. "Hey," Jackson murmured softly.

"Hey," Meredith greeted dully.

"You should go get something to eat, go get some rest, go home, do something." Jackson said gently as he looked at the blonde, her shoulders and body tense. "Go home, Meredith."

"I can't!" Meredith nearly snapped. She rubbed a hand over her face tiredly. "I can't go home." She said more quietly, kindly. "I can't leave her."

"I'll stay with her," Jackson stated, his lone form of offering comfort to the older Grey. "I promise she won't be alone."

Meredith eyed him, too exhausted to do anything, say anything. The door opened; Derek entered the room. His brows creased and laden with worry at the sight of his wife. The neurosurgeon looked a little forlorn himself with the current situation and how to proceed.

"How is she?" Derek asked, he knew, he always knew, he'd been checking up on Little Grey in-between surgeries, staying late to sit at her bedside to finish his charting, sometimes throughout the night so Meredith could try and get some sleep at home.

"No change," Meredith's voice was weary. She was beyond exhausted, she lied to husband that she'd been sleeping a few hours at home, a blatant lie, sleep never came. Derek knew this, Jackson knew this. They'd often pass by Lexie's room, Meredith sat in her chair at her bedside, they'd see Meredith's head bob every five minutes from sleep deprivation, and Jackson felt terrible, she needed the bed more then anyone else.

Jackson turned to Derek, "Take her home, I got this."

Derek offered him a grateful smile, he went and collected Meredith, who fought him a bit. Derek whispered, "She's safe, she's stable, I promise. She won't be alone." Meredith let him help her to stand, wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Meredith looked Jackson dead in the eye, "Any change and you call me immediately."

"I will," Jackson was very much aware the wrath of Meredith Grey he'd suffer if he didn't keep his promise.

Derek escorted his wife out of the room, pausing for a moment to tell Jackson, "Thank you." Jackson nodded. They left, he looked at the sleeping woman, sighed heavily to himself. He took his place in Meredith's spot. Derek had informed Mark, but the renowned plastic surgeon had traveled back to be with his grandchild and daughter, they were currently going through a family row, Sloan did not feel fit to be a mother, Mark was now seeking guardianship of his grandson. He wanted to come back, but again, he chose them over Lexie.

Jackson glared at the thought, Mark didn't deserve her, Lexie was unlike any other, she was amazing, she was, she was something special. She deserved better. Jackson took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Come back Lex." He sighed, looking at her peaceful face. "I miss you." He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "So please, wake up, for Meredith, for all of us, for me."

Visitors were in and out of the room, April, Alex, Bailey, Webber, Cristina, Owen, everyone, constantly in and out. Faces concerned, expressions grim, eyes hopeful. At some point he'd drifted off, when he stirred, it was nightfall, nearly midnight. He stretched, groaned at the stiffness in his back and shoulders. He checked his cell phone, a message from Derek, Meredith has succumbed to her exhaustion and fallen asleep. The older Grey had been asleep for nearly twelve hours now.

In the darkness of the room, only dimly lit by a side table lamp, a breathy voice whispered weakly, "Jackson."

Blue eyes shot up abruptly to see warm, chocolate brown ones starring at him wearily. "Hey," He took her hand, she squeezed his. "Welcome back," He told her with the warmest of smiles.

"Hi," Lexie said back softly with a faint smile of her own. "Where's my sister, where's Meredith?"

"She's been at your bedside the entire time; I sent her home to get some sleep. She's been so worried." Jackson reassured her. "Do you want me to call her?"

"N-no, let her sleep." Lexie grimaced in pain. She blinked up at him, vision hazy, thoughts jumbled, body uncooperative, and for an instant, a breaths-time, she thought she may have died. Then he was there, Jackson Avery flooded her sight. "You're still here." She smiled a little with relief.

Jackson smiled, "I'm still here." He reassured her. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Lexie smiled tiredly, "I must look like a mess. A broken mess."

He squeezed her hand very gently, leaned down to press a soft kiss to her temple. "You're still beautiful."

Lexie scoffed feebly, "Silver tongue." She murmured, but it fell flat of a tease.

"How are you feeling?" His blue eyes looked her over critically. "I can call Dr. Bailey."

"I'm fine," Lexie shook her head. "Just tired, so tired."

"Sleep," Jackson gently coaxed her. She's still too pale, the bruises and scrapes standing out garishly on her skin.

"But," Lexie mumbled.

"Sleep, I'll be here when you wake up again." He told her, steel lining his voice and resolve. He had picked up that tone from Meredith and Bailey, she's sure. He took her hand carefully into both of his, touching her like she could break any moment. "Coma, three days." He informed her very seriously, and then there is only Jackson in his tone, earnest and kind.

Lexie sighed softly, "Okay." She gave in. "Promise you'll still be here when I wake up."

"I promise," Jackson vowed sweetly.

"Okay," It's not that she felt any better, far from it. She ached all over, she probably wouldn't be able to stand without feeling shaky, probably couldn't lift a glass of water on her own at the moment, her head was spinning, and her vision blurred if she was awake for to long. She felt barely human. But having Jackson here at this very moment was everything. She wasn't alone. She didn't wake up alone in a hospital room, not this time. No, Jackson was here. He was here for her. She wasn't alone and she wouldn't wake up alone. That was everything, Jackson was everything.

Lexie swallowed hard, felt teary suddenly, a to frequent occurrence lately. "Jackson…"

"Sleep, Lex." Jackson told her tenderly. He leaned down to press a kiss to her head, his lips lingered on her hair as she shut her eyes, turned into him a little, and felt a wave of drowsy tiredness begin to overtake her. She's always tired.

She's drifting off already, she knew he knew this too. She tilted her head a tiny bit, peering at him through lowered lashes, a soft smile on her lips as she hummed sleepily. His smile to her is sweet, tender, the way, she knows, hers is to him. She drifted into sleep, and it felt like he placed a kiss to her forehead, but she can't be sure.

And for a moment, she thought he was hers.

End of chapter!

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