Derek woke up when Meredith kissed him on the cheek the next morning. When he sat up the clock said it was 10am and Alex was still asleep peacefully.

"Hey sleepyhead." Meredith said smiling.

"Morning." Derek said kissing her on her forehead.

"Did he sleep?"

"He woke up once but he was fine."

"How about you?"

"I slept fine was it nice to rest in your bed?"

"Yes." She laughed.

"Hmmm…" Alex groaned.

"Alex?"

"Yeah." He whispered.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, nauseous and everything hurts."

"Let's get you up and we can take you downstairs."

"Fine."

Alex for the first time in 3 days managed to sit up himself and then stand up. He started to walk out of his room but got too dizzy and grabbed hold of the door frame.

"I've got you." Meredith said grabbing his arm.

"Meredith, bathroom."

"Oh Alex sick?"

"Yes." He sighed.

They walked into the bathroom and Alex collapsed to his knees to throw up once again. Meredith rubbed his back soothingly and tried to reassure him but she didn't really know what to say to someone in so much pain. Once he finished he was panting heavily and he collapsed back onto Meredith.

"You're okay, you're okay don't worry."

By this point Alex was laying with his head on Meredith's lap in the foetal position tears streaming down his face. Derek walked in with a glass of water, a blanket and a pillow because he knew that he was going to be there all day again.

"Thank you Derek."

Meredith placed the pillow onto the floor and moved Alex's head onto the pillow and wrapping a blanket over his shaking body.

"You sleep Alex, I'm here, I'm not leaving you."

Alex was already asleep and Meredith stood up to go over to Derek who was stood in the doorway.

"I thought he was getting better." Derek said hugging Meredith.

"Me too, I don't know what we can even do anymore."

"He needs to eat because he is literally throwing up water, I'm going to get him some food." Derek said leaving the room.

Alex woke up and tried to sit up to make it to the toilet but he couldn't get up in time so he threw up all over the floor.

"Alex!"

"Sorry." He whispered.

"Let's get you up, I'll clean this up and Derek has gone to get you something to eat because you need something."

"Urgh...food." He said almost gagging

"I know Alex." She said hugging him.

Meredith stood him up and sat him down next to the bathroom on the landing. She then grabbed the disinfectant and began scrubbing the floor clean. Derek walked back up with saltine crackers, soup and a glass of juice. The smell was awful and made him even more nauseous.

"I have these for you Alex, do you need any help?"

"Soup, can't eat the soup." He whispered.

"Okay just eat the crackers then."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know your not but you need to eat."

Derek passed Alex a packet of crackers and opened them for him, Alex took one bite of them and it tasted awful. He ate half of a cracker before he felt really sick again.

"I can't eat anymore."

"At least you ate something."

"I'm gonna be sick again." He sighed.

"Oh Erm..."

Derek helped Alex up and took him back into the bathroom and sat him back down on the floor. He threw up the cracker because his stomach was so unsettled and sick. Meredith continued to rub his back as she looked worriedly at Derek. Meredith passed him a glass of water, he took a small sip but couldn't even keep that down.

For the next 4 hours Alex was throwing up constantly and his fever was becoming worse and worse. He was in excruciating pain, he couldn't sit up, speak or move. Lexie walked up the stairs with Robbins next to her. Lexie left again not wanting to see her friend and ex-lover in that way. Derek was sat on the hallway against the radiator looking exhaustedly at Meredith sat in the bathroom.

"Arizona?" Derek asked confused by her presence.

"Sorry Derek, I wanted to come check on how he is." Arizona said.

Arizona looked in the bathroom and saw him laying on Meredith's lap in the foetal position with his arms wrapped around his churning stomach and tears rolling down his face.

"This is the 3rd day straight he has been like this." Derek sighed.

"Is he any better?"

"To be honest he's probably worse than before."

Meredith practically pulled Alex up and threw up once again. Arizona winced slightly watching him do that but she had to stay strong for him. Meredith was stroking his soaked hair off his sweaty forehead until he laid back down in the same position.

"Alex, why don't you try to sleep for a bit?"

"Hmmm." He groaned.

Meredith moved his head back onto the pillow and placed the blanket on him as he fell back asleep. She stood up and walked over to Robbins.

"Hi." She said her voice flat from exhaustion.

"Hi, can I do anything to help?" She asked.

"Can you maybe just stay with him so I can clean up and have something to eat?" Meredith asked.

"Yes of course."

"Thank you!" She said walking towards her bedroom with Derek following shortly behind her.

Arizona took off her coat and placed them down on the hallway. She went and sat down next to Alex and held his hand to try comfort him a little.

She was sat there for maybe 15 minutes before Alex woke up again struggling to sit up.

"I've got you." She said sitting him up.

"Robbins?" He managed to whisper before throwing up.

She slowly rubbed circles into his shaking back. Once he finished he was struggling to get his breath back so she leant him back against the wall and got him a glass of water. He couldn't hold it as his hands were shaking so much so Arizona placed it on his cold pasty white lips. Arizona was doing everything in her power not to cry, she needed to be strong for her resident and the future of Seattle Grace Mercy West Paeds.

"Mer?"

"She will be back soon."

"Tired." He sighed.

"Do you want to go bed and sleep there?"

"I can't..." He whispered.

"Okay, do you need some help laying down?"

He nodded tiredly and embarrassedly to Robbins so she helped him lay back down on the pillow but didn't put the blanket on because he was so warm to the touch. When he fell asleep which was quickly Arizona went to find a thermometer. She knew he was too warm and she was right- he was at 104.1.

"Meredith, Derek!" She shouted.

After a few seconds they both ran into the room panicking.

"What's wrong?"

"We need to get him to the hospital, he has a temp of 104.1. He is really dehydrated, he is in so much pain and can't stop throwing up."

"104.1?" Derek asked shocked.

"Call 911."

"Okay I'll do it." Derek said running out of the room towards his bedroom.

Meredith was kneeling down next to him as he still slept. His forehead was so hot and dripping wet like his entire body. His hair was flat against his forehead and his cheeks were bright red. He was shivering like mad whilst he sleeping and he was laying still in the foetal position. Both Meredith and Arizona could tell how much pain he was in physically and mentally. When Alex spoke his voice was so flat and his eyes were constantly glazed over from his fever and his depression.

"They're here." Derek announcement moving out of the way for the 2 men in the door way.

They knelt down and started taking his vitals as he woke up.

"What is his name?"

"Alexander Karev, he is a 4th year surgical resident at Seattle Grace Mercy West call him Alex though."

"Okay Alex, your going to be okay we are going to take you to the hospital." One of them reassured.

"Mer?" He slurred.

"Yes, Alex?"

"Sick."

"Oh."

One of the EMT's helped him up before he threw up. Meredith and the EMT held him up because he had become significantly weaker.

"How long has this been happening?"

"3 days, ever since his brother and sister died. This is his way he grieve's but he has a temp of 104.1 and is really dehydrated. He is in so much pain, he can't walk, talk or even sit up. He cant even keep down a sip of water let alone anything to eat, he has eaten half a saltine cracker in 4 days. We are all surgeons at Seattle Grace Mercy West so we knew we had to get him there." Meredith said letting him collapse onto her shoulder.

"Okay, his heart rate is really weak and thready, pulse ox is low we need to get him to the hospital. Can he walk?"

"No he can't even sit."

"Okay. We can help him down then there is a gurney waiting at the bottom of the stairs."

"Meredith, do you want me to get him somethings?" Derek asked.

"Yes thanks Derek."

Derek ran out and Robbins followed him.

"Can't...breathe."

"Okay, we need to move in to the ambulance so we can give him some oxygen."

"Alex, your okay."

Meredith and the 2 EMT's stood him up but his legs couldn't cope with the weight of him and he passed out onto the floor.

"Omg!" Meredith screamed.

He woke up seconds later from the bright lights flashing in his face. As soon as his eyes opened Alex started to gag so they sat him up against the toilet but because he didn't have any water or food inside him he was dry heaving. Meredith wasn't completely sure what to do so she just let him fall back onto her once he finally finished.

"Let's get you to the hospital."

They once again picked him up off the floor and very slowly walked out of the bathroom towards the stairs. He fell a few times but they caught him every time, they finally made it down the stairs where the gurney was. They slowly helped him onto the bed where he laid down on his side with his arms tightly wrapped around his aching unsettled stomach. His breathing was becoming worse and worse so they needed to get in the ambulance fast. Derek and Arizona were waiting there for them to get out.

"Meredith, it's okay we are going to meet you at the hospital and get everything ready. I'm going to get the best people for him." Derek said.

"Ummm...okay. You need to get Cristina and Richard." She said.

"Okay love you."

"Love you too,"

They both quickly ran to the car and drove away whilst Alex was taken into the ambulance. He was being hooked up to loads of different machines and oxygen. Tears were streaming down his face because he was in so much pain. Meredith stepped onto the rig and sat next to Alex who was barely conscious and held his shaking hand tightly. They started to go after 10 minutes as he wasn't stable enough to move him.

Owen, Bailey, Teddy, Jackson and April had all been paged to the emergency room by Richard.

"What's up?" Bailey asked once they were all there.

"We have one of our own coming in in extremely critical condition, he's going to be our top priority." Richard said.

"Who is it sir?" Jackson asked.

"Alex."

"Omg, what's happened?" Bailey panicked.

"He has a fever of 104.1, he's in agony, he can't keep anything down. Derek said he hasn't been off his bathroom floor for the 3 days. He currently is on the way in a rig. Owen, April can you prep Trauma 1?"

"Yes sir."

The entire 20 minutes ride was hell. He was dry heaving constantly, his temp went up to 104.5, his pain had got bad and groans kept escaping his mouth from his unconsciousness. He couldn't stop dry heaving and he was sobbing silently.

The rig stopped and the doors flung open,

"Alexander Karev, 31 years old, 104.5 fever, dehydration, high pain, constant vomiting, in and out of consciousness, pulse ox low and struggling to breathe." The EMT announced.

"Trauma 1." Owen shouted.

Derek and Cristina were both stood at the side waiting for Meredith. When she got out Derek grabbed her and hugged her tightly.

"It's okay, he's going to be okay." He said pulling her into his chest.

All she could do was sob, she had had to be strong for him but now she didn't. Alex was rushed inside by Hunt, Bailey, Richard, Lexie, April, Jackson and Teddy. Once they had all taken him in Bailey came running out to see Meredith, she had stopped crying and was talking to Cristina.

"Meredith, what the hell happened?"

"He's been like that for 3 days. All he has done is throw up and sleep in the bathroom. He has been cling to me the entire time. His temp got so bad today and he is in so much pain all the time. I don't think this is to do with grief anymore. He is so weak, vulnerable and sick, immensely sick."

"They're doing everything now."

"Can I go in?"

"Yes but not in the trauma bay."

"Okay."

They all walked inside to see Alex laying so weak and defenceless on the hospital bed. His pain still agonising.

"Hang 3L of saline and grab some cold clothes ." Owen shouted.

A nurse was setting up a cannula on his hand and another on his arm, another nurse was placing an oxygen mask over his face.

"Give him 20mg of morphine and 300mg of ibuprofen." Richard shouted.

Jackson ran back in with some cooling clothes. He started to place them on his neck,forehead and head to try decrease his life-threatening fever.

"Someone do a CBC, blood gas and full blood count." Teddy shouted.

Once Alex had stabilised 20 minutes later, he was fast asleep, his pulse ox had gone up to 97%, his temp was down to 101.1 and his pain should've been lowered. Everyone except April and Jackson went out to talk to Meredith, Derek, Bailey and Cristina.

"He's stable for now." Owen started.

"Okay good, what's happening to him?"

"All of his tests came back clean except he is dehydrated and has hardly any nutrients in him, when was the last time he ate?" Teddy asked.

"5 days ago."

"Okay we are going to start him on some dietary supplements so he is getting some nutrients he needs." Teddy said before walking into his room.

"We are going to take him up to a ward and admit him for a few nights until he is stronger, I don't think that he has an illness, I think that this is his grief, depression and stress. There is one other thing we haven't checked, stress-induced meningitis, it does fit all the symptoms." Owen said.

"I'm going to order a spinal tap, CT and blood cultures." Richard said walking back into the room.

"He's going to be okay, we are going to sort him out and get him well again. You can go up with him if you want Meredith."

"Thank you Owen."

Meredith walked into the trauma bay and went straight over to the sickly looking man. She held onto his hand tightly and he woke up again.

"Alex, your at the hospital, we're going to sort you out don't worry."

"Mer...sick."

"Can someone get me a bucket?" She asked.

Richard quickly passed her a salmon coloured bucket and she placed it under Alex's face. He still had nothing in him so he continued dry heaving while tears rolled down his face because he was so scared.

"Your okay, your okay." Meredith said rubbing his back gently.

Everyone in the room were just staring in shock at how weak the strong man seemed. Once he had finished Meredith took away the bucket and placed it on the chair. She stroked his hair until he fell back asleep a few minutes later.

"Is that what he's been like?"

"Kind of, he has no water or food left in him today so he is just dry heaving which I think is worse for him because the last 3 days he has had some water or food in him. He is in agony but I think the pain meds have helped."

"The room is ready for him now." Owen said walking in.

They unhooked all the machines from him and connected his IV bags to the bed. Alex was still fast asleep in the foetal position even when they were moving. Derek, Bailey and Cristina followed shortly behind them and Robbins was already in the room waiting for them all. As soon as they got in, Owen started to hook him back up to different machines, Teddy started setting up for a spinal tap and Richard reconnected his oxygen mask and grabbed a sick bucket to place at the side of his bed. Meredith stood at the side of the room until the rest cleaned out of the way so she could and comfort him. Once Richard and Owen had finished they left the room silently so Meredith went over to him and held his hand.