A/N: Hey guys! Review please, thanks!

Disclaimer: This chapter has some graphic scenes so read with caution.

Amelia

Meredith's eyes were barely dry for the rest of the night. She kept looking at Lexie like she couldn't believe she was sitting here, which, I'm assuming she couldn't. I mean it's been years since the plane accident.

Alexa and Kaleigh had retreated upstairs and stayed there for the rest of the night. Owen had his arm around my shoulders, using his thumb to rub circles into my back. With my head on his shoulder, I could have fallen asleep right there and slept soundly through the night.

Instead we stayed up late into the night talking about everything that has happened since the crash. About how Cristina left, and how Jo Wilson was turning out to be one of the best in her class, about Bailey being the chief of surgery and Meredith being the chief of general.

Lexie had a little bit to update us on too. It took her two years to be able to walk again, and even then, it took some more time to adjust to her prosthetics enough that she could walk without crutches or a walker. They hadn't expected her to make any type of recovery based on where her crush injuries were, but it had worked out that there was a brain-dead organ donor in the hospital at the same time and they were able to transplant many of the organs and use a skin graft. Lexie said she goes out to her grave every year to thank her for the second chance at life. She wanted to continue being a doctor, but she didn't think she could work in Seattle Grace Mercy West (now Grey-Sloan) again, seeing Mark around every corner. So she rented a small apartment near the clinic and had been keeping her head down and saving money so that she could someday either buy a house and adopt some dogs or move across the country to try something new.

Meredith nearly had a death grip on her hand. "That's not still the plan, is it?"

"Meredith…" Lexie started. "I mean, I wasn't planning on seeing you guys ever again. I just… I wanted to leave that part of my life behind because we nearly died. We all nearly died. And I've been happy at the clinic. I mean, I'm not a surgical junkie like you and Cristina were. Are? I don't know. I can make myself happy with less, though. And I have been."

"Lexie… there hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about you. And what it would be like if the plane had never gone down. Every day I imagine your ponytail bobbing behind the rest of residents, poking your head through the crowd because you're a genius and you always know the answers when they ask questions during rounds. Only you'd be an attending by now, you'd probably be running the neuro department!" Meredith explained.

"Hey," I interjected.

Mer rolled her eyes at me. "No offense. I just want my little sister back, that's all. You belong here. You always have."

"I don't even know if I could go back to surgery, I mean, it's been so long and my legs…"

"Arizona does it," Owen pointed out.

"Just come talk to Bailey. Talk to everyone. Once they get past the initial shock, I'm sure everyone else would want you back at work, too."

Lexie sighed. "I don't know, Meredith. I just don't know." She poured herself a glass of wine.

Alexa

Kaleigh was crying again upstairs. I was sitting at the end of her bed, trying to decide whether I should give her some space or try and talk to her.

"Alexa… what if I'm not making the right choice? I mean… no, I have to, it's the only logical choice, right?"

"It's not the only choice, Kaleigh," I said.

"No, it's stupid. I have to get an abortion. I mean, I'm 18. And I can't raise a child… Oh, God, but what if I regret it? What if one day I can't have kids when I'm old enough and I blew my only opportunity?"

"You can't think like that. If you talk yourself into a hole like that, you're going to regret the choice no matter what you do. Here's what I know," I sighed. "I know that you, Kaleigh, are a smart and capable girl with loads of potential. I know that girls who raise kids right out of high school often times don't get to reach their full potential. And I know that you hate kids, or dislike them, anyway. But I also know that if you wanted to, really wanted, you could raise this kid. And even though you hate kids, you would love yours because it's your kid. And you could find a way to make it work, maybe by going to community college for a couple of years, or working full time for a while first…"

"Stop," she said. "Everything you just described… I can't live my life like that. I know I've made it a huge deal, coming out here and everything, but it's the happiest I've ever been. And I never would have admitted that to you, because, God, Alexa, I was so mad at you for making the choice for me. And I know that's not how it actually worked and that's not fair, but I was so pissed from being ripped over here from my old life. So I haven't exactly shown it, but I am starting to realize that I am really happy here. But… not happy enough to be trapped for 18 years in the same place. Or mostly, anyway."

I shrugged. "So it's not what you want?"

"It's not what I want."

"Kaleigh, I think you're making the right choice, but it doesn't matter what I think. I'm biased. So you have to promise me that you're making the choice because it's what you want to do," I said.

"I've always kind of known, I just… I needed someone to lay it out for me like that. So thank you."

I nodded. "Tomorrow morning, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, goodnight," I stood, but lingered in her doorway. "I know it's been a rough time lately but things will start looking up soon. I'm kind of living proof of that."

She rolled her eyes. "So full of yourself, as always."

Kaleigh

I woke up the next morning with my heart pounding in my throat. I was going to get an abortion this morning.

We decided to keep Lexie as my doctor, even though it was a slight conflict of interest, but they all decided it was fine because the procedure was going to be "simple". Like there was anything simple about ending a life that was growing inside of me.

Nick offered to come with me when I called him late last night, but I told him I didn't want to see him there, or anywhere. It's nothing personal I said. He seemed sad but told me he understood.

Amelia knocked on my ajar door that morning as I snoozed my alarm for the third or fourth time.

"Your appointment is in an hour, Kay." She came into my room and grabbed my hamper. "I'm going to do a load of laundry for you so you have some comfortable pajamas for your lazy day with Alexa when you get back. Do you want me to come?"

I sat up on the edge of the bed. "No, thank you."

When Amelia left I put my hand over my stomach. It was weird. I didn't really feel pregnant. Like, you know how in the books the women always just know they're pregnant even though it's been like a day?

I waited for a flutter, or a kick, or something, even though I knew it was too early for that. I mean, I guess I knew. My high school never had sex-ed and I hadn't exactly done the most thorough job reading up on it.

Alexa passed my room and then I heard her double back. She poked her head in. "Still good?"

I nodded, tiredly. I was exhausted, and not just because I was on the phone late last night with Nick.

Alexa drove me there and I spent the whole ride trying to avoid thinking about what was going to happen to me when I got there. Would they do another ultrasound? Was it too late for the pill? Would they have to use that thing… the whatsitcalled?

At the stoplight across from the clinic, Alexa took her hand off the wheel and squeezed mine. "It's going to be okay."

In Lexie's office, I was staring at a thousand different pamphlets that explained the difference between the medical and surgical procedures.

"These are really the standard options at this point. The medical procedure is less invasive and less risky, but you will go through a greater deal of pain at home, and you'll have to self-administer the second treatment. I usually wouldn't recommend it to someone so young, but you have doctors at home and I think you'd be able to handle it. On the other hand, the surgical procedure is a bit of a quicker recovery and slightly more effective. And you wouldn't need to schedule a follow up, unless you wanted one." Lexie went on to talk about more risks and benefits of each option, but I knew what I wanted to do.

The whole way over I had myself all worked up about what would have to be done to me, but now that it was getting explained to me in such blunt terms, I had changed my mind.

"I want the surgical procedure. I don't want to have to think about this ever again," I said.

Lexie nodded and cocked her head a bit. "Are you sure you want to do this? Are you absolutely sure?"

"You already asked me that," I pointed out.

"I have to," she replied. "So are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

Alexa stifled her shoulders shaking, but I could tell she was breathing unevenly like she did when she worried. I could always tell when she was worried, because she worried about almost everything. She had gotten really good at hiding it, but her breath sometimes caught like she was crying only she wasn't, she was just imagining the worst and replaying it for herself over and over.

"Alexa, it's fine," I said, albeit shakily. "I'm fine."

"I know you are. You're just my little sister. I don't want you to ever have to suffer."

Lexie smiled gently. "It's a simple procedure, there's no reason to worry."

A few minutes later I was in a gown, with my legs in stirrups, holding Alexa's hand and not looking at any of the equipment that surrounded me. My legs were shaking and I could feel hot tears welling behind my eyes, my heart in my throat again.

"Take a deep breath, Kaleigh," Lexie said. As she rolled her chair over to the bed, I felt the tears fall from my eyes and roll down my cheeks.

"So I'm going to insert the speculum now. You can minimize your discomfort by breathing normally and relaxing as much as possible."

I tried not to think about the implications of the procedure as I heard the vacuum turn on.