Note: bold words close to the ending are lyrics from the song - Dancing With Your Ghost by No Resolve
"*******************
You and Denny have been best friends since childhood, thick as thieves the two of you were and continued to be even into adulthood. You were always there for each other when need be, and you were also by his side through the ups and downs of his heart condition. Most of your time was spent by his bedside either at home or a hospital whenever he became ill, to the point that you even had your own bedroom at his home. You fully dedicated your entire life to him and making sure he was taking care of himself, trying your best to make him see life was worth fighting for.
he truth was that you loved Denny and not only as a friend or brother, you were and have always been madly in love with him. Denny always told you that the reason why he never focused on having a stable relationship was because he didn't want to put the person he loved through the heartache of watching him die on them. And for that reason alone, you decided to keep the secret from him, you didn't want to add more stress to his already complicated life and neither did you want to lose your friendship with him over it.
So, you silently bid your time, always by the side of the love of your life as he waited for a new heart to become available.
It was the day of Denny's admittance into hospital in preparation for his heart transplant and you were overly eager with your assistance in helping him settle in.
"So, how does it feel knowing you'll have a brand-new life soon?" you cheerfully ask Denny while the nurse was busy hooking him up to the heart monitoring machines.
"Its so surreal... I'm finally going to be rid of this dead weight of a useless heart I have" Denny states with a dimpled smirk.
The two of you were joking and laughing about all the crazy adventures you guys plan on having once Denny was healthy, when a group of doctors then entered into his room.
"And I do believe this is my cue to leave the room, I'll see you later-" you matter-of-factly state, placing a light kiss on Denny's forehead and leave the room.
You had later returned back to Denny's room after the doctor's had spoken to him and after some time of chatting while waiting for the preparations to begin, you had fallen asleep in the chair. It was during this time that you felt the presence of someone having entered the room.
You were just about to open your eyes when you heard Denny greeting the person and you recognized it to be the blonde of earlier; Dr Stevens. By the tone of their conversation you clearly could make out that Denny was flirting with her, so you decided to pretend that you were still asleep while you listened to it all.
"I'm quite sure your girlfriend wouldn't approve Denny-" she states after their flirting session ended. "Girlfriend?" I then hear Denny say. "Oh, no. Y/N's not my girlfriend. She's my best friend since childhood, she's more like a sister to me than anything" Denny states.
"Oh. I just assumed with the kiss on the forehead thing..." she responds. "It's something we have been doing since childhood. If one of us are having an emotional day, we usually place a kiss on the other's forehead in a way to calm them down" Denny informs her.
And just like that... your heart broke in a million pieces as you came to the realization that Denny would always only see you as a sister and nothing more.
You then waited a few minutes after she left before pretending to just have woken up from your nap. "Hey-" you greet Denny with a forced smile as you pretend to sleepily stretch yourself out. "Hey, yourself sleepy head" he responds with a smirk.
You looked at your watch then, "Well, its time for me to leave before they kick me out of here" you state. "Yeah, by visiting hours tomorrow you'll see me with a new heart!" Denny remarks with a chuckle.
Are you sure you don't want me to sit in the waiting area during the operation?" you ask Denny one last time. "I'm sure... the operation is going take hours and you won't be able to see me till tomorrow. Go home and rest. Dr Burke knows to call you about how it went the minute I'm out." Denny tells you.
"Ok, then- if you insist" you say, placing a much longer drawn out kiss than usual on his forehead and leave.
A few hours later, you were doing your best to keep busy so your mind wouldn't wonder to Denny and what was happening to him at that moment. When suddenly your cell phone rang, looking at the screen you're a bit confused as to why the hospital would be calling so soon. "Hello-" you nervously answer.
You had just arrived at the hospital to pick Denny up after you received the news that he didn't get the heart. "Hey, big guy. Let me take that for you" you reach out for his bag in greeting. You notice that his attention was concentrated on something else, looking towards what he was staring at you see that it was her, Dr Stevens.
Once Denny was home you tried your best to cheer him up over the disappoint of not getting the new heart and while it did somewhat help, you could still see the look of total devastation in his eyes at time. The only time you would see a true smile that fully reached his eyes was when he would speak about her, Dr Stevens or Izzie as he would refer to her of lately.
It wasn't long before Denny ended up back in hospital again and this time it was even worse than before. It was pure torture watching the man you love in so much agony and there was nothing you could do to help him. Not only that, your own heart was silently dying as well at seeing how close he and Izzie were becoming during that time.
One day while you were visiting him, Denny admitted to you that he was in love with Izzie. You were of course devastated by the news but once you saw the two of them together and you witnessed for yourself that Izzie truly had feelings for Denny, you decided to step aside and allow them to be alone together more.
You watched as Denny and Izzie got closer together and it brought you a sense of contentment that though Denny, even in the state he was, he was truly happy for once in his life. So, you buried your feeling for Denny and did what any good friend would do, you full heartedly supported him and his relationship with Izzie.
The day that it was known there was again a possibility of Denny getting a heart, you were in his room visiting with him when Izzie entered. She had a cart with some sort of machine on it, when Denny asked her what is was, she then went on to explain to us that there was a huge possibility that Denny wouldn't be getting the heart yet again.
t broke your heart to see that look of pure disappointed on your friend's face yet again, when you asked Izzie if there wasn't perhaps some way that Denny would be the one guaranteed to be getting it. She then explained to you guys of her plan to make Denny's condition worse by cutting his LVAD wire, which would guarantee him getting the heart.
A huge argument between the two of them broke out over Denny not agreeing with Izzie's idea, so you decided to step out of the room and give them some privacy in order to sort it out.
You were relieved when Izzie called you back inside and they told you that he had agreed to go ahead with her idea.
"She loves you a lot and that's why she's doing this... she's doing it for you, so that the two of you can have a real future together" you tell Denny. "I know that... and the only reason I agreed was for her-" he replies.
"You ready?" Izzie asks, determinately staring at the both of you. "I'll be downstairs in the waiting room. Izzie, let me know as soon as you get the news. Good luck-" you state, placing a kiss on Denny's forehead and leave the room.
You were pacing up and down the waiting area for what seemed to be hours when suddenly saw a very agitated Izzie making her way towards you.
"Is he getting the heart?" you ask her. "Yes, Bailey just approved it. She should be on the phone informing them that we are much more in need of it-" Izzie responds with a huge smile.
Letting out a huge sigh of relief, you grab Izzie into a hard hug, "thank you... you truly do love him, and I see that very clearly. I hope the two of you live a long and happy life together once all this is over-"
"Thank you Y/N, for always being there for him since day one. I hope that you'll still continue to do so and that you and I can be close friends as well." Izzie tells you.
The two of you were chatting and laughing about all the antics Denny planned on catching up to, when a devastated looking Dr Bailey walked up to you guys.
"What's wrong? Why do you look that?" Izzie asks puzzled at Bailey's behaviour. "We missed it-" Bailey states.
"Missed what?" Izzie looks at her confused. "The heart... we missed it." Bailey replies.
"What do you mean we missed the heart?!" Izzie and I both yell out at the same time. "By the time I let Karev know we needed it more, Hahn had already left with it-" Bailey tells us.
"Then get them to turn around! Or tell Alex to go after her and get it!" Izzie practically screams at Bailey while I silently stare in complete shock.
"It's too late... they already started preparing their guy when I tried to intervene. I'm sorry, but there's no heart-" Bailey sighs in defeat.
"Can't you guys put him back onto the LVAD then?" you ask. "We don't have another one and he'd die by the time a new one even arrived." Izzie tearfully states.
"So, there's no other way to save him? He's going die if he doesn't get a new heart?" you whisper as the tears begin to run down your check. "Yes-" Izzie whispers back and walks away in a daze.
"Help! Somebody, I need help over here!" A man runs into the hospital holding your unconscious and bleeding body.
"What do we have here?!" Bailey runs up to see what's going on. "Female, looks to be in her 30's, got hit by a car!" the nurse informs her as they place your limp body on a gurney.
"Oh, my god! I know her! That's Denny Duquette's friend, what happened?" Bailey gasps out when she recognises you.
"I-I didn't mean to hit her... I tried to stop the car! But- but she- she..." the man tearfully rumbles. "Ok, sir. I need you to try and calm down and tell me exactly what happened.
"I honestly don't know. One minute I was just driving and the next thing I know... she came out of nowhere and jumped in front of my car! I hit the breaks but it was too late-" the man explains to Bailey.
"Dr Bailey there's something you need to see" a nurse comes up to Bailey, handing her a piece of paper. "What is it?" Bailey looks at the nurse confused.
"I found it clutched in her hand and if it's true, then you would want to know" the nurse tells Bailey.
Opening the paper, Bailey begins to readem style="box-sizing: border-box;"; "Do not resuscitate. Give heart to Denny. Folder in Dr Burke's office explaining everything, Y/N, Y/L/N. Don't tell Denny about the heart. Have Izzie tell Denny about my death once his doing better."
"Grey, go to Burke's office and finds this folder!" Bailey yells. "What's going on?" Meredith looks at Bailey puzzled as she walks up to her. "Just do it! And get Izzie for me!" Bailey orders her.
"Meredith said you wanted to see me. If this is about Denny... look, I know I messed up, but we have to think of a way to save him-" Izzie begs. "There might be a solution to your irresponsible behaviour." Bailey states.
"What... what do you mean?" Izzie looks puzzled at her statement. Meredith then came running towards them with the folder in hand, "ah, thank you Grey! Here read this" Bailey hands Izzie your note.
"What the hell is this?" Izzie looks at Bailey in shock at what she just read. "Come with me." Bailey calmly states.
"Oh my god! Y/N! what happened to her?!" Izzie yells out at seeing your lifeless body hooked up to machines. "She got hit by a car." Bailey informs her.
"Oh my god. Is she stable? Have you informed Shepherd? We have to do a CT scan!" Izzie rambles on. "We've stabilized her but she's unresponsive, she received a massive head injury, Dr Shepherd is on his way to meet us at the CT scan" the nurse informs Bailey.
"Ok, then we wait until he gives us a verdict and then we'll proceed from there." Bailey states. "Proceed to what exactly?" Izzie responds.
"I'm sure you read the note and what it entails." Bailey states. "Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense-" Izzie replies.
"Well, according to these documents they do... this is a legally signed document stating that if ever Y/N, Y/L/N was admitted to a hospital in a critical condition before Denny Duquette has received a new heart, a DNR has been put in place. All usable organs are to be donated except for her heart, the heart is to go to Denny and only Denny. If we failed to do so, none of the other organs are to be touched without the hospital ending up getting sued." Bailey reads it out to Izzie.
"But we don't even know if she's a match-" Izzie responds. "According to these test results Burke ran on her some time ago, she is a perfect match as a donator for Denny-" Bailey states.
"How do I tell him... how do I tell him that the heart he has beating inside his chest right now used to belong to his best friend-" Izzie whispers to Meredith as they watch Denny lying in his bed through the glass window.
"You do what she told you to do. You don't tell him it's her heart, at least not now. Wait until you feel he's capable of handling the truth." Meredith tells her.
"And when will that be? I'll have to tell him she died sooner or later though... to think she killed herself so that he could have her heart-" Izzie responds.
"Yeah, that's one really close friendship between them. She must have really loved him." Meredith remarks.
"Hey there-" Izzie enters the room, awkwardly greeting Denny. "Hey yourself stranger. I've got a new heart. Can you believe it, I've got a new heart!" Denny excitedly smiles at her.
"Yeah, that's awesome. I told you everything would work out in the end." Izzie responds with a forced smile. "I can't wait to see Y/N's face when she comes during visiting hours and sees me, brand new heart and all-" Denny remarks.
"About Y/N, she got a call that her parents were in a terrible car crash, so she had to rush down there to be by their sides-" Izzie suddenly blurts out. "Oh my god, that's terrible. I hope they'll be ok. Denny responds in shock.
"Yeah, she knew I would be here to see to you, so she felt much more comfortable leaving then. But she told me to send you her love... and to give you this-" Izzie replies, placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Stevens! Visiting hours aren't for another hour. What are you doing here?" Bailey barks out as she enters the room. "I know... I know, I'm no longer his doctor etc, etc..." Izzie rolls her eyes at Bailey.
"Hey, you better be careful before Dr Bailey bans you from my room" Denny tells her. "Don't worry, I'm leaving. I'll be back at visiting hours and it's prom night, so I'll get show you my dress-" Izzie responds with a smile and leaves.
Later That Evening
It was a calm evening, when Denny was sitting up in his hospital bed, reading a newspaper while he waited for Izzie to arrive to show him her prom dress. When suddenly his facial expression changed into one of pain, as he suddenly fell backwards into the pillows. The sound of his heart monitor flatlining echoed through the otherwise silent room...
Opening his eyes, Denny finds himself standing in the middle of a vastly open and endless white area.
(what's going on)
"Where am I?" Denny asks out loudly as he looks around him in confusion.
"I never expected to see you here so soon-" a voice suddenly speaks out from behind Denny, causing him turn spin around.
(the look in your eyes tells me there's something wrong)
"Y/N?" Denny stares at you, puzzled at why you were here.
"Hey, big guy" you greet him with a smile.
(stay with me)
"I died... I know I did, so this must be heaven. But what are you doing here?" Denny tries to make sense of what was happening.
(help is on the way, just try to breathe)
"This is a place between heaven and earth. Kind of like a waiting area-" you state.
(can you hear my voice)
"Ok... I get that part. But why are you here if you're still alive" Denny responds and then it suddenly hits him, "No. Please don't tell me that you're... No, it can't be!"
(let it guide you through all of the noise)
"What happened? When did it happen?" Denny tearfully questions you.
(your lips are blue)
"Car accident. Though it really wasn't an accident" you state with a slight smile.
"What?! You saying some asshole deliberately drove into you!" Denny angry responds.
(I would sell my soul for you to pull through)
"No. Some fool deliberately ran into an oncoming car" you state matter-of-factly.
"What? Who?" Denny asks confused.
(I've been dancing with your ghost)
When you tilt your head to the side, that's when it suddenly hits him, "Why would you do that!?" Denny yells at you.
(some might say that we have stole the show)
Taking Denny's hand; you place it over his heart and then taking the other one, you place it over yours.
(all the memories that are haunting me)
"That's odd both our heartbeats sound exactly the same-" Denny remarks in astonishment.
(I refuse to let you go)
"That's because they are the same. It's one heartbeat, because it's one heart you're listening to" you respond with a tearful smile.
(I've been dancing with your ghost)
"One heart... the heart I got... it was yours?" Denny stares at you in shock.
(what's going on?)
"Yes-" you reply as a tear slowly slides on down your cheek.
(I can feel the crowd thinking 'Oh my God')
"I don't understand... I thought I was getting a heart from someone else. How did I end up with yours?" Denny asks, even more confused than ever.
(please, just move)
"You were, but it fell through... you were going to die, so I did the only thing I thought I could do in order to save you" you tell him.
(can anyone hear me? Let me through)
"You ran in front of a car and killed yourself! That was the only thing you could think of! What were you thinking?!" Denny yells, grabbing your shoulders and shakes you.
(I can see your face)
"I did it because I loved you!" you scream out crying.
(calling your name)
"What?" Denny looks at you shocked.
(reaching out)
"I'm in love with you. Always have been, always will be. That's why I did it" you state.
(I can't feel anything)
"Why have you never told me this?" Denny demands.
(forever and after, I'm always yours)
"Because I didn't want to destroy our friendship if you didn't feel the same for me. Our friendship meant more to me than my own feelings" you reply.
(I've been dancing with your ghost)
"I would have felt the same had you told me-" Denny responds.
(some might say that we stole the show)
"It didn't really matter in the end if I told you or not, because you met and fell in love with Izzie. And I wanted you to have the life you always dreamt of but never could have till now, even if it was without me in it-" you tell him.
(all the memories that are haunting me)
"You were always there for me, anytime I needed you. And now that I think about it... it was you... it always was you-" Denny suddenly states with a chuckle.
(I refuse to let you go)
"What was me?" you look at him confused.
"The right woman for me was you..." Denny states cupping your cheek in the palm of his hand.
(I've been dancing with your ghost)
"But I thought you loved Izzie-" your eyes begin to tear up again as you stare into his.
(I'll always be waiting)
"I thought I did, but I see now that I was wrong. Maybe it was because I knew I was going to die and didn't want to die alone. But I know now that the one I truly loved was you-" Denny replies, wiping the tear off your cheek with his thumb.
(I'll always be waiting)
"You're only saying these things because you feel guilty about me killing myself so that you would have my heart-" you respond as more tears fall from your eyes.
(all the memories)
"No. It's true. I choose you Y/N, Y/L/N. I choose you, now and forever-" Denny states tipping down to place a soft kiss on your lips.
(they are haunting me)
"I love you Denny Duquette. You will always have my heart, figuratively speaking as well as literally-" you respond causing you both to chuckle at your use of words.
(I've been dancing with your ghost)
"I love you too Y/N-" Denny replies, staring deeply into your eyes as he tips down to kiss you once again.
You finally break the kiss some minutes later, "Are you ready to go now?" you softly ask him.
(some might say that we have stole the show)
"Going to spend the afterlife with you... of course I am-" Denny smilingly responds, grabbing hold of your hand, when suddenly a white door appeared out of nowhere.
(all the memories that are haunting me)
"Well, I guess that's our ticket home-" Denny remark staring at it and then turns back to you with a smile.
"Yeah, it is. Let's go home" you respond, smiling back at him as the door then opens, a bright, blinding white light shining from out it.
(I refuse to let you go)
"Let's- go- home-" Denny state one last time as you both walk towards the door and enter through it...
(I've been dancing with your ghost...)
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