Chapter 10: Shock

The next few days dragged by for Meredith. She found herself discouraged after Alice told her that her contact at Seattle Grace was out of town and she wasn't having much luck on her own. She tried to be upbeat for Carwyn, but Meredith still felt herself slowly giving up hope.

That evening she was drying off Carwyn in the small bathroom where she had cleaned herself and Carwyn in the small sink. She dressed in her faded pajamas and was helping Carwyn with hers, pulling up the bottoms, when she carelessly straightened up, striking the right side of her head on the cold hard porcelain sink. Lights flashed in her mind, and she slowly sat down on the chilled tile floor, letting her hand gingerly touch the side of her face. She couldn't believe how hard she had struck her head. She looked up, blinking, and saw Carwyn staring at her with large, frightened eyes. She tried to give her daughter a reassuring smile, but the slight movement made the room spin. She took a breath and tried to stand, but her legs didn't obey, and she fell back on the ground. She didn't feel well and crawled slowly into the dirty stall and emptied her dinner into the toilet. She sat for a moment before slowly pulling herself up. She felt something warm and touched her fingers to her ear to reveal red sticky blood.

Now she was panicked. She had to think. She couldn't let the directors of the church shelter find her like this. They would immediately send her to the county hospital. Her weak mind frantically thought for a solution. Alice. She could call Alice. Her new friend gave her her home phone number telling Meredith to call if she ever needed anything. She needed Alice more in this moment then ever before. Alice would know what to do.

She looked down at her blurry daughter and instructed her to grab on to mommy's pants and no matter what, not let go. She made her way out the bathroom and started down the dim hall. She walked slow careful steps using the wall as support as she crept along. Her goal was the pay phone; she had to make it there. She could feel herself being pulled into unconsciousness but fought to stay alert. The short journey took her minutes, and she was getting weaker and weaker. She finally made it to the old metal phone and reached into her pocket. She cursed when she realized she had left the change in her dirty pants that now sat with the rest of their dirty clothes back in the bathroom. She glanced back down the hallway and knew she would never make it their and back. Her body was already shaking, and her vision was extremely blurry.

She picked up the large, black telephone receiver and dialed "0". She waited for the operator to answer before speaking as clearly as her shaky voice would let her the number she wished to dial collect. She held her breath and prayed for Alice to answer and accept the charges. Meredith knew she was fading fast and didn't have much time. She placed a reassuring hand on her daughter's smaller one that still clung to her pajama bottoms.

Before long Meredith heard Alice answer and immediately accept the charges. Before Alice could finish her polite greeting, Meredith desperately spoke to her friend, "Alice, I'm hurt, I need you to come get me…" Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she slumped down onto the ground against the wall unconscious. Carwyn shook her mother desperately. "Mama? Mama? What's wrong, mommy? Open your eyes. Please mommy wake up!" Carwyn felt alone and frightened. She closed her eyes and buried her face into the stomach of her motionless mother.

Meredith felt herself being pulled further and further away. The thick black consumed her. She heard her baby calling her name and knew she had to fight the blissful peace that beckoned her to stay. When she finally found the strength to open her eyes, she saw to young men working over her calling out orders. She blinked, confused for a moment as why she was floating on her back. As things became less hazy, she realized she was not floating but on a stretcher being carried out of the shelter and the men that hovered over her were paramedics.

As comprehension dawned Meredith panicked. She ripped off her oxygen mask and tried to sit up. The two paramedics gently placed their hands on her to hold her down and she crazily swung her arms at their attempt. Where was Carwyn? She couldn't leave her baby. She tried to fight with all her might, her head throbbing and lights flashing inside her mind.

Suddenly Alice appeared overhead, and she immediately felt relief rush over her body. "It's okay Meredith, calm down. They're taking you to Seattle Grace. Everything will be fine." Meredith felt herself settle down, but her struggle had taken everything out of her. She was only barely able to let out a weak request, "Carwyn?"

"It's okay honey." Alice assured her soothingly. "I have her; she's going to be just fine. We'll follow you to the hospital. Everything's going to be fine."

Meredith tried to respond but she found it impossible. She was already slipping back into the dark. To the deep blackness that swallowed her whole and took away her pain, if only for a moment.

Mark Sloan leaned against the counter and gave his wife a seductive smile. She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the grin that spread across her face. They had both had a long day and were eager to leave the hospital and head home. Prior to making their escape though, they had both been paged down to the Emergency Room on separate consults. It hadn't taken long and now they both stood at the counter finishing up their notes.

A short time later they gathered their belongings and turned to leave as an ambulance crew came running in the large sliding doors. They were shouting medical terms to the Emergency Room staff waiting to take orders.

"Female in her early thirties, unconscious on arrival, BP 60 over 80, blunt head trauma, exam showed previous significant trauma to her head…."

The voices trialed as they pushed the patient into one of the empty trauma rooms. Mark gave his pretty wife a boyish grin and held up a finger to her. "I'll be right back I promise."

Addison could only laugh. He was still such a little boy in so many ways. He liked seeing gory wounds and hearing stories of gruesome injuries. She shifted her Prada handbag on her shoulder and nodded. Addison watched as her husband jogged over to the trauma room and peeked in the curtain.

Mark froze in horror. The color dropped from his face leaving it an eerie white. Addison immediately became alarmed. She never seen her husband look so distressed. She quickly crossed the room to join him outside the curtain where he still stood.

"Mark! What's going on?" She questioned the man who was for the first time in his life speechless.

Before he could verbalize a response, one of the nurses hurried out of the room, leaving the curtain open so she could see the cause of her husband's shock.

There lying lifelessly before her on the exam room table, blood dried to the side of her head, was Meredith Grey.

Mark regained his composure and hugged his wife as she buried her face into his chest. As he led his wife away from the commotion, he barked out a single demand to the nurses that huddled around, "Page the Chief, Stat!"