It took a couple of hours for Mark to eventually track her down, at least in part because he'd been dragged into a consult in the ER while checking to see if she was down there, but also because she'd done a really good job of making herself invisible.
"You, Grey, are a hard woman to track down." He joked, sitting himself down on the empty hospital bed beside her. The tunnels had been one of the last places he'd thought to look, eventually tipped off by O'Malley that it was where the interns went sometimes.
She didn't look up or acknowledge he was there, just staying where she was, with her knees drawn up to her chin, her head tipped forward, so her hair was covering her face like a curtain.
Mark sat there for a second, unsure of his next move. This was far, far out of his man-whore territory. "I uh.. I hear I'm getting sued?" He tried again. Nothing. He pulled out his cell phone and started to dial Derek's number. This felt like something he was far more equipped to deal with than Mark.
"Don't." The hoarse voice next to him stopped him in his tracks. She didn't look up at him, or move at all, and for a moment he wondered if he'd imagined it. He looked back down at his phone, continuing to type in the number. She sighed, looking up at him, her eyes red from crying. "You're calling Derek, I don't need to see what you're doing to know that."
"I…" Mark looked at her uncertainly. "I thought maybe you'd want…"
"If I wanted to talk to Derek I wouldn't be hiding down here." She countered. "And yes, you are getting sued." She wiped her face roughly, pushing her hair back off her face before turning to look at him properly.
"It won't be the first, won't be the last." Mark shrugged. "But something tells me you're not hiding down here crying because I'm getting sued."
"How much did the nurses tell you about why you're getting sued?" Meredith asked, taking a deep breath. She'd assumed he'd already put it together, but unless he was waiting for her to tell him herself which seemed too tactful for Mark, he seemed to be none the wiser.
"There was a mix up with the bloods that day." He frowned. "The patient was anaemic, she didn't have cancer."
Meredith nodded, her stomach churning again. She'd had the knowledge that this was what was happening since she'd first set eyes on her results, but somehow actually saying it out loud just made it so much more real. "Which means?" She prompted. She was going to need him to make the connection, she didn't think she could actually bring herself to say it out loud.
Mark looked at her blankly for a moment. "Which means there's another patient out there who doesn't know… oh god." The penny finally dropped. He stared at her for a moment. "Meredith."
She gave him a forced, tearful smile, nodding gently in confirmation.
Mark suddenly jumped up. "We need to repeat your bloods now and then-"
"Mark." She cut him off. "I already ran them again."
"And…"
"And it confirms it." She nodded.
"I- Have you told Derek?" He asked.
She shook her head frantically, although the violent movement made her head spin and she gripped the edge of the bed for a moment waiting for the spinning sensation to pass. "I don't- I don't know how."
"You okay?" Mark hovered nervously.
"I'm dizzy, I'm not going to die." She attempted to crack a joke but it hung awkwardly in the air between them. "Sorry, bad joke." She mumbled.
Mark's expression looked as though he was physically in pain as he looked for something to say. "I… I don't know what to say Grey."
"You don't need to say anything, Mark." She said softly. "Just tell me you won't tell Derek." She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, waiting for the dizziness to subside. It was difficult to look at him when it felt like the room behind him was spinning.
"Grey." Mark's voice held more concern this time. He took a step closer to her, putting a hand on either side of her shoulder. The colour had completely drained from her face and he was suddenly wishing they were back up in the main hospital where there were other people and medical equipment around. "Meredith."
She blinked at him, trying to focus on his words. "I need a minute." She mumbled. Why did his voice suddenly sound like he was such a long way away?
Mark stared at her blankly for a moment, almost rooted to the spot in panic, until the years of medical training finally kicked in. "Okay, let's just lie you down for a minute." He put his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back and then scooping her legs round until she was laid on her side on the bed they'd both been sat on. She made an unintelligible noise for a second as her head hit the bed. "Meredith.. come on, open your eyes." He shook her gently, wondering if she'd felt this feverish when he'd briefly checked her hand over that morning, he would've noticed wouldn't he?
He pulled his phone out of his pocket again, hitting dial on the number he'd already typed in earlier. "Meet me in the basement now." He didn't wait for Derek to say anything. He quickly dialled Lexi's number and barked the same message at her before turning his attention back to Meredith. "Meredith, can you hear me?" He shook her again. She made another unintelligible sound, which sent relief running through him that she was at least semiconscious. His fingers went to her neck, checking her pulse as he listened to her breathing. It felt like it was taking an eternity for Derek and Lexi to get there. He briefly wondered exactly how long had passed.
"Grey if I find out you're running off down here to meet Sloan for some kind of-" Bailey's voice echoed down the empty corridor.
"Down here!" Mark yelled, hearing the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Sloan what in the-" Bailey's eyes were wide.
"Meredith!" Lexi immediately did what Mark had already tried, shaking her gently.
"What happened?" Bailey asked.
Mark was already releasing the breaks on the bed, struggling to free it from it's spot up against the wall until Lexi realised what was happening and helped him.
"What are you and Grey doing down here?" Bailey asked again.
"We were just talking and then she passed out. We need to get her back upstairs. Can you just help, please?" He pleaded, looking at Bailey.
"I don't understand." Bailey looked at him blankly.
"She didn't say she was sick?" Lexi looked at him with the same look of confusion.
"Meredith!" Derek suddenly arrived behind them, almost knocking Lexi out of the way. "Meredith! Mark? What happened?"
"Come on, let's just get her back upstairs." Mark prompted again, starting to roll the bed in the direction of the elevator.
Bailey was the first one to regain some kind of common sense. "You heard the man, come on, let's go."
