A damp cloth was felt on her forehead and Meredith slowly opened her eyes and saw a concerned girl's face staring closely to hers, "hey doc you okay" Mia's voice whispered.
Meredith opened her mouth to answer but muffled noises came from her mouth she felt duck tape on her lips she tried moving her hands and feet and couldn't move them she looked down and realised with horror she had been tied and restrained with rope to one of her kitchen chairs and remembering the nightmare she recently had her heart started to race with fear as she could think of nothing except Mia kidnapping Noah, she heard Mia's footsteps heading towards the kitchen, "i'm sorry I got to say goodbye like this doc but I can't let you call the cops without at least giving me a good head start."
Meredith strained her neck and saw Mia taking out money and a credit card from Meredith's wallet, before she walked back around and kneeling down placed her hands gently on Meredith's knees as she smiled at her, "don't worry ms grey this isn't like your dream i'm not going to kidnap Noah. I told you that I would never hurt him and I meant it." Meredith just stared into Mia's eyes they seemed to glow with warmth, "and i'm not going to do anything with Ally either, I want her to be happy can you say goodbye to her for me." Mia got up closed all the curtains to the living room blocking anyone from looking through the windows before she took out a set of keys from Meredith's bag, "is it okay if I borrow your car I promise I won't crash it." Meredith pulled on her restraints hard as she shook her head and tried to protest in a voice muffled by duck tape as Mia grinned "thanks Meredith you're a real pal, someday i'll return your car unless of course I wreck it or if I can't get a nicer one" Meredith continued to protest as Mia continued to grin, "good idea I better change the rego plates as soon as possible."
Mia whistled as she got food from the cupboards and jammed them in her bag, "well I think that's about everything, oh except one more thing I want you to meet my friend." Mia opened the door to the backyard clicked her tongue and a small border collie puppy came running into the room, "I found him abandoned one night on the street I named him Micky he's really friendly, I can't believe his owners left him he doesn't even have a collar or anything. I also can't believe you didn't notice him living here for the last three days although Noah did a pretty good job keeping it a secret." Mia smiled as she patted the dog, "I wish I could take him with me but he'll have a nicer life here and Noah really likes him so its a present for him to." Mia put a bowel of mince in the kitchen for Micky to eat and looked at the clock, "okay I got three hours before Noah and Cristina get home to get away I better make a move." Mia pulled and shifted the chair Meredith sat on towards the television before turning it on and turning up the volume, "there you go doc entertainment and no hope of someone walking past that will hear you" Mia walked to Meredith's front before drawing her arms around her to give her a gentile squeeze, "thanks for looking after me ms grey I really hope you become Ally's new mom cause apart from our mom you're the next best thing." Mia smiled, "and don't worry our parents died a long time ago they won't take Ally away." Mia rubbed Meredith's shoulder with her hand before walking out the front door and locking it, Meredith watching the television yelped for all she was worth hoping someone would hear her she tried to move her chair by jumping to get one of the knifes from the kitchen table to cut herself loose but instead she fell over on to her side and a minute later was squeezing her eyes as Mia's dog starting to lick her forehead she couldn't hear anything or feel anything except Micky licking her face, hours felt like days but at last Meredith heard the door opening and muffling her voice heard Cristina walking in, "we're home" Meredith cried out and Cristina ran to her side she picked up the dog that had spent the last few hours giving Meredith kisses and gently pulled off the tape covering Meredith's mouth, "what happened?"
"Mommy Noah hugged Meredith's face, "are you okay?"
"I'm fine honey" Meredith said as Cristina undid the ropes and Meredith rubbed Noah's back letting him know not to be scared before she stood up on shaky legs, "what happened" Cristina repeated.
"Mia she's stolen my wallet and my car."
Cristina's face twisted to that of astonishment, "Mia did this?"
"Mia hurt mommy" Noah said with equal surprise.
"She didn't hurt me sweetheart" Meredith said to Noah before she stood up and dashed to the kitchen, "but she's in trouble, where's my phone I have to ring the police."
Meanwhile Derek was busy cleaning his home when a knock on the door broke him from his daydream and walking over he opened the door and stared at a man and a woman dressed in police uniforms, Derek blinked hard in confusion, "hello officers how can I help you?"
"Mr Shepherd" the woman asked and Derek nodded, "do you mind if we come inside and have a word?"
"Sure come on in I was just about to pick up my daughter from school."
"Well we'll try and make this quick."
After Meredith had made the phone call to the cops and five attempted phone calls to Mia she sat down on a chair and Cristina handed Meredith a cup of tea as Meredith stared at the table with her phone in her lap hoping to hear it vibrate with news, "I still can't believe Mia would do this" Cristina said, "she may have been a bit naughty sometimes but..."
"The police have the details" Meredith replied, "hopefully they'll find her."
"Did you cancel your credit cards?"
"Cristina I can't to that, Mia wouldn't have any money for food."
"Meredith" Cristina leaned in close, "listen if Mia doesn't have money then she's going to have to ask for help and that's how the police and services can find her. Otherwise she'll just keep on spending all your money and doing whatever she likes and believe me from what I have heard on the news a girl that age with all the money in the world and no rules in her life can be dangerous."
Meredith thought about Cristina's words for a moment and then sadly nodded, "okay i'll cancel my cards tomorrow."
"I'm amazed your not more traumatised, being tied up and left for hours like that."
"Cristina Mia didn't hurt anyone, she didn't hurt me or Noah she could have done and she didn't. Right now i'm just worried about her."
"Your cursed with a good heart you know that."
Meredith just made a small nod as she continued to look at the table barely noticing when Cristina said goodbye and went home. She spent the evening as she made dinner lost in her thoughts and only snapped out of her trance when she was sitting on the sofa and Noah started tugging on her wrists, "mommy."
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Why did Mia steal from us?"
Meredith lifted Noah on to her lap, "I think it's because Mia has secrets that she didn't want to tell us. I don't think Mia has a home, she doesn't have parents either who are looking after her and she doesn't have any money that's why she stole money from us so she could buy food for herself."
Noah furrowed his brow in concentration as he thought, "why didn't she stay here with us instead?"
"Because" Meredith drew her arms around Noah's shoulders, "I found out another secret of Mia's a big secret a secret she didn't want anyone else to know."
"I'm not allowed to know the secret am I."
"I think you should know" Meredith said in a soft voice, "but you must promise not to tell anyone."
"I promise mommy what's the secret?"
"Mia is Ally's sister."
Noah's mouth opened, "really mommy?"
"Yes and when she found out I knew she got scared and tied me up so she could run away."
"Why would she be scared?"
"I don't know sweetheart I don't know, but I am hoping the police will find her and then we can talk to Mia and find out."
"But mommy if the police find Mia will she go to jail?"
Meredith smiled as she kissed Noah's cheek, "I don't think she will go to jail honey, she might get into trouble and she might have to pick up garbage in the street for a couple of weeks as her punishment."
Noah looked away in thought before his eyes lit up, "is Mia my sister to?"
"No honey she isn't" Noah's face felt and Meredith smiled apologetically, "she's still your friend and when the police find her she can keep coming round here to babysit you."
"That's good" Micky came running over, "mommy could I keep Micky."
"Well, only if you help me look after him."
"I will mommy I will."
Meredith heard her phone ringing and looked at the screen saw it was an emergency, "honey 911."
Noah sighed, "I hate 911 calls."
"Me to I have to go to work i'll take you round to Derek's on the way" Meredith rang the phone and frowned as the phone was turned off, "well that's a first Derek isn't answering his phone, I guess your babysitter will, wait your babysitter is Mia ah this is a pickle."
"Mommy" Noah hopped up, "I can go to bed now."
"No honey i'm not leaving you here alone all night just you and Micky its not something mums and dads are allowed to do. I'll take you round to Cristina's house if we ask her very nicely i'm sure she and Owen will look after you for the night." Fourty minutes later Meredith rushed into the emergency room to find Arizona and Callie staring with solem faces at each other, "Doctor Grey" Callie greeted Meredith.
Meredith pulled on her uniform, "what have we got?"
Arizona's eyes just stared straight ahead showing deep emotion, "teenage girl car accident."
Meredith's breath caught in her throat, "Mia?"
"Who's Mia?" Callie said.
Meredith at that moment tried so hard to imagine this was just a patient she didn't know so she could focus as a doctor, she tried over and over and then she nodded to Arizona and Callie, "okay i'm ready" and walking into the operating table went to see the kid that had been on her mind since she had stolen her car.
Hours went by and Meredith walked into a room and leaned down next to Mia lying still in a hospital bed surrounded by tubes and equipment helping her to breath. Mia was now in a coma with slim expectancy that she would make a full recovery. They had done all she could do to keep her alive now all Meredith was hoping for at the moment was that Mia would wake up. Meredith took hold of Mia's hand and gently rubbed her thumb up and down Mia's knuckles as she stared at Mia's face shining with cuts and dried blood.
"Ms Grey."
Meredith looked behind her and saw police officers entering the room, "yes?"
"We understand if this isn't a good time but we need you to answer some questions."
"I know my car was stolen by Mia" Meredith said bluntly as her eyes narrowed she had not wanted Mia to be found so that she could be arrested, "and that my car is wrecked and Mia stole my money I don't care about that i'm not pressing charges against her."
"Well Doctor Grey regardless of whether you want to press charges or not we are going to be taking Mia into custody if she manages to recover."
Meredith stood up, "for what?"
"Mia is on a good behaviour order" one of the officers commented, "which in light of her recent actions she has now breached."
"Why is she on a good behaviour order?"
"She's from New York her guardians are her aunt and uncle, we rang them and they've informed us that Mia was put on a good behaviour order last year for stealing and for assaulting police officers as well as illegal drug use. The conditions of the order was that she was to not commit offences for a year and to stay in school in New York, if she were to breach this order than she would be resentenced to juvi."
"Resentenced?"
"Mia has been in juvi several times since she was as young as eleven, every time she comes out she goes back to her aunt and uncle and quickly reoffends then she is sent back."
Meredith had only one thing on her mind she wanted to ask, "where are her aunt and uncle now?"
"They do not wish to take Mia back into her care, they say she has had to many chances and they can't handle being her guardians any more. Child services have been contacted to support her but at this stage it is very likely Mia will go back to juvi and remain there until she is old enough to transition to an adult prison."
Meredith felt a hot surge of anger and pity, "I see" she said softly.
"Call us if Mia wakes up and is able to talk to us."
"I will" Meredith said she watched the police left and turned her attention back to Mia feeling miserable. She resumed her place by Mia's side and continued to stroke the girl's hand with her own fingers with a heavy heart she couldn't help it she cared for Mia she wanted her to make a full recovery, wanted her to still be a part of Noah's life, wanted her to keep coming round to her house and she wanted to see the look on Ally's face when she found out Mia was her big sister. All of these things she wanted to happen but now Meredith could see no hope of them coming true. Mia was struggling to survive it would be mircalous if she wasn't in a permanat comostome state and even if she made it through she was going to go to prison for a long time for things Meredith could somehow as stupid as it sounded to her believed Mia wasn't capable of. Or maybe Mia had done these things in the past and she had ran away to turn over a new leaf, or maybe someone else had influenced her she may have been mixed up with the wrong crowd of people. She wished Mia could wake up right now and tell her everything, she stroked the hair off Mia's forehead as she got up went to get a coffee and hearing her beeper tried to push her personal thoughts to the back of her mind as she went to deal with more patients.
Dawn at last glowed through the curtains and Meredith was making her way to the hospital entrance to get some fresh air she glanced at Mia's room as she walked past saw her as still as a statue and stepped through to the outside when she heard a loud cry of "help anybody" Meredith turned and bolted to Mia's room and saw Mia sitting up in bed gasping with deep breaths looking terrified, Meredith ran to her bedside, "honey."
"Where am I" Mia gasped, "what happened?"
"Its okay" Meredith put her gentile hands on Mia's shoulders, "you've had an accident but your alright, your okay sweetheart your okay."
Mia gasped with deep breaths as she stared at Meredith with wide eyes, "Meredith."
"Its alright" Meredith said with a warm smile she used to calm Noah whenever he had a nightmare, "your alright."
"I, the car."
"That's right you had a car accident."
"Am I in hospital?"
"Yes."
Mia looked at her body and cried out, "why have I got tubes?"
"Soon you won't need them but for now they need to stay where they are."
"Meredith."
"Mia just take deep breaths for me" Meredith demonstrated, "slow steady breaths" and watched Mia slowly calm her breathing, "that's it that's it." Meredith stoked Mia's forehead, "that's it lie back for me now."
Meredith waited a good few minutes for Mia to slowly calm down, "okay i'm going to let the nurses know that your awake and then i'll come back okay."
"Yeah" Mia whispered, "ok."
Meredith smiled at Mia one last time before she called the buzzer and leaving the nurses to work left feeling a lot happier as she went back to work herself. A little while later she looked at the clock on the wall and finally feeling the nurses had long enough she made her way to the room where Mia was lying in bed, she knocked on the door and Mia turned her head to gaze at Meredith with a pained face, "oh shit."
Meredith just nodded there was no need to spell it out, this time Meredith was going to find out everything she wanted to know about her son's babysitter. "Okay Mia you and I are going to have a nice long and I mean long conversation and I have a lot of questions and this time you are going to give me honest truthful answers to those questions."
"Meredith."
"This time if you don't answer my questions then I will charge you with stealing and damaging my car."
Mia look surprised, "you didn't charge me with that?"
"No" Meredith said as she sat down, "but I will if you don't talk to me that's the deal."
Mia took a deep breath and nodded as Meredith nodded, "now the first thing I want to know about is what your life was like before you came to Seattle, I know you were in New York and you came to Seattle, so I want to know why."
"You already know that doc."
Meredith straightened her posture, "Mia I will ring the police right now."
"Okay" Mia said with cracked eyes and Meredith's face softened, "sorry sweetheart, please tell me everything."
"I came to find my sister."
Meredith gave Mia a slow nod, "before you came to Seattle when was the last time you saw Ally?"
"Just after my parents died four years ago."
"When you were eleven?"
"Yes."
"What happened after your parents died?"
"I went to live with my aunt and uncle" Mia wiped a tear from her cheek, "while Ally went to live with grandma."
Meredith took hold of Mia's hand, "and you never got to see Ally?"
"No" Mia replied as she looked at her bed covers, "my aunt and uncle wouldn't let me see her."
"Why did they not let you see her honey?"
"Because they're scum" Mia said in a loud angry voice, "my grandma hated my aunt and I hate her to my aunt and uncle got me to steal things everything from supermarket food to expensive antiques, they wanted me to do sick stuff for money. Every time I was caught I took all the blame and went to juvi and my aunt and uncle got away with it. Every time I was released they made me steal things again, I went along with other lowlifes on heists we stole cars sold drugs for money they would push me in front of the police." Mia uttered a sob, "I once punched a rotten cop in the face... who tried to rape me and I went to juvi for it."
Meredith felt her heart bleeding, "did you ever tell anyone about it, anyone that could have helped you any teachers, school social workers?"
Mia uttered another sob, "I didn't they told me if I ever told anyone they would hurt Ally, they would find her and hurt her and it would be my fault." Meredith got Mia a tissue from the bedside box as the girl struggled not to cry, "Mia do you want to stop?"
"I ran away a few months ago and went to Seattle to try and see Ally and grandma but people told me at grandma's home that she had passed away and that Ally had been adopted and had moved to Seattle I heard his name was Derek Shepherd. I went to Seattle looked up Derek in the yellow pages and I was going to..."
"You were going to what honey?"
"I was going to drug Derek and take Ally away from him, I was going to take her away far away where no one would find us, I could look after Ally and it would just be me and her and I could get away from crime and be her big sister again."
"But you didn't."
Mia nodded as she rubbed her eyes, "I saw how good a parent Derek was and I realised how selfish I am."
"Mia that's enough you are not selfish" Meredith rubbed her stained cheek with the palm of her hand, "you don't have to tell me anything else."
"Are you going to charge me?"
"Of course not" Meredith said with a warm smile.
"But I still breached my order."
"Yes the police told me about that."
"What did the police say?"
"Mia" Meredith said slowly, "they told me when you get better that your going to go to court and-"
"And i'm going to go back to juvi aren't I." Mia said it more like a statement than a question.
"We don't know that for sure Mia, child services have been called and they can help you."
Mia closed her eyes, "no one can help me now."
"That's only true if you believe no one can help you."
"Who would want to help me i'm bad I've done awful things."
"Mia you are not bad" Meredith took Mia's wrists in her hands until Mia looked at her, "I want to help you."
"Why I stole your car, I tried to drug your boyfriend i've driven a wedge between you and Derek."
"Mia stop it" Meredith said firmly, "you stop criticising yourself, the car can be fixed and even if it can't its not a big deal to me and you didn't drug Derek you chose not to drug him. You did that out of love for Ally and you haven't driven me and Derek apart."
"Why are you so nice to me?"
"Ally used to ask me the same thing." Meredith said before she heard her phone buzzing, "its Derek" she took a glance at Mia who just shook her head, "don't worry i'm not running anywhere."
"Good girl" Meredith said with another smile before she opened the phone, "Derek."
"Meredith" Derek's voice sounded in a rapid gasp, "hey."
"Are you alright?"
"I'm in lockup."
"What?" Meredith said in a loud voice as she walked outside Mia's room.
"The police they came to my house yesterday and they did a search of my home, they found drugs."
"Drugs?" Mia whispered in shock.
"I swear Meredith I don't know how they got there, the police didn't believe me."
"Derek look, I don't care how it happened i'm going to come down and bail you out."
"Don't worry Meredith, don't do anything until tomorrow it will look better for me that way, its Ally i'm worried about child services have become involved and Ally is going to be put in a foster home for the night until they assess me to see if i'm a suitable parent."
Meredith tried not to sound worried as she imagined a distraught Ally being picked up from school by a social worker and being told she wouldn't be going home, "Derek its going to be alright."
"Yeah it will be" Derek said although he didn't sound confident, "Ally will be alright the home she is going to has three other kids, dogs and a good view of the beach she'll enjoy it."
Meredith came back into the room and sat down on a chair next to Mia's bed, "what's wrong?" Mia asked.
"Mia Derek's in lockup because of drugs that were found in his home."
"Where's Ally?"
"In a foster home for the night, Mia I have to ask you this were the drugs in Derek's home were they?"
"Yes" Mia looked at the clock, "Ms Grey call the police i'll tell them it was me, they'll let Derek go and Ally can go back home before school ends."
Meredith didn't want Mia to get into any more trouble than she was in already but she also didn't want Derek to be in lockup and Ally to be in care, she couldn't think of a way around all of this and Mia's selfless attitude only made things harder, "Mia are you sure it was you?"
"Yes it was me, who else would it be" Mia held out her arm, "come on give me the phone."
"Mia think about this."
"I'm going to prison anyway no matter what happens" Mia shook her hand and seeing the hesitation on Meredith's face started to yell, "someone get in here I have to call the cops."
"Okay okay, here ring the police and then you can talk to them."
An hour later Meredith was sitting in a chair in the hospital café, she took a drink of her coffee as she looked at her watch and walking down the hallway back towards the place she most wanted to be right now she could hear Mia yelling to the police, "I put the drugs in Derek's drink I was going to drug him and take Ally away but then I saw how happy she was and I poured them down the sink but I left some drugs behind." Meredith didn't want to look inside she just stayed outside and listened, "I fucked up things I know I screwed up its my fault all of it so let Derek go so Ally can go back to him." Meredith could hear loud sobbing and felt tears in her own eyes start to form, "please I don't care what you do to me... but please don't hurt my sister." Meredith couldn't stand it anymore she opened the door, "are you finished" she said to the police.
A female officer with a sympathetic face nodded, "I think we have all we need, do you know at this stage when Mia will be medically cleared to leave the hospital?"
"When we are confident she is medically stable then we will discharge her."
"Doctor could you-"
"We'll let you know when she is ready now my patient needs some rest" Meredith said firmly, the police left and Meredith looked at Mia her eyes were red and puffy with tears streaming down her cheeks and she gently walked over to sit on her bed, "Mia."
Mia let out a whimper, and Meredith drew her arms around her shoulders, "come here."
"I'm so sorry" Meredith drew Mia into a tight hug as the girl cried, "i'm so sorry."
"Shhhh" Meredith gently stroked Mia's back the way she did with Noah when he was scared, "its alright its alright."
"Meredith."
"Shhhh."
The day went by in a haze, an exhausted Mia had fallen asleep in Meredith's arms and when Meredith's shift had at last ended she went home and tried as hard as she could for the rest of the day to act like nothing was wrong she didn't want to make Noah worry but even though she put on a happy face she could tell Cristina was worried and even Noah knew something was bothering her. Every time Meredith had heard, "mommy what's wrong" or "Meredith talk to me" she had dismissed the questions smiling saying everything was fine but inside all she could worry about was Ally who was in another home for the night and in between those worries she tried to think of some way that she could help Mia. Those thoughts and worries kept her awake most of the all night and in the morning when Noah had gone to school she had gone round to Derek's house feeling emotionally and mentally exhausted to talk things through with him. The moment Meredith knocked on Derek's door she was greeted by a whirl of yellow and found Ally had jumped into her arms, "Meredith."
"Hey" Meredith looked at a grinning Ally and her worries for her being immediately vanished, "how you feeling?"
"Good I got to come home to daddy and daddy is not in jail."
"That's really good."
"And I made new friends."
Meredith kissed her cheek, "so you had a nice time last night."
"The carers were really nice and we all had chocolate cake."
Meredith grinned as she looked at Derek he also was smiling and hadn't looked like he missed a meal. Meredith put Ally back on her feet, "Ally can you run and play while I talk with Meredith."
"Okay daddy" Ally ran off and Meredith ran to give Derek a hug, "how you feeling?"
"Yeah i'm alright, the lockup wasn't as bad as I thought just very noisy, a few guys wouldn't keep it down."
"Why didn't you let me bail you out yesterday you idiot?"
"Because of my stupid macho pride, still lockup is nothing compared to how guilty I feel right now."
Meredith looked into his eyes, "I know how you feel."
"I know Mia did the wrong thing with the drugs but she could have just lied and said that she had nothing to do with drugs in my home, why would she help me after I treated her so badly?"
"She chose to help Ally."
Derek frowned, "but why is that why is she always coming to Ally's rescue I don't understand it."
"I do."
Derek stared for a long few silent moments, "tell me."
"Its because she's Ally's sister."
"Her sister?"
"Ally and her were separated when their parents died Mia hadn't seen her since she was a baby, Ally went to live with her grandma while Mia went to live with her scumbag of an uncle and her aunt. She went looking for Ally in Seattle and found you pretending she was a babysitter looking for work then she wanted to take Ally away from you but then she changed her mind when she saw the way you are with Ally. Mia was going to drug you, she left some of the drugs behind that's what the police found. When I found out Mia's secret she tied me up and stole my car then she had an accident and ended up in hospital. Mia found out that you were in lockup and she begged me to call the police so she could tell them it was her fault, you know the rest."
Derek went to sit on his sofa with Meredith, "how was she?"
"An emotional wreck I don't know how else I could describe it, Mia has extensive criminal history and she's going to go to prison for a long time when she gets out of hospital."
"And there is nothing we can do?"
"I'm ringing child services as soon as they open today and i'll talk with them see what our options are."
"What about a reference I can give the court that."
Meredith rubbed the cobwebs out of her eyes, "what are we going to say Mia stole my car, ate all our food and was homeless not going to school for the last month but she's been very nice to Noah and Ally so let her remain on the street."
Derek looked crestfallen, "well we can at least stay in touch with her, we can bring the kids to see her in juvi."
Meredith nodded, "and she might not even have a long sentence if we hire her a good lawyer she could be out in a year and maybe she can go to school and then she won't reoffend anymore."
"Talk with child services find out a few things and then talk with me."
Meredith looked at the clock, "I need to go to work" she kissed Derek, "are you sure you and Ally are alright."
"I heard Ally was distraught when she went to the carer's home after school, but now she is fine and I would be fine if I knew Mia was going to be alright. I don't want to bring Ally to see Mia until we know for sure what is going to happen I don't want Ally to be put through any more trauma" Meredith nodded she gave Derek one more kiss before she left the home to go to work.
Two hours later
"And there isn't anywhere that can take her" Meredith said into the phone for the tenth time since her phone call to child services
"Doctor Grey" a social worker named Shannon said to her, "we're struggling to find a home for Mia if we can't find a home for her by the time she is discharged she will automatically go to juvi until her court date in three weeks."
"Aren't there programs that can provide accommodation for her?"
"There are but there's a waiting list Mia would normally take high priority but we can't make space for her right now."
"Is there anything that I can do to help."
"Your not a carer registered with us Doctor Grey. If a miracle happens and we find a home or a foster carer for her by the time she is discharged Mia would have to engage in programs for drug and alcohol she would have to be enrolled in a school if there was a school that would be willing to take her. How long will it be before she is discharged?"
"A day" Meredith replied.
"We'll keep you informed."
"Thank you" Meredith said before closing her phone as she shut her eyes before forcing herself to concentrate on work trying hard not to think about things, hours passed and Meredith heard a knock on the door. She braced herself and after saying come in saw Cristina and Noah coming into the room, "hi honey" Meredith relaxed as she picked up her son and gave her a cuddle.
"So" Cristina said slyly, "we heard a friend of Noah's is in hospital."
Meredith looked at Cristina and then at Noah who said, "that's why you were sad last night mommy."
"You clever chook you found out about Mia."
"Well actually Derek kind of spilt the beans by accident when I rang him this morning."
"Its okay" Meredith smiled, "I should of told you last night I just didn't want Noah to worry."
"Can we see her?"
Meredith nodded at Noah, "sure we can." Meredith carried Noah down through the hospital and knocked on the door to find Mia sitting upright eating a plate of curry, "you have a visitor."
Mia grinned as she put down her tray and watched Noah coming over to her, "are you okay Mia?"
"I'm fine little dude."
"You got lots of cuts" Noah pointed to the bruises on Mia's face as she nodded, "yeah I do."
"Why is she not wearing bandages mommy?"
Mia lifted Noah up on the bed, "I don't think bandages are going to help with these cuts, my face must look like a jigsaw puzzle."
"You look pretty" Noah said looking up at Mia as she hugged him, "oh thanks handsome."
"Did you apologise for stealing from mommy yet?"
"She did" Meredith said as Mia nodded, "i'm really sorry Noah that I tied your mommy up and stole her car, if I scared you as well then i'm sorry about that to."
Noah just wrapped his arms around Mia's neck, "does this mean i'm forgiven."
"I forgive you."
"Thanks buddy."
Noah drew back, "when are you coming back home?"
"Noah" Meredith put a hand on Noah's shoulder, "there's something I need to tell you its-"
"I'm going to go to jail Noah" Mia said.
"Jail" Noah whispered.
"I did a lot of bad things and i'm going to jail."
"No" Noah whispered before he said in a loud voice, "no your not mommy Mia is not going to jail is she?"
"The truth is we don't know" Meredith said as she looked between Noah who was rapidly breaking into tears and Mia who was struggling to hold it together, "there are people who are trying to help Mia but we don't know."
Noah started to cry and hugged Mia who drew an arm around him in response, "its okay Noah it will be okay, i'm always going to be your friend."
"No don't go to jail."
"Noah" Meredith rubbed Noah's back as Mia hugged him with tears streaming down her cheeks, "Noah I promise we are going to go see Mia very soon."
Noah just wept as Mia gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I shouldn't have said anything."
Meredith saw Chief Webber walking past the room and she hurried outside to catch her boss, "chief I want to ask you something."
"Yes?" Chief Webber said.
"The patient Mia I don't know if she is physically well enough to be discharged tomorrow can we keep her here for a few more days?"
"Doctor Grey this has nothing to do with juvi does it?"
"Its..."
"The police have filled me in, she's going to be discharged tomorrow."
"No its to soon" Meredith pleaded, "child services might find a place for her, they might find a carer-"
"Doctor Grey we can't keep her here when there is no reason to, we're discharging her tomorrow end of discussion."
Meredith closed her eyes as Chief Webber walked away she looked at Noah hugging Mia through the window and then one last desperate idea came into her mind she hesitated for a minute as she thought things through and then she rang child services.
The next morning Mia was eating her breakfast when she heard a knock on the door and saw Shannon the social worker coming in, "hi are you a social worker?"
"I am and you must be Mia."
"Yeah the one and only Mia, um where are the police?"
"We've already spoken to the police" Shannon said, "and we've told them we've found a home for you so you can stay there until you go to court in three weeks."
Mia smiled widely, "great where is it?"
"Well its with a foster carer who is happy for you to stay with her."
"If she has other kids don't worry i'll be great with them, i'll babysit for them round the clock i'll keep the house clean i'll do anything."
"Well she'll be very happy that you have said that because she's right outside the door."
Mia gasped, "she's here?"
Meredith came into the room wearing a wide smile of her own and Mia gasped again, "doc its you?"
"Yes Mia" Meredith said feeling over the moon herself, "I rang child services yesterday and its been arranged with them that you are going to stay with me and Noah until you go to court."
"Why are you doing this for me?"
"Well" Meredith sat on the bed looking at Mia, "you may be a ratbag" Mia snuffled a snort as Meredith smiled and continued, "and you may as you said tied me up, stolen my car landed my boyfriend in the slammer and a list of other things I shouldn't tell your social worker about. Don't worry its nothing serious" she added to Shannon who just chuckled in response, "but you don't deserve to be in juvi and I want to give you something not everyone gets and that's a second chance to have a good life."
Mia's eyes shone with tears as she threw herself into Meredith's arms, "thank you."