Hey, everyone! I posted this story a while back on another forum, but I thought that I'd post here, too. This story takes place a bit before Season 2 ended, so in essence, the finale didn't happen and all consequent events are therefore affected. Enjoy!
--Sky
The Truth About Love
Chapter One: Shelter
I've seen the anger and I've seen all the dreams
And I've watched an existence torn apart by the seams
And though I may seem helpless
I will do all that I can do
I've seen a part of people that I never really want to share
Oh, I've seen a part of people that I never knew was there
Shelter, give them shelter from the coming storm
Sarah McLachlan
…
What is love? That seems to be a question that's right up there with pondering the meaning of life itself. Because, in a way, aren't life and love intertwined? There are songs and poems and plays and movies about this thing we've called love. Is love a white horse and a prince to carry you off into the sunset? Is it butterflies in your stomach at the mention of a name? Is it a ring and a promise? Every day we're bombarded by words and images of what love is supposed to be, but in the end, we're always left with a lingering question: What is love?
…
Meredith sighed as she followed the others for their early-morning rounds. She was mentally kicking herself for having that last shot of tequila the night before because she was certainly paying for it today. But there was so much on her mind that in a secret way she'd never admit, she was thankful for the pounding headache that kept her from thinking of anything else.
Cristina grinned wordlessly and gave her an "I told you so" look, to which Meredith snapped, "Oh, shut up."
"All right. Who's presenting?" Bailey asked as she and the five interns entered the room of a young girl, who greeted them with a smile.
"Lennon Campbell, fourteen years old—" Alex began, but the young girl interrupted.
"I have a favor. Please, don't call me Lennon. Call me Leni, if it's not too much trouble." She smiled and added with a shrug, "My father is a Beatles fan and was expecting a boy."
"Leni presented last night with seizures and vomiting. Her CT shows a large mass on the temporal lobe." He paused for a moment and did a double-take as he looked at her chart. "It also says here that Leni is twenty-six weeks pregnant, and the baby was recently diagnosed with spina bifida."
Bailey nodded. "I've paged both Drs. Shepherd for consults." She noticed a smile quickly cross Leni's face at the mention of the Shepherds but didn't think anything of it. She did, however, find it strange that Leni was alone. "I know this is probably a little bit scary for you, Leni, so if you feel more comfortable waiting for your parents to get back before we start explaining everything, we can do that," she offered, the motherly protectiveness in her becoming outwardly apparent.
"Thank you for your concern, Doctor…" Leni paused as she read the name on her coat, "Dr. Bailey, but I'm here alone. Besides, I've spent more of my life in a hospital than out of one, so I'm used to big words. I've learned what most of them mean by now, and I'm not afraid. At least not for myself." With her last remark, she gently placed her hand atop her stomach.
At that moment, Addison walked into the room. She smiled but stopped dead in her tracks when she looked at the young girl. "Oh, my God. Leni?"
"How've you been, Addie? It's been too long," Leni replied as her face lit up. "Well, come and give me a hug or something."
"Leni, what in the world are you doing in Seattle?" Addison asked, laughing in happy disbelief as she embraced the young girl.
Everyone else gave one another confused glances as they stood there in silence. Finally, Bailey asked, "So, you-all know each other, then?"
"Leni, believe it or not, was the first baby I ever saw born. As a matter of fact, she was my first patient ever," Addison smiled as she held Leni's hand in her own. "This kid gave me more sleepless nights than I can count." Then realizing that there were six other people in the room staring blankly at her, she took the chart from Alex. After reading through it, she wore the same slightly surprised expression that he'd worn as well.
"She's got spina bifida, Addie, and you're the best. I came because you're the only one I trust to fix her. You'll do it, right?"
"Of course, Leni. I just can't believe that you're having a baby. I can still remember rocking you to sleep in the nursery right after you were born."
Leni smiled and assured her, "And you'll be able to rock her to sleep, too, if you want. I know I'm young, but we'll be okay. Well, once you and Shep fix everything."
"'Shep'?" Cristina questioned, obviously amused, while the others grinned.
"Derek," Leni replied. "I've called him Shep ever since I can remember. I think I heard Uncle Richard call him that once, and it stuck." Again, in response to their looks, she continued, "Like I said, I spent a lot of time in the hospital. I know he's the chief and everything, but if he's tough on you, it's all an act. I'll let you in on a little secret: He used to bring me ice cream every night before he left the hospital."
"Seriously?" Izzie asked with a grin.
Leni nodded. "Seriously. But don't tell him I told you that, okay? He likes to think that nobody knows he does stuff like that, but he's really just a big softy."
Addison smiled and said, "Okay, Leni. I'm going to need to run tests, so we'll need to draw some blood. This is Dr. Grey, and that's Dr. Karev; they'll be the interns in charge of your case."
"Me, too?" Meredith shot a questioning look in Bailey's direction, to which the reply was a nonchalant stare. "Okay, then."
"All right, everybody else. Let's go," Bailey instructed, and the other three followed, leaving Meredith and Alex behind, both feeling overwhelmingly outcasted, with Addison and Leni.
Leni's cheerful demeanor had faded to a look of seriousness as she stared at Addison for a moment before remarking, "So, things seem to be working out for you in Seattle. I have to say that you seem like you're doing much better than right before you left New York. I miss you two, but if you're happy, then I'm happy. Are you? Happy again, I mean?"
Addison couldn't help but notice as Meredith shifted uncomfortably. "Tell you what, Leni, I've got to go scrub in for a surgery, but when I'm done, you and I will spend the afternoon catching up. We'll talk about options on how to proceed with your baby and anything else you want to talk about. How does that sound?"
"Okay," she nodded, but before Addison walked out the door, she added quickly, "If you see Shep or Uncle Richard, tell them I'm here. Shep should be here soon since Dr. Bailey paged him for a consult, but all the same."
She smiled. "I'll do that, Leni. I know they'll be just as happy to see you as I am."
"Okay, so I'm gonna draw a little blood," Meredith said, breaking the awkward moment of silence following Addison's departure.
Leni extended her arm and didn't as much as wince when Meredith pricked her with the needle. Instead, she started to chatter away, making small talk with the young interns. "So, you're stuck with me today. Don't worry; I'm an excellent patient. I'm so used to being poked and prodded that it doesn't even faze me anymore. And, hey, if all else fails, I'm good for at least two surgeries, right?"
"What? No, I don't—" Meredith stammered, but Leni interrupted.
"I saw the look on your face when you got assigned to me. Dr. Karev—see the look on his face? He knows I'm worth a good surgery; that's the look of someone who doesn't mind putting up with me. But really, it's okay. I'm not high-maintenance or a lot of trouble."
"It's not you, Leni. It's… something else," Meredith smiled reassuringly.
"Oh. Well, if you need to talk, you can talk to me. I know that would probably be a breach of the whole doctor-patient relationship, but all the same. I mean, as a patient, I can talk to my doctors about issues other than my physical well-being, so I don't see why it can't be the other way around. I'm a good listener if you need one."
"What makes you think I have something to tell?"
Leni grinned knowingly. "'Because everyone has something to tell."