A/N: Thanks everyone for your input regarding Zola, I have kept the poll open still, as I probably have a few chapters before I begin that storyline, so if you haven't voted, please do!
On another note, I recieved some comments about Jolex that brought up some good points...
Jolex fans, there will be more to their story, promise. I am actually cycling through ideas now. I like Jo, actually... I think she is underwritten on the show, and I will be exploring her and her relationship with Alex. In this universe, Alex is a little slow to the draw. He doesn't own his own home, he's not raking in the dough with that Butt doctor, but ... he loves Jo, and he's only now learning to make her a priority because she's going to push it with him... Where will that lead? I haven't written it... but remember the comment Callie made to Addison back in season three about settling down and barbequing and playing ball with the kids? That's the picture I want to paint for them...
As for Omelia... a slow burn. Elements that were present in season 12 will be involved in this version. Just remember, this is not an established relationship like all the others. They have to get to know each other... maybe there'll be puppies involved, I don't really know.
I'm not a fluffy writer... so immediate children for everyone and disneyland aren't really in the picture... although I do write happy endings. So the rest you're going to have to take on faith...
If you have an idea or suggestion, don't hesitate to leave a comment or PM me. Unlike AFTR I do not have a defined 'end scene' for this fic yet, and it will be quite long I think. We're in this together!
xxx
Owen looked up from his work at Lexie. He blinked with confusion. "Uh...You want to talk about Cristina?" How odd. Why? Was this about Mark?.
Lexie swayed awkardly, her arms crossed over her chest. "Well... She left to pursue her career and... well, did-did you want her to stay? I mean, I know you were already divorced and stuff and... there's that whole kid thing... but you loved her didn't you?"
"Yes." He said without hesitation. He still loved her. He would always love her. Fiercely. But did all love lead to happiness? Was her love enough for him? In the end, he supposed it wasn't. And he knew Cristina regretted it too, that she couldn't give him more.
"Owen?"
"It would be a mistake to make her stay," he said.
"You let her go." Lexie said softly.
He drew in a breath. "I think we both let each other go... it was for the best." They both knew in the end... even though their love for each other was raw and fierce and passionate... It wasn't enough to make them happy.
"Is this about Mark?" he asked. "You're leaving without him."
"I love him," Lexie said. "But he- I'm just so confused... and angry and now I'm going to be two-thousand-seven-hundred and forty-one miles away from him. I told him I needed space- but that's a lot of space." She swallowed. "A lot of space."
"Look, Lexie... Cristina and I... on a fundamental level, would never be happy in the long term. We wanted different things. But you and Mark," he gestured with his hands, "Have potential."
"But what do I do?"
"If Mark loves you the way I think he does... He won't let you go that easily."
xxx
"Call it, Wilson," Jackson said as he put the paddles back on the crash cart.
Jo stared at the rough, burned body in front of her. She swallowed back a choking sob, "Time of death...three fifty-three pm."
The nurse notated the chart as Jo removed her gloves and trauma gown. She slowly backed out of the room and sighed heavily. This shouldn't affect her so much... but the woman was a foster mom, and it just brought back harsh memories of herself in foster care. She wouldn't cry though, she was nearly a third-year resident, and they already knew the woman's chances for survival was slim to begin with. It was just... sucky.
"Hey," Jackson said, "You okay?"
"Yeah.. fine." Jo replied.
"Kay," he said. "I have to go... make some calls. Why don't you take a break?"
She didn't say anything. She just wanted to find Alex. She really needed him. She found his familiar form on a gurney in the basement. Just as she was about to alert him to her presence, he looked up, as if he already knew her. His gaze softened, and he put his papers down.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey." Alex quirked the corner of his mouth in his usual cock-sure grin. Well, half at least.
She approached the gurney and sidled up next to him, laying her head on his broad shoulder. He sighed, wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in closer, so her head fell against his chest and she could hear his heartbeat. "The foster mom died," she said.
"Crap." He muttered. She felt him deflate, and imagined him lost in thought.
"Jo?" he said.
"Yeah?"
"You really wanna get our own place?"
"I just-" she sighed, "Alex, you're all I have okay? You. That's it. If we break up, or if something happens-" she was cut off by his lips touching hers in a tight, powerful kiss that rattled her bones. "Mmm," she moaned. After a second, they pulled back, gasping.
"I may be all you have Jo, but you..." he pecked her on the cheek, "are all I want."
xxx
Meredith hesitantly took a step into the semiprivate peds room. Anna was tiny, but seemed relatively healthy. A bandage covered her right arm and a small birthmark poked out from the edge of it.
"Are you a docker?" Anna asked, still coloring intently with a red crayon.
"Yes, I'm a doctor." Meredith smiled a little. She stepped in a little closer, hugging herself. "But you can call me Meredith."
"Mere-diff," Anna said, trying to pronounce it correctly.
"That's right, that's my name." She didn't bother trying to correct her pronunciation. Meredith sucked in her nervousness. Kids could pick up nervous vibes instantly, and she wanted Anna to trust her.
"That's a silly name," Anna said, finally looking up from her coloring. She had such delicate features.
"Well so is Anna Banana, I think." Meredith said, sitting on the edge of the bed. She pulled up her right leg and brought it close to her chest, watching Anna curiously.
"Anna Banana is not my real name, it's my nickname." Anna snorted.
Typical know it all four year-olds. Meredith thought. She'd done her fair share of babysitting as A teenager. "Oh. So what do I call you?"
"Just Anna."
"Okay, 'Just Anna...' " Meredith teased.
"Nooo!" Anna whined, "That's not my name!"
"But you said-" Meredith started, but Anna leaned over and put a finger on Meredith's lips.
"Shhhh," she said, effectively ending the argument. "Lets pay docker."
Meredith raised an eyebrow. "If we play doctor, do you think you'll eat something?"
Anna shrugged, she picked up her crayon and a piece of construction paper from the bedside table. She regarded Meredith with a serious expression. "Okay Merediff, I'm docker Anna. What are your simmons?"
"Uhh..." Meredith stammered. Simmons?
"Say your tummy hurts," Anna whispered in her ear.
Oh... she meant symptoms! Meredith rolled her eyes. "My tummy hurts." She rubbed her belly to empahsize the point.
Anna pressed Meredith's abdomen before picking up her paper and crayon. "Hmm," she said. She scribbled indecipherable characters on the paper. "Any other simmons?"
"Uh... My head hurts."
Anna eyed Meredith curiously before she reached into Meredith's labcoat pocket and pulled out her stethoscope.
"Hey! That's mine!" She reached for it, grabbing the diaphragm.
Anna grinned, a mischievous glimmer reaching her eyes. "But I'm a docker," she said, holding on to the other end.
"You need to ask if you can use another person's things. Especially a stethoscope."
"Sorry," Anna said. "Can I use your steffascope, Merediff?"
Meredith sighed loudly. "I suppose."
"Okay. You hafta take off your shirt."
"What?" Meredith couldn't help the surprise in her voice. Where did she learn that?
"I hafta listen to the inside, you hafta take off your shirt," Anna said. Her small form moved closer to Meredith now, so Meredith pulled herself fully onto the bed so Anna could straddle her.
"How about I just lift it up?"
"Okay." Anna put the nubs of the stethascope in her ears and held out the diaphragm. She climbed over Meredith, to straddle her on the bed.
Anna scribbled on the paper for a minute, then put the crayon down and picked up the stethascope. "Hmmm," she said. she pushed Meredith's scrubtop up and put the diaphragm on her stomach. she squinted as she listened.
Meredith allowed herself a smile, it was so cute.
"You have a cut," Anna remarked, forcing Meredith to look down at her abdomen. Her C-section scar. She'd forgotten about it.
"Did you have a baby?" Anna asked.
The question knocked the breath out of her, and she stared at the girl in shock. How did she know that stuff? She was four, far too young to know about C-sections.
"Um.." Yes, she thought. Instead she said, "No, it's just a cut."
"Oh." Anna's attention lifted off her belly as she raised the stethascope to Meredith's head, She pushed her blonde bangs away and her fingers felt along her hairline as she pressed the stethascope against her forehead. "You gots a cut here too."
"Yeah." Meredith replied. She closed her eyes and swallowed thickly.
"Somebody hurted you?"
"I was in an accident a long time ago," she said, hoping the girl would just leave it at that.
"Oh." Anna sighed sadly. Her earlier curious nature had subsided and she picked at the bedsheets.
"What's wrong?" Meredith reached for Anna's unbandaged arm, touching her softly.
"My mommy died in a ax-uh-dunt."
"Oh." Her chest heaved a little and she pushed back the tears that pricked behind her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Anna shrugged. She picked up her crayon again and scribbled on the paper. "You have a 'fection," she said. "You need medicines."
"Okay."
Anna handed her the piece of paper. "This paper says you hafta go get medicines."
Merdith looked at the scribbled sheet and folded it very carefully. An idea formed in her head as to how to get the girl to eat. "It says here that I need to take food here with the medicines. You should come with me. You're my docker."
It seemed to make sense to the girl, who easily acquiesed, "Okay."
They made their way to the cafeteria where Meredith selected some kid friendly items. A chicken sandwich for herself, pudding, a granola bar and fries. She also picked up coffee and a juicebox.
"Want some fries?" she offered, chewing on her sandwich. She didn't realize how hungry she actually was.
Anna remained intent on fiddling with Meredith's stethascope.
"You must be hungry," Meredith continued, "Dr. Alex said you haven't eaten all day."
Anna shook her head and looked down. The earlier chatty girl was gone, hidden behind a mask of solemn reflection.
"What's wrong? Why won't you eat?" Concern grew in her for Anna. This clearly this wasn't an appetite thing. She was distressed. "Is it about the fire? Did it scare you?"
Anna nodded a little.
Meredith thought for awhile, putting herself in Anna's four year-old shoes. She took another bite of the sandwich and sipped her coffee before she spoke again. "It wasn't your fault, the fire."
"She was makin me brefast," Anna said. She shifted from her slouch into a curled up ball and started to tear up.
Nurturing instinct forced Meredith from her seat and she pulled Anna in close. "I know... it wasn't your fault. She made you breakfast because she cared for you. The stove- it was an accident. Nothing you said or did made it happen."
"I didn't want brefast!" Anna cried, turning her head into Meredith's chest. Meredith clutched the tiny body closer to her and gently patted and shushed. She wanted to say it was okay... that everything would be okay, but she felt that that was too big of a promise to make to such a broken heart.
When Anna's muffled sobs settled, Meredith pulled her away from her chest a little. She picked up her stethascope and put on a very serious face. "Anna Banana," she said. "You have some very serious symptoms."
Anna's expression changed to surprise as she snuffled and wiped her eyes. She looked at Meredith with a huh? written on her features.
"Spontaneous tear leakage." Meredith reached for a napkin. "Excess snot production," she wiped the girls eyes and nose. "Hot red face," she cupped the girl's face in her palms, and gave her a thorough once-over. "Treatment? Hmmm." She reached into her labcoat pocket, pulled out a post-it pad and scribbled on it. "Your Medicines is... your favorite food!" Meredith pulled the sticky off with a flourish.
Anna held the paper carefully. "I can't read dis."
Meredith shook her head, "Sorry, my penmanship is horrible. What's your favorite food, Anna?"
The girl sighed and rubbed her thighs, thinking. "Poptarts," she said finally.
"Poptarts huh?" Meredith's eyebrows shot up. The cafeteria didn't have any poptarts... but she knew who might, and luckily that person was in the cafeteria right now.
Meredith released a heavy breath. April Kepner had been watching her curiously for the last fifteen minutes as she took care of Anna. "I'll go get you your poptarts, can you watch my stethascope for me?" she asked, picking up the post-it.
Anna nodded seriously, still sniffling a little. Meredith walked over to April's table, pinching her fingers nervously. April looked up at her in surprise. "Um..." Meredith started. She knew she had to apologize.
"It's okay," April said quickly, turning back to her food.
"No.. it's not." Meredith sat down at the table. "I'm... going through a thing or whatever..." It wasn't time for her to get into details about what happened this morning, even if she wanted to share it with her.
"It's okay Meredith, I get it I shouldn't have-"
"April." Meredith said curtly. "I'm sorry. I totally stomped on your moment, and I'm sorry. I am happy for you... it's just at that time, I was going through a thing and you were all bright and shiny and rainbows and ponies- and I couldn't be that for you."
"Oh," April said. "Well I'm sorry too. You warned me and I should've listened."
Meredith did warn her... several times, but she accepted April's apology. "Okay."
"Okay."
"So... um, I have to fill a prescription," she put the sticky in front of April.
"Huh?"
"Poptarts... you have some?" she asked. "I know you pack them, Noah eats them all the time."
"Poptarts?" April looked terribly confused, like where did Meredith go- and who is this?
Meredith nodded toward Anna. "It's for her... she won't eat, but I prescribed her Poptarts. She needs to eat something."
"Oh, sure..." April dug into her huge lunch bag. "Um, I have rasberry or wildlicious?"
Meredith picked wildlicious and thanked April. She checked her watch, her hour was almost up, maybe they could eat in bed?
She went back to her table and grabbed the pudding cup and the granola bar tucking them into her pocket for later. "C'mon Anna, what do you think of Poptarts in bed?"
"M'okay." The girl said. She looked so tired.
Despite her aching bones, Meredith scooped her up and carried her out of the cafeteria.
xxx
Meredith handed Anna the poptart as she settled beside the girl in bed. She sighed, and struggled to suppress a yawn. What a day. Alex would be by soon, and she could get her pager and phone back. She felt so disconnected without them.
She looked down at Anna, the girl chewed thoughtfully on her cold poptart. It was so sad. The situation was so stupid. This poor girl would be bounced around again, another statistic because of a messed up system. Because why? Nobody wanted her? What about Anna could you not want? She was so small and soft, and vulnerable. And so freakin smart too. She laughed to herself. Simmons? Really?
A crinkling noise interrupted her thoughts. Anna had finished her last poptart and wiped her mouth. She curled under Meredith's arm and rested against her. Her tiny bandaged arm covered Meredith's stomach.
Meredith sighed deeply. Where was Alex? He better get here soon, she had a job to do. Meredith blinked heavily, she was so tired. . she couldn't move now. Anna was starting to doze. God, what a freakin long day. She blinked and sighed into Anna's hair. It felt good. Was this what Alex was talking about? She didn't get a chance to think about it because her eyes closed again and... she... just... couldn't keep... them... open.
A/N: I loved writing this part! Please review! Poll is still open regarding Zola, see previous chapter for details. Also I have completed Growing Pains.
Thanks!