She sat on the bathroom floor with her sister. She didn't care how dirty the floors were. She didn't want to no what the sticky substance was that she her sneaker recently slipped into. She didn't trouble herself with the fact that her interns probably needed to be checked on and reinstructed on what to do. She didn't flinch when her cell phone started vibrating in her pocket. And she didn't speak when Emily shifted herself crawled over to sit beside her. Her older sister's tears slowly started to subside as she clutched to Meredith's arm and lied her head on her shoulder. Neither had spoken since Emily admitted that she had contracted the disease. Meredith had just slid to the floor, pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms around her legs, and set her chin on her knees. Emily didn't push for her to speak. And Meredith didn't push for answers to the common questions that came to mind, but she didn't have the strength to ask.
After a half of an hour of sitting on the bathroom floor with no words spoken and no drastic movements made, Meredith finally decided to speak. "When?"
It took a long time for Emily to work up the strength to talk. "I found out last year."
Not a word was spoken for a long time. "How?" Meredith finally asked.
Emily shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "I think a needle I got off one of the other models, but I'm not sure."
Meredith squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to hear anymore. Emily didn't want to say anymore. So for the next twenty minutes they sat in silence. Emily still hugged Meredith's arm, and her head still rested on her shoulder. Meredith's headed rested against her sisters. They just sat there, not speaking or looking at each other.
Finally, Meredith abruptly stood. Emily looked up at her little sister. Meredith extended her hand. Emily took it and got to her feet.
"I don't want to be here anymore." Meredith said quietly. Emily nodded. "There's something I have to do. Will you wait around for me?" Emily nodded again and watched as her sister walked out.
--
Meredith found him in a scrub room scrubbing out of his last surgery of the night. She walked in and let the door shut behind her before she spoke. He smiled at her and kissed her cheek.
"Ready for our date?"
"Something came up. We're going to have to reschedule."
He stared at her and could tell something was wrong. "Want to talk about it?'
"Not yet." She sighed.
He dried his hands and turned to look at her. "The offer's always on the table."
She forced a smile and nodded. "Thank you." She got on the balls of her feet and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later." With that she walked out.
--
Emily was waiting in the lobby when Meredith found her. Emily stood up as her sister approached. Meredith couldn't help but stare at her sister. For the first time in the past times she saw her sister, she looked human. The model type make up was washed away. Her eyes were slightly puffy and red. And her clothes were slightly wrinkled.
Without a word being said, Meredith led her out of the hospital and to her car. Emily got in the passenger seat as Meredith got in the drivers. Emily didn't ask where they were going, and Meredith didn't offer up any type of hint.
The sun was setting, and the clouds were brilliant shades of pinks, oranges, and reds by the time Meredith pulled into a parking space in front of the water.
"Why'd you bring me here?" Emily asked without moving from her seat. She stared out the windshield at the water that reflected the colors of the sky.
"Because this is our spot." Meredith responded as she got out. Emily followed in suite. Shutting the door behind her, she took a deep breath of the salty air that reminded them both of their childhood before they moved from Seattle. The sound of small waves hitting the rocks below filled the air as the sisters stripped off their shoes and stepped into the sand. There was about eight feet of sand that gave way to large rocks that dipped down into the bay. Meredith sat down first and buried her feet in the slightly warm sand as Emily walked closer to the rocks. Meredith watched and let out a quiet sigh. She could remember when their father brought them up there every weekend so they could play on the rocks. Even though she was only four when her father started taking them, she could still remember them jumping from rock to rock and folding their pant legs up to their knees so they could walk in the freezing water. After about ten minutes, Emily walked back up the beach and sat down beside her sister wrapping her hands around her knees. For another ten minutes, neither said anything. They listened to the soothing sounds of the ocean beating against the rocks.
"What did the doctor say?" Meredith finally asked in a tone just above a whisper.
Emily took a deep breath. "I'm not responding to the antiretroviral therapy, and they think that it won't be long until it becomes AIDS. They say they think I had it for longer than I knew about maybe even a few years. I'm not sure how long I have."
She couldn't say words more crushing than those. A few tears fell from Meredith's eyes, but she tried to stay strong for her sister. After that, they didn't say anything. They just sat there in silence as the reds in the sky stared to fade to purple before Meredith helped her sister up and they headed back to the car.
--
After dropping Emily off at her hotel, Meredith drove towards the hospital and stopped in front of a large apartment complex/ hotel. She pulled into the empty space of the two spaces with his name on it. She took the elevator from the lobby up to the eight floor. She hurried down the hall choking back the tears until she found his apartment. She knocked hastily then unlocked the door with the key he had given her. It was ten and since he worked an early shift, she knew he'd probably be resting in bed if not asleep. Shutting and locking the door behind her, she walked further into the apartment. The door was slightly ajar and the TV was on, but Mark seemed to be asleep completely unaware of her presence. She pushed the door open and crept in. It was slightly selfish, but she needed to be in his arms. After dropping her bag, stripping off her jacket, and kicking off her shoes, she crawled into bed and lied her head on his chest. He stirred as she wrapped her arm around his stomach.
"Meredith?" He said groggily.
"Can I stay the night?" She said in a shaky voice.
"Yeah, of coarse." He opened his eyes and noticed the tears rolling down her cheek. "What's wrong, Mer?"
"My sister is dying." She sobbed.