Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy.

AN: Sorry for the wait, and the short chapter. I just couldn't think of what to write.

Enjoy!

Meredith's house, 7pm Thursday

"Mere, we're home. What do you want me to make for-" Izzie pauses mid-sentence when she sees Alex lying on a couch in the living room, leaning over the edge, dry retching into a bin. "Oh god!" She gasps, hurrying over to him. When she kneels beside him, and sees how truly sick he looks she goes into panic mode. "What's wrong Alex?!"

The noise causes Meredith to rush in, after quickly scanning the room she moves over to Alex and Izzie, leaving George standing in the doorway. "Izzie, you and George should just go into the kitchen, I'll be in in a minute." Even though they make no indication of leaving Meredith turns her attention to Alex, she picks up a pill bottle from the side table, and takes two out for Alex. "You think you can keep down your pills?" Alex nods slightly, uncertainly. "Okay then, take this." He quickly swallows the preoffered tablet and a glass of water. "I told you you'd need it." She runs her hand through his thin sweat drenched hair. "Just relax alright, the meds will take effect soon. I'll be in the kitchen, if you need me just call out." After hearing Alex's mumbled reply Meredith leads Izzie and George from the room.

"What the hell Mere?!" Izzie yells, more than a little freaked by the turn of events.

"Sit down." They all sit around the kitchen table. "First off, he didn't want you to find out like this."

"Find out what?" Izzie asks quietly, almost afraid of the answer.

"He just got out of hospital this morning, he's been having his first round of chemo-radiotherapy, as you just saw it's been rough on him."

"He's got cancer?" George questions, finally finds his voice.

"ALL." Meredith confirms sadly.

George looks back towards the living room before replying. "How long's he been sick?"

"The diagnoses was confirmed a week ago, he'd been sick for a couple of months."

"How come he told you, and not us?" Izzie asks, sounding slightly offended.

"He came to me a couple of weeks ago to run some tests, and it just went from there."

"What treatment regimen is he on?" Izzie enquires, her concern winning out over anything else.

"Hyper CVAD combined with radiotherapy."

"That's pretty intensive, what's his prognosis?" George asks, going over to the fridge, and grabbing them each a beer while he does.

"Sam, his oncologist is optimistic that the treatment will put it into remission, hopefully then it won't recur."

They sit mostly in silence until Alex walks in, Meredith quickly stands up, and helps him over to a chair. "Feeling better?" She asks gently.

"Yeah, now I feel like I got hit by one truck, not fifty."

"You think you can keep down a soda, or something?"

"Probably." Alex replies, prompting Meredith to grab him a can of lemonade.

"Thanks." He accepts the soda with one hand, and runs his other through his thinning hair. "So, are you two just gonna sit there staring all night, or what?"

"Sorry, it's just... You know... Sorry." George mumbles awkwardly.

"You should have told us Alex." Izzie says, no real harshness in her words, just concern.

Meredith's house, 5 am Friday

After George and Izzie have left for work Meredith walks into Alex's bedroom as she's about to leave for work. "Are you sure you'll be alright here by yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. If there's a problem I'll page you." Meredith still hesitates. "Go, you're going to be late."

"See you later. If you need anything at all-"

"I'll page you. Go."

"I'll be home in time to take you for radiation, okay?"

"Can't wait." Alex responds sarcastically.

Seattle Grace, 5.30 am Friday

Bailey walks into the residents locker room, looking tired and irritated. "Yang, Stevens, Grey, as Karev still doesn't feel so inclined to join us you'll each have to take one of his interns, and because I can, Yang you get two."

After Bailey leaves the room Izzie speaks almost instantly. "She doesn't know?!"

Christina looks at the like they've gone mad. "What are you two on about now?"

"Alex has ALL, he's spent the week over at Mercy West, getting radiation and chemo." Meredith informs her.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I wish."

"So now we have to deal with his interns as well as ours, great, for how long?" Christina asks, annoyed at the prospect of having two extra interns to keep track of.

Meredith chooses to ignore Christina's insensitive nature, and answers. "He'll be in and out of hospital for treatment for at least a couple of months, and after that he'll probably still need time to recuperate."

Meanwhile Bailey realises she has left something in her locker, and is about to walk back into the locker room when she hears parts of a conversation between her former interns 'Alex, ALL, Mercy West, radiation and chemo'. What on earth? Determined to find out the truth she marches into the locker room. "Which one of you is going to tell me what's going on? Cos' you know I'll find out sooner or later anyway." Meredith, who's back is mostly turned to Bailey stares at her friends, clearly telling them to stay quiet. "Fine then, new method. Whoever tells me will be assigned to the service of their choice for a week."

Surely enough a second later Christina speaks. "Evil spawn has leukemia."

Bailey looks at her, confused and worried. Meredith gives up, and walks over to her boss. "Alex was admitted to Mercy West last week for his first round of chemotherapy to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia."

"What?!" Bailey questions, stunned to actually hear confirmation of her suspicions.

"You probably shouldn't expect him back for at least a couple of months, depending on how things go."

Still in shock Bailey turns to leave. "Wait! What about your offer? I told you, so-"

"One of your friends has a form of cancer, and you're thinking about how telling me will help you?" Bailey asks Christina incredulously.

TBC.

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