Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, or the characters. In case it wasn't really obvious.

AN: I have no medical knowledge, just way too much time to search the internet.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews, I truly value each and every one, so please keep them coming.

Enjoy!

And thanks to Black Panther 137 for giving me the idea to have some of Alex's perspective.

Previously: Meredith looks over to Alex's prone body, still half buried by tubes, wires, and machines. "…Get Alex through this." Is her simple answer.

Upon hearing Meredith's broken, weary reply, Sam moves closer to her. "We're doing everything we can, and barring any complications, Alex has a decent chance of recovering from this setback..." Sam continues, but Meredith doesn't really hear it.

Meredith just keeps looking at Alex, watching as his chest is forced by the ventilator to rise and fall, wishing that she had just taken a minute to check on him, as she listens to Sam's constant reassuring words.

Eventually, Meredith whispers. "Why?"

Not fully hearing her, Sam asks gently. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"Why did this happen?" Meredith says again, in a stronger voice this time.

"..." Sam pauses before replying. "Meredith, you know that there was always a risk of this."

Meredith lets out a shaky breath. "I know that Sam, but… I should have checked on him, this never would have gotten to this point." She tells him honestly, still clearly blaming herself.

Sam looks at her, slightly confused. "What are you talking about Meredith?"

Sighing, Meredith replies. "I found him in the morning."

"And?" Sam prompts, not sure where this is going.

"And the night before I got home really late, and I just went to bed and crashed, if I had've just checked on him… maybe…"

Meanwhile, Alex is standing in the corner of his ICU room, watching as Meredith cries over him, as she piles unwarranted blame on herself, as she falls apart because of him.

He sees Meredith rush into the room, he can hear the panic clearly in her voice, along with absolute fatigue. "Sam? What are you doing here?? Has something happened? Is Alex alright?!"

Alex watches as Sam turns around to face Meredith, and he gently places a calming hand on Meredith's shoulder. "Alex is stable …Drs Webber and Bailey asked me to come, and manage his care." He watches as Sam motions to two chairs left up against the wall, and instructs Meredith. "Sit." She obliges quickly, and Sam does the same. "How're you going?"

Meredith relaxes as she replies, in a voice Alex knows to be completely honest. "Tired… it's been a long couple of days."

"Anything I can do?" Sam then asks with kindness and sympathy in his voice.

Alex watches as Meredith turns her head, to look at his lifeless body, almost completely covered by tubes, wires, and machines. "…Get Alex throught this."

Hearing her heartbroken request, Alex moves closer to Meredith, and whispers to her. "I'm trying to wake up Mere, trying to fight this. And no matter what, I'm going to find a way back."

As it has many times before, his words go unheard.

Back in the real world, Sam pulls Meredith into a comforting hug. "This isn't your fault Meredith, you had no reason what so ever to think something was wrong, this isn't your fault."

Early in the morning, six days later. Meredith is back at work, not by choice, she stops in at Alex's ICU room before her shift begins, and sits down beside the bed, taking Alex's cold, limp hand in her own. "Hey Alex, it's Mere. It's time to wake up Alex." She says lightly, as though trying to wake a child for school.

She then changes her tone to one that is almost begging, pleading. "Come on Alex, wake up... please, it's been a WEEK, Alex. You have to wake up! Please." As she finishes speaking Meredith breaks down, and cries desperately, never taking her eyes away from Alex's body.

Several minutes later, Meredith gets to rounds, late. Her interns are all standing around, waiting for her. "Sorry." She calls out as she hurries over, wiping the last of the tears from her eyes.

At that moment, Christina and her huddle of interns emerge from a nearby room. She calls out. "Hey Mere."

Meredith silently curses that her friend will see her tear stained face, then she turns around, and greets Christina. "Hey."

Sure enough, Christina sees her friend's distress. She turns to look at both groups of interns. "Go away." She orders them simply, leaving no room for argument.

Once all the interns have scampered away, Christina knowingly questions. "How's Karev today? Any change?"

Meredith does a double take before answering. "No change. His oncologist is up there now."

They continue to talk for several minutes before reluctantly calling their interns back over, and resuming rounds.

It is another five anxious, worrying days before Meredith is sitting at Alex's beside when she notices his fingers curl around her hand. She moves closer to the bed, and leans over him. At the same time, she's preparing herself for another disappointment. "Alex?"

Alex's hand goes lax, and Meredith falls back into her seat, fighting back tears at this latest disappointment.

Several minutes later, Meredith is sobbing hard now, and doesn't notice when Alex's eyelids flutter, and then open completely.

She doesn't look up until he gains enough strength to grab at the ventilator tube a moment later. She looks at his eyes, they are wide with panic and confusion. "Alex, oh my god, you're awake!" Meredith exclaims, before realising that Alex is in danger of hurting himself. "Calm down, you're alright, just calm down."

Alex settles slightly, but is still clearly uneasy, and unsure about the intrusion in his throat. He points weakly at the tube as he looks at Meredith questioningly.

Meredith presses the call button as she tells him. "You're on a vent… there was a complication with the treatment, but you're going to be alright." Her relief is obvious as she adds. "Now you're awake, everything will be alright."

TBC...

Thanks for reading! Hope that was worth the wait. Thought it was about time Alex started getting better, even I can only put someone through so much before I have to turn it around. Hope you liked it.

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