AFTERMATH

AN: Ok, so I know I haven't updated in a long time, and the last chapter was over 6000 words long, but my laptop has been playing up lately and I haven't had anywhere to type up this chapter. But it's all been written down on paper and now all I have to do is type it. But that's really hard when you have a burnt thumb, which is a long story in itself.

Anyway, I expect lots of death threats at the end of this chapter. You will soon see why.

Oh, and I dedicate this chapter to Laura, my best froend who's in Germany but inspired this chapter.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

- Seattle Grace Hospital, Emergency Room, two days later, 2016 -

Derek walked out of the elevator and into the emergency room.

"What have we got?" he asked, seeing Miranda Bailey surrounded by a pack of residents and their interns.

"Three car pile up on the motorway. We have a 35 year old woman with severe head and chest injuries two minutes out. We're going to need all hands on deck for her, and we have a few other people coming in with injuries, but his woman is first."

Derek sighed. Massive head and chest injuries, that meant it's going to be a very long day.

"Somebody book an MRI and an OR, she's going to need surgery as soon as we can find what to fix."

The interns started rushing around at the sound of sirens.

Looking at the faces of the surgical residents around him, Bailey and Burke, he noticed one face was missing.

"Where's Doctor Grey? Where's Meredith?"

At that moment, the ambulance decided to pull up at Seattle Grace, the sirens promptly cutting Derek off.

The doors of the rig opened to reveal Jill and Annie the paramedics, who immediately hopped out, pulling the stretcher holding their critical patient.

"35 year old woman, severe head and chest injuries post car crash. She was found smashed up against the steering wheel, her head through the windscreen. She got one of epi in the field and needs intubation!"

O'Malley, Burke and she-Burke took the gurney, ready to take the woman to Trauma 2.

"Shepherd! We need you on this case!" Burke called, pulling the neurosurgeon from his thoughts.

Rushing to the gurney, he prepared to run the necessary tests before taking her to the OR.

"Someone page Doctor Grey! She should be on this case!" he called.

Suddenly, the gurney stopped. Christina gasped, silenced for the first time in a very long time.

"Oh my God! It's Meredith! Meredith is the car crash victim!"

Derek looked at the woman's face, and was deeply shocked to see it was Meredith's face.

"Get her an MRI now!"

The shock of seeing his 'dirty ex-mistress' lying so vulnerable in front of him paralysed the neurosurgeon.

"What did she do to deserve this?"

- Seattle Grace Hospital, OR 2, 2016 -

Doctors, nurses and interns were running everywhere around the patient lying open on the table.

That patient was Doctor Meredith Grey.

Her brain was exposed and being examined and repaired by Seattle Grace Hospital's top neurosurgeon, Derek Shepherd.

Her chest was also open, being operated on by Doctors Burke, Burke and O'Malley as well as a handful of their interns. The other interns, mostly Meredith's, were watching from the gallery.

"Uh, Doctors, her BP's dropping," a nurse said suddenly. "And her temperature's rising rapidly."

Derek and Preston shared a quick look.

"I'm just about to close here, there's nothing more I can do for the moment," Derek said, gently replacing her skull cap.

Suddenly, fire broke out in front of the doctors, emanating from Meredith's unconscious body.

"Code Red! All unnecessary personnel out of this OR now!" Preston yelled.

Only he, Shepherd, O'Malley and the other Burke remained to stop the fire.

Quickly, the oxygen line was shut off, as well as most of the electrical monitors.

But, even with their efforts, there was nothing more they could do.

Just as quickly as the first fire happened, Meredith's body became a fireball and burnt into a crisp.

"What the hell just happened?" Bailey yelled, having witnessed everything from the gallery.

George, Christina, Preston and Derek looked from the remains of Meredith's body, up to Bailey, then back again.

"Well?!' she demanded.

"I… I think it was SHC," Christina whispered.

"What, Yang?" she asked again.

Christina scowled. She hated it when Bailey used her maiden name.

"Spontaneous Human Combustion," Derek said, loud enough for her to hear. "And now I have no Meredith," he whispered.

- Seattle Grace Hospital, Meredith's Memorial Service, 2016 -

Derek was in tears. He had no wife, no Meredith. Nothing to live for.

"We are gathered here today to farewell Doctor Meredith Grey, brilliant neurosurgeon, friend, lover, family member. Though she died of tragic circumstances, we will always remember Meredith as being kind, loving, and always willing to look after the little ones if she was needed to. We will all miss her, and she will never be forgotten."

Derek couldn't stop crying. Neither could the rest of her 'family' – especially a very pregnant and hormonal Izzie.

Derek stood from his chair at the front of the room and ran out. He couldn't bear to face the family of the woman he loved.

Yeah. I'm expecting lots of angry reviews.

But I can fix this. And it will be fixed very well.