Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, or the characters, and chances are that I never will.

A huge thank you everyone who have reviewed and read this fic so far! It really encourages me to keep writing. So please give me some feedback on this chapter!

I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

The physiotherapist came and went the following morning, giving Alex a long list of exercises to work through with someone for each of his various physical impairments. As did Dr Rivett, who pulled out the chest drains, and agreed that he was healing well, the cardiac injury didn't seem to have any long lasting effects. Mark had been called in to assist with the injury to Alex's arm, doing more advanced checks on the slow, tedious recovery of function.

It would have been easy for Alex to have become disheartened, the constant stream of medical professionals he had once been among coming in and out of his room, each one reminding him of what he may never regain, but Izzie, Meredith, Bailey, and even Christina were careful to pick up on what was going on and talk him out of it as best they could.

They just had to keep reminding him of his victories.

While having areas of compromised sensation on his arm, he could feel and move his hand well.

He was getting stronger, he could now stay awake most of the day without needing to rest.

He had gotten feeling back in his lower body, though he still couldn't do more than wriggle his toes and flex his ankle.

Despite a severe brain injury he hadn't suffered any after effects.

And he had been cleared by each of the attendings to leave.

Twenty-nine days after the accident, after four trips to the OR, and countless hours of anxious waits for his friends, he was leaving the hospital.

But in fact he wasn't going home, there was a rehabilitation centre twenty minutes drive from their house, Brookfield Centre. It was a large facility that primarily serviced the tri-state area, and was generally considered the best available. Derek had already spoken with the head of the hospital, Dr Stan Gordon, a friend of his, who under the circumstances had agreed to personally oversee Alex's care.

There was an ambulance waiting downstairs to transfer Alex. Izzie and Meredith were helping him get ready to go, packing his bags, helping him dressed, and moving him into the hospital issue wheelchair that he hated with an absolute passion, but at the same time was dependant on.

They were almost out the door, when Bailey came by. "Big day." She commented as she sat down on Alex's vacant bed, facing Alex.

"Yeah, big day. It'd be better if I was going home though." Alex confessed, all he wanted was to sleep in his own bed, to be independent again.

Sensing Alex's despair and frustration, and knowing that it had to be stopped in its tracks, Bailey firmly told him. "Now you just listen here, it is a miracle of modern medicine that you're alive. And even if it takes a year you will get back here, but you know as well as I do that rehab doesn't work if you don't put in the work. So damn well snap out of this attitude, and work your butt off to get better, everyone here has worked too hard to train you, and now to save your life for you to give up."

The ride to the rehab centre felt as though it took hours to Alex, Izzie and Meredith were following in Meredith's car, and he was left alone in his wheelchair in the back of the ambulance, listening to the dull chatter between the paramedics.

And upon arrival it didn't improve much, the paramedics took him as far as the main desk, where Izzie filled out eight pages of paperwork for his admission.

Alex sat there beside Izzie in his wheelchair, playing along with her attempts to make him laugh with the mundane nature of the questions.

He knew that he was getting the occasional glance from the steady stream of people coming through the reception area, either on their way to an appointment or to visit someone. And Alex knew why they were looking, he wished that he looked like the confident, young surgeon he had been, not the severely injured, wheelchair bound man he now was. Apart from the obvious, the wheelchair, there was also the fact that there was a long raised, red scar running along the side of his head, casts on both his legs, though they were for the most part hidden by a pair of grey trackpants, and another cast on his arm, it was a new cast, this one had replaced the external frame and forearm cast, it ran from his fingers to his armpit. Yes, it was clear to Alex, what they were staring at, but that didn't mean that he didn't wish they would all stop it.

But instead of getting into a fight with any of the people, of which he would have lost, Alex tried to distract himself by looking around the front entrance that he was currently sitting in. It was tastefully decorated, it looked more like an office than the entrance to a hospital, there was no sign of any patients, to the left of the desk there was a set of double doors, and to the right there was another set of doors, though it wasn't clear what was behind either set.

When Izzie finally finished the paperwork, she handed them back to the receptionist, and an orderly came through the right set of doors. The orderly, Travis came over to Alex, and introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Travis, you must be Alex Karev. I'll take you around to the unit you will be staying on."

"Thanks, I guess." Alex replied as Travis took hold of the handles on the back of the wheelchair, and started pushing him towards the doors, with Izzie close behind, and Meredith trailing behind wheeling a suitcase that Izzie had packed for Alex.

As they passed through the doors, the scenery changed quickly, there was a long hallway, with full length windows on both sides allowing them to see out to the gardens, off the hallway there were other hallways that led to the various units. First they passed one that according to the sign was the "Canary" Unit, but Travis informed them that it was the long-term unit, designated for people with no chance of a meaningful recovery, people in comas and such. They then passed the "Bluebird" Unit, a general unit apparently, followed by the "Rainbow" Unit, aka pediatrics, and another three more before they reached the end of the hallway, "Waratah" Unit, the unit designated for private patients, the rooms were more like motel suites than hospital rooms, every room had a double bed, which was adjustable, a small lounge suite complete with LCD TV, an ensuite and a private patio, all wheelchair accessible.

Alex's first thought when he was wheeled into the unit was that there had been a mistake, the place was decorated like a high end hotel, he could practically see the patients and their visitors driving their Mercedes and BMWs, living in their palatial homes. The nurses' station was set in an area of the wall that had been purpose built so that the desk did not impinge on the hallway, it looked like a reception desk, the main office area was behind the desk, sealed off by a door, and there was a large fresh flower arrangement on the desk, along with matching smaller arrangements on shelves inset into the walls. But it was sparsely furnished, and what furniture they had was well out of the way, ensuring easy access.

An attractive twenty something year old nurse with dark blonde hair, Hailey Chapman came out from behind the nurses' desk to meet Alex. She had a chart in her hands as she approached the group. "Dr Karev?"

TBC...

Thanks for reading, please take a moment to drop me a review!

And as always, suggestions and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism are welcome, feel free to put them in a review or PM.