A/N: Whew. So, there is a lot in this. Like, A LOT. Hope you enjoy :D

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Meredith Grey was accustomed to being the center of most dramas happening at Seattle Grace. It wasn't something she enjoyed – or sought – but it's usually how things turned out. Whether it was some freak accident or the previously never-ending-saga of her and Derek, if there were whispers amongst the staff, she was generally the cause. Lately, though, things had changed. Her and Derek settled into their life with Zola and without gunmen and ferryboat accidents, life became relatively calm.

That wasn't to say the hospital didn't have its fair share of drama. There was Owen's mother in the hospital the previous week. Alex and Izzie's will-they-won't-they. April's layoff. She just wasn't a part of any of it. She was enjoying her drama free life. It was refreshing. A change of pace.

She should have known it couldn't last.

"The patient is Terry Wilkins," Meredith's intern read off the chart. "Age 27 with acute stomach pain."

"Hi, Terry, my name's Dr. Grey and I'll be your doctor today," Meredith said, stepping forward. "Now, your stomach's been hurting you?"

Terry nodded, licking her lips before she spoke. "I've had it for a while, but it's gotten worse in the past week."

"She can barely eat," her sister, Rachel, said. "Whenever she tries it comes right back up."

"Have you had any other symptoms? Maybe some nausea? Dizziness? Blood in your stools?"

"I have been sick to my stomach a bit," Terry said. "No dizziness though. And that last one…"

Meredith grinned a bit. "Alright. Well, I'm going to order some scans so we can see what's going on. We just need you to sign some forms and then someone will be up to take you to x-ray."

"Okay."

"I'll be back to check on you later."

Meredith offered one more hang-in-there grin before leading her interns out of the room and stashing the chart back in the slot outside of the room. She turned toward the closest intern and said, "Alright, you go schedule the scan. The rest of you go and check on the other patients."

The interns scurried off to complete their tasks and Meredith headed toward the cafeteria for a quick between-rounds-coffee.

"So, how's Rick doing?" Alex asked Izzie as they waited in line at the coffee cart. She glanced back at him and said, "Who?"

"Rick. That guy you brought to April's 'congratulations on getting fired' party."

Izzie shook her head as she stammered, "She was laid off, not fired. And Rick is fine. He's, uh, doing well."

"Well, that's good. Were you guys on a date or something?"

"A date?"

"Seems weird to just take him to April's thing if you weren't seeing each other."

"It wasn't – we're not…" she trailed off, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You know, this is really none of your business."

"Whatever," Alex said. "It's not like I really care. You can do whatever you want."

"Yes, yes I can," Izzie said. She hesitated for a moment and said, "We're not, though. Dating."

"You're not?" Alex asked, his voice betraying more interest than he intended.

"I mean that was a date," Izzie back-stepped quickly, glancing back at him. "But that's all it was. A date. One date, in fact. The only date."

She turned back toward the coffee stand and he allowed himself a brief grin. It wasn't that he didn't want her to find someone. She deserved that. But that Rick guy had been completely off base. He ordered steak at an Italian restaurant. Who even does that?

"How about you?" she asked, glancing back. "You go on any dates lately?"

He could see she was trying to tease him, but her interest showed like bare walls beneath peeling wallpaper.

"Nah. Who has time?"

"We always seemed to find time," Izzie said with a grin. "All of us. God, we really were awful, weren't we?"

Alex laughed. "You can say that again."

"So, you're going solo?"

"Focusing on work," Alex corrected. "That's the point of spending all these hours here anyway, right? To do well? Maybe get something in the end?"

"I guess," Izzie said. She thought about Meredith and Derek, then. Cristina and Owen. Lexie and Mark. "Sometimes I think it's more, though."

"You're glowing," Callie noted, studying Mark's face as he read a chart. "I didn't know the guy could glow. But you totally are. You're glowing."

"I am not glowing," Mark said, his eyes not leaving the chart. "Men do not glow."

"Well, uh, I hate to break it to you, but you're glowing."

"It's called happiness, Torres." He closed the chart and looked up at her. "I'm happy. Ridiculously so."

She grinned. "I can tell."

"I want to sing and dance in the hallways. I am that happy."

"Wow. That's pretty damn happy."

"You know, sometimes I can't believe that I got this lucky," Mark said. "First with you and Sofia. Now with Lex. Considering all the stuff I did before that happened, I've got a hell of a lot to be thankful for."

Callie put her hand on his shoulder. "You were always a good guy, Mark. It just took a while for you to recognize that. For other people, too. I, of course, always knew."

"You did not," he said, laughing. "The only reason you went after me in the beginning is that you thought I was a no-good-scoundrel."

"Excuse me? I went after you?"

"You needed a real man after slumming with O'Malley."

She smirked. "And then after you, I apparently needed to turn to women."

"Ouch."

"Speaking of women," Callie said loudly, grinning at her wife who had just arrived. "How is my woman?"

Arizona grinned. "Fine. And how are you?"

"I'm great. So is Mark."

Arizona's grin widened. "I bet. You should have seen him and Lexie at the ultrasound the other day, Callie. It was really heartwarming."

"Let me guess, she cried?"

"She wasn't the only one," Arizona said, laughing when Mark gave her a look.

"Mark Sloan, did you cry?" Callie asked, joining her wife in her laughter. "Might I add, again?"

"It was an emotional moment," Mark said defensively. "Alright, you two continue your cackling. I have actual patients to go see."

"Oh, we're sorry for making fun of you!" Callie called after him, wiping at her eye as she continued to laugh.

Meredith collected the scans from x-ray herself, taking a quick peek at them as she walked back to the pit. She shook her head as she studied the images. She had been hoping it was nothing serious, but she had had her suspicions when she was in the patient's room. Her chart showed a strong history of cancer in the patient's family and there were shadows on the scan that suggested she would join her similarly afflicted family members.

"Hi Terry," Meredith said, closing the door behind her. "I have your scans here and there are a few things that worry me. I'd like to order a colonoscopy so that we can have a better look at what we're dealing with."

"A colonoscopy?" Terry said. "What for?"

"Well, there were some shadows on your scans. They could just be polyps or ulcers. Or it could be something more serious. We're really not sure at this point, so I think the procedure is our best course of action."

Terry considered it for a moment before shaking her head and saying, "No. I don't want the procedure."

"Terry," Rachel said, stepping forward. "Listen to what the doctor is saying."

"I don't want the procedure," Terry held. "I don't want to know if I – no, I won't do it."

"I have to recommend that you go with the procedure," Meredith pressed gently. "It's minimally invasive. You'll be under for an hour at the most."

"I don't want it."

"Don't be stupid," Rachel said harshly. "It could be nothing and you'll put yourself through all this pain for nothing."

"Or it could be cancer," Terry threw back. "Like Mom and Aunt River and Uncle Howard. And Bobby and Nicole and…I won't do it. I don't want to know. I…I don't want to know."

"Terry-"

"My answer is no," she said forcefully, looking at Meredith. "I know you need my consent to do the procedure, and I won't give it. I'm not having the procedure."

"Why don't I give you a few hours to think it over," Meredith suggested, glancing at Rachel.

"I don't need a few hours," Terry held.

"There are some other labs I'd like to do," Meredith said. "Some blood work. Let's do that and then we'll move from there, okay?"

Terry nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Meredith left the room, Rachel trailing behind her.

"Dr. Grey?" she said. Meredith turned around and Rachel asked, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course."

"You need to convince her to have that procedure," Rachel implored. "You have to."

"I'll do my best, but if she won't consent to the procedure then there isn't much I can do."

"You don't understand," Rachel said, shaking her head. "She's all I have left. Everyone else is gone. Our parents both died a few years ago. Different cancers, but in the end it's all the same. And then the rest of them started going. I understand she's scared. I am, too. But she can't run from it. She can't just give up. You need to help us – help her. Make her get that procedure. Please."

April always thought she excelled at interviews. Blessed with a naturally bubbly personality, she found it easy to converse with others. She clicked immediately with the interviewer at the Seattle Women's Clinic. They started off with their shared love of Pinterest and then made their way straight to her resume and time at Seattle Grace.

"It was a wonderful experience," April said. "I worked under some of the finest doctors. Received the best training. What I learned there is invaluable."

"May I ask what prompted your change of heart? Why did you leave?"

April swallowed hard. "I was let go. I didn't pass my boards this year, and when hiring began for residencies they found someone who was more qualified."

The woman nodded. "I see. Well, you are not the only one who speaks fondly of your time at Seattle Grace. You have some glowing letters of recommendation."

April smiled slightly and nodded.

"If you are interested, we would be more than happy to have you join our staff. Right now we only have room for someone to work part-time, but-"

"I'll take it," April interjected excitedly, unable to stop herself. She worried for a moment that she had been too forward, but the interview merely laughed and said, "That is fantastic to hear. If you'll just wait here I can get you some papers to sign and we can make this official. How about that?"

April grinned. "Sounds like a plan."

"I don't know what to do," Meredith said to Derek, sitting with him in one of the boardrooms as he went through pages of research.

"There isn't much you can do, Meredith," Derek said, glancing up from his papers. "The bottom line is you need her consent to schedule the procedure."

"Maybe I explained it wrong," Meredith said, gnawing on her bottom lip. "I mean, I saw that she had a history of cancer in her family. I should have known-"

"Known that she would refuse?" Derek interrupted. "Come on, Meredith. You couldn't have known that."

"I should have, though," Meredith said. "I know what it's like to be terrified of a disease. I've been there, Derek. I should have known."

He reached over and laid his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb along the edge of her hand. "Just give her some time. Maybe she'll change her mind."

Meredith propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her upturned hand. Terry wasn't going to change her mind. She knew that. There had to be another way.

Meredith stood up suddenly, an idea taking form. Derek looked at her with concern and asked, "Meredith, what's going on?

"I have to go," she said quickly. "I have, uh, patients to see."

He nodded. "Don't get discouraged. If anyone can make her change her mind, it's you."

She gave a small nod and then left the room.

Jackson was in between rounds when his phone rang. He grinned when he saw April's number flashing on the screen. He knew her interview had been that afternoon, and he hoped she had good news.

"What's the verdict?" he said in greeting.

"I got the job!" she said happily.

He felt relief flood his body at her words. "April, that's great! You got it already?"

"They hired me on the spot," April enthused. "I was worried at first because she was asking me about why I left Seattle Grace and all that. But I just told her everything straight, and then she offered me a position."

"April, this is fantastic."

"It's only part-time," she said. "But, I don't even care at this point. It's a job, right? It's something."

"It's more than something," he said. "I'm so proud of you, April. Seriously. You are amazing."

"Stop it," she said. He could almost hear her blush over the phone.

"You could have shut down after what happened, but you didn't," he told her. "You picked yourself up and refused to give up. You are an amazing woman, April. You are an amazing woman, and I love you."

"I love you, too," she murmured. "And I couldn't have done any of this without you. You're pretty amazing, yourself."

He grinned. "Alright, I have to go but we are celebrating tonight. Whatever you want to do."

"Alright, that's a deal."

"I'll see you tonight. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Jackson clicked out of the phone call and slipped the phone back into his pocket. The entire way to the pit, he was unable to stop grinning.

"The procedure is called a flexible sigmoidoscopy," Meredith explained, standing in front of Terry's bed.

"A flexible what?"

"It examines the lining of your colon to make sure there are no inflamed polyps," Meredith said.

"So, it's not a test for cancer?"

Without hesitation Meredith lied and told her, "No. I'm only looking for polyps."

The truth was she was looking for an inflamed polyp, which could have turned malignant, but she decided that information was better kept to herself. If Terry consented to the procedure, things could go along as planned and Meredith could ensure that her patient didn't go on living for years with undiagnosed cancer. She was aware of the ethical landmines that she was treading dangerously close to, but she found herself stoutly believing that the benefits outweighed everything else. If there was no cancer, then there was no issue. If there was then Meredith could say they simply stumbled upon it and they could begin the correct course of treatment.

"What exactly will you do?" Terry asked, still not convinced.

Meredith calmly explained the procedure, watching Terry become more and more closed off. She finished with, "It's really a very routine procedure, Terry. It's quick, too. You'll be in and out."

"And no cancer testing?"

Meredith shook her head. "No cancer testing."

Terry hesitated for a moment before she nodded and said, "Alright. I'll do it."

Mark spotted Lexie in the cafeteria and walked over to her, frowning when he saw what she had clutched in her hand.

"A candy bar and chips," he said. "I don't think you could get a more nutritionally devoid lunch if you tried."

She gave him a look and said, "It's the only thing I can keep down. I tried a nice turkey and cheese sandwich and chucked it up five minutes after. Right now, all this baby wants is chocolate. And salt. And you know what, that is what I'm going to give it."

"There is no way I'm letting you put all that junk into your body," Mark said, taking the junk food from her hand and putting it on the counter. He took a hold of her arm and said, "Come on. We're getting you real food."

"But Mark-"

"No buts," he said. "That's my kid in there too, you know. And I'd rather it didn't come out with two heads."

"There is absolutely no research to support that junk foods causes multiple heads in babies," she fought back. "And I have a photographic memory, Mark. I would know if there was an article out there!"

"We're going to get you some fruit," Mark said, ignoring her diatribe and picking up a banana. "This should help with the nausea, too. And we'll get you some chicken noodle soup and a nice tea."

She pouted and said, "I hate you."

"No, you love me," he said. Putting the food in front of the cashier and pulling out his wallet. "And you will love me even more when you don't have the stomach ache that definitely would have come from that Snickers-Doritos combo. I mean, seriously Lex?"

"It sounded good," she argued. "Still sounds good, actually. Are you sure I can't just have the Doritos? I'll forfeit the candy bar!"

"No Doritos," Mark held. He shook his head and said, "First Callie with her caffeine addiction and now you and your junk food. Being a prospective father is a full time job."

Meredith waited for the results of the flexible sigmoidoscopy, keeping herself busy with other patients as the afternoon passed. It was just before four when one of her interns returned with the results. She flipped through the papers and her stomach churned. One of the polyps had been abnormal and the gastroenterologist took a biopsy. The polyp was malignant.

"Shit," Meredith said, stuffing the results into the chart. She took a moment to collect herself and then walked to Terry's room.

"What do you mean it was malignant?" Terry asked, her face hard.

"The gastroenterologist found a polyp that was abnormal. He decided to take a biopsy and the results came back that the polyp was malignant. Now-"

"That means…" Terry trailed off, her eyes filling with tears. "I didn't want to know. I…I didn't want any of this. You told me that this wasn't for cancer. You-"

"We weren't originally looking for it," Meredith interjected. "But when he found the polyp it was necessary-"

"You told me it was not for cancer screening," Terry cut in heatedly. "I explicitly said I didn't want that, and you did it anyway. You went against my wishes-"

"Terry, calm down," Rachel said, coming to her side. Her face was drawn, eyes red. "She did you a favor. Don't you see that? We can fight this now. We know and-"

"I didn't want to know," Terry said, shaking her head. She turned her gaze to Meredith and hissed, "And you did me no favors. You went against what I asked. You lied to me."

"Terry-"

"I want to leave," Terry said angrily. "I want to leave right now."

Meredith said, "I really wouldn't advise-"

"I don't care what you would advise. I don't care what anyone in this hospital would advise! I'm leaving."

Meredith swallowed hard and nodded. "Alright. I'll get you the discharge papers."

Jackson headed home after his surgeries, drumming up something special that him and April could do that night to celebrate her job. When he opened the door he found her on the couch in her pajamas and bunny slippers.

"April?"

She smiled at him and said, "Hello there, Jackson."

"What are the bunny slippers for?"

"Part of my celebrating," she said with a grin.

"What do you have in mind?" he asked carefully. "Because I was thinking a nice dinner. Maybe some Joe's after?"

She reached beside her and held up a take-out menu for a nearby Chinese restaurant. "I was thinking mushu pork and The Office."

He laughed, taking off his coat and settling beside her. She leaned into his side and rested her head on his chest.

"You sure you don't want to go out?" he asked, kissing the top of her head. "This is your night, remember?"

"And I don't need to spend it anywhere else besides right here," she told him. "I have Michael Scott. I will have mushu pork. And I have you. What more do I need?"

He smirked. "You really are easy to please."

A/N: This was getting Tolstoy long so I cut it off. Next chapter will show April starting at her new job. And lots of drama coming from events in this and the last chapter. It's going to be a roller coaster of a ride, so PLEASE leave feedback if you are reading. I want to know who's on this crazy Grey's coaster with me!