Sypnopsis:

"If I don't say this now, I will surely break…and I'll look after you." With Izzie, Meredith, Cristina and Alex about to enter their second-year residency and George repeating his internship, it seems like things are finally settling down at Seattle Grace Hospital, right? WRONG! With troublesome interns, flaring tempers, new doctors and explosive confrontations, our favorite characters discover that this is only the calm before the storm. Because someone in the group is hiding a devastating secret from them all…

A.N.: Super thanks for the wonderful reviews, people! Here it is, the next chapter of Look After You.

P.S. You might want to have a few tissues ready…I say no more.

Previously on Grey's Anatomy:

-Dr. Calie O'Malley: Dr. Stevens…what's going on with you and George?

-Louise O'Malley: Oh, Georgie! Don't just stand there; come and give your mother a big, warm hug!

-Dr. Cristina Yang: Bet you and McDreamy had naughty reunion sex last night. Oh, everybody knows that you guys hooked back up.

-Dr. George O'Malley: I was so mad at myself for cheating on my wife. But that's not even the hardest part. I…I think I'm falling for Izzie.

-Louise O'Malley: …A successful marriage isn't a one way street. If either one of you doesn't love the other enough, it's not going to work out.

-Dr. Cristina Yang: You're going to have a McBaby.

-Dr. Callie O'Malley: You slept with another woman's husband! How can you sleep at night, knowing you wrecked your best friend's marriage?!

-Dr. Derek Shepherd: Are you serious?! I'm going to be a father! Oh, my God!

-Finn Dandridge: You took her away from me…and you're going to pay for that!

It's been said that somewhere between life and death, there is a plane of existence, a dreamlike state of peacefulness in which there is no pain or suffering. In medical school, we're taught to encourage interaction between distraught family members and patients. But what happens when that patient is very near and dear to your heart? I, Meredith Grey, am that person. I sense the love and support from my good friends…my family. But all I can do right now is spend my days wandering through corridors of mist, lost in the reflections of my life. Derek. Cristina. George. Izzie. Alex. The Chief. Dr. Bailey. Mark. Callie. All of them are waging a tough battle to save me from the grip of death. As for me? I'm trying to fight, too…but what if it's too late?

Mark could only stare, frozen in shock, as the bullet slammed into Meredith's chest and she slumped lifelessly to the floor. He watched as Derek's eyes opened tentatively, widening in horror as he took in the sight of his girlfriend, lying in a growing pool of her own blood. He barely heard the anguished "Meredith!" that Derek screamed. Beside him, the Chief and Bailey were shouting out panicked orders. Mark numbly registered the flurry of action as the police hurriedly but efficiently restrained Finn, who was still screaming wild curses about killing Derek.

He whipped around and saw Cristina standing next to him, white-faced and shaking. Giving her shoulder a tight squeeze, he turned his attention to the Chief, who was giving assignments. "Okay, Yang and Karev, both of you take one of your interns and scrub into surgery with me! Dr. Bailey, you're assisting. Stevens, page radiology and have them on standby! We need to run a scan of Meredith's head when she's stable enough. O'Malley…just help out in the pit until we page you." Turning to Mark, he whispered, "Sloan, keep an eye out on Derek. He's not going to take this well at all. Be there for him; I'm counting on you." Nodding silently, he watched as Meredith was wheeled away. By the time he turned back around, Derek was gone.

Cristina stared as cold water washed over her hands in the scrub room. She cleaned furiously, trying to channel her emotion away. After all, she needed to be a surgeon right now. She couldn't think about the fact that in a couple of minutes, she would be assisting in her best friend's surgery, fighting to pull her back from death's door. Just like the time Meredith had almost died from her near-drowning. Shuddering, Cristina glanced at her intern, whom she vaguely recalled was Lexie, quietly scrubbing in next to her. Meanwhile, Alex cleared his throat periodically. To any bystander, he looked calm and in control of the situation. But Cristina knew better; Alex's jaw was clenched tight, and his hands were shaking ever so slightly. One of their "family" was in that operating room, and none of them of would feel better until she was out of surgery and in recovery.

Shutting off the water, Cristina motioned for her intern to follow her. Walking into the O.R., she let the nurse towel her hands dry and tie her mask. Slipping into a pair of sterile gloves, she took a deep breath and forced herself to avoid looking at Meredith's lax face. Looking back at the scrub room, she caught Alex's eyes, brimming with torture and unhappiness.

Next to her, Lexie's hands trembled uncontrollably. Cristina's head shot up when she heard a sob echo in the quiet room. She grabbed the intern's hands. "4, look at me! This is a good learning experience for you. You can't lose it…not yet. Do I make myself clear?!" When the young woman nodded, she allowed herself a small smile. She was indeed the new Nazi. Her smile faded away when Lexie's spoke up in her soft voice. "I…I don't want to lose it. I really don't; I mean, I know that this will give me an edge on the other interns. None of them have ever scrubbed into surgery yet. But that's not why I'm crying." She looked at her resident, knowing that what she was about to say could very well get her kicked out of this surgery. "I can't do this, Dr. Yang. I think this woman…Dr. Grey is my half-sister." Cristina could only stare in open-mouthed shock.

"I'm sorry? Meredith is your half-sister?!" But then again, this shouldn't have been that big of a shock. When she had gotten her intern assignments less than a week ago, she had seen the name Lexie Grey. At the time, Cristina had wondered about the surname. Was it just an eerie coincidence, or was one of her new interns related to her best friend? She had meant to mention it to Meredith, but the excitement and emotional strain of the past few days had driven the question completely out of her brain. Her mind whirling, she noticed that the Chief was scrubbing in. Taking Lexie's hand, she gave it a supportive squeeze. "Let me talk to the Chief. You know you can't scrub into a family member's surgery, no matter how distant you guys are."

Walking back into the now crowded scrub room with Lexie, Cristina cleared her throat. "Uh, Chief…we have a situation." When he looked at her questioningly, she expelled a breath of impatience and plunged on. "My intern has just informed me that she's Meredith's half sister."

The Chief's look of surprise lasted for only a second. "Okay, Yang. Scrub out and go down to the pit with your intern. I'll call in Dr. Wright." Opening her mouth to protest, she quickly shut her mouth when he fixed her with a stern look that left no room for argument. "She's your best friend, Yang…and this is her sister. You're a resident now. Your responsibilities lie with supervising your interns and teaching them. Now go and do that." Sighing in defeat, Cristina stripped out of her surgical gear. "Fine. Let's go, 4. We'll go work the pit with Bambi." When Lexie stood frozen, she raised her voice. "MOVE!" With that, they walked out of the scrub room, the younger woman trailing after her.

Stopping outside a supply room, she gently touched her intern's shoulder. "If you need to cry, do it here. More privacy." Those words semed to have an immediate effect on Lexie. The poor girl, trembling from pent-up emotions, swung the door open and ran in, turning the lock as the door closed behind her. Closing her eyes and struggling to keep her own tears from falling, Cristina sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she slowly sank to the floor, consumed with gripping terror for her best friend.

George stood in the hallway, still in shock at suddenly seeing one of his best friend's life in danger. He was snapped rudely out of his trance when Callie exited the elevator and walked up to him. "Hey-" he started to say, but the greeting died on his lips when he saw her face, dark with anger and what looked like hurt. His heart hammered crazily in his chest, wondering what else could possibly be wrong now. Taking his hand in a rough and unrelenting grip, Callie began dragging him towards the elevators. She spoke in terse phrases. "Home…now…or our marriage is over!" George could barely react, but he finally wrenched his hand away. "Ow, let go! I can't go home right now. Meredith is in O.R. 3 right now, fighting for her life. She's my family. I can't leave without knowing whether or not she'll be okay. Besides, I have to work the pit!" He yelped when Callie merely yanked his hand again and continued on her way. "Fine, I'll go home. I just need to-" He sighed when she pushed him into the elevator. "Okay! But you have a lot to explain when we get back to the Archfield." The rest of the way home was spent in tense silence.
Derek sat on the floor of the surgical conference room, his knees drawn to his chest. Trembling uncontrollably, his mind was seized with overhwelming terror that refused to disappate. How did things get so horribly out of control? Meredith and I were just talking about the baby! I'm going to be a father in seven months! Gripping his hair, Derek felt himself breaking down. He was so wrapped up in his emotional torment that he didn't even hear the door open.

Mark sighed as he stared at the man that he called his brother. He shivered involuntarily as he recalled the time when the Chief and Bailey had desperately attempted to revive Meredith from her near-drowning. He had been able to offer comfort that time with a simple squeeze of the arm. But glancing at Derek's crumpled form, sobs wracking his body in waves, Mark instinctively knew that this situation was so different from last time. This time around, his best friend stood to lose more than just Meredith; the baby was also at risk now. Sitting down on the ground beside his best friend, he hesitated for only a brief second before reaching over and enveloping Derek in a supportive hug.

Mark felt the hot tears soaking through the thin fabric of his scrubs, but he didn't care. It was only when Derek continued to howl in agony that he realized that he was crying as well.

Whimpering, Derek desperately clutched Mark's shoulder. He continued to shake miserably, the fear coming in such strong waves that Derek felt like he was going to have a heart attack. At that moment, he unleashed a scream that unnerved even him. Derek was suddenly so consumed with anger at the unfairness of the situation that he released his fury on the only person in the room: Mark. "I should have protected her! She's having my baby, God damnit! And all I could do was stand there when that bastard pointed a gun at me! Why didn't I take the bullet for her? Why? WHY?! Why does this always happen to us! Just when everything's going well for us, there's another roadblock! I HATE THIS!!" Letting out a pain-filled cry, he reached past Mark and slammed his fist into the wall, barely wincing at the crack that echoed around the room.

Mark winced and blinked away his tears. Derek was so close to losing it that Mark knew he was going to have to be the one with the clear mind; he couldn't be bawling with Derek. Get a grip on yourself, Sloan! Gently pulling up Derek's lower jaw, he forced his best friend to look at him. "Derek." When he looked away, Mark continued in a firm voice. "Look at me! Grey is going to be make it, and you two will be the happy parents of a healthy baby in seven months. You can't give up hope!" Derek was shaking, tears streaming silently down his face. "Your girlfriend needs you now more than anything, and you need to stay strong for her, you got that?! I've known Meredith for a while now, and underneath all those layers of insecurities, I know she loves you to death. She's not ready to give up…and neither should you."

Mark hugged him tightly again, offering his unspoken support as Derek continued to sob.

George shoved the key card into the card reader, pushing open the door with unnecessary force. Barging her way into the room, Callie sat down on the sofa, anger raging just below the surface. She felt George's unrelenting gaze on her, but she continued to ignore him as she took off her shoes.

George felt like pullng out his hair. This was going nowhere! After dragging him out of the hospital, Callie had refused to say a word to him. Overwhelming worry for Meredith caused him to blurt out his frustrations. "What do you want?! You said at the hospital that we needed to talk. So talk! What did you want to say to me! What was so important that we couldn't talk at a more appropriate time?!" he shouted in exasperation.

Callie stalked over to him and grabbed him by the front of the jacket, nearly yanking him off his feet. Their faces almost touching each other, she snarled, "This is about you breaking your vow to me! Remember what you said in Vegas, George? In sickness and in health! Tell me, did that thought occur to you when you were screwing IZZIE STEVENS?!"

All the color drained from George's face. "What are you talking about?" he breathed, his heart suddenly pounding erratically and his throat dry.

Callie shook her head in disgust. "I'm talking about the affair that you had with a woman you swore was only your best friend, you cheating bastard!" She watched as George turned red, clenching his fists. As she walked over to the desk with barely controlled anger, he started to rant. "What about you, huh?" he shot back. "You slept with Sloan and never told me about that! I forgave you for that…but the one time that I make a drunken mistake, you're on my ass about it?!" Taken back momentarily, she angrily yanked off her leather jacket as he continued. "I didn't tell you about Izzie because I wanted to stay true to you! I made a vow to you in that Las Vegas chapel, and I had no intention to break it for something that was a drunken mistake." He whispered softly, "I don't want to hurt you…"

Callie paused at the quiet revelation, but thay didn't stop her from ripping into George. It was too hard to control her anger now that he had provoked it. "The fact that Mark and I slept together for one night is neither here nor there! When we had that drunken sex, you and I weren't married. But you slept with Izzie way after we became husband and wife, and what's worse, you hid it from me for so long! I had to find out by accident when I eavesdropped on you and Louise's conversation in that supply room! How much longer were you going to hide this from me? Forever?! I feel like such an idiot for not realizing the signs that you had cheated on me! I kept making excuses for you; I told myself that you were just stressed from everything!" She forced herself to stop, feeling the dangerous prickling of tears forming behind her eyes.

George ran a hand over his face. "Callie, can we please have this fight later? We're both tired, and I have to go back to the hospital. I won't abandon Meredith right now. She's part of my family, and I have to be there for her."

Callie stared at George, the fight in her suddenly roaring up to a boil. "There you go again, George. If it's not Meredith, then its Izzie! I'm done with this, George O'Malley! I used to think that you were one of the greatest guys on this planet…I thought you would be the one I'd grow old with. But I can't trust you anymore!" Choking back tears, she forced herself to continue before she lost the nerve. "Get out of here; we're through!" Viciously throwing George's jacket at him, she stared with contempt while his eyes displayed a myriad of emotions: anger, hurt, shock, and finally, resignation. The silence that hung between them stretched out as wide as an ocean.

He nodded silently and walked out of the room. Callie waited until the door closed before she burst into tears, her heart shattering into a million pieces.

Chief Webber watched Dr. Theo Wright as they stood in the freezing cold O.R., carefully inspecting the damage that the bullet had done to Meredith. The cardiothoracic surgeon probed every inch with skilled eyes, mumbling observations to himself. "Okay, repaired the tear in her left artery. Good…collapsed lung is fixed now."

Richard hated to admit it, but he found himself worried about having a new surgeon working on his favorite resident. Stop it, he thought to himself. Granted, Theo was a more than capable surgeon, boasting an excellent academic record, which included a Johns Hopkins undergraduate degree in premed and a Harvard medical degree. But still, he was no Burke. To the best of his knowledge, the world renowned surgeon was now hiding out in California, trying to pick up the pieces of his life in the aftermath of his failed engagement to Cristina. Forcing himself to concentrate on Theo's notes, he noticed that Miranda was clutching Meredith's limp hand.

The resident was crying silently, tears trickling down her face and onto the younger woman's hand. She spoke roughly, "Grey, I've seen you in this position too many times. It's getting kind of old. The bomb threat, a near-drowning…do you have penchant for danger? Come on, Meredith. You have to keep fighting. You're gonna be a mother soon. Do you know that's the most wonderful feeling that you'll ever experience?" She chuckled lightly. "It's even better than the you know what with McDreamy, or whatever it is you kids call him. My point is, life will only get better from this point on. So if you don't want to fight for me, at least fight for Derek. You know he lives for you, Grey. Don't give up, you hear me?! Keep fighting, or I'll lecture your ear off when you wake up. So if you don't want to hear my voice first thing, show us that you still have the Grey fighting spirit. You've survived so much, and this isn't going to be thing to do you in. Fight, Meredith!"

The surgeon suddenly stopped talking when Theo cleared his throat. "Chief, I think she's stable enough to go up to radiology now."

Exhaling a shaky breath, Richard nodded and motioned to a nurse. "Page CT and tell them we're coming up now. Put a rush on the films. I want them 5 minutes after they're shot! We need brain scans to check for swelling or bleeding. Page Dr. Ko afterwards, and have her do a fetal examination. We need to keep monitoring the baby. Let's go!"

As Meredith's gurney was wheeled away, he peeled away his gloves – splattered with her bloood – and raised a shaky hand to his forehead. Ellis, please give me the strength to see Meredith through this. Please…please don't let her have neurological damage, too. Derek can't handle this much. Richard was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Theo slip quietly out of the room, leaving him alone with his fears for the woman he considered to be his daughter.

Mark quietly finished wrapping Derek's broken finger in a splint. His best friend had barely flinched while he washed away the blood gushing from his torn knuckle. Now, Derek sat on the examination table, trembling ever so often and continually balling his remaining hand into a fist. Mark cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Look, man. Why don't you lie down for a while? It's been a long day, and it might do you a world of good if you take a short nap…"

Derek shook his head, stubborn as a mule. "No! Everytime I close my eyes, all I see is Meredith falling to the ground. She's carrying our baby, Mark. Our baby! Don't you understand?! I can't…I can't rest until I know her and the baby are going to be okay. It should have been me. It should have been me lying on that surgical table! The fact that she's not out of surgery is already bad news. Mark, you and I both know that. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to either one of them. I can't forgive myself…"

Frustrated beyond words could say, Mark only sighed in defeat. The ensuing silence was broken when their pagers beeped simultaneously. "Meredith…" Derek breathed. Leaping off the bed, he raced for the door, desperate for news about the only woman he loved.

Chief Webber stood next to Theo, Miranda, Alex, and Mia, waiting patiently in the surgical family room for the rest of the concerned staff. Cristina was the first one to arrive, bursting her way into the room with Lexie and the rest of her interns, slightly out of breath. Her exotic features were twisted with panic, and she immediately bombarded them with questions. "What's wrong? Where's Meredith? Is she okay? What did you guys find in surgery?! What did her CT scan show? How's the baby?" When neither one of them answered her frantic inquiries, she crossed her arms and scowled in annoyance, finally plopping down into a chair and fiddling with her hands. In the next few minutes, Derek, Mark, Izzie, and George piled into the room. Derek was the first to speak up, his finger wrapped up in a splint that hadn't been there eight hours ago. "Chief, you can tell us about Meredith now. Everybody's here. Please…" His quiet, desperate plea hung in the air, and Richard swallowed, trying to find the words to make this bleak situation somewhat more hopeful.

Mia spoke up, determined to bring some good news. "I have done a thorough exam of the fetus, and the heartbeat is a little weaker than I'd like to see it, but there is no immediate danger to either the mother or the fetus." The collective sighs of relief quickly died down when they realized that the Chief's grim look had not eased. George tentatively raised his hand, his voice trembling. "Chief, what about Meredith? What's wrong?"

Richard rubbed a hand over his face, desperately trying to keep his composure. After all, he was the Chief. He wasn't supposed to lose it. He was the authority figure who kept a stiff upper lip even in catastrophic events. But then again, he wasn't supposed to be operating on the daughter of Ellis Grey.

"Well, we fixed all of her major injuries from the gunshot wound. Her lung collapsed, and there was a tear in the left artery, but we managed to repair those successfully. Barring that there are no additional complications, she should recover from that with no difficulty. But her CT scans show some mild swelling in the brain, no doubt caused by her falling to the ground after she was shot. We need to wait for the swelling to go down before we can determine if she suffered any other neurological damage. Meredith's in a coma right now due to the blood loss and cerebral contusion, and…and only time can tell when, or if, she'll wake up. It's all up to her and her fighting spirit now."

Furiously blinking back his tears, he motioned for the others to leave the room. When only Derek remained standing, too shocked to move, Richard walked up to him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I have faith in Meredith…" When Derek raised swollen eyes, which were naked with grief, he continued quietly. "You can stay as long as you want. God knows that she needs all the strength in the world to help her fight this."

Don't give up,
It's just the weight of the world,
When your heart's heavy,
I…I, will lift it for you.
Don't give up,
Because you want to be heard,
If silence keeps you,
I…I, will break it for you.

Everybody wants to be understood,
Well, I can hear you.

Everybody wants to be loved,

Don't give up,
Because you are loved…

Don't give up,
It's just the hurt that you hide,
When you're lost inside,
I…I'll be there to find you.


Don't give up,
Because you want to burn bright,
If darkness blinds you,
I…I will shine to guide you.

Everybody wants to be understood,
Well I can hear you.


Everybody wants to be loved,
Don't give up,
Because you are loved…


You are loved…

Don't give up,
It's just the weight of the world,
Don't give up.


Everyone needs to be loved,
You are loved…

-Josh Groban, You Are Loved (Don't Give Up)

As always, review! Thank you.