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. First off, a big apology for the huge delay in updates, but school was posing quite a lot of problems for me. But don't worry, I'm back in action, and I wrote you guys a longer chapter to make up for it. Ah, I'm so ready to celebrate the upcoming month of April, because that's when Grey's comes back for 5 more episodes. Yahoo! Anyways, enjoy the next part. Hope you like it!

Previously on Grey's Anatomy:

-Dr. Richard Webber: 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.

-Dr. Lexie Grey: I can't do this, Dr. Yang. I think this woman…Dr. Grey is my half-sister.

-Dr. Richard Webber: Yang. Scrub out and go down to the pit with your intern. You're a resident now. Your responsibilities lie with supervising your interns and teaching them. Now go and do that.

-Dr. Cristina Yang: If you need to cry, do it here. More privacy.

-Dr. George O'Malley: 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.

-Dr. Derek Shepherd: Why does this always happen to us! Just when everything's going well for us, there's another roadblock! I HATE THIS!

-Dr. Mark Sloan: I know she loves you to death. She's not ready to give up…and neither should you.

-Dr. George O'Malley: 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.

-Dr. Callie O'Malley: If it's not Meredith, then its Izzie! I'm done with this, George O'Malley! I can't trust you anymore! Get out of here; we're through!

-Dr. Miranda Bailey: Grey, I've seen you in this position too many times. You have to keep fighting. You've survived so much, and this isn't going to be thing to do you in. Fight, Meredith!

-Dr. Derek Shepherd: Everytime I close my eyes, all I see is Meredith falling to the ground. It should have been me lying on that surgical table! I'll never forgive myself if something happens to either one of them. I can't forgive myself…

-Dr. Richard Webber: Meredith's in a coma right now due to the blood loss and brain injury, and…and only time can tell when, or if, she'll wake up. It's all up to her and her fighting spirit now… God knows that she needs all the strength in the world to help her fight this.

As the famous Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all." That's good advice…but its easier said than done. Loss and fear are always constant allies in the war of life and death. But sometimes, in the face of overwhelming odds, the power of love and trust can make the battle just a little easier. Yet, that very faith can also change the lives of everybody involved…and make or break them.

Cristina sat in the rigid and uncomfortable hospital chair, desperately holding onto Meredith's limp hand. To her, it felt like her tight grip would help keep her best friend from slipping into the beckoning chasm of death. But despite the worry that was stealing away sleep, food, and even her concentration, Cristina couldn't look Meredith in the face. Her alabastor pallor only accentuated her fragility and reminded Cristina of everything that she stood to lose if Meredith died. "NO!" she whispered harshly. She wouldn't go down this route again.

She couldn't lose the only person besides Burke who had made her realize that life wasn't only about surgeries. She couldn't bear to think about finding another person who could be her drinking buddy, dancing partner, and bitchiness ally. Most of all, she knew that she would be hard-pressed to find another human being who could understand and tolerate her competitive nature. All of their happy memories flashed through her mind. The first day of their internship. The first time they had truly started becoming friends. Her secret pregnancy. Their endless talks, where they had bitched late into the night about the stupidity of McDreamy and Burke. Meredith's near drowning. Her engagement. Most important of all, her best friend had been there for her in the aftermath of her failed wedding. Meredith had held her hand and broke down with her as Cristina had experienced the indescribable pain of liberation and loss.

Standing in the near-empty apartment that she had shared with Burke just mere hours ago, I felt like I was living in a dream-like state. How could this have gone so horribly wrong? Less than an hour ago, the only thing that I had been concerned about was getting through the ceremony. Now my heart was shredded in pieces, and Burke was probably riding off into the sunset…without me. Feeling the telltale sign of tears, I stubbornly swallowed and forced the emotion down. Just then, I heard a click. Burke! My heart thudded in anticipation, but it dissipated when I saw the concerned face of Meredith, walking into the apartment and obviously looking for Burke.

I muttered disconcertingly, "He's gone." I almost laughed out loud at the words. They sounded so final. All of a sudden, I knew in my heart that the blunt words were true. I was never going to see the love of my life again. I looked up in time to catch Meredith's flustered expression. I was surprised to see a momentary flash of pain cross her face; hurt that didn't seem to be caused by my failed wedding.

Looking around the suddenly bare apartment. Meredith stammered, "I...I...I don't think he's gone. Uh, his stuff is here."

I shook my head. My voice cracked as I pointed out the missing pieces, "No. His trumpet was here. His entire Eugene Foote collection...vinyl's and CD's." I walked over to the bedroom door, desperately trying to choke down the hysteria. "His grandmother's picture was by the bed. His luckiest scrub cap was hanging on the door." I shook my head, staring at the window for a moment before turning around to face Meredith. "He's gone." I finally started to give in to the rising need to cry. "I'm...I'm free. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!" All of a sudden, it felt like the room had no more air. My chest tightened painfully, and I clawed pathetically at the Burke family choker. "Oh, God! Take this off! Take this off! Take this off! PLEASE!" I heard her gently telling me to stay still. After Meredith's shaking hands finally released me from the tight contraption, I began pulling at my wedding dress, practically hypervenilating as I frantically tried to free myself. "I can't." I whimpered, my eyes begging her as she muttered something about getting scissors. "Help me, help me, help me!" As Meredith cut the back of the dress, the overpowering agony that was crushing me suddenly released itself. Wearing only my slip, I shakily stepped out of the wedding dress and hugged her to me, sobbing until there were no more tears left to cry.

Cristina blinked, shaking herself out of her trance and hardly aware of the hot tears that were snaking their way down her face. She had never realized it before, but now she saw it: she had always taken Meredith for granted. Her best friend had always been someone to bitch to when things got rough, and Cristina was terrified about the possibility of losing her person. She brushed the tears off her face and squared her shoulders. She had to believe that God was nice to good people who dedicated their lives to saving another life. Cristina leaned down and akwardly hugged Meredith, mindful of the endless wires and tubes keeping her alive. "All you have to do is keep fighting. Just wake up so everything can be all right again. So my advice right now? Like I said a long time ago, get your ass out of bed…NOW!" Staring at her friend's motionless face, she sighed and walked out of the room, whispering a soft "I love you" before the door closed.

Ava stood in Meredith's kitchen, quietly cooking dinner as Alex sat at the kitchen table. She fixed her gaze on his quiet form, disheartened by his unwillingness to talk. She knew Alex had gone through hell while assisting in Meredith's surgery, and it had probably killed him to see one of his friends on the operating table. But Ava personally knew that not talking would only make things worse in the long run. After all, it had taken her running away and a near-fatal accident in order to make her realize that she had needed a divorce. She was worried about the effect that this whole situation was having on his career. She had no idea how he was doing at work, but she was already seeing his increasing restlessness and long periods of silence at home. She jerked when he whispered her name. "Ava…"

He was suddenly standing next to her, enveloping her in a gentle bear hug. "I'm so sorry, baby." She turned around and kissed him softly before turning her attention back to the spaghetti. "What for?" Ava held her breath and hoped he would release some of his pent-up emotion.

Alex sighed as he took a knife and started chopping up the Italian sausage. "For ignoring you, Ava. I know…I know I haven't been the best boyfriend lately." He didn't even hear her reply before he found his mind wandering back to Meredith. Her comatose state cut a knife through his heart everytime he mustered enough courage to visit her, but these days, he didn't even have to energy to cover up the tears that fell angrily down his face. After his visit, Alex continued taking on an insane amount of cases with his interns, desperately trying to keep his mind off his friend. He found that working on charts and seeing patients to the point of exhaustion helped numb the pain a little, but it did nothing when it came time to go home. Dr. Bailey had already threatened him twice that she would inflict bodily harm if he didn't go home and sleep. Sleep, he thought disdainfully. Like that even helps right now! When Alex did manage to close his eyes, all he saw was Meredith falling limply to the ground, and all he heard was Shepherd's scream of agony.

A sudden bolt of pain snapped him out of his trance. Alex blinked when he saw crimson blood leaking joyfully from the gaping wound on his finger. "SHIT!" he cursed. Blood. Alex's mind suddenly flashed back to the image of Meredith's body dropping to the floor, the red stain continuing to leak across her chest. Trembling, he brought his hands to his face, mindful of his smarting finger. Dimly, he heard Ava mutter something about the blood not stopping. For some reason, getting cut with the knife felt akin to his friend's gunshot wound, and Alex suddenly found himself struggling to keep the onslaught of tears at bay.

Stroking his cheek, Ava cupped his face in her hands. "Just let it out, baby." Whimpering, Alex buried his face in her shoulder and started to cry. He felt like his heart was about to burst from all of the emotion. His breath coming in spastic gasps, he sobbed, "She's my dark and twisty counterpart. We almost never fight, and Meredith and I are always there for each other. But for the second time in less than a year, I'm watching her tetering on the edge of death, and there's not a damn thing that I can do to prevent it! Ava, I'm a doctor. I made a vow to save people, and I should be able to do that for my friend. Meredith is three months pregnant with her and Derek's first baby. She should be cherishing this time, but no, she's lying in a coma on that hospital bed! We don't know if she's going to be okay! And all I can do is watch!" He trailed off, breathless and still trembling from his emotional agony.

Alex winced in pain as the knife wound continued to throb, and Ava stared at him in quiet contemplation. "Alex...you're right. You can't do anything for Meredith. It's all up to her, but she made it last time despite overwhelming odds. What's different this time around? In fact, she has more reasons to keep her fighting." Putting pressure on his wound and hearing the hiss of pain that accompanied her action, shecontinued softly, "Have faith in her, babe. That's what you can do. Come home after your shift ends, and don't take on so many cases that Dr. Bailey has to call here to make sure that you actually come home and sleep at least eight hours. Well, not that you're actually sleeping at all, but she doesn't need to know that. You just have to keep living your normal lifestyle. Meredith will wake up before you know it, and she's going to be fine. Just you wait…"

With that, she turned off the stove, grabbed his arm, and dragged him to the door, pausing to collect their coats. "Meanwhile, living a normal lifestyle means going to the hospital. You got yourself good with that knife." Seeing Alex's mouth open quickly to protest, she smiled and held a finger to his lips. "Now that's the Alex Karev I fell in love with. Always one to have an argument at the tip of his tongue."

Alex snorted. "Smartass. I was just going to say that I don't want no moronic intern stitching up my finger!" For the the first time in a month, he found himself with the ability to smile. Ava was right. He needed to believe that Meredith's bright future was an added incentive for her to wake up.

Izzie sat in Meredith's room, absently scribbling notes onto a patient's chart. To be brutally honest, she had no idea what she was writing. She knew that was extremely unprofessional, but she just couldn't bring herself to care. After all, Meredith's coma had shattered the tranquility of Seattle Grace, and everybody working there was feeling the effects. And over the last month, Izzie had found herself with no one to confide in. Alex was busy developing a budding relationship with Ava, and he spent the precious little free time that he had with her. Izzie couldn't deny that her and Cristina had grown closer, but it was probably due to the fact that the Asian surgeon was feeling lost without her best friend in her life. And as for George? Ever since his and Callie's highly publicized divorce, her best friend was trying his damndest to avoid her. Even though Izzie was technically George's boss now, she didn't want to force him to talk. After all, he did have every right to be mad at her…their adultery had devastated what could possibly have been a lasting marriage.

She knew that George felt guilty for subjecting Callie to the endless stares and finger-pointing from the nursing staff. But the fact that Callie was Chief Resident only made things that much worse for Izzie. In ths past month, she felt like she had truly experienced 'hell on Earth.' Not only was she being assigned to crappy, non-surgical cases, but she was sure that her other interns hated her guts. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the sound of soft footsteps that paused outside. Turning around, she saw George, staring at her as he stood in the doorway. Izzie's heart fell when he regarded her with cold blue eyes, turned on his heel, and left. Deciding that enough was enough, she hurriedly shoved herself out of the chair and ran outside. Catching up to George, she grabbed his arm and started dragging him in the direction of the supply closet. "Shut up and don't talk," she told him firmly.

"Let GO of me! I'm sick of you women dragging me around! I'm not a dog that's going to follow you wherever you want, okay! Let go!!" Violently pulling away from Izzie, he finally looked up at her, anger and hurt blazing in his eyes. He shook his head in disbelief when she whispered, "We need to work this out, George. I need you. I have to get my best friend back." Snarling, he finally exploded. "Okay, you want to do this?! All right, let's have it out in the supply closet." Clenching his jaw, he whirled around and proceeded to pull her into the tight space.

Slamming the door shut behind him, he leaned against a rack and folded his arms across his chest. "Allow me to go first." When Izzie opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a withering glare. "You made me do this, Iz. I was in a great marriage. Sure, I was having doubts, and I knew that I was started to have feelings for you. And I can even overlook your confession of love. My best friend, a pretty girl, was having romantic thoughts about me. Believe me, I'm honestly flattered. But we're not supposed to act on those feelings when you're married! But you went ahead and told Callie about everything that happened between us. EVERYTHING! Why?!"

Now it was Izzie's turn to lose her temper. "What was I supposed to do?! She cornered me in the elevator. YOU tell me what to do! Lie? Hug her?! Tell her everything was gonna be okay? No! You can call me an adulterous bitch all you want, but I'm no liar! If there's anything I learned from my mother, it's never lie, because you never know when it will backfire on you." Seeing that George wanted to interrupt her, she snapped harshly, "I'm not done yet!" Continuing in a softer voice, she looked her best friend in the eyes. "George, you're the one who made the decision to start lying to Callie, not me. And I'm so sorry for whatever troubles I may have caused you and Callie, but I didn't break up your marriage. You did. I just want you to realize that, because it's killing me to see my best friend hate me so much. Meredith is lying on that hospital bed, and nobody knows when she's going to wake up. Cristina isn't acting like her usual self. Alex is spending almost every waking minute either at the hospital or with Ava. And you haven't been talking to me. Please, George! We need to support each other through this difficult time…just like we used to. Can't we just go back to the simpler times? I mean, I know I would have never gotten over Denny if you hadn't been there for me. I need that right now. Ifeel like I'm completely alone in the world right now."

George let out a frustrated scream and slammed his fist into the rack. Breathing heavily, he muttered, "Just leave me alone for now, Iz. I just…I need to be alone right now. I need to think."

Izzie nodded and walked out of the room, feeling slightly more hopeful that things could be all right with her and George again.

Meredith walked aimlessly, her feet disappearing in the swirling mist that constituted for ground. She had no idea where she was, but if this was the journey between life and death, it sucked! Wasn't somebody supposed to guide her to the lush, green fields of happiness? Suddenly, her heart twinged as she thought about Derek. She was pregnant with their baby! The prospect of it scared the bejesus out of her, but at the same time, it felt right. After all, he had proven time and time again that he was her true soulmate, her knight in shining whatever. She didn't quite want to leave Earth yet, but hey, whoever said she had a say in all of this? She jumped when a voice replied, "But you do." Turning around, she stared in shock at the solid form of Denny Duquette, Izzie's dead fiance and love of her life. She ran over to him. "Denny! Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you always in my out-of-body experiences?"

Denny just sighed. "You have a chance to go back, Meredith. You can go back to Derek and live out your life with him. It's not your time yet." Meredith's heart soared. "I want to see him again," she told him anxiously. "I'm finally realizing that he's the one for me. He's my knight in shining whatever, and I can't live without him. I'm going back to him! I can, right?" She looked at Denny, hope shining in her eyes. He nodded, gazing at her with a look of pity. Meredith waited apprehensively as he whispered, "It's going to be a long and painful recovery ahead, Meredith…I just hope you're ready for it." Walking away, Denny turned around one more time and smiled sadly. "Say hello to Izzie for me. Tell her I'm always looking out for her, so no matter how bad things get, let her know that she has a full-time guardian to protect her." He paused and stared intensely at her, almost as if he was trying to send her a message. "Promise me, Meredith. Whenever things get rough, just remember that the angels are watching." Eyes sparkling, Denny disappeared into the mists ahead, while Meredith started wandering the other way, desperate to be wrapped in Derek's strong embrace again.

Mark stood by the nurse's station, peering worriedly into Meredith's room every so often. The past month had slowly but surely taken a toll on Derek, and the man had become a shadow of his former self. Gone were the million-watt smiles and mop of gleaming hair, replaced by haunted eyes and a permanent frown that stayed etched on his face. Feeling helpless, the Chief had decided to ban Derek from any medical duties until Meredith woke up, knowing that the man would probably prefer to stay by her side anyway. Mark ran a hand through his hair, feeling drained. Sighing, he had just closed his eyes when a soft voice broke into his thoughts. "Mark?"

His eyes flew open in shock. "Addison?!" He laughed and wrapped her in a giant bear hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still working in California."

Her face immediately fell. "I'm still working at the same place." She brushed her hand across his face. "I'm sorry to say that I'm not here for a happier occasion. Richard finally got a hold of me last night and told me what had happened. I just came to visit for a couple of days and see how you guys are doing."

Mark shook his head in confusion. "Why did it take the Chief so long to get in contact with you? Meredith got shot a month ago…" He watched as Addison's face suddenly turned pink. She shifted her weight, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "I've been living at my boyfriend Pete's house for a while. I…I'm sorry, Mark." The apology hung in the air, and Mark cleared his throat. Forcing a smile, he hugged Addison again. "Hey, that's okay. Anyways, do you want to peek in on Derek? Maybe you can bring him out of his funk."

He began walking to Meredith's room, rambling aimlessly in order to fill the uncomfortable silence. "God knows he won't listen to any of us here. The Chief forced him to take a vacation, so he's been sitting in her room almost every day." He trailed off, forcing back the moisture that had creeped into his eyes. Addison stopped outside the hospital room and gently squeezed his shoulder. She peered past him into the dark room. As her eyes adjusted to the sharp contrast, she felt her heart break when she noticed that Derek's head was resting on the edge of the pillow, his lips brushing against Meredith's lifeless face. Taking a deep breath, she walked further into the room.

Derek. Derek,

wake up. "DEREK!"

Derek's eyes snapped open immediately, and in his hurry to sit up straight, he accidentally banged his elbow hard into the metal rail of Meredith' bed. Gripping the sore spot and groaning, Derek rubbed sleep out of his eyes. He stared blurrily at the tall and slender figure standing before him. "Addison?!" he croaked, the word scratching against his misused vocal cords. He blinked disbelievingly before she bent down and hugged him tightly. Derek breathed in the familiar vanilla scent of her hair and sighed miserably. "Thanks for coming…" he whsipered.

Addison pulled away and scrutinized him with a practiced eye. She frowned worriedly when she took in his haggard appearance, dark circles, and tear stains. Brushing her hand across his cheek, she tilted his head up so that his downcast eyes were forced to focus on her. "How are you holding up, Derek?" She watched as his eyes clouded over in agony, but he still managed to force out a smile. "I'm hanging in there. But I'm not the one you guys should be worried about." Addison silenced him with a stern look. "Derek, you look like crap. Do you think Meredith would want to wake up and find you like this?" She was about to continue lecturing him, but the machines in the room started to beep a different rhythm. They looked at each other quickly and moved over to the heart monitor, studying the improving numbers. Mark joined them, looking hopeful. Just then, they heard a quiet moan.

"Mark, go page everybody! This is good news. Meredith's waking up!" Derek's eyes were shining again, and he excitedly grabbed Meredith's hand. He whispered lovingly, "Baby, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand!" His heart fell when she didn't respond. He tried again, raising his voice. "Mere, I know you can hear me, so just squeeze my hand and let me know you're okay." He was rewarded a few seconds later when she weakly squeezed his finger. However, Meredith continued to moan quietly, and it continued until Cristina and the others burst into the room, their faces flushed red with anticipation. The Chief quickly took out his penlight and checked her response to light. "Normal pupil dilation," he announced to the relieved crowd of friends. But everything went to hell when Meredith's tired blue eyes opened. She took one look at Derek, who was gently holding her hand, and shrank away in terror. His joy quickly faded into devastation when she whispered fearfully, "Who are you?!"

When I see you there I'm so aware,
Of how lucky I am, baby,
'Cause I don't deserve, I don't come close,
To understanding, baby…


The logic of your kind of trust,
It amazes me.
That someone like you would care enough,
To just believe…

Your faith in me,
It pulls me through,
When there's nothing around,
To hold on to…


When I fall, when I'm weak,
All the strength that I need is your faith, baby.


Your faith in me…

Even when I fall, I get along,
'Cause our love is real, baby,
It's like salvation to my soul,
Cause that's how it feels, baby.


It's a sacred thing that I keep close,
To carry on…
And I know that I will be all right,
And you'll heal it all…

Your faith in me,
It pulls me through,
When there's nothing around,
To hold on to…


When I fall, when I'm weak,
All the strength that I need is your faith, baby.


Your faith in me…


You make me feel I could walk on water,
And nothing comes against me,
Safe within your arms!

Your faith in me,
It pulls me through,
When there's nothing around,
To hold on to…


When I fall, when I'm weak,
All the strength that I need is your faith, baby.


Your faith in me…


All I need is your faith in me,
Ohh, all I need is you faith in me...
Ohh, yeah, yeah.


All I need, all I need, baby,
Is your faith,
Your faith in me…

-Jessica Simpson, Your Faith In Me

A.N. Good? Bad? Hate me for leaving you guys with a cliffie again? Please leave me a review. Mazel tov!