A/N: I know this chapter is probably like my longest chapter yet. But I really, really, really, really LOVE how it turned out.
Chapter Nineteen: It's Life, it's Loss
Those fucking bastards! If I ever see those guys again, I swear to god I will kill them! Goddamn it!
Derek was a mess as he frantically drove his father's car in the direction of Seattle Grace Hospital with his wounded father in the backseat, laying across the seat with his head in his wife's lap. Amelia rode shotgun, still crying from what had happened moments ago, "Has he come to yet?" Derek asked, the eighteen year old trying to remain strong for his family's sake.
"Not yet," his mother whimpered, running a hand through her husband's short hair, "please don't die, baby. Please don't die."
Derek felt the a few tears streaming down his cheeks, and the sound of his sister and his mother's crying only made him want to break down. But he didn't. He forced himself to keep composure, at least until he knew his father was safe at the hospital.
"He's bleeding a lot," Amelia choked on her words, her bottom lips trembling harshly, "there's a lot of blood."
Derek glanced at the horrified yet heartbroken expression on his sister's face before looking back to the road, "Amy," he paused, getting her attention, "he's gonna be fine. We're gonna get him to the hospital, and the doctors will fix him up. Just like they did Cristina and Izzie."
But once they arrived, it was already too late. He bled out before they were even able to get him on a gurney. Ellis Grey called time of death in one of the trauma rooms after trying to revive the man, but there was nothing more they could do. He was gone, and Derek felt his heart slowly break.
An hour later, they had yet to leave the hospital. Derek's mother was a wreck, and in no condition to drive the car. And Derek couldn't leave. He couldn't do anything but sit there in the lobby and cry. His hands over his face muffled the sounds of his low sobs, and his equally forlorn sister sat down next to him, sniffing back the tears that kept coming, "Mom is talking to Ellis," she told him, not for any particular reason. She just figured he might want to talk, or something.
Placing a gentle hand on his upper back, Amelia let out a couple of sobs that refused to stay within her chest, "I can't believe this happened."
"I should have done something," Derek said, finally removing his hands from his face to reveal the damp redness in his eyes. His entire face was red, fuming with sadness and rage, "I just sat there. I could have done something!" He raised his voice a bit, standing from the chair he was sitting in.
"It's not your fault," Amelia told him, hoping to calm him down. But he was so far away from calm. A hard fist slammed into the wall, and Derek couldn't even feel the pain of the contact. His blood was pumping quickly within his veins. The sound of the blow made Amelia jump a little as it echoed through the empty lobby. Derek was a mess, as she expected him to be. They all were a mess. The man they all loved was just killed out of the blue, all for his watch. It wasn't something any of them had ever thought would happen in a million years. Still, she wanted to comfort her brother the best way she knew how. So she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the one person who could comfort Derek the best.
"Hello?" The sound of Meredith's voice beamed through her cell phone.
"Mer," she said quietly, getting up and walking down the hall. She didn't want Derek to know that she was calling his girlfriend just in case he tried to stop her from doing it.
"Amelia?" Meredith said, not expecting a call from Derek's sister.
"We need you to come down here to the hospital," Amelia told her, her voice shaky with emotion as she tried not to cry on the phone with Meredith.
A pit formed in Meredith's stomach, and the first thought that came to her mind was: Oh no, something happened to Derek. "Why, what's wrong?" She asked anxiously, already slipping her shoes on.
"Derek needs you right now," Amelia began to whimper.
"Amelia, I need you to tell me what happened," she said, grabbing her car keys from her bag that was open on her bedroom floor and heading down the stairs soon afterward.
"It's our dad…" Amelia couldn't contain her tears, and all of the emotion poured into her voice, "He's been killed."
Meredith's legs suddenly stopped moving, her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Killed. "Oh my God," she muttered, having to force herself to keep moving. She hurried outside and unlocked her car door, "Uh, I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Thank you," Amelia said, wiping the tears from her face only to be replaced by more, "Derek needs someone right now."
After Amelia hung up with Meredith, she glanced back to find her brother pacing the floor of the lobby, looking as though he could kill somebody.
Meredith entered the hospital as quickly as she could, entering through the pit. She found a miserable Mrs. Shepherd talking to her mother with Amelia by her side. She caught the girl's glance, and Amelia walked over to her, "Hey," she said in a soft tone, and Meredith saw the redness that took over the white of her eyes, "he's in the lobby."
With a nod, Meredith pulled Amelia into a hug, rubbing the length of her back. She knew this wasn't going to take away the pain she felt, but it was all she could do. She couldn't bring their father back from the dead, "I'm so sorry," Meredith told her.
Amelia felt yet another rush of emotion crash over her, and she sobbed into Meredith's shoulder, "Thank you," she managed to say - rather, Meredith managed to understand.
Making her way into the lobby, Meredith's hazel eyes locked onto her boyfriend who was sitting down in one of the chairs with his face in his hands once more. The sight of him completely tore her apart. This whole situation was heartbreaking, because she thought of Mr. Shepherd as a father figure. He was always so sweet to her when she would come visit, and it was almost preposterous that he was gone.
"Derek," her voice was soft, but it was enough to get Derek's attention. He lifted his face, revealing to his girlfriend the red and puffiness of his eyes that were glossed over with tears.
"Meredith, what are you doing here?" He asked as if he didn't want her there, hiding his face in his hands once more.
"Amy called me," she answered simply, taking a seat next to him.
"Of course," he said, scoffing lightly into his own palms.
"Derek," Meredith started, taking one of his hands away from his face and holding it in her own, "look at me," she told him, wanting him to know that it was okay to cry in front of her, "please."
Finally, he removed his other hand and looked into Meredith's hazel eyes. The look on his face killed her, and made her want to cry herself, but she wanted to stay strong for what she was about to say, "You can cry. Just cry, because it's okay to cry if you want to. I'm so sorry, Derek," emotion began to creep its way into her tone and create a painful lump in her throat, "I'm so sorry," she repeated as he leaned his head down onto her shoulder. She silently let a tear fall from her eye as he continued to sob, the sound breaking Meredith's heart further. But she just let him let it all out. He needed to get it all out, it would make him feel a little better. She let her hand brush through his dark curls, and she gave the hand that was in hers in gentle squeeze. Just a small gesture, letting him know that she would be there for him no matter what.
Earlier that day, Owen came to Cristina's house baring gifts. It was probably cliché, but he didn't care. He proceeded to purchase a big box of chocolates in the shape of a heart, and a bouquet of red roses with a note on the inside. The movies he brought, however, were not that romantic. He knew that Cristina loved making fun of the stupid teenagers in the slasher films, so he got three of the best ones he could think of.
Opening the door to her bedroom, the look on her face was the best part about all of this. It was a look that said she was embarrassed to have such a cliché for a boyfriend, but also touched that he was thinking about her. "Oh Jesus," Cristina groaned playfully, wanting to burst out into laughter after seeing the chocolates and the roses, "are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Owen replied with a smirk on his face, making his way over to her and sitting down on the edge of the bed.
She sat up from her laying position and smiled at him, "This is probably the dorkiest thing you have ever done for me," she said, shaking her head, still in disbelief at the things he bought for her, "but still, it's also probably the sweetest thing."
Owen smiled a toothy smile in her direction when she noticed the card inside the bouquet, "Oh God, I can't wait to see what this says," her tone was sarcastic and she playfully rolled her eyes, removing the small card from it's stand, "something about souls and hearts and how we're meant to be together forever," she started before finally looking at the words on the front of it. All Owen could do was grin as she read it. I know you so want to do me right now, but I'm going to have to decline your wishes. You're still recovering from a serious gun shot wound. I'm not going to do you no matter how hard you beg. Xoxo, Owen.
Cristina let out a soft laugh, glancing up at Owen's playful eyes from the words he had written, "Although, if you beg hard enough… I just might give in," he teased her.
Cristina scoffed playfully, putting the card back onto the small stand in the roses, "Nice," she laughed again, "that's really romantic."
"I love you," he told her.
Cristina looked into his eyes for a moment before leaning forward to capture his lips with her own. She let this kiss linger for a minute before pulling away and smiling at him, "I love you, too," she paused, taking the DVDs from his hand, "Now, let's watch some dumbass teenagers get slaughtered by mental serial killers."
Two DVDs later, Owen and Cristina were spooning in her bed with an empty box of chocolates on the mattress at their feet. Owen held her close to him as they watched the last slasher movie he had purchased, letting the tips of his fingers dance across the exposed skin of her stomach below the hem of her shirt. "This guy is so fucking retarded," Cristina said in a slightly irritated tone, "he runs upstairs knowing that he's going to end up being trapped in a closet or a bathroom. This isn't even amusing anymore, now stupid people are just started to get on my nerves."
Owen felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips at her small rant. Even when she was annoyed she was adorably irresistible, "You wanna turn the movie off?"
"Well… then what would we do?" Cristina asked, taking her eyes off of the screen and let them fall onto Owen's features.
"I don't know," a smirk formed over his lips, and his tone became more playful as he lowered his face closer to hers. He placed a quick and gentle kiss upon her lips before pulling his head back once more, only to drop lower toward her neck, placing the same kiss on her pulse point.
Cristina laughed mischievously, "What about your card? I'm recovering from a serious gunshot wound, and you won't do me no matter how hard I beg for it," she teased him, turning over on her back to face him better.
"Remember," he paused, placing yet another kiss on her lips, "I said, if you begged hard enough, I just might give in."
Cristina released another laugh, "but I haven't even started begging yet."
"Yes you have," she told her, placing a trail of kisses down her jaw line to her neck.
Cristina leaned her head back to grant him better access to her skin, "Oh have I?" She asked in a frisky tone.
"Yes. In my mind, you have," he smirked against her collarbone, and Cristina let out a light laugh.
"Well then, that changes everything," she said sarcastically, her fingers threading through Owen's red hair as his lips continued their exploration of Cristina's neck. His hand set fire to her skin as he slipped it up her shirt a little farther, but then the sound of Cristina's cell phone rang through her ears. "Damn," she said quietly under her breath, sitting up slightly, then leaning over to grab the annoyance.
It was Meredith. Ignore it?… Nah.
Cristina decided to answer the phone, trying not to moan into the receiver as Owen's tongue wrapped around her earlobe, "I'm a little busy right now, Mer, what-"
But every feeling she had completely went away at the news she had just received, and she bolted up into a sitting position, "No way," she said in disbelief.
Meanwhile, at the trailer park that night, Izzie sat in her living room beaming down on her belly which seemed like it was getting a little bit bigger each day as her mother made dinner in the kitchen. There was still a tension in the household, and Robbie had yet to voice much of an opinion. Just give her time. Izzie thought back on the advice George had given her, but how much time was she supposed to give her, exactly?
Robbie stood at the doorway into the living room, giving her daughter the most eye contact she had all day, "What would you like for dinner?" She asked, but before Izzie was able to answer, she noticed her mother's attention freeze on something outside the window before her eyebrows pushed together agitatedly, "What in the flyin' fuck is that boy doin' here?"
Izzie's head swung around to find Alex walking down their lawn. She had no idea if he was coming with bad news, good news, or just news in general, and she didn't care. She was just happy to see him. Standing from the couch, she walked over to the front door, about to open it before her mother spoke up, "What do you think you're doing?"
"Calm down, mom," Izzie told her, looking her sternly in the eyes, "Gimme a second."
Robbie let her daughter proceed out of the trailer, and Izzie wasn't sure if she should smile upon seeing Alex. So her expression stayed blank as she met with him in the middle of the yard, "What are you doing here?" She asked curiously.
Alex stood there awkwardly, shoving both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His eyes met with hers before slowly answering her question, "Me and Addison broken up."
Izzie couldn't help but feel a little happy on the inside, but before she allowed herself to get too exultant, she stopped and wondered why exactly he was telling her this. Did this mean he wanted to get back together with her, or was he just giving her this information for the pure hell of it? "Oh?" Izzie finally replied, placing her hand on her hip awkwardly, not sure of what to say next. She hoped maybe he would continue.
"I know that I'm an asshole, and a jerk, most of the time," he started, letting out a quick sigh, letting his eyes scan over her features, "and I'm probably the most fucked up guy you've ever gone out with," another pause as he looked deeply into her green eyes that were completely focused on his, "but I'm in love with you."
Her heart skipped a beat, just like it did the last time he told her that he loved her. And the best part about it was, she believed he was being completely honest. She believed everything he was telling her, and everything he told her before. And she really believed that he changed. "And I promise," he continued, taking a couple of steps toward her to stand only a few inches away, "if you take me back, I will never hurt you again," Alex looked down into her eyes, and she seen the guy that she always knew he could be. There was a nice person in there underneath the crude exterior.
"I won't fuck up again," he reassured her by taking a hold of her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, "because I'm in love with you. I always have been, and I realize that now."
"Cricket," the sound of her mother's voice broke through the dazed state Izzie seemed to be in, and her head craned around to she could face her, "George is on the phone. It sounds important." Before heading back inside, Robbie sent an icy glare in Alex's direction.
With an exasperated sigh, Izzie turned her attention back to Alex and looked at him for a moment, "I'll be right back."
"No, that's okay," Alex said, letting go of Izzie's hand, "I'll just… talk to you tomorrow," a half smile appeared on his face before walking back to his car, and Izzie found herself standing there in the middle of her yard staring at Alex's retreating figure. The sound of his car engine turning over pulled her back to earth and she watched his car head down the road before finally going back inside.
"George?" She said, picking up the phone that laid on the coffee table. And that was when she received the news that made her jaw drop, "Oh my God."
Mark drove in his car on his way to Lexie's house, not even having the slightest clue what he was going to do or say when he got there. He wasn't thinking about anything at all besides what Lexie said after school earlier that day. He didn't know who Lexie had been talking to, and he didn't care. It was the truth. Mark was a player. He slept with girls, and then left them, and he was very well aware of that. And never, not once, did he think that was a problem - until now.
He was afraid that maybe he ruined his chance with Lexie before it even started, and he didn't want that. She was a nice girl. And she was pretty, and funny, and Mark noticed every little thing that she did. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed, and the way the sound of her voice made him feel warm on the inside, and even the light freckles on her face. He noticed all of this and so much more, and he needed Lexie to know how much he really liked her. Because he didn't want to lost her.
Stopping his car in her driveway, Mark confidently walked up her sidewalk, but before he was able to reach the front door, her father, Thatcher Grey exited the house with a trash bag in his hand. His eyes met with Mark's and his brows furrowed, "Who are you?"
"Mark Sloan," he hesitated, not expecting to run into her dad, "you're Lexie's father?" He asked, just making sure he assumed correctly.
"That's right," Thatcher replied, eyes narrowing as soon as the name clicked in his brain, "and you… you're the guy who was out all night with my daughter."
"Mr. Grey, I'm sorry about that-"
"Damn right you are," he growled, setting the trash bag down on the lawn before looking Mark right in the eye, "and you didn't even call to let us know where she was, or if she was okay. You almost gave her mother a heart attack."
Mark let out a sigh, now feeling uneasy, and he almost just wanted to walk away and get back into his car. But he didn't. He came here with a purpose, and he wasn't going to leave until he at least tried to accomplish something, "I apologize for that, sir. But… I need to talk to her. Is there any way she could come out for a second-"
Thatcher interrupted him yet again, shaking his head, "I don't think so," she said softly, "I don't think Lexie needs to be hanging around you anymore."
Mark's brows furrowed in slight frustration before noticing the brunette girl he had been wanting to talk to peer through the glass of the front door. His blue eyes stayed on Lexie as she opened the front door and stepped outside into the cool, night air, "Daddy," she started, getting Thatcher's attention, "can you give us a couple of minutes?"
Thatcher wanted so badly to deny them that, but he let out an exasperated sigh and nodded his head, "Yeah," he said, picking up the trash bag before Lexie took it from him.
"That's okay, I can take care of this," she smiled up at her father, and he faintly smiled back, "Thanks."
With a nod, her smile faded as Thatcher passed her by and went back into the house. Her only gave Mark a quick glance before passing him on her way to the trash by the street, setting the large bag inside, "Lexie," she heard him say her name, and she just stood there with her back to him facing the street, "Lexie, listen," his voice sounded as though it was getting closer.
Mark stopped before getting no more than five feet away from her, "you were right before. I am a player. And if I'm going to be completely honest with you.. At first, all I wanted was to get into your pants."
A twisted expression filled Lexie's face before she turned to face him and her lips parted as if she was about to say something cross to him, but he stopped her from speaking, "Let me finish…" he paused, looking her strictly in the eyes, "at first, that was all that I wanted. But now, I see the girl behind the smokin' hot exterior," he said, for lack of a better word.
Lexie cocked an eyebrow, not sure how she was supposed to take that. "I see that you are a very smart, very shy, warm and sweet person," he paused, noticing the way her features softened, and that gave him the hint that it was safe to come a little closer toward her. He took a couple of steps forward as he continued to speak, "and I see that you have this awkward timidness about you, and I think it's… adorable," he smiled, thinking about the way she would talk when she got nervous. How it was hard to shut her up sometimes. He continued to inch his way closer to her, carefully and slowly as he spoke, "and I love it when you laugh, because it's almost like it contagious. And sometimes you snort, which I think is cute even though you get this embarrassed look on your face whenever it happens."
Lexie couldn't contain the grin beaming through her features as she bashfully looked down to the ground, feeling her face turn a bright shade of red.
"Just like that… that look right there," Mark told her, taking in every one of her expressions and etching them into his brain so he could look back on them when he was having a crappy day, "that's what I look forward to every time I see you. I'm not thinking about getting into your pants anymore… my goal now is getting into your brain. I wanna know things about you, I wanna know what your favorite color is, and what your favorite movie is," just to name a few things. Mark finally stopped a few inches in front of her, looking down into her eyes, "because I see you."
Lexie's smile faded briefly, narrowing her eyes, "Meredith said you'd say or do anything to get a girl into bed."
So, Meredith's the culprit. "Again… that's true," he nodded his head, "But I swear to you, that's not what I'm doing right now. I promise," he paused, knowing that this would be completely "unMark" of him, but he was going to try for her, "I will not try to have sex with you. As long as it takes, I don't care. I'll keep my hands and my genitals to myself."
His words elicited a soft giggle from her lips and she reached out to take his hands, "It's blue - my favorite color," she paused with a smile, "And my favorite movie - Titanic."
"That's actually one of my favorites too, but if you tell anyone I told you that, I'll deny it."
Lexie giggled again, "Got it," she said before pushing herself onto her toes to press her soft lips into his.
Around 8:45 that same night, Arizona walked Callie out of the house with a dimpled smile plastered on her face. She stood in front of her gorgeous Latina girlfriend who wore a matching smile, "I think that went great. Fantastic actually. My mom really likes you," Arizona said with a satisfied nod, "just like I knew she would."
"She's really nice. Your whole family is… just amazing," she paused, noticing one member of the household that was missing, "Where's your dad?"
"Oh," Arizona paused, the smile having yet to leave her expression, "he's in the military."
"I see," Callie nodded, absently taking a gentle hold of Arizona's pale hand. She was silent, just peering into the pools of blue that were her stunning eyes, and a toothy smile appeared on her face, "I'm glad we did this," she paused, her thumb stroking her milky skin, "it was fun. I had a nice time."
"There's something I have been wanting to do all night," Arizona said, her dimples fading away as a look of desire came to the surface of her features. Before Callie had the chance to ask what that something was, she was being pushed into the brick of the home's exterior as Arizona's hands cupped her face. The blonde's lips were attacking Callie's, an attack so sweet she didn't even want to come up for air.
Arizona let her hands trail down until they were placed lightly on each side of Callie's neck, and just as the brunette was able to make her hands work, she opened her chocolate brown eyes and caught a glimpse of the familiar car in the street and an even more familiar driver. Fuck. Her lips suddenly froze, and her eyes widened as she pushed Arizona away enough to separate their mouths. "Damn it," she muttered through swollen lips.
"What?" Arizona asked, her head craning around to seek out the reason for Callie's behavior. That was when she seen Callie's father watching them with a far from pleased look on his face.
"Um, I gotta go," she said, removing herself from the small space in between Arizona's body and the house.
Completely mortified at what her father had just witnessed, Callie made her way to his car and climbed inside on the passenger side. She was almost afraid to look at him, afraid to get the death glare that she knew he was already giving her. The car was awkwardly silent for a moment as they just sat there in the street, until finally Callie broke the silence, "Are you okay with this?" She asked, regretting the question because she was afraid of the answer.
"We'll talk later," he said harshly, starting the car.
This wasn't going to go very well. Callie could already sense it.
Reviews make my day! So, be sure to tell me what you thought in a review. ESPECIALLY for this chapter, because it's my all time favorite so far! I really hope you all enjoy it! I know there is no Addison and Teddy in this chapter, I just didn't know where to fit them in, really. I will hopefully get to write them into the next one, which I'm sure I will. Also, I hope I can update this quickly, but if I can't, don't kill me, haha.
-Shelby.