Okay, so at the rate I'm going this story is going to have more than 20 chapters. Enjoy!
Chapter 17: Trying to Find My Way
Three days later, Derek Shepherd received notification from Doctor Hunt's receptionist that Allison Scott had accepted their interview request and would be arriving 3 days before her return flight to England. That meant she was already interviewing for several other fellowship programs around the country and leaving Grey Memorial as her last visit, which worried Derek that Doctor Scott was not really interested in his program. Before leaving the hospital for the night, he called in for an emergency meeting of the board in the morning and asked Doctor Hunt to attend, so that they could discuss Allison Scott's arrival. Forty-five minutes later, he pulled in front of their home in the woods and made his way inside only to be greeted by his three excited kids.
"Daddy!" yelled a 6 year old Zola and quickly made her way to the front door as fast as her crutches would let her; it always caused a lump in his throat whenever he thought of how fast the Spina Bifida had caused her spine to deteriorate. Swinging her up into his arms, he gave her a big hug and kiss before asking.
"How's my big girl today?" he asked cheerfully as he knelt down to pull her into his arms for a hug and kiss.
"I'm good Daddy. Ms. Green says I'm the best speller in my class and I get to represent the 1st grade for a spelling bee!" Zola announced proudly.
"That's awesome, ZoZo! You make sure to let me and Mommy know when it is and we'll take off from work to come." He said smiling at his brilliant daughter, then moved her to one arm to catch his 4 year old son, Christopher as he came running down the hall in stocking feet.
"Woah, there slugger! You know better than to run around the house without your slippers; the floors were just waxed yesterday." He gently chastised his giggling son, who looked exactly like him with black curly hair and sparkling blue eyes.
"But Daddy, it's like ice skating!" then wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and laughed when his daddy's whiskers tickled his face after getting a kiss. Letting go of his eldest kids, he stood up and took his youngest daughter from a smiling Meredith's arms.
"Hello my baby girl." He said smiling as 18 month old; Lexa rubbed her hands over his whiskers and yelled "Dada!" He blew raspberries on her tummy and watched her grey eyes crinkle in happiness before bringing her down to kiss the top of her soft brown hair; he always found it ironic that Lexa features became of mixture of Meredith's and her namesake, Lexie's the older she got. Moving the baby away from his chest he leaned in closer to give his wife a kiss.
"Hmm, I missed you." He murmured against her lips and felt her smile against his.
"It's only been an two hours, since I left the hospital silly." She giggled and kissed him back.
"I know, but I hardly saw you today. You and Bailey must have scheduled a lot of surgeries."
"Yeah, we were catching up on the surgeries pushed back due to the emergent patients from that tourist bus crashing yesterday and let me just say I'm wiped out.
"Well, let me help you get the rug rats to bed, then we can sit in the kitchen and talk while I eat dinner." He said before herding his little family up the stairs for their bedtime rituals. An hour later, everyone was snuggly tucked into bed and he was sitting at the table digging in to the roast beef and potatoes their live-in nanny and cook had made before leaving for her day off. Tomorrow, they would be responsible for getting their kids to school and the day care.
"Meredith, I need to talk about something." Derek said pushing his plate away.
"Okay…. What's up?" She asks noticing his worried tone.
"Well, I have a young doctor flying in to interview for my fellowship program and I've been told by a very creditable source, that she…." Derek stops trying to think of a good way to tell Meredith about Doctor Scott.
"She's what, Derek?" pushes Meredith.
"Mere, she looks like Lexie." Derek says gently. "I've called a board meeting for tomorrow morning to discuss Doctor Scott's arrival. That way we can let the people who knew Lexie aware of the situation."
Meredith remained in stunned silence until Derek asked. "Mere… sweetheart, please talk to me… are you going to be okay with this?"
"How old is she? Is she the same age as Lexie?" she whispered.
"No, Doctor Scott is younger." Derek answered. "According to her files she's only 24 and has already completed her residency at St George's Hospital in England."
"So she looks like a younger version of my sister….the sister who I tried to ignore for almost a year after she began to work here." Meredith said hesitantly and looked out the window.
"Yeah, I guess. Until we actually meet her, I'm not sure what to expect." He said.
Meredith just nodded her head and remained silent while she continued to look out the window toward the city lights twinkling below.
"Derek, do you know when I last spoke with my sister?" She asks.
"No… was it a few days before the crash?" he asks, not sure why she jumped from meeting Doctor Scott to Lexie.
"No." she snorts before angrily wiping a tear off her cheek. "It was six weeks after the crash on her 28th birthday." Turning to face him, she continues, "That was the night I got so drunk, you had to bail me out of jail." Derek looked confused but let her continue.
"It was after we had come home, you had gone to bed and somehow I ended up in the attic on her bed." Meredith feels tightness in her throat as her eyes fill with tears. "She came to me, Derek…. I mean… I know it was probably just a dream or a drunken hallucination, but she came to me to say good bye. There was no pain or blood on her face from the crash….she looked so beautiful. That's how I picture Lexie, every time I think about her." She takes a deep breath then gives him a wobbly smile.
"So thank you for the warning about Doctor Scott, but I'll be okay. My sister is right here." she says and taps a finger to her temple. "Your fellowship prospect is just someone who resembles her."
Derek pulls her into his arms and holds her tight before whispering, "You are a remarkable woman, Meredith Grey. I love you so much and I know for a fact that your sister did too." Getting up they walked hand in hand and shut off the lights before making their way to their bedroom.
Flying into Seattle's SeaTac Airport two weeks later was a bitter sweet experience for the young woman walking fast yet confidently through the airport. This city was the home of her birth, the place where she began her life as Alexandra Grey and then died to become Allison Scott. Reaching her rental car, Allison looked up at the overcast skies and inhaled the familiar rain washed scent before smiling and getting inside. Sitting there for a few moments, she contemplated on what to do, since her interview at Grey Memorial wasn't for a few more hours and it was too early to check into her hotel. Looking down at her damp business suit, she decided a quick trip to a mall was going to be necessary before heading to the hospital.
An hour and a half later after getting her hair styled and changing into the new business suit she had purchased at Bloomingdales, Allison headed toward the 2nd floor elevator so she could get her car from the lower level parking lot. Suddenly, she could feel a rumbling beneath her feet and could see the floor of the mall collapse as an explosion ripped it apart causing a wall of fire to shoot straight up then rush out toward the surrounding levels. Seeing the wall of fire heading toward her and a stunned woman holding her baby, Allison grabbed them both and literally dragged them behind a wide pillar before instinctively covering them with her body. She felt the heat wave ripple around the pillar as the fire rushed past, but could tell that it had protected them from being flash burned. Pulling back slightly, Allison looked down to the crying baby clutched in the mother's protective embrace, then looked up to see the young woman's eyes widen in surprise as a split second later the floor beneath them shifted, then dropped causing them to fall into the darkness below.