Author's Note:

So, here's chapter 5! I'm so sorry for the wait guys. I had trouble finding the right inspiration but yesterday and the day before yesterday I finally got the right inspiration and typed the whole thing! It's a longer chapter than the previous one so I hope it will make up for the wait.

This chapter has not been checked for any spelling or grammar mistakes so I'm very sorry if you find some. I still haven't heard anything back from my Beta so I think she's still on vacation. I hope she will be back soon.

Also, many thanks for all of your reviews again! It makes my work count and it brightens my day, really! Thank you all.

For now I can only say: Enjoy the chapter and I hope you will all leave me a REVIEW with you thoughts and or suggestions on this chapter!

(Note: Reviewers alerted me on the fact that there were no Cristina scenes in this chapter and they were right. Things have been pretty hectic and I totally forgot about Cristina. I have rewritten the chapter a bit now so the Cristina scenes are included . Again, very sorry for the mistake. I hope it won't happen again.)

Warm regards,

Isabel

Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy or its characters. I'm just borrowing them for my own fun.

Chapter 5: Hope to see another day, fight like a tiger

''They're here! We're saved!'' Mark shouted and Meredith turned her head to the right immediately, seeing the helicopter making contact with the ground. ''Derek, they're here, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. We're gonna get to the hospital. Please hold on for me for a bit okay?'' she said as she looked at him. Her eyes pleading. He managed a small, slow nod and she smiled, squeezing his hand in response.

Maybe, just maybe, everything was going to be okay and they would finally get their happy ending together. And she liked the thought of that. She liked that thought very much….

She smiled. Meredith Grey smiled a bright smile as she saw the helicopter making contact with the ground. Help was finally there and she regained hope for a good outcome, an outcome in which her husband lives and not dies. He husband was dying. The love of her life was dying just second ago until Mark shouted the one word she wanted to hear since the moment their plane crashed down and she couldn't be more happy in that moment as maybe everything was finally going to be okay…

''Hey!' 'Mark run as fast as he could towards where the helicopter had touched ground and saw the door opening. ''Doctor Bailey'' He breathed as she stepped out first, her emergency bag with her as she looked at him apologetically. She quickly walked over to him, assessing him immediately.

''I'm fine Doctor Bailey, it's Lexie, Derek and Arizona who need the help'' He breathed as he tried to calm down his racing heartbeat. Adrenaline coursing through his veins making him slightly dizzy.

''Where are they?'' She asked Mark as Teddy, Owen and the two rescue workers were standing behind her, listening closely.

''They're over there'' Mark pointed towards where they could make out the slight asymmetries of the plane wreck through the bushes and broken trees and they quickly run towards the plane wreck where their friends and colleagues were situated. Hurt and broken, but above all, scared. Scared of what was going to happen to them and how their lives would look like if they survived and if they were still going to be able to do what they could do before the crash happened…

''Cristina!'' Owen called as she saw her sitting next to Meredith, their eyes trained on Derek who lay there, unmoving. Looking immensely pale. He immediately run over to her. ''Are you okay? What happened to your arm?'' he asked concerned.

''I'm okay, it's just a shoulder dislocation. Mark popped it back in its place. I'm fine'' she said, hoping to sound convincing but Owen didn't believe her. ''Let me check you out, okay? Just to be sure''

''I'm fine, really Owen, it's Derek who needs your help right now'' she replied and fixated her eyes on Derek again. Turning away from Owen's stare.

''Doctor Hunt!'' Mark yelled and Owen turned around, seeing Lexie lying on the ground, a very panicked Mark hovering over her body. Owen didn't know where to look first and panic slowly seeped into his body. He moved his head from left to right, not knowing who to help first.

''I… I'' he said.

''Go to Lexie'' Bailey interrupted his thoughts. ''I take Derek''

''Meredith'' She replied as she kneeled down beside her, her eyes immediately shifting towards the person lying on the floor next to her. ''Oh boy'' she said as she saw the neurosurgeon, the cocky arrogant but so good looking neurosurgeon now so hurt and broken. Images of him lying in a hospital bed when he had gotten shot flew through her mind as he had the same pallor now as he had back then.

''What are his injuries Meredith?'' Bailey asked as she saw Owen and Teddy making their way over to Lexie and Arizona.

''His hand, his ankle and his chest'' Meredith said as she carefully showed Bailey Derek's injuries. Bailey gasped in response as she saw his mangled hand. It was heavily swollen and dried blood covered the majority of his hand. She knew that this could possibly mean the end of his career but she pushed that thought away. She had to focus and remain calm. Panic was the worst think that could happen in such a situation and she had to avoid that. ''And he.. he broke his sternum when he wanted to free Lexie from under a piece of plane and when we got them out, he complained of trouble breathing and we were thinking of a pulmonary contusion. ''She said as she tried her hardest to keep her tears from falling. Bailey flashed her a worry look. Knowing what could still happen to Derek if they didn't get him to the hospital immediately'' And when I wanted to wake him up a few hours ago he didn't want to but when... ''She took in a deep breath before proceeding. ''…when I told him I was pregnant I was able to see how he was doing but after a few minutes he grunted in pain and he suddenly got an accelerated heart rate and breathing and spiked a fever. I called Cristina and she said that the hypoxemia had already set in and that… that he was going to die'' She immediately began sobbing at the thought of her husband who was dying just mere minutes ago and Bailey opened her arms to give her former intern a supportive embrace.

''It's gonna be okay Meredith. We're gonna get Derek to the hospital as soon as we got him stabilized and he's gonna get the best care possible okay?'' Bailey promised her as she broke the embrace and wiped a few tears from her eyes.

She nodded and turned her attention back to Derek who looked at her through parted eyelids. He was trying his hardest not to give in to the peaceful sleep that was clouding his thoughts and the rest of his body. He had to fight for Meredith and his unborn child and he was going to do everything in his power to stay with them.

''Doctor Altman!'' Bailey yelled as she knew that she wasn't going to be able to provide him the best care possible and she knew Derek needed that right now.

''What's going on Doctor Bailey?'' Teddy replied as she continued to assess Arizona's injuries.

''I need you here for Derek''

''Okay, stay very still for me Arizona. Can you do that? I don't want you to move your leg and your upper body'' Teddy said as she smiled a small, supportive smile towards her colleague who she knew was in one hell of a lot of pain.

''Okay'' she breathed. She immediately closed her eyes as a flash of pain shot up her leg and she grunted in response, making Teddy flinch at sound of it.

''You're gonna be okay Arizona, I promise. We're gonna get you out of her alive and you will see your wife again okay?'' Teddy reassured her as she laid a supportive hand on her shoulder. Arizona nodded in response and even flashed a small smile before she closed her eyes again and waited for the pain to subside a little. Teddy looked at her apologetically and then turned around and quickly made her way over to Bailey who looked at her, worry showing in her eyes. She shook her head a little and she knew immediately what that meant. It wasn't good, it wasn't good at all…

''Doctor Bailey '' Teddy said. Her eyes immediately focusing on Derek who looked deadly pale. His left hand was tightly wrapped in a hand-made splint and the blood was slowly showing through the bandages. His scrub top was ripped open, showing his bare chest which was covered in bruises. The deformation of his sternum visible. She swallowed past the lump that formed in her throat. This was bad, really bad, and this was just what they saw from the outside. They had no clue as to what might was going on from the inside, making the situation all the more complicated.

''Doctor Bailey… I… I'' She was speechless. She had rarely seen this kind of injury. Had read about it and heard from it but she had never treated such an injury before and it made her slightly scared. She knew that many people died from the complications a broken sternum brought along and only looking at Derek's face gave her the impression that something bad was going on from the inside, something she was truly scared of…

''He will make it out of here alive, right, Doctor Altman?'' Bailey said stern as she looked at her colleague who nodded in understanding. They both knew his chances were slim but he was a fighter and if faith was on their side, things could maybe turn out the way they wanted to and believing that everything was going to be okay was the one thing they had to believe in now. ''Of course Doctor Bailey. I will do my very best.''

Bailey gave her one last understanding look before she laid a warm and comforting hand on Meredith's shoulder, making her know that she was there for her and that she was feeling with her. She turned around at the touch and smiled slightly at her former mentor. Bailey nodded at Meredith warmly before she made her way over to Arizona to make sure that every one of them would live to see another day.

''Doctor Shepherd, are you with me?'' Teddy said with a raised voice as she laid her fingers on the pulse point in his neck. It was fast but regular and she breathed a sigh of relief. ''I need you to open your eyes for a bit now okay?''

He slowly opened his eyes, though with difficulty. His eyelids stuck together and sleep was dragging his body towards unconsciousness again but he fought it off. He knew it was immensely important to stay awake and he would try his very best to do what Teddy tells him to do.

''Good'' She said as she quickly checked his pupils. ''Responsive and reacting''

''Can you describe me what kind of pain you feel Doctor Shepherd?'' she asked as she pulled her stethoscope out of her bag.

''It's Derek'' He breathed.

''I'm sorry?'' Teddy said confused.

''You can… call me Derek''

She smiled slightly. ''Okay, Derek, what kind of pain do you feel?''

''It's… it's.. a searing pain'' he replied as he quickly shut his eyes as another wave of pain hit his body. ''And a bit.. dull'' he said through gritted teeth.

''Okay, Derek, can you lie on your side for me for a few seconds. I need to listen to your lungs'' He slowly nodded and Meredith helped him lie on his right side while Teddy placed the stethoscope securely over his right lung, listening closely. She then placed it over his left lung and heard the same labored breath sounds. 'Pulmonary contusion.' She sighed and Meredith saw the worry cross the features of the cardiac surgeon. She knew it was bad by then. She had never seen Teddy so worried, not even when Henry was brought back to the hospital because of complications and that scared her.

''You can turn him on his back again Meredith'' Teddy said as she grabbed something out of her bag.

''Derek, as you probably already knew and felt, your lungs don't have enough oxygen to provide your body and brain and we have to support them now so we will avoid one of them collapsing or even worse'' she said. She knew that he knew what that meant but he was the patient now and she the doctor and she still had the duty to tell the patient what was going to happen to them.

''So I need you to wear this oxygen mask and not take it off by any means okay? I don't want you to burden your lungs any further. They're already barely hanging on so don't do anything stupid Shepherd'' she said, switching the tone in her voice to make sure he understood the seriousness of the situation.

He nodded and she carefully placed the oxygen mask on his mouth and nose and turned up the oxygen flow. ''I'm gonna give you an I.V now and get you some pain medication, okay?'' she said as he nodded again. She grabbed the instruments needed and set up the I.V before giving him the pain medication. It didn't take long before his features finally began to relax a bit and Meredith finally allowed herself to take a deep breath.

''Meredith, make sure he stays awake and call me if his situation changes okay?'' Teddy said as she looked at Meredith who nodded in understanding. They needed to get Derek as fast as they could to the hospital. The hypoxemia was slowly taking over his respiratory system and she didn't have the right instruments with her to treat that. ''Meredith, I need to check on Arizona now, okay?'' she said and excused herself.

Meredith nodded and turned her attention back to Derek again. ''Relax, Der'' she said as she slowly stroked his damp hair. ''It's all gonna be okay. We will see Zola again and we will go on a very long vacation when everything's behind us okay? Just the two of us'' she smiled and kissed his forehead, and she could see behind the fog of the mask that he returned that smile…

''Lex, you're doing great sweetie'' Mark coached her as he squeezed her hand tightly. Owen was stabilizing her pelvis. The skin around her nose crinkled and she shut her eyes in pain.

''It's almost over Lex, it's almost over'' He looked at Owen who was using a few t-shirts which were knotted together to stabilize her pelvis and he took a quick glance at Derek who now had an oxygen mask on his face to support his lungs. Meredith was stroking his hair and as he looked at her, he saw the hurt and tiredness in her face, she looked worn out and he felt for them. They had put the past behind them when Derek had gotten shot and they had promised each other not to leave one another alone and he wasn't sure Derek could keep that promise this time…

''Jerry…how.. is he'' Arizona breathed as Teddy and Bailey were both working on her. Wrapping her leg in a splint and covering the open wound to avoid infection.

''I'm sorry, who?'' Bailey frowned.

''The… pilot…he's in the… cockpit'' she breathed.

Teddy and Bailey looked at each other, their eyes connecting. In the heat of the situation they had totally forgotten about other survivors and they felt immensely guilty. They had taken an oath to save lives, any life, and they had now gotten blinded by the fact that it were their friends and colleagues who were in the plane crash, forgetting about other lives that maybe needed to be saved.

''I'II go check on him'' Bailey said and walked towards the cockpit.

''I'm gonna give you some extra oxygen now okay, to help you breathe a little bit better'' Teddy said to Arizona as she hooked up the nasal cannula and turned up the oxygen flow.

''You're gonna be okay Arizona'' She said as she squeezed her hand. ''I promise''

''Hello? Is someone there?'' His breathing sped up and his eyes searched the room frantically. His head was immobilized and he couldn't see who was behind him and it frightened him as she could hear his breathing speeding up.

''Hi, I'm Doctor Bailey, are you Jerry?'' She asked as she approached him.

''Ah finally'' he breathed a sigh of relief. ''Yeah, I'm Jerry''

''Where are you hurt Jerry?'' Bailey asked as she kneeled down in front of him, shining a pen light into his eyes.

''I can't feel my legs doctor'' He said frightened. ''Am I gonna be paralyzed?''

''Can you feel this?'' Bailey asked as she stroked her pen down his legs.

''No'' he shook his head frantically. ''This other doctor did the same thing but I can't feel anything. I'm paralyzed, aren't I?''

''I don't know yet. We have to do some tests at the hospital first'' she said as she continued assessing him.

''Do you hurt anywhere else Jerry?'' she asked.

''No… no, I don't think so'' he replied.

''Okay, good. That's good'' she said, breathing a small sigh of relief. She knew she still had to look out for any signs of a brain bleed but he was alert and talking to her. He was stable for now. She only had to think of how to get him out of here. They couldn't move him onto a gurney so the only option left was to take the whole seat out and she couldn't imagine how that must feel like, both emotionally and physically.

They were all trying to fix the mess, the mess the plane crash has left behind, and it was hard to find something to hold onto when there was no guarantee that their friends and colleagues would come out of this unharmed, with no scars in the end. There was just no way of knowing that and it killed them inside.

''Where's that second chopper!?'' Owen yelled as he had already stabilized Lexie, ready for transport to the hospital. They were here for close to an hour now and looking at Derek and Arizona, he knew they couldn't afford losing any more time.

''It's on its way doctor. He had some technical problems but they're solved now and he can be here any minute'' Mark replied calmly. He had learnt to stay calm in stressful situations and not become agitated when medical personnel yelled at them. And honestly, he couldn't be angry at them for yelling at him. He understood them, completely.

''You're doing great Der'' She smiled, planting another kiss on his forehead. He returned the smile, although weak, but it was a smile nonetheless and it settled her nerves and worries. He seemed to be doing better now with the oxygen on and although he was still in critical condition, he wasn't dying anymore and it put a small smile back on her face again.

''Second chopper is here!'' Mark yelled and he run outside, guiding his colleague towards the ground.

''Okay! Doctor Altman, Doctor Bailey, prepare your patients for transport, we need to be ready in less than 5 minutes!'' Owen said formally, not letting any emotion slip into his voice.

''Doctor Barn'' Bailey yelled as she saw him bringing in the gurneys. ''I need your help in here!''

''What's going on?'' He asked as he walked into the cockpit, but when he saw the doctor kneeling down in front of the pilot's seat, looking at him with sympathetic eyes, he knew immediately what she meant. ''I'II be right back'' he nodded.

''Okay, you ready Arizona?'' Teddy asked her as she put the gurney next to her.

''Y-es…'' she breathed and closed her eyes for what was coming.

''Choppers are ready!'' Mark yelled.

''Okay! Doctor Altman, get Arizona into the first chopper!'' Owen yelled as he made his way over to Derek and Meredith.

''Derek, you still hanging in there?'' He asked him as he checked the splints on his ankle and arm.

He nodded and Owen smiled at him. ''Good. We're ready to move you now. You ready too?''

He nodded again and with the help of Meredith and Cristina they safely put him onto the gurney. Owen grabbed the oxygen tank and put it between Derek's legs. ''Still doing okay?'' He asked him, and he got another nod in return.

''Okay, on the count of three. One…two…three!' They lifted the gurney into the air and walked towards the first chopper where Arizona was already loaded into. Teddy next to her, monitoring her vitals closely.

''Which chopper will transfer Lexie?'' Meredith asked, concerned about her half-sister.

''Lexie and the pilot will go with the second chopper. We will meet you at the hospital'' Owen said as they loaded Derek into the chopper. ''Cristina'' Owen grabbed her good arm and turned her towards him. ''I'm sorry, for everything '' he said. ''I was stupid and-''

''Not now Owen, okay?'' she said and turned away from him. She and Meredith stepped inside and Owen sighed. He closed the door behind her and then walked towards the front of the chopper and gave the pilot the sign that they could take off before he hurried himself back towards Lexie and Mark.

''You ready Lexie?'' Owen asked as he brought the gurney next to her body.

''Yes'' she breathed, and smiled slightly at Mark who gave her hand another tight squeeze.

''Good'' Owen replied and Mark moved his body towards the head of the gurney. ''On the count of three. One…two…three'' They moved Lexie onto the gurney and a groan escaped her lips.

''You still doing okay Lexie?'' Owen asked.

''Yeah…'' She breathed.

''Okay, we're gonna lift you now okay? On the count of three again Mark. One…two…three!'' They quickly lift the gurney into the air and made their way over to the second chopper. The pilot opened the door for them and they safely put the gurney in the chopper. Owen looked behind him and saw Bailey and the rescue worker carrying the seat with the pilot in it towards the chopper.

''Is he okay?'' Owen asked as he walked towards them, helping them carry the heavy seat as he saw they were struggling.

''Spinal injury'' Bailey replied, looking at Owen with sympathy in her eyes. She knew that there was a good possibility that he would never walk again and every time it pained her to see those people so devastated, so afraid of how their life would become like, not being able to walk again.

''Okay, get him into the chopper. We have no time to lose!'' Owen yelled over the roar of the engine as he quickly helped them into the chopper.

''We're ready'' he yelled to the pilot who nodded and closed the door behind them. And within the minute the helicopter took off and they were on their way to the hospital. Finally, they were rescued…