Author's Note:

So, after nearly months, it's finally here. Chapter 6! I'm so, so sorry guys for the nearly 3 months stop. Things have been pretty hectic the last couple of months after graduating High School. I started my study: 'Media, Information and Communication' in Amsterdam and I really have a hard time adjusting. I miss my old school terribly. It was a 3 minute bike ride and I had a blast with my friends. My class now is a bit distant and making friends has becoming really hard. I really have to drag my body forward to go to school now and the travelling is not something I was used to do so I have a hard time adjusting to all of that. I used to really enjoy school but now I just hate it even though I really like my study so far. It's a time-slurping study so I didn't have much time for writing and having these adjusting issues on top of that, it resulted into this huge delay.

As for chapter 5. I noticed some of you thought it was the last chapter. As you know now, it isn't. This story will probably be around 13-15 chapters so we have some more time to go. Another thing I wanted to address is that I added the 'missing Cristina scenes' to chapter 5. Some of you reported to me that there weren't any Cristina scenes in that chapter so I rewrote the chapter a bit so they could fit in. I apologize for that mistake. I hope you will forgive me.

As for now, I can only say, enjoy chapter 6! I worked really hard on it as I had to find my groove back being nearly 3 months away from writing.

Oh, and one last thing. Chapter 7 will take some time as I am in the midst of a huge project but I promise you guys it won't take 3 months. In 2 weeks the chaos will die down and I will have time to write on the next chapter.

And as always, I would really love to hear your thoughts on this one. So please let me know you're still interested in this story after the 3 months delay.

Enjoy!

Warm regards,

Isabel

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

Chapter 6: Sometimes it's not in your own hands

''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…

''You're doing great Der, just hang on okay? I love you'' she said as she kissed his forehead again. The helicopter had just taken off and he was still breathing. His heart was still beating, and that was all she cared about right now.

She softly wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked over at Arizona who had her eyes closed. Her face was covered in dirt and blood, making her cringe at the sight.

''How's Arizona?'' Meredith asked as she looked sympathetically at Bailey who sighed in response. 'Her leg has gotten infected. We don't know if we will be able to save it but aside from that, we think she will be okay. There are no signs of an internal bleeding and if we can keep the infection under control, we have a fair shot of saving the leg.''

''Does Callie know?'' Meredith asked.

''No'' Bailey replied. ''A trauma came in this morning and we didn't have much surgeons available but I made sure Richard would tell her after she was done operating.''

Meredith nodded and glanced over at Cristina who suddenly had her eyes closed.

''Cristina?'' Meredith questioned.

No response.

''Cristina?'' she waved her hand in front of her face.

''Cristina!'' she raised her voice as she still got no response and slowly the angst was seeping in her voice making it quiver. ''Cristina!''

Luckily, this time she did respond. She turned her head towards Meredith's face and said: ''I'm sorry, what were you saying?''

''Oh, nothing. Just, don't fall asleep okay?'' she breathed a sigh of relief.

''How's Derek?''

''Stable for now'' Meredith replied, shifting her gaze back to Derek. She took his hand in hers again and slowly stroke his thumb, all the while damping his forehead with a soft cloth.

''Do they think that his hand is salvageable?'' Cristina questioned as Meredith shifted gazes between Bailey and his hand.

''We don't know yet'' Bailey replied. ''I updated Richard and the others, they're ready for us, but we just have to wait and see.''

''He looks so peaceful'' Meredith smiled softly as she wiped a tear from her eyes. Flashbacks of yesterday morning when they had finally found Derek returned to her mind. His heartbreaking screams as she tried to close the gaping wound on his forearm.

''I gave him some pain medication so he isn't feeling too much pain'' Teddy added as she kept watching his heart monitor closely for any visible change.

''Why does this always happen to us?'' Meredith questioned as she wiped yet again another tear from her eyes. ''What did we do wrong?''

''Nothing Meredith'' Bailey said. ''It just happens. It's something you can't control. You couldn't do anything about this, okay?.''

''I know, it's just-''

''The Seattle Grace Mercy Death Hospital curse'' Cristina interrupted.

Suddenly the alarm beside Derek's head began to shriek and they all shot their heads towards the screen, their hearts racing.

''Sats dropped below 90!'' Teddy screamed as she quickly unclipped her seatbelt and grabbed the emergency bag in the cabinet.

''Meredith, I have to intubate.'' Teddy said immediately as she locked eyes with her colleague. ''I need your consent as he's not awake to make this decision by himself. You know what this could mean right?''

''I…I'' she began to sob as a million thoughts ran through her head and she squeezed his hand tighter and tighter, afraid that if she let go of him he would be gone forever.

''Grey! Now!'' Altman yelled as his sats kept dropping and his lips began to turn blue.

''Yeah, do it! Whatever you need to do to keep him alive'' she sobbed as Altman immediately began to work on him. Bailey had made her way over too and was helping Altman with the intubation as Cristina tried to reassure her person. ''It's gonna be okay Mer''

''No, it's not gonna be okay Cristina'' she cried, raising her voice.

''It will be Mer, it will be. Derek is gonna get through this, I'm sure of that.''

''Ambu bag'' Altman said and quickly connected the device to his tube, squeezing it every 3 seconds. Slowly, the shriek of the monitor died down and she breathed a sigh of relief.

''How long till we will land!'' Altman yelled as she sat back down again, squeezing the ambu bag every 3 seconds.

''We're 14 minutes out!'' the pilot replied.

''Is he gonna be okay?'' Meredith asked, tears streaming down her face.

''I don't know yet'' Altman told her sympathetically. It was the truth. There is no way of knowing if he will be able to get off of the ventilator any time soon, if at all. The hypoxemia has taken over his respiratory system and they just had to wait for his lungs to heal.

''How bad is it?''

''It's not good Meredith'' Altman replied and Meredith immediately began to sob again.

''Shhhh…'' Bailey soothed her as she opened her arms for her former intern who gladly accepted it. ''It's gonna be okay, I promise you. It's scary, I know, but let's just stay positive okay. Focus on the good things. You have a beautiful girl waiting for you two at home.'' she said, smiling slightly, as she pinked away the tears from Meredith's face.

''He can't leave me Miranda, I can't live without him''

''You won't. That stubborn man is not gonna leave you and that beautiful baby of yours alone. I will personally make sure of that.'' Bailey smiled slightly, trying to calm her down a bit.

Meredith instantly laid a hand on her belly and Cristina locked eyes with Meredith who pursed her lips together, ready to burst out in tears again. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Bailey who stared back at her former intern with wide eyes.

''You're-''

''Uhum'' she nodded and Bailey wiped a hand over her forehead. ''Oh good God…''

''You still doing okay Lex?'' Mark asked for the fifth time since they took off.

''Yes, Mark'' Lexie smiled. He was so cute when he was worried and it put a genuine smile on her face despite the pain radiating from her pelvic.

''Why are you smiling?'' Mark frowned, a small smile forming on his lips.

''Because you're cute. You're cute when you worry'' she smiled again and Mark laughed. He leaned down to press his lips against hers but suddenly a hiss escaped his lips and he grabbed the right side of his chest, panting at the sudden burst of pain radiating from his side.

''Mark?'' Lexie frowned. ''Mark, what's wrong?'' she said concerned as she tried to sit up but was met with the same searing pain, preventing her from doing that.

''It's nothing'' he replied immediately. ''Shh, lay down sweetie. I'm okay. See?'' he said as he tried his best to sit straight despite the dull pain radiating from his ribs.

''Don't lie to me Mark'' she replied with a serious tone.

''I'm not, really. I'm fine Lex. I-''

''Don't worry Lexie, we will get him checked out when we're at the hospital'' Owen cut in and gave Mark a knowing look.

''Fine.'' he replied, giving in.

He then smiled a small, reassuring smile at Lexie. Wanting nothing more than making sure the love of his life was taken care of first…

''Fasten your seatbelt everyone, we will land in a couple of minutes time'' the pilot spoke through the intercom as the letter sign of 'Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital' came into view.

Meredith looked outside through the small window in front of her and saw Richard, Alex, and Callie waiting for them on the roof.

''I'm setting the landing in.'' the pilot spoke and slowly but safely guided the helicopter towards the ground. The minute it touched ground, the doors flew open and Teddy rolled the gurney carrying Derek out first.

''Derek Shepherd, 36-years-old male, deformed sternum fracture with a pulmonary contusion that's developed into severe hypoxemia. Gave him 10 liters by mask but was forced to intubate on the way over. Resps are 87, BP is 140 over 159. He also has multiple hand fractures and possibly nerve damage on his left hand and a small fracture in his left ankle.'' Teddy rattled of as she quickly made her way over to the elevator.

''Callie, go with doctor Altman!'' Richard ordered as Alex rolled the gurney carrying Arizona out.

''No, I..I need to be with Arizona! She… she could-''

''Arizona? Sweetie?'' Callie said as looked at her wife who had her eyes closed.

''She's sedated.'' Cristina spoke up as she slowly got out of the helicopter.

''Callie, go with Teddy! Alex, you take Arizona, Meredith, Cristina, you come with me! And page the other surgeons who were on standby, we have the second helicopter coming in soon!'' Richard ordered as everyone began to move around him. ''No! I need to be with Derek, Richard… I-I'' she cried as the elevator doors carrying Derek and Arizona closed and it was suddenly quite around them.

''It's gonna be okay Meredith'' Richard spoke as he embraced his 'daughter' into a loving hug. ''We're gonna take good care of him. I promise you that. Now, let's go get you two taken care of'' he smiled reassuringly and led them downstairs.

''Oh my god'' Callie gasped as she unwrapped the bandages around Derek's hand and forearm.

'How did he…''

''I don't know'' Teddy replied as she connected the breathing tube to the ventilator. His reps were stable for now and even though his BP was a little on the low side because of the amount of blood loss, he was stable, and that was all she cared about in that moment. ''And I think I don't even wanna know .''

''Yeah.. me neither'' Callie sighed and shot a sympathetic look at Derek. She really began to feel for him. He and Meredith had so much crap thrown at them over the last couple of years with Zola and the shooting, and now the plane crash and his hand. They didn't deserve all of this and even though she couldn't tell the extent of nerve damage yet, she was going to make sure that he would wake up with both his hands still there.

''Second chopper will be here in 2 minutes Doctor Webber'' the nurse, Ryan, informed him.

''Thanks Ryan'' he replied, and he was about to leave when Richard turned around and said: ''Wait, can you bring in Kathleen for me?''

''Of course, Sir'' he nodded and turned around to leave, closing the door behind him.

''How's Lexie? Any change?'' Meredith asked concerned.

''Not that I know of'' he replied. ''But she has Bailey with her so she's in good hands Meredith''

''And Derek? Have you any news on how he's doing? Cristina asked.

''No, I don't, but he's probably in surgery'' he answered, looking at Meredith who had her eyes fixated on her hands. He looked over at Cristina who stared back at him with eyes that said everything. There was a great possibility that Derek would lose his hand and even if Callie will be able to save it, his hand will never be the same again, making it all the more worse for the two of them.

''Okay, I.. I'm leaving the two of you here for now, but Kathleen will come in any second, okay? Just don't go anywhere''

Cristina nodded and Richard's gaze shifted back to Meredith, who was still not moving, so he was sure he wouldn't get an answer from her and turned his attention one last time at Cristina and forced a small smile before grabbing clean gear and walking out the door, making his way to the rooftop where the second chopper was already waiting for him…

''Lexie Grey, 26-years-old female with a pelvis fracture. Resps are 95, BP 90-140, I administered 30mg of morphine in the field but the pain is still high.'' Owen rattled of as he and doctor Bronx pulled the stretcher out.

''Lex! Lexie!'' Mark shouted as he quickly climbed out of the helicopter and grabbed the stretcher. ''Don't worry I will come with you okay, everything's gonna be fine, I promise you''

''No, Mark, your ribs, you need to get them checked out. I will be fine, go get them checked out.''

''But-''

''Please Mark...'' she pleaded as another shot of pain made her groan and Doctor Bronx and Doctor Webber grabbed the stretcher and quickly made their way over to the elevator.

''Lexie!'' Mark cried as he was held back by Owen who prevented him from going with her. ''Not now Mark, you need to get checked out too.''

''No, I need to go with her Owen, please. I promise you that I will get myself checked out. Please..'' he pleaded but Owen shook his head and pressed the elevator button.

''You can see her after you've been checked out but she will probably go in surgery soon so it could take some time'' Owen informed him as the elevator dinged and they stepped in, pressing the button for the third floor.

''Okay'' Owen said as they walked into exam room 1. '' Mark, go lay down on the exam table please. I'm gonna get the portable x-ray now so don't go anywhere. ''Owen informed him as he got a heavy sigh in response followed by a grunt before he walked out the door, leaving Mark alone with his thoughts.

Lexie. She was the only thing on his mind right now and he couldn't stop worrying despite knowing that she was in good hands. He mentally kicked himself for not saying sooner that he loved her but he had finally said it and was glad he got a second chance.

As what seemed like only a minute later, Owen walked back in with the portable x-ray machine and placed the device beside the exam table. ''I'm gonna cut your scrub top first, so tell me, what kind of pain do you feel exactly?''

''It's a sharp pain. I probably broke a rib or something, nothing serious.'' he replied calmly.

''Okay, we'II see.'' Owen responded and grabbed the portable x-ray.

''If you do have a broken rib, or maybe multiple, I'm gonna give you some pain killers and a tight bandage around your chest okay? To give it some stability.''

''Okay'' Mark nodded and Owen turned his attention back to the machine. ''Lay very still for me for a few seconds''

''And.. done.'' Owen replied as he moved the x-ray machine back to its place and waited for the images to develop.

''So, you and Lexie again huh?'' Owen smiled and for the first time this day, got a smile in response.

''She's amazing Owen.'' Mark smiled. ''I should have told her sooner that I loved her. She's my rock, really.''

''I can imagine'' he replied, smiling at Mark's words.

''I think they're ready'' Mark said and Owen turned around and grabbed the films before putting them on the light board.

''And?'' Mark asked curious.

''You've broken 3 ribs, but they're clean breaks so I'm gonna give you a tight bandage and a prescription for some pain killers and then you can go see Lexie''

''Sounds like a great plan!'' Mark smiled and finally began to relax at the thought of seeing Lexie soon. The love of his life…

As the evening began to set, everyone was finally out of surgery and up in the ICU. Callie was sitting beside Arizona's bedside, stroking her hand softly and whispering soothing, reassuring words to her wife who was fast asleep and still had no idea that they weren't able to save the leg. She bragged her mind as she had no idea what to say to her wife when she would wake up. She had no excuse, no explanation, nothing….

The room next to Arizona's, lay Lexie who was just like Arizona, fast asleep. Mark was sitting on the stool beside her bed, holding tightly onto her hand and having no intention to let it go anytime soon. He finally had her back and couldn't lose her again. Doctor Bronx had said the surgery went as planned but that she still had a long recovery ahead of her. He had only smiled hearing those words and never stopped smiling as he knew that he finally had the love of his life back again…

Down the hall on the left, in room 239, lay Derek. Meredith was sitting silently beside his bedside, stroking his hair in soothing motions. The heart monitor beeped in time with his heartbeat and the ventilator was working slowly beside her. He looked immensely pale, a clear reminder of the amount of blood he had lost, and his left hand was tightly wrapped with thick layers of bandage, making sure his hand would get the rest it needed. Numerous amounts of tubes ran in and out of his body making him look even sicker.

''You're gonna get through this Derek, you just have to. For me, for Zola, for the baby. I can't do this on my own Der. I need you, I love you, so please don't die on me.'' she said as a lone tear slid down her face and she pressed a loving kiss to his forehead. ''I love you Der, forever.''

One level below them, in room 187, Owen was sitting beside Cristina's bedside. He had ordered her to take rest and as she didn't listen, he had admitted her. Her arm was put safely into a sling and she had finally fallen asleep. Owen let out a deep breath and raked a hand through his hair. His 3 top surgeons were all injured in the crash and he was bragging his mind about how to solve that problem. Work and personal matters were crossing paths and he had absolutely no clue how that solve that problem on such short notice. The only thing he did knew was that he was gonna make sure that his surgeons were gonna get the best care possible...