Chapter 9: Chance

"I was a no, never maybe / I knew she'd never take a chance on me/ How did it go? We'll never see / I knew she'd never take a chance on me / I didn't know no better / I wouldn't let myself believe / No, we'll never see / 'Cause I never let her take a chance/ Let her take a chance on me"

"Chance" Hayley Kiyoko

A/N: I'm back with another update. Sorry it took so long

The house was a flurry of sounds from the moment she stepped inside. Ellis saw her first, the exuberant shout of "Mommy!" alerting the others seconds before her youngest ran into her arms. As Bailey and Zola joined their sister, she turned to thank Richard from where he stood outside the house. He offered her a smile and a nod before taking his leave.

It had been a long week of recovery before she'd been able to come home. And what a week it had been. Teddy had been insistent on a multitude of tests, and for the most part, she understood. There had been a lot of relapses, people who seemed to be getting healthier, before they realized it was a surge and they tragically passed away. So, it made sense that Teddy wanted to be sure. But after being poked and prodded for the better part of the week, she had never been more thankful to get out of the hospital after the near four months she'd spent there.

Once she got the kids settled for the night, a process that took a while because she had to repeatedly assure the kids that she was fine, she was able to catch up with the rest of her family. Though she'd seen them at the hospital during her recovery, in the comfort of their home, it was far more relaxed. So, after catching up with her sisters and brother-in-laws and giving kisses to her kids, niece and nephews before they settled in for the night, she was finally able to turn her attention to the one person she was desperate to see: The very person she'd called out for upon waking from her Covid-induced dream; Addison.

There was a part of her that knew it was a dream. Derek and George being there was an obvious indication of that. But at the same time, it felt so very real. And maybe there was a part of her that believed it was, that Addison was with her, in her hospital room like Lexie, Amelia, and Maggie had all been throughout her coma. And that was why she'd called out for Addison when she woke: because she expected her to be right beside her, waiting for her to wake up. Even groggy from waking up, she'd felt the stab of disappointment at only seeing Bailey. She wasn't quite sure what possessed her to call the redhead at nearly midnight, but she half-expected the other woman to answer. Instead, the phone went directly to voicemail. That was odd. Especially when Amelia had told her that Addison knew she'd contracted Covid, that Addison had specifically asked to be updated at any changes. She let out a soft huff of disappointment, letting her head rest back against the couch cushions. She'd initially decided to go upstairs to her bedroom, but once she sat down, she had no motivation to move. She pulled up her contacts and dialed a number that Addison had given her in case of emergencies. To her surprise, it wasn't Jake Reilly who answered.

"Meredith?" Henry Montgomery's voice was hushed, and she knew that despite the late hour, he wasn't supposed to have his dad's phone.

"Henry," she replied, just as quietly, though she had no reason to. Everyone else had gone to bed, and the house was a serene type of quiet, "Why do you have your dad's phone?"

To her surprise, he ignored her question in favor of one of his own, "Are you all better?"

The panic in his voice wasn't lost on her, and she reassured him gently, "Yeah, Hen. I'm better now."

"Does that mean Mommy is okay? Is she gonna come home soon?"

For a moment, all of the air in lungs left her, and she was left at a loss for words as she struggled to breathe. Could Addison have gotten Covid? Is that why they'd been on the beach together? But no, that didn't make sense. Amelia would've known. And she was sure, even in a shared consciousness, Addison wouldn't have lied to her.

"Are you okay? In LA, you're – you're alive, right?"

"I am."

But was being alive the same as being healthy? No, not really. She'd been alive and still had Covid. So, could Addison really –

Realizing that Henry was still waiting for an answer, she forced herself to focus back on the little boy on the phone, "What do you mean, Henry?" She asked it as calmly as she could manage. She didn't want to sound as confused as she felt. She didn't want to scare him anymore than he already was.

"Mommy, she-she left," he answered with a slight stutter in his voice, "Dad and Aunt Charlotte keep talking. Dad said you were sick, that Mommy went to help you. So now that you're all better, she's gonna come home, right?"

How was she supposed to answer that? Luckily she was saved from answering as she heard the slight creaking of a door on Henry's side and then Jake's voice, "Henry, do you have my…" Jake cut himself off, having realized the answer to his question. He changed his question, "Who are you talking to this late? Is that Bailey again?" She smiled at that. Seemed the boys were becoming fast friends.

"No, Daddy," Henry answered, his smile clear in his voice, "It's Meredith, Bailey's Mommy. She's all better."

"Why don't you let me talk to her? You need to get ready for bed,"

"Okay!" With a child-like carefree attitude, as though all of his problems would quickly disappear, Henry addressed her, "I'm gonna give the phone to my Dad now, okay, Meredith?"

She smiled, even though he couldn't see her, "Okay, Henry. Good night."

"Night!" Henry called.

There was a shuffling as the phone switched hands, and she felt the air change. She pulled the throw blanket closer to her.

"Dr. Grey," Jake greeted, somewhat cautiously.

"Dr. Reilly," She returned, "Amelia said she'd called Charlotte to say that I was awake."

"Yeah," he answered, "Yeah, she did. Sorry, it's late. When Henry said it was you, I just assumed," He paused, took a breath, and she wondered just what he wanted to say. Instead, he let the statement fall, "You made it home safely then?"

"I did," This time, she took her own breath, trying to gather her courage. She had to know, "Where's Addison, Jake? I called her first, but her phone went straight to voicemail." She wanted to ask if Addison was at the hospital, if she was working, if she was sick, but she couldn't. She knew that Jake wouldn't lie to Henry and say she was in Seattle if she was really in LA laying in a hospital bed. So then what was going on?

"Yeah, straight to voicemail, I know," Jake confirmed, "Same with us too. Honestly, I was hoping you could tell me. She'd left a note, saying something had come up. Amy called Charlotte when she couldn't reach Addison. Before that, I assumed Addison was on her way to Seattle, or was already there. But –"

"But she wasn't," She finished softly, "So no one knows where she is? She just disappeared?"

"Yeah," he replied, "Charlotte got a text a little over a week ago, from Addison. She said she was fine and to stop calling and texting. We haven't heard anything since."

She chewed on her bottom lip, thinking. She had to do something.

"I can be there tomorrow."

"What?" he questioned, perplexed, "You just got home."

"Someone needs to find her," She answered.

"That doesn't have to be you," He countered, "You should rest."

"Resting is all I've been doing," She replied. She thought back to the dream, the moment she'd seen Addison on the beach for the first time, "It has to be me."

"And how are you planning on getting here?" he asked her, sounding amused.

"I'll let you know," she replied defiantly.

Jake couldn't contain his soft laugh, "I can see why Addison likes you so much. You're just as stubborn as her."

Ignoring the warmth in her face, she answered with a cheeky, "Well, you know us surgeons. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Get some sleep, Meredith."

"You too, Jake."

It was early when she woke, but she wasn't surprised. Having finally fallen asleep sometime around 2, her internal clock woke her just a few hours later. She laid in bed for a couple more hours, until it was closer to 7, when she could hear the rest of the house getting up. She could hear the kids downstairs, the sounds of the TV playing quietly, the kids and adults talking quietly, being mindful of her. Knowing she didn't have much time, she got to work. She threw everything she could think of into a small bag: extra clothes, medical supplies, masks, her scrub cap. Some of it, like her scrub cap, was probably something she wouldn't need, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She had no idea where Addison was, but she would raise hell until she found her. She was pacing in her bedroom, mentally going over her checklist, when Lexie stepped into her room.

Taking in her bag, her sister cast her a worrying glance, "Meredith, what are you doing?"

"Packing," she replied.

"Why?"

"I need to go to LA."

"LA?" Lexie asked, frowning.

"It's Addison," She answered, "She's missing, Lexie."

"You can't go!" Surprised by her sister's outburst, she turned to face her.

Before she could reply, Maggie and Winston came into the room, having heard Lexie's raised voice.

"What's going on?" Maggie asked, looking between them.

"Mer is trying to go to LA," Lexie explained.

"You just got home," Winston said, focusing on her.

She rolled her eyes, "I'm not a child. I have to find Addison."

"How do you know about Addison?" Mark asked from the doorway.

"Henry," she replied, simply, "I called Jake after I couldn't get ahold of her last night, and Henry answered. How could you not tell me?"

"You need to rest," Mark deflected, "Look, Addison –"

"Is missing," she interrupted, trying to keep reign of her anger, "She's missing and someone needs to find her."

"It doesn't have to be you," Lexie replied, echoing Jake's statement from last night.

"No, don't you understand? It does. It has to me. She left because of me!" She paused, frowning softly, "I saw her. While I was unconscious, I saw her. She was with me. On the beach. Like Derek and George were. She could talk to me. She could," She licked her lips, nervously, before her gaze flickered between Mark and Winston, "If this was Lexie or Maggie who were missing, what would you do? Would you really just do nothing?"

She stared at her brother-in-laws before Mark finally sighed, "Fine. Okay."

"Pack," Winston added.

"Mark!"

"Winston!"

Lexie and Maggie admonished them, but she found herself relaxing.

"We'll drive you," Mark continued.

"Drive her where?" Amelia asked as she stepped into the room, Scout resting comfortably on her hip.

"LA," she answered, grabbing her phone to send off a quick text to Jake.

Amelia's answer was instantaneous, but she knew it would be, "I'm going too!"

"Amelia, it has to be me. It has to." Addison had helped wake her up, it was only right that she be the one to find her. And she was sure she could.

"She's my sister!"

"Please don't argue with me about this, Amelia."

"You just got out of the hospital. You're in no condition to be out gallivanting around!" Amelia countered.

"If it wasn't for Addison, I would probably still be in the hospital."

"Meredith, you know it wasn't Addison. Not really. Your brain…" Lexie began.

"No one is talking me out of this, okay? I've made up my mind," In the silence that followed, her phone pinged with a reply from Jake, "Jake said he and Charlotte would meet us halfway."

"Promise me that you'll find her?" Amelia said, her eyes filling with tears.

She smiled softly, "I promise I'll find her, Amelia."

"Let's get going then," Winston said.

With a kiss to her children and niece and nephews, she, Mark and Winston set off for LA.

She stepped into Addison's house behind Jake and Charlotte, frowning softly. There was a sense of unease as she surveyed the living room. She recognized Addison's med school friends Naomi and Sam, her brother Archer. Violet and Cooper weren't there, next door with the other kids: Cooper and Charlotte's triplets, Violet's little boy, and Naomi and Sam's youngest daughter. No one looked overly excited to see her, but Archer was the only one who came over to greet her.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Archer grinned and pulled her into a hug, which surprised her slightly. The last time they'd seen each other had been when he was getting released from the hospital back when she'd been a resident, "Oh, don't look so shocked, Grey. Addie can't shut up about you half the time."

Fighting the blush that colored her cheeks, she couldn't help but notice that the only one who didn't seem pleased to see her was Naomi. Addison had talked before about her so-called best friend, and she couldn't help but feel as though Callie was more of a friend than Naomi was. But Addison's choice of friend was neither here nor there. Before she could even sit, Henry shot out from somewhere in the kitchen, launching himself into her arms.

"Henry!" Jake scolded.

"It's okay," Grunting with the effort, she was able to pick him up without much difficulty.

"Meredith! You came! You're here!" Henry babbled.

"I'm here, Henry," She replied softly, stroking his hair soothingly, something that she'd done with all of her kids, had seen Addison do to him on FaceTime on occasion.

"Are you gonna find my mom now?" He asked her, looking into her eyes.

Her eyes softening as she held him tighter, she replied with as much conviction as she could muster, "I'll find your mom, Henry. I promise."

"Pinky promise?"

She smiled. He was definitely talking with her kids alright, "Pinky promise."

A/N: Thanks for reading this chapter! More to come!