Ellis left immediately after getting changed, she didn't even pack a bag she just grabbed her passport and quickly left the house. She hadn't seen her daughter in five years and this was the worst way that they could be re-introduced to each other. She felt sick as she thought that somebody had violated her daughter, she couldn't help the tears that racked her body.

"I'm so sorry Ellis, I don't even know what to say." Carolyn rubbed her shoulder.

"How could someone do that to her?" She hiccuped.

"They'll find whoever did this and he'll pay for it. She's a strong girl, she grew up beautifully."

"You've seen her?" Ellis turned to her.

"I did, a few weeks back. Derek called me to see they'd met again, they work in the same hospital." She told her.

"Where do they work? I haven't even spoken to my Meredith since she left... did she have the baby?" Ellis asked as more tears left.

"They're in Mount Sinai in New York and yes she did, we have a 5 year old granddaughter, she's just beautiful." She smiled sadly and watched as Ellis just nodded.

When they got to the airport desk they bought two tickets to JFK airport which was due to take off at 1am, in an hour. They checked through security and made their way to the gate which by the time they got there was boating passengers to their flight, they boarded and found their seats. It was a 6h flight and neither of them could do anything but sorry for the entire duration, at some point Ellis got up to go to the bathroom and was sick, Carolyn knew that because when she come back she was sweaty and pale, and residue of mascara was smudged around her eyes.

6h later they landed and swiftly made their way through, calling for the first cab they seen outside the airport and telling them to take them to the hospital.

"I feel sick." Ellis said nervously.

"It's going to be okay." Carolyn took her hand.

"Wha-she... she probably won't even want me here." She sighed.

"Trust me Ellis, she does. When I visited last time she talked about you, about how she wishes you were here with her. She'll want you here." She reassured her.

"We said some awful things to each other." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"It's in the past. We just need to focus on Meredith now and giving her what she needs." she watched as Ellis nodded and looked out of the window.

They were in the cab for what felt like an eternity due to the nyc traffic but when they arrived they paid without waiting for their change and ran into the hospital.

"I need the room for Meredith Grey." Ellis panted as she reached the front desk.

"I'm sorry, are you family?" The nurse asked.

"I'm her mother! Where is she?" she snapped impatiently. The nurse looked at her in shock.

"Uh, she's in the ICU, I'm gonna page the chief to come get you." she said as she picked up the phone.

Ellis huffed and she packed back and forwards in front of Carolyn, because Meredith was in the ICU they had to be escorted there, hence why they had to wait for the chief.

"Hi, I'm Dr Roberts, your here for Meredith Grey?" A man approached them.

"I'm her mother, Dr Ellis Grey, where is she?" She asked quickly.

"Ellis Grey?" He asked in surprise.

"Okays not now! Take us to her room please." Carolyn stepped in noticing how distressed Ellis was becoming.

"Right away, follow me." He said as he turned around and walked through the double doors.

"I'm going to warn you, she doesn't look like herself, we didn't recognise her when she came in, it was Dr Montgomery who identified her. She was still sleeping when I was last here from the surgery, her spleen ruptured so we had to remove it." He said sadly in the elevator.

When they reached the floor of the ICU they heard screams and cries, monitors loudly beeping through the floor. The chief began to run towards the noise, the noises that were coming from Meredith's room. When they reached the door they saw her flinching away from Derek, pushing him away from her as he sat on the chair next to her bed. She was completely terrified of him. Meredith began to hyperventilate as the cries took over her body, she didn't even notice the doctors that ran in to help her.

"No! No, don't touch me please! Please, no." She screamed.

"Shepherd, out!" The chief shouted.

"No! She needs me!" He cried.

"Your not helping Shepherd, look at her! Just get out for a minute son please." The chief instructed him.

He shook his head as it hung, the tears directly falling to the ground from his eyes, relief flooding him when he saw his mother.

"Ma." He leaned into her.

"I've got you. Your okay, she's going to be okay." She soothed her only son.

"She's br-broken ma, sh-she won't even l-let me near h-her." he sobbed.

Carolyn felt her own tears fall as she hugged him tightly, it hurt her to see him hurting so much and her heart was breaking as she looked at Meredith who looked nothing like the girl she once knew. Derek was so overwhelmed with everything, he failed to notice Ellis, who was standing at the door of Meredith's room crying at the sight of her daughter.

Carolyn pulled Derek's shoulders away from her and pulled his chin up, he looked up at her as she nodded towards Ellis. He frowned and turned around to see who she was gesturing to.

"Ellis." He breathed and saw the broken expression on her face as she looked at him.

"She needs you." Derek cried.

The doctors had finally stabilised Meredith and Ellis looked at her daughter who hadn't yet noticed her, she was just staring blankly at the wall.

"You can go in." The chief nodded to Ellis.

Slowly and hesitantly, she walked into the room, her heart breaking further as she assessed more injuries the closer she got to her. Meredith noticed someone's presence as her head slowly turned towards her until she was staring emptily at her mother.

"Mom?" her dry voice spoke.

"Oh Meredith." Ellis' voice cracked as she walked closer to her.

"Mommy." Meredith cried and quickly Ellis took her into her arms, cringing as she tensed up quickly but relief washing over her when she felt her relax bit by bit.

"I'm so sorry Meredith."

"Mommy." She continued to cry into her shoulder.

"My baby girl." Ellis muttered as she brushed the top of Meredith's hair with her hand.

"Shh, it's okay, I've got you and your safe. No ones going to hurt you." She assured her daughter.

"I'm so sorry." Meredith sobbed.

"Meredith you have nothing to apologise, this isn't your fault."

After a long silence, Ellis sat next to Meredith in her bed and Meredith fell asleep in her arms. It was the first time she'd felt safe and her whole body relaxed and her mother comforted her. She was horrified at the sight of her daughter, the bruises that mapped her cheekbones and the lacerations that paved her beautiful pale skin, she never imagined that either of them would be sitting here in this situation but here she was.

Meredith woke up a few hours later, stirring as her mom still holding tightly onto her.

"Hey." Ellis said quietly, she didn't want to scare her as her eyes opened.

"Hi." She said in a whisper.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Yeah." Meredith sighed sadly.

"Do you know why your here?" Ellis asked gently.

"Yeah." Her voice broke.

"Okay." She nodded.

"I missed you." Ellis said as Meredith turned to her.

"You did?"

"Of course I did. Your my little girl." She smiled with tears in her eyes that matched Meredith's.

She gasped, "Ellyse, where's Ellyse?" Meredith sat up wincing at the pain.

"Ellyse?" Ellis asked.

"My daughter." She smiled sadly.

Derek was sat on a chair next to her hospital room, he wanted to be there for her but he didn't want to overwhelm her but he could hear her conversation with Ellis. She needed to know where Ellyse went but he was afraid of what would happen if he went in but he sucked it up and stood up, lightly knocking on the door before he tipped his head round.

"Derek." Ellis nodded.

"Hi Ellis. Mer, Ellyse is in the daycare okay, Alex took her down this morning." He smiled.

Meredith gulped as she looked at him, she knew that he would never hurt her or do what that man did to her but she couldn't see past the frame. Her eyes started to well with tears as she nodded her head.

"I'm sorry, I'll go." He said sadly.

He turned around to leave before she stopped him quietly.

"Wait." She said, it was so quiet he wasn't sure whether he had imagined it or not.

"Yo-you can stay." She looked down, she needed to trust him.

Also, I don't know if anyone picked up on it but if you from the US the schooling won't make sense for you. In this story Meredith is a second year resident meaning she done her 4 years in college and her intern year and not med school. Just ignore it because here in the UK, med school is included in college/ university and I just forgot that the education system was different in the states! :)