Baby Grey (Grey's Anatomy) ABANDONED

Fifty one

"You've got end-stage cirrhosis. We can treat the symptoms, but the only thing that can save your life is a transplant," Bailey said to Thatcher as he lay in his hospital bed. Meredith and Erin stood near the door, Alex checking on him while Lexie watched him with wide eyes. Richard stood behind Bailey, eyes firmly on Thatcher.

"How did it happen this fast?" Lexie asked.

"He bathed it in gin," Alex muttered.

"Alex," Lexie scolded.

"No, your friend's right. Except for the gin. I was a scotch man. What's... what's the next step here? Do I get on a list?" Thatcher asked.

"Um, Thatcher, the transplant board has a rule here. An alcoholic has to be sober at least a year before he qualifies for a donor liver," Richard said.

"I'm only 90 days," Thatcher said. There was a few beats of silence.

"I'll do it. I'll do it today. I'll... I'll go get tested right now," Lexie said. Erin raised her eyebrows.

"Lexie," Thatcher trailed off.

"No, they just take a piece. My liver will regenerate," Lexie said, stepping to Thatcher's side.

"I can't ask you to do something like that. It's... It's major surgery," Thatcher said. Lexie grabbed his hand tightly.

"You're not asking. You're my dad. You want a kidney? I'll throw in one of those, too," Lexie said. Erin sighed silently, leaving the room.

"Erin?" Meredith peered out at her.

"I'm going to see babies because they remind me that they're too young to make decisions like that on a whim. I need to see babies so I don't knock the shit into Lexie," Erin whispered. Meredith smiled slightly.

"I'll come with," she said. She stepped out and the two of them headed up to the NICU to see babies.

"Is he dead?" Meredith and Erin raced to Bailey, Richard and Lexie stood outside Thatcher's room.

"No," Lexie frowned.

"Oh," Erin said, wincing as she put her hand over her chest to take a deep breath.

"We rushed Dr. Grey's labs. She wasn't a match," Bailey said.

"Oh," Erin said again.

"Okay. Um... What about Holly?" Meredith asked. Erin winced.

"Molly," she whispered.

"Molly," Meredith corrected herself.

"Our sister?" Lexie asked.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded.

"She lives on an army base with her husband in Bahrain. Um, plus, she has a history of DVT, so she can't be a donor," Lexie frowned.

"Oh," Meredith said. 

"Meredith, Erin, we didn't call you here to," Richard trailed off. "W-we thought you should know before we go in and tell him, just in case," Richard said. Bailey looked at Erin, who was staring straight ahead at the wall with a frown on her face. Bailey knew that frown to meet Erin was completely unfocused and in her own world. She rolled her eyes.

"Right. Right. No, thank you for keeping us in the loop. Thank you. I, um, have to go prep for my surgery now," Meredith said. She squeezed Erin's shoulder and left.

"I have to go and save some babies," Erin said, turning and walking after Meredith.

"Why are we eating lunch in a room full of diseased organs?" Izzie asked, sitting at the lab table with Meredith, Erin and Cristina.