They Saved Me (Grey's Anatomy Fanfiction)

27: The End of the End

I had the strange feeling of when you're half asleep and just waking for a long time, uncomfortable and as usual not wanting to get up.

I woke up in the dim light of morning and the Seattle rain outside, expecting as usual to see the white washed walls of the ward, and the cheap blue curtains surrounding me for the night, soon to be opened to show all the other ward beds, as they were every morning, usually by some dopey intern who got them stuck on the railings. I expected, as usual, to see Meredith or Arizona or a resident or even Karev checking the ward beds to make sure everyone had got through the night alright, and I expected to see the annoying blonde Russian and the little kid with red hair down to his shoulders and the goth twelve year old who applied black lipstick every morning before breakfast, and I expected to wonder how long it'd be until I was out, and home with Meredith and Bailey and Zola and little Ellis, and how long it'd be until Meredith and I could order in pizza and talk.

Opening my weary eyes slowly, I looked around. I was in a small, dark room, still with hospital-esque white walls, except there were a few cracks around the edge and there was a semi-mouldy red carpet. I was in a dark wooden bed frame with a lumpy mattress and three sofa cushions as my pillows. All of my clothes were hanging in an open wardrobe or piled up where I'd always left them on the battered kitchen chair, and I was in my pink vest and shorts to sleep.

I lifted myself gently out of bed, wincing horribly at the searing pain that was streaming up my arm. I opened the door, not wanting to move my arm to put my dressing gown on, and took a few tentative steps along the hallway.

'Lola!' A shrill, slurring voice yelled, and I flinched at Karin's oaf-like figure as it appeared in the doorway, 'You've been out for hours! Careless, falling down the stairs! We had to carry you up, fast asleep! Never good for anything, always careless. Get going, make me breakfast!'

I stared at her for a second, before slowly making my way downstairs.

I was Lola, teenage adopted daughter of Karin and Derek, alcoholics, of 14 Rugdley Street, Seattle. It would've been stupid for anyone to believe I'd ever be anything else.