Growing up too fast

Chapter 21

Merediths POV
"Zo, honey-" I start, in attempt to calm her. But I can't, because I can't even calm myself. I can't tell her everything will be okay. I can't lie.
What hurts most is the fact that I understand her pain. There was a point in time when I thought I was losing my baby. They were going to take Zola away, and there was nothing I could do but wait. And hope.
"What exactly is going on?" She says, still shaking with Isaac shrieking in her arms.
"Zola, why don't I take the baby?" Maggie says, reaching in for him.
"No! I- I need to..."
"Okay, it's okay." She replies, backing off.
"Micheals mother- Lilian. She's... suing. For custody of the baby."
"She's what?!" Micheal shouts, obviously new to the situation.
Zola's anger visibly turns to sadness, fear. She focuses the tension she was holding in her body on holding the baby to her chest, letting the tears roll down her face. I try to thing of something to say to her. Anything to say to her, that would give her that bit of hope.
"Zola, I already talked to the lawyer. Everything is going to be okay. Do you hear me?"
She gives a weak nod, and I feel guilty knowing she's only doing it to satisfy me. I know that's there's nothing more I can do for my little girl that o haven't already done, other than be there for her. But I feel like they can sense my uncertainty and doubt, so I decide to go to the hospital and cut some people open.
I steal a pediatric appy from a resident and put my name down on the board, putting Alex down as the assist. I don't really need his help with a first year procedure. But I do need his help, and it's not looking like I'm going to have a lot of time to fill him in.
I scrub in with Karev, nearly boring myself to death with a surgery I could do with my eyes closed, but careful to do my best work even though it's not an award winning abdominal wall transplant. I spend the next 70 minutes getting rid of an appendix and my daily load of worries, directed at Alex, as he nods and suctions, wanting to be anywhere else.
After scrubbing out, I change out of my scrubs and take a quick break in the attending's lounge, checking my phone for a message from Andrew, but instead seeing a missed call and voicemail from my attorney.
Crap.
I listen to the message, glad to be getting the process rolling. He says that she has been served with papers and hired her own lawyer, whom he has been in contact with over the last hour. My attention is drifting until I hear him say that she has no case, and we have nothing to worry about.
By the time I get home, Zola is asleep on the couch with the baby asleep on her, and Michael watching them from beside her.
Andrew comes to the door and gives me a kiss, and I ask him to meet me upstairs, not acknowledging the suitcase beside the door.
"Micheal," I say, sitting in the recliner beside him. "Did you know about this? What's going on, sweetie?"
"I'm glad you're home. They are both asleep for the night, and Isaac woke up to eat about an hour ago, which means he's probably good for another 4."
I notice he's still in his day clothes rather than pajamas as he gets up and reached for the suitcase beside the door.
"I'm sorry for any trouble I've caused. Tell her I'm sorry. I'll try to reason with my mother. Just, tell her I'm sorry, but that I can't be a dad." He opens the door to reveal a car waiting outside that wasn't there before, at nearly 11:00, and before I can stop him, or even get a word out, he's out the door.
Gone.

I'm sorry I did this to you guys😳 but please vote for this chapter, share it with your friends, and keep reading- my encouragement and motivation to keep writing comes from the enjoyment of my readers! Leve suggestions below, I love you all❤️❤️❤️
Question: What did you all think about Alex leaving the show? How would you have liked to see him go? Is it time for some more jolex?