Survivor

Chapter Six

Quick Note: All the favorite couples are still together in this: Merder, Calzona, Jolex, and Japril (just because I love them all and wish Shonda hadn't broken them up).

In the following two weeks, not much changed. The FBI team hadn't yet gotten a new case to work on, so they dedicated all their time and energy to helping Quinn Perkins with Merediths'.

Physically, Meredith was healing. Mentally though, she wasn't. She refused to talk to anyone, spending more time isolated than anything else. When she did speak to her friends, she begged them to discharge her. More than anything, Meredith wanted to get out of the hospital bed she'd been confined to for the past two weeks and into the comfort and safety of her own home.

After she kicked him out, Derek decided to give Meredith some space. Instead of visiting her, he threw himself into work, doing everything he could to get the strongest case possible. It served as a distraction of sorts as well. 

Cristina and Alex were in similar situations. Meredith had yet to get a psych consult, but Cristina was ten times more educated on mental health disorders now that she spent all her time when Meredith wouldn't see her reading about them. 

The blade of the saw whirrs, causing Meredith to jump. Callie sits next to her bed, the saw to cut off the plaster encasing her wrist in her hand. The ortho surgeon looks at Meredith, not moving until the blonde relaxes. When she does, Callie puts saw to cast and slowly removes it.

Cristina stands next to Meredith silently. Her face has now healed, so she can see out of both eyes. There's some bruising around her eye and body and fresh pink scars littering her limbs, along with the cast still on her left leg that wouldn't come off for another two weeks and her broken ribs that would likely take months to heal fully. 

Finally, the plaster falls into Callie's hands and she turns off the saw. She gives Meredith a smile and slips a brace onto her wrist before Meredith holds up her hand, flexing her fingers to examine her joint. Now, she can use her crutches. She also has a brace to wear around her midsection, providing support and comfort to her ribs. 

The blinds to her room are open, and both Alex and Derek stand outside, looking in. 

"So if all goes well she'll be discharged today?" Derek asks, not breaking his gaze from the woman in the room.

"Yes. If she gets cleared by all departments, she's coming back home with Cristina and I."

"Who else lives there again?"

"Kepner used to, but she moved back in with Avery last week. Jo, my girlfriend does too."

"You'll take care of her?" Derek asks, finally looking at the surgeon, his gaze sincere.

"Of course we will. You have the address?" 

"Yeah. I-I don't know how often I'll be able to come by..."

"Bullshit." Alex snorts. "You don't have anything else to worry about except for her."

"I'm always going to worry about her but I think she's made it pretty clear she doesn't want me."

"No offense dude, but you're like sex on legs. The damn hair, the eyes, the smile. When she looks at you what do you think comes to her mind?" To this, Derek is silent, not having thought about it before. "See? She doesn't trust anyone anymore. But you can't just...abandon her. She's had more than enough of that."

Alex used to hate Derek's guts. He still does a bit, but he's come to the realization that Meredith did love him, and still does. He knows she needs as many people to be there for her as possible, and since getting to know the FBI agent better, he can see how much the man cares for his best friend.