Meredith's sister

5

Mia's POV

It has been a month. Me and Callie are really close—she's my person. She's the only one who knows about Mike, still. Dr. Burke left, and we have a new trauma surgeon, Owen Hunt. George is dead. Izzie left. Callie is the only one keeping me alive right now, keeping me from killing myself. Addison and I have been talking a lot, and today, I'm finally going to ask her out.

I arrived at the hospital and saw I didn't have anything to do yet, so I went into the on-call room and lay down on the bed. Just as I started to close my eyes, the door opened. My breath caught in my throat when I saw him—Mike. He stepped closer.

"Get away from me," I choked out, my body frozen in fear.

His grip was like iron as he grabbed my arm and yanked me onto the floor.

"You little slut," he spat before his fist connected with my ribs.

I screamed for help, but that only enraged him further. His kicks, his fists—everything was a blur of pain. I shut my eyes, waiting for it to stop. Then suddenly, I heard the door burst open.

Callie's POV

Mia's screams for help tore through the hallway like a knife. My heart pounded as I turned to Bailey, Webber, Owen, Addison, and Mark. We ran toward the sound. When we burst into the room, my stomach twisted at the sight—Mia, unconscious, blood dripping from her mouth, and Mike towering over her, still hitting her.

"Get the fuck away from her!" I shouted.

I threw myself at him, hitting him over and over. He shoved me back, but before he could do more, Mark yanked him away and dragged him out of the room. I barely noticed—I was already kneeling next to Mia, my hands shaking.

She barely had a pulse.

"We have to get her to an OR," I said, my voice breaking.

Bailey nodded, but Addison—she wasn't moving. She just stared at Mia, tears falling freely. I reached out, squeezing her shoulder, grounding her. She blinked, refocused, then reached for Mia's hand.

"Mia, you're going to be okay. You have to be," Addison choked out.

Addison's POV

The moment we wheeled Mia into the OR, everything blurred. The voices, the movement—it all faded around me. All I could see was Mia's lifeless body. My fingers were still wrapped around hers when Webber's voice broke through the fog.

"Addison, you can't come with us any longer."

"Can Callie?" I asked desperately.

"We might need her," Bailey answered.

I forced myself to nod. I had to trust them. I had to believe Mia would make it through this.

I stepped back as they disappeared into the OR. My legs gave out, and I sank onto the floor, my hands trembling.

I paged Meredith. I needed someone—anyone—to tell me this nightmare wasn't real.

She arrived in minutes, sitting next to me, her presence grounding me.

"Addison, what happened?" she asked gently.

"Me, Mark, Bailey, Hunt, Callie, and Webber... we found Mike beating Mia," I whispered, my voice raw.

Meredith tensed. "Not this again."

I looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Mike was Mia's husband," she said, her voice shaking. "He was abusive. Almost killed her. I called the police, and he went to prison for three years. It should've been at least twenty."

A sickening realization settled in my stomach. "I saw Mia go into the on-call room a few times and not come out for hours. I knocked once, but she locked the door. She sounded scared... like she was crying. I think he was in there with her."

Mark appeared, his face tense. "How is she?"

"We don't know yet," Meredith answered.

I buried my face in my hands. "I can't live without her anymore."

Mark squeezed my shoulder, his voice softer than I expected. "She's strong. She'll pull through."

After two hours, Callie came out of the OR, her face streaked with tears.

"What happened? Is Mia dead?" Meredith asked, panic in her voice.

Callie shook her head but could barely speak. "Bailey made me leave... I was getting too emotional. But Mia—she might not make it through this."

A sob escaped my throat, and Callie collapsed into my arms. "I can't lose her," she whispered. "She's my person. She's my best friend."

Mark's voice was firm. "She's come too far to die like this."

Eight hours later, Bailey finally emerged. We all rushed toward her, but I couldn't move.

"Is she okay?" Callie asked, her voice trembling.

Bailey exhaled. "She's alive—for now."

"For now?" I choked out.

Bailey hesitated. "We aren't sure if she's going to wake up."

The words shattered me.

Later that night, after everyone else left, I stayed with Mia. I took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles, then leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Mia," I whispered.

Derek came in, glancing at me with concern. "You staying here all night?"

I nodded. "Me, Callie, and Meredith are taking turns. Tonight is mine."

He hesitated. "I didn't know you and Mia were this close."

"Well, we are."

Derek didn't push. "Alright. Get some rest."

Once he left, I let out a shaky breath. I needed to tell him—tell everyone—how much I loved Mia. How much I wanted to hold her, kiss her, spend my life with her.

"I want to call you mine," I whispered, my heart aching.

A knock on the door startled me. Callie peeked inside. "I just wanted to check on her."

I nodded. "Of course."

She walked over to the other side of the bed, brushing Mia's hair back. "You want to know something?"

"What?"

"Mia can't stop talking about you. It's cute... but kind of annoying," she teased.

I smiled, warmth spreading through me. "Really?"

Callie nodded. "You mean a lot to her."

My chest tightened.

"Alright, I'll leave you two. My turn tomorrow," Callie said.

As she left, I lay back in the chair, pulling a blanket over me. I stared at Mia, silently pleading for her to wake up.

I had to tell her.

I just hoped I wouldn't be too late.