Home (Grey's Anatomy Series)

The Finish Line

2 WEEKS LATER

Standing on boxes of old newspapers and cardboard cut-outs as a stepping stool, I pushed and squeezed down the new pile of laundry deep into the washer as the hot running water ran down the sides of my arm. Pouring a couple of swirls of detergent on the clothes and watching the water bubble up, I hurried my way around the laundry room, kicking over the kids' clothes as the dryer buzzed and beeped into silence.

"Theo! Bring your basket!" I yelled, hearing my voice blare around the room before his little voice came out from behind the wall.

"Got it!"

Folding his clothes with a rhythmic beat, I shuffled his clothes at the edge of the dryer as I continued towards his shirts and socks before he cradled his basket over his head.

"Make sure these go into the box, not the closet." I sighed.

"Can I pick out some clothes for the trip?"

"Sure, just make sure you don't wear anything too uncomfortable, it's a long flight."

Tossing his socks and underwear into the basket, I watched him from the corner of my eye as he organized them from left to right. Pants then shorts, long sleeves then short sleeves, and his socks and underwear tucked into the right corner. Staying along the path of tiny laundry to fold, Eliza's clothes were next but by that time my hands and patience were running thin, so a simple two-fold was enough. By the time Theo dragged his things into the room, I packed and taped up the last box filled with Eliza's things.

With hours of housework behind me, leaving behind mopping and dusting for the cleaning crew, I had already packed up most of the house hours before the moving company rolled into our driveway and stacked the container full of our things. Couches, tables, bed frames, and even some of my old things were already halfway around the country by the time the second truck came. Jackson, on the other hand, focused on making our departure easy as possible for everyone. The foundation had already relieved us from our duties, our surgeries were rescheduled for next week, and our international patients were informed about our new office by the time Monday came.

But if we're talking about everyone else in our lives, letting them know through the foundation wasn't an easy task. Owen and Teddy are expecting, Amelia and Link are sleeping with each other, and Bailey is left to deal with insurance fraud. Last but not least, Meredith, who is currently picking up trash on the side of the road waiting for her trial in front of the board. While I worried about Meredith, a part of me wanted to halt the move just to help with the kids and make sure they were being looked after if anything happened. But as I stand here, dragging and pushing boxes into the garage, the doorbell rings in the high-pitched sound that alarmed Eliza by the sound of her yelp.

"I got it!" I said, reassuring her as I peeked my head back into the kitchen.

"The garage is open!"

Quickly passing by the front door, I noticed a small shadow standing a few feet away the first time, but by the time I returned to place another stack of boxes into the garage again, the figure was much larger and leaning against the door.

Quietly leaning to the foyer, I flickered up the lights as the shadow stepped back and my hand grasped the handle. Letting my newly found muscle swing the door with such ease, Link stood at the foot of my doorstep, staring down at me with such wide eyes that startled me.

"Link...what-"

"Sorry for intruding. I got your address from Amelia's phone." He smiled.

"...is everything alright?"

"Yeah-, well...no, not really. It's about Amelia, to be honest."

"Is she okay?" I blurted out, shuffling closer to him.