𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗘, greys anatomy

life on mars?

ch 19. life on mars?

Charlotte was not going to meredith greys house. she wasn't going to back to the loft, either. she was going to kansas to find alex to smack the shit out of him for leaving her, and then she was going to beg to stay with him. on her hands and knees crying hysterically if she must.

she wasn't at all nervous about the trip alone. if she could runaway from florida to washington state at eleven, she was sure she could make it from seattle to kansas at fourteen. she had izzie's farms address from alex's letter, so at least this time she wouldn't be running off blindly.

jo had given charlotte money to take a taxi to meredith's house, which the teen instead used to take a taxi to the loft, where she packs all her belongings in record time. she grabs money from her emergency fund she had learned to stash at a young age, leaving some on the counter to pay back jo for the taxi, and stuffs the rest into her backpack before heading to the bus station on foot.

Charlotte limps shakily into the main lobby of grey sloan memorial hospital, spinning around at the sound of her nickname to see a worried jo approaching. "charlie? are you okay? what are you doing here?"

"yeah, i'm fine, i-uh," charlotte fumbles, "i was looking for the e.r. must've gotten turned around."

"yeah, it's one floor down. i'll take you." just by looking at the girl whom she had come to see as a little sister, jo could tell that charlotte was in fact not fine.

Jo gingerly holds a finger against the deep cut on charlottes cheekbone. "you'll need stitches. i'll have a nurse bring you a blanket."

every voice, every person, sounded and looked fuzzy, almost like in a dream, and everything was moving in slow motion. charlotte herself felt fuzzy, almost numb. every little noise was constantly going in and out from being low and dull to ear piercingly loud and sharp. it was nearly deafening.

"i feel so stupid." charlotte shares, "i was bringing out the trash and just fell right down the stairs at the loft. such an idiot."

"the loft? i thought you said you were going to greys?" jo questions.

"i was, but i'm exhausted so i figured i should just take a nap. but then i made one of those mini pizzas and the trash was full when i went to throw the box away so i thought i'd just take it out."

jo highly doubted that this was all that occurred. nevertheless, she leaves it alone "that cut looks pretty deep so dr. helm will have to numb it before we can clean it. when did you say you fell?"

"uh, i dunno. like an hour or two ago. i thought i could just put a band aid on it but it just keeps bleeding."

"dr. helm and i can help with that. i'm just gonna put a little betadine around the area, and you're just gonna feel a little stick and a burn. are you hurting anywhere else?"

dr andrew deluca approached the pair, speaking to jo, "hey, dr. baileys been looking for you, something about a grant deadline?"

"ugh, okay." jo replied, her voice sounding foggy and far away. to charlotte, jo explains, "uh, i'm gonna be right-"

charlotte quickly pulls her hand out from under her blanket, tightly attaching it onto jo's. the doctor looks down at charlotte, noticing her wide, terrified, tear filled eyes and her shaky breathing. jo turns back toward deluca, not letting go of charlottes hand. "charlie fell down the stairs at our apartment. so if you could give us some room please so i can suture her facial lac? and tell dr bailey that i will be a while."