On the fourth day, Alexis was finally discharged from the hospital. The doctors, including her cousin Alex, had ensured she was stable enough to go home, though they insisted she take it easy. Elle had picked her up, and the drive home was quiet, the weight of the past few days still hanging over them.
As they pulled into the driveway, Alexis sighed, looking at the familiar house that now felt like a sanctuary. Elle helped her inside, reminding her to call if she needed anything.
"Promise me you'll actually rest, okay?" Elle said, her tone a mix of concern and authority.
Alexis gave her a tired smile. "I promise, big sister."
After Elle left, Alexis settled onto the couch, her thoughts wandering. She hadn't seen Ava since the bomb incident and wondered how her little sister was doing. Picking up her phone, she called their mother.
"Mom," Alexis began, her voice steady but cautious, "how's Ava?"
Her mother hesitated for a moment. "She's back home with us, Alexis. Steve has been trying... He's different now. I think he's realized what he was doing."
Alexis felt a twinge of unease. "I hope so," she said softly. "But if anything happens—if Ava tells me anything—I'm taking her out of there again."
"I know," her mother replied, her voice tinged with guilt. "You've always looked out for her. I'm grateful for that."
Alexis leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. She didn't entirely trust Steve, but for now, she had to believe her mother's word. Ava deserved stability, and if Steve was truly trying to change, maybe things could work out.
Still, as she sat there in the quiet of her home, Alexis couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to stay vigilant—for Ava's sake and her own. Alexis decided to visit her mother, stepfather, and Ava, hoping to see how her little sister was adjusting. As she arrived at the house, she noticed it was unusually quiet. Letting herself in, she called out, "Mom? Steve? Ava?"
No one answered. She wandered into the kitchen and found a note on the counter, written in her mother's neat handwriting:
"We went out for a bit. Got you some tea from your favorite place—it's in the fridge. Love, Mom."
Alexis smiled faintly, appreciating the gesture. After everything that had happened, a little comfort like her favorite tea sounded nice. She opened the fridge, grabbed the bottle, and took a few sips. The cool liquid was refreshing, but after a few moments, she felt... off.
Her vision started to blur slightly, and her head grew heavy. Something wasn't right. She steadied herself against the counter, her heart racing.
Grabbing her phone with trembling hands, she quickly dialed her cousin Alex, who was still at work.
"Alex?" she said, her voice shaky and weak.
"Alexis? What's wrong?" Alex's voice was sharp with concern.
"I—I'm not feeling right. I drank the tea Mom left, and now... something's wrong. I feel weird."
"Listen to me," Alex said firmly. "Sit down somewhere safe and don't move. I'm coming to get you right now. Stay on the phone with me."
Alexis stumbled to the couch, her body growing heavier with each step. "Alex, I don't know what's happening," she whispered.
"Just stay awake, Alexis. I'm on my way," Alex reassured her, the sound of him grabbing his car keys evident in the background.
As she slumped onto the couch, the world around her began to dim. She clung to Alex's voice on the phone, the only thing anchoring her to consciousness. "Alexis? Alexis!" Alex's voice shouted through the phone, now muffled as it lay on the floor.
Alexis tried to respond, but her body felt impossibly heavy. Her vision darkened, and the last thing she heard was Alex's frantic voice fading into the distance.
Meanwhile, Alex was already racing to his car, dialing emergency services as he sped out of the hospital parking lot. "This is Dr. Alex Karev from Grey Sloan Memorial. My cousin's in trouble—she's been poisoned or drugged. I'm on my way to her house, but I need an ambulance dispatched immediately."
Every second felt like an eternity as Alex's car weaved through traffic. His heart pounded as he replayed her words over and over in his mind: "I drank the tea Mom left..."
When Alex arrived at the house, he burst through the door and found Alexis slumped on the couch, pale and unresponsive. The tea bottle was still on the table. He quickly checked her pulse—it was faint but present.
"Stay with me, kid," Alex muttered, grabbing her shoulders gently. The sound of sirens grew louder in the distance.
Within moments, paramedics arrived, and Alex filled them in on what he knew. "She said she drank tea that was left for her, and then she started feeling off. I think she's been poisoned."
The paramedics loaded Alexis onto a stretcher, and Alex climbed into the ambulance with her, refusing to leave her side. As they sped to the hospital, Alex gripped her hand tightly, his mind racing.
Who could've done this? And why? The ambulance pulled into Grey Sloan Memorial's emergency bay, lights flashing. As the paramedics wheeled Alexis inside, Alex stayed right beside her, barking orders to the waiting staff.
"We need tox screens, fluids, and a full workup now!" Alex commanded.
Lexie Grey stood nearby with her sister Meredith, their expressions a mix of shock and concern. Other hospital staff stopped to watch as Alex worked with laser focus, refusing to leave Alexis's side.
"What happened?" Meredith asked, walking up to Alex as the team rushed Alexis into a room.
"She drank something—probably poisoned. I don't have the full story yet," Alex said, his tone sharp, but his worry was clear.
Mark Sloan joined them, snapping on gloves. "Alex, let's get her stabilized first. Then we can figure out what's in her system."
In the observation area, Lexie looked down at Alexis through the glass. "She's family, right?" she asked softly.
"Yeah," Meredith replied. "That's Alex's cousin."
Meanwhile, in the room, Alex and the team worked quickly. As fluids were administered and tests were drawn, Alex leaned close to Alexis. "Come on, kid. Stay with us. You're tougher than this."
Through it all, the quiet intensity of Alex's care spoke volumes to everyone watching. They had never seen him this rattled before. Even Cristina Yang, standing in the background, muttered to herself, "Looks like Karev actually cares about someone."
As Alexis lay there, unconscious, the test results began to come back. But Alex's mind was already racing ahead, determined to find out not just what happened—but who was responsible.
