Eight Lives, One Heart

Eight Lives, One Heart 5 ❤️

After the surgery, Alexis lay in her hospital bed, pale but alive. The room was quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor, a comforting sound that signaled she was still here.

Alex Karev sat in a chair beside her, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands clasped together as he watched her sleep. His usually confident demeanor was gone, replaced by an expression of worry and exhaustion. He couldn't stop replaying the moment she had flatlined in the operating room.

"You scared the hell out of me, Alexis," Alex murmured, his voice soft, as if afraid to wake her.

He leaned back in the chair, running a hand through his hair. He'd seen countless patients in situations like this, but it was different when it was family. Seeing her like this, hooked up to machines, fragile and vulnerable, was almost too much to bear.

A nurse quietly entered the room to check on Alexis. Alex glanced at her, his voice low. "She's stable, right?"

The nurse nodded with a kind smile. "She's doing well. She's a fighter."

Alex let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Yeah, she is."

As the nurse left, Alex leaned forward again, resting his chin on his hands as he kept his eyes on Alexis. He noticed how peaceful she looked, her chest rising and falling with each steady breath.

"You're going to get through this," he said quietly, almost like a promise to himself as much as to her. "You always do."

He stayed there, watching over her like a protective older brother, refusing to leave until she opened her eyes. Alexis's eyelids fluttered open, her blue eyes scanning the room groggily until they landed on her cousin Alex sitting by her bedside. He leaned forward immediately, relief washing over his face.

"Hey, kiddo," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion.

Her voice was barely a whisper as she spoke. "I... I was dead. I saw myself... when you and the others were trying to save me."

Alex stiffened for a moment, his jaw tightening as he processed her words. He let out a slow breath, leaning closer to her. "Yeah, we almost lost you," he admitted, his voice low. "But you're here now, and that's all that matters."

Alexis's gaze drifted toward the door, her expression uncertain. "Is my mom here?"

Alex shook his head. "No, she's at home with your baby sister and stepfather. I called her, though. She knows you're okay. She'll come by later."

Alexis nodded weakly, her eyes dropping to the blanket covering her. "I scared you, didn't I?"

Alex let out a short laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Yeah, you did. Don't ever do that again, alright?"

A faint smile tugged at her lips, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'll try."

He reached over, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. "You rest, okay? I'll be right here. Not going anywhere."

Alexis closed her eyes again, her breathing steady as she drifted back into a light sleep, comforted by the presence of her cousin by her side. Alex leaned back in his chair, his eyes never leaving her, determined to keep watch until she was truly out of danger.

Jason Gideon quietly stepped into the hospital room, his usually steady demeanor faltering as he saw Alexis lying in the hospital bed, pale but alive. The sight of her—his daughter, though she didn't know it—hit him harder than he expected. In one hand, he held a bouquet of red roses; in the other, a small stuffed cat, something he'd picked up on impulse, hoping it might bring her some comfort.