Had I known How to Save a Life

All Grown Up

Chapter 63
*Meredith POV*

When we're little kids we always tried to imagine what our lives would be like when we grew up. Who we would be, what we would be. Then one day we wake up and realize we're all growing up is just really overrated.

Jo and I both look at Alex then back at Amber. Amber pushes through the both of us and hugs Alex very tightly.

When she finally lets go, Alex looks at us. "Jo, Mer, this is my sister Amber." He tells us.

"Ohh. You're his sister." Jo says.

"And you are his wife?" Amber says.

"Yeah, Amber. She's the one I've told you and Aaron about." Alex says.

"Well, honestly, you only ever told us about her when you got married." Amber looks at Alex.

"Alex, was Amber informed that she was going to be an aunt? Or any of your other family?" Jo asks.

It's about to get real awkward so I say "Well, I'm going to head home now, nice to finally meet you Amber."

*Alex POV*

What is she doing here? I have seen her in about 6 years. I have no idea what would make her come to Seattle. She's all grown up.

"Well, I have work to do. I will leave you to alone." Jo says as she walks away from the awkward silence.

"Amber what are you doing here?" I ask her.

"6 years without seeing my brother isn't reason enough?" She says.

"Listen, I've been meaning to stop by, it's just been a busy time for me. Jo and I are having a baby and she had to have fetal surgery a few weeks ago. It just hasn't been a good time." I explain.

"Now, tell me, what is the real reason you came?" I ask again. "Did mom kick you out?"

She starts to laugh a little bit and says, "No actually. I left. I couldn't take it there anymore. I'm 23, I need my own life. I can't waste it anymore."

"But why did you come here?" I say.

"I had no where else to go." She tells me.

I'm pissed that she showed up here without warning. But in the 6 years I haven't been home, she's all grown up. She's not a kid anymore.

My pager buzzes so I have to go, I give her my address and tell her to find mine and Jo's place. "Go there, we'll talk when I get home. If Jo is home before I am, don't freaking be mean!" I say.

She hugs me again before she leaves and says "It really has been too long." And she's absolutely right.

I go to the room I'm paged to, my cancer patient. Barely a kid but she's been my patient for years, even before I was a fellow.

I have one of the new interns on my service today, DeLuca I think. He's talking to my patient, Jessie. She's almost 17, has metastatic osteosarcoma. Luckily in this case, there wasn't a different cancer, just the same cancer in the other leg.

Unfortunately, we have to insist on amputation. In her right leg we used a cadaver bone.

"Jessie, are your parents here?" I ask her.

"Probably not. I told them to go to work cause they're always here. And I know they needed to be at work, cause even lawyers can't take that many off days." She explains.

"Okay well, we will fill them in when we do arrive." I begin.

She cuts me off and says, "You're not amputating."

"Just hear me out, there's nothing wrong with only having one leg. Tons of people only have one leg. It's definitely a change but it's going to save your life." I finish.

DeLuca gets a page from Robbins so I tell him to go.

"I just want to be like everyone else. I want to go to school. I want to play volleyball again. I want my friends to come visit me. I want to talk to boys that I don't meet on the pediatric cancer wing of a hospital. I want to go to the movies. And I don't want people to stare at me and feel sorry for me cause I'm a 16 year old with one leg. I just want to be like every other teenage girl." She vents to me.

I take a seat at the edge of her bed. "You know, you're never going to be like every other teenage girl. Even when you get outta here. Never. No other girl at your school is going to be half as strong as you are. None of them are going to ever know what you've been through. And yeah it sucks but, they can go out getting their hearts broken by boys who leave them, and you can meet nice boys who are going through what you are." I tell her.

She smiles cause she knows I'm right. "Thank you, Dr. Karev."

I know I had a rough childhood and I was forced to grow up quickly, but I was never sick like some of my patients. I never had to go through that kind of growing up.

*Meredith POV*

I get a text from Alex, "I need you to go to mine and Jo's place. My sister is there and Jo is there and I don't want those two together without someone else there."

I text back almost refusing because today was my off day. But I don't really have anything better to do, so I head over.

I walk in the front door and Jo slowly jogs over, slightly disappointed that I'm not Alex but thankful that she's not alone with his sister anymore.

I walk with Jo into the kitchen and you could cut the tension with a knife just about. I try to create small talk with Amber.

"So what brought you here to Seattle?" I ask her.

"Well I'm 23 and I was still living at home, and I just needed to get out. I haven't seen Alex in forever and out of all of us he seems to have turned out okay. So yeah." She explains. She seems very nice, a little not like Alex. Which is a good thing.

"Jo, how long have you and Alex been married?" She asks Jo.

"Almost a year and a half" Jo answers.

"Have y'all found out the gender yet?" She asks. Sorta playing 20 questions but this is her first time ever meeting Jo so, I guess it's okay.

Jo's smile brights up as she begins to talk about her baby, "We're having a girl and we just recently decided on a name, Ashton Rey Karev."

The chit chat continues for a while even when Alex gets home. From the living room, I look at Jo. Alex looks at Amber. Jo's not the little intern I chose to do the intern appy anymore. She's all grown up. Alex says the same about his sister. I leave and head home.

When I walk through the door, I'm expecting chaos. Toys everywhere and Derek just off the walls. But it's the just the opposite. Zo-Zo is helping Derek clean, Bailey is watching a cartoon and looks at the time. Ellis is fast asleep in her crib.

It's almost 8 (way past his bed time) and says "Momma, dada, its bed time."

Once all the kids are warm in there beds, Derek and I turn on a movie, I lay my head on his chest. "Our kids are growing up," I say.

"Too fast. Remember when Zola said she wants a car?" He says.

"She still wants that car," he finishes and we both laugh.

I begin to fall asleep on his chest to the sound of his heartbeat. Just like when I was an intern. People change, but they don't change.

Maybe growing up isn't all it's hyped up to be. Responsibility, work, stress. All come with age. But so do the moments that make you feel like you've got this all figured out.

Author note:

So I have no excuse as to why this is a month and a half late. Just got a little busy and lazy. Anyway, I've been thinking you all have been reading my story for sometime now and I doubt any of y'all care but if you do, here's a few little details about me. I'm 16 years old (starting my junior year in august), I plan on becoming an orthopedic surgeon in the US Navy or a surgical nurse in the Navy, and I have a really big passion for Grey's Anatomy and athletics lol. Just so you can get to know me a little better.

-Erin :)