Stitches of Survival

She's Leaving Home

Chapter Fifty-Two: She's Leaving Home

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"Hey, Torres, I need help on a hip disarticulation today," Owen told Callie as we all stood around one of the break rooms together. "You want in?"

"Ooh, maybe," Callie nodded.

"Uh, wait, you have to finish your story," Maggie reminded the other woman. "So, you actually had to break his knee?"

"No. So, I had to shove the rod back in there even harder, and it wound up cracking the tibial plateau." Callie explained one of her recent cases to the cardio surgeon. 

"I'll take that," I took the coffee pot from Callie before Alex could grab it for himself. 

"Hey!" Alex scowled at me.

"Snooze you lose," I shrugged as I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"You're all hogging the pot," Alex accused us.

"Maybe ask nicely, like a civilized human being," Maggie suggested before turning her attention to me. "Beth? May I have the carafe, please?"

"Of course," I nodded, handing the pot over to her.

"See? It's quite easy, actually," Maggie teased Alex who only rolled his eyes before holding his cup out for her to fill. "Really?"

"Hey, Meredith," I greeted the blonde when I saw her standing by the door.

"Hey, I heard there was weather near Dulles," Maggie told her sister. "Derek's flight got delayed, didn't it? I hate that airport."

"Pierce, my gallbladder guy's pacemaker keeps misfiring," Webber said as he joined us. "You think you can take a look at it?"

"Yeah, uh, I could do it right now," Maggie nodded.

"No, you can't," Callie shook her head. "No, um, I need you to place an IVC filter on my laminectomy patient."

"Okay, right," Maggie sighed before looking back at Richard. "Um, I could swing by in about twenty."

"What?" I looked back at Meredith when I heard her say something, her words to quiet to make out. 

"Derek...is dead." Meredith spoke up, making us all look at her. We all stared at the blonde, shocked by her words, not sure what to say or do. My mind started racing, trying to string together a sentence, anything. 

"Meredith..." Webber frowned at her.

"He's not dead," Alex shook his head as he glanced towards me, neither of us wanting to believe our friend's words.

"Meredith, what do you mean? Meredith?" Callie questioned. "What do you mean? Meredith? Meredith?"

"What do you--" Maggie started to ask, only to be cut off by her sister collapsing to the floor, unconscious. Everyone rushed to her side to try and help her but I found myself unable to move from where I was standing, Meredith's words playing on a constant loop in my head. 

Derek is dead?

*~*~*~*

My hands were shaking as I paced around the on call room, waiting for Mark to get there. After Owen and Webber had taken care of Meredith and set her up in a room with fluids I had rushed out of the break room. I had to get out of there. I had to talk to Mark, tell him what was going on. I didn't know to the details, but Mark needed to know that his best friend, his brother, was dead.