Survivor

Chapter One

"Hey, it's me. Derek's right behind me. Can we come in?" Cristina calls from the doorway of Meredith's hospital room.

Even from where she's standing, she can see Meredith nod so she enters the room, Derek following her. He shuts the door behind him and slowly approaches the bed.

"Hey," Meredith whispers so quietly Derek isn't sure if she actually spoke.

"Hey." He responds, his voice a shaky whisper.

"Is he dead?" Meredith rasps immediately.

"Who?"

"The man...did this," she gestures towards her body.

"His name's William Dunn. And no, he's not dead," Derek's voice is thick with disgust. "He's here."

The monitor Meredith is hooked up to beeps loudly, alerting everyone of her increased heart rate. Not that they needed the monitor to tell them she's afraid, it's written all over her body.

"No, no, not like that. I shot him, he's here to get treatment before we can take him to jail," Derek rushes to explain, his eyes on the stats. "He's in custody, you're okay. There's officers guarding his door, he can't hurt you."

Her stats start to stabilize, and Cristina and Alex, both having moved closer when the machine went off, relax a little. Meredith closes her eye and takes a couple breaths, obviously trying to calm herself.

"You...okay?" She asks after a minute, looking at Derek again. Leave it to Meredith Grey to be concerned about his well being after she was beaten and raped.

"Am I okay?" He lets out a strangled laugh. "I-I don't know." Meredith studies him for a second, then reaches out her non-casted hand to brush his arm. Derek is shocked that she initiated touch, but instantly responds, grasping her hand in his.

"Have you eaten?" He asks after a minute. She shakes her head. "You want anything?" Another head shake. Derek glances at the doctors standing on the side of the room. Cristina gives him a nod, saying Meredith needs to eat.

"You have to eat, Mer," Alex cuts in. When Meredith doesn't respond, Alex shuffles by the bed towards the door. "I'll try to find her something," he says, then leaves. After a minute, Cristina approaches the bed again.

"Meredith, have you thought any more about the rape kit?" She asks.

"No. Not...doing it."

"She won't do a rape kit? You won't do a rape kit?" Derek questions, first addressing Cristina, then Meredith.

"No." Meredith says.

"It will help your case." Derek states out of the blue, getting two confused looks from the women in the room with him. "William's going to court so a judge can determine his sentence. You're the only woman to have survived, so you'll have to testify. If they can get his DNA off you it will help your case and put him in jail longer."

He's greeted with shocked silence. "You didn't know?"

Cristina shakes her head, turning her gaze to Meredith.

"Testify...?" Meredith whimpers. 

"Good god," Cristina breathes. 

"I'm sorry, I thought you knew," Derek apologizes quietly.

"If I do...rape kit...he'll be...in jail for longer?"

"Yes." Derek nods.

Meredith takes a deep, shaky breath. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. Do it," she whispers. Cristina immediately pages Arizona. Meredith's eye closes and she tries to focus on her breathing.