Survivor

Chapter Two

Two hours later, Meredith has finally fallen into a light and fitful sleep. Cristina sits by her bed, her gaze flicking between the monitors and her friend's face. The swollen bruising that covered the left half sends shivers down Cristina's spine just looking at it.

Althrough the swelling was starting to go down, Meredith obviously has a huge black eye that probably won't go away for a week. Multiple pillows are on her bed, some propping up her leg and wrist, others keeping her torso still so her ribs can heal. 

Meredith Grey is a proud, strong woman. She won't admit she was hurting, no matter how obvious it seems. Cristina has known her for years and can read that woman like a book. She knows Meredith won't want anyone's pity, but it seems the injured blonde was just racking up everyone's.

Word had spread around the hospital that Dr. Grey was back, and there were so constantly staff members trying to come in, that Cristina had snapped and asked one of Derek's FBI agents to stand guard by the door. 

So, Olivia Prenton leaned against the wall next to Meredith's door in agent mode. Her senses tuned, her eyes constantly sweeping the halls for anyone. If a nurse or doctor that wasn't permitted came near and tried to enter the room, usually all it took was a swift move of Olivia brushing her suit jacket out of the way to reveal the two firearms holstered to her waist, and the person would back away.

The halls were quiet now, the VIP wing nearly empty. Meredith's room was the furthest from the entrance, so the nurse's station was all the way down the hall. There were windows, but all the blinds had been shut to try and give Meredith as much privacy as possible. 

Internally, Olivia was dying to see her friend. Sure, they hadn't known each other very long but there had been an immediate click between the two. Until a scream from inside the room behind her causes Olivia to instantly respond, opening the door and drawing her Glock at the same time, so she stands in the doorway, gun raised in front of her, scanning the room for the danger.

Instead of danger though, she is greeted with a terrified woman in a hospital bed and two doctors at her side. The loud beeping of a heart monitor snapps Olivia out of her alert and she holsters her gun, taking in the scene in front of her.

"Mer, Meredith, look at me, look at me, Mer. It's okay, you're okay. You're safe here, it was just a dream, you're safe..." Cristina is desperately trying to console the woman in front of her, although it doesn't seem to be working.

Meredith is up in bed, ignoring the pain radiating from everywhere in her body, eyes darting wildly around the room. Her lungs had tightened and she couldn't breathe. She is back there, in the small basement that had been her home the past five days. The constricting casts on her limbs were not casts but shackles, holding her in place. The person at her side wasn't her best friend, but the very man who had done this to her.

She shrinks away from Cristina, clinging to the rail of the bed for dear life. Alex stumbles out of the sitting room, obviously looking like he had just been woken up, but he was on full alert as well. Olivia steps forward slowly. "What can I do?"

"She's having a flashback, she's not here right now, just don't move." Cristina says, trying to sound confident in her words but failing. 

Meredith is still having trouble breathing, but an oxygen mask would be no help in this situation. Suddenly, she sees another person in the room with her. Then another. The cold, gray concrete walls begin to fall away and she finally recognizes her closest friends. William is gone, and she slowly finds herself back in the hospital room. 

"Mer? Mer, you're okay. You're safe here." Alex's voice finally reaches her. 

The tight grip on her lungs dissipates, and she stares at her hands in front of her as she tries to regain control of herself. When she looks back up, Cristina's hand is centimeters away from her, and Meredith flinches. Instantly, Cristina pulls her hand back and holds them up, not saying anything but showing Meredith she has nothing to hurt her.