overprotective | greys anatomy

33

amelia walked out of paiges room with a heavy head.

"how did it go?" jo asked, standing up.

"i just told her her organs are on the verge of failing, no one takes it easy. but she didn't cry or get mad like most people do. she just said okay."

"is she alright?" jackson asked.

"i think so, i'm not sure. she doesn't want company."

the group nodded and looked in the window, this wasn't going to be fun.

—

a few hours later, alex walked into her room after rounds.

"hey paige." he whispered. "how ya feeling?"

"hey." she smiled, groggily. "i'm okay. i'm not dead yet, and fourteen year old me totally thought i would be. i'll be okay."

alex smiled to hold back tears. "i know you will be."

"i'm ready to see everybody now." she whispered. alex nodded and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling. alex stepped out of the room to bring the rest of the doctors in. paige took a deep breath to prepare herself for the sadness about to come.

—

"are you ready?" amelia said to paige, a few weeks after she woke up. today was paiges final tests to see if she could leave. as amelia was helping her get out of bed, she asked; "when will i be able to go back to work?"

"still a few weeks." she said, rubbing paiges shoulders. "but it will fly by."

"i hope it does." paige said hopefully.

—

"well the tests look good." bailey said to paige that night. "you can go home in the morning. meredith is taking the day off to take you home and get you comfortable there again."

paige smiled. "thank you, dr. bailey."

paige was overwhelmed with excitement. she couldn't wait to get back in her own bed. she couldn't wait to see her friends again. paige felt the happiness grow inside of her. she smiled. because for the first time since she was fourteen, 'i'm going home' and 'your going home' were real sentences. she had a home now. she and everyone else knew where her home was. it wasn't a street or a shelter. it was a real place, with real people. people she loved. she was going home, real home, and she couldn't have been more excited.

—

meredith helped paige out of the bed, resulting in an eye roll from paige. "i don't need your help." she said sassily.

"paige, you're like the little sister of everyone in the hospital and you just suffered a terrible accident, trust me you will get a lot of unwanted help." meredith explained.

paige rolled her eyes, yet again.

—

back home, zola, bailey, and ellis snuggled up on the couch next to paige as she read them a book. the four smiled and laughed as the kids tired and meredith cleaned. once all the kids were asleep, meredith and paige started to put them to sleep.

"being around your kids is making me miss being around my kids." paige sighed.

"your eighteen with no family, a full time a job, and your gay. you don't have any kids." meredith said confused.

"haha." paige mocked. "i mean my work kids. i miss peds. i miss working. i miss being a doctor."

"you will be back to being a doctor soon, i promise."

paige frowned. "but everyone keeps saying that, nobody will actually tell me when."

"how about this, this weekend you can come to work with me. you can see everybody, check in on patients, watch surgeries. but no operating and no medicine, okay?"

"okay." paige smiled.

—

so that weekend, meredith lived up to her promise. paige was overwhelmed with happiness and anxiety. she walked through the big glass doors into the beautiful hospital that she found so much comfort in. her eyes landed on the tall man standing at the nurses station.

"jackson!" she yelled. he ran over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. she felt his strong, muscular arms wrap around her and she felt safe.

"listen, i have surgery." he said, pulling out of the hug. "but as soon as i'm done come find me. i have a lot to fill you in on."

paige watched her best friend run of towards the elevator. she turned her head to meredith. "to fill me in on?" she asked.

"when your knocked out for a month you miss a lot of hospital drama." she said. paige rolled her eyes and wandered off to find more of her friends.

she was so happy to be back. if only she could actually operate. either way, her body roared with excitement.

something about today just felt right.