Lost and Found

Chapter 50

A/N: Another Installment! Again, many thanks to my fans! Please note C rating for cuteness at the end of this chap!

Lexie stared at the map she'd made of Herman's brain. Studying it, learning every curve, every angle, every bump of soft tissue. Because after they removed the tumor, there would be a shift, and that would complicate things.

"Lexie?" Amelia's voice came from behind her.

"Hey," she replied, pointing at the scans with a pen, "I think if we just-"

"-Meredith needs you."

"She always needs me," she said softly. Frankly, she was tired of it. It sounded bad, but since she'd revealed her pregnancy to her sister, she felt angry. She just couldn't shake the dead look in Meredith's eyes. She knew she shouldn't be angry, it wasn't Meredith's fault. She was being petty. But she was so tired of being the big sister to her big sister. She wished Meredith could actually be there for her, instead of pretending to be.

"She's up in pede's," Amelia said. "Maggie said she locked herself in a bathroom."

Lexie's head snapped up. "What?"

"Hey," Amelia raised her hands. "I'm just the messenger."

xxx

Lexie made her way to the pedes floor, her mind burning with questions. What now? Had something happened to Anna? Did Child Services decide not to grant Mere custody of Zola? Oh God, maybe that was it. Turning the corner at the nurses station, she ran into Maggie. "Maggie, what's going on?"

"Oh good, you're here. Come with me, please." Maggie dragged her to a private child's room. But the room was empty, the bed unoccupied.

"Where's Anna?" Lexie asked. "Is she- did she-?" Was Anna dead? Lexie had no idea how she would bring Meredith back from that.

"No, Anna's just in CT for a follow-up scan to make sure everything is okay. Can you please talk to Meredith? I'm worried." Just then her pager beeped, and Maggie glanced at it. "It's the Chief, I gotta go."

And then she was alone with her sister. The bathroom door between them. Lexie stepped forward and knocked. "Mere? It's me. Are you okay? What happened?" There was no answer. She pressed her ear against the door, but heard nothing. "Meredith... please? Open the door, you're scaring me," she said.

More silence. Wait, was that a sniffle?

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier. I knew I should've waited to tell you... It's just- I've been there with you, for everything, and I just wanted you to be there for me this time. I know it sounds-"

The door swung open. She caught a glimpse of Meredith's light irises, but her sister remained inside the bathroom. Lexie pushed through the crack and stumbled in.

"Mere?"

"Lex, I think..." she shook her head. "Something's wrong," she said.

Lexie studied her sister and didn't notice anything outwardly different. "What's wrong?"

Meredith paced, a finger on her chin. "I'm hallucinating."

"Hallucin... What?"

"Or I'm delusional."

"Mere, you're not making any sense!"

"I know! But she's supposed to be dead. Anna is- she's – My baby died, right?"

Okay, that came right out of left field. Her chest tightened and her stomach dropped with concern, "Mere, this is getting weird."

Meredith ignored her. "My baby died. Bailey told me. There was a funeral. I went to her grave. You took me there. You and Cristina... "