Payton's POV-
I had been in Seattle for 3 days now and I am going home tonight.
The whole time I have been here, I've been debating if I should get to know meredith or not.
I've seen her every day I've been here, but we haven't talked much. I would drop zola off in the morning then pick her up at night and take her back to my hotel.
I was currently sitting in the hospital car park on a bench, saying my goodbyes to zola before I went to drop her off.
"Auntie pay, is gonna miss you so much!" I say as I kissed her cheek.
She happily squealed and leaned against me, holding me in a tight loving hug.
"So so much." I say letting it drag off at the end.
We sat there for a while, playing perk a boo and just having cuddles.
"Let's go see mommy, shall we?" I asked finally standing up and grabbing her bag so we can go in.
As we stood outside of Meredith's door, I saw her staring at a picture of me and lexi the night before I had been kicked out at the age of 15.
I came out to my dad when I was eleven, he started to hit me and treated me different like I was a can on the street he could kick around.
One day when I was 15 I begged him to stop, and he just told me to get out and never show my face in that house again.
And I never did, i would meet my mom and lexi at a coffee shop every Wednesday and my mom would give me food for the week, all the things I would need.
She also payed for me to stay in this small apartment, it wasn't much and the bathroom was falling apart but it lasted until I was 16 and going off to medical school.
Anyway I walked in and put zola on the bed, before putting her bag on the floor.
"Where did you get that?" I asked her, looking at that stupid picture.
By now I normally just walk out and go sort Lexi's things, but today I sit down in the chair next to her bed.
"Lexie gave it to me after the like fifth time I asked about you." She replied and put the picture down.
We sat in silence for a couple moments but it wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be.
"I'm going back to LA today." I said as she looked at me confused.
___________-
Meredith's POV-
"Oh, well I'll try to find someone to take zola then." I say, more sad that I didn't actually get to know her.
"Okay, I uh- I just wanted to give you this." She says before pulling out a necklace with a L carved onto it.
"It has some of lexi's ashes in, she always talked about them when we were teens how she wanted her sisters to have a bit of her to carry around and you are her sister too." She says before helping me put it on.
"Thank you." I say before pulling her into a hug, she didn't return it straight away but after a moment or two she hugged me back.
Once we both pulled away, she just stood there looking like she was having a internal debate.
"When is your flight?" I ask trying to nicely snap her out of whatever world she was in.
"Oh uh- I have to leave in 15 minutes to get to the airport. " She says before grabbing a piece of paper and then a pen.
"Heres my number, if you still want to get to know me." She says pushing the paper towards me.
"Are you sure? I mean I dont want to force you Payton." I say, worried that I may have pushed her into it.
I mean that was the plan but if I did I feel bad, it should be her choice.
"I'm sure mer, your my sister and it may be nice to have some more family outside of my friend group family." She says before leaning down and giving me and zola a hug. "It would be nice to have someone who loved Lexie as almost as much as I did."
"I'll talk to you soon?" I asked as she starts to walk out of the room.
"Yeah, talk to you soon. Bye zozo." And with that Payton was out of sight and off back to LA.
But atleast she wants to get to know me too so we will stay in touch.
__________
Time skip about a year.
It's been a year since the plane crash, we own the hospital now.
What I guess is pretty cool, but the best part of this year is that I got to know Payton.
Payton also owns a share of the hospital as she used half of Lexie's money that went to her to help us while she put the rest into a savings account.
At first it was awkward and stiff, but after a month of two we started talking everyday and she had visited twice.
Me, derek and zola went to vist her after we found out I was pregnant, actually she was the first person we told.
Then it was Derek's sister.
Anyway I was attempting to make dinner while Derek played with the kids.
Suddenly his phone started ringing and he asked me to get it for him.
"Hello?" I ask as I pin the phone between my shoulder and neck so I can continue cooking.
"Meredith, its Addison. I only have Derek's number but Payton is in hospital." She said close to tear.
I stopped cooking and took m the phone in my hand.
"Is- is she okay? What happened?" I asked panicked as Derek looked at me confused.
"No, she was raped and found passed out on an alleyway. She has a massive cut on her head and bruises all over her body." Another voice that o don't recognize answers, but after a while I do.
"Amelia, please tell me you are on her case!" I tell her as I start to pack some of my things.
"No mer, I'm so sorry but I'm not allowed. Shes my family, the whole practice has been banned from working on her." She explains to me.
"I'm on my way, if she wakes up before I get there can you text me?" I asked and closed my bag.
"Ofcourse, meredith. Now we have to go, her doctor is coming." Amelia says before hanging up.
"Is everything okay?" Derek asks me as I start to head to the front door, bag in hand.
" Payton is in the hospital, I have to go!" I say in a panicked cry, I cant not go shes my sister the only alive blood family I have left and I love her so much and I can't lose her.
"Go, I've got the kids, call me when theres news okay." He said as he grabbed Zola who tried to run over to me.
I dont even reply, I just not before running out to my car.
Please be okay pay.
_______
I arrived at the airport where Amelia picked me up and took me to drop my stuff off at Payton's apartment.
After I dropped my stuff off we went straight to the hospital.
"Meredith!" Addison says as she gently pulls me into a hug.
"Is she okay? Please tell me my sister is okay, I cant lose another within the same year." I asked as I pulled away and looked at Payton's unconscious body what was laying in the hospital bed.
Wires all over her body along with bruises scattered all over her.
"Shes fine, the doctors say she will wake up soon. They done a rape test on her before getting her ready for surgery, the police are looking for the person who done it." She says as she sits in the chair beside the bed.
"I cant believe someone done this to her.." I sigh as I gently move her over and get in the bed with her pulling her gently so she is leaning against me.
"Please Payton, please wake up." I sobbed into her hair while I played with the end of it.
After a while of me just laying there, holding my sister tightly against myself the police walked in with sympathetic smile.
"We were able to catch him already, as you know there was blood on her. Some of it was his, you should be proud of her she refused to go down without a fight."
"Ofcourse she did." Addison chuckled sadly as she took Payton, hand in hers.
"He's confessed to doing it, so now all we need is a statement when she wakes up and then we can file for a court date."
We all nod before looking at Payton.
"We will leave you alone now, we will be back probably a couple hours after she wakes up." The taller officer tells us before they leave.
_______
It's been a couple hours and we were now all talking about what we are gonna to do if she doesn't wake up in the next week.
"Why are you guys being so loud?" A whine comes from my stomach what Payton was laying on.
"Pay!" Amelia exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat.
"Amy, be quite." Payton tells her before cuddling into me.
"You okay Payton?" I ask in a whisper while letting myself play with her hair again.
"Did it really happen, please tell me it was all a bad dream." She begged quietly, her voice cracking.
"I'm so sorry. We've called Charlotte if you want to talk to her." Addison says as she walks over.
"I want to leave." She starts crying looking up at me.
"You can go home as soon as the doctor says you can." Amelia says as she calls for the doctor.
"No, I cant go back there." She exclaimed before looking up at me.
I put my hand on her swollen cheek gently and looked at her, trying to understand what was going through her head and how I can help her.
"I want to go back with you please. I need my sister." She said while starting to sob harder.
I looked at Addison and Amelia, who both had a sad look on their face but they also looked like they understood why.
"If that's what you want, you can stay with me and Derek as long as you need. I'll call Richard about getting you a job." I tell here before gently kissing the top of her head. "But you are gonna have to stay in La until the trial is finished and they need your statement but they have they guy and he has admitted to it, so hes going away for a long time."
"I want lexi. I miss her" she says trying to sit up.
"Hey, I know. But you have to stay still you have a massive gash on your head and a bruises all over your body." I tell her before gently slipping out from under her.
"I'll be right back, I'm going to get the doctor then call Derek."
"Meredith?" She asks looking at me.
"Yeah?"
"Can you bring back some chocolate pudding?" She asks, making us all giggle.
"Yeah, I'll bring back alot of chocolate pudding." I laughed gently as I walk out of the room, calling Derek while getting myself a coffee.
I filled him in on everything that's happened, I also tell him about her moving to Seattle and staying with us for a while.
"I'll get the guest room set up for when you both come back. I'll also call Richard and get you two weeks off and see about getting Payton a job." He tells me before I hang up to get Payton her pudding. "I'll also see if he can get us both time off for her court date so we can both be there to support her."
"Thanks Derek, I'll call you later tell Zola I miss her and give them both a kiss from me at bedtime."
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Edited on 04/02/2024
2049 words.