A/N: This started with the idea of Lexie getting shot in 6x24 and it spiraled into this. This is part one, and I'm still working on part two, but hopefully, I'll get it done soon for you guys. In the meantime, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's or you bet Lexie and Mark would've never been killed, they'd be living their life somewhere glamorous with guest appearances every once in a while.
"Mr. Clark." The words fell from her lips as she stared at the man with a gun pointed at her head.
"I didn't mean to kill all those people." He said quietly as if confessing his sins. "I only meant to come here and shoot three people. Dr. Webber, Dr. Sheperd, and you."
Lexie blinked, unsure of what to say in response to that statement. "I'm sorry about your wife, Mr. Clark. I really am and I hope you believe me."
The widower's eyes sharpened at the mention of his wife and he readjusted his aim at Lexie's head. She was one of the doctors responsible for his Alison's death. "You unplugged the machines. You killed her."
The young woman in front of him had fear in her eyes, but he tried not to think about that as he squeezed the trigger. A gunshot reverberated through the halls and Lexie Grey fell to the floor, blood soaking her scrubs.
Gary Clark walked away, taking a left in search of his next victim and trying to ignore his shaking hand.
Karev kept bleeding, despite how much he stuffed into the bullet hole in the guy's stomach. Mark let out a growl of frustration, "Damn it, Lex," he whispered, "Hurry up so I can save your fricking boyfriend."
He needed blood soon or else he was going to die, and Mark didn't want to be the cause of it, he wasn't sure how Lexie would react… Damn, what was taking her so long, she really should be back by now. Something must have happened to her, there was no other explanation, his gut was telling him. He had to go after her, the thought of her getting hurt made his blood ice over. It was an easy decision to go after her, all possible consequences forgotten. (Plus, Karev needed actual medical equipment, not just the bits of cloth he kept tearing up.)
Using the last bits of material, Mark shoved it into his patient's mouth, "Stay quiet Karev, I'll be back as soon as I can."
Opening the door as slowly as he could, Mark surveyed the empty hallway before taking a cautious, yet hurried pace towards the blood bank. The silence of the hospital struck the plastics attending, it was unnatural for it to ever be this calm. The pit in his stomach grew as he turned corners and there was still no sign of Lexie.
After a few minutes of walking, he came across a supply cart full of blood bags, which was what she had been searching for. Fear rose in Mark and he could begin to feel his heartbeat thundering in his ears at the sight behind the cart.
Sprawled across the floor, her baby blue scrubs mixed with a scarlet, spreading across the tile. Mark's breath caught as he recognized it was Lexie, and he began to plead "No, no, no, not her" when he saw her unmoving chest. Rushing to her side, Mark immediately went to the source of the bleeding, grabbing gauze from the supply cart next to him to soak it all up. He felt her neck and felt a sliver of the weight lift from his chest when he felt a pulse; it was weak but there was a chance.
No doubt she had been visited by the shooter, but the bullet wasn't near her heart, she had a chance of surviving. Picking her up as carefully as he could, Mark ran with her in his arms, all other thoughts be damned. (She had to come out of this alive because Mark was sure now more than ever that he was never going to let her out of his sight again after this.)
Lexie woke up to a bright fluorescent light shining down on her from the ceiling. As she took in her surroundings, she began to recognize the room as an OR.
How'd I get here? She wondered as she pulled herself up, but stopped, hissing as she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she saw her light blue scrubs covered in blood and it took her a few moments to realize that it was her own.
"Here, let me help." A familiar voice said as a hand reached forward to apply some pressure to her wound. Lexie's brown eyes shot up to meet those of her old roommate. "George," she gasped out through a mixture of surprise and pain.
George nodded with a focused look on his face, the expression of a surgeon in the middle of a difficult situation. "Just hang in there, Lexie." He said soothingly, "The pain will subside in a moment."
The young woman nodded, her mind still trying to process what was happening. Looking down the barrel of a gun, the bang, and Mr. Clark's dead eyes (Just like the wife she unplugged not so long ago) as he watched Lexie fall to the ground. I was shot, Lexie groaned from the memories in addition to the pain caused by George patching up her wound. And my dead friend is my doctor.
"I'm sorry, Lexie," her friend murmured. "Just one more minute."
When the pain faded as George had promised, Lexie glanced down to see her scrubs were no longer stained red. Feeling around her stomach for the wound revealed only smooth skin. No stitches or scarring it looked like there had been no wound at all. It was just her pale, untanned skin from the lack of sun she had from living in Seattle and spending all her time indoors at the hospital.
Lexie moved her eyes up to meet George's concerned eyes with her fearful ones. "Where am I, George?" She asked, "How is it possible that you're here? Or, a-am I dead?!"
Sensing the warning signs of a Lexie Grey panic attack, George immediately gripped her shoulders to look her directly in the eyes. "Lexie, take some deep breaths. You're fine okay?"
She nodded along, focusing on his eyes and inhaling, then exhaling. When she finally calmed down, George started to explain with a grimace, "You aren't dead yet, Lexie, but you are dying."
Lexie nodded, trying to comprehend what he was saying. "So, I-I'm dying… but where are we? And how did I end up here, the last thing that I remember is being shot. In the hallway, n-not the OR-"
"Lexie, breath." Her friend reminded her. Lexie shot him a nervous smile at the familiarity (God, she'd missed George) and he matched hers with his dorky one.
After a few minutes, she started again, "George, I'm so confused. What happened to me? If I'm not dead yet shouldn't I feel pain?"
Her friend's face displayed a sympathetic understanding. His voice acquired the doctorly tone that they used to inform people of bad news, "Lex, you're, um, almost dead. Your pulse is slowing down fast and your body is losing a lot of blood in a short amount of time."
Her mouth opened to reply, but no sound came out, "I-I, what? But y-you said that I'm only dying. I still have a chance to live!" She began scanning her surroundings now, "How do I get out of here? I can find someone – a-a doctor. Mer or someone, they can fix me!"
Firm arms wrapped around her to keep her seated on the operating table, "Lexie, you can't, you're too far gone."
"You don't know that George!" She exclaimed, tears starting to fill her line of vision, "I have to go back! Alex, he needs blood, and Mark-" she stopped struggling against George as Mark's pale blue eyes came to mind.
"I-I can't leave him." Lexie's last few words turned in a sob, "I can't leave him, I love him."
"I know, Lexie, I know." George held her tighter as she sank into his chest, unable to sit up on her own. Breathing in his old scent, the scrub soap and a hint of strawberry shampoo (Mer and Christina used to love to tease him about his girly tastes), she felt the tears fall faster. This can't be happening, Mark's piercing blue eyes flashed before her and she recalled the urgency in his voice. "He needs blood."
Oh god, Alex. What would happen to him now that she was laying dead (no dying) on the floor of the hospital? I couldn't the blood in time. His last hope was Mark. She clung closer to George as a wave of guilt and sadness hit her.
"It'll be alright, Lex." He comforted her, "It's not so bad in the afterlife, you know. I get to see my grandparents all the time and my old friend from grade school, and that stupid mutt Meredith had wanders around a lot."
Hearing that, hope sparked in her chest. Abruptly pulling away from George she asked, "Is my mom here?"
"Yeah, she is." He replied, "I can take you to her if you like."
She nodded fervently at the offer, allowing George to help her up onto her feet and lead her out of the OR. Outside Lexie recognized the layout of Seattle Grace Mercy West. It was peculiar that the hospital was her version of the afterlife, was it the same for George and others too?
The closer they got to the waiting area, Lexie could hear shouting and her heart started racing as she recognized one of the voices.
"I don't care about your blasted protocols, Ellis!" Susan Grey screamed at her husband's ex-wife, "I want to see my daughter! She needs me right now and I-"
"Susan," the great Ellis Grey's tone was deadly serious "You know I can't let you into the OR unless you have the proper clearance, so you're just going to have to wait until O'Malley brings her out."
Opening her mouth to retort, Susan was interrupted by her daughter's voice.
"Mom!" Lexie left George's side and ran to her mother's open arms. Fresh tears sprung from her eyes as she breathed in her mom's familiar scent, letting years-old memories spring forward. Molly and her playing in front of the television while her parents were curled up on the couch, hitting her first home run in softball, tentatively opening her acceptance letter to Harvard and the joy that followed… so many memories.
"Oh, my little Lexie girl." Susan whispered, "I can't believe you're here."
After too short of a hug, her mom pulled away to look at her face, wiping away the tears on Lexie's face. "Honey, I'm sorry you had to come so soon. You should've had a hundred more years before you came here."
Overwhelmed by everything, Lexie just nodded. She sunk forward into her mom for another hug, just enjoying that she could at least feel her again.
After another minute of comfort, Lexie pulled away slightly but stayed within her mother's loose embrace. "I need to get back. Even if it's just for a minute, I-I need to say good-bye."
Tears began to fill her eyes again at the thought of dying when the last face she had seen had been the one of her killer. "I can't leave without saying good-bye."
"Oh honey," Susan whispered sorrowfully, "That's not how it works."
Behind her mother, George met her eyes sympathetically, "I told you, Lex, you're too far gone-"
"It would be cruel of us to send you back with the level of pain you would feel right now." Ellis's sharp voice cut in, "We pulled you here a bit early I admit, but it was to spare you from feeling the extent of your wound."
Lexie met the matching irises her sister had but felt the steel behind them that came from years in the ruthless profession. Ellis studied her in turn, her lips pursed in a disapproving sort of frown. No wonder Mer has so many issues, Lexie thought to herself, already feeling chills from the few moments in front of Ellis Grey.
"I have to go back. I have to say good-bye." The young resident insisted, turning to her mother with her old puppy dog eyes. "Mom, please."
"Oh, honey," Susan repeated, pulling her eldest daughter in for another hug.
"Lex, it's gonna hurt. A lot." George said, "Emotionally too."
Straightening her spine, she stared at her mom and George. "I'm willing to take that chance. I have to say good-bye."
Ellis snorted (what part about this was humorous?) from her place a few feet away, "Alright, I'll allow it. But you were warned."
Lexie nodded, "How do I get back?"
"It's this way," George pointed towards the entrance.
Turning and giving her mom one last hug, she whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too, my Lexie girl." Her mother's warm breath tickled her neck. "And I'm so proud of the woman you've become."
Susan wiped the tears forming in her daughter's eyes away, "There is a small chance you may live, Lexie. But you must be willing to fight for it."
"I will." She sent her mom a rueful smile, letting George lead her away. From behind, she heard Ellis mutter, "She definitely got her spirit from you, Susan."
George paused in front of the elevator doors, watching as the grating ding! sounded to announce it's arrival. "Bye George." Lexie waved as she entered, which he returned, "Good luck."
As the door shut, she fidgeted as she waited for them to open again. There were no buttons to press, it was all out of her control. Slowly the doors opened, and she gasped when she saw who was waiting there.
"Alex?"
Outside of the hospital there only existed chaos. Sirens and barricades of people greeted Mark as he came outside with a bleeding Lexie in his arms. Gunpoint was the first response to his appearance, but the officers were quickly shoved aside by a slim figure in navy-blue scrubs. Never had Mark been happier to see Teddy Altman in his life. A doctor he trusted to help fix Lexie, that was the biggest blessing of the day.
Thankful for her experience in trauma, Teddy quickly assessed the situation (mentally pushing aside the fact that this was one of her co-workers) and guided a gurney over to Mark for him to put Lexie on to. Together with a paramedic, they pulled the younger Grey into an ambulance with Mark following closely behind.
"What happened?" Teddy asked Mark as the ambulance doors shut behind him.
"I found her collapsed in the hallway, she was shot –" He started to answer, but felt his voice crack as he relived the sight in his mind. Keeping his hand in Lexie's and felt her wrist for a pulse, allowing it to keep him steady.
"I tried to stop the bleeding, and the bullet didn't hit her heart, but –" He rushed out, tripping over his words. Teddy gave him a quick look but seemed to decide he was fine (definitely not enough to help though) as she focused on Lexie. "Page ahead to Seattle Pres," she instructed the driver, "We're going to need an OR on arrival."
Mark watched her work diligently, his heart beating faster as the ambulance raced through Seattle. Shuddering out deep breaths, he prayed, come on, Lex, you've gotta stay with me.
Underneath his fingertips, he felt her heart rate pick up. A sharp gasp came from Lexie as her eyes opened, her brown irises darting around the interior of the ambulance. She let out a cry of pain which struck Mark to his core while Teddy called, "She's awake. I need meds!"
"Lex," Mark breathed out her name as he leaned over her, "It's okay, I'm here. We've got you."
"Mark," her lips parted for his name, barely getting it out. "I…"
"Shhh, Little Grey," He gripped her hand tighter, "I need you to save your strength and stay alive now, okay?"
An emotion flashed behind her eyes as she sucked in another breath of pain. Teddy readied the anesthetics, "Lexie, we're going to have to knock you out now."
"W-wait Mark," Lexie inhaled deeply, her eyes swirling with pain, but also another emotion. Teddy paused while the resident spoke, "I love you."
His heart soared as her words hit his ears, but it was cut off as she let out another whimper of pain. "A-and tell Mer…" Lexie's body shuddered as she tried to continue.
"She knows, Lex," Mark assured her, meeting her brown eyes with his. "And I love you too. And I need you to fight for me and stay alive, so we can be together, okay?" A soft smile blossomed on Lexie's face as he kissed her hand. She loves me!
He looked at Teddy who had been watching the scene with a somber smile, "You can give it to her now."
The cardio surgeon nodded as she administered the medicine and Lexie's eyes fluttered shut as she fell unconscious.
When the ambulance pulled up, Teddy ordered him to stand aside while they rushed her into surgery. Mark didn't protest despite his desire to, knowing that any obstacle right now would further her chances of dying.
He wandered into the crazed E.R., ignoring the sounds as he tried to find a quiet corner and just collapse. The adrenaline rush from earlier faded, and exhaustion enveloped him as he fought back tears. She's gonna be fine, he told himself, trying to focus on her last words to him.
"I love you."
Lexie loved him. And god he loved her, she just needed to make it out of surgery alive so he could kiss her again. Focusing on that and shock still coursing through his veins, it took a while before his mind wandered away from what had just happened.
Shit, Karev!