A/N: Just a few quick warnings before we get going here. One, this story might get more than a bit angsty. Don't say you weren't warned if you want happy and fluffy all the way through. I love good drama, so expect a lot of that in this story. Two, I don't really like McDreamy all that much at the moment. Now, that doesn't mean I'm going to kill him off or make him a complete jerk, but I'm also not giving him the free pass he always seems to get on the show. Don't say I didn't warn you. If are one of those who think he can do no wrong, this might not be the story for you.

That said, I think this is a unique, entertaining story that should keep you interested throughout. There will be lots of twists and turns along the way as the story develops, so I hope you enjoy the ride!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. I make no money. Struggling artist, remember? There'd be no struggling if I owned the show.

Meredith Grey was extremely confused. All around her she heard voices, doctors talking about treatment plans and surgeries, but she couldn't pick out any familiar voices.

Why can't I open my eyes? Meredith wondered silently. Why can't I talk?

Somewhere in the jumble of voices, she managed to make out a few words. Plane crash…internal bleeding…fractured vertebrae. Whoever they were talking about, Meredith knew enough to recognize that when you could hear the fear in a doctor's voice, it was either an intern talking or the patient was in really bad shape. And judging by the tone of voice, she guessed that this was no intern she was hearing.

But who are they talking about? Is it my patient?

Slowly, Meredith managed to crack open one of her eyes. Bright lights, white walls, bustling activity. Yes, the room certainly looked like an ER trauma room. But something was off.

Where's Dr. Bailey? Where's Cristina?

A plane crash – and judging by the tone of the doctor's voice, a rather serious one – but no Bailey barking orders or Cristina trying to snag a surgery to scrub in on? Something was very wrong with what Meredith was seeing.

Why don't I know these nurses? Meredith didn't pretend to know all the nurses personally, especially the trauma nurses, but she certainly would have thought she could at least recognize most of them.

Wait…whose interns are these? As a second year resident, Meredith knew almost all of the surgical interns. A plane crash surely would get surgical interns, but she didn't recognize any of the faces peering down at her.

Hold it right there…why are they looking at me? Do they expect me to tell them what to do? They aren't my interns! And why are they looking down…

Damn it…

Realization gradually washed over Meredith, hitting her like a ton of bricks and sending her mind into overdrive.

I'm the patient?

…no, it can't be. Meredith's eyes darted around the room, looking for something – anything – that would tell her she was wrong. Nothing.

Meredith quickly began running through what she remembered of her day. Izzie dragging her out of bed. Alex kicking out her latest one night stand.

I've got to thank Alex for that later, she reminded herself. That guy was sort of creepy once I sobered up.

What next? Going to the hospital. Getting yelled at by Bailey. Avoiding McBastard. Eating lunch with the group. Gagging at McBastard and the slutty scrub nurse kissing at the nurses' station. Letting McSteamy flirt with her to get back at him. Going to the bar – not Emerald City, though, because she couldn't go there without running into them. It was too bad, really, because her new bartender just wasn't as nice as Joe.

Overall, a moderately crappy day, she thought ruefully. Definitely no plane crash, though.

So what the hell am I doing here? And where is everyone else? She tried to speak again, to voice her confusion, but still no sounds came out.

"Miss? Miss, can you hear me?" The blonde woman currently hovering over Meredith asked eagerly.

Yes, damn it! I can hear you! And that's Dr. Grey to you! Meredith tried to scream, but the words were only in her head.

"Miss, please don't try to speak," the blonde woman tried to calm Meredith. "You have a tube in your throat to help you breathe. Just nod if you can hear me."

Slowly and painfully, Meredith managed to move her head in acknowledgement before the room began to fade. As she felt herself slipping away, she vaguely heard the blonde woman mutter something about getting Jane Doe to surgery.

"Meredith? Meredith, are you in there?"

Izzie Stevens slowly opened her roommate's door, fully expecting to find Meredith in bed with yet another bar pick-up. Ever since her most recent breakup with McDreamy…wait, no, he was McBastard these days…she seemed to be reverting back to her old habits of drinking too much tequila and sleeping with a series of inappropriate men.

Surprisingly, though, Izzie found no man in Meredith's room that morning. Unfortunately, she also found no Meredith. The sloppily made bed indicated that Meredith had not been there since the previous morning.

"Damn," Izzie muttered as she headed down to the kitchen.

"Good thing it's Meredith's day off," she commented as she grabbed a muffin.

"Why? I didn't hear a guy last night," Alex Karev responded, pouring a cup of coffee for himself.

"Only because she didn't come home last night," Izzie said, concern in her voice.

"Well, at least it gave us a break," Alex said. "Honestly, Iz, I don't think I can handle too many more mornings with strange guys in this kitchen. Yesterday's guy almost broke my hand in the door, and I need these hands!"

"I know, I know," Izzie sighed. "C'mon, we're going to be late. We'll talk to Meredith tonight."

Things were coming back to Meredith in bits and pieces now. The memories were hazy, though, almost as if she had dreamed them.

"You really like your tequila, don't you?"

Meredith looked up from her row of shot glasses to see a familiar young man standing next to her. Name…name…she knew she was supposed to remember his name. Who was he? Must be another one-night stand. Why didn't these guys ever understand the 'one-night' part of one-night stand?

"What do you care?" Meredith was grumpy, despite the five shots she'd already downed, and in no mood to talk to anyone that night.

"I'm just saying, I know where we could get some pretty great tequila."

Ryan…yes, that was his name. Ryan. She'd picked him up last week. Mr. Friday.

"Where?" she asked, her defenses dropping as she found herself finally playing along with his advances.

As she snapped out of her memory, Meredith began shaking in her hospital bed.

"Miss…miss, calm down. It's okay," a pretty brunette nurse assured her.

Why does no one use my name? Meredith desperately wanted to ask questions, but quickly realized that she was intubated. Resigned to her silence, she quietly looked around the room, taking in her surroundings.

Something is very off about this, Meredith thought. This really doesn't look like one of our rooms.

"Miss? Do you know where you are?"

Meredith slowly shook her head. The nurse started to answer her, but before her brain could process what she was hearing, she found herself slipping once again into blackness.

"Meredith!" Izzie stood at the bottom of the stairs, screaming for her friend. "Meredith Grey, we are going to be late! I don't care if you're hung over again, you need to get your butt out of bed and get down here!"

"Dude, Iz, stop your yelling. She's not up here," snapped a very grumpy and tired Alex as he trudged past Izzie into the kitchen.

"Well, where the hell is she?" Izzie asked in concern.

"Beats me. I don't think she came home last night," Alex shrugged.

"What?! That's two nights in a row, Alex. You don't think something happened, do you?" Izzie asked, the concern in her voice quickly escalating to panic.

"Relax. Meredith's a grown woman," Alex assured her. "She probably just had an extended sleepover with one of her rebound boys. We'll see her drag herself into the locker room soon."

"She wouldn't…"

"Want to bet? Twenty bucks says she got drunk, had inappropriate sex and comes in totally hung over," Alex said, laughing to himself.

"Well, it sure is nice to know you have confidence in our friend," Izzie said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Izzie. A tiger doesn't change its stripes. Not that I blame her this time. If anyone deserves some comfort sex, it's Meredith. She's had to put up with Shepherd parading that scrub nurse around the hospital for over a month. Of course, everything would be so much easier if she'd just let me kick his ass…"

"You may be right. But still, I'm worried, Alex."

"Chill out, Iz. And hurry up, we don't want Bailey yelling at us for being late again."