CHAPTER 2

Mark Sloan, his fatigue evident, strolled into the attending lounge with a weary sigh. Grabbing a much-needed cup of coffee, he settled himself at the table opposite Dr. Shepherd, who was diligently engrossed in updating his patient charts. Breaking the silence, Sloan mustered a casual tone as he took a sip of his steaming brew.

"Ah! What a day! Back-to-back surgeries," he declared, his voice reflecting a mix of accomplishment and exhaustion.

Dr. Shepherd, maintaining his focus on the charts, responded with a hint of annoyance, his eyes briefly meeting Sloan's.

"Any plans for tonight? Wanna go drinking?" Sloan inquired, attempting to bridge the divide that had fractured their friendship due to his past infidelity with Shepherd's wife. It had been an uphill battle, and Sloan's attempts to reconcile had yielded minimal success.

"Not interested," Dr. Shepherd retorted, his voice tinged with irritation, making his disinterest clear.

With the interns on vacation and Meredith accompanying Cristina on her honeymoon following Burke's cancellation of their wedding, the hospital had adopted a sense of calm in recent days.

Sensing the lack of excitement, Sloan couldn't help but express his disappointment. "Really? Nothing planned? That's boring," he remarked as he spotted Doctor Webber enter the lounge.

Dr. Webber, visibly frustrated, joined the group, plopping down between Sloan and Derek. Exhaling with exasperation, he voiced his dismay, "Can you believe this? Bailey still won't talk to me." A few days prior, Webber's decision to appoint Dr. Torres as Chief Resident had strained his relationship with one of his best residents, Dr.Bailey.

Derek, his gaze fixed on the charts before him, chimed in with a touch of candor, "You clearly brought that upon yourself."

Dr. Webber sighed in frustration, voicing his concern, "How does she expect to understand my decision if she won't talk to me?"

Sloan, still sipping his coffee, chimed in, "Being 'The Chief' is never easy, huh?"

Annoyed, Webber retorted, "And yet, I recall you wanted this job."

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by Derek receiving a phone call. Recognizing the number as that of the private detective he had recently hired, he answered and said, "Hello?... Okay....I'll be there."

Curiosity piqued, Webber inquired, "Who was that?"

Derek, preparing to leave the room, responded, "A P.I.. I hired a few days ago." Before he could depart, Sloan asked, "You hired a P.I.? What for?"

Without pausing to answer, Derek left, leaving Webber to cast an inquisitive gaze toward Sloan.

"What?! I didn't do anything," Sloan quickly defended himself, sensing Webber's silent accusation that he might have been involved in another affair with Derek's partner.

An hour later, Derek found himself in the parking lot of Mercy West, a well-known hospital in Seattle. Standing there, he spotted the person who seemed to be his hired private investigator, Debra Morgan.

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you face to face, Debra Morgan," Derek greeted her, extending his hand for a handshake.

"Likewise, Dr. Shepherd. It's nice to finally have a face to the name. Please, call me Deb," she replied, shaking his hand with a firm grip.

Curiosity piqued, Derek inquired, "Okay, mind sharing why we are here?" He hadn't received all the information when he received the call. Deb had simply informed him that the person they were looking for was currently at Mercy West. In his mind, he had assumed that the kid had been adopted by someone working at the hospital. Moreover, he didn't want anyone to know about his search for Meredith's long-lost brother.

"Well, we have good news and bad news," Deb informed Derek as she handed him a folder containing all the information she had found in the last few days.

Meredith's younger brother is named Lucas Grey. He was adopted at birth by Doug Ross and Carol Hathaway in 1994. Both Doug and Carol worked in the medical field, with Doug being a pediatrician and Carol a nurse.

"Was? They left the medical field?" Derek asked, quickly reading through the folder. He noticed Lucas's picture and other related information. He was a little shocked to see that the file contained multiple addresses, all within the last four years.

"Well, that's the sad news," Deb replied in a somber tone. "Apart from living a fairly decent life until he was ten years old, everything came crashing down. Both of his adopted parents were involved in a car accident. A drunk driver hit their vehicle one night, and Doug and Carol died at the scene."

Hearing the news, Derek was greatly shocked. He had assumed that since the boy was adopted, he was living a fairly decent life. At least, Derek thought that the kid had a family.

"The boy has been sent to foster homes after foster homes," Deb added.

"Couldn't he have new adopted parents?" Derek asked.

"At first, someone did adopt him, but unfortunately, he ran away after only a few months. The police found him and he was subsequently surrendered to Child Protective Services. However, each time he was placed in a foster home, he would run away again. This marked the beginning of his cycle of moving from one foster home to another," Deb explained with a heavy heart.

"Okay... Why are we at Mercy West then?" Derek asked, still taken aback by the series of unfortunate events in Meredith's half-brother's life.

"Well, that's where the foster system truly failed him," Deb explained, her voice filled with sadness. She handed Derek another folder, containing a recent news article published in the City of Seattle.

"Apparently, Lucas was placed in a foster home with parents who were struggling with drug addiction," Deb continued. "It's a heartbreaking story. While the government provides them monthly checks for fostering a child, it was not enough for them. The foster father was allegedly forcing the foster mother into prostitution to support their drug habit. When Lucas discovered this horrifying truth, he wanted to do the right thing and call the police. But tragically, the man found out and turned his anger towards Lucas, physically attacking him."

"During the violent altercation, the foster mother, realizing the danger Lucas was in, bravely dialed 911, desperately seeking help while trying to shield Lucas from further harm. The woman managed to inform the emergency operator of the ongoing abuse and violence, providing them with a detailed account of what had been happening within their home."

The shock on Derek's face was evident as he listened to everything Deb was saying. Lucas was only 14 years old, yet he had faced so much tragedy in his life.

Unfortunately, the situation took a devastating turn as Deb continued, "Before the police could arrive, the foster father obtained a knife and fatally attacked the foster mother. When the officers finally arrived at the scene, they were confronted with a bloodied assailant and the lifeless body of the foster mother. Recognizing the immediate threat to their safety, they had no choice but to use lethal force against the foster father."

"What happened to Lucas?" Derek asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Amidst the tragic scene, Lucas, having lost consciousness during the attack, was found injured but alive. That's when he was brought here, to Mercy West, for the medical care and support he desperately needs."

After the shocking knowledge about Lucas's life, Derek felt an urgent need to see the boy and ensure he was okay. Accompanied by Debra and Dr. April Kepner, the latter being the resident in-charge of Lucas' care. They followed her as she led him to Lucas's room in Mercy West.

"I had no idea that the patient had any relatives. We assumed that the state was in charge of his care," Dr. Kepner stated, looking at Derek with surprise. "But you don't have to worry, Mr. Shepherd. Lucas is stable."

Derek had entered Mercy West without informing anyone that he was a doctor. At that moment, he just wanted to see Lucas and assess the situation. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the tragedy Lucas had experienced. Initially, Derek had hoped that Lucas could be a source of support for Meredith, someone who had at least lived a relatively normal life. However, it was becoming clear that the horrors Lucas had endured far exceeded anything Meredith had faced.

As Dr. Kepner began to introduce Lucas's room, her words came to an abrupt halt when they discovered that the room was empty. Confusion and concern washed over her face as she immediately contacted her attending and the nurses responsible for Lucas's care. However, it became apparent that nobody knew where Lucas Grey was. After a considerable amount of time and effort, it was reluctantly concluded that he had run away, leaving both Debra Morgan and Derek Shepherd shocked and deeply worried.