Ghosts

At the next day in Seattle

Meredith was in her office at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital when Carina walked in. " Ciao Meredith. Maya told me about Andy's mother. How is she holding up?"

Meredith leaned against her seat. " Berley. I still can believe Pruitt made up a lie like that. Letting Andy greave that woman - he had no right. "

Carina nodded. " I can't believe either. I understand is hard to tell your kid their mama left but still the truth would have been better than that. "

Meredith sighed deeply, her fingers tracing the edge of her desk. "Yeah, the truth would have been better. It feels like he took away any chance for Andy to understand her mom, to deal with the reality of it instead of this... fantasy that she's been living in. It’s just cruel."

Carina leaned against the doorframe, her eyes soft with understanding. "You know, in some ways, I get why he did it, but it doesn’t make it any less hurtful. It wasn’t just a lie—it’s a lifetime of lies and made up stories. "

Meredith’s eyes darkened as she looked at Carina. " Yes. Andy adored the memory she had of her mom. Imagine to have someone on a pedestal and have that crushed in the middle of fighting a wildfire across the country. "

Carina nodded. " Si. She finds out the loving mom she tough she had has a lie made up by the father she adores. Maya is really worried about her. "

Pruitt stepped into the office, his face lined with exhaustion, as if the weight of his choices had finally caught up with him. He glanced between Meredith and Carina before settling his gaze on Meredith.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice rough, as if he already knew the conversation wouldn't be an easy one.

Meredith straightened in her chair, arms crossing over her chest. "That depends. Are you here to defend yourself or actually tell the truth?"

Pruitt exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his face. "I’m not here to defend myself. I know what I did was wrong. I just... I need to explain why."

Carina stepped forward slightly. "Pruitt, there's no excuse for what you did. You let Andy grieve a woman who walked away from her."

"I know." Pruitt nodded, looking more vulnerable than Meredith had ever seen him. "I know I took away her right to the truth, but I was trying to protect her. She was just a kid, and I— I couldn’t tell her that her mother chose to leave her. Elena she just left no letter , no explanation I just found all her stuff gone I didn't even knew where she was until I went to New York after 9-11. I didn't knew what to do ! I begged Elena to come back I told her I would take the blame, I asked her to just be in Andy's life even if she stayed in New York but she wasn't interested. "

Meredith’s jaw tightened, her fingers curling into her arms. "So, you lied," she said, her voice cold. "You let Andy believe her mother was someone worth grieving, someone who would have stayed if she could, instead of telling her the truth—that she was abandoned."

Pruitt swallowed hard. "She was eight years old, Meredith. How was I supposed to look my little girl in the eyes and tell her that her mother didn’t want her? That she chose to walk away and never looked back? I thought… I thought it would be easier if she believed Elena died a hero instead of knowing she was a coward."

Carina shook her head, crossing her arms. " You looked in her eyes and made up a lie about her mom daying in a fire that probably didn't even happened so you could have figured out. Dio Mio Pruitt you really tough she wouldn't eventually find out?"

Pruitt’s shoulders sagged. " I hate myself for it. But I was just trying to protect her."

Meredith’s eyes flashed. "That’s not protection. That’s control. You always had this need to control Andy. You had a Leiutenent daley his retirement to not give your daughter the promotion she had earned. You were an asshole to her when we start dating because you didn't want her dating a older women with kids you think you always know what is best for her but newsflash you don't! You had no right to lie to her! Now handle the consequences of your actions. "

Pruitt flinched at Meredith’s words, his face pale. He looked down, his hands tightening into fists before he forced them to relax. “I know I don’t deserve forgiveness. I know I hurt her. But I did love her. Everything I did—right or wrong—I did because I thought it was what she needed.”

Meredith shook her head, her anger simmering just below the surface. “No, Pruitt. You did what you needed. You needed to feel like the hero, the protector. But Andy didn’t need protection from the truth—she needed a father who trusted her enough to let her face it.”

Pruitt’s breath shuddered as he exhaled, looking to Carina as if searching for someone to understand. “I thought she’d grow up with a legacy. That she’d be proud of the mother she thought she had.”

Carina’s voice was sharp but not unkind. “But she grew up with a lie instead. And now she has to question everything she thought she knew about herself. You didn’t just take her mother away from her, Pruitt. You took away her right to grieve the real loss—the loss of a mother who chose not to be there.”

Pruitt didn't say anything else he just left..

Was than that Lexie Grey Walked in using a cane" I guess it's not a good time. Was that your father-in-law to be?"

Meredith pulled Lexie into a bone crushing hug. " Lexie-bear I missed you so much! Yes that was my father-in-law to be. We are in the middle of a family drama. By the way this is Dr. Carina DeLuca, Maya's girlfriend. "

Lexie let out a small laugh, hugging Meredith back just as tightly. "I missed you too, Mer. And family drama? That’s kind of your brand at this point." She pulled back slightly, smiling at Carina. "Nice to meet you, Dr. DeLuca. I’ve heard a lot about you."

Carina smirked, shaking Lexie’s hand. "All good things, I hope."

Lexie shrugged playfully. "Mostly. So I dicided to get back to my residency. As you see PTR did it's job so I'm finally clear to perform sergury. I doing my residency in neurology. "

Meredith’s eyes lit up with pride. "Lexie, that’s amazing! I knew you'd fight your way back. I'm very proud of you. "

Lexie grinned. "Yeah, well, I had a lot of time to think. I realized that even after everything, surgery is still what I want. What I need." She glanced between Meredith and Carina. "But I’m sensing I walked into something... heavy."

Carina exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Yeah, Andy just run into her Mama at the LA wildfire. "

Lexie's eyes winded " Wait wasn't she dead?"

That was when Amelia walked in. " Who was dead ? Lexie-bear you are back! Missed your favorite big sister to much?"

Lexie turned toward Amelia with a grin, pulling her into a hug. “Of course I miss both my favorite big sister! What would I do without my favorite neuro goddess slash chaos magnet? Bisides I need to meet me little nephew!"

Amelia smirked, hugging her back. “Please, I am the definition of calm and collected. He is in hospital daycare I can take you to meet him. "

Meredith snorted. “Sure, you are. Scott is adorable. "

Amelia pulled back, her expression turning serious. “Wait, seriously, though. Who was supposed to be dead?”

Carina sighed, glancing at Meredith before answering. “Andy’s mother, Elena.”

Amelia frowned. “Wait, Pruitt’s wife? But she—” She paused, piecing it together. “Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes,” Meredith muttered. “Turns out she didn’t die in a fire. She left. And Pruitt let Andy grieve a woman who was still alive.”

Lexie’s jaw dropped. “Holy crap.”

Carina rubbed her forehead. “Andy ran into her at the wildfire. She found out in the worst possible way.”

Amelia shook her head. “That’s… wow. That’s a whole new level of parental damage..And I tough our family was full of drama. "

Meredith sighed. “Tell me about it. And Pruitt was just here, trying to justify it.”

Lexie winced. “How did that go?”

Carina crossed her arms. “Like you’d expect. He regrets it, but that doesn’t change the fact that he stole Andy’s right to the truth.”

Amelia exhaled. “How’s Andy handling it?”

Meredith’s face softened, the worry evident in her eyes. “Not great. "

Lexie placed a hand on Meredith’s arm. “And you? How are you holding up?”

Meredith let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “I just want to be there for her, but she is in the other side of the country right now fighting a fire so not much I can do. "

Carina gave her a reassuring look. “You are. Just being there matters even if is from a distance. "

Amelia nodded. “Yeah. And when Andy’s ready, she’ll talk. Until then, we do what we always do—stick together.”

Meredith gave a small smile, squeezing Amelia’s hand. “Thanks.”

Lexie clapped her hands together. “Okay, well, I’m back in Seattle, I’m back in surgery, and I’m officially on-call for any and all sisterly support duties.”

Amelia grinned. “Welcome back, Lex.”

Meredith nodded. “Yeah, welcome home.”

Carina smiled at the moment between them but couldn’t shake the worry in her gut. Andy was strong—stronger than most. But this? This was a wound that wouldn’t heal easily.

And Maya? Maya was terrified for her.

Back to LA Wildfire

Maya was patching up Andy's arm after she got badly burned.

Maya worked quickly, her hands steady even as her heart pounded. Andy winced as Maya wrapped the burn, her jaw clenched tight.

"You could've gotten out of the way," Maya muttered, her voice thick with frustration. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Andy let out a breathless laugh, but there was no humor in it. "I was thinking about getting the civilians out, Bishop. You know, the job?"

Maya glared at her. "Yeah, well, the job doesn’t mean sacrificing yourself. Not like this."

Andy met her gaze, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. "Maybe I wasn’t just thinking about the job."

Maya’s hands stilled. "Andy—"

Before she could say more, Captain Sullivan’s voice crackled over the radio. "Bishop, Herrera, we need you both back on the line. We’ve got a flare-up on the east side."

Maya let out a sharp breath, securing the last bandage before standing up. "You good to go?"

Andy rolled her shoulder, wincing but nodding. "Yeah. Let’s go."

Maya hesitated for half a second, then squeezed Andy’s uninjured arm. "I’m not letting you out of my sight."

Andy didn’t argue. Maybe because she didn’t have the energy to.

Maybe because, for once, she didn’t want to be alone.

As they grabbed their gear and ran toward the flames, Maya kept glancing at Andy. She knew Andy was tough. She knew Andy could handle almost anything.

But Maya also knew what it felt like when your whole world shifted under your feet.

And right now? Andy was standing in the middle of the fire in more ways than one.

And Maya wasn’t about to let her burn.

As they jumped back on action the conditions soon started to deteriorate. Unfortunately they were under Elena's command and that didn't make easy since Maya had to fight the urge to hit and women with here hose. " Chief Alvarez the wind is getting worse. We need to move of the fire will rum over us. "

Elena shot Maya a sharp look, her expression unreadable behind the soot and sweat on her face. "We hold the line, Bishop. That’s an order."

Maya gritted her teeth, barely restraining herself. Are you kidding me? She glanced at Andy, who was already tense, her body coiled like a spring. Andy had barely spoken since the initial shock of seeing Elena—hell, since finding out that everything she thought she knew about her mother was a lie.

Now, she had to follow orders from the woman who abandoned her.

"The fire doesn’t care about your orders," Maya snapped. "It’s shifting, and if we don’t move, we’re going to be right in its path. We need to reposition—now."

Elena’s eyes narrowed. "I don’t need a Seattle Leiutenent questioning my calls. I said we hold."

Andy suddenly stepped forward, her voice cold. "No. Maya’s right."

Elena turned, surprised at the defiance. "Herrera—"

"I said no," Andy interrupted, her voice cutting through the chaos. "I'm not letting put my team at risky. If you want to get yourself and your team killed because of your ego it's your call but you are not taking my team down with you. "

Before Elena could say anything Andy pressed her radio. " 19 we are moving west now the wind is shifting we need to move now or we will be on the path of the fire. "

As Andy and the rest of the team stated to move the FDNY firefighters held their positions. As Maya and Andy predicted the flames started to shift making the Firefighter run to every direction to scape the flames. Everything quickly turned into a chaos
The flames roared as the wind shifted, sending a wall of fire directly toward the FDNY crew. Chaos erupted. Firefighters scattered, their previous formation dissolving into pure survival mode.

Maya grabbed Andy’s arm. “We have to go back for them!”

Andy hesitated, her eyes darting to the FDNY crew—including Elena—who were now scrambling to escape the fire’s path.

Maya didn’t wait for an answer. She grabbed her radio. “This is Lt. Bishop from Seattle Fire! We have multiple firefighters trapped—requesting an aerial drop and immediate extraction team on our location!”

The heat intensified, the smoke growing thicker. Andy clenched her fists before finally cursing under her breath. “Damn it.” She turned to her team. “Sullivan, Hughes, Gibson—secure a path out! Bishop, Montgomery, Vasquez, with me! We’re getting them out of there!”

Maya and Andy sprinted back toward the burning zone, weaving through burning wood and choking smoke.

Elena was dragging a firefighter who had collapsed from exhaustion. Her eyes widened as she saw Andy running toward her.

“Andrea get out of here!” Elena shouted, coughing violently.

Andy ignored her, grabbing the fallen firefighter and hauling them up. “Come on, we’re getting out of here.”

Maya helped another FDNY firefighter to their feet while yelling into her radio. “Where’s that damn aerial drop? We’re getting cooked out here!”

“Five minutes out,” the dispatcher responded.

“We don’t have five minutes!”

Andy turned to Elena. “Move, now!”

For a moment, something flickered in Elena’s eyes—pride, regret, something Andy didn’t have time to process.

Together, they pushed forward, dragging the injured firefighters toward safety as the flames chased them.

Maya caught sight of Jack, his face streaked with soot, struggling with another firefighter. “Jack!” she called, rushing to help.

“We’re not gonna make it!” someone screamed.

Andy’s jaw tightened. “Yes, we are! Keep moving!”

A sudden explosion rocked the ground beneath them as a oxigen tank ignited, sending a blast of heat through the air. Andy was thrown backward, hitting ta three hard.

“Andy!” Maya’s voice was sharp with panic.

Andy groaned, blinking up at the sky. Her ears rang, her vision swimming.

Maya was suddenly there, gripping her shoulders. “Hey, hey—stay with me.”

Andy coughed, shaking her head. “I’m good.”

Maya didn’t look convinced but pulled Andy to her feet. “We’re almost out. Let’s go.”

The smoke was suffocating, but finally, finally, the aerial drop finally arrived. Andy yelled. " Everyone get down!"

As they laid on the ground the airdrop dropped water enough to put the flames that were imeditaly surrounding them down. Andy was the fist one to get up. " 19 we need more water ! Everyone move behind me. "

Andy and her team was able to move everyone to a safe zone but the flames were still burning right. " Let's keep attacking this flames if we stop we loose control. Dispach Leuitenent Herrera with Seattle Fire we need reinforcement and an extra engine ate out location. "

Hours later the Fire at their section was finally under control as the adrenaline wore of Andy stated to feel the pain all over her body. Maya put her arm over her shoulder. " Herrera let me get to the medical tend. You need to get checked by and actual doctor. "

Andy shook her head, her eyes still locked on the burning landscape. “I’m fine. We still have hot spots flaring up. I’m not leaving until this fire’s out.”

Maya’s jaw tightened. “Andy, I won't be telling your fiance you died because you were to stubborn to get checked. "

Andy rolled her eyes. " Fine I will go. Don't need to be so dramatic. "

At the Medical Tend

Andy sat down at the nearest bay and soon a doctor walked towards her. She couldn't believe who was in front of her. Meredith's ex husband Derek Shepherd on the flash.