SHE | alex karev

chapter sixty six

"That's the Chief," she said, hooking her pager back onto the waistband of her scrub pants and backing towards the door. "Somebody better make a coffee run. You all look like hell."

Once Bailey was gone, George stood up. "I gotta be in surgery in ten minutes. Uhm... Billie, will you let me know if..."

"Yeah," the woman in question breathed out, yawning softly but not displaying any emotion other than utter exhaustion.

"We should go too, it's probably gonna be a while," Meredith said after checking her watch. "Billie, you should get some sleep."

"I'll stay here," the brunette retaliated, eyes on the girl on the bed.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Shepherd said she'd wake up in the morning," Alex stated after a second, his voice soon growing angry and impatient. "What did he tell you? Was that all crap? What did he say!"

"He said... it may be a while," Meredith answered gently at an attempt to pacify him, proceeding to leave the room alongside Cristina.

Billie shot a glance in Alex's direction, noticing his pain-stricken eyes not leaving Izzie's absent ones.

"She's gonna wake up," she said, although she wasn't all that sure.

☆

"I brought you some coffee," Billie said as she walked back into Izzie's ICU room holding a carton cup meant for Alex.

However, she froze in her tracks when she noticed him with his chin pressed against her wrist, eyes closed and chanting some words under his breath as if he was praying. Billie knew he wasn't religious, so she was thrown back, but when she was able to discern what he was saying, she felt fresh heartache.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up..." he said repeatedly, hoping to do good to his wife's state.

Billie remained quiet and looked at him sympathetically, proceeding to put down the cup on the bedside table and take her seat back next to Izzie's bed. There, she cocked her head on her fist and stared at the blonde's unconscious self, hearing Alex's voice as background noise in the room.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up..."

Then, a third voice disrupted them. A weak one, hoarse and almost distant, but there.

"I have a headache," she said, and Billie shot to her feet.

For a second, she thought to be dreaming, or hallucinating. Maybe the lack of sleep had caused her brain to distort the picture (and the sounds...?) that lay in front of her leading her to believe that somehow, Izzie had finally woken up.

But there she was. Izzie's eyes were barely open, her body stealthy on the bed and her chapped lips slightly parted as if her mouth was too dry. But she was there, and she had talked. Alex rose up to his feet too and shared a look with Billie, whose eyes were wide and expectant.

"You're up," he said, shocked. "You're up and you're talking."

"Oh, my God..." Billie whispered under her breath, acquiring a small smile on her face at the sight of Alex finally drawing one himself.

"You talked, right?" he asked, as if wanting to make sure he was not dreaming. "Talk!"

"Ow..." Izzie replied, earning an ecstatic laugh from Billie. "I said I have a headache, stop yelling."

"She's up!" The brunette laughed happily, sharing a second look with Alex, whose smile was growing further across his face.

Alex laughed too and looked back, towards the nurses station. "Page Shepherd!"