She'd been called to the frathouse, early the next day. Izzie had apparently sequestered herself in the bathroom, and in her grief, had categorically refused to leave.
Currently, all the interns, residents and non, were standing outside the door, attempting to coerce her outside.
"Izzie. Izzie come on!" Screamed Alex through the door, to obviously, no response.
George sighed, mumbling, "Okay, she's been in there all night. We have to do something."
The group all agreed, before Charlie noticed all eyes on both her and Mer. Tilting her head curiously, she questioned, "Any particular reason you're all staring at the both of us, and only us? Because I'll be honest, it's a little creepy."
"Well, this is familiar territory to you two." Explained Cris nonchalantly, as though this cleared everything up.
Sharing a confused glance with her blonde person, the girl mumbled, "how?' At the same time as Mer elaborated, "There is nothing familiar about this. Unfamiliar. Denny died. The man she loves died."
Cristina nodded in understanding, before adding, "Yeah, but you're both all dark and twisty inside."
"Dark and twisty? The fuck does that even mean?" Questioned the youngest, eyes narrowed in thought. Mer nodded her agreement, pointing to the girl as though to say, 'yes, what she just said.'
Pointing at Mer, she began, "The mother with the Alzheimers thing, and the father that you don't talk to..."
"The tequila thing, and the inappropriate men thing..." finished Alex, before rounding on the youngest, "And you've basically lost your entire family to tragedy, not to mention the casual sex thing, and the fear of emotions thing.."
"Oh, and the drinking and the sarcasm, don't forget the drinking and the sarcasm." Added Cristina helpfully, causing him to nod in agreement.
Rolling her eyes, Charlie muttered, "What? So just cause we've been through some shit, that makes us the ambassadors of people with shitty lives?"
George stepped closer to her, placing a calm hand on her shoulder, "You are dark and twisty inside Charlie, and now Izzie is dark and twisty inside."
The girl nodded, cracking the joints in her neck, before agreeing solemnly, "yeah, alright. I'll figure something out."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
Thankfully, she didn't have to go to the hospital, since this was her designated day off, along with both Mer and Cris.
The women were in the kitchen, making of all things, sandwiches.
"Why are we making sandwiches again?" Questioned the dark-haired woman.
Charlie took a sip other coffee, pointing at her friend and adding,"how exactly are sandwiches meant to help here?"
The shorter blonde sighed in exasperation, explaining calmly,"It's what you do when someone dies. You cook."
Cris nodded, "Yeah. I know what to do when someone dies. I am a jew. I know food and death. It's Shivah."
Glancing at her, the British girl asked, "Could still be considered Shivah even if she's catholic, cause I don't think god works like that."
"Well Shivah's what I know how to do. So yeah. It's Shivah. And if we're sitting Shivah for Denny, then we should order in cause making sandwiches is not the same as cooking."
"Especially if you're making them Mer, because uh...you're a shit cook." Added Charlie, sending her person a smirk.
The woman rounded on them, stating, "Sandwiches are comfort food."
Raising her brows, Charlie shared a glance with Cristina, who asked abruptly, "What's wrong with you?"
"Everything with me is fine. It's Izzie we're worried about."
Narrowing her eyes, Charlie gasped, pointing at the girl accusingly, "You slept with McDreamy, didn't you? You've got 'guilt-fuck' written all over you, and he's the only one you'd make that expression for."
The older blonde gasped dramatically, denying the statement, "What? No! I didn't..." at her people's knowing looks, she finally conceded," Yeah alright, I lost my panties last night."
Giggling into her cup, the British girl joked, "You insatiable whore..."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
They'd moved from the kitchen to the living room, the youngest having refilled her coffee, as Cristina incredulously asked, "You had sex with Derek in an exam room at the prom?"
"Yes." Confirmed Mer.
Picking up, Charlie continued, amused, "You fucked Derek in an exam room yesterday during the dying girl's prom?"
Narrowing her eyes at her, Meredith nodded, "Yes."
"You and McDreamy did the nasty-nasty?" Continued Cristina, prompting the short blonde to exclaim, "Cristina!"
"I'm not judging." Reassured the dark-haired woman, "I'm just trying to wrap my mind around it. I mean you're with Finn. He's with Addison."
"He's married to Addison." Mumbled Mer, before looking at the youngest pleadingly, "Please tell me you don't hate me right now."
Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head, "Takes two to do the devil's tango Mer. And whilst I would have preferred for both parties to be single during it, seems this shit is kind of unavoidable when it comes to you two, so I'll just stay out of it. But anyway, what did he say?"
"He said 'Meredith, what does this mean?'"
Both listeners scoffed, shaking their heads, as Cris muttered, "Ok, he has sex with you and he's standing there all McGuilty and all he can say for himself is 'what does this mean?' What does this mean?"
Mer shrugged, "I don't know."
Glancing at her, Charlie placed her empty mug on the table, before commenting, "Are you going to go back to Finn? Is Derek leaving Addie?
The woman hesitated, clearly deep in thought, before finishing with, "I don't know."
v^√√v^─√v^√v^─
Later, once the visitors had come and gone, and Izzie had yet to leave her cocoon, Charlie decided that enough was enough.
Letting herself in softly, she laid down beside the woman, and said, "It's not forever."
When Izzie looked at her curiously, she continued, "The pain, the grief? It hurts like a bitch, consumes you from the inside out, makes you feel like dying and following after them, because surely a world they're alive in, is better than one they're not. And sometimes you'll find yourself thinking of them randomly, and it will all come crashing down again, because it doesn't leave."
"How exactly is this supposed to help me?" Mumbled Izzie tiredly.
Charlie chuckled, "You're supposed to let me finish darling. It hurts, but eventually, you learn to live with it. To exist along side it, until finally, one day, it's not all-consuming anymore. Until one day, you decide to live for them, not just with them."
"I don't know how..." she murmured, voice thick with unshed tears.
"Slowly. Minute by minute, until those minutes turn into hours, and then the hours turn into days, and finally those days become months, and eventually, those. Months turn into years." Looking at the woman, she softly stroked her hair, "there's no timeline Izz. You take all the time you need, all the time you want, until breathing is easier. And I'll be here beside you, even if here means laying on your dirty bathroom floor."
Izzie chuckled wetly, before asking in a small voice, "Is this how you did it? After your parents died, and you were....you were raped? Is that how you did it, minute by minute?"
Charlie nodded sadly, continuing her ministrations on the girl's hair, "yeah Izz, that's exactly how I did it. And now, I'm living for them, becoming someone who would have made them proud."
Silence, then, "why are you here? I yelled at you, awful things. I forced you to make a decision you didn't want to make, then blamed you for the consequences."
Slowing down, she slowly rose with her friend in her arms, whispering, "No one should grieve alone. And you, Isobel Stevens, are not alone."
"Minute by minute. Until I'm ready?"
"Yeah Izzie, minute by minute until you're ready."
The former model took a breath, before looking at the young girl, "I'm ready Charlie."
She smiled, slowly helping her shed her dress, and enter the shower, washing her hair carefully, and then finally, when all was said and done, stroking it until she fell asleep.
The way her mother used to do when she was young, before the world had tumbled upon her shoulders.