Oh crap, thought Izzie. She WAS holding Alex's hand. She WAS sitting at his bedside whispering sweet nothing's in his ear.
But she did not come to see him. She did not come back to him. She wasn't there for him at all.
Isobel Stevens was at Seattle Grace to meet with Callie Torres, one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. Her visit had everything to do with orthopedics and nothing to do with the peds surgeon lying in the hospital bed in front of her.
She stumbled upon the Alex and news of his accident by accident. Overhearing some nurses, rushing to his room, something forcing her to check on him. She told herself she was there anyways, why not check, just make sure he was okay.
Jesus, he wasn't okay and something in her stomach, her heart was not letting her leave his side.
She called Callie to reschedule their meeting. Torres couldn't care less about the meeting but knew Arizona needed to know about Alex. Yes, Dr. Karev had turned into her girlfriend's pet project, turned into a damn good peds surgeon, and become a friend. Callie spent many a nights listening to Arizona worry about Dr. "damaged goods."
When Mer and Cristina disowned him for a while, Arizona had filled in. It made Callie love her even more knowing she had such a heart, love to give, to see past all Alex's douchey ways.
Yes, she had to find Arizona.
Alex was waking up again. Not by choice. Better to be asleep, out of it, freakin' pain, freakin' tree. It was all coming back to him.
The dream, vision, nightmare ...Izzie, there in front of him, just like with the shooting. Must be the drugs. Whatever.
Alex opened his eyes.
She was there.
Izzie. Hair longer, a little older, but definitely Izzie.
Damn.
"Iz, what - what- aaahh," Alex couldn't get it out. Chest on fire. Man versus tree, tree won. Tree kicked my ass.
"Alex, sshhhh. Don't try to speak. A tree fell on you."
No shit, he thought before losing consciousness again.
Meredith and Cristina were like a mini tornado coming into the ICU room. Talking about possible treatments, best outcomes, worst outcomes, how to get Alex back to his normal dick ways.
"Izzie? Oh my God, Izzie?" Meredith was embracing her old friend. Happy, well sort of happy to see her but confused.
They hadn't seen each other, talked in such a long time. When a couple breaks up, gets divorced, friends pick a side. Meredith had picked Karev. She liked Izzie, but she loved Alex.
"What's McBoobs doing here?" asked Cristina clearly annoyed with the blond's appearance. Yes, she had picked a side also.
"Cristina!" reprimanded Meredith suppressing a smile.
Arizona rushed in the crowded room looking for Alex, not being able to see his face with all the visitors.
"What the hell happened?" she asked Meredith, Cristina, anyone.
Yang was the most qualified to answer. She ran down the list of injuries, injuries she repaired, hopefully fixed for good. Broken ribs, collapsed lung...he'd recover. Perforated liver and stomach, she'd done her best to repair those. Heart not damaged, at least not by the tree. Now, it was a wait and see situation.
"Prognosis?" asked Arizona concerned for her friend in the bed. He'd wormed his way into her heart and there was no way she was letting him out.
"Peds is badass," he loved to tell her all the while claiming he couldn't stand mini humans. She'd seen him spend too many restless nights by a patient's bedside, too many hours worrying about a patient to know he was full of crap.
"Full recovery. Well, I'm not completely sure yet, but it is Karev. He did survive being shot by a crazed gunman. I'm thinking a tree is not gonna take him out. Meredith, right?"
"Yes, right. Alex will be fine. He just needs to wake up."
"He did wake up. He said my name." Izzie spoke to everyone in the room for the first time.
"And don't you feel special! You thought you'd keep that information to yourself? Unbelievable!" Cristina pushed everyone out of the way to get to Alex.
"It JUST happened before you came in! I have a meeting with Torres, see you before I leave, Mer." Izzie took a breath, back on track. Keep focused on why you're here, orthopedic consult, not for Alex, not to get sucked back in.
He said never come back. I'm respecting his decision, she justified as she walked out of his room. Don't look back. Don't.
She turned back just once to see Alex opening his eyes, and she could hear his voice. She rushed off to her meeting feeling that old familiar tugging on her heart. Just seeing him lying there, hurt, needing her...
No, she told herself. He doesn't need me. Doesn't want me. Go to that damn meeting.
"Mer," Alex whispered seeing her face. Yes, definitely a hallucination of Isobel Stevens.
"You're back." Meredith smiled and rubbed his cheek softly. He's awake, she thought. I can honestly tell Zola that Uncle Alex is getting better.
"Izzie wasn't here..." Alex began.
"She was, Alex. She's here to consult with Callie." He deserved the truth. As much as it hurt, it would have to be the truth.
"Makes se -sense," Alex said closing his eyes. "Whatever."
"She looks like she's put on a few. Heifer," said Cristina shining that light back in his eyes.
"Cow," agreed Meredith.
"Boobs get bigger," strained Alex. "Cool."
"He's gonna be fine," said Cristina tapping him lightly in the head with the little light.
"Since you've decided to take a mini vacation, I've gotta get back down and check on OUR patients," said Arizona kissing Alex on the forehead.
"Oh, crap. Louisa Gonzalez' labs should be back. And, uh, Nicky Stephanapo...polous, whatever, he needs the work up for..." Alex's brain was gaining a little clarity and all the little patients in Pediatrics were also becoming more clear.
"Ssshhhh." Arizona put her hand over Alex's mouth. "I've got this. You relax and get better. I'm going to work your ass off when you come back."
"I like the sound of that," he commented as she left.
Meredith pushed in closer. She could only imagine what he must have felt seeing Izzie after all these years.
"You okay?" she asked with worry written all over her face.
"Uh, no. A tree fell on me."
"You know what I mean. Izzie. Here." Meredith pushed. Getting Alex to talk was something she could do, kinda her specialty.
"Yeah, all good. If she didn't come back for me when I got shot, she sure as hell isn't comin' back cause of a tree. Shoulda known," Alex muttered turning his face away.
Saying the words aloud hurt more than just thinking them.
"It sucks, Alex. I know."
"Whatever. It's crap, but whatever."
Meredith began rubbing Alex's arm and the more she rubbed the worse he felt, like he was going to lose it. Like her comforting him made him more and more emotional, vulnerable. Damn Grey.
"I'm not gonna cry or whine about Izzie. I'm done with that. I'm fine." As Alex said the words, he could feel a little wetness gathering in his eyes.
You have got to be freaking kidding me, he thought. Mer has seen me cry more than any other person on earth. What is it about her that turns me into a damn blabbering baby? Just cut my nuts off now and grow me a vagina in a Petri dish, he thought.
"Can you quit with the freaking rubbing my shoulder already?" Alex snapped trying to hold onto his tough exterior, trying to push the feeling of loss away.
The knowledge that he had pushed Izzie away forever was a thought better left buried with so many more bones of his past. Yes, best not to disturb the graveyard of his history.
"How's Zola? You haven't told her I'm in here, right?" asked Alex changing the subject.
"Of course she knows. Would you rather I let her think you're the asshole who suddenly doesn't show up for dance practice, who missed movie night, who basically abandoned her? Really, Alex?"
"Uh, no. You told her I'm gonna be fine, right?"
"Of course. She knows you have a boo boo. God, she's been a demon seed about seeing you though. She said she wants to kiss your owie and make it better," Meredith said laughing a little.
She wanted Zola to see Uncle Alex. It would do wonders for both of them. Zola could quit fussing and Alex... well, Meredith knew it would help Alex.
"Now, would not be the time for a demon seed and spawn reunion," said Cristina entering the room with some tubing in her hand, smiling but knowing she had a fight ahead of her.
"No way, Yang!" yelled Alex trying to sit up a little but was met with a piercing pain in his chest. "There is no way in hell you are putting me on a feeding tube!"
"You already got the catheter, I figured what's one more tube," Cristina joked knowing it wasn't going to lighten the mood - at all.
"Seriously, Karev. I have to, just until you can hold something down. You need some nutrients. Just a day or two, I promise." Cristina was not backing down. No food for several days was not good.
"One day, that's it! Say it! This is total B.S. Total crap. I won't even get into the other tube you stuck in MY tube!" Alex yelled.
He knew he was on the losing end of a battle, but he didn't want to extend his stay. The more tubes in you, the longer your stay, simple equation, he thought. He had to get back to the little humans counting on him, and he had to see how Jo was doing. He needed to know if Peckwell was alive. If he was pressing charges, probably was, douche bag.
Cristina was already working on getting the tube through Alex's nose and down to his stomach. She would take him for another MRI tomorrow if he couldn't eat anything. No reason to panic YET.
I've got some patients to check on. You okay if I go for a little while?" asked Meredith not wanting to leave Alex in his current state - upset and hurting, not just physical.
"Fine. Go. Just take her with you," he complained looking at Cristina.
"She's helping you keep your girlish figure. How else are you going to continue plowing through interns breaking one heart at a time," teased Meredith hoping to get a little smile.
Silence, met with that Karev scowl.
"I'll be back before I leave for the day," she said heading out.
"Lucky me."
Jo almost ran head on into Meredith.
"Cheer up Mr. Happy, please."
"I'll try," said Jo questioning as she looked in the room.
"Hey, you're awake. I brought a surprise," she said pulling out a jello and spoon from her pocket.
Cristina was still zipping around the room checking the feeding tube, his medications, everything.
"Great surprise...a jiggly, mass of congealed crap. My lucky day. Is that even considered a food?" Alex questioned Cristina.
"Yes, and if you eat it then I'll consider taking this out tomorrow," answered Yang lifting the tubing a little.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Alex, dramatic even for him.
"Ya big baby. Feed him Wilson, then maybe he'll stop whining."
"Bitch."
"Ass."
"Okay, enough. Here, Alex, take a bite. It's good," tempted Jo heading a spoonful of the orange concoction towards Alex's mouth.
"I'm not three," he complained before she shoved it in cutting him off.
He ate the jello. It finally shut him up. It actually tasted good. But two minutes after the last spoon, he was groaning for something to throw up in. Jo barely passed him a small bowl in time.
Now, Cristina thought, time to panic.