Hey there. I know I'm a big liar and said that I wasn't gonna add anymore stories but I lied. It was just so good, I had to share. Well, I thought it was good anyway, you might not. Oh well, here's the summary:
Everything is going wrong at Seattle Grace. Cristina is hold up in Meredith's room watching 80's movies on VH1, Izzie is pining over George, George is freaking out over his failure of his medical exam, Alex refuses to admit that he misses Ava, and Meredith may be losing Derek and discovers just how close her sister is to her... and not emotionally. Frankly, they need help. And even Bailey throws in the towel on this one, calling in reinforcements. Will they be able to help the gigantic barrel of problems that assail the new doctors? Or will they have enough problems on their own?
Oooo, enticing.
Happy reading.
DIAGNOSIS
Chapter One: Something About The Pot Calling The Kettle Black
Diagnosis. For surgeons, it's essential. Diagnosis is more important than scalpels or know-how or being cool under pressure. You give a wrong diagnosis, and you have an entirely wrong plan of action. The only problem is, once you have a diagnosis, what if you don't like it?
"Is she okay?" Izzie asked, casting a confused glance up the staircase.
"Absolutely not," Meredith said from the kitchen, putting together a roast beef sandwich. "But she will be." She put the top slice of bread over a layer of lettuce. "I hope," she added uncertainly, taking a big bite.
"Has she been up there since the almost-wedding?" Izzie asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Meredith said, widening her eyes at her roast beef sandwich. "She freaked out at her apartment and then I couldn't leave her there alone, so I drove her over here and she's been in my room ever since." She took another bite off her sandwich. "I've been sleeping on the couch and living off the laundry in the laundry room."
"That's where my bra went," Izzie said, in an 'oh… that makes sense' voice.
"Please," Meredith said, rolling her eyes as she started up another sandwich. "Like I can fit your bras."
"What is it with you, Grey?" Alex asked, eyeing her ever growing pile of sandwiches as Izzie entered the kitchen, sipping her coffee. "Every time someone dies or something, you start making your crappy sandwiches."
"They're not crappy," Meredith said, narrowing her eyes as Alex opened her refrigerator and pulled out a carton of orange juice.
"Oh c'mon, Alex," Izzie cringed as he began drinking straight from the carton. "We have to drink that. You're a doctor for God's sake, you think you'd know proper sanitation rituals."
Alex smirked and then began licking the lid immaturely, slobbering it up.
"Okay, I'm out," Izzie said, shaking her head and exiting the kitchen, heading towards her room.
"So, Casanova," Meredith said, donning her own little smirk. "Did you catch her?"
"What are you talking about?" Alex asked, trying to dodge the subject.
"Oh don't play dumb," Meredith teased as Alex pointedly avoided her gaze. "Ava… did you catch her?"
"Her name is Rebecca," Alex shot back bitterly. "And no, I didn't."
"Oh," Meredith said, taken aback. "Did you look through her records? You can probably find her number or her address or something."
Alex didn't say a thing.
"Oh," she said knowingly. "So we're just ignoring it."
Still nothing.
"Alright," Meredith said, setting a ham and cheese sandwich on a plate. "I'm gonna take this up to Cristina. If you decide to stop living in a state of denial, let me know."
"What was that?" Alex asked with a smug looking smile on his face. "Something about the pot calling the kettle black?"
Meredith turned back to him for a moment, walking backwards towards the stairs with her tongue stuck out at him. As she was halfway turned around to walk forwards, she bumped into Izzie who had returned downstairs.
"Is he done with his licking escapade?" Izzie asked as Meredith regrouped.
"Yeah," Meredith said, nodding as she nudged the sandwich back into the middle of the plate. "Hey, I thought you were going to hang out upstairs."
"Well, I went upstairs to watch the news on the TV in my room only to discover that Cristina has annexed it," Izzie said, walking backwards through the foyer, keeping eye contact as she inched towards the living room. "So I'm going to watch in the living room."
"Oh boy," Meredith sighed, going up the stairs. When she reached her door, she knocked softly. "Cristina?"
No answer, but sounds of the TV could be heard through the door. Meredith decided to go in anyway.
The room as about as depressing as it could possibly be. The blinds on the windows were closed, as well as having a blanket thrown over it, so the room was almost pitch black except for the flickering light from the TV. Crumb-filled plates and empty cups occupied every flat surface except for the floor. And Cristina laid in the middle of the bed, in a sea of haphazard and messy sheets and pillows strewn in random places. Cristina herself looked terrible: she hadn't showered or changed since after she took off the dress, so her hair lay greasy and tangled with bobby pins sticking out in odd directions.
"Hey Mere," Cristina said, sounding nothing like her normal self. She sounded like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown, like she was completely nuts. "Hey Mere, c'mere. Look at this, look at this."
Meredith sighed, setting down Cristina's sandwich on the sole empty counter space on top of her bureau, and sat down on the bed next to Cristina.
"Mere, look," Cristina said, pointing at the screen where "Sixteen Candles" is playing on VH1. "See?" she pointed at the screen during the scene where the senior guy came to the church where Molly Ringwald was and then they get together. "See that? That does not happen. Ever! It's the ultimate piece of crap! Love is a sham. I knew it before, but now it's like… undeniable." She looked up at Meredith. "Love sucks."
"Cristina, you need to eat something," Meredith told her, reaching up and grabbing the sandwich for her. "Here, eat."
"Fine," Cristina said docilely, biting into the sandwich.
"You've been in here for a three straight days," Meredith said to Cristina as she nibbled on her sandwich. "You're going to have to come out sometime."
Cristina ignores me, her eyes fixed on the TV screen.
"Oh god, not you too," Meredith sighed.
"What are you talking about?" Cristina asked.
"I mean everyone here is in a state of denial!" Meredith announced. "Is the truth that bad?"
Cristina looked up and gave Meredith her "duh" look.
"Fine," Meredith sighed, getting up off the bed. "You can stay in your bubble for now. But you'll have to face reality sometime."
Cristina ignored her, and finished off her sandwich as Meredith exited the room.
"Okay you guys!" Meredith shouted once in the foyer, as she pulled her coat out of the coat closet. "I'm leaving! Who wants a ride?"
"Count me in," Izzie says, emerging from the living room. "Just let me put this in the sink."
"Alex?" Meredith asked, pulling her coat on.
"I'm coming," he said from the kitchen, grabbing his jacket as well.
"Hey, is my phone in there?" Meredith asked, searching through her coat pockets. "I can't find it."
"Do you have your pager?" Alex asked.
"Yeah," Meredith said.
"Well that's all you really need," he said. "We'll help you find it later."
"Alright…" Meredith said uncertainly, exiting the front door after Izzie and Alex.
---
"George, just leave it," Callie said as she primped, looking in the mirror. "She'll call back eventually."
"I can't just let her go back into work today not knowing that her half sister is one of the new interns," George said desperately, dialing the number yet again. "I have to warn her."
"But you've called her fifty times," she responded patiently, buttoning up her shirt and stepping into her shoes. "She's obviously not picking up."
"I have to at least try," he said, pressing redial.
"George… here," Callie said, setting down her hair brush and plopping down on the bed, belly first. She took the phone from him gently. "I will tell Meredith about her sister."
"Seriously?" George said, surprised. "You'll talk to Meredith?"
"Yeah," Callie said, smiling. "The two of us have a little rapport going on right now. After all, we were almost-bridesmaids together. Plus I know what the half sister looks like since you pointed her out to me, so I can do any damage control after."
"Alright," George said, relaxing, letting a little relieved smile make it's way onto his face. "You promise?"
"What are we, five?" she joked, propping herself up on her elbows. "Of course I'll tell her."
"Okay," George said, pleased, planting a kiss on Callie's lips. "Thanks."
"No problem," Callie said, rolling off the bed with a grin on her face. "So…" she added, wearing an excited grin, "first day at Mercy West!"
George's stomach suddenly felt like it'd fallen out of his belly and settled down in his toes.
"Uh, yeah," George said, forcing what he hoped was a convincing smile. "Exciting, huh?"
"Yeah!" Callie said, giggling a bit. "I really think you're gonna like it there."
"Yeah, me too," George said, not for a moment letting his face fall like he wanted to.
"What time do you have to be there?" she said, checking the time.
"Oh, uh… eight," George said, thinking on his toes. "Same as you."
"Oh," Callie said, noticing that it was a quarter to eight. "Well, I gotta run, and you should probably do the same pretty soon."
"Oh I know," George said, relieved that she was leaving so he didn't have to keep lying. "I just have to get a few things together and I'll be out the door."
"Okay," Callie said, looking very excited for him as she gave him a hug. "You're gonna do great!"
"Thanks," George said, smiling.
---
Alex, Izzie and Meredith were all standing outside the Chief's office, waiting for him to take them each in, one at a time, for their meetings to discuss their specialty.
"What are you choosing?" Meredith asked, glancing at Izzie, who was leaning up against the wall.
"Cristina's gonna mock me till I die, but I think I'm gonna do Pediatrics," Izzie said thoughtfully.
"Don't listen to Cristina, there's nothing wrong with Pediatrics," Meredith said, good-naturedly rolling her eyes as she leaned up against the wall.
"Yeah…" Izzie said thoughtfully, resting her head on the wall too. "I guess I just want to be able to do something about kids like Hannah. They deserve to know a life that's more than hospital beds and chemo treatments."
Izzie fell silent after that, falling into a reverie. Meredith didn't dare push the issue.
"What about you?" Meredith said, glancing at Alex, who was leaning his back against the wall beside Izzie. "What're you choosing?"
"Uh…" Alex said, not sure whether he wanted to divulge his true choice at the moment, "not entirely sure yet."
"Ah," Meredith nodded. She remained silent for a moment, watching Alex fall into a reverie beside Izzie. "I'm doing Plastics."
"What?!" they both said in unison, jumping away from the wall, as though that was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever heard.
"That certainly got your attention," Meredith said with a little grin.
"Don't scare us like that," Izzie said, putting a hand to her chest as she resumed her spot on the wall. "You could give a girl a heart attack."
Just then a very pretty dark haired girl came down the hall and slowed to a crawl right in front of the Chief's office. She had porcelain skin and delicate features, and small but mysterious eyes.
"Are you guys here for the Chief too?" she asked uncertainly, pointing at the Chief's door. "Sorry, It's my first day and—"
"Say no more," Meredith said with a smile. "Yes this is the Chief's office. We're all waiting to meet with him too, so just stick here."
"Thanks," the brunette said gratefully. "I'm sorry, your name is?"
"Meredith," she said, holding out her hand.
"Lexie," the girl said, shaking her hand firmly. "Nice to meet you."
Suddenly Dr. Bailey emerged from the Chief's office.
"Hey Dr. Bailey," Alex said, pushing himself off the wall. "Just finished a meeting with the Chief?"
"Nope," she said, shaking her head. "I am the Chief now."
No one said a word.
"Well don't look so surprised," she said, affronted, glancing down at her sheet.
---
Callie stood at the nurses station, looking around for Meredith. She knew that George would feel extremely bad if she failed to warn her for him, so she was putting a little extra effort into finding Meredith.
"Hey," Callie said, talking to Burke, who had just shown up. "Have you seen Meredith today?"
"Yeah, actually," Burke said, looking down at the chart in his hand and then up at Callie. "I saw her over by the Chief's office."
"Oh okay," Callie said, hurrying over. "Thanks!"
Just as Callie was approaching the office, she spotted Meredith talking to the sister she didn't know about. She immediately hauled ass over there, trying to prevent her from finding out about her in some shocking way.
"Well don't look so surprised," Bailey said just as Callie arrived.
"Meredith?" she said under her breath. "Can I have a quick word?"
"I'm about to meet with…" Meredith said, like she was trying to steel herself to say the words, "Chief Bailey. Can this wait?"
"Well, Meredith—" Callie started, being cut off by Bailey.
"Grey, I'll meet with you first," Bailey announced, backing into her office.
"Alright," both Lexie and Meredith said at the same time. Both looked at each other shocked.
Callie sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. So much for preventing her from finding out in a shocking way.
Oooo... cliffhanger. Let me know what you think! And most of all... REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Oh and I know that the title doesn't really cover the whole idea of the chapter, but it sounded so cool when I tried it that I had to keep it. :)
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