"I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love" - Robert Tizon
Walking into Seattle Grace Mercy West for her first day interning with her med school Christi Sloan walks in and goes up to the group already forming with some of the other people from her class. She was running late as usual and her professor and Dr. Webber just look at her sternly.
"Sorry, I over slept." She smiles sheepishly.
"Don't let it happen again Miss…"
"Sloan." Christi said.
"Well you're Mark's daughter." He said.
"Yes, sir and I'm really sorry I'm late. I won't let it happen again." She said as all the residents including her father came up.
"You better not." Dr. Webber said.
Mark just looked at her and she gives him her best innocent smile and he just shakes his head.
"Well Miss. Sloan since you made everyone wait for you; you will be shadowing Dr. Alex Karev." He said as Alex stepped forward and she bites her lower lip and nods.
Mark sees and he knows that look all too well and he gives her a fatherly look which makes her roll her eyes and just nod at him.
After all the slots were handed out Mark monitions to Christi to follow him and she does into an on-call room.
"Don't even think about it Christina Jasmine Sloan. You're here to learn and not to get a screw or a boyfriend."
"Seriously dad! Dad I'm twenty four. I can make my own decisions on what goes on in my life."
"I may not have been there your whole life, but I'm still your father! You don't have to do what I say, but we Sloan's are prideful. Don't sleep around. Trust me, it's not a good idea."
"Of course you'd know all about that."
He gives a frustrated sigh and says, "Get to work."
"Fine." She says and walks out and nearly right into Alex.
"Sorry. Dr. Karev."
"Please call me Alex."
"Okay and it's Christi I don't answer to Christina unless it's my dad or my mom."
"Okay." He said as they headed up to Pediatrics and her eyes light up. She was going to school to be a Pediatric doctor there at Seattle Grace. She loved working with kids and just being around them.
"Let me guess your favorite?"
"My all time. I love kids and I love working with them. I'm going to school for Pediatrics." She said.
"That's good you should love what you do. I do a few pediatric surgeries with Dr. Arizona Robbins from time to time but I'm not sure on where I should go. I'm at the cross roads for the moment."
"Well from what I've heard you're amazing with kids and really know what you're doing if you want my personal opinion I would go with pediatric surgeries." She said as they head into one of the patients rooms so that he could check her over.
"Well I like the kids." He said as they walked in.
"ALEX!" she squeals.
"Hey there Sophia how are you feeling?"
"I feel a lot better! My side don't hurt anymore!"
"That's great. I just have to check your stitches. I just have to make sure you're not getting an infection." He said.
"Okay!" she said then she spots Christi.
"Who's she?"
"She is a friend of mine. Her name is Christi and she's here to learn how to be a doctor."
"Cool!" Sophia said as Alex motioned Christi over.
"Tell me what you see." He said.
She gives him a playful look then says, "Some slight swelling but that's normal. Some redness which should be kept an eye on to make sure that there is no infection and some slight bleeding from the incision site which is also normal but it should also be kept an eye on as well to make sure that the bleeding doesn't exceed." She said.
"Very good." He said.
She smiles and nods.
After they finish up they head out and they finish up his rounds then they head down to a café by the hospital for lunch.
They sit and talk and Alex tries to get Christi to open up.
"Well what do you want to know?" she asks.
"Anything."
"Well I grew up in a bad part of Miami-Dade. I got into a gang by the time I was sixteen. I was involved in everything the gang did, well minus what the guys did. I was dating the head of gang but when I got arrested I realized that I wasn't going to graduate I got my ass into gear. My dad got my files sealed so that they can't be accessed what's so ever and then he got custody of me and made sure I stayed out of trouble and then my ex from the gang came into the picture and my rebellion came out again and then my dad shipped me off to some all girls boarding school until I went to college and he was originally making me pay for it but when I declared my major at the end of my freshman year he started paying for my college and now med school."
"Wow that sounds rough."
"Yea it was and he doesn't seem to give a shit. He knows nothing of my life he just sees me as a burden. I'm working my ass off to please him yet all he says about me is that I'm rebellious and don't listen to authority and I do whatever the hell I want." She said as she felt the tears build up in her eyes she didn't know why she was confessing this all to someone she just met but she felt she could trust him.
"And you're working your ass off to please him and make him proud of you and to see that you can accomplish something in your life?" Alex asks.
"Yea. How'd you know?"
"I have a long history of family problems, starting when I was a young kid. My mother had a mental problem and my father was never there to take care of us. My father often beat me and my mother, until one day, I beat my father up so much that he never came back. I have a younger brother, Aaron, and a younger sister, Amber, and we were all placed in foster care for 5 years when things got rough back home. Aaron and Amber only had a few foster families; I went through 17 foster families in 5 years before I was reunited with my siblings." He said.
"Oh wow. I guess the both of us had it hard growing up." She smiles.
"Yea tell me about it." He said.
She smiles and they sit there and start talking…well more like flirting and he has her laughing and smiling the entire time. By the time they finish lunch Mark and Lexi are walking in for their lunch hour.
Mark sees and he growls and Lexi steps in front of him and puts her hand in the middle of his chest.
"Mark, calm down. They're just doing a little helpless flirting that's all. It's nothing serious." Lexi said.
"Lexi how do you expect me to calm down? He sleeps around."
"He's changed since Izzy. He's not the same person. He changed like you did."
"Okay and flirting will lead to more and she doesn't need distractions and to make the same mistakes I did in med school." He said unknowing that Christi was right behind him.
"So I'm a mistake is that it? I've been working my ass off just to please you but I see that will never work." She says deeply hurt and walks out of the café and back toward the hospital. Alex drops a few twenties on the table and tells the waitress to keep the change and then he goes after Christi.
"Christi wait up!" Alex yells running after her.
"Alex leave me alone. Please." She begs with tears pouring down her face as the skies open up and a torrential downpour starts.
"Christi listen, you don't need his opinion. You just need yours. Now are you proud of yourself for getting yourself out of that shitty life?"
"Yea."
"Are you proud for getting this far in your medical studies?"
"Yea."
"Then you don't need anyone else's opinion but yours on this."
She smiles a bit and nods. She wasn't expecting what happened next but Alex gently grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him and kissed her. She doesn't respond to the kiss at first then she falls right into it wrapping her arms around his neck as he tightens his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him.
Once the need for air comes they pull back breathless.
"Wow." She said breathless and smiling.
"Yea." He said smiling as well.
"That was umm…nice."
"It was. How about I take you out tonight to a club and dinner or whatever you want."
"How about dinner and a movie?" she asks.
"That sounds good what movie do you want to see?" he asks as they head over to his car.
"How about The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock?"
"Sure that's fine."
"You'd be willing to go and see a chick flick?"
"Yea, I mean the old me would have out right refused but I changed myself and made myself a better person so that's fine with me if we see it." He says.
She smiles and kisses him quickly before they get into his car. XXXXXX
"Mark that was uncalled for. You know how hard she's working to get you approval and praise and for you to be proud of her. All you say nonstop about Christi is that she's rebellious and don't listen to authority and she does whatever the hell she wants and that really upsets her. Tell me something Mark how much were you in her life as she grew up? And be honest with me."
"I care for her just as much as I care about Sloane. I was in her life enough, she should be grateful I took her away from the streets, for Christ's sakes!"
"She is grateful! And exactly. She came out here to see you. You never went to where she was. You have no idea of how hard her home life was. Her mom is a drug addict. She had to join the gang to get away from home and to feel like she belonged somewhere. I think you need to go out to where she grew up and went to school. And once you see how shitty the area is you'll have a different look on why she's the way she is. And whether you want to admit it or not you favor Sloane."
"She never told me that."
"Exactly. All she craves from you is you being proud of her but instead you bring her down. She's not going to excel unless she knows you're proud of her. That's all she wants Mark."
Mark just sighs as they get lunch the head back to the hospital. XXXX
Walking into the lobby Mark sees a very pissed off looking Veronica Sanchez looking pissed as hell. Veronica was Christi's best friend from the all girls school he had sent her to. They had been close and reminded close.
"How stupid could you be! Saying that! To about her! She's not going to get pregnant before she finishes med school. I can't believe you actually said that!" Veronica said.
"Who are you to tell me about my parenting skills? You're just my daughter's friend!"
"Is that all I am?" Veronica asks, "Is it, because I know I mean a lot more to her than anyone ever could. If you hadn't noticed, I've been keeping her up since we were sixteen. I've been the one helping her out with sanity. Lately, though, I haven't been able to because she's here for Med. School and I'm at Columbia, remember? The one you won't let her go to because it's so far away and you can't keep an eye on her! You went to it yourself, you know it's better than Seattle! So why don't you let her be happy for once, and maybe she'll be better."
"I need to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't fuck up her future. She's rebellious, doesn't listen to authority and does whatever the fuck she wants to. She needs me to keep her ass in line and to keep her from screwing every guy she comes across. She's just doing this to get back at me for not being there as much as she wanted me to but I was here working to pay the god damn child support so I couldn't take a lot of time off to go and see her."
"Oh you know damn straight that's all a lie! She grew up in the fucking slum part of Miami-Dade! There was a drive by every five minutes. Her mom is a drug addict. Took her money she saved up for college and spent it on drugs. Then she goes to you after she had the run in and she works her ass off to make you happy and all you do is talk shit about her! You just really want her to be here to that you can keep her under lock and key. You just hate the fact that she's trying to get away from you. Well news flash as soon as she get away from this hell hole she's gone and coming to New York."
"Well she can do whatever the hell she wants after medical school." he growls.
"So you just won't care about her anymore?" Veronica snapped.
"Of course I will, but I can't keep her under my roof forever. I can now because I'm paying for her schooling, but afterwards, I have no right."
"You have no right now! She's over eighteen, she's over twenty-one, even! She's actually trying to do something with her life instead of... Sloane."
"I know it took you so much restraint to not say something meaner," Mark smirked.
"Damn right it did! She called me a meaner version of 'Cheap floosie' the last time I saw her! At least I can respect people."
"Look, this isn't about Sloane and you know it." Mark changed the subject.
"Oh, God," Veronica laughed, about to end the conversation, "You're such an asshole."
Then she walked off, leaving Mark to fume.
She went and found Christi and Alex just finishing up checking up on a patient with Jackson and she accidently walks right into Jackson.
"Oh god I'm sorry. Are you okay?"
"Yea I'm fine. What about you?"
"I'm fine. But I advise you not to go near Sloan because right now he's fuming at a ear bashing I just gave him about his shitty parenting skills with Christi."
"Oh god Ronnie what the hell did you say? And please tell me you behaved yourself. I can't afford to lose this internship or I'm majorly screwed and then I'll be stuck with him for God knows how long!" she groans as Alex puts a hand on the small of her back worried.
"You're not gonna lose your God damn internship! If anything, McBastard is gonna call Mass. Gen and Cleveland and Hopkins and all those really good hospitals that I keep getting internship offers to, and tell them I'm, no good! What the hell did you do, Christi? You're the one we all defend, and now I'll have to work at Seattle Grace!" Veronica scoffed and Richard Webber came up.
"You think it's no good here?" he asked.
"You guys are number twelve in teaching hospitals, while these good ones, are one, two, three, four. Twelve, Doctor Webber. I would rather learn."
Then she walked off. Jackson, Alex and Christi were staring wide-eyed.
"Some fricking nerve." Alex muttered.
"She called my dad a bastard."
"A McBastard," Jackson corrected.
"He can be a total ass," Alex shrugged.
"Get back to work!" Richard snapped, "Work!"
They all quickly disperse Christi is still in shock.
"She called him a McBastard. I don't think anyone has ever had the balls to say to his face. Ever. I've only ever called him a mother fucker and bastard. Man this is something for the history books. Damn." Christi says smiling as Veronica came up to her.
"Okay what the hell did you do?"
"I did nothing. This all because of this morning. He gave the "you're here to learn and not to get a screw or boyfriend" talk. Again when all found out who were going to be shadowing after. Dr. Webber said I was with Alex. I told him off saying I could do whatever the hell I wanted to with my life and that he couldn't tell me who I let and don't let into my life. Then we went down for lunch, Alex and I, we had lunch and sat there talking and getting to know each other and then as we were finishing up my dad and Lexi walk in. Apparently he was getting his dick in a twist and I was going to go and see what was bugging the shit outta him and I was waiting for Lexi to shut him up just as I was about to say something I heard him say that he was only keeping me here so that he can watch me and not make the same mistakes he did in med school." She said putting emphasis on mistakes and she also pointed to herself.
Veronica just looked at her like she had grown three heads.
"He didn't!" she asks wide eyed.
"McBastard did."
"Damn." Veronica said.
"Yea and now I have to go home and face him. At least here I can avoid him easily."
"yea. Well we finish up in a few hours. How about you come over to my place and we have a girls night. Junk food and movies all night."
"Actually I already have plans." She says as Alex makes it obvious by putting his hand on the small of her back.
She looks at him with sad eyes, "You stole my best friend." She laughs weakly, "You stole her from me, you... Bad person..."
"Okay, don't make a scene." Christi said quickly. Veronica glared at her playfully.
"I'm not making a scene. I guess I'll just go to my hotel and go online shopping like any normal friend of yours would."
"You don't have money to do that, remember." Christi warned.
"Oh yeah," Veronica muttered. Then Jackson came up again.
"Hey, Veronica," he addressed her, "Wanna go out for a movie later, or something?"
"Uhh, well, since I don't have money or available friends, sure." she smiled. Then Jackson left.
"I think he just saved your day." Christi laughed. Veronica rolled her eyes and walked off. XXXXX
Later that night Christi was getting ready for date with Alex. She was straightening her hair and doing her makeup. She was wearing jeans and a black satin halter top with strappy silver heels. After the shift they had agreed to make it a double date with Jackson and Veronica.
She was just finishing her hair when Mark comes in.
"Where are you going?"
"Out on a double date. And tomorrow Veronica and I are going apartment hunting since I'm trapped here for the next three years. I as might as well make the best of it and be living somewhere where I don't have to answer to you of where I am going, doing or when I am going to be home." She said.
"Like hell you are."
"Like hell I am." She said as someone rang the bell and Christi went to get it as it was Veronica picking her up as they agreed to meet the guys at the restaurant before the movie.
She grabs her jacket and bag.
"Hey Ronnie let's go." She said as they headed out.
They meet up at Cara Bella and they guys jaws just hit the ground at how the girls were dressed.
"We guess that you approve?" Veronica asks.
"Yea." Alex answers for the both of them.
Veronica was wearing jean shorts that go to her waist with a blank tank top and a red blazer jacket with tank top was tucked into the shorts and she was also wearing clunky black ankle heels.
They head inside and get seated and they order their drinks. Christi gets a Mojito to drink, Veronica gets a Screwdriver while the guys get a beer.
"So how did McBastard take it that you were going with Alex?" Jackson asks.
"He doesn't know. He doesn't need to know of who I'm going out on a date with. It's none of his damn business. He was early around when I was growing up then when I was sixteen he shipped me off to some all girls school in Yakima." Christi said.
"and that's how you two met?" Alex confirms.
"Yea." They girls said in unison.
"So what did you do to get into that school, Ronnie?" Jackson asks.
"I got my dad arrested."
"What?" Jackson asked immediately.
"Well, I was going out with this guy, and he got me pregnant. And like, it wasn't on accident. I stopped taking my birth control so I could get pregnant and stay with him. So, I was hanging at his house after he already knew and agreed to help, and I hadn't told anyone else yet except for him and his friends. But I was with him and his friends at his house smoking, and we saw my dad's car pull up, so we ran. My dad followed us all the way to Alaska, where we lived in hiding for twelve weeks. We decided to go out one day when we thought it was safe. And as I was picking up a refry off the ground, I heard a crash. I saw my boyfriend lying dead in the middle of the street and my dad in the car. I miscarried the baby and got my dad arrested for manslaughter."
"Oh God," Jackson said, the asked, "What's a refry?"
"It's a cigarette someone already smoked but there's still something besides the filter left."
"You smoke those?" Alex asked.
"They're good cigarettes, and we didn't have money to buy any." she shrugged, "I still take them, no matter what. It saves my wallet."
"Do you smoke?" Alex turns to Christi, "Or did you used to?"
"I used to. I did it to get back at my parents. But once my dad got custody of me he cut me off cold turkey. Which resulted in him getting a black eye."
"You hit your dad!" Alex asked.
"I was sixteen and he cut me off cold turkey and he said something to me while I was PMSing and going through withdrawal and punched him. Then my ex showed up to make things worse which ended me up in Y.G.A aka Yakima Girls Academy." Christi said.
"Wait isn't that the strictest girls academy in the continental US?" Alex asks.
"Yup." Christi said.
"And Christi and I were "labeled" as "problem" children so they roomed us together in the dorms for all the other "problem" children." Veronica said.
"And we've been best friends ever since. They cut Ronnie off cold turkey to so we helped keep each other sane while being in a hell hole school."
"That's good that you had each other and besides smoking is a disgusting habit." Alex said.
"Med students. We know!" the girls giggle.
The boys laugh and roll their eyes.
After they finish dinner they head over to the theater and the guys buy the tickets and popcorn and soda.
They head into the theater and find seats and they get comfortable.
After a while the movie starts. Alex had his arm around Christi's shoulders and Jackson was holding Ronnie's hand with the fingers interlocked.
Christi lies her head on Alex's shoulder. He smiles and kisses the tops of her head and holds her close. She looks up and smiles at him and kisses him quickly.
By the time the movie ends the girls are in tears. Alex smiles as he came prepared and reached into his jacket pocket and handed a few tissues to the girls.
They thanked him quietly and wiped the tears off their faces.
"Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely" - Land Before Time.
A/N: PLEASE be nice as this is my FIRST Grey's Anatomy story please be nice! thanks!