What are we without her but nameless entities?
It's amazing how the existence of one person, simply his or her mere presence in our lives, can characterize who we are… How we define ourselves.
Consequently, losses are difficult to handle; they leave a vacant space in our souls, a dearth of vigor in our spirits. We often deem these losses as unbearable, acknowledging that life as we know it, that the people we are, will never be the same.
But what if the people we identify ourselves in relationship to… never existed? Would we feel the loss? Be able to tell that we're missing out on something? Would the lack of their presence take a toll on us?
Or would we never know?
What are we without her but nameless entities?
Without Addison Montgomery, Derek Shepherd might not be an ex-husband. He might not have gotten married or- if he had tied the knot- gotten divorced. But more importantly, he might not have been a doctor. Because in the end, when he labored over his own medical exams and struggled up through the ranks, it was because she was behind him, the backbone of his support system, the force driving him onward and upward.
Without Addison Montgomery, Meredith Grey might not have been a dirty mistress. Maybe her life would have been just as screwed up as it currently was, but would it have been satisfying? Sure, the one she had could be better- she'd been raked through the coals over the past year- but she had friends who had united behind her, an increasingly developing backbone, and…well… him.
Without Addison Montgomery, Mark Sloan might not have seemingly backstabbed his best friend. And if he hadn't, would he have ever known the traces of commitment like the ones he'd experienced with her… the ones that could prove so tantalizing? Would he have ever known the humility that comes with the conception of life… and the agony of the loss of it? Would he know that there were so many things that he didn't know?
Without Addison Montgomery, Alex Karev might never have been a good doctor. She'd taught him a great number of methods and procedures, ones potentially invaluable to his future. But more important were the lessons she'd taught him inadvertently… by simply being her, by being a woman he couldn't get out of his mind, by being a woman who possessed all of the remarkable qualities that scared him to death. Would he have ever tapped into his sense of compassion, or would he be unforgiving and made of stone? Would he go the extra mile or would he bail when needed the most? Would he have the determination to save lives or would he let others, like himself, simply slip away?
They were scenarios that none ever wanted to know… and, fortunately, because she'd been in their lives, they'd never have to face. They couldn't undo the effect she'd had on them; it was irreversible.
And, similarly, she'd never be able to escape the effect they'd each had on her, no matter how far… no matter how long… she tried to run away.
Fin
If you got this far, thanks for reading. I have absolutely no idea where this came from (and no, I haven't been watching It's a Wonderful Life), but... here it is.
Like all random ideas that go through my head, this one had to come out. I find it cathartic.
So... umm... okay. Thanks!