Rumours
Fandom: Grey's Anatomy.
Pairing: Addison/Izzie.
Rating: G.
Words: 1323.
Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine.

Rumours travel rather quickly – gossip magazines are proof of (and with their widespread circulation, may actually even be the cause of) this. Of course, the sort of gossip you get from the magazines – maybe the Enquirer you picked up during lunch – isn't comparable to real life; not really, anyway, because nobody knows celebrities. Or you don't, anyway, and that's what matters. Rumours are always more interesting when you know the person it's about, when you've had some form of human contact or interaction with the person it's about. And maybe that's why hospital gossip at Seattle Grace seems to travel quicker than usual, or what you think is usual from what you hear from your friends who have jobs with normal hours.

This, however, gives the false impression that one has to read gossip magazines in order to understand just how quickly rumours can travel, and just how much of an effect rumours can have on your impression of a certain person. In truth, rumours travel quickly and have a large effect (no matter how much they're kept under wraps) no matter where you are or who you are: in schools, at the workplace, whether you're a lowly staff member or a high-powered boss… Really, there was just no way of escaping rumours. Even when you think you're done with it – gone are the days of high school, when the fear of gossip (the bad kind, of course) hung over your head every day – you find out that you really aren't.

But you're digressing; back to the rumours.

One day while reading through your patient's case file at the nurses' station, you overhear one of the nurses saying something involving Isobel Stevens. Your interest is piqued for a minute, before your pager goes off and with a glance downward to check what the problem is, you rush off the operating room where you are needed. When you return about an hour or two later, this time with another case file, you hand it to Olivia and she puts it away for you. You've already forgotten the little nugget of information you kind-of-sort-of-maybe-not-really heard about Dr. Stevens earlier in the day, but it immediately pops back in your mind when a few of Bailey's interns – Meredith and George – walk by, discussing that exact subject, which George is claiming to be untrue because Izzie hasn't told him of anything relating to that.

Apparently, Dr. Stevens is dating.

You're not sure whether or not to be amused by this little piece of gossip that's fallen into your lap; the fact that she's dating certainly isn't surprising. It's been months since Denny Duquette died, and from what you've heard she's ready to move on. A girl can only cry over a guy for so long before she's ready to find someone else, even if Denny Duquette would always have a place in her heart. You stall for time, asking Olivia for another case file as Dr. Grey and Dr. O'Malley stop as they, too, reach the nurses' station. You're still wondering what else you can get out of these two unsuspecting interns, and they haven't stopped talking yet. You doubt they will, because they hardly seem to notice your presence.

Ah. That was the pith of the rumour, the juicy part of it all: Dr. Stevens is dating a woman.

Supposedly a red-haired woman.

Your brow quirks, and you can't help but grin. You can only fathom who finds out about these things and then decides to circulate them around the hospital. But before you can ponder too long on this, your pager goes off again. Suppressing a sigh (it's only noon, and you've already had a long day), you return the case file to Olivia before leaving – it's back to the O.R. for you – and you're already too far gone to notice the sideways glances and odd faces that Meredith, George, and Olivia give each other in your wake. Who knew your presence actually commanded so much awe?

When you return yet again with yet another case file in hand, this time three or four hours later, Isobel Stevens herself is there. You notice that Meredith Grey and George O'Malley are also there, as well as Olivia Harper. The three of them are busy, though; Meredith and George with what you assume is more gossip, and Olivia with what appears to be a difficult patient. They're too engrossed in their own businesses to pay you any heed, and so you slowly make your way towards the nurses' station, stopping right beside Isobel Stevens and placing your case file on the counter.

After a few moments, you allow a smirk as you say, quietly, "So, guess what I heard today?"

"What?" she replies without looking up from her chart, her tone neutral.

"Well," you start, shifting closer because you know no one is watching. You bring your face closer to hers, even though you know she's not going to look up from her writing. She's always been serious about her work, especially when it could be used as a distraction from another distraction – which in this case, was you. "Apparently, you're dating this gorgeous redhead."

"Really?" she states, more a remark than a question, her tone just as disinterested as it had been just a few seconds ago. Though this time, you can see a small smile forming at the corners of her lips. She jots down the last few notes on the file and then closes it, lining it up right next to yours. "I guess I'll have to do something about that rumour, then."

"I guess so," you agree, almost challengingly. You give her a slight nod in acknowledgement before turning away, congratulating yourself on a conversation well done. The other interns and the nurse still don't pay any attention to you, although that may be because Olivia is still dealing with her patient, and Meredith and George are still debating whatever it is that Meredith and George typically debate. "Have a good day, Dr. Stevens."

But before you can take another step, you feel her hand grasp your arm, pulling you back. You turn to face her questioningly, about to ask her what in the world she was doing, when you suddenly find her lips pressed against yours. Your breath escapes you in a whoosh, but before you can begin to return the kiss, she's ended it. She's pink in the face, and you're pretty sure you're some shade of red too.

And although all of this happened in front of a fair number of people, you find that no one noticed what had taken place. Olivia, when you turned to glance her way, was trying to explain – now to the patient's wife – why her husband could not be discharged quite yet (or something along those lines; you were putting words into her mouth, but they were words based on years of experience), and Meredith and George were still conversing (deeply, you assumed, because you would not have missed a kiss like that).

Izzie seems to have noticed all the same things that you have and jokes, "Do I get points for trying?"

You smile at her. You know that someone is bound to have seen something of the past few minutes – maybe not Meredith, or George, or Olivia… but maybe a patient, or someone else altogether. And even if no one saw it, you're okay with that. You don't need this to be public, and you don't need this to be private. Either way, you're fine with the outcome, because this is what it is. So why stress about it? You can let rumours be rumours for a while more. You squeeze her hand once, then go on your final rounds, hoping it won't take long.

Because while you can wait for rumours to turn into known facts, you can't wait for your date tonight with none other than the lovely Dr. Stevens.