AN: This is the first time I've attempted anything like this, so please review and let me know what you thought of it! Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Alone
He's been alone most of his life—even when he was married, he never stopped being alone—so why, after he meets her, does he feel his loneliness even more acutely than usual?
Blue
Considering both of their past relationships—one divorced, the other entangled in too many on-again, off-again relationships to count—it's surprising that they've made it to marriage, but even more surprising is his neurotic bride-to-be has forgone the traditional white dress in favor of a light blue that highlights her eyes and brings a tear to his.
Cry
She hasn't been an intern for years, and yet a cruel off-hand comment from him still sends her to the supply closet in tears.
Disease
He's diagnosed and fought against diseases for years, and while he may be the best damn doctor in the city, the one illness he'd thought he'd been inoculated against proved to be his downfall—love, the catchiest infection of all.
Even
She taps him on the shoulder, interrupting him as he's leading rounds, and as he spins around, an angry rant at the ready, she cuts him off with a passionate kiss, then saunters away, tossing a, "Now we're even," over her shoulder.
Fire
The fire in the wing of the hospital where her office is located is quickly extinguished, and though the staff is informed that no one was injured, he doesn't rest until he tracks her down and makes sure she is unharmed.
Gentlemen
No matter what anyone (especially JD) says, she wouldn't be with anyone who treats her like crap, and she rubs it in his face that he's a perfect gentleman to her.
Him
Carla is the only person she's confided in, and when they're at the hospital, they call her new beau simply and enigmatically, "him."
If
As he twines his fingers through her long blonde locks, he can't help but wonder how his life would have been changed if only he'd met her years ago, but he has to grudgingly admit that without the maturity granted to both of them by age, they would most likely have fallen apart.
Jazz
She's never cared for jazz music, but when she discovered it was one of his hidden passions, she listened to as many Louis Armstrong recordings as she could get her hands on.
Kleenex
He finds her, curled up in her favorite supply closet on the third floor, mascara running down her cheeks and soggy Kleenex littering the floor; without saying a word he shuts the door, leaving her to grieve the loss of her patient in private.
Loss
While others at the hospital rib him after the Steelers' defeat, she knows he takes the loss of his favorite team seriously, and brings him pizza and beer (his favorite meal) for dinner, then proceeds to thoroughly distract him from any negative thoughts about the game.
Moon
When she gets stressed, she retreats to the easternmost stairwell—it's often deserted, and it affords her a perfect view of the moon, hanging full and bright over the bustling city, and for a few moments, she is at peace.
Never
He never thought he'd fall in love again, and he certainly never expected it would be with a leggy blonde ten years his junior, but for some reason, the things he'd never expected have turned out to be the best things that had ever happened to him.
Open
He can read her like an open book, and she doesn't know whether she loves that or hates that about him.
Plead
She begs him to stop, but her pleas fall on deaf ears as he continues to destroy the home they had been beginning to construct together in an alcohol-and-grief induced rage.
Quiet
The night after their most recent fight, the house seems too quiet, and he realizes for the first time that he needs to change his behavior if he doesn't want to screw up his life even more than he already has.
Rest
He has a tendency to overwork himself to the point of exhaustion, and when he finally pushes himself too far, she's there to enforce bed rest until he's recovered enough to start the self-destructive cycle once more.
Smile
He's consistently amazed by the power her smile has to brighten up even his darkest days.
Travel
She never complains about the time it takes to travel from his apartment back to her house to get ready for work in the morning, which is why his suggestion that she just "move in already" is a perfect anniversary present.
Union
Theirs is not a perfect union by far, but they work through their problems as best as they can, and that's all they can do.
Violent
She's seen firsthand how violent he can be, and while he's never brought that aggression into their home, a tiny, treacherous voice inside her hear wonders how long that will last.
Winter
He'd overheard her reminiscing about childhood white Christmases in Connecticut, and now that he's chief of medicine, he takes a week off and flies them both to the East coast for the holidays.
Yoga
Although he often complains that "yoga is for hippies and new-agey freaks," he secretly loves watching her stretch and bend, and he shuts right up when she shows off her flexibility.