Chapter Two: Normality.
Water droplets slid forlornly down the steam covered mirror as Sam stepped out of the shower and made his way to the sink. The coolness of the glass cut through his warm skin as he used his hand to wipe away the condensation. He exhaled deeply as he saw his own tired reflection staring back at him. He puffed out his cheeks before turning on the tap and picking up his toothbrush. He had planned on taking the rest of the week off and spending time with Addison, maybe taking her away for a few days but Charlotte had called him and asked him to cover some surgeries for her that afternoon – the on-call cardiologist had phoned in sick and she couldn't get anyone else at such short notice. She had sounded genuinely apologetic on the phone, they had only landed the night before and she knew he was tired but she really needed a favour and, despite their rocky start, Sam really did consider Charlotte King a friend now and so he was willing to help her out.
"You should be in bed" Sam said assertively as he entered Addison's lounge and saw her sitting on the sofa.
"I'm not ill Sam" Addison replied with a clinical coldness in her voice.
"I know," Sam replied coolly, undeterred by Addison's tone "but you haven't had much sleep lately, just thought you'd take the opportunity to catch up on some sleep, that's all."
"I'm not tired" Addison replied, her voice softening as she regretted the tone she had taken. "Where are you going?" she asked in an attempt to change the subject.
"Charlotte asked me to do a couple of surgeries," Sam replied as he headed towards the sofa with a glass of orange juice in his hand "I won't be long" he assured Addison as he sat down beside her.
"Be as long as you need to be" Addison replied with a smile, she just wanted things to get back to normal.
As Addison stepped purposefully off the elevator she felt the familiar surroundings of the office sooth her, here she knew what she was doing, here there were who people needed her; here she was in control.
"Morning" she smiled as she entered the kitchen and headed towards the refrigerator. She felt a lull in the room as she moved towards the cupboard to retrieve a glass, the bustling conversation that had filled the kitchen before she entered came to an abrupt halt and she could feel her colleagues watching her every move.
"Addison," Naomi said in a high pitched voice that was meant to disguise her concern as surprise. "You're back, I….we didn't think…are you?"
"I'm fine Nae," Addison said breezily, pushing her friend's concerns aside.
Naomi, aware that her friend was anything but 'fine' threw a quick look at Sheldon to ascertain what he thought of the situation, the worried look on his face told Naomi that he too had concerns about Addison coming back to work so soon.
"Oh, I might need you for a consult later Violet" Addison said over her shoulder on her way out of the kitchen.
"Sure" Violet smiled, not knowing what else to say.
With a smile Addison exited the kitchen and made her way towards her office.
"I thought she'd agreed not to come back for a few weeks" Pete said as soon as Addison had left the room.
"So did I," Cooper replied "she clearly hasn't dealt with her mother's death…."
"Sam agreed she wasn't coming back for a few weeks," Amelia stated, never afraid to speak her mind "Addison's a grown woman, she knows what she is doing, she just wants to get back to normal."
"Except burying your mother and her lesbian lover within the same week isn't exactly normal" Cooper said with a hint of irony.
Amelia, feeling compelled to stick up for Addison, shrugged her shoulders at Cooper's comment and headed for the door "I just think we should let Addison deal with this in her own way" she said before heading to her own office.
"The problem there being that Addison doesn't 'deal' with anything" Naomi said to no one in particular but knowing that the rest of the room probably shared her opinion.
"Not having the tools to cope with a crisis like this can often make people inclined to try to ignore it ever happened" Sheldon offered.
"Ignoring," Pete stated "now that is something Addison does well"
Everyone nodded at Pete's comment, knowing that he was talking from experience.
"I'll talk to her," Charlotte said in a matter of fact way. Her words drew looks of confusion and uncertainty from the rest of the people in the room "I'm not the totally cold hearted ice queen you think I am," she said with that unmistakable Charlotte King sarcasm "plus, I've been through a few things myself, think I can relate to where she's coming from"
Charlotte's assured words signalled the end of the conversation and as she left the room the others followed, fragmenting in order to go about their daily business. Naomi made a mental note to call Sam and tell him what was going on as she was pretty sure he was unaware of Addison's whereabouts.