"Hey, Joe, how's it going?"
"Oh, hey, Alex, it's been a slow night. Bar's been almost empty since we opened. You look a little more troubled then usually, buddy. What's going on now?"
"You know Olivia…that spunky, red-headed nurse that comes in here a lot? Well, she wrote a blog about her "relationship" with George and me. It was a total blow, man. I mean, I'm not a totally bad guy, am I?"
"No, man, you have one of the most caring hearts in that place. You just have to show it more often so more people can know that."
"I know, but people like me deserve a little break once in awhile, you know. Do you know how much stress is put on you in this field? You have these tests to pass and surgeries to memorize. One mistake could kill someone. Boom! Just like that…you're career could be over. I don't handle stress well. I'm supposed to be Alex, the cool hearted. People expect me to be laid back, relaxed. That expectation creates even more stress, you know? So, I do that one that can take my mind off of it all in a hurry, I "go out" with girls. I know that it's wrong. Although I would never admit it to anyone but you, Joe, I really am looking for a monogamous relationship. I want to find that one. Then, there are the girls you absolutely fall for that aren't able to give their full heart to you."
"Izzie?"
"Yeah. I fell hard for that one, but she loved Denny. I can't blame her for that. In all honesty, as much as I refused to show it, I was happy for her. I was happy for her, and it killed me all at the same time. I could tell her heart wasn't there throughout it all, so I found companionship elsewhere. My foolishness kills me, now, but it felt so right then. I want her back so bad, but she isn't over Denny yet. I can't blame her for that either."
At that moment, Izzie walks through the door and heads straight for the bathroom.
"Hey, Joe, I have to get going. She's the one person I don't want to see right now."
"No problem, man. Take it easy."
"You, too."
With that, Alex walks back out into the cold night, only glancing back inside once to see his one true love sitting at the bar with Joe.