It is a bitterly cold night in February. Addison is making her way through the maze of corridors at Seattle Grace. Her shift ended over three hours ago but she was stuck in surgery trying desperately to save a patient. The 26-year-old woman had suffered an ectopic pregnancy but left it too late to come into the ER. Addison had rushed her straight into surgery when an ambulance brought her in that evening. Her husband found her unconscious and bleeding on the bathroom floor, but it was too late. Addison and Alex had worked for several hours on the patient, trying to rectify the damage of the ruptured fallopian tube, but too much blood had been lost already, there was nothing she could do to save her.
Alex and Addison were scrubbing out of surgery, both with a slightly defeated look on their faces.
"I'll do it Dr Montgomery. Why don't you go home, I will inform the family."
Addison looked quizzically at him.
"Hey I've grown up remember, I will be sensitive."
"No, thank-you for the offer Dr Karev but I am the attending here, I will inform the family."
"If your sure, you should come to Joe's after your done though. You look like you could do with a drink to cheer yourself up."
Addison smiled tiredly, "I may just do that Karev."
Alex left the scrub room, whilst Addison stayed, drying her hands slowly. Putting off telling breaking the news to the family that the patient had just died on her table.
Telling the patients families had always been the worst part of the job for Addison. The look of hope and desperation in their was always present. As Addison walked over to Mr Walker, a good looking man in his late twenties, holding his sleeping toddler in his arms, the look in his eyes was no different. He was pleading, hoping, praying with his eyes for good news. Addison hated to be the one to do this, to tell him the worst news he would receive in his whole life. He would always remember her as the person who spoke the words that would break his heart.
She took a shaky breath as she approached him.
"Mr Walker…"
"How is she? How is my wife? Can we see her yet?" He said his voice nervous and panicky.
In a soothing voice Addison responded, "Mr Walker, I'm sorry to tell you your wife, Penny, she didn't make it."
He looked at Addison, tears pooling in his eyes. "No, no, there must have been something more you could have done. She… she is my wife."
Addison placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, I tried my best, but there was nothing to be done. She had already lost too much blood. I am truly sorry for your loss Mr Walker."
The man held on tightly to his child as tears ran down his face.
"Someone will be along shortly to take you to see your wife."
Addison made her way to the locker room; she wiped a tear from her eyes.
Normally it didn't affect her this much, she was around death every day, and she had become accustomed to it. Obviously it always upset her, but normally she new how to deal with it, how to leave that death behind and move on to saving the next patient. Today it was harder, she was tired, and she felt lonely and vulnerable. It was times like these when she needed someone there to comfort her. Yet all she had to look forward to was a lonely hotel room and a fridge filled with overpriced miniature bottles of alcohol. This did not seem like an inviting prospect. She decided instead that she would go for a drink at Joe's.
She quickly changed out of her scrubs, checked her reflection in the mirror and made her way out of the hospital, hoping that tomorrow would be a better day. As she reached the parking lot she saw Meredith and Derek getting ready to go home together. Meredith was giggling at something Derek had said and was clutching onto his arm.
Addison shouted hello, after all they were trying to be mature and all three were making an effort to be friends again. However the pair were so caught up in their own little world neither of them heard Addison. She sighed, Addison felt as though she was invisible sometimes, as though she might disappear and know one would notice or even bat an eye.
She made the decision to walk to Joe's bar, after all it was only a couple of minutes away and she could just get a taxi back to her hotel. She walked along the path next to the hospital parking lot; trees and bushes had recently been planted as the Chiefs new attempt to make the hospital more eco-friendly. Addison pulled her stylish trench coat around her body, to protect herself from the cold winter winds. She was truly exhausted, it had been a long days work and her feet ached in her Manolo Blahnik heals.
She considered just going back home, but decided that a drink might cheer her up, and maybe Callie or Alex would still be at the bar. That very second her cell phone began to ring. It would probably be one of them wondering when she was going to arrive at the bar. She dug through her oversized bag trying to find her phone. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag, just as it stopped ringing.
"Damn it" She cursed to her self.
Just as she was about to find out who the mystery caller was she felt a strong pair of sweaty hands clutch onto her. He used his strength to drag Addison into the bushes. Covering her mouth at the same time with one of his sweaty palms as she attempted to scream for help.
"One more noise and your dead" he grunted.