Chapter 2
Izzie felt as though someone had just poured a bucket of ice water on her head. She stared bewildered at Alex. He regretted the kiss? This was definitely not what she was expecting. But what did she really expect? For him to take her in his arms and kiss her passionately? Definitely not! Not after what had happened with Rebecca. She felt herself blush under his gaze. What did he expect from her now? She had no idea. She had come for entirely different reasons and the conversation she had in mind didn't match at all with his. Nervously, she wet her lips with her tongue as she realized what she had in mind certainly wasn't what he had been expecting. She willed the lump in her throat to disappear.
"Okay…" she finally said.
"Good," he was relieved that she had accepted his apology so quickly. He let out a strained laugh. "Now that we've cleared that up… what are you doing here so early?" he quickly changed the subject.
Cleared that up? Izzie let the words sink in. What was clear now? Nothing was clear! She felt her anger begin to build. It was so typical Alex, avoiding all uncomfortable topics and situations.
"I woke up and you…" she stopped in the middle of her sentence. No. She would not say 'and you weren't there'. If she said that, then it would seem as if it were a normal occurrence that they woke up in bed together. "Are you okay?" she offered instead to finish the sentence.
Alex shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, why not? Are you?"
Izzie wrinkled her forehead. Should she answer his question with another question, just as he did? But she nodded anyway, even though she was definitely not happy with the way things turned out.
"Fine," he said. "Don't be mad at me, but I wanted to stop by by Rebecca today," he pointed towards the door. "She's being brought to the psychiatric clinic today and I promised her I would see her again before she left." It was a lie. He promised Rebecca nothing of the sort. Quite the opposite, actually. They had already said goodbye the day before. But Izzie's proximity made him nervous. The atmosphere was just too tense.
Her heart sank. Of course! How dumb she was to think he still had feelings for her. He loved Rebecca! That was why he cried. He had wanted to move in with her when he thought she was pregnant with his baby. Of course he loved her. She had seen how thoughtfully he cared for her while she stayed at Meredith's house.
"Is that why you're here, even though it's your day off?" she asked quietly.
Alex nodded, although he wasn't sure why Izzie was asking the question. But it was time to clear some stuff up about things. He cleared his throat. "I really am thankful for what you did for me last night. I…." he stopped midway as the cafeteria door opened and a hospital staff member walked in. He gave a tense laugh. It really would have been better just to leave this conversation alone. The walls had ears here and he really didn't want to be the new topic in all the gossip.
"Whatever…" he cleared his throat again and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll see you later." He felt all eyes of people follow him as he left the cafeteria.
Izzie watched him for a moment before turning away and walking over to the table, where coffee and biscuits awaited her. Absent-mindedly she grabbed herself a coffee cup and poured a cup of the hot liquid. What had he wanted to say before he was interrupted? She really wanted to know. Maybe she would have the opportunity to talk to him about it again. She looked at her watch. She still had time before her shift began. So Izzie just took her cup of coffee and sat at a free table.
tbc
