A/N: Hi everyone!

Ok, I'm horrible at this haha I know it's been forever since I updated this story, but I've been so busy lately, and because I'm apparently incapable of only having one story at a time, one of them had to go on the back burner for a little while. Unfortunately, it was this one, but I have the next few chapters planned out, so hopefully it won't be too long until they are written and posted!

Thank you all for being so patient with me! I love all the reviews I've been getting, so please, if you like this (or even if you don't! haha) keep them coming!

I'm going to shut up now because it's nearly 2am here, but I was determined to finish this chapter haha

Please R+R!

Thanks so much!

xoloveJBox

Chapter Three

Katie was tense. That was the only way to describe the anxiousness she felt as George resumed stitching up her forehead. She was more than used to the ill-feeling she experienced after a seizure, but this was different. She'd never had more than one seizure in a day before, never mind two in as many hours. To make matters worse, Alex seemed to have wondered off, her muscles were throbbing painfully, and her head felt like it was full of fog. It certainly didn't help that she was having trouble ignoring the fact that her face was still being sown back together.

"Doctor O'Malley?" She started quietly "When you're finished, could I go and get some fresh air?"

"I don't see why not," George answered simply "but you're going to have to let me come with you, and you're going to have to use a wheelchair. Hospital policy."

George had expected her to argue. She was Alex Karev's sister, after all. But he was surprised to see that she simply nodded earnestly.

"I don't think my legs could hold me up right now anyway," She half-joked. The area of skin that George was stitching had been numbed, but she still felt the slight tugging of the needle and suture thread passing through her skin. When George had finished them-five in total, enough that she was probably going to have a scar, much to Katie's chagrin- he disappeared for a moment, and returned with an unpleasant looking needle. He drew blood from the underside of her elbow and sent it away to be tested, before retrieving a wheelchair. Katie grinned happily as George waited patiently for her to sit in it, though it felt to Katie like her whole body was creaking in protest to the movement.

The cubicle that Katie had been situated in was near the entrance of the ER, and within a minute, they had weaved around the bustling and emerged outside. George wheeled her over to a low wall that housed a small patch of flowers. He perched on the slightly warm bricks, and Katie felt like she could breathe for the first time all morning.

It was one of the rare rainless Seattle days, and the sun shone brightly, bouncing off the asphalt of the parking lot. The warmth it emitted was balanced almost perfectly with the cool, pleasant breeze, and if Katie had had a choice, she'd have stayed out there all day. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back slightly, feeling the golden rays on her face for a few blissfully long moments before George's voice broke through her increasingly relaxed mind.

"Can I ask you something?" He inquired, and Katie nodded, peeling her eyes open and looking across at him "What's Alex like at home? Here he's..." George quickly stopped himself, having to remind himself that it was Alex's sister he was speaking to.

"A pain in ass? Over-competitive? A little bit of a jerk?" Katie offered with a knowing smile. She chuckled when she noticed him blushing slightly "Don't worry, I know what he's like."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have sa-" George started apologetically.

"It's ok," Katie interjected with a light, casual air "I know he can be a jerk. But he's my brother, and he's the only person who ever bothered to take care of me."

Katie saw the almost bewildered look on George's face, and she let out a small chuckle. "I guess it is a little hard to believe that Alex would be the kind of person to take his kid sister to college with him, right?"

Again, she was met with a confused expression, and Katie realised she had underestimated just how little her brother had revealed about himself to the people he worked with.

"You didn't know about that?" she guessed, although she knew Alex well enough to know he wouldn't exactly be forthcoming with details about his childhood.

"We didn't even know about you." George corrected, but again, Katie wasn't really all that surprised.

"Well, he talks about you guys all the time." Katie told him casually with a dismissive shrug. This time, it was George's turn to be slightly bewildered. The idea that Alex would go home and discuss his day was so juxtaposing with the way he was at work, it was almost enough to give George whip lash.

"He does?" George questioned curiously, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"Yeah," Katie replied with a grin "I heard about the heart in the elevator. It sounded like it was really cool, Doctor O'Malley."

Truly astounded that Alex not only went home and talked to his sister about them, but that he did it in a praising way, George didn't know what to say in response. Katie seemed to understand his silence, and she soon settled into too, but after a minute or two, she found that tiredness also came with it, so she spurred up the conversation again in hopes of keeping herself awake.

"So he doesn't talk about me at all?" She asked incredulously.

"No," George replied slightly apologetically "sorry."

"What an asshole!" Katie exclaimed back, making them both chuckle. However, their laughter didn't last long when they heard hurried footsteps approaching, and Alex calling out.

"O'Malley, what the hell do you think you're doing?" He demanded sharply, a deep frown furrowed onto his face "You can't just wander off with patients, especially not my sister! I had no idea where sh-"

"Hey Jackass!" Katie interrupted him loudly.

"What?" Alex demanded, his hands on his hips irritably.
"Quit yelling at George!"

Alex was undeniably caught off-guard by his sister's outburst, and a small frown slipped back onto his face "Well, Shepherd's ready for you." He grumbled, motioning for George to move behind Katie and turning the wheelchair towards the door to go back inside.

As they walked, Katie continued to chat with George as if they were friends, and by the time they came across an empty exam room, George was beginning to wonder if Katie was adopted, because he was sure there was no way she and Alex could be related. But, even in the short time that he'd known Katie, he'd already noticed little things-facial expressions and quick, sarcastic comments- that made it plainly obvious that the two of them were family, and the thought softened the harshness that Alex quite often gave the impression of.

George left to find out how far Katie's results had come, and Alex leaned against the counter on the other side of the room casually.

"Alex, do I have to go to school tomorrow?" Katie asked quietly after a moment of silently biting her lip.

"Not if you don't want to," Alex shrugged, knowing exactly what she was thinking, and the relief that seemed to wash over his sister's face confirmed his suspicions, so he added "but avoiding it won't make you feel any better when you do go back."

"But Alex, everyone saw," Katie whined pleadingly. She knew he was right, but it didn't make much difference to her at that moment.

"And it won't take long for one of those other snot-rags at school to do something that'll make everyone forget," Alex retorted "Trust me Kate, in a few days, it'll all have blown over, but the longer you avoid it, the longer it'll take."

Katie was about to argue, but she was stopped by a dark-haired man bustling in with a file under his nose, barely looking up as he greeted them.

"Good afternoon, I'm Dr. Shepherd," he glanced up for a moment, but looked confused when he spotted Alex. "Karev, I thought O'Malley was the intern for Miss..." He looked down again at the notes in his hand before furrowing his brow slightly "Karev?

"This is my sister, Katie." Alex explained for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"Huh. I didn't know you had a sister." Derek commented casually.

"He doesn't tell people in case they realise that I'm the smarter sibling." Katie told him playfully with a mischievous grin.

Alex scoffed "You wish." He muttered under his breath.

"You know what, I can see it now." Derek smiled, looking from one sibling to the other "You guys look alike."

"That must be why Alex tells me I have a stupid face." Katie joked quickly, throwing her brother a jesting grin. Alex feigned a scowl, but a small ghost of a smile managed to slip out, blowing his cover.

"Ok Katie," Derek carried on, barely suppressing a chuckle at the two of them "I want you to look right here for me."

He held up a finger in front of Katie's eyes and reached for the small light from his chest pocket, but the moment he flicked it on, Katie squeezed her eyes closed and lowered her head.

"You have photosensitive epilepsy?" Derek asked, looking up at Alex, who shook his head and shot his sister a confused glance.

"No," Katie answered, her voice small and slightly wary "but, umm, I've also never had two seizures in one day before, so if it's a day for firsts, I don't want to push my luck."

Derek looked over at Alex again, who could only shrug cluelessly. He could understand Katie's way of thinking, and in a way, he agreed with her. Until they knew why she'd had even one seizure-never mind two- for seemingly no reason, he didn't want to take any chances either.

"Alright," Derek relented, putting the light back into his pocket as Katie slowly peeled open her eyes again cautiously "Let's skip that, and head straight down to the MRI, huh?"

Katie nodded gratefully, stumbling slightly on sore, tired legs as she made to go back to the wheelchair. Within a second, Alex was by her side, but Katie shooed his away dismissively, not wanting her big brother to know just how much of a toll the morning had taken on her. Alex gently guided her into the seat, though Katie could feel her cheeks burning self-consciously. She didn't say another word until cautious surprise forced her to when they arrived in the room that held the MRI machine.

"What the hell is that?" Katie demanded, taking in the obscure looking machine with dubious uncertainty.

"It's the MRI machine." George told her simply as he wheeled her closer with Alex following behind them, and Derek setting up the computer in the other room.

"I'm going to need a little more detail George." Katie replied, feeling her fingers clenching and unclenching nervously.

"Basically, it's a giant magnet, and we're going to use it to take pictures of your brain." George explained to her calmly.

"Since when do magnets take photos?" She asked incredulously, anxiousness seeping into her voice.

"Alright, quit being a baby," Alex expostulated, tossing a pale green gown into her lap and jerking a thumb towards the machine, indicating for her to get in.

"Jackass." Katie tutted, though she obeyed all the same, waiting for the two men to leave before changing her clothes and clambering on, listening as George told her that she had to lie still while the machine scanned her. When they were ready to start, Alex and George went around to the other room that controlled the MRI machine. Katie wasn't sure what it was about the machine that unnerved her, but it undoubtedly did. Katie wasn't usually a particularly nervous person-in general, she was a fairly confident, outgoing person, but the events of the day had thrown her off kilter. She flinched slightly when the bed started to move, the machine engulfing her, and she was so determined to do as she'd been told, to be still, that she was beginning to go stiff. For ten minutes or so, she stayed silent, taking deep, forced breaths, resisting the urge to tap her foot or drum her fingers.

From where he stood, Alex could see how nervous his little sister was, so he decided to try and distract her. In general, Alex knew that Katie wasn't a nervous kid. When she had been younger, he lost count of the amount of band-aids she used to get through in a week, because she always seemed so fearless, always the first one to try things, even if it wasn't the cleverest idea. She'd never thought twice about being the first to jump off the climbing frame to see how far away she could land, or whether she could hang upside down on the monkey bars. Her epilepsy had shaken her confidence, there was no denying it, but anyone he knew her any less than Alex did-which was most people-probably wouldn't have noticed the change. To see the anxiety that was emanating from her in waves from being in the MRI machine, it wasn't something that Alex took lightly.

"How're you doing Kate?" He asked cheerfully over the intercom that connected the two rooms, and the sudden sound made Katie jump.

"I...I know you told me not to be a baby," She stumbled over her words, trying to get them out in one piece "and I'm trying, but the big magnet is really starting to freak me out, so umm, is it nearly done?"

"Hey Angel-face, listen to me: would I have let you get in the big magnet if I thought it was going to hurt you?" Alex questioned, using a familiar nickname in an attempt to ease some of her evident discomfort.

"I guess not." Katie replied a little shakily.

"You guess not?" Alex challenged with a cocked eyebrow.

"No, you wouldn't." Katie corrected herself, sounding slightly firmer with the knowledge.

"But it's still freaking you out, right?" Alex guessed knowingly.

Katie let out a breathy chuckle before admitting "A little bit, yeah.

"Alright," Alex started, looking at the partially complete scan slowly making its way onto the screen in front of he and George "well, there's only a few minutes left, I promise. How about I talk to you while it finishes, huh?"

"Ok."

"Ok. What homework do you have tonight?" He asked the first thing that came to his mind.

"Wow," Katie sighed, sounding amused "you suck at this.

"What?" Alex exclaimed, genuinely surprised "No I don't."

"Seriously?" Katie laughed, feeling some of her anxiety seeping out with the familiar banter she and her brother often fell into "You're using a friggin' magnet to take pictures of my brain, and you're asking me about my homework?"

"Oh shut up." Alex snapped playfully "I'm awesome at this; you're just a dumbass."

"Oh yeah, ok. I wonder where I got it from." Katie retorted before her voice lowered apologetically "I'm sorry you had to come back here Alex. God knows we needed to go grocery shopping."

"For my favourite lady, we can reschedule." Alex told her gently.

Just as he'd promised, within a few minutes Katie was finally allowed to sit up, and Alex re-entered to wheel the chair back over to her. He could tell that Katie didn't want to get back in it, that she'd rather walk, no matter how tired she was, but before she could argue he shot her a look that told her not to bother.

"Nice job Princess." He praised as she sat down. Katie looked up and smiled wearily at him. She was too tired to think about the fact that Alex being nice to her probably meant she looked just as crappy as she felt.

As they exited, George's pager beeped demandingly in his pocket, and he pulled it out quickly, scanning the information and reading it aloud.

"Bailey has your test results," he informed them, and after telling Alex where Bailey would be waiting for them, he went to wander off in search of something to do until he knew whether there was anything else Katie might need.

"O'Malley," Alex called before George could get very far, and George turned towards him quizzically "Thanks."

If George was surprised by the word that fell out of Alex's mouth, he didn't show it. He simply nodded an acknowledgement and carried on, not wanting to over-think the gesture too much.

"See, that was nice," Katie told her brother when George was out of sight "I'm proud of you buddy."

"Hey, I can be nice," Alex argued as they started to make their way through the hospital.

"Oh yeah?" Katie challenged, her eyebrow cocked questioningly "When?"

"Shut up," Alex replied, not for the first time, and Katie let out a playful cackle that had a smile creeping onto Alex's face too.

It didn't take them long to reach Bailey, who was rereading Katie's notes while she waited, just to be one hundred percent sure she hadn't missed anything, and the woman grinned warmly when the two Karev siblings entered.

"Are you feeling any better Katie?" Bailey asked conversationally. Bailey noticed that the girl certainly looked better than she did when she'd last seen her.

Katie nodded "I'll feel a lot better when I know what's going on inside my head."

Bailey smiled sympathetically before starting her explanation "Well, you have what can best be described as an over-active immune system," she told them, and Alex looked like he could have kicked himself for not thinking of it himself "It means that your body is treating your medication as something that it needs to fight off, which is why they all seem to stop working after a while. Essentially, you're becoming immune to them."

Katie looked at her brother confusedly before turning back to Bailey. "Does that mean it's going to happen with all medications?" She asked worriedly.

"Not necessarily," Bailey assured her "You may find one that suits your body and works just fine, but if not, there are other options we can try."

"Like what?" Katie questioned curiously, but when Bailey opened her mouth to answer, Alex stepped forward determinedly.

"We'll deal with that if and when we need to." He interrupted firmly. He knew about the options Bailey was about to suggest, and he didn't want Katie to spend the time until she possibly had to consider them dwelling needlessly on them. Bailey looked confused for a second before catching on to what Alex meant, so she nodded understandingly.

"For now," Bailey continued, looking back to Katie "I would suggest going home and getting some rest. You can come back in about a week to have your stitches removed."

"Come on Kiddo," Alex chimed cheerfully, and despite his pleasant demeanour-no matter how forced it was-Katie could see that he was worried. But she knew without a doubt that her brother had always been straight with her-even when he probably shouldn't have been-so she trusted that if there was anything to tell, he would let her know at the right time. Pushing concerned thoughts from her head, Katie hopped down from the bed. Alex held out his arm to her, and when she was next to him, he wrapped it encouragingly around her shoulder.

"Thanks Bailey," Alex said to his mentor, and the woman nodded in acknowledgment, giving him a small, warm smile. Katie was the answer to a lot of questions Bailey had had about Dr Karev, and she suddenly felt like she understood him more than she did previous to meeting his sister.

As they walked together down the corridors of the hospital, Alex bade goodbye to a handful of people, and soon enough, they were emerging onto the parking lot.

"You want to watch a movie when we get home?" Alex asked casually.

"Sure," Katie replied, stifling a yawn.

"What do you feel like?" Even before he asked the question, Alex knew the answer, but he hoped he was wrong. The knowing smirk on Katie's face told him he wasn't.

"Come on," he groaned dejectedly "Really? 'Footloose' again?"

"Of course!" Katie grinned, knowing that her favourite movie was one she'd forced her brother to endure countless times.

"Can we at least try the newer version?" Alex appealed "I'm not sure how much more Kevin Bacon I can take."

"Sacrilege," Katie retorted "You always say there's no such thing as too much bacon."

"That's not exactly what I mean," Alex muttered before finally relenting "Alright, but next time, I'm choosing the movie."

However, Alex needn't have worried, because Katie was asleep before they'd even pulled out of the parking lot.