A/N: Sorry I took so long, guess I got a little caught up in things. Anyway, song performed by Fra Lippo Lippi. And I was inspired to write that phone conversation after reading a different fanfic (although that fanfic was MUCH dirtier!). LOL.
Chapter 7: Beauty and Madness (Alex's POV)
"In all my life, I never thought I'd get to see Central Park."
"Beautiful, huh?" And I wasn't even talking about the park.
We were on a bench underneath a tree, and I watched as the wind blew through her hair. She brushed off a brown leaf from my shoulder.
"Do you believe in serendipity, Alex?"
"I do now."
"Me too." She smiled. "I'm glad you're here in New York. The hardest thing about leaving Seattle was that I'd never get to see you again."
"Really? I thought you hated me."
"No, I didn't. You hurt me once, but I didn't hate you."
"Well, there was that time when you said I wasn't good enough for anybody..."
"I didn't mean that," she said. "Really, Alex. Whoever wins your heart is a very lucky girl."
"Thanks. And I'm sorry for hurting you. I was scared."
"Of what?"
I looked down as she held my hand. "A lot of things. Going nuts. Losing control. Falling." She drove me crazy. She had always driven me crazy.
"Well, we're all scared. That's why people need each other."
True. "Would it be inappropriate for me to admit now that I'd never gotten over you?"
"Alex Karev, why do you make it so hard for me to hate you?"
"Because I don't want you to," I replied, grinning sheepishly. "By the way, when I say I'd never gotten over you...I mean that figuratively."
She shook her head and laughed. "You have dirty in your eyes again."
"Only when I'm looking at you."
"You do understand that I only tolerate your cheesy pick-up lines because I like you, right?"
We looked at each other. Now, I don't know if it was just the weather, or if she was feeling particularly happy, or if she really felt like it, but I do know that she kissed me. I mean, yeah, we'd kissed several times before, but it was either because we were drunk and/or feeling amorous, or because I kissed her. But this time, she kissed me. And there was something about this kiss that made it different from all the others. It was more...real.
"You like me?" I asked, smiling.
"That I do. And don't mess it up this time."
Trust me, that's the last thing I'd want to do.
-o-
It was dark in the on-call room. I was lying down on the upper bunk, staring at the maroon bedsheets. The ones at Seattle Grace were sea green.
"Dude, I feel sorry for Mark," Nate said from the lower bunk. "He's so hung up on Addison. Like, after work, he just goes home and does...nothing."
"Women."
"Yes, women. God brought them here to drive some of us crazy and make everyone else depressed."
"Which one are you?"
"Oh, I can totally keep my feelings in check."
Yeah, right. Like his face doesn't go all pink whenever Hannah's around.
"And you, Alex?"
I smiled, thinking of Izzie. "Crazy. But in a good way."
"Really? What's she like?"
"I'm sure you know," I teased.
"No, I don't."
"Look at it this way: she is to me what Hannah is to you."
"Puh-leaze, Hannah and I are just friends." A beeper went off. "Shit, someone paged. Smell ya later."
As soon as the door closed, I reached for my cellphone and dialed.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Meredith, it's me."
"Oh, hi! What's up?"
"You won't believe this, but Izzie's here."
"...Really? How is she?"
"She's fine. She went back to modeling, which is why she's in New York. I'll tell her to call you guys."
"Please do, we all miss her. You should see George, he's like a wounded puppy."
"Ain't he always?" I laughed. "So what's been going on since I left?"
"Well, there are four of us in the house now: me, Derek, George and Callie. But sometimes we stay in his trailer because he likes to go fishing."
"Wow, he sounds like a really fun guy."
"I can practically hear you rolling your eyes, Alex."
"Aww, am I that predictable?"
"Yes you are."
"Well, I--oh hey, I gotta go. Call you later, okay?"
I ended the call as soon as I saw Hannah open the door. "What's going on?"
"You have to come with me, it's an emergency!"
She ran through the hallway with me right behind her, until we reached the ambulance. I got in on the passenger side as she took the wheel.
"Sorry to bug you, Alex, but most of the others are off-shift and the ones that are still here had to rush to a train wreckage in the East Village. I need you to help me lift and transport the patient."
"What's the 411?" she asked into the radio.
"We have a collision at the corner of 23rd and 5th," replied a male voice. "Two victims, both white, male. One John Doe and--Charlie, what does the ID say? Okay. One John Doe and one Dr. Mark Sloan."
