Chapter 9 – Joe's Bar
Anxious to catch up on the latest gossip, Izzie's eyes are locked on the bar, "So what do you think Bailey and Joe are talking about?"
"Definitely not sex."
Izzie rolls her eyes, "Of course they're not talking about sex."
"Exactly. There's no way they're talking about sex. No reason whatsoever." George learned this lesson the hard way when he made the mistake of implying that Bailey and Joe were more than friends. His head hurt all night when Bailey was through with him.
"O'Malley getting roughed up by a chick," Alex laughs as he walks up, "some things never change."
"There's no room here. Go back to the bar." Izzie, with zero patience left for Alex, has no interest in sharing the same bar let alone the same table.
"Too crowded over there." Alex sits down on one of the two empty stools and grabs a handful of peanuts as he waits for Izzie'ssaucyresponse.
What Alex doesn't realize is that the gossip hungry intern has other things on her mind, "Look at her over there. She's eating food off of his plate, touching him, letting him touch her. Look at how she's looking at him. Who is she?" From her spot at the table, Izzie has a perfect view of Cristina and Burke at their booth and is making it her mission not to miss a single thing.
"Big deal. She steals O'Malley's food all the time."
"How did you think she would act?" Callie's confused why Izzie's so interested in Cristina and Burke. Cristina's one of her closest friend, her family as George would say so what's the big deal. Cristina's spoiled, competitive and arrogant as most surgeons are but each time Callie's seen she and Burke together she's like any other woman with her boyfriend.
"Like Cristina but this is not Cristina. This…this is Burke's girlfriend." Her first time witnessing them as a couple outside of the hospital, Izzie is amazed as she watches Cristina play the girlfriend role with Burke. At work they are almost always professional as attending and intern. They're so professional it's annoying. Anyone who doesn't know their history and isn't paying enough attention would never pick up that they are a couple, that they are living together. Izzie doesn't understand how Cristina can keep things so separate. Dating Denny, she doesn't see the point of such firm lines.
"You seriously need to get out more." Alex is beyond bored with this and he just got there.
"She did not just let him wipe something off of her face without biting his finger. Wow, she really is a good girlfriend."
Alex looks up, "Hallefreakinlujah! Saint Izzie just gave her blessing."
"Ass!"
Alex is already moving on to a new can of worms, "So Dr. Torres what's it like living in the basement?"
Choking, George tries to wipe the beer dripping out of his mouth, "Alex!"
Izzie snickers as fresh gossip makes her not mind that Alex is such an ass. Everyone knows one of the best things about working in a hospital is the never ending juicy gossip.
"You told him? I can't believe you told him that!" Callie is used to George choosing his friends over her no matter how often they give him a hard time. Upset and embarrassed, she can't believe that her McDreamy betrayed her. She doesn't care if they're his family, this time he's gone too far.
With innocent, frightened eyes George shakes his head as he reaches for Callie's arm, "No! No! I swear it..."
"Keep your panties on O'Malley, you're embarrassing yourself. I didn't need to hear it from the fetus. I know all the gossip around here. So you live in the basement. Who cares?" As much as he enjoys watching anyone squirm, Alex was afraid George would drop to his knees begging Callie's forgiveness if he let it go on too long.
"You didn't know that Burke was sleeping with Cristina." Izzie never ignored an opportunity to one up cocky Alex. Before she used to like his arrogance believing he was a good guy trying too hard to hide it. Anymore, she despises it. Sometimes she thinks it must be a wrestling thing. She hopes Denny's not a wrestler.
Still eating peanuts, Alex rolls his eyes, "I told all of you that she was a freak and he wanted to get into her scrubs."
"You didn't know for sure." Izzie's eyeing him up ready for a fight.
"Are you always such a jerk?" This is the most time Callie's ever spent with Alex and she isn't liking that he questioned her living arrangements or called her boyfriend a fetus. Actually, she's not liking any of them including George. She wonders if she'll ever understand this group. They're family alright, completely dysfunctional.
Alex proudly puffs out his chest, "Only on my best days."
Izzie turns her back to the cocky intern, "Too bad for us he's not allergic to peanuts."
"And you call yourself a doctor." Alex can't resist smiling. He misses Izzie too and wishes things could be different for them. She's the only person in his life to stick with him even after he treated her and others like crap. That's special and he knows it. He also knows that he lost more than a girlfriend to Denny. He lost one of his best friends.
"So uh Callie, Izzie likes boys just like you." The looks on the faces of Alex, Callie and Izzie make it clear that George's first attempt to get the ladies talking crashed and burned. Since sitting down, they've barely said a word to each other and Alex's presence isn't helping the situation. His best friend and his girlfriend should be able to get along and he wants them to be friends. Well, maybe not friends but friendly.
"I just mean that she likes to bake and…she…likes boys. Both of those things…uh…start with… um, the letter b." Not knowing what else to do, George takes a swig of beer hoping to buy himself some time.
"You're pathetic O'Malley. Give it up." Alex scans the bar for a better spot to hang out but payday equals a crowded bar. If people can't bother to come to a bar when they can't afford to drink, they have no business being there when they get paid. If things get any worse over here, he might have no choice but to crash the annoying twins' party even with Burke sitting there.
"Why do you let him talk to you like that?" Callie is annoyed that George isn't standing up for himself with Alex. She's never had friends like this these interns and cannot figure out why anyone would want them.
"It doesn't bother me."
Drinking her water, Callie regrets ever agreeing to be the designated driver. No matter how hard she tries she cannot figure them out. Half the time she wonders if they're even listening to each other. One thing she knows is that they would be happy if she wasn't there, she'd be happy if she wasn't there. How can being called names not bother George? Didn't he have any self respect? Alex wouldn't let anyone call him names. Actually he did. What the hell is wrong with all of them? No wonder they get along.
George smiles, "I saw Denny today. He looks good. How's he feeling Izzie?"
Alex rolls his eyes as Izzie doesn't even try to contain the gushing, "Great, Denny's just fabulous. Awww, she's got her hand on his leg." From her seat Izzie can see everything and continues to point all of it out for the rest of them. She's completely unaffected by the evil eye Cristina gives whenever she catches her spying. She's happy for them. At Thanksgiving she was worried that they wouldn't last. Izzie was convinced that Cristina would mess it up because she was selfish and didn't seem interested in having a boyfriend. Cristina always seemed cold about their relationship but tonight she realizes that she was wrong.
"Izzie, it's nothing new. It's Cristina and Burke."
Izzie rolls her eyes, "Relax George, we all didn't live with them."
Smiling Callie glances over at the foursome "You should hear her call him honey."
George shoots her a disapproving look but it's too late.
Suddenly, Izzie is very interested in what Callie has to say, "Is that true? Cristina calls Burke 'honey', seriously?"
Maybe Callie's figured them out after all. This is the most attention Izzie's paid to her since they got there, "Yeah, 'baby' too. I don't know who's more whipped him or her. She's just a marshmallow that squishes when you squeeze her. George can tell you."
"I wouldn't say either of them is whipped." George knows this is bad. Cristina will not be happy when she finds out and unhappy Cristina is a bad, bad thing. He much prefers happy Cristina and she is happy with Burke. She's always been happy with Burke.
Izzie is mesmerized, "Honey? Baby? It's like she's not even Cristina. Meredith was right. She's nice, happy." Izzie takes a sip of her wine recalling sitting at Joe's after Cristina miscarried talking about the ice in her veins. She really is different now.
"You should stop staring at them. It's not polite. Make fun of somebody else." George knows what Izzie's saying is true. When he moved in, it surprised him to see Cristina interact with Burke. She was cuddly not like the porcupine they were all used to seeing.
Alex smells blood, "She's soft. I knew it all along. Yang's a total chick. Next thing you know she'll go from calling him baby to having his baby."
"You'd better not let Cristina hear you say that. Anyway, she only has one fallopian tube." Even Izzie knows better than to tease Cristina about babies and marriage. Some things are off limits even for them.
"Excuse me?" Callie is confused about the one fallopian tube and why it's coming up at the bar like they're discussing the weather. Nothing seems to be off limits with this group unless it's coming out of her mouth.
"Like I care. She'll go psycho on her boyfriend first anyway."
"She's not a chick, she's a girlfriend. She loves him. They're in love." George feels guilty that they're picking Cristina apart. Not that she didn't deserve it, not that she wouldn't be doing the same thing but he knows that she looks out for him and Burke is his friend too. It just doesn't feel right to him.
Alex, on the other hand, is always looking for any weakness in the competition, "You're absolutely right O'Malley. I was wrong, you're the whipped chick not Yang."
As much as she hates Alex lately, Izzie misses this, "Why don't you go have sex with someone diseased?"
Raising his beer to Cristina, he ignores Izzie "You know Yang's a total freak in the sack. O'Malley did you hear her calling my name while Burke whipped her?"
"You are disgusting!" Callie gets up off the stool to get away from them for a few minutes.
Bailey walks up behind Alex and stands by the vacant seat, "At least one of you has some sense. If Burke finds out you're talking that way about Cristina he's gonna kick your ass. Talking about sex with an attending's girlfriend. Stupid. There ain't no test to retake to fix that one."
Alex tries to play off his embarrassment, "It was a joke. How's the little one?"
Bailey reaches over to take one of the beers sitting in front of Alex, "Save it Karev, just cause I had a mommy brain fart earlier does not mean you should continue. I know all about your little bet with Yang. Using a baby like that. You ought to be ashamed of yourself. I know you're not, but you ought to be."
Izzie and George have wide smiles on their face enjoying Alex's discomfort.
Drinking her beer, Bailey looks over at the double date, "So is that the guy that's going to end Grey's knitting obsession?"
Izzie smiles surprised that Bailey's at all interested in their personal lives, "Yeah. He's cute. Wouldn't pick him as her type though. We'll see how long he lasts."
"You guys take any action out on Yang tonight." This is the real reason Bailey is standing at this table with the interns. She is always interested in a little gossip and prides herself on knowing the latest odds.
They all look down at their drinks surprised and ashamed, even Alex.
Bailey's eyes widen and her voice is unforgiving, "Pathetic. You are supposed to be the girl's friends and you're all betting against her? Guess they stopped teaching loyalty in medical school. Not one of you bet that she'd last the night? Not even you O'Malley?"
George shifts on his stool looking around the table, "What bet?"
Izzie clears her throat as she kicks him under the table.
"Ouch! What?"
"His girlfriend put money up for him."
Alex smirks, "My money's on her to have an estrogen attack after a few more drinks. I'm thinking of buying her a couple myself to move things along."
"C'mon, it's not like she wouldn't bet on us." Izzie knows this for a fact. Surgeons are competitive and Cristina's competitive streak runs deeper than most.
George is embarrassed that Bailey knows he's betting against Cristina, "She's bet on me before."
Izzie nods in support, "That's true."
"You all bet against me." George has tried his best to block out the day that Burke picked him to be the first intern to perform a procedure. That was a disaster.
Alex chimes in, "Grey's money was on you."
"Well, I guess I know who my true friend is then." George smiling brightly as Callie returns to her seat glaring at him.
"uh, I mean…" George stammers knowing how much Callie dislikes Meredith.
"You can stop talking now. I really don't care how many times you bet against each other, I'm just trying to see whose money will be coming home in my pocket. I think it's gonna be a long night. Yang hasn't made a fool out of herself yet. The liquor might help her out, turning her all mushy when she's had one too many." She says she doesn't care but that couldn't be further from the truth. Miranda Bailey never bets on a loser. She always bets to win and the truth is that she has more faith than most in Cristina.
Izzie is curious as always, "So Dr. Bailey did you bet for or against her?"
"That is not the business of suck ups. Thanks for the beer Karev."
They all exchange looks as Bailey struts away laughing.
