A/N: Thank you to all who have stuck with this story! You all mean so much to me. I have a few more chapters planned, and I hope you stay tuned!
Chapter Ten
Meredith awoke the next day feeling lighter than she had in years. The conversation of the previous evening still rang in her heart. Alex never ceased to amaze her. He had fully forgiven her, he had said. She wondered how he had managed to stay true to their friendship all of those years, when she did not deserve it. In true Alex fashion, he had shut her down and told her of course she had deserved it for all of the times she had been there for him when no one else was.
They talked most of the night, coming to terms with their true feelings for each other. They reviewed notes, too. How he felt when he found out about Thorpe, and how he had wanted to punch a hole in the wall when he first learned of her dalliance with Riggs. She wanted to tell him how she had felt when Jo refused his proposals, but knew better. Instead, she told him how she had felt when he was in her hospital bed after the attack, safe and loved. He told her about how he was there every day, and when he wasn't there, it was because he was needed in surgery or was up in day care with the kids. He just wanted to keep things as normal as possible for them.
She had known this – Arizona, Bailey and Maggie had all provided her snippets of Alex's heroics while she was fighting for her life. He did, however, fill her in on something she did not know about – a huge fight he'd had with Cristina.
It happened the third day after the attack. He had been calling her several times a day with updates and to find out when she would be coming. This time, she apologized but said she would not be able to come. It was a critical phase of her research. He had yelled at her that no, her friend – her PERSON – was critical! She had tried to tell him that Meredith would understand, which put him into a rage. "If she survives, Cristina! Do you not understand that? She could die!"
He had been standing in the hallway outside of her room, and the volume of his voice had steadily been rising. When there had been no reasoning with Cristina, he had angrily thrown his phone. Fortunately, Bailey was there. She had thrown her tiny but powerful body on him and held him until he calmed down. She had pulled him off of surgery for a couple of days. His only job, she had said, was to be there for Meredith.
She had been totally rocked by the reveal. Cristina had never told her.
She was roused from her musings when Alex stirred beside her. "Did you sleep well?" He murmured against her ear.
She laughed, because he knew the answer. "No!" They had stayed up until well past 4 before they slowly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, still talking as they did.
They both laughed softly, giddy like school children, but not wanting to capture the attention of their housemates. She turned to face him.
"We keep this between us," she said, repeating the pact they had made with each other the night before.
He nodded his agreement. "Just us." He kissed her lightly on the lips. "I still can't believe that I get to do that!"
This set them into another fit of giggling. It was so strange that just yesterday morning they were friends, and now were here like this together.
"What are we going to do?" He asked her.
"What time is it?"
He glanced at his phone on the nightstand. "It's just past 6."
"Well, I think I heard Maggie getting the kids up, so they're probably all downstairs having breakfast. We should go make an appearance."
"Mer they know I'm here. You don't think they will wonder why I slept in your room Instead of the couch?"
"I'll tell them we fell asleep watching television." She paused. "You sleep over all the time."
They put themselves together and headed downstairs to the kitchen.