Losing One of Our Own
Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy.
Characters: Doctors Meredith Grey, Derek Shepherd, George O'Malley, Cristina Yang, Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, Alex Karev, Preston Burke, Miranda Bailey, and Richard Webber
Summary: Being a doctor is hard enough on its own. Everyday, there are lives to be saved, and sadly, there are lives that are lost. However, what happens when you lose one of your own?
Note: All chapters will be named after a song, just like in the 1st season of Grey's Anatomy.
"Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone lives." –A. Sachs
Chapter 10: Far Away
George's POV
You know how people say that time flies fast when you're having fun? Well, they're actually right. It has to deal with Albert Einstein's theory on relativity, how time makes fools of us. Isn't it ironic; as a civilization, we control nearly every aspect about the Earth, except for time. It's the one thing that can play tricks on us, kick our asses, and throw us into a black hole of unknown.
Two weeks passed before Izzie finally relented and came back home. She stayed by Alex's bedside for two whole weeks, refusing to leave, even when visitors' hours were over. The nurses and doctors stopped trying to pry her away from Alex, they knew it was useless. Once Izzie has her mind on something, she'll stop at nothing to do it. She's stubborn as an ox. Actually, Alex's pretty stubborn. I never realized how well they complimented each other. Of course, maybe that's because Izzie's one of my best friends and Alex's well…Alex.
When I first learned that Alex and Izzie were dating, I was naturally shocked, along with everyone else. Dr. Evil Spawn and Dr. Model…were dating? It was like one of those moments that repeat over and over. You can't stop the moment, and if that's not bad enough, you have to watch that moment repeatedly until you begin to actually get used to it, which is just as worse.
I have to admit though; I really admired Alex for comforting Izzie through her hard time. He was very mature about the ordeal, more so than the rest of us were. He told Izzie the truth, and that was the only thing that got her out of Denny's bed. After that, he sort of grew on me. He came over a lot, just to visit, but I didn't find it so bothersome anymore. Alex cared about Izzie, genuinely cared about her, and we all appreciated his gestures.
Not to mention what he told her the day of his accident. That moment continues to recur in my head. Alex was saying things to Izzie I never thought would come out of his mouth. Izzie was staring at him in amazement, and then, he left…and that was the last we saw of him conscious.
The last two weeks have been brutal for all of us. Alex was floating somewhere between the conscious and the unconscious. Izzie was always by his side, wanting to be the first person to see him awake. Cristina, Meredith, and I keep both of them company when we're not tending to the Nazi and her orders, but even Bailey's gone soft on us. She's not a big fan of Alex, but she does care.
"George? George, are you alright?" A familiar voice snapped me back to reality. I jerked my head sideways, only to find my girlfriend, Callie, staring at me with raised eyebrows.
I blushed. "I'm fine. I was just thinking about stuff."
Callie smiled gently, "About Izzie?"
"Yeah," I confessed, scratching my head. "And Alex,"
"At least Izzie's gone back home," Callie informed me. "And Alex…Alex will be fine. He's a tough guy. He'll make it through."
I smiled at Callie's reassurance. "Thanks."
Callie smiled back, and I suddenly had the urge to kiss her over and over. I silently slipped my hand into hers, electric shock pulsing through my veins. Callie looked down at our interlinked hands curiously, and for a moment, I thought she might protest, but instead, she gave me a broad smile and dragged me towards an empty room. I smirked past Cristina, who gave me one of her 'weird' looks, and eagerly followed my girlfriend away from the rest of the hospital.
Meredith's POV
Warm, gelatinous, perfect for any occasion. The perfect antidote for a bad day, a good day, or any day in between. It's the ideal present a man can give to a woman. It can make you sleepy, but fully satisfied.
"Did you like it?" Derek asked me after I licked my fingers clean of the chocolate. I smiled brightly at McDreamy.
"Very, it was the best I ever had." I told him truthfully. I had no idea Derek Shepherd could make such wonderful chocolate chip cookies. They could rival Izzie's baking any day, and that was saying something.
"I'm glad you liked it." He said, moving in to kiss my cheek.
"Why didn't you tell me you could cook? I would have had you come over every night so you could make dinner for me." I said, adjusting myself on the couch. We were watching a rented movie, and eating the chocolate chip cookies Derek made, and some muffins Izzie had made during the day. She's currently in a pie mode. Everyday, she stays at home and makes dozens of pie. I know it's her way of getting through Alex's accident, and I don't stop her. When Denny died, she made muffins. Now, with Alex, she's making pies.
"Oh I see," Derek smirked, "The only reason you like hanging out with me is for my fabulous cuisine."
I smiled, "You know that's not the only reason I like hanging out with you."
"And the sex," Derek stated without question.
"And the sex," I confirmed, smiling again. Derek made me smile a lot. Whenever I'm with Derek, I can't help but smile. He makes me feel like I'm everything he's got. I've never been treated this way before, but I can't complain. I'm certain this is what love feels like.
"Do you want me to make dinner for you and Izzie?" Derek asked, stretching as the movie rolled to credits.
"Of course I do. It's always nice to have other company." I replied.
"How's Izzie doing?" Derek asked, as we both moved into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator, searching for ingredients. I sat on the counter and watched him pry through the foods.
"She's better," I answered, "She's still making pies, but they're getting less complicated. Yesterday, I caught her making an apple pie, and I took that as a good sign. The number of the pies is always decreasing, which is good because I don't think I can stand looking at another pie for five years."
Derek laughed, extracting a salad bowl. "That's good though. I'm just glad she moved out of the hospital. If she stayed any longer, she'd be a patient herself." I watched his movements as he began tossing salad, and smiled. How lucky was I, to have a wonderful man who made me smile and laugh constantly and who could make anything and everything? My heart went out to poor Izzie, who had lost two men in such short time.
"You okay?" Derek asked quizzically, as he studied my face.
I sighed, "Yeah, but I'm feeling a little selfish."
"And why is that, Miss Grey?" Derek teased.
I laughed softly, "Here I am, with you, and I'm laughing and I'm having fun, but ten feet away, there's Izzie's bedroom with Izzie inside, crying herself to sleep over Alex. Or maybe it's Denny. Or maybe it's both. I can't tell. She doesn't deserve this trauma. She was just getting over one trial before having to face another. I feel selfish that I'm happy and she's not."
Derek stared at me for a few seconds before setting down the salad bowl and crossed over to me. Without a word, he thought both of my hands into his and squeezed them tightly. He leaned forward and kissed me. Our lips locked, he traced his hand around my back, and I found my hands around his neck, pressing myself closer to him. At first I was aware only of his mouth on my mouth, his hands sliding down my sides to grasp my waist and pull me firmly against him, the sweet taste of him and the steady uninterrupted pounding of his heart.
We separated hesitantly, lost in our romance. Derek looked at me, tracing his finger along my jaw line. "We're going to be okay." He whispered reassuringly. "Everyone is going to be okay. You're not selfish; you're just happy, and happiness doesn't wait for everyone to catch up."
I sighed, "I know," I whispered into his ear, playing with his locks. We remained in tranquil stillness, adjusting ourselves to the mood of the intimacy easily. Derek gazed at me intently, studying my face, my expression.
"I'm in love with you." He said, so softly I had to strain to hear his words.
"I am too." I replied, just as quietly.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of you saying that." Derek said, grinning.
My guilt should have ascended beyond all humanely possible levels. Here I was, whole and complete with my McDreamy, who loved me and who I loved back, and I couldn't stop thinking about Alex and Izzie, two 'star-crossed' lovers. And I thought Romeo and Juliet was outdated.
Author's Notes: This chapter's title is referenced to Nickleback's Far Away song, which is personally one of my favorites. First, I want to apologize to everyone who's still reading this for taking so long with this fic. But life's getting in the way of writing, and so I had to postpone my story. Hopefully, I'll have the rest of this story done by the end of this year, if I'm lucky. I hope you enjoyed this segment of the story, which again, doesn't talk about Alex (I know you all hate me right now for not giving you any updates about Alex's serious conditon), but rather about George and Meredith. Next chapter, I promise it will be from Izzie's POV and involve Alex, of course. So, enjoy!