One week went by. Then two. Then three. And still, Lexie hadn't gotten one single call, or letter, or text from Alice. The girl had simply dropped off the face of the earth. Lexie had even driven past her house a couple of times in hope of her being out in the front yard, but she never saw a trace of her.
Lexie hadn't slept more than a couple hours combined in the three weeks. She stared at the ceiling in bed all night and thought about Alice, and Mr. Clark, and Sloan. The thoughts never stopped. And now, she could add another thing to be stressed about, considering she was going back to work the next day. The therapy groups hadn't helped whatsoever, though she pretended they did. Lexie was a nervous wreck.
Alice was miserable. Her parents had screamed at her nearly every day since she had returned home. She had lost a lot of weight since coming back, and her ribs poked out through her skin sharply. The injuries had been healing well, at least she thought they were. Her parents had forbidden her from going to the follow-up appointments because of the price. Alice often thought about calling or texting Lexie, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew Mark would be looking after the woman.
Lexie got up out of bed the next day, after another sleepless night. She got a shower, through her hair up, and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, not really caring about what she looked like. She ate breakfast with the other doctors. Everyone was home and going to work, except for Dr. Shepard of course. He wouldn't be back for another week or so.
Lexie drove to work nervously. She could have sworn that she saw Mr. Clark in a car next to her, that is until she blinked and realized that it was a woman.
Lexie pulled into the hospital parking lot and took the keys out of the admission. She took a couple of deep breaths before getting out of the car, clutching her bag tight against her. She walked quickly through the lot and came to the hospital doors. Her feet were suddenly glued to the sidewalk, and the only thing she could do was stare at the doors. Suddenly, a hand on her shoulder made her jump.
"You going in?" Mark asked as he stepped up beside Lexie. Her face seemed pale and sunken in, like she hadn't slept well.
Lexie nodded, stood up a little straighter, and then walked through the automatic doors. The antiseptic smell hit her like a wall and she felt her stomach tighten with anxiety. But Mark's cologne filled her nose when he walked in front of her, and she felt herself relax a bit.
Lexie changed into her scrubs in the locker room along with the other returning doctors. There was an air of sadness around the room, as they were all reminded of the doctors that used to change in there with them. The doctors who were no longer with them. The doctors that they had watched die.
Everyone began rounds with a somber look on their face. Lexie plastered on a fake smile and began greeting patience. She had finally begun to feel better, distracted, until she came to a certain hallway. The hallway where she had found Alice.
Lexie couldn't bring herself to walk across the line on the floor that separated the ICU wing from the hallway. She stood there, looking at the now spotless tile floor that was once coated in the teenage girl's blood. Now, not even a faint stain remained. Lexie jumped as Mark once again came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"How is she?" Dr. Sloan asked, gently leading Lexie through the hallway, remembering when he himself had seen Alice for the first time; barely breathing and coated in blood.
Lexie turned to frown at Mark. "I thought she was talking to you at least." She said, a whole new wave of worry washing over her. What if something had happened to her? Something bad.
"I figured she was talking to you." Mark replied. His eyebrows came together in a frown and he bit the inside of his cheek. Not only was he worried about Alice, but it wasn't good for Lexie to be obsessing over something else.
The rest of the day crawled by for Lexie, as she was kept out of OR's and was forced to deal with insensitive patients. At last, she came to the locker room and changed back into the jeans and t-shirt she had worn earlier that day. Her mind was made up; she was going over to Alice's house.
Lexie hurried out of the hospital, relieved to be out of the building, and got into her car. She saw Mark heading her way from his car, so she quickly started the car and drove off.
Mark watched as Lexie drove away from him and frowned as she pulled out of the parking lot and went right instead of left. To get to Meredith's house, she always took a left. And "coincidently" you had to take a right to go to Alice's house.
The car came to a stop and Lexie got out. She took a few seconds to ready herself, then got out of the vehicle and walked up the sidewalk to Alice's front porch. She rung the door bell, found it broken, and then knocked. After a few seconds, the door opened and Alice stood there.
Lexie's smile faded as she took a look at the girl. Alice had lost a lot of weight, and her already frail frame looked ready to break. She was dressed in a tank top and shorts, her skin visibly paler than when Lexie had seen her last. Her hair was held back in a bun, and she smelled vaguely of cigarette smoke and perfume.
"Lexie?" Alice asked. Lexie snapped out of her daze.
"Alice, hi. I was worried about you and you didn't call, so I stopped by." Lexie said, unable to keep her mind off of how…unhealthy the teenager looked.
"Yeah, sorry about that. Come in, if you want." Alice said, stepping back from the door. Lexie smiled a bit and walked in.
Hey guys, sorry I haven't updated lately. I've been really busy, but I hope you like this. Please review.
