Chapter 12: Beeping Beepers
"I wish someone would have told me that the key to being successful as an intern in this hospital was messing around with an attending," Izzie Stevens exclaimed rather dramatically as she slowly kicked her leg out repeatedly, letting it fall after it peaked.
"That's not entirely true," Cristina interjected unenthusiastically, as she chewed on a pretzel and went through a file on her phone.
"It's not like any of us get preferential treatment on cases, Iz." George added softly as he popped chips into his mouth.
"Besides, I don't really count anymore…" Meredith started suddenly.
"Meredith, nobody doubts that you and McDreamy will be uniting in no time." Izzie stated flatly. She realized her tone once the words were already out. "Sorry." She muttered lightly in Meredith's direction.
"Well, you aren't exactly alone on that front" Meredith rationalized. "Alex hasn't been with an attending. Speaking of, I wonder where he is?"
"I don't actually know how accurate that assessment is anymore…" Izzie grumbled under her breath.
"What?" Cristina looked up, suddenly interested in the discussion.
"What'd she say?" George whispered, eyeing Meredith over his hand of cards.
"Nothing." Izzie said reluctantly, rolling her eyes, doing her best to make light of her verbal slip.
"No, I heard you." Cristina said as she sat up straighter, studying Izzie's face; she read irritation all over it.
"I mean, I really don't know anything for sure…" Izzie exclaimed bluntly, illustrating her point briefly by raising her hand.
"But…" George said, looking inquisitively at Izzie.
"But…nothing." Izzie stated, trying to divert the obvious unraveling of her emotional armor.
"Who is it?" Cristina asked suspiciously, her eyebrow raised slightly.
Izzie didn't respond, she didn't even try to change the subject, she just let the silence go over the room; all four of them noted again the lack of Alex's presence.
"Iz, who is it?" George pushed gently.
"Dr. Montgomery." She mumbled bitterly barely a notch above audible levels.
"HA, right!" George exclaimed loudly.
"Nice try." Cristina scoffed.
"I almost believed Alex was actually getting some..." George pondered aloud.
"Wait," Meredith interjected suddenly amidst Cristina and George's jokes, "She's serious." The vacant ness on Izzie's face gave her straight away. Meredith recognized that look, what she saw as she desperately tried to search Izzie's eyes was a cold, defiant look of contempt at her own mention of the doctors name.
"I don't know, I just saw…this moment." Izzie rationalized quickly upon Meredith interception.
"Moment? Like what kind of moment?" George questioned.
"I don't know…" Izzie trailed off, rolling her eyes.
"Well if it was like a "I can't stand you for making me be on baby patrol" moment. Those two just naturally have that vibe." Cristina replied.
"No, I know that." Izzie lamented bitterly. "It was nothing like that, it was like…"
"Like what?" Meredith urged.
"I don't know., I can't really even explain it even though I saw it…"
"Were they even talking?" Cristina questioned.
"No," Izzie replied lightly. "She was actually walking away from him."
"So her walking away from him adds up to them having an illicit and torrid romance?" George questioned cynically. "Doesn't really add up."
"Well I know what I saw." Izzie replied defiantly.
"Maybe you just misinterpreted it."
"I don't think I did." Izzie sighed, shaking her head. "She didn't walk away from him right away."
Meredith continued to study Izzie's demeanor and read the differences of emotion all over her face, from her irritation, to her uncertainty, to her guilt. It all played on her face in variations. None staying long enough for Meredith to fully understand their subtle appearances. Meredith suddenly put two and two together.
"That's why you "don't doubt" that Derek and I will reunite, isn't it?" Meredith wondered aloud, grabbing the attention of the other three. "Because you think Addison's attention is elsewhere."
Izzie's eyes shifted down as she changed her position on the gurney she was leaning on. She nodded her head slowly as she picked at the loose thread on the end of her scrubs.
"I don't even know how to explain it." Izzie sighed as she felt three pairs of eyes piercing her side. "It was like…I was watching a moment not meant for anyone's eyes."
"Where were they?" Cristina questioned.
"2nd Floor, near the nurses station." Izzie replied.
"That's completely out in the open." George commented.
"Exactly, that's why it alarmed me." Izzie countered profusely. "It just seemed far too private for where they were, even though they really weren't doing anything. I just don't want Alex to get hurt."
George scoffed at this. "Since when?" He questioned jokingly. Izzie glanced quickly at him and shot him a look of annoyance.
"Since, we're friends."
"So that's all it is?" Cristina questioned. "You're just looking out for the well-being of your friend?"
"Cristina…" Meredith warned lightly.
Suddenly Izzie's beeper sounded interrupting their interesting conversation. Izzie quickly plucked it from the waistband of her scrubs, she rolled her eyes and sighed.
"And Sloan is driving me crazy." Izzie whined emphatically. "He's the epitome of a callous, arrogant, homogenously smug man who's massive ego duplicates after each patient."
"Well, he's too good-looking to care and he's too good-looking for me to be bothered by it." Cristina chuckled softly.
Izzie stood up slowly as she yawned and sighed. "I realize that this hospital thrives off gossip and the like but if we could keep this between us four I'd really appreciate it." She surveyed their faces as she tried to read their reactions.
"I won't say a word." Meredith stated.
"These lips? Sealed." George said, pointing to his mouth.
"Cristina?" Izzie questioned looking over at the silently complacent young intern.
"Yeah, yeah…" Cristina sighed unenthusiastically. "Mums the word and all that."
Izzie squinted her eyes briefly at Cristina, and then walked away from the group as she went in search of Mark Sloan.
Addison Montgomery slowed her pace momentarily as she paused to look at the X-rays that were being held securely in her arms as they rested on top of a chart, she quickly pulled her glasses out of her white coat as she slid them behind her ears and onto her nose. She felt someone approaching her as her eyes methodically ran over the X-ray.
"Here are her labs..." Alex started, as he handed Addison the loose papers that he had just retrieved upon her request.
"Thanks." Addison replied softly. "How is she?" Addison glanced up at him for the first time since he had approached her.
"Good. Her contractions are not too close, BP's good. She isn't really feeling much."
"Mm-hmm." Addison mumbled as she looked over her labs. She began walking in the direction of the exam rooms, as Alex quickly followed. "We're going to need an OR in about an hour and a half."
"I already scheduled it."
"You did?" She questioned, her voice laced with surprise as she glanced in his direction but continued walking.
"Yeah, I did."
"Are you scrubbing in?"
"You ask me that like I have a choice."
"Well, I'm giving you one."
"Are you alright?" Alex asked suddenly, he noticed she was walking at a fairly quick pace.
"I'm fine."
Addison tried brushing of his sudden concern but she felt the butterflies in her stomach flutter at the softness in his voice. Alex halted in his tracks and watched her continue to walk ahead. Once she got about five steps in front of him she turned around, wondering why he had stopped so suddenly.
"What?" She questioned, obviously confused.
"You're fine?" He questioned.
Literally, hell yes. But figuratively. I'm not so sure, he thought to himself.
"Yes. I'm fine." She implored quietly, as she looked at her surroundings and became increasingly aware of those around her.
I really don't want to have this conversation with him right now, not right here. Addison thought.
"Why are you giving me a choice as to whether I scrub in?"
"Are you being serious?" She asked him, her voice raising slowly. She paused as she realized the level of her voice. "You know I don't make you scrub in on all my surgeries."
Alex sighed dramatically, as he ran a hand over his short hair. It frustrated him that she wasn't being upfront with him. He knew that something was wrong. He noticed the shifting of Addison's eyes and could tell by her body language and the expression on her face, that she wasn't really fine. He noticed a vacant exam room near them. Without saying another word he walking into it quietly. Addison took a deep breath and followed, taking off her glasses, putting them into their case and then into her coat pocket, she closed the door behind her.
"What did I do?" Alex asked calmly, after the silence between them had settled.
"You didn't do anything." Addison sighed emphatically. "Honestly, it's not you."
"What then? Or who?"
The silence seemed ongoing as she didn't answer his question. No matter how close she and him had become she felt reasonably certain that she couldn't tell him about her talk with Derek from the night before. She couldn't tell him that she was uncertain and scared, she couldn't tell him anything about it because she knew it wasn't what he wanted to hear. She wouldn't hurt him. She couldn't do it. Not after how wonderful he'd been to her, not after how close they'd gotten. She knew it would wreck him, she knew it would anger him and she didn't want to be the cause of that. She just couldn't be. Not after everything. She knew she'd have to keep the Derek drama to herself, at least for now.
"Nothing and nobody." Addison said firmly. "I don't want you to think that I don't want you scrubbing in because I do. But I want you to do it because you want to. Not because I'm forcing you."
"Since when?" Alex questioned.
"Since I decided I could be much nicer to you, in the professional sense."
"So, what? All I had to do was charm the socks of you and I would've been given these choices eons ago?" Alex teased lightly.
"I don't know what you mean," Addison started, smiling gently. "You haven't charmed anything off of me."
"You are right about that," Alex replied as he walked slowly towards her. "But then again, you know what they say about good things."
"What's that?" Addison asked as he finally stopped inches away from her, placing his hand on the wall near her head. She tightened her hold on the chart in her folded arms as she relished in his sudden nearness.
"That they come to those who wait."
"And you never really struck me as the patient type." Addison teased lightly.
"Well, I'm full of surprises."
"I'm becoming more and more aware of that."
"That's good."
Alex found himself getting more and more deeply placed in her eyes. It completely shocked him how looking at her was never the same. It was new every single time; everything about her captivated and intrigued him. Their eye contact lingered as both of them seemed to be getting lost in the other's gaze.
How did you get so cute? Addison asked to herself. She felt her nose crinkle at the thought. Alex noticed it as the corner of his mouth upturned into a crooked smile.
"What?" He asked lightly.
Addison smiled slightly and shook her head. "Nothing. I just think you're cute."
"Well, you're pretty cute yourself."
"You think so?"
"Definitely."
Alex leaned forward and gently kissed the corner of her mouth and then grazed his lips against hers as he softly kissed the other corner of her mouth. He then planted his lips squarely on hers, slowly taking the chart away from her as he methodically explored her lips with his. Addison found herself trying to increase the pace of the kiss as she eased her suddenly free hands up his scrubs and linked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. They continued to kiss, neither really wanting to break for air. Finally, Alex did as he adorned her chin and jawbone with light kisses. Addison could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she struggled to regain her breath.
"We…really sh-shouldn't be…" Her words came out as gasps, so she ceased trying to finish her sentence. Alex's mouth reached her ear as he gently nibbled the lobe with his teeth. Addison whimpered lightly as her body tensed at the sensation and her fingertips dug into his shoulders. "Okay, now we really, really, really have to stop."
"Mmm-hmm," He mumbled as he began a trail of kisses down her neck. Addison quickly inhaled through closed teeth; his lips on her neck gave her chills.
"We shouldn't be doing this…uh, here…like this…" Addison made another feeble attempt at a distraction.
"You're right," Alex murmured against her skin, but still didn't stop.
"Yeah, I…uh…" Addison couldn't control herself as she felt him gently sucking on the nape of her neck. A quiet moan escaped from her mouth, she lightly bit her lip to suppress any more. The feeling of his hot mouth on her bare skin literally curled her toes. His lips made their descent upward as he kissed his way to her cheek, silently nuzzling his mouth and nose there. He could still taste her on his tongue which did nothing but fuel his need for her mouth. He started kissing her face, going in the direction of her mouth, when he found it, he dragged his lips onto hers and kissed her. Addison could feel her whole body tingling as they kissed again, their lips battling each other for who controlled the kiss. No matter what she told herself, she completely needed this. To be kissed like this, to be wanted like this. He absolutely thrilled her. Suddenly both of his hands were on her, one on the side of her face while the other at the back of her neck. She didn't even think to wonder where the chart had gone, then she realized she really didn't care. She wanted him so badly in that moment, and for a split second she thought it might actually happen until a certain beeping noise catapulted her into reality. Addison heard Alex groan in disappointment, as she broke their kiss, putting a hand to her head as she attempted to regain some sense of composure. He had completely unglued her and it showed: her chest was heaving as she desperately attempted regaining real amounts of oxygen, her hair was a mess, and her lips slightly puffy from being kissed so thoroughly. She reached down to grab her beeper that was incessantly still sounding, as she read what it said.
"I gotta go." Addison sighed loudly as she looked at Alex. He nodded his head, as he gently smoothed over her hair.
"Yeah, I do too. I have to go prep our patient for surgery."
"Our patient?" Addison questioned, smiling.
"That is, if you want me to scrub in."
"Yeah. Yeah, I do."
"Well, okay."
"One more thing though." Addison started.
"What's that?"
"Can I get one for the road?" She asked, pointing to her mouth. Alex smiled when he realized what she meant.
"You can get two for the road."
Alex leaned over and placed a gentle and sweet kiss on her lips, paused and then kissed her again. Just as briefly, just as softly as he had the first.