Chapter Fourteen

It was close to midnight and Alex Karev was sitting in his father's hospital room. He had watched earlier when Gwen had sat beside their father, holding his hand, and talking quietly to him. They had discussed the possibility of calling their mother and then had decided against it. Their parents were still legally married, although separated.

Gwen had long since left with Izzie to go back home and Alex wondered idly if his parents even cared about each other or if they ever really had. What made two people – so incredibly miserable – decide to get married and reproduce?

"Hey," George said from the doorway.

"Hey."

"How's he doing?"

"About the same," Alex said.

"It'll be hard at first," George said quietly, "but it eventually gets better, hurts less at least." Alex nodded, not wanting to say anything. "I heard your sister's boyfriend left."

"Yeah, they broke up," Alex said, wondering why O'Malley was talking to him now.

"You and Izzie doing okay?"

"We haven't really talked about where we're going," he said, finding the subject easier to discuss.

"We haven't always gotten along," George said, "but I want you to know that I'm going to be there for Izzie, as a friend. I don't want that to be a problem."

"It won't be," Alex sighed. "I get it. Don't worry." Alex wasn't exactly lying, either. He did get it. George and Izzie were best friends . . . who had had sex . . . sex that had caused the end of George's marriage. Not that Alex thought that George was good enough for Callie Torres anyway, but that wasn't any of his concern. "You want a ride home," Alex asked after a while.

"Sure, thanks." George stood there for a few minutes more. "See you later."

"See ya."

ALEXALEXALEX

The girls were still up when Alex and George made it through the door at six A.M. "What are you people doing," George asked, watching them all giggling on the kitchen floor, passing around a bottle of tequila.

"Drinking," they said, causing them all to giggle.

"Good morning," Derek said, walking into the kitchen. He looked at the pile of women on the kitchen floor. "I'll make coffee."

"Where's Lexie," Alex asked, looking around.

"Didn't she work last night?"

Alex shook his head. "I don't think so."

"I didn't see her last night," Derek said, filling the pot up with water, "but I apparently didn't hear the gaggle of giggling girls either. I must have slept hard."

George retrieved his cell phone and called her. "No answer," he said. "Maybe she went to her Dad's."

"Thatcher is an ass," Meredith said, hiccupping.

"McAss," Cristina corrected.

"Alex," Gwen said, finally realizing her brother was there, "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Gwennie," he said, shaking his head. "Remember what I said about puking," he reminded her as he pulled her to her feet. She closed her eyes against the dizziness. "Why don't you go upstairs for a few hours and get some sleep?" He turned to Izzie. "When should you guys start cooking dinner?"

"I don't know," Izzie said, lying back on the floor.

"When are we eating," Gwen asked, sounding tired.

"When are we eating," Alex repeated to everyone else. He was answered with a series of shrugs and grunts. "Alright, when is everyone else getting here?"

"Joe and Walter are coming around one, with the babies," George said.

"I think everyone else is coming later in the evening," Derek said.

"Alright, Gwen, let's get you upstairs so you can cook later," Alex said. He put his arm around her waist and helped her to walk upstairs. The stairs proved to be too much so he picked her up and carried her. Alex smiled at his sister. She had fallen asleep before he set her down. He slipped her shoes off and covered her up. He was glad that she was around and kind of hoped she stayed around.

When he came out of his room, he saw Derek coming out of Meredith's room. "Is she finally getting some sleep," he asked.

Derek nodded. "Cristina insisted on walking by herself but Meredith needed some help. I'm surprised, she usually holds her liquor better," he said, not able to help his smile. Alex smiled back. "Izzie is still downstairs," Derek commented. "She's trying to tell George something." Alex nodded and went downstairs.

Izzie was laughing, hysterically, when Alex entered the kitchen. "Izzie," George said, trying to get her to calm down. "Izzie? Iz? What are you trying to say? Take a deep breath. Izzie?"

"Alex," Izzie said, happily through several deep breaths.

"Izzie," Alex said. "Are you alright," he smiled.

"Yes," she said as he knelt down. "I'm great."

George slowly backed out of the room. Sleep sounded good right about now. He idly wondered about Lexie while he got his sleeping bag spread out.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Alex was trying to figure out what Izzie wanted to say. Deciding it was best to try and get some sleep, Alex helped Izzie up (he felt he'd been helping Gwen and Izzie a lot lately, but he didn't mind – not really) and got her upstairs so she could sleep in her own bed.

"Wait," she said, after he put her cover over her, "don't leave." She had stopped laughing. "Stay here," she said, pulling on his arm.

Alex didn't need much encouragement. He slipped his shoes off and slid in beside her, carefully wrapping her in his arms.

ALEXALEXALEX

Izzie and Alex woke up, once again neither one of them mentioning the fact that has slept in each other's arms, and went to the kitchen they found Gwen cooking with the help of Walter and Bailey.

"That smells great, Dr. Bailey," Gwen said as Alex and Izzie entered the kitchen.

"Call me Miranda, Gwen," Bailey said, "you aren't a doctor."

The door bell rang. "I'll get it," George said, jumping up.

"Look who finally woke up," Gwen chuckled. Neither Izzie nor Alex had changed or straightened themselves up before coming downstairs. Gwen bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing anymore.

George reentered the kitchen with the Chief of Surgery and the Head of Plastics trailing behind him. "We invited Dr. Hahn as well," Dr. Webber said, hanging up his coat. "I hope that isn't a problem. Well, that smells wonderful."

"It shouldn't be a problem. I think we made more than enough," Gwen quipped, grinning. "We'll have to find some extra seating, though. And dinner will be a little while yet," she said, "what do you guys usually do when you're waiting for a holiday meal?" That got the ball rolling, figuratively speaking, of course. Everyone had stories to tell and memories to share, no one more than Derek Shepard and Mark Sloan, who had shared many holidays together with the Shepards.

"When Derek's sister Emma was, oh, I think six, Derek told her that Santa didn't exist," Mark said.

"I did not, that was Kathleen's boyfriend at the time," Derek defended. "What was his name? Greg? Gary?"

"Melvin," Mark said, causing the both of them to laugh. "Anyway, she ran and told Mom," he continued, "who yelled at Derek for days."

"I didn't do that," Derek told him.

"I believe you," Meredith said, kissing his cheek.

Derek smiled. "See, Meredith believes me," Derek said. "And you knew that guy's name." He pointed at Mark. "And I wasn't the one the year after that to tell her that the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy were dating and too busy to come visit her when she lost a tooth!"

Mark howled. "She was always too smart for any of that, anyway. Remember when Nancy found Dad's scotch?"

Derek nodded, smiling. "That was the first of many meetings of the Secret Scotch Society."

"The first meeting of what," Izzie asked.

"The Secret Scotch Society," Derek said. "Dad was a big single malt scotch drinker," he explained.

"Well, that explains a heck of a lot," Meredith said, grinning.

"Anyway, he passed away and a few Christmases later, Nancy found his scotch in the den," Derek told them. "Every year on Christmas Eve we used to get together in the den and each of us would have a scotch. When Tessa and Emma were older, then joined us, but before that it was just Kathleen, Nancy, Mark, and me."

"Remember the first time we got drunk," Mark asked, a reminiscent look on his face. "Man, those were some great times."

There was a knock on the door.

"Dr. Hahn," George said, opening the door, "come in." There was a pause. "Callie?" The three of them came into the kitchen.

"Well, isn't this lovely," Erica Hahn said sarcastically. "I've brought along Torres since she couldn't make it home to Florida," she said. "I hope that's okay."

Izzie gulped. Fifteen people? She looked over at Gwen who took it all in stride.

"Dr. Karev, I stopped by the hospital to check on your father," Dr. Hahn said, accepting a glass of wine. Miranda harrumphed at her and turned back to the dinner she was helping to prepare. "I'm sorry he isn't doing well."

Alex shrugged, causing his sister to laugh. Smiling affectionately at her brother, she turned back to the meal they were cooking, instructing Izzie on the vegetables.

Dr. Hahn exchanged a confused look with Callie, who shrugged.