Here's chapter 21. It's a miracle that you got it tonight…you just don't know. Thank Amnesie…such peer pressure.

Thanks for much for the reviews :)

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Alex pulled his scrub top over his head, shutting his locker door and turning to face Meredith, who was currently the only other occupant of the locker room. "Sloan's got a breast augmentation today at 1 o'clock that I'm dying to get in on. I better not get stuck in the pit again," he said.

Meredith looked at him with her brow furrowed. "A breast augmentation? I thought you were over plastics" she said bemusedly.

"I thought I was too, but I guess I was actually just over being Sloan's little minion," Alex explained. "But he's been different lately. Not demanding and almost, well, cheery. I guess it's…well, you know…"

"Izzie?" Meredith supplied when his thought trailed off.

"Yeah," Alex confirmed grudgingly, his feelings concerning Mark and Izzie's growing relationship still undecided.

"She sure does seem to have a gift of making jackasses into gentlemen," Meredith joked, her comment aimed toward Alex.

Alex gave her a thin smile. "Funny," he said sarcastically before going into the bathroom.

Meredith looked up when George entered the locker room moments later. "Hey George," Meredith said.

"Hey," he responded, looking around. "Is Izzie here yet?"

Meredith looked around as well, though she knew Izzie wasn't in the locker room. She and Alex had been alone in there for the last ten minutes.

"No, she's not here. Why would she be?"

"Izzie's coming back today," George explained happily, having been told by Izzie the day before after her meeting with the Chief.

"Seriously?" Meredith asked excitedly. "That's great!"

At that moment, Cristina walked through the doors of the locker room. Hearing the remark, she asked curiously, "What's great?"

"Izzie's back," Meredith explained.

Alex walked out of the bathroom door just in time to hear Meredith's explanation to Cristina. "Izzie's back?" he repeated for conformation

"I'm back," Izzie said as she rounded the corner of their lockers. They all looked at her in surprise, and then a smile broke out on George's face.

"Izzie!" George said, wrapping his arms around her.

Izzie laughed at his enthusiasm. "George!" she said, trying to get his attention. "George! You just saw me yesterday!"

"I know," he mumbled against her shoulder excitedly. "But now you're back!"

Izzie laughed again, patting George's shoulder. "Yes, I am."

The interns all finished changing into their scrubs, getting ready as quickly as possible. The door to the locker room opened once again and Bailey walked in. "What are you fools doing?" she asked as she stood in front of them. "Rounds started at 6 o'clock. Do you know what time it is?" They all looked at her blankly. "It's 6:02. What are you all still doing in here?"

There was a pause as the interns all looked at her nervously. Then George said suddenly, "Izzie's back!"

Bailey rolled her eyes at him. "Go get in the hall! All of you." They all shut their locker doors and headed for the hallway quickly. As Izzie moved past Bailey, the resident put her hand gently on Izzie's wrist, stopping her. "Welcome back, Stevens," she said with a warm smile.

Izzie smiled back. "Thank you, Dr. Bailey."

Rounds went by quickly, and Izzie found herself easily getting back into the swing of things, learning the names and faces of each patient as they moved from room to room. She found herself smiling, happy to be back at Seattle Grace, but her happiness did little to ease the feeling of nervousness in the pit of her stomach.

She couldn't help but wonder if everyone would stare at her and whisper the details of her life over their coffee breaks, just as they had after she cut Denny's LVAD wire. Izzie certainly hoped not. She hoped that enough time had passed for people to move beyond the need to gossip over her mental state, and that she would be able to quietly return to work.

After rounds, they stood beside the nurses' station as Bailey called out the day's assignments. "Grey, you're with Burke, O'Malley to Dr. Shepherd, Karev, you'll be with Sloan, Stevens with Dr. Montgomery, and Yang is with the other Dr. O'Malley."

Cristina scowled. "Ortho? You've got to be kidding me. They barely practice medicine."

Bailey raised her eyes at Cristina's comment, and then looked over Cristina's shoulder, causing the other interns to turn their heads as well.

Callie stood just beyond the group and smiled thinly as Cristina as she met her gaze. "Come on, Yang. I've got the perfect assignment for you."

"Great, just what I need," Cristina mumbled, reluctantly following Callie to the amusement of the other inters.

"What are you all laughing at?" Bailey asked loudly after hearing their chuckles at Cristina's expense. "GO!" And with that, the interns all scrambled off to find their attendings.

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Izzie carried her tray through the maze of tables in the cafeteria, feeling as though she were on top of the world. The day wasn't even halfway over and she had already made a difference in the lives a family, spotting a potentially disabling birth defect on a sonogram. The catch earned her enthusiastic praise from Dr. Montgomery, who once again reminded her of what "an amazing gift she had for neonatology," and a spot in the O.R. this afternoon where Dr. Montgomery was going to correct the problem with the fetus.

She spotted Meredith, Cristina, and Alex sitting at their usual table, and she walked over to join them, comforted that things hadn't really changed while she had been gone.

"Hey," Meredith greeted as she sat down. Noticing Izzie's smile, she said, "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah," Izzie said beaming. "I get scrub in on a spinal bifida fetal surgery with Dr. Montgomery this afternoon. I'm stoked!"

"Yeah, well I hope you enjoy that," Cristina said grumpily. "Meanwhile, I'm stuck with ortho-chick casting whiny, acne-covered pubescents who lost their battle with gravity."

Izzie looked questioningly at Meredith, who explained, "The Seattle skateboarding competition was this morning."

"Oh," Izzie said, laughing sympathetically at Cristina.

"Oh, shut it, Barbie."

George joined their table moments later, talking giddily about a craniotomy that he was scrubbing in on after lunch. The others listened to his chatter while they ate, and Izzie reflected on how great it felt to be back at the hospital.

She was startled from her thoughts as arms wrapped around her from behind, but she smiled knowingly as she recognized the feel of the stubble that grazed her ear. "Hey," Mark whispered softly. "I've missed you today."

She turned to him with a smile, tilting her head as she looked into his face. "You just saw me this morning," she reminded him.

"Seriously?" Cristina interrupted. "Do you think we want to watch this?"

Izzie turned toward her grumpy colleague and rolled her eyes. "Cristina, do you always have to be so cranky?"

Cristina looked at her pointedly, as though the answer was obvious. "Yes."

Izzie shook her head amusedly and looked back at Mark. "Just ignore her."

"I have to go prep for surgery anyway," Mark told her. "But I have something planned for tonight. Can you meet me in front of the hospital at 7?"

"Ooh, what is it?" Izzie asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise," he told her, straightening up. He looked at Alex. "I'll see you in the OR, Karev."

Mark started to leave but changed his mind, taking Izzie's chin in his hand and tilting her face toward his before capturing her mouth and kissing her passionately. When he straightened back up, he looked at Cristina and smiled smugly before walking off.

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Izzie stood in front of the mirror of the locker room, applying lip gloss. It was 7:15, and she was almost finished getting ready for her date with Mark.

Behind her, Meredith put on a light cardigan over her top and looked at Izzie. "I wonder what he has planned for you."

"I know!" Izzie said smiling, putting her lip gloss back in her cosmetics bag. "I can't wait!"

Meredith grinned at her roommate's excitement, still surprised by how happy Mark was able to make Izzie. Forget all the trouble he had caused in the past. His ability to make Izzie happy more than made up for his past actions, at least in Meredith's mind. She picked up her tote bag off the bench, shutting her locker and walking to the door.

"Alright, Iz, I'm heading out. You guys have fun tonight," she told her.

"We will," Izzie assured her, meeting her gaze through the mirror. "'Night Mer."

She finished touching up her makeup and turned back toward her locker, surprised to see the room empty. She suddenly found her arms covered in chills. The scene looked eerily familiar. It had been a little over a month since the last time she had finished a shift, only to find herself alone in a locker room. A different locker room, perhaps, but the similarities of the situations caused Izzie's heart to skip a beat, and she quickly moved to her locker to gather her things. 'Calm down, Izzie,' she told herself. 'You're in a crowed hospital. Nothing can happen to you."

She pulled her bag from her locker and shut the door, jumping when she heard the ringing of her cell phone.

'Jesus, you're ridiculous,' she thought. 'It's probably Mark wondering where the hell you are.' She put her bag on the bench before her, digging through her junky mess before finally finding the phone. "Hello?"

"Izzie?"

The quiet voice was familiar, but the distraught tone made it difficult to place. "Who is this?" Izzie asked.

"It's Madison, Madison Andrews."

"Oh, Madison, hey," Izzie said surprised, sitting down on the bench before her. "What's the matter?"

"Uh…I'm sorry to call…" she said, he voice shaking with tears.

"No, don't be sorry," Izzie said gently. "Are you okay?"

"No," Madison said, her voice breaking. "I need you…I need your help."

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