Meredith and Izzie were sitting on opposite ends of the line of chairs when Addison came back out into the waiting area. "She's asleep," Addison said to Alex.

"That's good," he answered.

Addison sat down next to Alex.

"How'd she take it?" he asked.

Addison shrugged silently. "She was okay, I guess. As good as I could have expected."

Izzie got up from the chair she was sitting in, shrugging into her coat. "I'm going to go."

Addison felt her eyes flash, and the words were tumbling out of her mouth before she knew it. "You're leaving? Just like that, you're leaving? As if it's all better now? Well, it's not all better. And you know as well as I do that it's never going to be all better!"

"I think I better go too," Meredith said.

"You are supposed to be my friends. My friends," Addison repeated, the second time with more emphasis. "We were all friends. And something happens, and suddenly you throw it all away? Here's a news flash—friendship doesn't work that way."

Addison picked up her own coat and stomped through the doors and out into the hallway.

"Addison, wait!" Alex called, running after her.

Whirling on him, she cried, "I can not be the glue that holds everybody together anymore. I just can't. I need some support of my own!"

Alex drew her in to his chest as her tears became the size of gumdrops and trailed down her cheeks at random. They stood that way for a long time, and it took some time for it to click in Addison's head that Lanie had been taken for her surgery. She pulled away from Alex and began to pace up and down the hallway.

Reaching out for her, Alex placed his hands on Addison's shoulders to stop her constant motion. "Addison," he breathed in her ear. "Let's just sit down now, okay?"

"I'd rather not," Addison answered sullenly.

"Addie."

"No," she answered, shaking her head back and forth before he could say anything more. "Could you…could you go up to the gallery and watch the surgery?"
"Addie," he protested. "She'll be okay. It's only a broken leg; it's nothing major. Just some pins. I don't think that I'm comfortable leaving you alone."

"I'll be fine. There are plenty of people here that I know, Alex, I'd just…I want to know that someone is watching over her."

He looked at her strangely. "You don't want to come, then?"
Addison shook her head. "I don't think it's a good idea. I just need a little space."

"Okay," he agreed hesitantly, before turning around and taking the stairs up towards the operating room two at a time.

Addison sank down into one of the chairs, and Meredith materialized and planted herself in the chair next to her friend. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to make you upset. We didn't mean anything by it. It's just…"

"I know," Addison interrupted her. I just can't think about that right now. I can't think about any of it right now. I just…" Shaking her head, Addison whispered, "I can't be in the middle right now. I can't be the glue anymore."

Shaking Meredith's hand off, Addison got up and disappeared down the hallway.

OooooooooooooooO

Meredith put her feet up on the coffee table, leaning her head back against the edge of the couch. Her fingers folded comfortably over her very round pregnant belly. "Do you think our babies will be friends?" she asked.

Izzie shrugged, her hands caressing her own very pregnant belly. "Maybe."

"We could make them," Meredith laughed. " I mean, if they spend every minute of every day together, they have to be friendly, right?"

"You don't even know yet if yours is a boy or a girl," Izzie pointed out.

"And I don't want to," Meredith rebutted. "It would ruin the surprise."

"You aren't even curious? I'd be going crazy if I didn't know he was a boy," she said, gesturing to her stomach. "George and I are buying everything boy right now, trying to get ready. I don't know how you do it not knowing."

"Neutral colors," Meredith insisted. "A godsend. Seriously."

"Seriously…can you imagine if both of us have boys? They could grow up together. They'll be built in friends, just like we were. It'll be amazing."

"If I have a girl, they could get married."

Izzie reached out and hit her lightly on the arm. "Thinking ahead much?"

"No," Meredith laughed, "not at all."

OoooooooooooooooO

There was a knock on the door as Izzie sat on the sofa, watching television. She pulled it open slowly to find Meredith standing on the front stoop. "Hi," she said, too surprised to remember to open the door further.

"Hey, Iz," Meredith said quietly. "Can I…Can I come in?"

"Sure," Izzie answered hastily, pulling the door open further and then closing it as her friend entered.

Meredith wandered into the living room, almost bee lining to the fireplace and lifting a picture off of the mantle. "You still have this," she whispered, tracing over the photo with her fingertips.

"It was a long time ago," Izzie answered awkwardly.

"There aren't too many pictures of the three kids together." Meredith's finger came to a stop on her son's face, and she held it there for several seconds before putting the frame back down on the mantle. "It's nice," she said, trying to force a smile and failing.

"Why are you here?" Izzie asked quietly. "Not that I'm not happy to see you and everything, but…"

"Because it's been a long time. Because there were a lot of things that I'd forgotten."

"Oh," Izzie answered, confused. "Do you…Do you want to sit down?"

Meredith crossed to the couch and sat down without being led. "I've missed you," she started. "I've missed you, but it's been…"

"Hard?" Izzie prodded gently.

Meredith nodded. "A little. I mean, I know that…"
"It's okay, Mer," Izzie interrupted. "I understand…it's been hard for me too."

Shaking her head quickly, Meredith spit out, "No, I didn't mean that it was harder for me than it was for you, I just…"
"I understand, Mer," Izzie said again.

"Okay," Meredith said, sinking back against the couch. "Look…I…"

Izzie perched on the edge of one of the armchairs, afraid to say anything at all and risk ruining things.

Looking around the room, Meredith asked, "What happened to your walls? What is…"

Shrugging slightly, Izzie gestured at the wall. "People hate me for what my son did. Some days, even I hate me. Like you."

"I don't hate you, Iz," Meredith said quietly as tears sprang to her eyes. "I could never hate you. I just…I think that I needed someone to be angry at, and you were there."

"I don't condone what he did, and I never could. But he was my son, and no matter how much I may hate what he did, no matter how much I might not like him, I do love him, and I always will."

"I know," Meredith agreed. "I loved my son with all of my heart. But I can't…I can't put what your son did on you, because then I would be losing an incredible friend…and I need all the friends I can get right now to get through this."

"I do too," Izzie whispered. "I don't know how to get through this."

The woman hugged each other and sat that way for a very long time.