As soon as Axel gets here, Dad decides the guys need to play basketball.
Addison and Jake arrive not long after Axel. They opted not to bring Judah, thinking it might be too soon. Addison greets all of her former coworkers happily, and introduces them to Jake.
"Wow," Cristina says, shaking his head. "Addison always manages to bag the hotties."
Jake just laughs and then heads over to join the basketball happening on the driveway.
Addison and Amelia haven't seen each other since the day Amelia handed over Judah. The months have given Amelia time to heal, and handle everything, and she happily hugs Addison.
"You look amazing," Addison says, holding her at arm's length. "Seattle never looked this good on me."
"What can I say," Amelia raises her palms. "We became fast friends."
The two of them wander off together to catch up on the more private issues. From our places at the table on the deck, Lexie reaches over and nudges my leg.
"You didn't say he was completely gorgeous," she grins, referring to Axel.
I laugh, looking over as he dunks the ball and high-fives Dad happily.
"He goes to UCLA too?"
"Yep. Computer sciences and engineering."
"Oh he's one of those guys? Total whiz with technology?" she shakes her head.
"It's scary," I reply. "He can literally build a computer. I mean, throw a strand of DNA in front of me and I can break that shit right down. Put his...whatever all of the parts of a computer are called, and I'm lost."
"I never did get that," Cristina shakes her head, drinking the water Meredith placed in front of her.
"Have you met any friends yet?" Lexie goes on.
"Mmm, I met one girl named Norah. She seems pretty great," I shrug. "I guess I've been kind of stuck in my books. I haven't really tried to make any friends yet."
"Well, the ones you meet in class tend to be better friends than the ones you meet while you're plastered at a frat party," Cristina puts in.
"I would rather watch my parents go at it than go to a frat party," I reply drily.
The deluge of water from Cristina's mouth shocks everybody, but not enough to stop them from laughing.
"That is the funniest, most disgusting and amazing thing I've ever heard," she laughs, looking at me.
I shrug, smiling uncomfortably at everyone looking at me.
"That's...pretty twisted," Lexie nods slowly, letting out a laugh.
"So you won't be looking at joining a sorority, then," Meredith grins.
"Kati? Join a sorority?" Addison says, flanked by Amelia, as to rejoin the group.
She laughs genuinely, and Amelia joins in.
"Yeah right," she chuckles, flopping into a deck chair and picking up her beer. "Alright, you. I wanna hear all about your first two days of college."
"Me too," Addison chimes. "I never did get to hear it yet."
"Interesting," I reply to her obvious teasing. She grins.
"There isn't really much to tell," I shrug. "Really, I've just been taking notes and reading syllabuses and trying not to be late for classes."
"Lame," Cristina breathes. "I miss good old college gossip."
"Why?" I reply, frowning in confusion. "Between you guys and the practice, there's enough gossip to start a soap opera."
"No there isn't," Cristina rolls her eyes.
"Uh, excuse me?" Amelia laughs. "Cheating husbands, lying all over the place, sleeping with husbands' best friends, avoiding sleeping with each other because you were too stubborn to give in and just be together, ectopic/almost-killed-you pregnancies, crazy mothers with Alzheimer's, drug-addict becomes pregnant and gives baby to former sister-in-law."
As she says each one, she lifts a finger to denote it's number, until she's holding up eight fingers.
"That's only seven," Addison says.
"I'm counting the adoption as it's own entity," she replies.
Everyone kind of sits there, stewing in the memory of their own drama, glancing at each other.
"Plus, Kati was in a car accident that killed her best friend and six months later had the shit beat out of her when her mentally deranged then-boyfriend tried to rape her," Amelia says calmly, taking a drink.
They all look at me.
"You have more than everybody else put together," Lexie stares, mouth open.
"You were also almost killed, again, when you and Axel tried to help that woman whose abusive boyfriend was trying to slap her around. You were admitted for a head injury, again, and your boyfriend lost a kidney," Amelia points her beer bottle at me.
"Why didn't I hear about this?" Cristina asks, looking around.
"Because you were up to your ass in your own gossip," Addison suggests, grinning as she takes a drink.
"That's true," Cristina nods. "He really lost a kidney?"
"Yep," I nod slowly. "It was...quite an afternoon."
"I don't know why but that kind of drama kind of pulls me in," she frowns in thought.
"Because it's bloody and messy and involves someone on a surgical table," Meredith answers.
We laugh and Cristina nods, accepting this answer as fact.
Mom and Violet, who've been bringing food out of the house and talking for the past 10 minutes, come and join our group of ladies.
"What are we talking about?" Violet asks, taking a drink.
"Blood," Cristina replies.
Violet and Mom make a face.
"She's lying," Addison sighs.
"Damn, girl," Mom says, glancing at Cristina. "A good mood on you is as scarce as hen's teeth."
Most of us are used to Mom's old-fashioned Southern sayings, but everyone from Seattle just kind of stares for a minute. I can't help but laugh into my pellegrino.
"She means it doesn't exist," Addison chuckles, taking a drink.
"Oh," Cristina clues in. "Well...it's a work in progress."
"To be called progress it has to involve you progressing," Meredith says sarcastically.
"Whatever," Cristina sighs. "Sorry. I'll be...happier."
"Are we eating soon?" Dad jogs over, sweaty from their basketball game.
"Soon as you guys start up that grill," Violet replies with a grin.
"Deal," he nods once, going over to tell the other guys.
Axel comes over and sits on the end of my lounge chair. "What are you hens clucking about?" he grins.
"Our teeth, actually," I reply.
Confused, he looks around. "Teeth? What do y'all have to talk about teeth for?"
"Nevermind," I smile, patting his shoulder.
Realizing I'm teasing him, he lunges forward to hug me, getting sweat on me.
"Ew!" I groan, pushing at him and laughing. "Get off."
He grins, kisses me and jumps up, pulling off his shirt and diving into the pool to cool off.
"That guy should be on advertisements everywhere," Cristina says steadily.
"Stop eyeing up the child," Addison nudges her, laughing.
"Oh god," Cristina realizes. "I've become That Woman."
Starting a train, Mark, Dad and Derek all jump into the pool after them.
"Coincidentally, they're all wearing shorts," Addison notices.
"Mark and Derek are treating this like it's Mexico," Lexie shakes her head. "You'd think we live in the Arctic year-round."
"We do," Cristina replies. "And I like it."
"You're like a vampire," Addison shakes her head at Cristina.
"Baby, why don't you come help me make a salad," Mom gets up.
We head inside, with Violet and Lucas close behind