"Koracick is such an ass!" Jo sets her tray down on the table, taking a seat next to Alex. "I mean he usually is, but ever since the whole Owen/Teddy thing he's been even more than one."
Alex appears deep in thought, as he plays mindlessly with his food.
"Alex?" she nudges him slightly.
"Yeah?" he looks over at her now.
Jo sighs, setting her fork down. "We only have a few days left before the two weeks are up and you're no closer to finding Izzie."
Alex turns away now, frowning. "Yeah, I've actually been thinking about that. I was thinking I should search the online death notices."
"Death notices?" Jo shrieks wide-eyed. "You think she's dead?"
"I don't know," Alex shrugs, his brown eyes betraying the pain he feels at that prospect. "But like you said we haven't been able to find her. Maybe the cancer came back and she, you know, she ... " his voice trails off.
Jo leans over and hugs him. "Oh god, Alex, I hope that's not the case," she says, as his pager beeps.
He looks down at it. "It's Chief Bailey. She wants to see me," he says, getting up. "I'll look online tonight," he adds grimly.
Jo caresses his face briefly as he bends down and kisses her on the forehead. "God, I really do hope that's not the case," she whispers to herself after he's gone, "but it certainly would solve a lot of problems."
Alex raps on Bailey's office door as he opens it. "You wanted to see me?"
"Not me," Bailey says, pointing behind Alex, who turns to see Izzie standing there pensively.
"Oh my god, Izzie!" he yelps, scooping her into his arms and hugging her tightly. "You're alive!"
"Not for long if you continue to squeeze the air out of me," she gasps.
"Oh, sorry," he says, releasing her, chuckling nervously. He turns to Bailey. "She's alive!"
Bailey looks at him confused. "Yes, she is, and I'm going to leave the two of you alone to talk, provided you're okay Dr. Karev?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Izzie's alive!"
Bailey exchanges wary glances with Izzie as she heads to the door. "Page me if you need me," she says, giving her a reassuring nod.
After the door closes behind Bailey, Alex and Izzie face each other. They stand there awkwardly for several seconds before he says again, "You're alive."
"You thought I wouldn't be because?" she queries confused.
"Well, I've been trying to find you and when I couldn't I started to think maybe, you know, the cancer came back or something," he admits, his voice soft.
She nods in understanding. "I'm sorry, but as you can see I'm fine."
"Yeah, you look great!" he smiles taking in her appearance. Her platinum blonde locks is back to pre-cancer length and pulled into a light, semi-messy ponytail. She's dressed casually in jeans and a white blouse, her wool green jacket fraying at the bottom. "Still have that jacket I see."
"Oh, yeah," she half laughs, looking down at it. "It's old, but I love it. I just can't seem to part with it." She looks back at him, biting down on her lower lip. "You look good too."
"Thanks," he nods.
An awkward silence begins to form before Izzie finally says, "My mother said you were trying to get in touch with me."
"Yeah, I have been. Let's sit." They sit on the sofa on opposite ends, angled slightly towards each other. There's another bout of silence before Alex clears his throat. "So ... I got married again and the weirdest thing happened when my wife went to change her name. They accused me of being a bigamist because apparently they have no record of our divorce. So I ... I, um, just need you to contact the courthouse where you filed them and have them forwarded here."
"Yeah, about that ... " Izzie chews on her bottom lip nervously, looking away momentarily. Turning back to him, she says in earnest, "I have to tell you something and there's no easy way to do so, so I'm just going to say it. But I need you to know that it was not intentional on my part."
"What wasn't?" he queries confused.
"I ... kind of ... " she cringes bracing herself for his reaction "... never filed the papers."
"What?" Alex says his eyebrows burrowing in confusion.
Izzie takes a deep breath. "I never filed the papers."
"I heard you the first time!"
"You said 'what?', so I assumed ... "
"What do you mean you never filed them?" he yells now, jumping up. "Izzie, I got married again!"
"I'm so sorry," she says, standing, holding her hands out to try and appease him, "Please let me explain."
"I got married again! I'm a bigamist!" Alex repeats, his face reddening in anger.
"I was in a really bad way when I left Seattle," she explains after he turns away from her. "When I got the papers back from you, I had every intention of filing them. I set them aside, thinking there was no real hurry and I would do it in a few days, and then when I decided to take my own life, I realized there was no reason to. I put them in a box of things to be sent back here. I just ... Alex, I'm so, so sorry ... I forgot about them."
He turns back to her, looking at her incredulously. She wraps her arms around herself, shifting uncomfortably as he just stares at her. "Say something, please?" she begs, unable to take the silence anymore.
"You were going to kill yourself?" It's both question and statement as that piece of information sinks in.
"Oh," she turns away, swallowing the lump that has formed in her throat, "I was just in a really bad way when I left here."
"But to kill yourself Izzie," he shakes his head in disbelief. "You obviously didn't go through with it."
"Actually I made an attempt." Her voice is barely above a whisper, but she shakes her head, quickly shrugging off the memory. "Anyway, afterwards, I was in therapy for some time and then I got embroiled in a family matter, and, honestly, Alex, I just never gave the papers another thought."
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she reaches her hand out to his arm. "Alex, can you ever forgive me?"
His response is to wrap his arms around her in another tight hug. "Thank god you didn't succeed," he says. Pulling back, looking at her squarely in the face, his voice is full of emotion as he insists, "Because a world without Izzie Stevens is not a world I want to live in."
Their eyes lock in a charged moment before Izzie finally looks away. "We all have to die sometime, Alex," she says. Clearing her throat, she reaches down for her purse and, opening it, takes out the papers. "You probably have time to go to City Hall today and file them."
He takes them from her, nodding slightly. He turns away, covering the emotion on his face.
"Well, I have a bit of a headache and a long drive home, so I'm going to go," she says after a few moments.
He turns back to her sharply. "You have a headache? That could be a sign of a tumor." He says panicked.
Izzie rolls her eyes. "Or it could just be a headache. Alex, I promise you I am fine. I am up-to-date on all my tests and take the protocol. I am good."
He nods as she starts to turn towards the door. Suddenly, she approaches him and wraps her arms around him tightly. "File the papers. Be happy," she says, kissing him on the cheek. "Goodbye."
As she opens the door, Teddy and Tom are by the nurses' desk. Teddy has asked him to reconsider his resignation. "Why do you care?" he is asking her sharply as Izzie rushes past. He catches sight of her out of the corner of his eye. "Oh my god, it can't be," he says, looking at the back of her as she walks to the elevator.
Alex approaches the desk. Tom looks over to him. "Do you know that woman?"
"Yeah, that's Izzie Stevens, my ex-wife."
Tom's eyes widen as Izzie hits the button for the elevator. "Oh my god, it is her!" He rushes forward, calling out, "Isobel!"
Izzie turns just as the elevator doors open to see Tom running up to catch her. The doors close as he comes to a stop right in front of her. They just stand there, both looking at each other in wide-eyed shock and awe.
"It's really you. I can't believe it. I saw you out of the corner of my eye and thought it couldn't be, but it is. It's you." He rambles uncharacteristically. "It's been what, like, 15, 16, 17 years?"
Izzie blinks a couple of times and takes a deep breath, trying to regroup. "Seventeen. It's been 17 years," she says hoarsely, her voice dry, "and I have to go." She pushes the button again, angling her body away from him.
Alex and Teddy are watching the scene unfold, totally flabbergasted. Owen and Amelia approach. "What's going on?" Owen asks, looking to where they are staring. Owen squints his eyes. "Is that Izzie?"
The elevator doors open, but Tom jumps partially in front of them, blocking her. "Do you have a few minutes? Maybe we can get coffee."
"No, sorry, I really have to go," she says trying to reach past him to enter the elevator. She brings her hand to her temple, massaging her worsening headache.
"Well, do you live here in Seattle? Maybe we can ... "
"No, we can't!" she says sharply, stepping back from him. She grimaces when she sees they have an audience.
Tom winces. He, too, sees they have an audience, but he doesn't care. "I understand why you would feel that way, Isobel," he says, his tone regretful, "It's just been so long and now you're here."
"And now I'm leaving," she says. She takes a step towards the elevator, but falters as she droops her head slightly.
"Are you alright?" he asks as she appears to slump towards the wall.
"I'm fine," she whimpers before fainting dead away in his arms.
The doctors who had been watching leap into action. "Get a gurney!" Owen instructs Nurse Helen, who brings it right over. Tom sets her on it.
Owen brings out his light pen and flashes it in her pupils. "Izzie, can you hear me? It's Owen."
"She was complaining of a headache a little while ago," Alex says concerned, brushing her hair away from her face.
Izzie opens her eyes and blinks, bringing her hand up to block the light he's shining in her face. "I'm fine." She tries to lift herself up. "It's just a headache."
"You fainted Isobel," Tom says, checking her pulse.
"Izzie, maybe we should do an MRI to be on the safe side, given your medical history?" Owen suggests.
"What's her medical history?" Tom asks concerned.
"Stage 4 melanoma that had spread to the brain."
"And she lived?" Amelia and Tom gasp at the same time.
Owen looks over at them. "Seriously!" he admonishes, motioning towards Izzie.
"No, I don't need that. Really, it's just a headache," she says, trying to get up again.
"Izzie, you can't go anywhere in the condition you're in, so why don't you just let us run some tests," Owen tries again.
Alex leans down to talk to her. "Izzie, please. For me?" he pleads.
Izzie finally relents, squinting her eyes to see the swarm of doctors surrounding her. Her eyes settling on Tom, she turns away, softly calling out for Owen, who leans down to hear her. "Please get him away from me."
"Who, Alex?"
Izzie shakes her head.
"Dr. Koracick?" he asks now, raising his eyes to look at his colleague.
After Izzie nods, all the doctors stand there awkwardly, the tension becoming thick. Tom steps back stricken, as Amelia steps forward. "Izzie, I am Dr. Amelia Shepherd. I take it you knew my brother Derek?"
When Izzie nods, Amelia continues. "And I take it he was your doctor before?" Izzie nods again. "Well, I'm going to take good care of you. Let's get you in a room and then I will call down to imaging to arrange the tests."
"And Dr. Koracick?"
Casting an uncomfortable look towards Tom, she assures her, "He will not be involved if you don't want him to be." She calls over to Nurse Helen. "Can you please pull Izzie Stevens medical file?"
Amelia nods to Owen and they start to wheel Izzie away to a room.
"Izzie, I'll be right behind you," Alex calls out.
"You don't have to come, Alex. Go file the papers," she murmurs, her voice fading down the corridor.
Once Izzie has been wheeled away, Alex turns to Tom. "What the hell did you do to her?" he demands, getting right up in his face.
"Who do you think you are?" Tom pushes back.
"Her husband!" Alex growls.
Teddy steps between them. "Alex, he didn't do anything. You saw the whole thing like I did. And you said she was already complaining of a headache."
Alex runs a hand over his face. Looking between them, he looks once more at Tom. "She's my wife, so just stay away from her."
Alex stalks off. Tom turns, confused, to Teddy. "I thought he was married to Wilson." Teddy just shrugs.
Meanwhile, Jo, who had stepped off the elevator in time to witness the exchange, smiles slightly to herself, thinking Alex was letting Tom have it for giving her a hard time. It's nice having a husband who has my back.
Alex approaches Izzie's room as Owen and Amelia are wheeling her out. "Where are you taking her?" he asks panicked.
"Imaging," Amelia replies.
"I'm going with you."
"Alex ... " Owen begins.
Alex cuts him off. "She's my wife! I'm going!"
Owen sees Amelia look at him wide-eyed over Alex's exclamation. He just shrugs, not wanting to argue about it. "We'll see you in imaging," he gives Alex a slight nod.
Alex slows his step, leaning briefly against the wall for support, as he watches them wheel her away. He closes his eyes tightly. "Please, please ... don't let it be a tumor." he whispers.
Okay, so I am not really sure where I am going with this story. It came to me while laying down one afternoon and wouldn't leave me head until I wrote at least these two chapters. I think I know where I am going with Izzie and Tom, just not sure about Alex. And truth be told, I actually wrote this before it was announced that Justin Chambers had left the show, so therefore long before 16x16 aired. So please feel free to review and comment and leave suggestions about what you would like to see. Thank you in advance.