785-555-0124.
Alex stared at the number. Izzie's number. Well, not her number, but the number for the hospital where she worked. He must be losing his mind if he was considering calling Izzie. It had been ten years since he'd last seen or spoken to her. Ten years since their marriage ended. Not that it mattered. Ultimately, he had found the woman for him, the person who complimented him like no other person ever had. With Jo by his side, he felt like he could do anything. So why was he staring at this number?
It wasn't like he couldn't call her. Jo had been the one to suggest it just a couple years earlier. She had said he should call Izzie and find out how she was. He simply hadn't felt the need to then. But now it wasn't about him and it wasn't about Izzie. This was about Meredith and he wanted to do whatever he could to help his friend. That was the only reason he had spent an hour online to figure out where Isobel Stevens had landed.
But now that he had the number in front of him he felt frozen. There was nothing wrong with calling Izzie. Right?
You already have so many people coming out and so many more people sending letters. One more won't really make a difference. And Izzie only knew Meredith for a few years during residency.
On the other hand, the plan was to reach out to everyone he could think of. If he ever wanted a reason to speak to Izzie again, this was it. And yes, he did want the reason. Had probably always wanted it, but this was the first reason good enough.
Before he could think on it any longer, he picked up the phone and dialed the number. And as the line started ringing, his heart began to race. Maybe no one would pick up. Okay, he was calling a hospital, of course someone would pick up. But maybe she wouldn't be working today, or maybe she'd be too busy to come to the phone.
"Shawnee County Medical Center, how may I direct your call?"
This was it.
"Hi, I'm calling to speak to Dr. Isobel Stevens." His mouth felt dry. Why was he nervous?
"And who is calling?"
"This is Dr. Karev from Pacific Northwest General." This is something he didn't consider. She could hear it was him and choose not to speak to him. Would she do that?
"Just a minute."
The woman on the phone was only gone for a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. He didn't feel ready. And then she was back.
"I'm sorry Dr. Karev. It looks like Dr. Stevens stepped out a couple hours ago, but she'll be back later today. Can I take a message?"
"No!" His answer was too sudden and too harsh. He could leave a message. He could get a letter from Izzie without having to speak to her. But he wanted to hear her voice.
Before he could think of what to say, the woman chimed in again. "Oh, wait. I see here Dr. Stevens wants her calls forwarded to her cell. My mistake. Hold on while I forward your call."
The line was silent for a moment before it was ringing again. Alex took a few deep breaths to try and calm his nerves.
The ringing stopped and finally, even though she was almost 2,000 miles away, it felt like she was right there beside him, the sound of her voice bringing a smile to his lips that he couldn't stop.
"Hello?"