I was going to wait to post this next chapter until tomorrow, but then I thought – Why wait?
Once again, thank you all for reading, reviewing, faving and following. You guys are awesome sauce!
Chapter Soundtrack – Lost & Found: Ellie Goulding
Oh, and I figured out how to correctly add the link to my Undiscovered Pinterest Board on my profile. Sorry if you've been trying to check out the pins I have for this story. My bad *face palm*. It should work now. 😊
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"Lexie?" Jackson said, seeing her at the coffee cart, dressed in a polo, athletic cropped leggings, and sneakers.
She turned away from doctoring her tea with honey. "Hey Jackson."
"What are you doing here?" She pointed to the stitched label on her shirt. "You're volunteering here? I thought you'd be over this place."
"Not the rehab center. I love it and it loves me." She gushed. "Plus, free yoga classes."
"You're into yoga?" That was a bit surprising, not something he would have pegged her for in the past. But this Lexie was all about new experiences. Like when she convinced him and April to go kayaking with her in the Sound or the Paint and Sip party that she volun-told them all for one night. He had to admit, they were both a good time.
"Are you kidding me? Yoga is like the best thing that ever happened to me." Not only did it physically help with her recovery and keep her in shape. It gave her mental peace and clarity. Zen if you will. The alarm on her phone went off signaling the end of her break. "Oh, I gotta get back. Talk to you later, okay? Bye."
"Was that Lexie?" April asked, joining him for their coffee break date.
"Yeah, she's volunteering in the rehab center." He told her. That part was even more surprising than the yoga. "Maybe she really isn't coming back to surgical."
He'd heard her rave about the center, how innovative and life changing their work was, but rehabilitation as a new career path for her was unexpected.
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"What do you want for dinner tonight? Pizza or Chinese?" Meredith asked Lexie as she finished her charting.
Lexie was sitting on the corner of the desk, having just finished her yoga class and stopped by for a visit. "Uh, neither." She quickly rejected her suggestion. She was tired of pizza, Chinese, burgers, etc. She wanted to try something different. "How about I cook?"
"You can cook?"
"I don't know. Can I?" She wondered but waved it off. "I'll find an easy recipe online and try it out."
"Oookay." Meredith said doubtfully with a laugh. They said their goodbyes and chart in hand, she went to check on a patient.
Lexie was just about to head out as well when Mark came up to the desk, trading charts for his rounds. Glancing at her attire, he smirked. "How was yoga class? Feeling nice and limber?"
"Why don't you take a class with me and find out?" She proposed.
"Nah. Besides, there are better ways to find out how limber you are." He told her pointedly with that sexy little grin of his that made her stomach flutter.
She rolled her eyes, refusing to give him any satisfaction by showing the effect he had on her. "You are ridiculous." She collected her belongings, hooking her bag and mat onto her shoulder. "A horny teenage boy stuck in a 44 year old man's body."
He frowned and nodded. "That's fair."
She couldn't help, but laugh at his audacity and he joined in. "Goodbye Mark."
"Mariners are playing tonight." He called after her.
"I guess that means I'll see you later." She looked back as she razzed him. "Congratulations on not making up a lame excuse this time."
"You love my lame excuses." He fired back, getting the last word as she disappeared around the corner.
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"Hey, you made it!" Meredith shouted when she saw her sister walking towards the baseball field from her car. "How'd it go today?"
Lexie was decked out in a matching black blazer, suit pants and heels. She just left the University of Washington campus where she was registering for classes and had an interview with the Dean of Rehabilitation Medicine.
When she made the decision to go back to school for rehabilitation medicine, she met with university officials to work out her unique amnesiac situation. She took placement tests and proved to only need to retake a few advanced anatomy, kinesiology, and physiology classes, as she still remembered most of her Bachelor studies.
Reaching the waist high fence at the side of the field, she announced to her sister, Derek and Mark who had migrated over to them. "You are looking at UW's next PT/OTD and holistic therapy graduate."
Acupuncture and massage therapy were critical during her recovery. Having been in a coma, her muscles were in atrophy and she was behind in the extent of rehab that she needed for her injuries. The passive therapy that she received while unconscious could only do so much. When she was awake, she was put under a rigorous rehab program to play catch up. She was in a lot of pain and didn't want to be doped up all the time. The first time her therapist tried acupuncture it was instant relief and became a regular part of her program along with massage. She even had a few music therapy sessions to try to jog her memory, but it was unsuccessful. Still, both personally and in observation, she saw how effective holistic therapy was in helping people recover and have a better quality of life after their trauma.
"Yay!" Meredith cheered for her great news. It was definitely different, but it was what she wanted and that was all that mattered. They hugged over the fence. "I'm so happy for you."
Derek gave her a high-five and Mark grabbed her hand, placing a kiss on the back. She blushed at him prettily.
"Wow, you really are into all that hippy dippy crap now." Alex butted in.
"And you really are a dipstick that I thankfully don't remember sleeping with." She teased, but honestly, she wasn't sure what she saw in Alex Karev.
Sure he was cute, but he was one of those innate jerks who she constantly wanted to slap, not kiss. Now Jackson, she understood. He was sexy and sweet, but there was still something missing that made her wonder why him as well.
"Is he on your team?" She asked Derek and Mark, jerking her thumb at Alex.
"No." They replied.
"Need a batter?"
"She can't play. She's not on the team." Alex whined, only halfway joking. It was just a practice scrimmage for the big game against Pacific Northwest next week. But they didn't have time to mess around, they had to be ready to kick their asses.
"My hand could use a break. She's my substitute." Derek resolved. "Have at it, Lex."
"Thank you." She took off her blazer and draped it over the fence. "Anyone got a change of clothes?"
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Dressed in a pair of basketball shorts, a t-shirt that was tied at her back and a spare pair of sneakers from April, Lexie approached the plate.
Mark's arms were crossed and his chest puffed out in pride, as he and Derek stood side by side to watch her. "She looks damn good in my clothes." He grinned.
On the pitcher's mound, Owen wound up and let it fly. Keeping her eye on the ball, Lexie swung at the perfect time. The ball flew into the outfield right over Jackson who couldn't jump high enough to catch it and over the fence that cut off the field. A home run.
Everyone cheered and Lexie rounded the plate bringing Richard and Callie in as well. As she stepped on home plate, she turned to the opposing team and curtsied deeply.
"I bet you wish I was on your team now." She mocked Alex and stuck her tongue out at him.
After getting accolades from her "teammates", she went into the dugout to get a bottle of water and took a seat on the bench to watch the rest of the scrimmage.
Mark sat down next to her. "You're really walking away from the scalpel?"
"You're supposed to be in love with the scalpel, right?" She shrugged. "I'm not. It's not meant for me." She emphasized. Her life experiences and perspective had changed, and she was on a different path now. "Do you know what it's like to be in a room with other people trying to learn how to live again?" Her struggle was minor compared to other patients in the center with her at that time, but she knew what it was like to feel weak and helpless because you couldn't do normal, everyday things. And then strong and capable once you could again. "It's hard as hell, but so inspiring and exciting to watch people get their life back. I want to be a part of that."
Suddenly without warning, Mark kissed her. She moaned and clutched the arms holding her, not shying away at all. He broke the kiss, but kept her close, their faces only inches away from each other.
"What was that?" She whispered with a smile.
"Are you complaining?"
"No." She breathed, and affectionately brushed her nose against his.
"I love you." He blurted out, unable to hold it in any longer. "I know you're confused about how you feel about me and that's okay because you'll figure it out and come back to me."
Lexie didn't know what to say. She knew he had feelings for her but tried not to think about it. Thinking about it would mean facing it, facing the fall and quite frankly, she was afraid to fall.
"Uh um." Someone cleared their throat nearby, interrupting them and saving Lexie from responding. " Mark, you're up."
They both turned to see Callie and Arizona leaning against the fence post, aiming goofy grins at them.
Yup, it was only a matter of time.
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Lexie the Volunteering, Baseball Star, Yogi
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