Lexie and Robert avoided each other as best as they could. Everyone around them sensed the tension and that only fanned the rumors. They were both very professional with each other and that was it. She had heard rumor that he had started seeing someone and tried to pretend that it didn't bug her. He had never heard anything about the man she had been with at the party so he took it a sign that she was probably sleeping with him. The winter passed and soon spring had arrived and everyone seemed to have a renewed spirit, everyone but Lexie and Robert. He was grumpier than he had ever been and she would snap at people easily.

She was in one of her moods as she pushed the door open and walked into see her patient. He was claiming that voices were yelling at him constantly. Psych was backed up as usual so she decided to walk up there and get someone to come get him. She walked back in with an orderly and she looked around for him but he was gone. They looked everywhere and as she checked out the ambulance bay she heard people screaming and then the most horrid sounding thud. She turned around just as her patient's body hit the ground, splashing blood on her. The commotion around her was like a blur and she felt herself falling apart. Between trying to hide from Robert, dealing with long days and now this she was loosing it. She turned around and walked out of the ambulance bay and hailed a cab.

She ended up at a bar across town that she had frequented in college. She pounded one drink after another and her outlook seemed to improve. Robert was starting to become frantic. He had searched everywhere for her. Ed Chapman was beside himself with worry and Robert had promised him he would find her. Ed had actually thanked him and Robert had found it ironic. He stopped at a bar that he knew a lot of the med students hung out in and as he scanned the bar his eyes locked onto her familiar face and he walked over to her, pushing the men that were talking to her out of his way.

She glared at him and laughed. "What are you doing here?" She said and he tried to take her hand and she pulled it back.

"Lexie, let me take you home." He said calmly even though he wanted to yell at her for making him care what happened to her.

"Oh go to hell Robert." She slurred.

"Lexie this isn't debatable. I am taking you home." He said and she laughed.

"Well gee I find that funny." She said and laughed.

"Why is that funny?" He asked, as he was getting more and more pissed.

"I just always imagined I would feel more passion towards you when you finally said that to me." He rolled his eyes.

"I am not going to say it again Lex, lets go." She took another drink from her glass.

"And I am not going to say this again. Go to hell." He took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright." He said and walked over to her and threw her over his shoulder. She screamed and kicked as she tried to make him put her down but he walked through the pissed off men and walked out the door of the bar.

He held her on his shoulder as he hailed a cab and only put her down as he pushed her inside and went around to get in the other side. She was quiet the entire ride to her house and as they pulled up he paid the driver and helped her out of the cab. They were silent as they climbed the stairs and she handed him the keys to unlock the door. She lay down on the sofa and he went to get some aspirin and he touched her shoulder as he walked back and knelt down next to her. Her eyes were closed and he took advantage of that to look at her. He smiled to himself at how emotional she made him. She and his mother were the only people to ever have that effect on him. Her eyes fluttered open and met his. His hand went to her face and his thumb softly caressed her cheek, his eyes never leaving hers. Everything in him told him to let go of his fears and kiss her but he knew she was drunk and that wouldn't be right. He grabbed a blanket and covered her up and got up and walked out the front door.

She woke up with a hangover and no memory of how she got home. She was glad that she had woken up alone but she was confused as to how she had gotten her here and who had wrapped her up in her blanket. She looked at the clock and decided to call in sick to work. She had the next few days off and then she would move to nights. That would be enough time for her headache to go away she thought.

She walked into the ER a week later and got report on the patience from the doctor that was on days and he left. One of the nurses walked over to her.

"Welcome back Dr. Carter." She said and grinned at her. Lexie stared at her.

"What are you grinning at?'" Lexie asked. Kelly shook her head.

"Nothing." Lexie was confused and starting to get pissed.

"Spill it." She said and Kelly cleared her throat.

"I just find it convenient that the same week a certain doctor goes to Chicago for a job interview another doctor calls in sick."

Lexie looked at her. "What am I missing?"

Kelly smirked. "Oh ok. You want to play it that way. While you were gone Dr. Romano went to Chicago to interview at Mercy." Lexie was shocked.

He was leaving?

"Did he get it?" Kelly grinned at her.

"As if you don't know." Lexie shook her head. "Yeah, he leaves next week." Kelly laughed and walked away leaving Lexie wonder why he was leaving.

He avoided her for most of the week and then she cornered him on his last day there.

"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?" She asked as he was empting his locker. He turned and looked at her and then turned back to his locker.

"You know me Lexie. I was never one for pleasantries." She nodded and walked over and sat on the sofa.

"So Chicago huh?" She said and he nodded and closed his locker. He walked over and set the box on the table and looked down at the floor trying to find the right words. He looked up and smiled.

"Good luck." He said quietly. She grinned at him.

"Thanks, you too." She said and they looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity but not long enough at the same time. He turned and picked up the box and walked out the door and out of her life.