.7.
"Let me get this straight," Cristina summarized. "George asked you out and then proceeded to run away and avoid you for the rest of your shift."
"He also managed to get into a huge fight with Izzie. I think he slept in his car last night in fear of confrontation. He was locked in his room when Izzie left this morning," Meredith explained.
"He is a strange, strange little man."
"How was dinner?" Meredith inquired, putting down her cup of tea. She and Cristina had the day off, which they were spending vegetating around the Grey home.
"It was very twilight zone. Bailey was so none Bailey. Her husband wasn't anything I had expected. Ella is an amazing cook and the Shepherds…" Cristina cut herself off.
Meredith's face blanked for a moment. " He chose her. I've accepted that. She is his wife. I don't like it, but I have to be real. It was a one night stand gone wrong."
"So, what are you going to do about George?"
"I just don't know."
Cristina got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a slab of cake.
"Ella sent me home with some desert. Eat it. It will make you feel better."
Meredith took the fork from the plate and stabbed the cake. She took a bite of theit and fell in love.
"Oh yea. Cake always makes a girl feel good."
"George!" Izzie shouted. George jumped in surprise. He shook his head and ran away. The confrontation between Izzie and George had not been pretty. They basically declared each other horrible friends and stormed off in opposite directions. Why should Izzie feel bad for taking a step for her career? Meredith understood that!
George knew asking Meredith out so close to being dumped by Mc Dreamy was the wrong move, he wasn't thinking. It happened. End of story.
"What's wrong, beautiful?" Alex asked, noticing the irritated look on his girlfriend's face.
"George ran away from me. Again!"
"Well, what do you expect? You blasted him for going after Grey."
"Its too soon."
"Iz, Meredith is a big girl. She can handle herself. Look, lets just forget about the whole George thing. You know that Meredith doesn't care that you are working with Mrs. Mc Dreamy. She told you that the only thing that would bother her is if you became friends with her.."
"I have coffee with her twice a week before shifts. She asked me to go to a conference in New York with her," Izzie confessed.
"I thought you weren't going to get involved. I know you like to make friends…"
"She isn't the horrible person we thought she was. I like her, Alex. I've learned a lot. Yeah, she can be a cold bitch, but she is damn good at her job. Once you get past the bitchiness, she is just Addison."
"Don't tell that to O'Malley or Grey."
Addison looked at her best friend with mixed emotions.
"Are you aware of what you are asking me to do? Sav, you and Weiss want a family.."
"I have a plan for that too!" Savannah replied. "Not only do I want you to find the best plastic. Addi, I want you to help me find a surrogate."
Addison sat back against the couch of Sav's hotel room.
"You want a complete hysterectomy, double mastectomy, and to have your eggs removed for a surrogate pregnancy?"
"Its sounds crazy, but Addi- I lost my mother to cancer. Every woman in my family has died of it or has it. I have a greater chance for it. I don't want to risk it. I figure if Weiss is so set on a baby, we can still have one of our own if we don't adopt."
Addison sighed. "Does he know about your other idea?"
Sav shook her head no. " Does he even know you are here?"
Again, she shook her head. "Addi, I need you."
Addison pulled her best friend into a hug. Weiss was not going to be happy.
Derek's cell phone was ringing like mad. A familiar number flashed on the screen.
"Hey Weiss."
"Is she there Derek?"
"Is who-"
"Sav. She's gone. Look, Derek. I need your help. She's lost it. Every since Delilah died.. She is obsessed. I am afraid she may do something that could destroy us. We want children."
"Weiss, you are rambling. What's going on?"
"Can you pick me up from the airport? Sav has gone to Seattle for Addison's help."
"What the hell are you doing, Addi?" Derek asked coming upon his wife exiting the hospital room of their long time friend.
"I'm saving my friend, Derek. You remember our friends, don't you. The ones you left in Manhattan," Addison snapped, shutting Savy's chart.
"Don't be a bitch, Addison."
"No, Derek. Don't be such a jerk. Mind your own business. Sav came to me desperate. She needs my help."
"And Weiss came to me! They want a family, Ad. You know better than anyone about that."
Addison's blood ran cold. "Go to hell, Derek."
Derek cursed himself for his stupidity. His anger and frustration had gotten the better of him. He growled and slammed his hand against a wall. Why couldn't they just get things right?
Addison rushed into an empty conference room. She could feel a sob battling for release. She sank into a chair. With her hands in her hair, she allowed herself to let loose of her emotions.
It had been a very long time since Addison let herself give in to the part of her she kept hidden. Derek's careless words had hurt. He was so stupid sometimes.
"Dr. Shepherd? Addison, are you okay?" Izzie asked, peaking her head into the room. She had seen Addison rush into the dark room.
"He is so inconsiderate sometimes. He forgets.. He doesn't understand what it was like. It wasn't him!" Addison muttered into her hands.
Izzie closed the door and took a step closer to the table.
"I'm going to tell you something. Something that I ask you to never ever repeat, but I need to say it."
Izzie nodded her head and slid into a chair next to the usually collected doctor. The sight in front of her rattled her. She wasn't use to such emotions coming from her bosses. They were all always so together.
"I was pregnant, once. It was a few years ago. I had fainted at Christmas dinner. We were so happy. I was 2 months a long then. It was unexpected, but welcomed. I was terrified. . . I lost the baby at 4 months. It was an ectopic pregnancy. I can't have anymore children. We were going to name her or him, Madeline Rose or William Richard."
Izzie was stunned by Addison's confession. Unsure of what to do, she reached out and wrapped an arm around the melted ice queen.
What a way to end a day.
Derek sat in the stairwell with the old ultrasound picture in his hand. He folded it up and stuffed it into his pocket. Weiss stepped in front of his friend.
"I'll talk to Addison about talking to Sav as Addi and not Dr. Shepherd."
Weiss nodded and took a seat next to Derek.
"Do you ever wonder what life would be like if the pregnancy lasted?"
Derek leaned back against the steps. He held no expression on his face or in his eyes.
"I can't allow myself to do that. It hurts to much."
He placed a comforting hand on Weiss's shoulder and stood up.
"Dr. Shepherd," Izzie called to the retreating figure of Derek Shepherd.
"Yes, Dr. Stevens?"
"Can I talk to you?" Izzie hesitated. Derek nodded and walked into an empty exam room.
"You hurt my friend and roommate. On top of it all, you reduced a woman I respect to tears. I don't know who you think you are, but you are a jerk!" Izzie hissed.
"Addison was crying?" Derek asked completely concerned.
" You're an ass, Dr. Shepherd. How could you be so cruel?"
Derek rushed out of the room in search of Addison.
Izzie threw her hands up in frustration. What was with men?
"Go away, Derek," Addison rasped out upon finding her husband in the doorway.
"Addi, I'm--"
"Don't you dare! I don't know how much of this I can handle, Derek. When will we be even? What is it going to take? I need to know. You can throw the affair at me whenever, but to use a child I never had! To use the fact that I can never have a child! You know what, Derek. I don't need this. Tell your intern that she won. Obviously, my skin isn't as thick as I thought," Addison cried, her eyes defeated. "I'll tell Richard that I am going back to Manhattan with Sav and Weiss."
"Addi, wait." Derek pleaded, catching her wrist in his hand.
"No!" Addison shouted. "I am not doing this. Most importantly, I am not doing this here. I have embarrassed myself enough. I cried in front of an intern! I am standing in an empty conference room shouting at you!"
Derek pulled his wife into his arms. For once in what felt like forever, Addison let her husband hold her as she fell apart. Both sides had finally ceased fire.
Izzie slung her bag over her shoulder. She let her hair fall from her clip with a sigh. To say that her day was boring would be laughable. She had watched Addison Shepherd fall apart. Told Mc Dreamy off, and gotten into a fight with Alex. Go Izzie!
She slammed her locker shut and turned to leave. She turned right into George.
"George!"
"Izzie!"
"I'm sorry, George. It wasn't my place to go off on you like that. I knew that you liked Meredith."
"And I'm sorry for calling you a bad friend and Satan's spawn."
The two friends shared a soft smile.
"Come on, I'll take you out to eat," George declared, picking up his own bag.
"And I'll bake us some desert."