Author's Note: I know this chapter is kinda short and I promised it was about to get good, but I wrote this chapter before finals and I was planning on adding on to it, but then I started writing and it just seemed more natural to make the added part the beginning of the next chapter. And that's the part where something big happens. So, hopefully you'll give this story another chance after this chapter! I'll try to write tomorrow and then post either tomorrow or Monday. So, read and review please!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, unfortunately!

In the locker room the next morning George was filling Izzie and Cristina in on his encounter with Addison at The Westin Hotel the night before.

"Guess who I saw last night at the hotel?"

"Who?" Izzie questioned.

"Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd."

"Really?"

"Yea, by the elevators." George replied.

"She was staying at the Westin? She seems like more of a Four Seasons lady," Cristina commented.

"Hey, The Westin's nice enough," George defended. "And she seemed different than she is here."

"Different? How?" inquired Izzie.

"I don't know…she was nicer. She told me I could call her Addison if we run into each other there again. She said she felt bad about my situation, but she seemed kinda sad herself."

"Do you think her and McDreamy split?" Cristina asked.

"I don't know," Izzie answered. "She has been acting kinda weird lately."

"Well they're not living together right now, but I don't know if they're splitting up," concluded George.

Cristina's eyes widened. "Do you think the rumors are true?"

"What rumors?" Izzie asked.

"You didn't hear?"

She shook her head, as did George.

"How did you guys miss the best hospital gossip all week! I heard she slept with Mark again and McDreamy's mad."

"Where'd you hear that?" George wondered.

"Someone saw her get out of Mark's car apparently. I heard from one of the nurses," Cristina said matter-of-factly.

Izzie asked her. "Do you think that's true?"

"I dunno," she replied.

"Well I don't know either," George said. "So just don't say anything about her and I seeing each other at the hotel."

"Okay," the girls agreed.

None of them realized that both Meredith and Alex were on the other side of the lockers and had overheard this conversation.

"Ooh Mer, you should make a move on McDreamy. He must be vulnerable and lonely now," Alex taunted.

"Oh, shut up!" Meredith replied with a smile. "Derek and I are just friends."

"Whatever."

She threw her extra scrub top at his head jokingly.

After the others had left the locker room, Alex walked over to another guy who had just walked in. "Dude, did you hear about the Shepherds?"

That day when Addison walked into Seattle Grace, she felt as if everyone was looking at her. She saw the gossipy nurses look up from their conversation, examine her from head to toe, and then go back to whispering.

She walked over to grab her patients' charts and she saw Izzie.

"Hi Dr. Stevens."

"Oh, uh, hi Dr. Shepherd."

"You're with me today?"

"Yup."

"Okay. Can you get started checking on these patients and I'll meet you there?"

"Sure." Izzie took the charts and headed off.

'She seemed weird,' Addison thought to herself, but she shrugged it off.

She felt as if everywhere she went that morning people were whispering. By lunchtime she was tired of it and decided she'd just walk to the deli on the corner to avoid the cafeteria.

After lunch she walked back into the hospital and came face to face with Derek.

She started to walk down the hall towards him, but was interrupted when a patient stepped into the hall and spoke.

He looked directly at Addison. "I know what you did. You're a dirty whore! My wife cheated on me and –"

A nurse came over and silenced him before he could continue. She took him back to his room.

Derek turned and walked away, but Addison followed after him.

"Derek! Derek! Will you wait a second Derek!"

He stopped and looked at her.

"What, Addison? He asked coldly.

"How could you let him say that and not even defend me?"

"You're a big girl. You can defend yourself."

"Well he wasn't going to listen to me."

"He's just a patient, his opinion of you doesn't matter."

"It still hurts."

"Oh really? You understand what it's like to be hurt? I was beginning to wonder. Imagine how I felt when you slept with Mark again!"

He walked away.

His words stung.

Addison felt overwhelmed by everything; it all seemed to hit her suddenly. She leaned against the window as her breathing became shallow and she started to feel dizzy. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm so alone," she whispered. "No one here cares. What am I even doing here?"

Just then George came up to her.

'Maybe someone does care,' she thought.

"There you are. They need you for a consult Dr. Shepherd, up in peds."

"Okay," she said, trying to slow her breathing. "Why didn't anyone page me?"

"They did. You didn't answer."

"Oh, right, sorry. I'm on my way." She headed to the elevator.