Trigger Warning : Assault
Hope you enjoy part 2 of this fic!!!
--PART 2--
Over the next few weeks, Jo and Alex were practically inseparable. Even outside the hospital, it seemed as though they were never apart. They would go to Joe's after work together, they'd get pizza at the shop down the street from the hospital, Jo crashed on Alex's couch more than she slept in her own bed, and she showed up to work with him every morning.
People noticed. Lots of people noticed. Alex couldn't walk into a room with Jo without someone sending a glance their way or whispering quietly about their newfound closeness. And that was basically at all hours of the day because ever since what happened with the creep from radiology, Jo had become a permanent extension of Alex.
She didn't mind it. She actually found herself enjoying being in Alex's company. He was fun and funny, he was thoughtful, and she felt safe with him. That was a huge thing for her. She didn't think she'd ever felt safe with a man in the past.
Even though she truly enjoyed his presence, she heard what people were saying about them. Some people called her a whore because she was sleeping with her boss for surgeries. Some thought that she had blackmail on Alex, which was why he was keeping her at a short distance. Others thought Alex was taking advantage of her in some way and coercing her to stay by his side.
As ridiculous as those might seem, those weren't the rumors that scared her the most. The rumors that scared her the most were the ones that bordered on the truth—although Jo would never admit it. The ones that said Jo and Alex were together because they were in love. They spent so much time together that feelings developed and so, they decided to go for it.
Those were the rumors that freaked her out because they'd be true if Jo just got her head out of her ass and told Alex how she felt. She thought about this every single time she heard the whispers and she was getting fed up with it. She couldn't take hearing another person talk about how cute she and Alex were together because Jo might explode in anger at the fact that she got attached.
So that's why when Stephanie finally brought up Jo and Alex's connection, Jo met her breaking point. Stephanie shook her head. "All I'm saying is that you've been spending an awful lot of time with Karev for someone who claims that you're not seeing each other."
"Because we're not," Jo insisted. This was getting old. She needed to put an end to all of the speculation and rumors before she let everyone's words get to her head—they were already in her head if she was being honest. As much as she wanted Alex, she knew she couldn't be with him. He was too good and she was too messed up. "Do you really think I want to be with Alex 24/7? I'm on his service—I've been on his service for the past month. He's my boss and tells me where I need to be so I listen. Yeah we're friends too, and maybe I basically live on his couch, but that doesn't mean I have feelings for him. The only reason he's got me practically tied to him is because I've had a couple bad run ins with a guy who freaks me out and Alex is a nice guy. So yeah, I'm tolerating it. Trust me when I tell you, I'd love to get away from him for even just a little while so I could breathe without feeling suffocated."
"Uh, Jo," Stephanie's eyes were wide and she pointed to something behind Jo's shoulder.
Jo turned to see Alex standing in the doorway of the supply closet with an unreadable expression on his face. Jo blanched visibly, "Alex."
"I came to tell you that Hannah Abrams is going in for surgery and was going to tell you to scrub in. But since you feel so suffocated, you can remove Eddie King's drain and go round on my post-ops. Maybe Edwards will be better company," Alex ordered coldly and turned out into the hallway.
Jo stood frozen for a split second before running out behind him, "Alex! Wait, please. Listen to me, I didn't—"
"Oh, I heard quite enough," Alex sneered. "I'm sorry I'm so intolerable. I'm sorry that I care enough to have your back when you got yourself into this situation. I try to help you and be nice and be your friend, and this is how you repay me? Well, guess what, you don't have to worry about apologizing because whatever the hell this is, is over."
Alex turned away, leaving Jo standing in the middle of the hallway with tears in her eyes as everyone around her whispered about what they'd just witnessed. As if Alex and Jo weren't already the subject of everyone's conversations, they'd for sure be talked about now.
"Jo?" Stephanie called out behind her. "You okay?"
Jo swallowed back some tears and turned to face the wall so she could compose herself. After a few seconds she turned back around, "I'm fine. I need to remove Eddie King's drain."
——————
The rest of the day was complete and utter crap. Alex had been avoiding her like the plague, which was problematic considering he was her ride home that night. Jo walked over to the Joe's bar contemplating whether she should just crash at the hospital.
Alex was angry. Not at Jo, though. He was angry at himself. Angry for letting himself fall for her. He promised himself he wouldn't do that again. Not after what happened last time.
So that's how he found himself at the bar across the street from the hospital drinking his sorrows away. He struck up a conversation with a young woman he'd never met before and just got through asking her for her phone number in hopes of setting up a date, when Jo came up behind him.
"Alex, please can we talk?"
"I have nothing to say to you," he glared at Jo. "Now I suggest you leave before I say something we'll both regret."
"But you're my ride—"
"Call a cab!" The frown on Alex's face deepened. "Leave."
He watched as Jo bit her lip and swallowed back some tears. It took everything with Alex not to reach out and say something. Instead, he turned back around to the blonde woman in front of him and ignored as Jo walked away.
Jo walked out of the bar and felt a couple tears slip past her eyelids. At some point it had started raining and Jo found herself standing underneath the steady spray of the rain as she waited for the cab she'd called.
"I heard about what happened today with you and Karev. You see, I told you it wouldn't last."
Jo turned to see Garret grinning smugly as he walked closer to her. He reached out to touch her hair when Jo slapped his hand away, "That wasn't an invitation. Are we're not over, just fighting."
"Really? Because that's not what it looked like to me. No, it looked like he was setting up a date with that blonde girl he was sitting next to. What a shame really, when he had all this to himself," Garret ran an offending hand down her arm and gripped at her waist.
Jo pushed him again, "Get the hell off of me."
"No can do sweetheart. I've been waiting too long for this."
The next few minutes were a blur as Jo fought against Garret's grimy hands and did her best to remove herself from between the wall and his grasp. She'd just landed a nasty punch on Garret's face when she felt his body swiftly be pulled from hers.
"Get the hell off of her," Alex growled and pinned the other man to the wall by the collar. "You're going to leave here and you're never going to come back. Or I'm going to tell Hunt what kind of guy you are and report you to the police. They don't hire many doctors with criminal records." Alex released him, "Leave. I don't ever want to see you again. Go tell Hunt you resign, because I swear to God if I see you again I will let her beat the crap out of you and I won't be here to stop her."
Garret rubbed his jaw in pain where Jo had landed her punch, "Fine. I'm leaving. I don't know why I'd even waste my time with that bitch." He walked away with a scowl on his face.
"You okay?" Jo flinched as Alex put a hand on her arm. "Hey, it's okay. It's just me."
Jo looked up at him with wide eyes, "Can we go home?"
"Yeah."
When they arrived back to the house, Jo was shivering from the cold. Her clothes had been soaked through when the rain started but she couldn't bring herself to move out of the foyer. She heard Alex walk and shuffle around the house before he came back.
"Take off your clothes."
"What?" Jo's heart dropped in fear.
"Not like that," Alex sighed and handed her one of his t-shirts and a pair of short she'd left laying around. "Here. You need to change out of those wet clothes before you get sick."
"Thanks," Jo mumbled quietly and walked over to the bathroom to change into the dry items of clothing Alex had handed her.
When she came out, Alex was sitting on the couch waiting for her, "You know I'd never hurt you like that right? You looked scared when I told you to take off your clothes."
"I know," Jo nodded. "You're good. You're one of the best people I know. I know that I'm safe with you. I just—I guess I was still thinking about earlier."
"I'm sorry I left you alone. But he's gone now and he's never going to hurt you again. I swear," Alex stood up. "Get some sleep."
——————
Days passed since that night that Garret had left. Sure enough, he'd packed his things and resigned from Grey Sloan quickly, never showing his face again. With the assurance that Garret wouldn't show up again to threaten her, Alex released Jo from his service and had been doing his best to avoid her. Their interactions were limited to the mornings and evenings when they'd ride together to work.
"You're going on a date tonight," Jo crossed her arms and leaned against the kitchen island. They had just gotten home about an hour ago and Jo watched as he got ready for his evening out. "With that girl from the bar?"
Alex nodded his head as he looked up from the coffee he was making, "I am."
"Huh," Jo looked away. "I didn't think you'd say yes."
"Why would I say no?" Alex paced his mug down on the counter. "You made it very obvious that slumming it with me is the last thing you'd rather be doing. At least, that's what you told Edwards."
"Alex. Please. It's been four days," Jo reached out for his arm, only to feel the sting of rejection when he pulled his arm away. "I didn't mean it. Please, you have to believe me when I say that I didn't mean it. I don't feel suffocated by you. I—it's me. I'm confused and I was just tired of everyone butting into our business."
"So, tell me then. What is this between us? And don't lie to me. I may be a lot of really terrible things but I'm not a liar. What are we doing?" He interrogated. "Is this just a way for you to pass the time? Am I some joke to you? Some pet project that you mess around with so that you feel less lonely?"
"What? No. Alex it's not like that," Jo shook her head. "We're friends. I care about you. I like being with you, but I can't be with you. I'm too messed up. I can't... I can't give more that what I'm giving right now. So, maybe you should go on that date. I guess it's better for everyone if you stop wasting your time with me and find someone who can give you what you want."
"Oh, come on. You need to stop it with that bullshit," Alex shouted. He took a steadying breath to calm himself down and looked at her intensely. "I know you want me just as much as I want you."
"Yes, you're right," Jo confessed, eyes filling with tears. "I think I'm in love with you and that terrifies me. It terrifies me, because I've never had someone to lose. But pursuing this, us, is dangerous. Because what happens if we fall apart? I can't lose you. You are my best friend, my favorite person in the entire world and that scares me. Because you have the ability to hurt me like no one else can."
"Jo," Alex leaned close and placed his forehead against hers. "I'm not perfect, so I can't promise that I won't mess up. But I've never felt this way about anyone before. Not even my ex-wife. I feel for you more right now after months of friendship than I ever did with Izzie. Don't you get it? I want you. I want everything with you. I know that might be a foreign concept to you, but I want you . I can't stand to lose you either, so if you let me in, I'm gonna do my damn best every single to day make sure that we work. Because I can't stand the thought of hurting you. It actually, physically, makes me feel sick to my stomach. You are everything I've ever wanted and needed and more and... I love you."
Jo stepped back from Alex and paced back and forth for a moment as she contemplated his words. They would put so much at risk if they tried this. But if they tried this and it worked... she couldn't even begin to imagine what her life would look like if this worked. No one, not one person had ever sincerely told her that they loved her. Her entire life she'd longed for the day when she'd hear those words directed at her. She began to have visions and dreams of what life with Alex would look like. What a future with someone who loved you looked like.
Finally, Jo paused in her pacing and looked at Alex. Taking a deep breath, she took his face into her hands and brought his nose against hers, "I'm not good at this. I might mess it up, but I need you to not give on me if I do. Because I want a great big future with you."
Alex's face broke out into a grin and he brought their lips together. Kissing Jo felt right. It felt like coming home. He poured all of his emotions into the kiss, because he was historically bad with words and hoped that maybe this would be enough to convince her just how much he loved her. He wanted to express the joy he was feeling. He wanted to share the passion that was bubbling up underneath the surface.
Jo felt it. She felt every emotion she'd been too afraid to experience. She felt every nerve ending tingle with excitement and anticipation. She felt him. She felt his passion and love. It was so overwhelming, she thought she might drown in it. She was so completely and utterly content, though, that she didn't care. The world could fall apart around them, but as long as she had this, she'd be alright.
After a few moments, Jo pulled away and stared at Alex with dark and lustful eyes, "Take off your clothes."
"What?" Alex snorted a laugh.
"I said, take off your clothes," Jo panted breathlessly. "What are you waiting for?"
"Wait. Jo, are you sure about this?" Alex looked at her skeptically, trying to hide his excitement at her words.
"You're sweet for asking, but yes. Take. Off. Your. Clothes."
"Yes ma'am," Alex chuckled and removed his shirt, reaching to pull Jo's off her as well.
——————
"Hey you."
"Hi," Jo smiled shyly as she blinked her eyes open.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I slept great. Best sleep of my life," Jo's smile widened. "Could have to do with the fact that I got to sleep next to you."
Alex's face lit up, "Hmm, I could say the same thing." Alex pulled Jo close and ran a hand up and down her bare back. "When I woke up this morning, for a split second I thought, this has to be a dream. But then I felt you and I could smell your shampoo and I knew that it was real. I've been laying here just trying to take it all in."
Jo hummed happily and snuggled closer to Alex before jerking up and facing him, "Did you ever call to cancel your date last night?"
"Oh crap," Alex's eyes widened. "Well, I think she figured it out."
"Alex! You have to call her and explain," Jo sat up in the bed.
"And tell her what? 'Sorry I stood you up last night but I was busy having sex with my best friend who I'm in love with. So, maybe it was for the best that we never went out,'" Alex replied smartly. Jo reached over and slapped Alex in the shoulder. "Ow! What? That's the truth."
Jo laid back down on the bed and turned to lean on her side, "So... what is this between us? Are we together?"
"I thought so," Alex scrunched his eyebrows. "Was I supposed to ask?"
"I mean... it would've been nice," Jo shrugged, eyes shining.
"Okay, then," Alex leaned on his side to look Jo in the eyes as she giggled slightly. "Jo Wilson, would you make the happiest guy on the planet and be girlfriend?"
"You are such a dork," Jo laughed and reached over to kiss Alex. "Yes."
Alex grinned widely, "What do you say we call in sick today?"
"I say that sounds like a great idea."