——————
Part 4:
The months following were smooth sailing, until they weren't. Jo was about seven months in her pregnancy when it seemed like everything had gone to shit. Izzie got sick again and was back in a hospital bed undergoing multiple treatments and would be undergoing a resection for new mets that appeared along her small intestine.
Everything had been going so well. Izzie had been hired by Alex as a full time neurosurgeon at Grey Sloan, Geo was thriving in his school and enjoying have "cousins" to play with, even Piper—the damn dog—was happy.
That's why Jo was so pissed. For months, she'd been working tirelessly on her fellowship research to find a breakthrough that could maybe save Izzie's life and stop the spread of her cancer. Finding out that the cancer was back was like a punch in the gut for all the time Jo had spent trying to come up with a solution. It was made increasingly difficult by the fact that Jo had become friends of sorts with her husband's ex-wife. They had forged a friendship from the most unexpected of circumstances and it was one that Jo was grateful for.
Jo's impending motherhood didn't help the situation either. She knew that she'd be going on maternity leave in a few months, but what would that mean for Izzie? Jo couldn't just stop now. Not when Izzie needed her the most.
She'd been sitting in the attending's lounge with her head in her hands when she heard someone shuffle through the door.
"Hey."
Jo looked up to find Link standing in the doorway. She gave him a small smile, "Hey."
"You okay?"
"Nope," Jo laughed dryly. "I'm stressed and tired and my feet hurt and I just need to figure out this medical breakthrough so that a woman that I've grown to care about doesn't die."
"So... just another Thursday, right?" Link quipped sarcastically. He sat down next to Jo and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Look, I know you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, but it's not all on just you. Whether you figure it out or not, it doesn't make you any less of a good doctor. It doesn't mean that you didn't try your hardest. You are going to run yourself to the ground if you keep going at the rate you're going, and I know that can't be good for the baby."
Jo let a tear slide down her cheek, "I know... I just wish there was something more I could do. I'm running out of options. She's my patient and it's my job to help her, but she's also become the most unlikely friend. I just... I don't want her to die."
"No one wants her to die. But if she does, it won't be your fault. It won't be because you didn't try hard enough. It'll be because she had cancer and try as we might, sometimes the cancer wins. Regardless of who wins, you have given her time. Time she wouldn't have had if she never would came to this hospital looking for old friends and instead stumbling upon you. She gets time and a chance to fight because of you. Don't forget that," Link pulled Jo in for a sideways hug. "Now, dry up those tears and go to her room and tell her what's next in your plan to try to save her life."
Jo chuckled softly, "Thank you."
"That's what I'm here for," Link shrugged. "Seriously though, you're gonna wanna wipe your face. You've got some mascara running down your face."
"Shut up," Jo rolled her eyes and stood to look in the mirror. Yikes. She did look pretty wrecked. She grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table and began to blot her face.
Satisfied with her appearance, Jo said goodbye to Link and made her way down to Izzie's hospital room. As she approached, she saw Alex with Geo on his lap and Meredith talking to Izzie as she knitted a scarf. Smiling, Jo knocked on the door as she walked in, "Hey. I see you have some company."
"Jo! We were just talking about you—oh my goodness... your belly looks absolutely precious today," Izzie beamed brightly.
"Thank you," Jo nodded gratefully and looked over at Alex who was staring at her with love in his eyes.
"Oh! You see, that's the look. The one we were talking about," Meredith pointed at Alex.
"What look?" Jo scrunched her face.
"The lovey-dovey look Alex gets on his face anytime you walk into the room. It's like he worships the ground you walk on," Izzie teased, a wide grin on her face.
"Yup," Meredith nodded. "The look of complete and utter adoration."
Geo looked in between Jo and Alex briefly before agreeing, "Uncle Alex looks at you like you're the most pwetty thing ever to exist!"
"That's because she is," Alex ruffled Geo's hair, causing the young boy to erupt into a fit of giggles. He looked up at Jo again, "How are you feeling?"
"Good... a bit tired and Link may have just witnessed me have a hormonal break down in the lounge, but mostly good," Jo ran a hand over her swollen stomach. "Baby is kicking a lot today."
"Can I feel?" Geo asked excitedly, jumping up from his spot on Alex's lap. "Pwetty please?"
"Sure," Jo smiled at the boy and guided his little hand up to where the baby's feet were. "You feel that thump? That's the baby."
"Woah," Geo's eyes widened in wonder. "This is so cool!"
"It is pretty cool isn't it?" Jo winked at him. "What's even cooler is that in a couple months, the baby will be here and we'll get to hold and cuddle him or her all day long."
"I can't wait to have a baby cousin," Geo looked over at Izzie. "It's something happy and we need all the happy so mommy can get better."
"You are so right, Geo. A big part of your mommy's recovery is going to depend on her being very strong. Happiness gives us something to hope for and it makes us oh so very strong," Jo replied.
The three other adults watched the scene unfold with smiles on their faces. Izzie turned to Jo, "You are going to be a wonderful mother. I can tell."
"Thank you," Jo reached over and squeezed one of Izzie's hands. "I wanted to come in and tell you that I'm actively making plans for what to do next. Right now, surgery is still our best option, but I'm doing everything in my power to figure out something else. Until then, you'll continue with the IL-2 treatments to shrinks those mets down as much as possible. I want to do the resection in a week from today."
"Sounds good," Izzie nodded. "Enough about me, someone tell me something happy or funny to help me distract myself from the fact that I'm stuck here while everyone else is performing surgery. Ooh! Like have you guys figured out a name yet?"
"Not yet," Alex shook his head. "We haven't really had a chance to sit down and talk about names. Hell, we don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."
That was true. Originally, Jo and Alex were going to find out the sex of the baby, but at the last minute chose to wait and be surprised. It was exciting and made it even more fun when people tried to place their bets on the sex of the baby.
"You better hope for your sake it's a boy, because if you have a little girl who looks like Jo, that's it. You're a goner," Meredith smirked
"Oh I can see it now," Izzie laughed. "Alex freaking out because she's going out on date when she sixteen."
Alex scowled, "Shut up. We're no where close to that so we're not even going to think about it."
"You see? He's going to have a complete meltdown if that baby is a girl," Meredith pointed at Jo's bump. "What do you think it is Jo?"
"Honestly, I haves to clue. It's changes every day. Today I'm feeling boy, but I'm a couple hours from now I might think it's a girl."
"Well, if you guys decide to go with the theme of naming your babies after a loved one, just remember that no one has named a baby after me yet," Meredith grinned slyly.
"Shut up," Alex threw a paper cup in Meredith's direction, causing the three women to laugh.
*
"Helen, I swear I'm fine," Jo insisted as she walked into the hospital, her mother in law trailing behind her.
"No you are not," Helen frowned. "I know that I'm not entirely mentally stable, but Jo, I gave birth to three children. I know what labor looks like. You are having contractions."
"They're Braxton Hicks," Jo tried to explain. "Besides, I am only thirty five weeks. I have a whole month before the baby is supposed to be born. I haven't even gone on maternity leave yet."
"Now I see why Alex called me," Helen muttered under her breath. "Okay, fine. Maybe you aren't in labor but you need to slow down."
"Trust me, Helen, I would love to, but I can't. I have patients to take care of and my research. I can't afford to stop now. Not when I'm on the brink of something that could save many lives. Not when Izzie Stevens is finally getting discharged again today," Jo said as Helen followed her into the attendings lounge.
Truthfully, Jo was in pain. She'd been having contractions ever since four in the morning, but did her best to ignore it. She was tough. She could handle a little pain and discomfort. It wasn't time yet.
"Wait, is this the ex-wife Izzie Stevens?" Helen made a face at the information, while Jo changed into her scrubs. "Alex mentioned that his ex-wife was here getting treatment. You're her doctor?"
"Yes," Jo nodded as she pulled on the scrub top and fluffed her hair out.
"You are a saint," Helen shook her head.
"She's really not that bad," Jo turned to Helen. "I'm going to round on her right now if you want to join me."
"Might as well," Helen shrugged. "I promised Alex I'd stay with you today."
"Alex needs to calm down. Worrying like that is just going to give him more gray hair than what he already has. I am fine. The baby is fine," Jo walked out the lounge and into the hallway in the direction of Izzie's room.
Just as they were about to walk into Izzie's room, Jo was hit by a powerful contraction. She took a deep breath and grabbed onto the doorway, exhaling in pain. She shook her head and proceeded into the room.
"Hey Izzie," Jo greeted and smiled when she saw Geo. "Hello to you, too Geo. Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
"Yes he is, but mommy decided to let him skip because she's leaving the hospital today," Izzie grinned.
"That's right! I checked all of your levels and your most recent scans, and I feel very good about discharging you today," Jo shared the good news. She turned and motioned for Helen to walk in, ignoring another contraction. "Iz! This is Alex's mom, Helen Karev."
"Hi," Helen gave Izzie a wary smile.
"Oh! Hi, Mrs. Karev, it's so nice to meet you," Izzie shook Helen's hand. She looked over at Jo. "I didn't know that he introduced you to his mom."
"Yeah, we met just a couple weeks before the wedding. Went out to Iowa to visit," Jo recounted. "Alex called her and flew her out here to be the pregnancy police."
"He did not ask me to be the pregnancy police," Helen rolled her eyes. He'd mentioned that your due date was approaching soon and I told him that I wanted to be here to see you before you gave birth, so he came to Iowa and flew out here with me. He said he'd do the same once the baby was born. But it looks to me like he won't have to make the second trip because you are having contractions every three minutes."
Jo's eyes widened as she realized that her mother-in-law had been measuring the time between her contractions, "They're three minutes apart? They're coming steady?"
"Yes, honey. Like I said ever since we left the house, you are in labor," Helen reiterated and placed a hand on Jo's shoulder. "You need to cancel the rest of your day."
"No, no, no. I am not having this baby right now," Jo shook her head stubbornly. "It's two early. He or she has still got to cook for five more weeks. Their lungs still need a few more weeks to develop, they don't have enough body fat to regulate temperature yet, and they won't be strong enough to breastfeed. So, this baby is staying inside."
"Um... Jo," Izzie called out. "You're bleeding."
"I'm what?" Jo looked down to see a dark streak running down the leg of her scrub pants. She clutched her stomach in pain again. "Oh, crap. Call Alex and Meredith."
"Geo, run to the nurses station and tell them that we need a wheel chair for Dr. Jo and that they need to page Uncle Alex right away. It's an emergency," Izzie instructed her son, who nodded and ran out into the hall. She carefully stood up from her bed and walked over to where Jo was leaning against the wall. "Okay, you're going to be fine. Jo, how about you let me feel your belly?"
Izzie felt around for a minute before scrunching her eyes in concern, "Alright, keep in mind that I am a neurosurgeon and I'm not exactly sure that this is what's going on, but I think your placenta ruptured. There shouldn't be this much blood."
"Is there anything I can do?" Helen asked worriedly.
"Just hold her up while I find Geo with the wheelchair," Izzie rushed out of the room and found her son walking next to a nurse strolling a wheelchair. "Did you page Alex Karev?"
"Yes," the nurse nodded.
"Okay, you also need to page OB and Meredith Grey. I think Jo's experiencing placental abruption and she may need to undergo a crash C-section."
"I'm on it."
*
The following minutes were a frenzy of activity as Alex—who'd been elbow deep in a kid's body cavity—was notified of his wife going into preterm labor. He got tagged out by Bailey and ran out to find Meredith standing outside the OR board, trying to figure out which OR they'd taken Jo to.
When they got to OR 2, both Meredith and Alex were happy to find that Jo was not alone. Standing there holding her hand was Izzie, who was muttering soothing words to her, "Everything is going great so far. You are doing good, the baby is okay, and Alex is on his way."
"I'm here!" Alex announced as he came up beside Jo and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Hey, I'm here."
"Oh thank God," Jo breathed out a sigh of relief. "This wasn't the plan. God, Alex this wasn't the plan."
"When the hell have our lives ever gone to plan?" Alex chuckled light. "It's okay, because we caught in time and in a few minutes we're going to have a beautiful baby."
"Where's Meredith?" Jo called out.
"I'm right here Jo," Meredith walked up to where Izzie had been sitting my Jo's head. "We got this, thank you."
"Oh. Yeah... no problem," suddenly, Izzie felt very out of place. For the first time in the months since she'd returned to Seattle, she felt like an outsider looking in. "Okay. I'm going to go sit with your mom, Alex. Keep her some company."
"Thank you."
*
A little over an hour had passed when Meredith finally came out to the waiting room on the Labor & Delivery floor. She wore a bright smile on her face, "Mom and baby are just fine. There was some bleeding but we got that under control and Alex stood over the peds fellow's shoulder making sure that the baby was fine."
"Oh thank God," Izzie let out a sigh of relief. "They're both okay?"
"Yes," Meredith nodded. "The baby's lungs are fully developed. She might have to stay in an incubator a couple nights to regulate her body temperature, but she's healthy."
"Did you say she?" Helen asked.
"I did. It's a girl."
Izzie laughed, "Oh my God. I knew it! Please tell me she looks exactly like Jo."
"She's a carbon copy," Meredith joined Izzie's laughter. "I would've thought Jo's cloned herself if it weren't for obvious mop of hair on her head that definitely came from Alex."
"Can we go see them?" Geo pulled on Meredith's scrubs. "Pleaseeeeee!"
"Yes, you can go see them. That's why I came out to get you," Meredith extended her hand out to the little boy. "Come on, follow me."
They walked down the halls of L until they finally found themselves outside a room. Somewhere along the way, Amelia, Link, and Bailey had joined them. Meredith knocked on the door before walking in, "I brought some visitors."
Jo and Alex looked up from the tiny pink bundle in their arms to see their friends—their family walk into the room. Alex grinned widely as he held his daughter in his arms and stood up to greet everyone. He was jittering with excitement, "Dude, I'm a dad!"
The room erupted into laughter. Amelia chuckled, "Yeah we know."
There was a shuffling by the doorway as someone pushed their way through, "I'm here! I was in surgery. Did I miss it?"
Maggie burst through the door eyes wide, struggling to catch her breath, "Oh my God. It's a girl!"
"Yes, it's a girl," Jo sighed dreamily, very clearly in love with the child in her husband's arms.
"She's absolutely beautiful," Helen fawned over the small child. "I have a granddaughter!"
"Well? Are you going to tell us her name?" Bailey asked expectantly.
Alex and Jo exchanged a look before answering simultaneously, "Taylor Joy Karev."
"TJ for short," Jo added.
Izzie watched as everyone—her son included—took their turns meeting and holding the precious little newborn. It was a sweet moment, one that she thought she'd never get to see. It was... odd, seeing her ex-husband and his wife welcome their child into the world. It was odd being a part of the process. It was odd that they let her in after the history between her and Alex.
Jo must've noticed Izzie's detached expression because soon, Izzie was being pulled out of her reverie by Jo's concerned voice, "Izzie, are you okay?"
"I should be the one asking you that," Izzie winked. "You scared me a little there. But of course Taylor had to have a dramatic entrance into the world, she's a Karev after all. Already like her father in that way."
"She's been in this world for two hours and she already has him wrapped around her little finger," Jo mused quietly, looking at her husband helping the Geo and the other kids—who'd been brought over from school—hold their newest cousin. "I don't blame him, though... I didn't think I could love anyone this much. I didn't think I'd ever love anyone more than I love Alex, but this little girl... she's everything. Absolutely everything."
"I know exactly how you feel," Izzie sat down on the edge of Jo's bed. "When I saw Geo for the first time, my heart cracked wide open. It didn't matter that I hadn't given birth to him. I knew he was mine and I was his. Not a day goes by where I'm not grateful for every second I get to spend with him. Especially, since my cancer returned."
Izzie paused and thought carefully about her next words, "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I wouldn't alive right now. But I also, wouldn't be here in this room, surrounded by friends watching my ex-husband hold his newborn daughter if it weren't for you. You have helped me mend broken relationships and have given me a community again. And that's all because of you. God knows they wouldn't be as welcoming to me if it weren't for your genuine care and compassion. So thank you, for giving me life back."
About halfway through Izzie's short speech, Jo felt a couple tears slip her eyes. She tried to wave it off as the hormones, "You're welcome. Thank you for staying with me until TJ was born."
"It was my pleasure and honor," Izzie squeezed Jo's hand lightly, marveling at the shift in roles. For the first time, Jo was in the hospital bed and Izzie was standing about it. "It's weird seeing you in a hospital gown instead for scrubs."
"It's weird being in a hospital gown," Jo answered. She observed Izzie for a minute. "Are you okay? You got discharged today and instead ended up getting me to an OR in time so that I didn't lose too much blood."
"I'm good. Honestly, I feel really good," Izzie assured. "I know I'm not better yet and I know that I've still got to fight, but things like these... things like these remind me that I have so much to fight for. I want this. I want to be here and watch TJ grow. I want to see Zola, Bailey, and Ellis grow. I want to see my son grow and I want to have another kid. I want to marry someone that looks at me the way Alex looks at you, or Ben Warren looks at Bailey. So as long as I have left, I'm gonna keep fighting for those things."
Alex—who'd heard the tail end of the conversation between the two women—walked up with baby Taylor resting comfortably in his embrace, "And we're going to help you do that."
Jo nodded in confirmation, "Anything you need, we're here."
"Thanks," Izzie smiled and finally turned her attention to the small child. "Okay, it's Auntie Izzie's turn to hold this little one. Everyone else got a turn except for me."
Alex handed the baby over and Izzie grinned widely when she finally got a good look at the little girl, "Oh, Alex. You are in so much trouble."
"Why?" Alex scrunched his face in question.
"Because she's gorgeous and looks exactly like her mother. And with the parents she has—ha, I cannot wait to see what kind of trouble she gets herself into," Izzie laughed. "Let's just pray she doesn't take after you and your... wild side."
"Oh God, no. Nope," Alex shook his head. "She's not allowed to even look at a boy until she's thirty."
"Okay," Jo snorted in amusement. "You're just terrified because now you finally realized that you ten years ago, was every father's worst nightmare."
"God, I'm gonna pay for that, aren't I? This right here, this little girl is karma for all of the terrible things I did throughout the years," Alex's eyes were wide in terror.
"Yup," Izzie hummed and cradled the little one closer. "I'm happy for you guys. Truly."
"Thank you," Alex's face curved up into a crooked smile. "I'm glad you're okay."
"You're going to stick around right? You're not leaving Seattle or anything?" Jo asked.
"I'm sticking around," Izzie took a deep breath. "Years ago, I told Mer that this was just a place I worked, but I was wrong. This is home. This is family."
*
Five Years Later
"TJ! Get your butt in here right now!" Jo yelled as she tripped on a pile of toys in the living room. She waited until she heard the pitter-patter of feet signaling her daughter's appearance. "What have I said about leaving these on the floor. Someone can get hurt."
"Sorry mommy!" TJ's little eyes widened in apology.
"It's okay baby, just pick them up when we get home later. Right now we have to go. We're going to be late," Jo reached out her hand and led her daughter out the house.
When they reached the car, she saw Alex fiddling around in the backseat. Jo smirked, "Having some trouble there?"
"I can't get this stupid seat belt over her dress," Alex grumbled. "Was this really necessary?"
"You know how Izzie is. Everything has to be perfect. Here let me do it," Jo chuckled as she pushed Alex aside to look at the three year old girl that Alex was struggling to strap in. "Hi, Bella Mae. You look so beautiful. Mommy is going to help you get all strapped in because Daddy is having some issues."
"Daddy habbin' issues," Bella giggled quietly. "I wike my dwess."
"I like your dress too," Jo complimented the little girl. Jo smoothed down her daughter's dress as she buckled her into the car seat. Bella was her goofy, energetic kid. Rather than being a carbon copy of her mother like Taylor was, Bella took after the Karev side. Alex constantly talked about how Bella reminded him of his sister, Amber when she was a little girl. Bella and Alex had the same big brownish-greenish eyes and crooked grins. "Alright, Bells. You are all set."
"Tank you, mommy!"
"You're welcome," Jo kissed the little girl's forehead.
Finally, Jo turned over to the little man that was sitting in between his two sisters. Wyatt Alexander Karev was a cubby two year old that was the perfect blend of both Jo and Alex. It was hard to determine where features of one parent ended and the other began.
Wyatt gave Jo a cheesy smile, "Mama!"
"Hi munchkin! You look so handsome," Jo ruffled his little curls.
"Tanks mama!"
"You ready?" Alex asked as he rounded the car.
"Yeah. Let's go," Jo nodded and thanked Alex as he opened the door for her and helped her inside the car.
When they arrived to the venue, Alex and Jo hurried to take the kids out of the car and walk in the direction they had been told. Standing outside the room, Jo knocked on the door.
"Come in!"
The family of five walked in to see Izzie standing in an ivory gown with a giant smile on her face, "Oh thank God you're here. I was worried you'd be late."
"I can't be late, I'm the maid of honor," Jo pulled Izzie into a hug. "You look amazing. Decker isn't going to know what hit him when he sees you."
"Jo's right. You look hot, Iz," Alex grinned widely. "You've still got it."
Izzie rolled her eyes, "Thank you." She let out a shaky breath. "I'm kind of nervous."
"Do you want to make a run for it?" Alex asked. "I'll tell Mer to gear up the getaway car. We'll leave the kids with Maggie and Amelia and the the four of us will be out of here before anyone notices."
"No I don't want to make a run for it. Can't a girl be nervous? Weren't you nervous to get married?" Izzie made a face.
"Nope," Alex shook his head.
"Seriously? You didn't get nervous? Not even when you married me?" Izzie's face was painted with disbelief.
"When I married you, it was so last minute, I didn't have time to be nervous. And when I married Jo, I'd never been more sure of anything in my life. Also, our wedding day was a mess and we had sex in a shed next to corpse and practically missed the entire thing," Alex answered simply.
"Fair enough."
"Just take a deep breath. You'll be fine," Jo placed a comforting hand on Izzie's shoulder. "You two love each other and Decker adores Geo and Gabe."
"Speak of the little devils," Izzie chuckled as her sons barged into the bridal suite.
Geo had grown a lot in the past five years. At eleven years old, the boy was almost as tall as Izzie. His brown hair darkened a bit and started to curl slightly. He looked more and more grown up everyday.
Gabe had been adopted about four years ago at the age of three. Like Zola, Gabe had come to Grey Sloan for a surgical procedure as a toddler through the African exchange program that Alex had spearheaded. Gabe had needed surgery for a cardiac defect that Maggie had operated on. When Izzie heard that one of the little boys from the program was an orphan, she went to go meet him for herself and fell in love. The now seven year old was a boundless spring of energy that brought so much light and laughter into their lives.
"Mom!" The two boys gasped when they saw their mom standing in her dress. "You look so pretty!"
"She does, doesn't she?" Jo smiled. "It's almost time to start so you guys need to go find Decker and get ready, okay?"
The young boys gave their mom a hug and another compliment before making their way out the room. With a couple minutes left before the ceremony started, Izzie took another deep breath.
Meredith walked into the suite, "Okay. Our flower girls, Ellis, TJ, and Bella are ready. The ring bearers are with Decker and the groomsmen. The guests are all here. The priest is just waiting on you."
"Let's get you married," Jo grinned excitedly and followed Meredith as she led the flower girls to the aisle.
Finally, it was just Izzie and Alex left, waiting outside the double doors for their turn to enter. Izzie bit her lip nervously, "Are you sure this isn't weird? You walking me down the aisle? I mean you've seen me naked."
"You know how many people I've seen naked?" Alex huffed a laugh. He extended his arm for Izzie to take. "No. It's not weird. The past few years have been some of the best of my life. And not just because I married Jo and had three kids. Having you back has been great. You've become family. I'm so excited for you to get married and I feel honored that I get to be the one who walks you down the aisle. So, just shut up and start walking before I have to kick you down the aisle."
And with that, Izzie realized that it had finally come full circle. Five years ago, she'd returned to Seattle with very little hope to cling to. Today, she had a family, a support system that was celebrating her as she finally got her happy ending. It might seem strange or unconventional to others, but she wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.
The end.
Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the final part of this series. I loved writing this story. I'll confess, Izzie Stevens has never been one of my favorite characters, but writing this redemption arc and beautiful ending for her character, while preserving jolex is something that I wish we would've seen in canon. Let me know what you thought of this and don't hesitate to follow me on Tumblr @iamtrebleclefstories for more content!