Alex had arrived at Joe's bar before Hayes so he could start drinking early, deciding he needed the liquid courage to survive this meeting. Looking around trying to decide where to sit, he realized that every seat in the place seemed haunted by memories of either Izzie or Jo or both. Of the tables left, the one in the far corner seemed the best to him, deciding not having as many people overhear their conversation was probably for the best since he was unsure what topics he would end up covering with his new boss. Alex slid into the booth giving himself the vantage point that he could see Hayes when he arrived. A feeling of déjà vu settled over him as he recalled slipping into the same seat the night he interrupted Jo's date with Peckwell when he first started having feelings for her.

He was rubbing his face, trying to dispel the all the memories of her this bar held when Hayes sat down in the booth across from him, having ordered a beer for himself before finding Alex, "Rough day?"

Alex shook his head as he leaned back and tried to unwind some, the stress of the move and his interactions with Jo having really taken its toll the last few days, "Nah, not too bad a couple of hernias and a feeding tube placement."

Hayes frowned and tilted his head, "We need to get you up to full speed it sounds."

"I think I will be starting tomorrow," Alex pointed out as neutrally as he could, not understanding how he could forget that Mattie's surgery was just several hours away.

Hayes smiled good-naturedly, "That's true. You're sure you're comfortable with it?"

"Yeah…yeah of course. Bigger surgeries is one of the reasons I came back to Grey-Sloan."

Hayes narrowed his eyes and reached for some bar mix, "I thought you came back because your ex-wife and kids moved here."

Alex felt himself relax somewhat, surprised at how easy it was to talk to the other man, at least easier than he had anticipated, "That's why I came back to Seattle. But I picked here over other hospitals or surgical centers because I wanted a greater challenge again."

Hayes smiled in understanding, "Makes perfect sense to me." He then took a drink of his beer, "So what made you choose peds as a specialty?"

"I…uh…had a gift for it I guess. My mentor and I just clicked. She saw I could empathize with the kids and build trust with them while balancing being an advocate and standing up to parents when needed."

Hayes nodded along before tilting his head at the last part of Alex's explanation, "You think you can do that with all parents?" Alex looked at him with wide eyes while Hayes continued, "Even if one is your boss and the other is your ex-wife?"

Alex glanced away for a moment to think before nodding, "I think so. You'll learn pretty fast about me, I don't hold my tongue. I've never been good at telling lies. My penchant for honesty gets me in a lot of trouble sometimes."

"Is that why you ignored Jo's calls and texts when you left? Because you couldn't lie to her?"

Alex looked at the other man with wide eyes, surprised the conversation went there so fast. He rubbed his face, "Honestly the worst thing I've ever done. But I did lie to her and told her I was with my mother." He shook his head feeling nauseous as he had throughout the years for what he had done, "I've regretted it every day since." He watched as Hayes nodded and looked away, "Honestly, my biggest fear when it comes to Mattie is that I'll think I'll know how to talk to Jo, but she's changed so much. I feel like I'll be talking to how I remember Jo instead of talking to current Jo, if that makes sense."

Hayes nodded as he took another drink, "It does."

"So, how did you end up in peds?" Alex asked, eager to change the subject.

"Ah, my older boys were born when I was in residency. It drew me to the kids. I think part of me wanted to be prepared for when they started having injuries and so forth." He took another drink, his voice lowering, "Just never thought it'd be cancer."

Alex watched emotion flicker in the other man's eyes for the first time where Mattie was concerned. He wondered if Hayes maintained such a rigid stoicism just for Jo and the other kids. Alex decided to change the subject since he was unsure how to handle Hayes' feelings, "So did you move here because of your ex-wife and kids too?"

Hayes' eyes snapped back out of his revere to look at Alex, "In a way I guess I did. The boys and I moved here after she died. Just needed a bit of a change."

Alex's eyes widened, "Hey look man, I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"I should hope not, asking a question like that," Hayes assured him with a smile.

He gave a small smile of acknowledgement for Hayes helping him out of an awkward spot, "What happened?"

"Cancer. Very slow and very devastating cancer." Hearing this caused Alex head to spin as he began to see the man through an entirely different lens. He started to understand his actions and decisions a lot better. Alex started to speak, but had no idea what to say, causing Hayes to chuckle, "That's usually the response I get."

"That must have been rough. And especially to go through it again in your family."

Hayes nodded solemnly, "It was and is. Especially for Liam and Austin. To lose their mother and now watching their sister go through the same is just…they've amazed me with how strong they've been. Which really I give credit to Jo for that."

"How so?" Alex asked, genuinely curious.

Hayes leaned back and propped his arm on the back of the booth, "Ah Jo just came into our lives like a cannonball. Abigail had been gone two years and the boys were still struggling a lot. I had done everything I knew. Kept things the same, changed everything up. Got them in sports, got them in the arts. Therapy. Road trips. I don't know, if someone suggested it, I tried it. They were just struggling so much. And Jo came in and she just understood. Not their exact pain of course, but she understood deep pain. And the boys really responded well to her. She would use these techniques she had learned in therapy with them without them realizing it was a therapy technique. It was like she threw a light switch. Not to say there weren't ever issues after she came into their lives because that'd be a big lie. But nothing worked quite as well as Jo did for them."

Alex listened intently, interested into the insight Hayes was providing, "I can see that. She certainly helped me resolve a lot of issues in the time I knew her."

Hayes blinked a few times, "Bloody Christ, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…I'm just so used to these being a way for me to get to know the new surgeon and them to get to know me and my family. I really kinda forgot there for a minute that you have a history."

Alex tried not to blanch at the phrase 'my family' used by another man to describe Jo, "No…no it's okay. It's kinda nice to hear how it all played out. To at least know the background, I mean."

"I'm sure this is a little Twilight Zone-ish for you. Coming back to something so familiar yet so different."

Alex gave a slight smirk, "Peds on the fifth floor threw me the most I think."

Hayes laughed even though he knew the other man was lying, "I thought why not have the kids higher up with the good views. Plus after hearing about the shooting and the fire and the bomb that's happened here, having the lightest weight patients on the top floor only made sense."

"Well that's a good point," Alex acknowledged with a half smile.

"You know," Hayes started hesitantly, "The name thing…she really struggled with that when you left." Alex gave a questioning glance not knowing what brought this on as Hayes leaned forward and propped his elbows on the table, his hands clapping together as he rested his lips against his forefingers while he gathered his thoughts before laughing slightly, "Her first day back to work….or well I guess the first full day back to work after your letter she would make this face every time someone called her by Karev. Like she had just drank spoiled milk. It was kinda cute the way her nose curled up every single time." He then looked up to meet Alex's eyes, once again seeming to realize who he was talking to. His amusement vanished as he shrugged and dropped his hands to the table, "Anyway she ended up covering the last name with a DNR sticker and telling everyone to call her 'Dr. Jo'." Alex looked on in confusion not knowing what had caused his boss to tell him all of this, but also interested to know more about those days and how the two had met. Hayes sighed and gazed out over the bar, "What I'm trying to say is, she had a rough time of it, figuring out her identity when you left. And I think in a way you returning has….I don't know. I guess what I'm telling you is try to not make a big deal about that if you can."

Alex cleared his throat nervously, "I…I wasn't planning to, but I'll…I will definitely make it a point to not make a deal over it at all."

Cormac smiled as the two men shared a quiet acknowledgement that they had found a better footing with each other. The rest of the time was spent talking local sports and dishes from area restaurants with the two seeming to enjoy each other's company. They were both laughing as Cormac told stories of Austin and Liam when Alex caught sight of Jo marching towards them. He knew from her look she was pissed and immediately straightened. Cormac noticed the change in Alex's demeanor and looked over his shoulder just as Jo reached their table, "Hey, wasn't expecting you. Want me to get you a drink?"

Alex watched in bewilderment, believing Jo was about to blow a gasket, but instead she smiled at Hayes as she shook her head in amusement, confusing Alex. She placed her hand on his shoulder, still trying to convey anger, but her voice failing her, "I tried to call and text you but apparently checking your phone is not high on your list of priorities right now."

Hayes patted down his pockets, immediately bringing the device out, the home screen full of notifications, "Christ Jo, I'm sorry. I thought I had turned the volume back on." He then looked up at her with flirty eyes, "Forgive me?"

Jo shook her head as a smile slowly formed, both of them seemingly forgotten about Alex's presence. Jo reached up to rest her hand on his head, her thumb stroking his skin as her voice softened, "She's asking for you."

Hayes scrambled to get out of the booth as he struggled to put his coat back on in his rushed state. He held out a hand to Karev, "Sorry to run, but I hope we can do this again sometime."

"Yeah," was all Alex could manage as shook his boss' hand, unsure of what was going on. Hayes then stopped and took Jo's face in his hands, his thumbs caressing her cheek as he kissed her forehead, then ran out the door as Jo's gaze lingered on where he had been. Alex cleared his throat, "Aren't you going with him?"

Jo blinked several times as she looked back at Alex, "No…no, it's his time." When he seemed confused, Jo elaborated, "This is what Mac meant earlier today about how I know how Matt is. She's always been this way. She'll call for me and want me then she'll want Mac then she'll want both of us together. Bad dreams, bad storms, it's always the same routine when she's scared. She does this like clockwork."

Alex nodded slightly as an awkward silence settled over them. He gestured to the seat just vacated by Hayes, "Can I get you a beer or something?"

Jo looked at him in surprise with her mouth slightly agape almost as if she had seen a ghost, "I…I think I'll pass. But thanks."

Alex watched as she turned and made her way to one of the bar stools, speaking for a moment to Joe before ordering a drink. Alex considered for a moment before getting up and deciding to join her.