Sorry, sorry, sorry, I took me so long to update, but I was very busy at work. Thank you for all the reviews, you really light up my week !!
I know Ethiopia is a real strange place to meet, but a friend of mine just came back from here and I wanted to write about it. Plus, I'm pretty sure Alex and Addison would be really good in a mission.
« Reasons Unknown » (sorry I don't know you name) I would love to be helped because I'm struggling with my poor English.
Still don't own anything…
Addison spent the next two days avoiding Alex. She couldn't get why he was here. It's been one year since she saw him for the last time, and it was far for Ethiopia. Alex is arrogant, cocky and nothing less than selfish. How could he appear to be in a mission? HER mission. She really started to believe that there was some kind of malediction involving her and Seattle. Like she could break away from this city, her soul trapped in forever.
Lost in her thoughts, she went to dinner; her blue eyes scanned the dining room, looking for his presence. She spotted him playing cards with Mani and Christopher, two medical assistants. She didn't notice Alicia sitting down next to her.
"He's man candy, doesn't he?" joked Alicia
Addison jumped up in surprise, looking away from her ex-intern.
"I… I wasn't looking at him… at all."
Alicia raised her eyebrows suspiciously.
"It's okay, Addison. There's a lack of distraction here so a little flirting is always good. I haven't seen him with a woman since he came here. So, instead of ogling at him, why don't you go there and speak with him…"
"He hasn't a girlf…" She shook her head" Doesn't matter… I'm here for a reason, and it's certainly not for dating. I'm not… interested. At all."
What the hell was he doing here? She washed her hands in the bathroom, like she could wash the doubts running through her head… unsuccessfully because she couldn't get out of her mind her interrogations. Misfortune was playing with her nerves. She wanted to escape from her past and he was here, memories lingering in the air, scathes ready to be exhumed. Seattle. Derek. Mark. Him. The pain running through her veins, the deception burning her heart, a drama melody regulating her life… She had to think to something else. Someone else. Staying as far as possible from him won't be as difficult since she was working closely with Alicia, learning how to treat without any resource.
In fact it was a very good strategy. She managed to stay away from him. A week. No glances, no words, no sweating muscular chest coming out from the shower. She barely detected him in the dinning room or in consult.
But today was a particular day. She knew she had to go to another camp for the day; an epidemic was ravaging a town. Alicia and Pierre were supposed to come with her, but Alicia had to stay to receive a medical delivery. Alex was designed to join the group. Crap. This was going to be difficult to avoid him. And why was he wearing this black tank top? She couldn't think straight when he was so…. Ethiopia really seemed to suit him, and she couldn't quite get what, but something has changed. He wasn't the same. The sarcastic tone seemed to have disappeared, irony fading away. The major problem was he was still good looking. Maybe more, with his caramel skin shinning, the black sunglasses, and the way he was acting… like he belonged here. What happened to him?
Seated in front of the jeep, Addison struggled with her feelings. She wanted o badly to look at him while he was driving them to the camp. She tried to stay focused on the road, the landscape unfolded and sharing his treasures. She half succeeded until he spoke to her:
-"Be careful here. Rebels aren't far way. Save only people you can save. Don't try to be a hero".
He hasn't looked at her, his gaze still hanging on the road. Hopefully because he hasn't seen the tears filling up her sapphire eyes. She had been caught by his harsh tone, like he was spitting the words with disgust. Like he didn't want to speak to her. At least, she knew that old Alex hasn't completely disappeared.
They reached the camp 2 minutes later. Chaos was ruling the small town, people bleeding in the middle of the road, half naked children running next to the jeep. It was a revolting cliché uprising behind them. Alex and Pierre get fasten out of the jeep, running towards a small clinic. Suddenly, Alex stopped his run and looked at Addison.
"Come here. It's not dreaming time! There people bleeding here!" he said with a childish voice
He was defiant, and she remembered easily the first time he's ever dared her like that. She knew exactly how to respond, and shut him off. But she couldn't move; and Pierre came back to help her. Alex was already curing people. Not playing attention at her, like she wasn't here. She knew she was the one to blame and she hated that more than anything… She hasn't responded, twice; and she couldn't take it back.
She quickly came back to reality, a pregnant woman was seizing in the clinic. She attempted to save to mother but the lack of medical resources stopped her. It was over. If they were in America or anywhere with a hospital, this woman would be giving birth to her child right now. Instead she was flirting with angels. Damn it. At least, she could save the baby. But when she take the scalpel in here hand, Pierre gripped her wrist.
"What are you doing?" said the paediatrician
"What do you think I'm doing? I can save the baby? She's seven month pregnant! The baby can survive." She said, trying to get her wrist back.
"Addison, I know it's hard, but… look… the mother is dead. Who can raise this child?"
Addison opened her eyes wide. She couldn't believe what he'd just said.
"There people here to take care of this child. I'm not going to let him die, even if I've to kill you with this scalpel before!"
Her blue eyes were firing with anger. The frustration was burning her heart as she knew she could do it, even with a non sterile room. Pierre let her go. She refused to admit he was probably right, she just wanted this child to live and was apparently not in a mood to discuss.
Three minutes later, baby's cries were reverberating in the clinic. It reminded Addison just how wonderful this sound was. Why she was here. No matter who were with her. It was an extraordinary sensation, holding this child in her arms, like a revival. But there was no time to enjoy fully the situation, she had to help. She surprised herself and handled the situation very well, treating patient with every thing she found. Sometimes, she allowed herself to check on the preemie she had just saved before, smiling at him and holding his little hand with her finger.
At the end of the day, she felt exhausted. In a way she'd never felt exhausted. They did their best but she knew some of those people won't survive. Their lesions were too important. She sat on a chair outside the clinic. Pierre followed her and sat next to her.
"Hard day?" he asked
" Yeah…" she almost sighted.
"I wanted to say, about earlier… this morning, I'm sorry… But…"
"Doesn't matter." She offered him a smile.
"… Okay… Alex has finished. We're going back to our camp"
"Okay, I'm just going to check on the preemie…."
He cut her off:
"She's not in the clinic."
"What ? Were is she? She needs a sterile environment for a few days, she…" Addison started to panic.
"Addison ! There's no nurse here ! We can't let her alone !"
"So who's supposed to take care of her?" said Addison hesitantly.
"Alex is giving her to her sister…"
Addison stood up from her chair.
Pierre tried to explain :
"Addison I know it's terrible but there's a law here"
"You can't !"
She ran in the clinic and find Alex kneeling in front of a young teenage girl. Sensing her presence, he looked at her.
"We've almost done. Can you give me two minutes?"
It was clearly not a question. But this time, Addison wasn't paralyzed, not matter how cute he was with this child.
"Karev, you can't do that!" She said firmly
"We'll talk about it later. There are rules here."
"She's a child !"
"Her aunt will help her. We don't have a choice."
Addison move towards him.
'Karev, I'm not gonna let you doing this !"
Alex gave the preemie to the young girl and before Addison could protest, he turned to her:
"Her aunt is outside waiting for both of them. She'll take care of those two. What do you want to do?"
"We can take care with us and…"
"It's impossible. You've been here for only a week. You don't imagine how much orphans we left on the road. It's hard, it's certainly not faire, but we don't have choice!"
His eyes softened when he saw the pain filling in her eyes. She tried to hold back the tears in here eyes but a lonely tear ran through her cheek. She wiped it away, angrily. She couldn't look him in the eye, so she nodded him and the headed back to the camp.
--
One month. One month since she came here. One month since she discovered that her life wasn't as miserable as she thought. One month since she found life was nothing more than extraordinary. She didn't consider her work here as perfect, but she knew she was right to come here. She felt almost relieved. For one time in her life, she made the good choice and she was recompensed for it. A child smiling because she saved his mother, a baby's cry when she cured him. The difficult part was to not get attached to them. Those children who seemed to be forgotten by nature, by governments.
Luckily, she became friend with Alicia, Pierre, and almost the rest of the team. Something just spoiled the picture. She was constantly in conflict with Alex Karev. Like they were back in Seattle, when she forced him to work in her service. It annoyed her, because of course she preferred to be friend with him, but his has still this arrogant demeanour that bothered her more than anything else. Today, they had a fight about medication. Yesterday, about the room he gave to his patient…
She tried unsuccessfully to speak with him. He wasn't ready to cooperate. She learned by Alicia that Richard Weber recommended him for this program and that was a kind of interlude in his residency, more than an additional benefit. Curiously, it reminded that it was the same Richard Weber who introduced her to Alicia… Anyway, she would deal with it later. It didn't help her to figure out why he came here, instead of becoming a big plastic surgeon.
She decided to go for another tentative today, as they were alone in the operating room, classifying the medicaments.
-"Karev, can I ask you something"
-"You can but it doesn't mean I'll respond…" he said nonchalantly.
Addison couldn't stand more. This was really being pathetic, and she didn't deserve that.
She stared to yell at him, but before she finished a bullet broke a window and crossed the room. Instantly, Alex and Addison knocked-down as two men burst into the room. One of them saw the redhead and move toward her. She didn't understand what he was saying but she clearly get his intention as his gun run over her breast. Alex got up and tried to disarm the man but was punched by the other insurgent.
-"Leave her alone, bastard!"
Addison caught his gaze and froze as they took him out of the room. She looked at her attacker with desperation, wishing that this was just a nightmare. Its clearly wasn't as his hand made their way to her anatomy. She tried to resist, kicking him, screaming but she already knew it wouldn't stop him. She was almost resigned when she felt blood covering her face. A government soldier just had shot him. Clap of end.
A few hours later, after a shower and 2 sedatives she still felt petrified. She couldn't get off of her mind what happened. And how it seemed to be "normal" to her friends. As they were reunited in the dining room, listening music and cheering up their minds, Addison stayed outside, leaning against a tree, enjoying the silence and a fresh breeze caressing her shoulders. She hasn't noticed Alex approaching until he spoke to her.
-"Are you okay?"
She didn't expect him and most of all she was astounded by his soft voice.
-"I don't know… How can you act like nothing happened?"
-"We don't. It's just that it's not the first time, we kind of get used to this… and at least everyone is alive…"
-"I don't know if I can get used to this… I can support the pain, the orphans we let on their own, the pregnant woman dying, the atrophied fathers… but… not this… I'm not strong enough" Her voice was breaking, her lips shaking.
He came up to her, staring at her like an injured little girl. Does she sound so pathetic? But instead of the ironic answer she anticipated, his hand brushed against her cheek as he move closer.
-"You know you can get trough this " he whispered calmly.
Then, he held her in his arms, stroking her back with his hand. More than stunned but this unexpected but welcomed gesture, she authorized herself to let go the fear and started to cry. God, it felt so good to feel his arms around her.
A few moments later, he broke the embrace and step back, regaining composure. Not allowed to show how much he could be gentle.
-"I have to go. You… you will be okay?"
-"Yeah… I think I'll stay here just for a minute…"
-"You know, if you decide to go back to America, it won't be a failure?"
-"Why I would want to come home?"
-"With what happened… It's okay to be scared."
-"Of course I'm scared" The discussion was taking a non complaisant tone "But it doesn't mean I'm leaving. I'm not that kind of person."
-"It will better for you if you go" he said coldly, anger burning in his eyes.
-"Why?"
-"Whatever."
He was about to leave.
-"Stay here, Alex Karev! Why it would be better? Say it to me!"
-"BECAUSE…"
She looked at him defiantly
-"Because of what?"
He turned back to her, locked his eyes in hers and said, almost shouting:
-"Because ! Because if you leave, I could do my job without trouble, I could do my job without the fear that something might happen to you !"
He left her alone. In shock.
Okay, so, it's pretty lame… Should I continue?