Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updates. I'm on vacation, and have limited internet access, so don't expect a whole lot for the next week. Thank you all for the fantastic reviews! It really motivates me to keep writing, knowing that so many are enjoying my work! Keep them coming  Enjoy the update!

Season Four

Episode Two: With a Little Help From My Friends

(Opening scene: pan over Seattle at sunrise)

Meredith V.O.: I once heard someone say that friends are God's way of apologizing for your family.

(Shots of Meredith and Cristina fast asleep in Meredith's bed. Alex asleep in his. George passed out on the family room couch)

Meredith V.O.: It's a nice sentiment when you think about it. Friends should be like a breath of fresh air; a taste of sanity amidst a sea of crazy mothers, absent fathers, siblings you never met…ok so maybe that's just me, but you get the idea.

(Izzie is in the kitchen making breakfast. Lots of breakfast)

Meredith V.O.: It's all very lovely, but the reality is, usually the friends we let closest to us somehow manage to get tangled right up in our complicated little lives.

(Izzie puts down her spatula and climbs the stairs)

Izzie: (Reaching the top of the staircase) Everybody up! (She begins going door to door. Alex first) Get up Alex.

Alex: (Rolling over and glancing at his alarm clock, grumbling) Jesus Izzie, it's 5:30.

Izzie: Come on. I made breakfast.

Alex: I don't do breakfast. (He rolls over)

Izzie: You do today. (Annoyed) The birds are chirping, the sun is shining and it's a brand new freaking day. Now get your ass out of bed and downstairs. (She leaves. He sits up and shakes his head)

Meredith V.O.: And they also manage to bring their own issues.

(She continues down the hall and stops at Meredith's room. She enters and opens the blinds)

Cristina: (Recoiling) Ouch. It hurts.

Meredith: (Squinting) What time is it?

Izzie: Time to wake up. Be downstairs in five minutes. I made pancakes. We're having a meeting. (She leaves the room and head back downstairs)

Cristina: (Rubbing her eyes) A meeting? What kind of meeting?

Meredith: Why is she up so early? We don't have to be at the hospital for 2 and a half hours. (Sits up, then immediately lies back down) Ugh. That was a bad idea.

Cristina: (Getting up) She's trying to kill us. She's trying to kill us with her pancakes and her muffins and her meetings. (Heads into the bathroom)

Meredith: (Throwing her head back on the pillow and groaning) I think I might already be dying. (Feels her forehead) Yep. I'm pretty sure…I think this is the end.

Cristina: (Popping out of the bathroom, toothbrush in her mouth) Meredith, you almost blew up and then you drowned, and you're still not dead. You're like a cockroach. You can't die. (Continues brushing)

Meredith V.O.: So, the question begs to be asked, if friends are supposed to be a release from the trials and tribulations of family life, what happens when your friends become your family?

Meredith: (Glaring at Cristina, then looking at her hand) Hey, is that my toothbrush? (Cristina shrugs)

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(The kitchen. Izzie is placing a cup of coffee in front of Alex, who looks exhausted. Cristina and Meredith enter, both looking massively hungover)

Alex: (Perking up at the sight of Meredith and Cristina) Well, well, well, if it isn't the Tequila Twins themselves. (Takes a sip of coffee) You two look about as shitty as I feel.

(Meredith glowers at him, takes a cup of coffee from Izzie, and plops down at the table)

Cristina: If I weren't still half asleep, I'd verbally assault you.

Meredith: Which leads us to the million dollar question…what the hell are we doing up so early?

(All three turn to Izzie, who is setting a plate of pancakes on the table. She ignores them)

Izzie: Ok, this side is blueberry, and this side is chocolate chip. I also made some french toast, and the scrambled eggs will be done in a minute.

Alex: (Forking some pancakes onto his plate) Look, Iz, as much as enjoy reaping the benefits of your stress-baking, lets save us all some aggravation and cut to the chase.

Izzie: (Sitting down) Ok. I have something to tell you guys. And its not good. (They look at her expectantly. She whispers) George failed his intern exam. (None of them have heard her)

Cristina: What? I can't hear you…my senses don't fully activate until the second cup of coffee.

Izzie: (Annoyed, repeating herself in a harsher whisper) George failed his intern exam.

Meredith: (Choking on her coffee, rather loudly) He failed?!?

Izzie: (Glaring at her) Shh! He's asleep in the next room!

Alex: (In disbelief) I can't believe he didn't pass.

Cristina: I know. I would have placed my bets on you, Evil Spawn.

Alex: Hey, I passed the test the first time I took it.

Meredith: (Defensively) What's that supposed to mean?

Izzie: (Annoyed) Will you all just shut up? We need to fix this.

Cristina: So he failed, so he has to repeat his intern year…it had to happen to someone in the program. (Keeps eating. Izzie and Meredith glare at her) What? It's a fact…you all heard the same statistics I did on our first day…seven people will fail their exam.

Izzie: But this is George. He's not a statistic. We have to help him.

Meredith: I just don't know what we can do, Iz. I mean, he can't retake the exam…we'd have to go to the Chief…

Alex: And lets face it, we don't exactly have the best track record with authority figures at Seattle Grace. I mean, half the people at this table have slept with attendings, and you almost got kicked out of the program…(All three stare at him, angrily)

Meredith: Not helping.

Cristina: We have our own problems to deal with. Just let him go Izzie. Let him redo his year at Mercy West. There's nothing we can do.

Izzie: (Angrily) I can't believe all of you. This is George. George, who convinced me to get off the bathroom floor and go back to work, (Looks at Alex) George who helped you study for your boards when you failed the first time. (Looks at Meredith) George who convinced the Chief to let you retake the intern exam less than a week ago.

Cristina: Looks like I'm off the hook…

Izzie: (Shoots a look at Cristina) Look, he's not perfect, and he's definitely made some big mistakes, and I know that all of our lives are sucking lately, but at the end of the day, George is our friend. He's our family, and he has been there for all of us when we needed him, and he deserves the same. So we are going to go to the Chief, and do whatever it takes to get him back at Seattle Grace.

(The table is silent. There's a rustling in the living room, George pads down the hall and into the kitchen, rubbing his head)

George: Why is everyone up so early? (They all look at him and smile, a little too cheerfully) What? (He realizes, then looks to Izzie) You told them.

Izzie: (Apologetically) They were going to find out anyway. Pancake?

George: I'm not hungry.

Izzie: (Forcing him into the chair) Sit. Eat. We're leaving for the hospital in 20 minutes.

George: What? No. I'm not going back there.

Meredith: I really wouldn't argue with her today George. She made pancakes and french toast.

Alex: Dude, we're gonna figure this out. (Pats George on the shoulder as he gets up and heads upstairs)

(Izzie glares at Cristina, expectantly)

Cristina: Uh, yeah. What he said. (Meredith raises her eyebrows, Cristina shrugs. George puts his head in his hands. Izzie sets a mug of coffee in front of him and begins to clear the table)

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(Surgical floor, nurses station. Callie is standing there, glancing at a chart. Bailey is walking by, followed eagerly by her interns)

Bailey: Good morning Dr. Torres-O'Malley.

Callie: Dr. Bailey, I was actually just going to look for you.

Bailey: Something I can help you with?

Callie: Yes actually. I was going to have Stevens perform an appendectomy on her own today, I think she's ready. But I want her to have a couple of interns. Mind if I borrow yours?

Bailey: Sure. (Looks at her chart) Walsh, Grey, you will be with Dr. Stevens today. Little, you'll be doing discharges, Davidson, you can take the ER, and Laroe, you'll stick with me.

Callie: Thanks.

Bailey: Mmm-hmm. (Motions to the remaining interns) Let's go people.

Callie: Ok, the surgery is scheduled for 9 am. Dr. Stevens should be here soon, in the meantime one of you can prep the patient and the other can prep the OR. (Lexie and Walsh nod, Callie walks away)

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(The residents locker room. Meredith, Cristina, and Alex are changing and grabbing stuff out of their lockers.)

Izzie: (Whispering into the bathroom stall) Ok, so we're going to go do rounds, and then I have a meeting with the Chief. Meredith's going to come check on you in a little bit, and Cristina will make sure Callie stays out of the locker room.

George: (Whispering, angrily) I cannot believe you are making me hide in the bathroom. This is never going to work Izzie. I failed. And now Callie's going to find out I'm going behind her back and she's going to be even angrier, which I don't think is humanly possible. I should just go home, cut my losses and try out the whole postal worker thing.

Izzie: Shut up. I have to go. Page me if you need anything.

George: I hate you.

Izzie: Whatever. (She joins the other residents, who leave the locker room and convene around the front desk, waiting for assignments. Callie approaches)

Callie: Good morning. Today is going to be very busy. We're still understaffed and we've got a lot of stuff scheduled. Karev, you're on gyno, there are three c-sections this morning and you'll be performing one on your own.

Alex: Sweet. (He heads for the elevator)

Callie: Meredith, you're with Bailey, Yang, you're with Shepherd. (Cristina frowns) Something wrong Yang? Maybe you'd like to cover the clinic again?

Cristina: No. Everything is fine.

Callie: Good. Stevens, you're going to be performing an appendectomy on your own in half an hour. I'm giving you 2 interns.

Izzie: Actually, I can't.

Callie: (In disbelief) What do you mean you can't?

Izzie: I have a meeting with the Chief at 9.

Callie: (Suspicious) Ok, fine. Your loss.

Meredith: I'll can do it. If you want.

Callie: That's fine. You're in OR 3. You can go scrub in. (She turns to Izzie) You can come find me after your meeting and I'll figure out where to put you. (She walks away)

Cristina: Man, I can't believe you're giving up your own surgery, with interns to boss around, for a lousy meeting with the Chief. Which, by the way, will not achieve anything.

Izzie: It's for George. Thanks for covering for me. (Meredith nods. She walks away)

Cristina: (Shakes her head) Look, are you ok with me working with him?

Meredith: Its not like you had a choice. Don't worry about it.

(Derek approaches from around the corner. There is an awkward silence.)

Derek: Dr. Yang, I'm ready for rounds.

Cristina: Sure. (She glances at Meredith wistfully, then follows Derek down the hall. Meredith stands still for a moment, then collects herself and heads for the OR)

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TBC! Review please 