Addison was curled up on Meredith's couch, her legs folded beneath her and a magazine in her lap. The front door slammed, twice, and she heard Meredith calling out Izzie's name.

"Izzie? Iz? Come on, talk to me!"

Izzie blew through the living room and up the stairs, quickly disappearing from view. Addison and Meredith stared after her as the sound of the bathroom door slamming echoed overhead.

"Long day?" Addison frowned.

Meredith sighed, dropping into the armchair across from the couch. "I'm not even sure how to begin talking about it."

Putting aside her magazine, Addison looked at Meredith expectantly. "Try me," she offered. "God knows you've been listening to me a lot lately."

"Dr. Torres…Callie…"

Addison cocked her head to one side. "What happened?"

"She…died."

"What?" Addison gasped, involuntary tears springing to her eyes.

Meredith shook her head in disbelief, fighting tears of her own as she murmered, "She got in a car accident. She came into the ER, and Izzie was on call…she and Derek did everything they could, but…"

"Oh my god…"

"Izzie blames herself, Derek and I tried to tell her otherwise, but there's no talking to her. She's totally snapped." Meredith grabbed a kleenex from the box on the coffee table and blew her nose. "I just can't believe it…it was so…"

"Sudden," Addison finished.

"Sudden," Meredith agreed.

Using another Kleenex to wipe the tears from her eyes, Meredith got to her feet. "I should try and talk to Izzie again. Are you…okay?"

Addison nodded. "Talk to Izzie, get her to come down, we can all talk."

Meredith trudged up the stairs and knocked on the bathroom door. "Iz?"

There was no answer. Meredith cracked open the door and found Izzie on the floor in front of the toilet, her elbows resting on the seat. Meredith took a step towards her friend and laid a hand on her back as Izzie emptied the contents of her stomach into the bowl. When the heaving subsided, Meredith wet a washcloth and rubbed it on Izzie's neck, helping her gently lean back against the wall.

"We couldn't save her, Mer…Derek and I…we tried so hard, but…"

"I know, sweetie." Meredith rubbed a soothing hand on Izzie's arm as Izzie burst into tears.

"George…I don't know how to tell George…He's…going…to hate me."

"Izzie…"

"He won't hate you," Addison picked up, so quiet in the door that no one had noticed her. "It wasn't your fault, Izzie. I know that doesn't make any sense to you right now, but it wasn't your fault."

Meredith nodded, grateful to have someone else to affirm her views.

Izzie looked back and forth between Addison and Meredith. "You weren't there. Neither one of you was there."

"But I know you," Addison whispered, kneeling beside Meredith, "and I definitely know Derek. If there was anything you could have done, either of you…" Addison didn't even have to finish her thought.

"I want…to call George," Izzie stammered.

Meredith shook her head. "I'm not sure that's a good idea right now, Iz. Maybe you should wait for him to…I don't know. There's never going to be a good time, I guess."

Izzie pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

The line picked up after two rings, but there was only silence.

"Hello?" Izzie whispered, "George?"

After a brief pause, he answered, "I can't talk to you right now," and the line went dead.

Izzie began to cry softly, the cell phone falling from her hand and skittering across the bathroom tile. The other two women pulled her into a group hug. All three of them huddled on the floor together, their grief for their lost colleague breaking all of their hearts.