One day turned into two, which quickly turned into weeks, and the cause of Lexie's premonitions still had not come to light. Everything was the same as it always was. She and Mark were still going strong, very happy together. Surgeries were still exhilarating and intense. She was still trying to find her place amongst Meredith and her friends.
The only changes on their way were merely hinted at and very distant. First, the intern exam was getting closer every day. The interns, Lexie included, were trying to ignore this fact for as long as they could.
Secondly, Meredith and Derek had managed set a date for the wedding seven months from then. Izzie Stevens, who was on the path to recovery but still indisposed, had thrown herself into planning the celebration. Her hospital room had become wedding central, and she would make Meredith try on dress after dress and taste cake after cake. Meredith had been a good sport about it so far, but seemed to be turning more and more into a deer in the headlights as time went by.
Meredith's initiative in the planning had been to choose her bridesmaids. Lexie was one of the girls to be asked, and, trying not to hyperventilate from the acceptance, she agreed to it. Derek still hadn't asked Mark to be his best man. But Mark was oddly complacent with how things were and stubborn against addressing Derek first, so Lexie wouldn't push anymore. It wasn't worth risking their contentment with one another.
So, the population of Seattle Grace plowed into the future with the long-awaited marriage of Meredith Grey and Derek Shepherd in the forefront of their minds. It was hard to go a day without overhearing at least five different pieces of information about it from five different people.
On one of those completely normal mornings at the hospital, Lexie was roaming the halls, looking for some directive on who to find or what to do for the day. A grumpy Cristina Yang had waved her away, claiming that she looked too happy for her that morning. She was on her own, fending for herself in the big bad surgical wing.
Mark Sloan picked the right time to round a corner and almost be plowed over by her. "Whoa," he grunted as she walked into him blindly, trying not to drop the coffees he was carrying in each hand and keeping the chart he was carrying trapped between his arm and body.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Lexie squealed, collecting herself again, before looking up and realizing who it was. "Wait. It's just you." She smiled sweetly as he narrowed his blue eyes at her.
"Just me?" he asked in a jokingly hurt voice. "Just the man who both ravished you this morning after breakfast and brought you coffee?" Smirking, he waved the cup in front of her face and she snatched it from him.
"You enjoyed every minute of it," she said smugly and he didn't disagree. She took a sip of her coffee, indulging in its warmth and caffeine for a moment. After she swallowed, she reached for Mark and gave him a quick kiss. His hands moved down her body from her waist to her hips, and her mind went blank for a few seconds before she broke away with an exclamation.
"Oh!" She pulled away with sudden recollection. "Do you have anything for me to do today?" she asked softly, raising her eyebrows. "Dr. Yang told me to get out of her sight earlier and I haven't gotten any guidance from anyone. It's kind of frightening."
He chuckled at her, shaking his head. "Do you want to be on plastics?" he asked, shrugging.
"Depends on what you mean by on plastics," she replied, grinning mischievously. "And, in response to both meanings, yes please."
Mark laughed, very proud of her use of innuendo. He had been teaching her well. "Good," he said, nodding happily. "I was actually hoping you'd be assigned to my service today. I've got an important surgery scheduled today, a rhinoplasty for an old friend of mine." He pulled the chart out from under his arm and waved it in front of her. Lexie felt her heart soar. Mark wanting her to meet more of his friends was a good sign, definitely a good sign.
"Dr. Sloan," greeted Alex Karev, strolling up to Mark and Lexie, smiling a bit too flatteringly. He had been doing this kind of thing for a while, occupying himself with surgeries to keep his mind off of Izzie's condition. It wasn't that he was not there for her, he just needed a break every so often. "I heard there was a VIP patient here today. Is there any way I can be of service? I haven't been assigned to a case today, and I figured you could use my help."
Mark clicked his tongue, regarding Karev with narrowed eyes. "You're a real suck-up, Karev," he commented. "But, I guess I could use another hand. You're in luck. You picked a good time to come crawling back to plastics, you know."
"Well, actually, sir, I…" He decided against finishing that sentence and swallowed his words. Ignoring his half-uttered statement, Mark thrust the chart into his chest.
"He's in room 2113," Mark instructed. "Make a good impression. I'll be by in a few minutes." With that, Mark gave Lexie a very subtle wink and sauntered away from Alex and Lexie. Alex watched his retreat for a moment before turning to Lexie, his chestnut eyes satisfied. He gestured toward her with the chart.
"Let's go, Grey." He brushed past her and briskly began in the direction of the patient's room. Lexie followed.
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Alex spoke with authority, in a tough voice he liked to use very much. "Grey, present the case."
"Kevin Flynn, forty," she stated, eyeing the man's chart. "Here for an open rhinoplasty with Dr. Sloan. Flew here from Pittsburgh for the procedure."
The man lying in the bed smirked, an expression that bore a striking resemblance to Mark's arrogant grin. Kevin Flynn had vivid red hair with a few charming gray streaks throughout. His deep blue eyes shone with a devilish glimmer, and his cockeyed grin exposed pearly white teeth with sharp canines. His face was ruggedly handsome, and his strong shoulders showed through the gown he was wearing. Lexie had to admit to herself, he was a very good-looking man.
"She's good," he remarked to Alex in a raspy baritone, nodding toward Lexie. He laughed softly, a low rumble.
"I have all of the information right here," Lexie said quickly, embarrassed from the recognition. She flashed him a tiny meek smile. He grinned at her.
"Well, then, at least we know you can read." Kevin paused. "The fundamentals are the first place to start." Alex snickered from behind his fist and Lexie blushed.
"Dr. Sloan should be here anytime now," Alex told Kevin. "He'll walk you through the procedure, talk about the expected results, and mark your nose. Then you'll be all ready to go."
"Sounds like a damn plan," Kevin said in a strong and pleased voice.
Then, curiosity finally got the better of Lexie. This was an opportunity to learn more about the man who had shaken up her life so much already. Any information she could find about Mark was good information (well, most information was good information; there were some things she just didn't want to know). She closed the chart and addressed Kevin. "Dr. Sloan says you're a friend of his," she said, genuinely interested. "How do you two know each other?"
Kevin's smile changed from a brash one to a bright one. "We're old football buddies, all the way back from high school. We were in the same graduating class," he replied fondly, blue eyes fixing on Lexie. "Partners on and off the field, a perfect team. I was his quarterback, he was my running back."
Alex jumped in on his monologue. Kevin had some kind of magnetic force about him pulling them into him. "An athlete, huh?" he said, trying to sound more cool than eager to make conversation. "Me too. Wrestled my way through high school and college, Iowa." Kevin chuckled.
"Not a football guy? Just wrestling?" Alex nodded, trying to mask confusion. Kevin rolled his eyes in good-natured sarcasm. "You wrestlers sure know how to take one guy. Let me know when you've gotten good at taking on three at once, avoiding that defensive line." He threw his head back and guffawed, and Alex laughed with him, halfheartedly.
Kevin calmed his laughing. "Yeah, we spent a lot of time together on the field. But he didn't follow through with it like I did." His face fell into disappointment for a split second before he moved back into cheerful storytelling. Alex and Lexie glanced at each other, amused. This guy sure could talk. "I was scouted, got a full ride to Pitt, moved there, and played all four years. Fell in love with the city and haven't moved since. You know, there are three things I love most in the world." He counted them on his fingers. "Bridges, football, and beer. And you know what? Pittsburgh's got more of all of those than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and I love women too. But you can find a nice woman anywhere, am I right?" he asked, waggling his fiery eyebrows at Alex. He had to laugh and nod in agreement. Lexie fought the urge to groan as she realized what was going on. Kevin, he was the embodiment of how people saw Mark. Cocky, womanizer, attractive, football star; the stereotypes were all there.
That alone wouldn't have bothered Lexie. There was something else beneath the surface that she felt like she had to squint to see, something else giving off a certain type of wave that was grating on her nerves. Then, he locked eyes with Lexie. Her breath hitched. The feeling from that morning weeks ago came back with a vengeance. The chill rolled through her body. It raised the hair on her arms and she froze.
This man was it. He would be the one to set the chain of events, the first domino in the row. Lexie knew it. Something he would say, something he would do, something he wouldn't do. She stared, half-hearing, as he continued speaking.
"Anyway, he was always smarter than the rest of us, always wanted to become that plastic surgeon. Had his goals, which was a good thing. So I told him one time, when you prove to me that you're the absolute best, I'll let you touch this beautiful face."
"And he proved it to you?" Alex asked.
"That he did," Kevin replied. "I Googled him a few months back to check out his accolades. Impressive stuff. So I called him up and made an appointment to get the old nose here fixed." He tapped his nose with his index finger. For the first time, Lexie noticed the large bump smack dab in the middle of his nose's bridge. Once she saw it, it immediately began to stick out, a stark imperfection against the rest of his face.
Kevin noticed Lexie looking and addressed her. "It's been broken more than a few times. Through a good fight, every single time. I ended up winning them all, of course. Almost all of them were influenced by two of my favorite things," he explained, "beer and women." Alex and Kevin shared a short laugh before they were interrupted.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here he is, the incomparable Spartan quarterback: number sixteen, Kevin 'Flyguy' Flynn!" Mark's mock announcement reverberated throughout the room as he strode confidently inside, a huge grin adorning his face. Kevin flexed his biceps, opened his mouth, and exhaled, making the noise of a roaring crowd.
"Horns!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, eyes sparkling with happiness under the raw fluorescent light of the hospital room. Mark laughed, shaking his head at his old nickname, and grasped Kevin's outstretched hand in an eager handshake. Even though she was quite concerned, Lexie couldn't help but smile when she saw how excited Mark was to see his friend.
"Have these two been taking good care of you?" Mark asked Kevin, his smile spreading from ear to ear. "Let me know if I need to lay down the law later."
Kevin's grin matched Mark's when he said, "No, they're great. Especially the girl." He elbowed Mark and Mark's eyes widened for an instant. He caught Lexie's gaze, and she gave him a sheepish smile and a small shrug.
"Good," he continued after a moment, returning his focus to his old friend, "because this is the resident and the intern on your case, Dr. Karev and Dr. Grey. They're going to tell you all about your procedure. Go ahead, Karev, how's this thing going to happen?"
Alex cleared his throat and dove into the explanation, practiced and secure. "You'll be under general anesthesia for the surgery. Dr. Sloan will begin by making incisions on the inside of the nose and in the shape of an inverted V on the middle column of tissue called the columnella. That's the tissue that separates the nostrils, The skin will be loosened from the tissue and pulled away from the cartilage and bone. Then-"
Mark stopped him and nodded. "Very nice. Finish it off, Grey."
Lexie continued Alex's statement without a hitch. "Then, to remove the nasal hump, Dr. Sloan will cut pieces of bone and cartilage from the bridge and use an instrument called a rasp to file down bone in the bridge's upper portion."
"Good, Dr. Grey," Mark said a bit more tenderly, trying to do it without it being obvious, mouth turning up at the corners involuntarily. Even after all the years, Kevin recognized this behavior immediately. He had seen it countless times from Mark, and was extremely perceptive of it. Mark liked this girl and, judging from his coolness, had probably already had her. Self-satisfied, Kevin kept his mouth shut.
Mark wheeled the computer over so that the monitor was close enough for Kevin to see. He made a few keystrokes and a three-dimensional rendition of Kevin's face appeared on the screen. The bump on his nose was unsightly against the otherwise handsome face.
"We hope that if the surgery is successful, you'll look like this post-op." He pressed another key and the image transformed and the bump gradually melted into the shape of his normal nose. Kevin's face brightened considerably at the new picture.
"Looks damn good, Horns," he commented thankfully.
"Excuse me for asking," Alex said, sliding into the conversation, "but, Dr. Sloan, is Horns an old football nickname? Were you a bull on the field?" He smiled and Lexie turned away and shook her head. Suck-up.
"You know it!" Kevin answered before Mark could speak. He reached up and slapped Mark on the back, and Mark grunted. "It was a twofold nickname, see. This guy here was both the lightest running back in the division and…" He paused for effect, plastering a seedy grin on his face. "The horniest kid on the team!"
Mark blushed and Kevin punched him playfully in the arm. "When the two of us were freshman, Horns here got laid more than the seniors. The ladies loved him. He was a legend!"
Mark locked eyes with Lexie and winced, a silent apology. Kevin went on. "I'm sure you've upheld your reputation well over the years, Mark." His voice dropped a few decibels so that Alex and Lexie could just barely hear him. "You know, with all of these hot women here. God, I'd really love to take a few of those nurses on."
"Three at once?" Alex added snidely from the corner of his mouth. Lexie snorted and quickly moved her hand to her mouth to stifle the giggles that were threatening to come out. Although Mark was honestly annoyed with Kevin's unnecessary disclosure of these high school tales, he gave Alex a pointed look.
"You two, go and make sure everything's set with the OR. This is happening as soon as possible," he instructed. He loved Kevin, that was for sure. But he wanted him to be gone as soon as he could be, also. Mark didn't need him to sour anything he had worked so hard to build with Lexie. Kevin was a part of Mark's past and wouldn't understand his present. He wouldn't know any of the hurdles he had to jump or the differences he had made in his personality. If he did, he wouldn't be very supportive of them.
"Yes, sir." Alex did as he was told and stepped out the door. Lexie turned to leave as well, about to leave Mark with Kevin.
But she did so only after shooting one final anxious look over her shoulder at the two men in the room: Mark, the one who had unexpectedly changed so much, and Kevin Flynn, the one who was somehow about to change everything again.