How Am I Doing?
A Grey's Anatomy fic by Gigi
Disclaimer: I hate to have to say it at the beginning of every fic, because it totally negates my philosophy of the power of positive thinking. If I constantly say I don't own Grey's Anatomy or Shonda-land, then how on Earth will I ever come to own it?
Chapter 3: What Happened in LA?
A/N: Okay, so the fact that I haven't updated this since December is kind of depressing, but here's hoping you'll forgive me and not only read, but review, this chapter!
"Well, hurry your ass up about it, Karev," Callie hissed menacingly. "And ask her what went down in LA while you're at it. Maybe that'll wake you up to just how close my best friend is to leaving Seattle!" With that, she walked away, leaving a confused, slightly distressed Alex Karev at the head of the line for CT.
Alex paused in the hallway when he saw Addison standing at the counter of the nurses' station. She wasn't doing anything extraordinary – she just stood there and read a chart – but it was enough to make Alex swallow when he realized there was a real chance he wasn't going to be able to see her tuck that stray lock of red hair behind her ear when she leaned forward like that. He wasn't going to be able to smell her subtle, rose-scented perfume when he passed her, nor would he see that rare smile that lit up the room. Alex swallowed harder than he ever had in his time at Seattle Grace Hospital at the possibility of not seeing Addison Forbes Montgomery every day.
Kicking himself into gear, Alex approached the tall redhead with the CT scans on Baby Carver. "Hey," he called out in order to keep her from walking away from him without even knowing he was behind her.
Addison turned her head to look over her shoulder at the sound of his voice. A small smile spread on her lips almost as if she didn't notice it there, and she responded with a cool, "Dr. Karev, I was just about to start looking for you." She turned so her body faced him and held her hand out for the scans.
"Sorry," he apologized. "CT was backed up." Addison quirked an eyebrow at him and held the scans up to the light so she could see them better. "The good news is that the scans are normal, from what I can tell. Maybe Baby Carver just had a little bit of gas."
A small chuckle left Addison's throat as she sent him a disbelieving stare. "Carver's a day old, Karev. I doubt much gas really built up in his stomach that quickly," she pointed out. She returned the scans to the folder in which they were held and made as if to walk away until Alex gently grabbed her elbow and brought her back to him.
"What happened in LA?" he asked quietly. Addison's tiny smirk all faltered a little bit, and her eyes clouded over with all the confusion that came with an internal debate. Alex felt the blood drain out of his face when he realized what had happened in LA. They'd actually extended her an offer. Not only that, she was seriously considering accepting. Now, more than ever, Alex needed to hear the details.
"LA was … different," she answered mysteriously.
Alex had no idea what possessed him to maintain that hold on her elbow and half-drag her into the nearest supply closet, but soon enough, he found himself almost nose-to-nose with his boss. "Look, you're my boss, and you're my teacher. How the hell am I supposed to learn from you or focus completely when I know there's a possibility that you could leave?" Addison's mouth dropped open ever so slightly. He could tell she was just itching to ask who had told him about the job offers. "Never mind how I know. What matters is that suddenly you're being all vague and suggestive about your little vacation, and if you have any chance of leaving, I deserve to know so that I can get out now before I become even more attached to you-your specialty, which soon might not be a specialty worth pursuing in this hospital." Alex stepped in closer, pressing Addison up against the door of the supply closet and never letting go of her elbow. "What the hell happened in LA?" he demanded quietly.
Addison's breathing became more erratic with every passing word, and at one point during his speech she even closed her eyes. What Alex misinterpreted as stubbornness was really her own difficulty containing and controlling herself. He was literally pushing her against the door, and if she looked up, her nose would touch his. She tried not to read too much into what Alex was saying, but her mind seemed determined to scan his words for subtext. There was a heat in his voice that she hadn't heard in quite a long time. In fact, the last time she heard that kind of suppressed emotion—lust, love, hatred, whatever it may be—was the time right after Ava's cesarean. The time she jumped him and pushed him into an on-call room. Testing the waters, she responded with a question of her own. She opened her clear blue eyes and looked into his chocolate brown ones and offered, "What part of my trip to LA do you want to know? Work or personal?"
"How about the two main events for both for starters?" Alex suggested, not moving from his position pressed up against her.
The waters revealed a little bit of red – he wanted to know about her personal life. Addison tilted her head to the side and acted as if she was aiming to make him uncomfortable, which she might have been doing. "Well, for work, I saved a pregnant surrogate mother and delivered her baby and was subsequently offered a job at my best friend's practice," she explained quickly.
"And personal?"
"There may have been a stolen five minutes in a stairwell with a certain member of said practice who got it in his head to make me feel better," Addison insinuated with a coy smile. That was one hell of a kiss, she mentally added, relishing the memory of Pete's lips on hers. The man was a top-notch kisser, even if his entire work philosophy was that of the ducks: "Quack."
Alex's voice brought Addison out of her pleasurable reverie. "Why did he feel the need to make you feel better?" he growled, stamping down that green monster in his stomach that awoke when she mentioned the presence of another guy in her personal life. Not that he had any right to be jealous, considering he definitely gave up that right the second he dumped her for the second time.
Shaking her head, Addison's smile only grew wider. "Ah, ah, ah," she denied, lightly pushing against Alex's chest to move him far enough away for her to move. "Just the two main events, remember?" She twisted the doorknob behind her and whipped out of the supply closet.
"For starters!" he called after her.
Addison had her strut back, and she kept on walking down the hall as if she hadn't even heard him.
A/N: Yeah, I know it's a little bit shorter, but it's something. I just didn't want to leave Spring Break behind without updating one of my Addex fics, and this was long overdue for an update. Now please don't be long overdue in REVIEWING.