Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, or the characters, and chances are that I never will.

A huge thank you everyone who have reviewed and read this fic so far! It really encourages me to keep writing.

Enjoy!

The next seven hours were torturous for Izzie, Meredith and Christina, waiting for news, and it wasn't any easier on the surgeons working on Alex, their friend's life was on the line, and it wasn't as easy as just saying that they were going to fix him, it was long, and part of them all knew that he would not just bounce back from this, if he even survived.

When Bailey finally approached the small group, they immediately looked up at her, silently pleading for good news. Bailey stood in front of Izzie as she said. "They're taking Alex to the ICU, he will need more surgery in a few days. His arm has been reattached, so far it looks good, the cardiac injury has been repaired, the leg fractures have been set and put in casts. But the epidural bleed, during the surgery his brain swelled, mannitol is working, but Shepherd wants to leave the skull flap off until the swelling has gone down completely to avoid any further brain damage. You know how it goes, it's a waiting game now."

"I just want to see him." Izzie said softly, pulling herself up onto her feet. "Please just take me to him."

Bailey silently led her interns upstairs to the ICU, and over to the private room Alex had been placed in, though it wasn't really that private, the wall that faced the nurses' station was made of glass, allowing the nurses a clear view of him at all times.

Meredith and Christina kept a respectful distance, along with Bailey as Izzie made her way to Alex's side.

It was devastating to Izzie to see Alex lying in the hospital bed, unconscious, her medical training told her that it was an induced coma, for the best, but the part of her that loved baking and was thrilled to be married to the love of her life, that part wanted more than anything to see him open his eyes, to hear him speak.

And as for how he was looking, well he looked like he had been hit by a truck, no pun intended. There was a frame lifting the sheets off his legs, to allow the casts on both his legs to dry properly. He was on a ventilator, there were numerous monitors, including one running into his head to monitor the pressure within his skull. The chest drains remained in place, but there was less fluid running through them now, and it was no longer bloody. There was a thick white bandage enveloping his head, protecting the large area of brain that was otherwise unprotected. And finally his left forearm was in a cast, and his upper arm, where the arm had been severed, there was a dressing running around his arm, and there was an external frame holding supporting the recently reconnected limb.

Bailey felt her heart break as she watched Izzie sit down beside her husband's bedside, she was still wearing a bandanna to cover the thin, soft hair that was only just starting to grow back, her recent fight with cancer was still evident, and now she was facing the definite possibility of losing Alex.

Looking over at Alex and Izzie, Bailey had to wonder why it was that people who had no one, people made no real impact, or at least no positive impact on this world walked away without a scratch, while Alex, a talented surgeon who spent his days saving lives, a husband who had recently supported his wife through a battle with cancer, a battle that even now was not over, were left in hospital beds fighting for their lives?

Simple, there was no way to make sense of it, no reason, just tragedy.

Needless to say Bailey gave her interns the rest of the shift off, and however long after that that they wanted, Meredith and Izzie accepted her offer, but Christina chose instead to get back to work, after giving the ICU nurses instructions to page her 911 if anything changed, the nurses added her name to a considerable list of Seattle Grace staff who had already made the same request.

As Izzie and Meredith were maintaining their vigil at Alex's side, the other surgeons were trying to distract themselves with work. Derek offered for Christina to assist him on a surgery, at Meredith's request that he keep an eye on her friend, whom she knew was trying to handle the situation in the only way she knew, distancing herself and keeping busy. Callie and Bailey busied themselves in the clinic, they were too shaken by the accident, and knew that they shouldn't be operating on anyone. And everyone else who knew Alex immersed themselves in a variation of these acts.

Late the following evening Izzie still hadn't gone further away from Alex than to the bathrooms, at least Meredith had been home once to change and have a rest, and everyone was getting worried about her, eventually just shy of three am, Bailey approached Izzie, who despite the early hour was wide awake, just watching Alex, holding his hand. Kindly, but firmly, Miranda said. "Go home, Izzie. Sleep, take a shower, eat a decent meal."

"I can't-" Izzie began. She didn't want to leave, what if something happened while she was gone?

"I will sit with Alex until you get back, and I will call you if there is any reason to, so get out of here, Stevens, I don't want to see you back here until at least eight am."

After working under Bailey for six years, Izzie knew better than to question her, and she also knew that Bailey would keep her promise and watch over Alex until she returned, and so she left the ICU and Alex for the first time in nearly two days. She was only away three hours.

Three days later, and Alex was still in the induced coma, but there was now an end in sight, the previous night Derek had taken Alex back into surgery, and replaced the bone flap. Now they were just waiting for Alex to be weaned off the sedatives, and then to wake up.

It was a very nervous time for everyone. What if Alex was to wake up and he couldn't remember them, or he couldn't speak, or move? What if he woke up and was different, damaged?

Two days later, and Alex had been fully weaned off the sedatives, and it was a matter of time before he would wake up, if he was going to wake up. And knowing that, Izzie, Meredith, Bailey, and even Christina had settled into the ICU room's uncomfortable chairs, ready to wait out the time until they saw their friend and mentee open his eyes, and they would know if he was okay.

It was late into that night, Izzie was the only one still awake in the room, and even she was resting her head on a pillow she'd put on the edge of Alex's bed. She was startled when the hand that her head had been resting near, moved up to her head, touching her bandanna softly.

She sat upright suddenly, and looked at Alex, his eyes were wide, and she could see him struggling against the intrusion of the breathing tube down his throat. Standing up so that Alex could see her easily, Izzie took Alex's right hand, and gently said. "It's okay, Alex. You were in an accident, you're in the ICU. Do you want me to extubate you?"

Alex nodded weakly, even that was tiring.

Izzie offered Alex a comforting smile as she quickly checked his vitals, and set up to remove the breathing tube. When she was ready, she told him. "Okay, Alex, just take a deep breath in and on my count of three, blow out." She firmly wrapped her fingers around the tube before counting. "Okay, one, two, three, blow out." She pulled the tube out swiftly, and moved the supplies aside as she moved to help Alex, who was coughing, and trying to sit up.

Izzie adjusted the bed, raising the back so that he was semi upright, before gently leaning him forward and rubbing his back as he coughed.

At some point during all this, the other people in the room woke up, and when Alex finally stopped coughing, Meredith was waiting there with a glass of ice chips. "Here, Alex. This'll help."

Alex let Meredith put the glass to his mouth, and let several pieces of ice slide in. Izzie helped him lie back down against the backrest, and they waited patiently for him to finish the ice, they knew he would have questions, if he was able to ask them.

TBC...

So, how was that?

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