Alex

When I was 16, I told my dad I wanted to go into med school. I remember everything about that day, his sly smile, the chilly beer in his hand, the intoxicating aroma of perspiration and alcohol. He told me, "Med school?! No dumbass school is going to accept a retard like you! Get a grip Alex you are pathetic!" His words cut deep and ripped me apart. It was the first time I actually realized how much he hated me. I remember locking the door to my room and crying. I heard my mother scream and knew it was 2 o'clock. He always hit my mother at 2 o'clock. It was a ritual of his. I tried to run down and help my mother, but I couldn't. I was frozen in my spot on the cold floor. My sister banged on my door. "ALEX! Mom is getting hurt! ALEX HELP HER!" I wiped a sweaty hand over my face. "SHUT UP KAYLI!" Then, I heard his heavy footsteps walk up the stairs. "DAD!" my sister yelled, "STOP!" She gasped and I heard a faint whimper on the other side of the door. He hit her across the face I thought to myself. "ALEX! OPEN UP YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" He banged his hard fists against my door but I sat still. "NO!" I screamed, surprising myself completely. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" That was the first time I disobeyed my father…and I did it again when I went to med school.

"Karev," Dr. Jason Lawrence stated as he handed me a chart, "Check in on all the patients in room 223, 243, and 236."

"I'm not an intern any more." I handed him back the chart. "So you don't get to tell me what to do."

"Wrong." He slammed the chart hard in my hands. "I have authority so technically I can boss you around. And I actually like this group of interns so why torture them when you are right here."

"This is a teaching hospital Lawrence." I said my voice cold and angry.

"And you still have a lot to learn Karev. Get back to me after you check on them."

I groaned loudly as he turned on his heels and walked away. He was a Mark Sloan clone except a whole lot worse. All the women loved him sure, but the guys-especially me- hated his guts.

"Hey Alex!"

I quickly turned my head around and smiled. "Hey Lexie," I replied. She and I had grown extremely close in the last five years. Not so much romantically, more friendly. She listened to my problems, she saw me.

"What's up?" she asked tucking her short brown hair behind her ears.

"Nothing, Lawrence is driving me nuts."

She giggled. "Have you seen Meredith? We're supposed to do something tonight."

I raised an eye brow. Meredith and Lexie had grown closer but they were in no way best buddies. Meredith had been a wreck since Derek took off and it was only obvious that Lexie would try to comfort her. But Lexie hovered, Mer went ballistic, and George, Izzie, Cristina, and I were left to pick up the pieces.

"Uhm no I haven't seen her."

"Oh okay…" Her voice was a tad disappointed but she perked right up. "So are you going to the reunion with anyone?"

I thought back to Izzie, when I asked her. I couldn't believe how oblivious she was. "Nope, you?"

She shook her head. "No, do you uhm want to go together?"

I got to admit, I was hesitant. I mean I liked Lexie, but I liked Izzie a lot more. Maybe I had high expectations; maybe I was relying on false hope. Iz would never like me back, I had to move on…right? "Sure, why not."

She grinned. "Great, I got to get to surgery but I'll see you later."

I nodded. "See you around."

My mom once told me, "Never try too hard, you'll only end up killing yourself in the end." I never understood what that meant. Didn't you have to try hard to succeed? She told me this when I was 7 and I still remember it today. Maybe that's why I failed my medical boards and almost got kicked out of the program. I just gave up. It's what my whole family did. My mom, I don't speak to her. My sister got arrested three times for DUI (I only know this because I had to pay the money to bail her out of jail) and my father…I haven't seen him since I was 16. Sometimes I still think about him. I wonder where he is, how he is doing. Then other times I think of what a vindictive bastard he was and probably still is.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up from my daydreaming and saw a tired Izzie standing over me, her blonde hair flowing against her porcelain skin.

"Uh yeah," I replied.

She sighed. "Alex I am so sorry about earlier. I, I didn't mean to be so selfish I was just-"

"You were what? Thinking about George?" That's all you think about I thought bitterly to myself.

She closed her eyes slightly. I could tell she felt hurt, but I didn't care. "Alex, don't do this."

"I'm not doing anything, and even if I did you wouldn't notice."

"STOP! Stop acting like this!" she yelled, her voice quivering with unwanted tears.

I looked the opposite direction, shaking my head. She couldn't see it, or maybe she just chose to deny it. "Izzie, what do you want?"

"Huh?" she asked, completely taken back by my question.

"Are you happy right now? Is this the life you want to live?" I was getting personal but I had to know. What was going on in her head?

"I, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Are you happy?" My voice was a little more urgent, deeper and stronger.

"This really is none of your business."

She started to walk away but I quickly grabbed her arm. She wasn't walking away from me, not now.

"What do you want?" I asked again.

"I DON'T KNOW! WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

Then before I knew what I was doing I grabbed her face and kissed her long and hard with as much passion as I could manage. I had to let her know how I felt. It was now or never. Pulling away I whispered, "You." Then without even meeting her eyes, I walked away…refusing to look back.

"What do we got?" I asked an EMT as I ran up to an ambulance.

"57 year old man with multiple head injuries. He got into a car crash on Route 95."

Suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. My breath hitched in my throat and I could feel the pounding of my heart against my chest. "Oh my God," I said to myself…it was him…

…my dad.

A/N: First of all, happy new year everyone!!! Yay it's 2008! Hope you liked this chapter, I know I did. I think it's my favorite so far. I love writing Alex. Anyways, yes I will still continue with this story after everyone's POVs are finished. I will most likely repeat the cycle. (but some characters might have more chapters than others depending on where we are in the story) But review please and more chapters will be on your way