-1Chapter 24

That night I sat on my favorite bar stool, listening to Joe tell me what a complete moron I was for letting Izzie go. Okay maybe that's not exactly what he's saying but every so often he gives me a funny look when I bring up Izzie and he lets a comment slip here and there.

"Karev? I heard you were back, it's good to see you."

"Chief, it's good to see you too." I shake his hand, he's the closest thing I've ever had to a father figure and it's good to see him.

"Call me Richard, I'm retired remember? Derek told me you were coming back to Seattle."

"I am."

"Couldn't stay away from the ferry boats?"

"Something like that. What are you doing here?"

"Oh I'm here to have a drink with Derek, well he's having a drink I'm having a soda."

"So where is he?" I don't see Shepard anywhere.

"He stepped out, Meredith called. It's a little too loud in here I guess."

"Would you like to sit?"

"Uh, sure…as long as you don't mind." I nod my head and he sits on the empty stool next to me. "So where is she?"

"Who?"

"Your girlfriend, I heard you brought one with you."

"Yeah well she's gone. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever wish you could go back and do things over?"

"That sounds like women trouble."

"I just wish I could go back and do things different; maybe I could have been a better man."

"Karev, ….Alex I've known you for a while and you've got to stop wasting time worrying about past mistakes because you can't change them. When I first met you I thought you were a real pain in the ass, you were cocky and arrogant and I honestly didn't think you were going to make it."

"Wow that makes me feel so much better."

"What I'm saying is that I was wrong. You were a cocky arrogant pain in the ass, but you became an excellent doctor and I'm proud of you. You changed a lot and as far as being a better man, I think you are a good man Alex….it just took you longer to get there."

"Thanks."

"Sorry, I guess there was some drunken mishap at Meredith's." Shepard sits on the last remaining stool and orders a drink from Joe.

"That's alright; Karev was just keeping me company."

"What was wrong at Meredith's?" I ask.

"Well their all drunk."

"Are they alright? You said there was a mishap?"

"Their fine, a little drunk and apparently horny. Meredith asked me to come over and strip for a room full of women. The stripper they hired never showed."

"Well uh.." Richard is clearly uncomfortable.

"Are you gonna to do it?" I ask with a small laugh.

"Are you kidding? I don't think so, although Meredith assured me it was okay because it was for Izzie."

"Maybe you should do it, there's good money in stripping." I laugh a little harder.

"Maybe you should do it, after all most of them have already seen you naked." He smirks at me.

"Funny."

"I thought so."

"Well, I think I'm going to head home." Poor guy. "Adele is probably waiting for me."

He says his goodbyes and leaves Shepard and me sitting at the bar, trying to suppress our laughter at Richards's expense.

"Do you think he is going home to strip for his wife?" I ask.

"Either that or he's going to Meredith's to make a little side money." He says with a laugh.

"Thanks for the mental image." I say as I get a picture in my head of Richard Webber doing a striptease for the girls in the middle of Meredith's living room. Shaking off the image, I pull my wallet out and offer to pay Joe my bar tab.

"Calling it a night?" Joe asks me.

"Yeah, I've got something important to take care of in the morning."

I hand him more than enough money to cover the small tab I ran up tonight.

"Alex, this is too much money."

"Put the rest towards Shepard's tab." I shrug. "He's going to need it when he's dancing half naked in front of an angry mob of horny women later." I smirk.