Synopsis:
"If I don't say this now, I will surely break…and I'll look after you." With Izzie, Meredith, Cristina and Alex about to enter their second-year residency and George repeating his internship, it seems like things are finally settling down at Seattle Grace Hospital, right? WRONG! With troublesome interns, flaring tempers, new doctors and explosive confrontations, our favorite characters discover that this is only the calm before the storm. Because someone in the group is hiding a devastating secret from them all…
Author's Note: Greetings from a planet orbiting far, far away from Earth! Hehe, seems like I start off every chapter with an apology, but I truly do feel the need to apologize for my uber-long hiatus. My muse decided to take its own little vacation, along with the fact that the whole Denny-Duquette-As-A-GHOST/TUMOR storyline was just pissing me off to no end (which only inspired me to ditch Grey's for a while)! But now that I've graduated from college, I am BACK as a part-time fanfic writer =). Life is good again. The only piece that's missing is the sadly deceased Dr. George O'Malley, but fear not, he will not even come close to death in my story! I'm keeping Georgie happy and occupied in my version of Grey's … well, for the most part (I will have to throw him through the wringer for a wonderful section of the story, but I'm going to treat him as nicely as I can). So, without further ado, feast your eyes on this long awaited and overdue chapter of Look After You,"Satisfy". A HUGE, HUGE thanks to all the readers who have put this story on their favs or story alert. I hope I don't disappoint! Katie2323 and hhrjategsrfan (YouTube screename), thanks for the support and personal messages. This chapter's dedicated to you guys!
Previously on Grey's Anatomy:
-Dr. Miranda Bailey: Stevens, you're the closest to the ER nurses' station. Make your way there…DISCREETLY…and tell them to call the cops. Let them know this is a hostage situation, and we need them here now.
-Dr. Alex Karev: You've always been a smart man…let Mom go, and you'll walk out of here a happy man. Hurt her in any way, and I can tell you right now that you're just going to be pissed off and mad as hell. What's it going to be?
-Dr. Miranda Bailey: We're looking at a through and through…bullet entered through his chest and exited out his back, with a possible C5/6 fracture.
-Dr. Meredith Grey: How could I have ever forgotten you? You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Derek…
-Dr. Nick Gladys: Stop fighting me. Stop fighting yourself…you're holding up too much inside, and take it from me, the only way to get rid of that feeling of drowning is to let go! Release all that pain and resentment, and you'll feel a lot better. I promise…
-Ava: I told you a long time ago that you gave me a name when I had nothing else in this world; you allowed me to have an identity. No one can replace you, and I know that you love me so much, you wouldn't dare give up.
-Dr. Derek Shepherd: Glad to have you back, Karev…
It's been said that "when one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us." In general, the human population tends to fear change. We could taste a dream, but simply be too afraid of the changes awaiting us. For doctors, graduating from med school allows us to complete a lifelong dream, but with it, we're exposed to challenges that can't be solved by consulting a textbook. Luckily, fate finds a way to intervene and point us back in the right direction. After all, without happiness, life would be like a bird without song.
Alex gritted his teeth, sweat pouring down his face in rivulets as he forced himself to continue walking steadily across the parallel bars. When he finally reached the other side, he groaned, arms trembling. Physical therapist Aiden Matheson patted him on the back, shaking her head when she felt the waves of frustration radiating from Alex. "Dr. Karev, PT takes time. Regaining your balance and strength isn't going to happen overnight. But your progress is remarkable for two weeks. Be patient and give it some time. You're getting discharged today, aren't you?" Seeing his affirmative nod, she smiled. "See, you'll be cutting people up before you know it. Until then, I presume you're on desk duty." Laughing at his sour face, Aiden waved over a nurse to help him into his wheelchair, watching his cheeks burning red with shame. Gracing him with a gentle smile and a quick wave, she walked away to another patient.
Meanwhile, Alex wheeled himself out of the room, desperate to get a little tender loving care from Ava and eager to leave physical therapy. Five minutes later, he was outside his hospital room. Slipping his hand into the pocket of his comfortable sweatpants, he felt around obsessively for the small ring box, making sure it was still safely in his possession. Alex wheeled himself into the room, knowing that he only had another twenty minutes before Ava arrived at the hospital. Waiting impatiently, he glowered at his visitor when they showed up at the door, panting and red in the face. "Dude, you're late, Gladys!"
Nick shook his head, amused. "Gee, this is the thanks I get for helping you get ready for the second biggest day of your life? I just got out of an emergency craniotomy. These hands saved the life of a four-year-old girl!" Still laughing, he closed the door and turned serious. "Okay, time for your transformation, Karev." Pulling open the closet door, he reached for the tux that he had carefully hidden earlier that week, away from the observant eyes of Ava. Five minutes later, with a lot of help from Nick, Alex emerged from the bathroom, dressed smartly in a tuxedo and wearing just a whiff of Versace's DREAMER For Men, Ava's favorite cologne.
Whistling, Nick clapped Alex on the back, running his hands through his hair. "Man, you look like a million bucks. No wonder she's so in love with you." Wiping his suddenly perspiring hands, Alex took a deep breath. "Thank you so much, Nick. I couldn't have done it without you." Grinning, the neurosurgeon shook his head. "Just remember that drinks are on you tonight!" Laughing heartily, their light conversation was suddenly interrupted by the chirp of Nick's BlackBerry. Taking one look at the display, he slipped it back onto his waist as he uttered, "Shep's here." Snapping his fingers, he hurried over to the chair and produced the huge bouquet of blooming red roses, shoving them at Alex. "Can't propose without flowers, man." Smiling, he opened the door, giving Alex a thumbs up before slipping out of the room. Two minutes later, the door opened again as Ava walked in, dressed in a knee-length gold dress, her shiny brown hair wrapped in an elegant French twist. She stopped in shock, a look of surprise on her face. "Whoa, what's the special occasion, baby? Not that you don't look hot…" She trailed off as Alex slowly lowered himself onto one knee.
"Ava, you've taught me so much about myself … you helped me realize that just because my parents didn't have a good marriage, it doesn't mean that I can't have my own chance at love." Swallowing nervously, his hands starting to shake again, Alex decided to throw the rest of his speech out the window. "Ava, will you marry me?" Tears filling her eyes, Ava nodded. "Yes! I love you." Sinking into his embrace, they kissed passionately before Alex broke away and gently wiped the remaining tears off her face. Smiling, he fished the ring box out of his pocket, revealing the custom made, unique 1.5 carat Calla cut purple diamond ring. Slipping it onto her slender finger, the ring sat snugly. Stroking the top of Ava's head, Alex was lost in her beauty when the door slammed open again. "CONGRATULATIONS!" He burst out laughing when what looked like the entire surgical staff attempted to pile into the tiny room. After ten minutes and a lot of hugging, the Chief cleared his throat. "All right, enough fun, everybody get back to work before we meet up at Joe's! Karev, Olivia will come by with your discharge papers in a couple of minutes. Yang, you're in the pit with Gladys. Stevens and O'Malley, catch up on your paperwork." He stopped giving orders when his secretary, Patricia, tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a message. His face suddenly sober, the Chief looked up. "Shepherd, Grey, follow me to my office right now." With a clap of his hands, the crowd dispersed, leaving Alex and Ava alone to savor the next step in their relationship.
Meredith and Derek exchanged nervous glances as they held hands and followed the Chief to his office. What could he possibly want with the both of them? Stopping, Richard turned around, feeling their unspoken apprehension. A slight smile tugging at his lips, he felt compelled to put his head neurosurgeon at rest. "Relax, Derek. I think you're going to be very happy about the news. In fact, there may be more than one reason to celebrate at Joe's tonight." Wheeling around, he led them down the last five feet to his office. Opening the door, he made a beeline for the person sitting imposingly at his desk. Abandoning his usual stoicism, he wrapped his arms around his beloved Adele, showering her with kisses. Laughing, she gently shoved him away. "Richard, we have an audience. Besides, Patricia paged me and told me that you needed to see me in your office. What is it?"
Taking his usual seat, Richard gestured for everyone to sit down. When they did, he cleared His throat. "Well, since you're all wondering why you've been called here. Well, I wanted each one of you to be the first ones to hear this news. Due to the fact that I love Adele with every beat of my heart, I've decided to step down as Chief of Surgery."
Stunned silence met his announcement, and Richard looked around the room, trying to gauge their reactions. Adele was definitely happy, her eyes shining with tears as she rummaged in her purse for a handkerchief. Meredith's mouth was a perfect O, opening and closing like a fish out of water. But Derek was watching him like a hawk, his confusion and shock radiating strongly. "Richard…" Holding up a hand to indicate that he wasn't finished, Richard continued. "I will continue my duties as a general surgeon, but I've recommended you, Derek, to take my place as Chief. The board will officially make the announcement if you accept. Burke and Addison have both left, and Sloan just isn't ready to take on this role. But you … I told you before, you were always my choice. I may have been prejudiced with Meredith before, but I stand by what I offered you when you decided to leave New York. Chief is yours, if you're willing to accept the responsibility."
Derek continued to stare with open-mouthed shock, unable to say a single word. His eyes were wide, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he considered Richard's proposition. Gripping Meredith's hand, they looked at each other, sharing an internal conversation only they understood. Richard watched with a hint of impatience. Just as he was about to say something, Derek spoke up quietly. "Okay; I accept the job. But are you absolutely sure you want this?" When the response to his question was met with a long-suffering sigh, Derek began to smile. He was soon flashing his million-watt smile, his eyes suspiciously bright. The moment was soon broken by the annoyingly persistent beep of their pagers. Giving Adele a hurried kiss and a quick "see you later," Richard rushed out of the office with Derek and Meredith, ready to save one more patient as Seattle Grace Hospital's Chief of Surgery.
"What've you got?!" Izzie shouted at the nearest paramedic as she twisted her hair up and out of her face. "Auto accident. This is the 29-year-old female driver, complaining of chest and stomach pain, flank tenderness, dizziness, and shortness of breath. BP's 120/80, pulse 90." The ER Chief Resident tapped her on the shoulder. "Dr. Stevens, Trauma 1." Nodding, she ran with the gurney towards the room. On the way, she couldn't help but glance at George, whose jaw was clenched, his face showing nothing but intense concentration. His eyes were already doing a preliminary scan of the patient. Forcing her mind back in the moment, they reached Trauma 1. "Okay, on my count … one, two, three." Snapping on her gloves, she immediately started ordering tests. "CBC, Chem Panel, type and cross, and a BAC. I want x-ray in here right now! Olivia, call CT. As soon as she's stable, let's send her up. We need to get a good look right now. Dr. O'Malley, what's her pulse ox?" He glanced at the monitor before looking down again. "96% SpO2, Dr. Stevens." Nodding, Izzie touched the frightened patient's arm. "Ma'm, what's your name?" The door to Trauma 1 burst open, and everybody looked up as a bloody and clearly shaken man walked in. "Her name's Alexandra Hill; she's my girlfriend! Please, you've got to help her."
Nodding, Izzie motioned to one of her interns. "Sir, we're taking very good care of her. We'll come get you as soon as we know something. Nathan, would you please take this man to get stitched up? Thank you." Watching as her intern led the man out, she turned her attention back to the patient. "Alexandra, I know you're terrified right now. But I need you to try and relax, you're in good hands, okay? I need you to answer some questions." Squeezing her hand, Izzie wrote down the information onto the chart as she watched the x-ray tech come in out of the corner of her eyes. "Thanks, Mike." When the tech finished shooting his films, she called out to him just as he was about to leave the room. "I need those films ASAP." As the tech nodded and left, Callie walked in. "Okay, get me up to speed, Izzie."
She took a deep breath. "29-year-old Alexandra Hill, auto accident, complaining of chest and stomach pain, flank tenderness, and shortness of breath. SpO2 within normal limits, BP remaining steady at 120/80, we're still waiting for the films, and she's stable for CT." Nodding, Callie signed off on the chart. "Okay, go ahead." Seconds after she walked out of the room, Mike rushed back into the room with the films. "Dr. O'Malley, you've got to look at this." Holding the films up to the light, Izzie saw his eyes widen in alarm. Clearing his throat, he calmly told Olivia to bring the patient to CT, and that he and Izzie would meet them there in a short while. When the room cleared out, he walked up and slapped the films on the light board, pointing. "There, possible pneumothroax on the right. She might have slammed her chest on the dashboard. That would explain the chest pain." Izzie frowned. "She might still have intra-abdominal bleeding." Removing the films, she smiled at George. "Great work." With a nod in her direction, they both hurried out the room and went up to CT.
Glancing at the blank CT screen for what felt like the millionth time, Izzie paced around impatiently, waiting for the results. The lab tech threw her an annoyed glance, but she barely noticed. George sighed. "Izz, SIT DOWN. Your relentless pacing isn't helping the patient; it's just driving us nuts." Just as he finished, the lab tech announced, "They're up!" Rushing over, Izzie studied the scans. "Oh, damn. Ruptured kidney. George, page Bailey. We need to redline her to OR now!"
Bailey, George, and Izzie walked out of the OR, worn out and tired after the long surgery. It was now nearly 9 P.M., and they had been in surgery for close to six hours. Walking up to their patient's distraught boyfriend, Bailey laid a hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Joshua Walker? I'm Dr. Bailey. I operated on Alexandra." Seeing his mouth open, she hurriedly reassured him. "Since you're her medical proxy, I can tell you that we managed to repair a majority of your girlfriend's injuries. However, her kidney has suffered extensive damage, and it's irreparable. Now, normally, we would just remove that kidney, and let the other one compensate for its loss. But it appears that one of her kidneys was removed when she was younger, due to a severe car accident." Seeing his visual confirmation, Bailey continued to explain. "We've put her at the top of the donor transplant list, and being on dialysis will help her until she can receive a transplant. You can visit her now; she's in recovery. I'll tell the nurse, and we'll notify you if her status changes."
After the man nodded his understanding, the three doctors started to leave the room. "Wait! Let me do it!" the man cried. Izzie whirled around. "Excuse me?" The poor man raked his hand through his hair. "I can donate a kidney to my girlfriend. I – I heard that a kidney donor doesn't have to be genetically similar to their recipient, so I could donate a kidney to Alexandra, right?" Bailey swallowed. "Mr. Walker, the procedure is not that simple. You would have to take blood tests, consent to a psychological examination; you have to be subjected to a whole host of other tests before we can even begin to consider you as a possible donor. This could take a while."
He shook his head. "I don't care. I can't let her die. If you guys won't do the surgery, I'll find another surgeon that will do it. I have to help Alex. I love her." Exchanging glances with Izzie, Bailey sighed. Shaking her head, she motioned to George. "Dr. O'Malley can take a blood sample right now so we can send it to the lab for testing, and we can refer you to the psych department for their portion of tests, but we can't promise anything. We would advise you to wait for a donor, but if you insist..." The man shook her hand emphatically. "Thank you, Dr. Bailey!" Nodding wearily, Bailey and Izzie left the room, leaving George to collect the blood sample. It was almost time to meet the group for a celebratory drink at Joe's, and Bailey couldn't wait to have a drink to soothe her frayed nerves, along with sinking her teeth into one of Joe's tasty cheeseburgers.
Two hours later, practically everyone on the surgical staff was gathered in Joe's bar, toasting the engagement of Alex and Ava. The cold and sudden torrents of rain had done nothing to dampen the spirits of the rambunctious staff. After toasting the happy couple, Richard clapped his hands, automatically commanding everyone's attention. "All right, two more pieces of good news. The first announcement is that I will step down as Chief by the end of tomorrow, but I'm continuing my career as a general surgeon. Dr. Derek Shepherd will be succeeding me, and I am confident that he will continue to take the hospital in a new direction. To Derek!" After the toast, Derek noticed the quiet that had suddenly settled over their group. Holding Meredith's hand tighter, he raised his voice. "JOE, NEXT ROUND IS ON ME!" Amid the cheers and stampede to the bar, Derek gave the Chief a sad smile. Patting each other on the back, they watched their coworkers socializing comfortably. Some were holding hands, others were milling around with drinks, and still others were finally tucking into their dinners at 11 P.M. "All in a day's work, Shep." Derek smiled in response as he continued to sip his double scotch, single malt.
George was just about to push open the door leading into The Emerald City Bar when it swung open, forcing him to dance back a few steps. He froze in his tracks when he realized it was Callie and Mark, comfortably holding hands, the former dressed in a low-cut teal top that accentuated her figure. Shifting uncomfortably, she mumbled, "Um, hey." All of a sudden, George found himself missing the playful banter and ease that had defined their early relationship.
I know this isn't what I wanted,
I never thought it'd come this far,
Just thinking back to where we started,
And how we lost all that we are.
We were young and times were easy.
But I can see it's not the same.
I'm standing here but you don't see me,
I'd give it all for that to change.
But I don't want to lose her,
Don't wanna let her go.
Before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "Callie, I'm sorry." He was met with complete silence, and he hung his head shamefully. A finger gently tilted his head forward, and he looked up, relieved to see that Sloan had retreated a respectable distance away. Callie sighed, "George, I loved being an O'Malley. Even if it was just for a short while. But you know what, ever since our divorce, I've had time to think. You know, really think. I mean, I was really pissed for a while. But I've come to realize that we weren't meant to be together. Every time I loved you, you couldn't return that love back to me. Whenever you loved me, I was too busy getting mad at you for something you had done. Love has to be constant, has to survive the ups and downs before you can truly call it a relationship. I mean, look at me; I was your rebound girl. I should have known better. For Christ sakes, you proposed while you were still reeling from the loss of your Dad! And I … I accepted, even though I knew you needed more time to grieve. If you think about it, I've never held the place closest to your heart. That spot's always been taken by Izzie."
Standin' out in the rain,
Need to know if it's over,
'Cuz I will leave you alone.
I'm flooded with all this pain,
Knowing I'll never hold her.
Like I did,
Before the storm.
Yeah,
Before the storm.
Looking away, Callie repeated firmly, "Izzie is the one you belong with." Noticing his look of shock, she clarified, "I'm not condoning your affair. And while I can remain on professional terms with her, Izzie Stevens will never be my close friend. But if anything good came out of this divorce, it would be that it made me realize I've slowly fallen in love with Mark Sloan. He gets me; Izzie gets you. George, we may not be a couple anymore, but I still care about you, and I don't want you to look back at this twenty years from now, wondering why you didn't take this leap of faith. With all this crap happening at the hospital, you should know by now. Life is too damn short. We never know if tomorrow will come, so why not spend each day happy?"
With every strike of lightning,
Comes a memory that lasts.
And not a word is left unspoken,
As the thunder starts to crash.
Maybe I,
Should give up.
Noticing his torn look of indecision, Callie smiled sadly before leaning forward and kissing him softly on the cheek as Mark walked up. "You never listened to me when we were married. Do me the honor of trusting my instincts on this. You'll be happier. I know I am." With one last glance at him, she slipped her hand into Mark's waiting one. Lost in thought, George barely heard the, "see you tomorrow!" that she tossed at him before they walked away.
Standin' out in the rain,
Need to know if it's over,
'Cuz I will leave you alone.
I'm flooded with all this pain,
Knowing I'll never hold her.
Like I did,
Before the storm.
Trying to keep the lights from going out,
And the clouds are ripping out my broken heart.
They always say,
That a heart is not a home,
Without the one who gets you through the storm.
Standin' out in the rain,
Knowin' that it's really over.
Please don't leave me alone.
I'm flooded with all this pain,
Knowing I'll never hold ya,
Like I did,
Before the storm.
Like I did,
Before the storm.
-Jonas Brothers/Miley Cyrus, Before The Storm
Three days later…
George stood next to Izzie, scrubbing out of Alexandra Hall's successful kidney transplant surgery. In almost all aspects, the surgery had been a complete success. Joshua Walker had gotten the green light to donate a kidney to his girlfriend, filling out the mountain of required paperwork without any complaint. However, shortly after they had taken the kidney out and handed it safely over to the transplant team next door, he had crashed. Izzie and Bailey had worked feverishly for 30 minutes, trying desperately to revive their patient, while George, as an intern, could do nothing but continue CPR. Furious and questioning the unfairness of life, he scrubbed harder than necessary, letting out all frustration. "George." Snapping out of his thoughts, he whirled around to glare at Izzie. "WHAT?!" When he saw her flinch, he felt guilty. "Sorry. It's just not fair! Kidney transplants are almost always safe. Donors only face a very small chance of something going wrong. Why did he die? Why did Joshua Walker die when so many other people walk away from this surgery with hardly a scratch?" Breathing hard, he kicked the scrub sink. "Why, GODDAMNIT?!" Aware that he was hyperventilating but unable to stop it, just as he had been powerless to save his patient, George ripped off his scrub cap and stormed out of the room. Izzie shook her head, the first few drops of tears making their way down her face. She heard a sigh and turned to see Bailey, shaking her head. "Stevens, just let him it get it out of his system. Wash up and go home early. Finish the patient's chart tomorrow. After a day like this, I usually go and hug my little Tuck to remind me that miracles still exist in this world." They both finished scrubbing out, and before long, the OR was empty, save for the lone nurse that was stitching up the cooling body of Joshua Walker.
George sat inside the recovery room, aimlessly scribbling out notations in the patient chart for Izzie, alert eyes occasionally studying Alexandra Hall for the slightest indication of consciousness. It had been five hours since his outburst in the scrub room, but he still felt a twinge in his heart at the thought of his patient's tragic demise. He swallowed, trying valiantly to hold back the tears that were forming. Closing his eyes, he thought back to earlier that day, when Joshua had entrusted him with a very important message for his beloved girlfriend.
George was walking down the hall, writing in a patient chart and hurriedly finishing up his sandwich, when a hand suddenly clapped him on the shoulder. Caught off guard, he yelped before realizing that it was his patient, Joshua Walker. "Oh, hi, Mr. Walker. Are you ready for the surgery this afternoon?" The young man shifted uncomfortably on the balls of his feet. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Dr. O'Malley. I've been feeling a sense of foreboding and death all day. I know, I know … I've heard countless stories of organ donors who walk out of the hospital a few weeks after their surgery, as good as new. But I also know that there are people who don't make it through the procedure. And let me tell you, my sixth sense has always been too uncanny for me to ignore. It warned me away from getting into the car with my parents the day that they died, and it screamed at me to take Alexandra to the hospital when she got bitten by a bee. I didn't even know that she was allergic to bee stings; I just felt it in my gut. Right now, that sixth sense is telling me that I'm going to buy the farm today. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Alexandra, but it's not up to me."
George stared at him, trying to shake off the odd chill that ran down his spine at Joshua's words. "Look, Mr. Walker, I'm sure you will be fine. It's a relatively simple procedure, and you will be up and running with Ms. Hall before you know it."
His patient sighed patiently. "Even so, I was wondering if you could do something for me. The day of the car accident, I was actually going to propose to Alex. I had this great speech all planned out, we were going to her favorite restaurant, everything was perfect. But this happened, and just in case I don't make it, could you give her this ring for me? I want her to look at it and feel my presence whenever she misses me, you know? Tell her that I loved her, and that if I could have, I would have spent the rest of my life with her." Taking out a wrapped package, he shoved it into George's shocked hands. "Keep this safe for me. IF I don't survive, I want you to give this to her."
George was speechless, and he felt like someone had suddenly yanked out his vocal cords. Opening and closing his mouth a couple of times, he swallowed a few times before finding his voice again. "Tell you what, Mr. Walker. I'll keep it safe for you during the surgery. But youhave to tell Ms. Hall that you love her yourself. She needs to hear it from you. And you can't go into surgery thinking that you're not going to make it out. Because if you think that, then that is going to be the outcome. If you love your girlfriend that much, I advise you to fight. Got it?" Joshua Walker closed his eyes and nodded. "Oh, by the way, call me Josh. Mr. Walker makes me feel old." George pointed to the engraved name on his lab coat. "And call me George." Smiling, he walked the patient back to his room to prepare for surgery.
George's eyes flew open when he heard the heart monitor beep faster, indicating that his patient was starting to wake up. Holding her hand, he let her squeeze it tightly. With a gasp, Alexandra Hall opened her eyes, revealing striking baby blues. She had been lying in a hospital bed for four days, but her chestnut brown hair still managed to gleam in the meager light of the hospital room. George could very easily see why Josh had been so captivated by her beauty. Shaking his head at the injustice of it all, he snapped out of his thoughts when she whispered, "Where's … Josh?" Hesitating because of the weakness evident in her voice, he tried to encourage her to rest, but she was persistent. George sighed before recounting Joshua's parting words to her. Leaning down for the package that had been sitting beside him, he cleared his throat before reading the letter that was lying on the very top.
My dearest Alexandra,
The road of life has never been an easy one for me to travel. Losing my parents when I was only five forced me to grow up in the system, a place that, despite best efforts, lacked the love that I had taken for granted before the accident. For two years, I remember that my days were filled with nothing but violent beatings and feelings of isolation.
And then I met YOU. You appeared out of nowhere, like a star descending from heaven to save me from my own loneliness. Before you came into my life, nobody could understand the guilt I felt over the death of my parents. But your gentle personality, along with our shared tragic experience, helped me realize that I'm not alone in this world. We have survived the adversity of life together, and together, we have managed to help each other grow, with a love so strong that most people can only imagine it.
If you're reading this letter, then it means that I've gone up to the heavens above. Our love gave me hope that maybe life could bless us with a storybook ending of our own. Although that will never be, do not fear the road of life, Alex. Every time you need me, just look for the bright star that is now named after you. In the vast expanse of midnight sky, there will always be a single star with enough light to guide and protect you through life's tribulations. Know that I tried my hardest to fight for our future. If I had been given the chance to, I would have loved to slip this sign of my eternal love on your finger myself.
Arrivederci, mi armor. I'm always with you.
Till we meet again,
Josh
When he finished, Alexandra's eyes were shining with tears, but she managed to keep herself composed. In a shaking voice, she quietly asked George for Joshua's parting expression of love. The moment that he helped her slip on the unique star-cut diamond engagement ring, the distraught woman finally lost it, curling in on herself as she sobbed violently. Putting the ring box on the bedside table, George climbed into the bed and hugged her tightly to him, comforting her in the only way he knew how. Only after Alexandra had cried herself to sleep did he gently disentangle himself, quietly walking out the room. Seeing Olivia standing over by the nurses' station, he ran up to her and told her to page him when Alexandra Hall woke up. Then he was gone, running out of the hospital and driving towards 613 Harper Lane. Josh and Alexandra had shown him a tragic love story, but if anything, it made him realize that he couldn't simply wait for happiness to come. He had to have the will to initiate it.
Izzie breathed deeply, allowing the combined scents of aloe, apple, and French vanilla to soothe the stress out of her body. She hated losing patients, and most of all, she hated the fact that George had retreated from her life without a word. He was her best friend, and she felt an empty hole in the spot that he had occupied in her heart. God, she missed him! Groaning, she forced herself to concentrate on the flickering candlelight, trying to relax. Just as her eyes were growing heavy, there was a knock at her door. Instantly alert, she climbed out of bed and swung the door open, having half a mind to yell if it was only Meredith and Derek.
Any other negative thoughts flew out of her mind when she saw George standing there, dressed in a black and white striped polo and blue jeans. He stared quietly at her, his emotive chocolate brown orbs showing Izzie a torrent of emotions. With a sudden explosive breath, he kissed her passionately as tears trickled down from his eyes and ended up rolling down her cheeks. Pulling them apart, George cupped her face in his hands. "I can't spend another moment without you. After Callie and I got divorced, I wanted to get together with you, but I was terrified that I was going to make another impulsive mistake and lose my best friend. But I've come to realize that it's okay to be scared … as long as you're there with me." Speechless, Izzie only nodded as she ran her hands through his silky hair, inhaling the familiar scent of lavender. "Oh, George…" she moaned. "I've missed you so much," he whispered, and they fell backwards onto her bed, sharing in another emotion-charged kiss. Under the watchful glow of the full moon, Izzie and George spent all night celebrating the beginning of their new relationship, cherishing the fact that they were in each other's arms again.
If there was a way to try and make it back,
Back to where we started from.
Could I find a way to try and make you stay?
Would I know what could be done?
I don't want to deny my heart its chance to feel.
I don't want to deny my soul of something real.
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy me?
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy you tonight?
We were sailing on,
I could see the world below,Never thought of coming down.
Expectations fell,
It seemed as though our will was no match for the trouble found.
I don't want to deny my heart its chance to feel.
I don't want to deny my soul of something real.
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy me?
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy you tonight?
So take my hand, and I won't look back,
Though I've lived tossed along these waves,
I will stay.
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy me?
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy me?
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy you?
Is there anything left in this world that will satisfy you tonight?
-Vedera, Satisfy
Ending Note: I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Nine months ago, the idea about a patient inspiring George to get back together with Izzie popped into my head, but writing that part of the chapter just didn't seem to flow. It was only when I was doing final editing that it came to me … the story of a couple who had grown up together in foster care, and shared a love so strong that it can transcend death.
On a happier note, I am in the planning stages of the next chapter, and the action finally starts to pick up! Loved it, hated it? Please press that beautiful purple button and let me know!