So, once again as I'm lazy, I haven't included any thank yours or notes to all the incredible people reviewing my story, but next update I will! Enjoy!

Izzie was lying on the couch, a blanket over her head, her eyes squeezed shut. Bailey had sent her home at three thirty that morning. Meredith was in surgery, Alex was on call. She didn't know who to call. Well. That wasn't true. She did know who to call. She wanted to call George. But it was four in the morning, and he lived with Lexie. She could remember being an intern. Sleep was gold and if someone interrupted that sleep, you were not happy, especially if the person doing the interrupting was not a particular friend of yours.

So Izzie clutched the remote tightly in her hands and flicked from an infomercial that swore their product could shave your legs and cut carrots, to a late night show in Chineese.

Izzie had grown up with late night TV. When her mom had boys stay over, Izzie could never sleep. The headboard always banged against her wall and sometimes they fought. So Izzie would drag her teddy bear Freddy into the living room. The two of them would park themselves in front of the TV and watch whatever they could find. As a result, Izzie was always tired in the morning. Her teachers often asked her why she had such dark bags under her eyes, why she sometimes fell asleep during snack time. Izzie's mom never noticed that her four year old daughter was up half the night because of her.

Izzie rolled her shoulders up and down, trying to get rid of this memory. There were memory unwanted memories that Izzie possessed. When she was twelve, she had marveled over the ancient method of locking any worries or bad memories into a mental brain box and then throwing away the key. Izzie tried it every now and then, but she never seemed to be good enough at imagining the box.

The phone rang and Izzie jumped. She didn't want to answer it, in case it was bad news. She stared at it for a while, before cautiously picking it up. "Hello?" She whispered, trying to sound groggy. Make the person feel bad for waking her up.

"Stevens," it was Bailey.

"Doctor Bailey? Why are you calling me?" Izzie bit a hangnail on her thumb.

Bailey ignored her. "They found a heart for Molly. You're going to want to get in here."

"Okay," Izzie said.

"I think she'll be alright," Bailey said.

"Okay," Izzie said again, before hanging up the phone. She threw her blanket off her body and shoved her feet into her shoes, grabbing her coat and a hair elastic before leaving for the hospital. Izzie could only pray that when she got there, things would be okay. Because really, it seemed as though things could only get better from here.

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By the time Izzie arrived at the hospital, Molly was being wheeled into the OR. "Stevens," Bailey said. "Molly's just going in. You want to say bye?"

"It's not bye," Izzie said.

"You know what I mean."

Izzie bent down to the stretcher. "Hey sweetheart," she said softly to Molly.

Molly was holding Wesley tightly in her arms. "Hi Izzie," she said. "I was worried you weren't gonna get here in time. They have to cut me open again. I don't want 'em to," her voice trembled. "I just want to leave this stupid hospital."

"I know," Izzie took Molly's hand. "But this heart is going to work, okay? It has got to work. And when you come out, you'll be all better. And you can go home with your grandma."

"I don't want to go home with that lady," Molly whispered. "I don't even know her."

"She's very nice," Izzie said. "I promise."

"Not as nice as you."

"I'm sorry," Doctor Bailey said. "We've got to get going. Izzie will see you after your surgery, okay Molly?"

Molly nodded. Izzie squeezed Molly's hand before they took her into the OR. Izzie closed her eyes and she swayed slightly. She felt exhausted and wasn't expecting the hand that landed on her shoulder. "What the hell," she said, turning around.

It was Alex. "Jesus, sorry," he said.

"No, sorry," Izzie said. "I-I'm tired."

"I can see that," Alex said. "Iz, you should sleep."

"But.. but Molly. Her surgery."

"I know." Alex's hand was still on Izzie's shoulder. "But whether you're asleep or not isn't going to change the outcome of what happens. C'mon. You can sleep, in an on call room or something. Just for a little while. Okay?"

Izzie let her body deflate a little. "Okay," she said. "But just a little while."

"Sure," Alex said. He moved his hand away from Izzie's shoulder and walked with her to an empty on call room.

"Alex?" She said, crawling under the blankets.

"Hm?"

"Um.. could you stay? For a little while?" Izzie felt like a stupid six year old that needed her mother to watch her sleep.

"Sure, Iz," Alex bent over and pulled the blankets up to Izzie's chin, before kissing her cheek. "I'll let you know, if anything happens. Okay? But she's going to be fine."

Izzie smiled at Alex, yawned and rolled over, her eyes drooping shut.

Alex was amazed at how beautiful she was, even when she slept.

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Meredith sat, bouncing her legs up and down, in the gallery. She was watching Molly's surgery. It was rare to get a five year old with cardiomyopathy. It was even rarer for this five year old to get a heart, reject this heart and then find a new heart in less time than it takes to watch a movie twice.

Meredith, as a general rule, did not become overly attatched to patients, like Izzie did. There were a few patients that she truly cared for, some that for whom she mourned the loss of. But she didn't fall in love with them, or take them to the park, the way Izzie did. But Meredith was not a heartless bitch. She wanted this little girl to survive, for her heart to start working, and for her life to stop sucking.

The door of the gallery opened and Alex appeared. "Hey," she said.

Alex nodded at her. "How's it going?"

Meredith shrugged. "Not sure," she bit her lip. "They're just starting. I really hope that it goes well."

"Me too," Alex sat down beside Meredith. "I don't think Izzie can take one more shitty thing happening to her."

"Yeah. Me neither."

They sat in silence for a little while. "So," Meredith asked after a while, "I guess you don't hate Izzie."

"No," Alex said curtly. "I don't hate her."

"That's good. 'Cause I was worried there, for a while. About your anger issues," Meredith smiled, to let him know she was kidding. "So, are you like madly in love with her then?"

Alex shrugged. "Dunno yet."

"So.. maybe?"

"I love Izzie, yes."

"That's helpful," Meredith rolled her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"Well. I love Izzie. But I am not in love with her and I don't want to marry her."

"Because you and McDreamy are happy and shiny, right?"

"Bright and shiny," Meredith corrected. "And no. We are just happy. So are you in love with Izzie?"

Alex poked Meredith. "You're annoying, eh."

"Eh?" Meredith said with disgust. "What are you? Canadian?"

"Whatever. Yes, I'm in love with Izzie. Happy?"

"Yep," Meredith said, settling back into her seat. "Very happy. But not as happy as Izzie will be."

"You are not going to tell her."

"Why not?"

"Because, you're just not. Because, everytime I love someone, they just leave me. They go insane or they get sick. And they leave. And I don't want Izzie to leave."

"Izzie isn't going anywhere," Meredith assured Alex.

"I just don't want to take any chances," Alex said. "None at all. Okay? My mom, I loved her a lot. I was only a kid, a stupid kid, but I loved her. And my dad was an asshole to her. He beat her up and they both did drugs, and they were taken away from me, eventually. And that was only after I really got this love for my mom. I just.. I was amazed by her. And then she left. And I'd like it if Izzie stuck around."

Meredith leaned into Alex gently. "Sorry," she said.

"Yup."

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George found Izzie sleeping, in an on call room. He was glad to have found her, and he was also glad that she was sleeping. Because as much as George loved being with Izzie, he was exhausted. And he needed to sleep. So he crawled under the covers, and was just relaxing when he heard Izzie's voice from across the room.

"George?"

"Yeah, Iz?"

"Heard anything about Molly?"

George sat up and banged his head on the bunk above him. "No," he said. "I ran into Meredith, she was going to the gallery. They.. the Chief said that it's a risky surgery, because she isn't doing so well. But they think it'll work, because this is a good heart."

"Okay," Izzie murmered.

George knew there was more coming. He was right.

"George?"

"Hm?"

"Remember that time when we had that patient who had gone insane, because he flushed kittens down the toilet?"

George raised his eyebrows. "Yes," he said. "He was a weird one."

"Why do you think people do that?"

"Flush kittens down the toilet?"

"I don't know," Izzie said, a little frusurated. "But.. do you think he was okay? After that?"

"Mentally, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Well. Sure. I mean, you get over things."

"Not always," Izzie said. George knew what was coming after this. He may no longer live with Izzie, but he knew the way she worked, and he liked to still consider her one of his best friends.

She went over to George's bed. "You don't always get over things. I mean, if someone shot all your friends in front of you, you probably wouldn't get over that."

"True," George said. "But something like flushing kittens down the toilet? I think you'd get over that after a little while."

"Yeah, but if you flushed three kittens down the toilet every day for a year, and then your mom died, you might not get over that."

"Okay," George said. "Izzie?" He said. "You wanna talk about something?" He sat up just as she sat down, so that they were side by side.

"Just.. maybe sometimes things get you. And eventually, after so many things happen to you, it's kind of impossible to repare the damage. Even if you really want to, and you try hard. And maybe there's just a point where you break and you just absoloutely can't try any harder. That's all."

George held his hand out for Izzie. "Yes," he said. "But the man, with the kittens? He was messed up in the head. Really messed up. He wasn't normal. And he was a horrible person, and he was also weak. You, you are not messed up in the head. And while you're sure as hell not normal, because really, who is, you're the strongest person I know, and one of the kindest. So, the stuff that happens, it's awful. But you work through it." Izzie took the hand that George offered to her. He squeezed it tightly and she squeezed back just as tight.

"Next time," Izzie smiled, wiping a few tears away from her eyes, "I guess I'll just ask you if you think I'll be okay."

"Alright," George laughed. "Sounds good."

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"Grey," Bailey said. "Find Stevens."

"Okay," Meredith said.

The surgery was over.