A/N: Thank you so much to lorelai21, alterus, Mony19, Addeklover and deslil for their Chapter 3 reviews as well as everyone else who has done so . You guys are amazing and your reviews are what keep me going. Hope a little bit more of the past was revealed here and I promise there is more to come. Keep reading! .
Chapter 4: Beautiful On The Inside
George couldn't think as he darted down the hallway and through a set of double doors. He had just watched his best friend flat line and thank God come back. Lost in thought he passed up OR 2 and nearly fell as he tried to turn himself around. He took a deep breath before bursting into the OR without even a mask. "Doctor Montgomery" George said as he squeezed through the barely open sliding doors.
"Dr. O'Malley I am well aware that I have been beckoned but I am in the middle of a very important surgery and I would prefer if I were able to finish it" Addison said taking half a second to glace over at him through her mask.
"I understand Dr. Montgomery but you really need to get downstairs, it's Ava".
Addison continued working without missing a beat. "Like I said I am in the middle of surgery, tell her I will be there as soon as I am finished".
George paused for a moment and then looked up to see Preston Burke scrubbing in. He tightened his scrub cap before walking into Addison's operating room. "Addison, Derek is waiting downstairs for you outside room 213 I think it would be to your benefit to go down and speak with him".
Addison just looked at them dumbfounded but took her mask off "Does someone want to fill me in before I leave a body open on my operating table?" George and Preston just looked at each other.
"Ava uh…." George said avoiding eye contact. "Someone beat her up pretty badly on the way to school this morning, she flat lined but she is stable now. She…." Addison didn't wait for a response before she ripped her mask from around her neck and ran straight towards the stairs.
Derek sat in the hallway with his head in his hands. "Derek calm down" Richard began to say.
"Richard you weren't there" he said looking up at him with teary eyes. "She was gone; I swear I thought I lost her. What if that was it?" Richard squatted down to his level.
"It wasn't though, she is alive. You should know better than anyone that miracles happen. Have faith Derek, we are going to take care of her".
"Do you know she came and saw me after I moved here?" Richard put his hand on Derek's shoulder to steadyhimself and got down on the floor and sat next to him. "After I caught Addison and Mark together, I was so angry. I just wanted out of there".
Derek wiped a string of sweat off his forehead. "She showed up on my doorstep one day and begged me to let her move in with me. I think Addison hurt her just as bad as she did me". Derek looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "I told her no, I told her I didn't want her there". Derek looked over at Richard. "Every time I looked at Ava I saw Addison, and I couldn't do it. I was that selfish". They both stayed silent for a moment. "I felt like I had lost her. I actually did for about a year. She didn't speak to me until she moved back here and even now I don't think she has forgiven me or her mother".
"It's not important" Richard said casually. "What matters is she is here now, and you have time and the chance to make it up to her". Derek shook his head just as Addison came barreling down the hallway.
"Where is she?" she asked in a panicked voice, breathing heavily from the shock and the run down there.
"She is in there with Doctor Bailey" Richard said standing up.
Addison headed straight for the door but walked out of the room and stopped her. Derek quickly jumped off the floor.
"She is asking for you" Bailey said gesturing towards Addison. Addison moved forward but Doctor Bailey softly put a hand on her shoulder. "We are going to take her down for a CT and then Callie is going to work on her knee. We are not sure of the extent of the damage but we will figure it out after we run some tests," Doctor Bailey said with a lump in her throat. She delivered bad news everyday but she never liked to give it to the people she was closest to.
The little bit of composure that Addison did have was slowly breaking. She took a step back before letting the words slip from her mouth. "Did you…" she started to say but couldn't get it out.
"Was she um…" It took a moment for Bailey to understand what she was trying to ask but when she did Bailey put her hands around Addison's.
"No, she wasn't raped. She was very lucky".
"That's not exactly what I would refer to as lucky; did you get a look at her?" Derek said the anger resurfacing. Richard put his arm on Derek's shoulder and motioned for him to walk down the hallway and Derek followed mumbling under his breath the whole way.
"Does anyone know what happened?" Addison asked nervously turning back towards the room.
"No, not yet. We know someone attacked her this morning. It looks like they went after her with something solid because she has a couple of cracked ribs and her wrist is broken and so is her leg. She was in so much pain we had to give her something so she is pretty out of it. We couldn't get the whole story out of her just yet. I am so sorry Dr. Montgomery. Just give them a minute to clean her up and then you can go in and see her." Bailey said before giving her a quick pat on the shoulder.
"I am not waiting I am going in now" Addison said moving towards the door.
Doctor Bailey stood firmly in an attempt to protect her friend, "I don't think that is a good idea. Just wait until they are finished and you can go see her".
"She is my daughter I am going in" Addison said charging past Bailey and stopping by the door when she saw Ava lying in the hospital bed.
When you're a mother you see all kind of things when it comes to your children. Especially when they are young, they obtain countless numbers of bruises, scars, cuts and scrapes. Nothing could have prepared Addison for what she saw on the other side of the door.
The first thing Addison noticed was Meredith Grey. She worked quickly but softly as she finished wrapping what appeared to be sutures on Ava's arm. Once Meredith was finished she headed out of the room and motioned for Christina to do the same. Bailey shook her head as she let the door fall closed.
"I need to get her cleaned and casted before we do anything else. She needs x-rays as well. I told Bailey…" Callie said but was quickly cut off by Addison.
"I'll do it" Addison said.
"I can do, it's no big deal. Dr. Bailey mentioned the police were waiting downstairs, I figured you would want to talk to them. I will clean her up that way you can find out what's going on".
Addison looked up at Callie, "I should do it, I can do it" she said nervously and aggressively.
Callie nodded, "I'll be back in just a minute to take her down".
Addison slowly walked around to the side of the bed and sat down. Her own child was barely recognizable to her. The purple and black rings around her eyes had already started to set. The bed was covered in blood and the stitched cut down her arm was at least a foot long. She pushed a piece of Ava's hair out of her face and traced the scars across her cheek and the bruises on her arms. A small tear fell from the corner of her eye.
"Don't cry momma" she heard a scratchy quiet voice say. Addison grabbed Ava's hand and set her forehead on the top of it. Ava let out a small wince as she reached over ran her fingers along a piece of Addison's hair.
Addison looked back up; mustering all of the energy she had, and forced a smile. "How are you feeling?" she asked stupidly, already knowing the answer.
"I have been better" she said grabbing hold of one of her mother's hand.
"Do you remember what happened?" Addison asked, cutting to the chase and hoping to finally get an answer.
Ava closed her eyes and the moment she did every horrible memory came back to her, hitting her like a ton of bricks. She saw his face, she felt the baseball bat crash up against her side and she felt the cold concrete on her skin.
She didn't even realize she had started crying until she focused enough to hear her mother trying to console her and felt her cold hands run down her face and over her forehead.
Once Addison got Ava to stop crying she walked over to the sink and grabbed a basin of water and a wash cloth. She turned around and Ava had already fallen asleep from the strength of the pain killers. She began to lift Ava up out of the bed and realized she couldn't do it without hurting her. Addison peeked out of the room and the only person outside of the door was George. He was sitting on the floor up against the wall with his head in his hands.
"George?" Addison asked. He looked up with fear stricken eyes. "Can you help me?"
George and Addison quietly walked back into the room as if they were trying to keep from waking a baby. "Get on that side of the bed" Addison said as she pointed. George did just as he was told still unsure of what was going on. When he saw Addison walk over with a sponge he stepped back away from the bed. "It's alright; we just have to get her cleaned up".
Ava opened her eyes and looked up at them both, "Can you sit up baby?" Addison asked Ava and she slightly nodded.
"Go slow". Ava eased herself up and faced George. She looked right at him and smiled, she was almost unrecognizable but he could see her perfectly.
"Hold onto her George" George quickly moved closer to the bed and Ava placed her arms on George's shoulders. Addison opened the back of her hospital gown and put her hand over her mouth to keep from throwing up. She could easily handle sewing limbs back together, numerous amounts of blood and birthing babies but she didn't think she could handle her own child's bloody back. It was bruised so bad it almost looked black. George leaned forward to catch a glimpse of it but caught the pain in Addison's eyes and decided that was enough. Addison dipped a sponge in the water and ran it over Ava's back which caused her to flinch. "I'm sorry". Addison said quickly pulling it away.
"It's okay keep going" Ava said.
"I bet this isn't what you had in mind when you pictured me naked huh?" Ava asked jokingly breaking George's focused stare.
"You are a sick woman Ava Shepherd, I am not answering that question," he replied causing them both to smile.
The mental relief didn't last long when Addison hit another sore spot. Ava pulled George closer to her and wrapped her arms around his neck laying her forehead on his shoulder as a shot of pain ran through her back.