Hey guys, this is the second chapter for Stay Close, Don't Go. Hope you like it!

"Here are the MRI results for Carlson Young, Iz." Meredith said as she approached the young blonde doctor. Izzie smiled at her as she held the scan up to the light to get a better view.

"Damn, we're going to have to be really careful, aren't we?" Izzie said, giving the scan back. She hated being on a Peds case, since she was seeing kids being so sick, but she always felt better when she was successful.

"Iz, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you here?" Meredith asked the blonde as she bit her lip.

"I already told you. Derek invited me to work on a Peds case." Izzie replied, giving a strange look to her old friend. "Why do you ask?"

"I just... It's been a while, and the shooting that happened. I just assumed... We all assumed you wouldn't ever come back." Meredith sighed and shook her head. "Just forget about it. We're happy to have you."

"I came back for work, and that's all. I missed you guys, I really did, and I still do, but it's always nice to start over and forget a lot that happened." The blonde said to her fellow resident.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Iz. Even if it is for a day." Meredith said and walked away, going to share the news with the patient.

Izzie sighed and looked around the place that she spent so many countless hours in so long ago. It had changed, yet it hadn't. The walls were a different color, there were new tiles on the floor, the nurse's station had a new computer. But still, the hospital hadn't changed at all. Everything was still painfully the same. She recognized certain linen closests and on-call rooms that made her feel sick to her stomach, just recalling the memories.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt a tug on her arm, and suddenly she was inside an x-ray room, and the door was closed and locked. "Dr. Karev, what is it?" Izzie asked, suddenly annoyed by her ex-husband for no reason at all.

"Listen to me, Iz. I know that you're angry with me, I know you're hurt, and I know that you don't get exactly what happened and why it happened, but that doesn't mean you get to be a bitch to me." Alex said to her, anger rising in his voice.

"A bitch?" Izzie asked incredulously. "How the hell am I being a bitch to you?"

"You aren't even saying my name!" Alex said, his voice raising. "You're calling me Dr. Karev, like you're in charge of me or something."

"Well on this case I am, Dr. Karev." The blonde replied, emphasising his name.

"Why did you come here?" He pressed on her.

"I got an offer." She said automatically, lying through her teeth.

"I get that, but why did you say yes? Why after all this time?" He asked her, needing to hear her answer.

"I'm sick, Alex. Okay?" Izzie began, sighing as she finally said it aloud. "Not health sick, but I'm sick of my life. I used to be so happy. I used to love my life, my job, my friends, my husband!" She replied, her voice now raising as well. "I used to want to live my life to the fullest every day, and now I'm a divorcee, and I'm supposed to stay optimistic and peppy about it? I can't do that! I can't... I can't pretend I'm okay, when I am not." She said, tears stinging her eyes. She cursed herself for being so vulnerable, but Alex made her feel that way. She promised herself she wouldn't tell him, but of course, the truth came out.

She waited for a response, any hint as to how he would react. Instead of getting what she wanted, Alex left the room without another word. She rubbed her forehead as she sighed in frustration. Why did she do that to him?

Derek Shepherd looked at the surgical board with a smile on his face. The board was perfect. It wasn't too crowded, but it wasn't empty either. He felt good being the Chief of Surgery, yet he still felt like something was missing. He didn't get to spend enough time with his loving wife, and he barely got any time in the OR. He wished he could be the head of the neurosurgery department again, but you can't always get what you want.

"What did you offer Izzie to come here?" Derek heard the familiar voice, and turned to find his wife with her hands on her hips. He gave her a small peck on the lips, and smiled at her.

"A smiple hello, would've been nice." He chuckled at her serious expression and sighed, running a hand through his gorgeous locks. "I thought about possibly giving her her old job back." He admitted to the petite woman. "She just loves it here, I can tell, and I thought I was doing the right thing."

Meredith nodded, "Okay." She said, gave him a peck on the lips, and walked back to find Alex and Cristina for lunch.

Cristina Yang walked into the lunchroom with her tray full of food and sat next to Alex with a frustrated sigh.

"Can I help you with something, Yang?" Alex said to the obviously frustated asian woman.

"Barbie's back." She said angrily, turning towards him. "Barbie's here, and you seem totally okay with that?"

"I'm leaving." Alex said, beginning to stand, but was pulled back into his chair by Cristina.

"No you aren't. You're explaining to me right now why you are so okay with this." Cristina said, taking a bite of her sandwich. When Alex didn't say anything, she groaned. "Come on, Evil Spawn, spit it out." She said, her mouth still full with food.

"I'm okay with this because it doesn't matter. She can do whatever the hell she wants. I'm not her husband, I'm not her boyfriend, I can't do anything about it, okay?" He said, rolling his eyes. "Can we just drop it now?"

Meredith Grey strolled into the cafeteria with a salad in her hand, and sat down next to her two friends. "This day just gets more and more interesting, doesn't it?"

"Seriously." Cristina and Alex said as they continued to eat their lunch.

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