Alex ran as fast he could to the E.R. where Meredith had just paged him from. He knew Meredith and he knew she wouldn't be paging him 911 when he wasn't on call unless it was seriously serious. So he ran as fast he thought he possibly could not being able to shake the eerie feeling that was now consuming his body.
He hated not knowing and although he had no idea of what to really expect. It could be anything he tried telling himself but in his gut he already knew that it was something to do with Jo.
So Alex made his way into the E.R. when he spotted an anxious Meredith peeling her eyes around the room in what he was sure what was in searching for him.
She had just paged him, so obviously, but little did he know that his World was really in fact about to get turned upside down because he took that moment in between Meredith's current stride towards him to think that this was all in fact was just simply an eerie feeling that people got when they worried about the unknown. And especially about the unexpected!
He had hoped but as Meredith made her way closer to him, he knew that something was wrong, terribly wrong.
Meredith was now standing in front of him and as much as Alex tried preparing for what he was about to hear, little did he know that this was just the first part of the major unexpected.
He listened to her as he knew she was trying to beat around the bush "Look Alex, I have two things to tell you but you have to promise me you're not going to freak out. Promise me, Alex because when I tell you this, I know you're going to freak out and I can't let that happen, and you know I can't so promise Alex."
And as much as he wasn't trying to be mean to her in any way especially because he didn't even know what she was going to say, he couldn't help but be Alex and he let his mouth get the best of him. He was in fact already freaking out.
"Look Mere, just tell me what the hell happened. Then I'll decide whether I'm going to freak the hell out or not. Tell me what the hell it is now." He demanded and when he saw the look on her face, he instantly turned into the Alex she knew and continued with
"Look Mere, I'll try not to freak out so just tell me, damn it!" he said in a much calmer tone but he was in fact still already freaking out and Meredith knew it.
"Okay" she then started. "But I swear Alex if you go and do something stupid then I'm not sure you'll even be able to save yourself from this one."
He just gave her a look that said just spit it out already and so she did
"Jo is over behind that farthest curtain and she said that she fell down some stairs but I.."
Alex then cut her off "What?" Everything in his gut had told him he was right. He knew something was wrong and stomach then completely dropped out because he was thinking the absolute worst but then he realized what Meredith had said. She said that "Jo Said"
"She said? She's okay?" Alex was actually relieved. He knew that Peckwell had attacked her but at least she was okay. He actually thought that the feeling in the pit of his stomach was about to go away but little did he know it wasn't going anywhere because as he was making his way towards where she said Jo was, Meredith stopped him dead in his tracks.
"But Peckwell is in the ICU, he…I guess…they both were a little drunk and they both tripped over on their own feet and fell down the stairs, I guess, I haven't really got the whole story but he's in pretty bad shape, Alex."
Alex wasn't expecting that but he still had enough common sense to know that Peckwell had still been attacking Jo and that she was probably just defending herself and they both then lost their balance and fell.
And although, he didn't really give a shit about Peckwell, at least Meredith said Jo was okay, so he still went to make his way to where she was.
And just as he thought that he was about to lose that bad feeling, it then became worse, because the last thing he was expecting Meredith to say, she said.
"Jo said they were just walking and talking and that they fell because they both had been tipsy and that the only reason they were here was to get something that she had left but I don't know Alex, it just doesn't…"
But Alex was already gone. He had to get to her. He knew what she was trying to do and he wasn't about to let her do it if he had his way, which he thought he would.
He had to let her know that he was there for her and that she could tell the truth but little did he know was that this was about to be just another little part of the big unexpected.
Alex then pulled back the curtain and pulled it back around behind him. He then saw Jo and she was just lying there with her eyes wide open. He knew that she was probably still wasted. Shit, she had to be he thought, but he had to let her know he was there for her.
He just wasn't expecting her to speak up first and say "Look Alex, just leave me alone. I don't need you blabbing my business to everybody… Just go. You need to stay away from me, please leave. Okay!"
And as much as Alex was expecting her to sound drunk, she didn't at all. But he still knew that she was just too scared to tell the truth so he was simply trying to be what he always had, her best friend. And he was doing exactly in his Alex way. Hard-core!
"Look Jo, you don't have to…I know what happened. Okay? It's Okay!" he started but she quickly cut him off.
"How the hell would you possibly know what happened? You think you know everything about me now, huh? Well guess what Alex? You don't! So you need to just leave me alone, okay!"
"No I'm not" he started "I'm not going to leave you alone because I can see it in your face and I know that you're lying. You know that you and Peckwell didn't accidently fall down those stairs, and you know it. So don't give me that bullshit, Jo! I' m not going to let anything happen to you, I promise! But just tell the truth, damn it Jo. He shouldn't get away for pushing you down the stairs whether he got hurt in the process or not. I saw what y'all screaming here earlier. And I saw y'all at the bar and him grab you too. And Jo, I know he was trying to attack you in the bathroom. I heard his friends bragging about how he was going to try and get in your pants for the first time tonight. He's a douche, Jo and damn it I told you all along. Will just stop lying so I can help you take care of this all?"
Alex knew for sure that he was the one that maybe have underestimated how much he had in fact drank that night because everything he said came out way more demanding than what he planned for it to sound and worse than that, it came out way more loud.
Jo could not believe it. Of all the nerve he had! Now he was blabbing her business to everyone even more. She was sure it got around the hospital by now about what had happened and she was sure that there were ears behind those curtains listening to everything that they said.
She was just so mad and hurt on top of it all. Of all the nerve for him to assume anything at all, she kept thinking. And although most of his assuming had been right, she knew the one thing that he assumed wrong, and it scared the hell out of her.
Hence the reason she was lying in the first place, she was scared as hell.
She knew that Alex had been right about obviously having seen Peckwell and her have a fight, and he obviously saw what he saw at the bar. And although she didn't hear Peckwell's friends at the bar, she knew Alex was right about assuming what went on in the bathroom because Peckwell's friends were right.
And it wasn't too hard for him to figure out that Peckwell had then chased after her to attack her because he did.
But what Alex had assumed all wrong was that Peckwell pushed her down the stairs because he didn't.
And it scared the hell out of her.
She knew that Peckwell had no right putting his hands on her and she did what anyone would do in that moment, she tried to defend herself. But she was drunk and so was Peckwell so when he went to grab her, she pushed back as hard as she could and he tripped backwards and fell down the stairs.
And in the midst of it all, she couldn't keep stance of her own drunken self, and Peckwell had managed to pull her down right along with him.
It hurt then and it hurt now but Peckwell had actually eased her landing because she basically landed on-top of him. He was okay at first, she knew that, because she tried to run away immediately and of all things he did what he only had the strength to do. He pulled her towards him and bit the shit out of her arm. That's when she let out a scream and a nurse ran in and found them.
Peckwell was then unconscious and Jo was drunk and well she just didn't know. She freaked the hell out. She thought about her life, her career. She just wasn't thinking clearly at all and she knew that she could actually end up expecting anything out of this if she were to say that they were fighting and she pushed him.
No one knew, shit she didn't even know, that he was violent until that night.
And she thought quickly about how he was the rich OB with the nice house and the super nice family and about how she was the poor intern with no house and no family. She knew what the justice system was capable of and for all she knew if Peckwell died, she could be charged with murder.
And if Peckwell did live, she figured he would agree with her lie any day over the actual truth not only for his own career but just simply for his own life as well.
So Jo told the nurse the first thing that popped into her head and that was that it was an accident, that they were drunk, and that they tripped and fell.
And the last thing she had expected to happen was for Alex to come around giving a damn. She didn't care how much she had to drink because it didn't untwist the knots in her stomach for him doing her the way he did earlier blabbing all her business. And it sure didn't take them away now that he was standing right in front of her doing it again.
She let it run through her mind quickly about how she just didn't understand how Alex could care so little about their friendship.
Yes, he was here now in what he may have thought was trying to help her, but she thought it was the farthest thing from help at all.
She had in fact worked too hard her entire life to allow two dumbass guys to bring her down she tried telling herself.
So all she heard was what she wanted to hear and that was just more blabber coming out of his mouth. He didn't know anything about her, she tried telling herself. Or he wouldn't know anything else about her.
She damned herself for the way all of the good in her life turned out.
And that's what she didn't understand. She still considered Alex good.
Here he was in front of her, not really caring how she felt at all, she thought for sure. One, he was being flat out loud, controlling, and almost just mean about it all. And two, that was the last thing she needed, she didn't need anyone trying to control her when she couldn't even control herself. And she didn't need anyone else being mean to her because she knew she was mean enough to herself.
And that's the only thing she thought she would always understand. Why she still considered herself bad.
If Alex was truly her best friend like she had thought, he would have approached not only her but the entire situation way differently she tried reminding herself.
And then she also reminded herself that Alex was too good for her and that she was definitely too bad for him.
So she said the first thing her mind wanted to "Just stay out of my damn business okay! I told you already, I don't need some dumbass bringing me down." And then she sounded drunk again because she said it and she meant it. But she said and she meant it, loud. And that wasn't her.
And even though Alex knew that wasn't her. He couldn't help but still be still be Alex and a little drunk Alex at that and said the last thing he wanted to say.
"I may be a dumbass but you're the dumbass for letting Peckwell actually bring you down. I can't believe you are going to lie like that for him, Jo." And with that he turned and walked away.
She felt terrible. She wanted to take back everything already.
He felt terrible. He wanted to take back everything already.
But still, Alex went on making his way out of the hospital when Meredith tried to stop him "I'm sorry Alex! And I'm sorry more because I don't know how you're going to take what I have to tell you next. It was the second thing from earlier. And even though I don't want you to freak out…"
He cut her off "Look Mere! Whatever it is, I don't give a damn." And with that he was gone. He was just so mad.
So Meredith went back into the hospital to talk to Jo who was already trying to make her way out of there as well.
"I'm sorry about Alex, Jo! And I'm sorry more because I don't know you're going to take what I have to tell you about him next."
Meredith knew she just had to get it over with and although she wasn't expecting to hear what Jo said, she was totally expecting it.
"Look, Dr. Grey! Whatever it is, I don't give a damn." And with that she was gone. She was just so mad.
Meredith just stood there. She didn't know what she was expecting to get through to either of them in this state anyway but it was because she knew that they were both in fact going to give a damn, a BIG damn!
And that's when Meredith saw her coming. She just walked up and smiled "Geez Meredith, what was all that about?"
"Izzie" Meredith softly spoke. She couldn't believe she was actually there.