ALEX

"Come on, come on." Alex muttered under his breath, as he frantically tried to revive the young girl lying on the bed in front of him. This wasn't supposed to happen, this never happened. She was fine just moments before. How could she now be coding in front of him?

He then breathed a silent sigh of relief as he finally heard the loud, clear, steady beeping of the heart rate monitor filling the tense room, signalling the young patient was breathing again. The tension suddenly easing as everyone realised she was alright, for now.

Alex took a step back from the bed and ran his hand through his hair, furious with himself that he'd been off his game. He should have spotted something was wrong sooner. This kind of thing never happened to him, he was the best.

He'd treated patients like Sarah Stevens many, many times. He'd been following all the correct procedures, admittedly he had been a little distracted, having a little fun flirting with her insanely hot mother at the same time. A woman who was every guy's wet dream and a far cry from the usual annoying soccer Mom's that he had to deal with on a regular basis. But somehow the flirting had turned in to something more heated; they had both rubbed each other up the wrong way and it had been almost as though they was a unspeakable spark between them about to explode. As he thought back to it Alex felt nothing but annoyed, that he'd allowed a hot chick to screw with his system so much, that it had diverted his attention away from doing his job properly.

"Excuse me, Dr Karev, did you mean to write fifty Metoclopramide?" Amy, Alex's intern said to him as she waved the patient's chart urgently in front of his nose. Alex immediately snatched it from her gruffly as his eyes fixed on the number clearly scribbled in his hand writing right in front of him. He read it, then re-read it again several times. Fifty, he would never have written fifty, he would have written five! Fifty would cause overdose and loss of muscle control, very nearly killing the patient. Alex never made mistakes like that, ever! He then glanced back at the young girl lying on the bed and he knew he had to act fast.

"Okay, schedule an OR now. We need to get this girl in to surgery. She could have an internal bleed." Alex said as he turned back to his intern. Amy Watkins was his most promising intern and he wasn't surprised she spotted his huge mistake so quickly, she was also one of the few interns that he actually had a rapport and mutual respect with and he hoped she'd have his back on this occasion. They could get the patient in to surgery to repair any damage, without any further repercussions.

"Okay, I'm on it and I'll inform the mother too." Amy said as she quickly walked out and in to the crowded ER. Causing Alex to have a brief flash back to the face of the beautiful blonde whose child he had so nearly killed with his careless error. Before he turned back again to check on his patient again.

"Okay, OR is ready for us." Alex's intern said as she re-appeared looking flustered.

Alex gestured for them all to move at high speed. He was used to being in situations like this all the time, but he was always in control. But here now, he'd never felt so out of control in his life as he raced towards the elevator.

He was just about to step in to the elevator, when he felt a light tapping on the back of his arm, causing him to quickly turn around. And there she was again, the girls mother. Just seeing her again instantly evoked the same dramatic effect on him as before as he felt a shiver run across him.

Her beautiful features stared intensely at him, her wide expressive almond shaped eyes looking full of panic and desperation as she said hurriedly. "Dr Karev, I know we've had our differences, and I know this is just another day at the office for you. Just another routine surgery. But please, please promise me you won't let anything happen to my baby."

Alex just looked at her, completely at a loss for words. Eventually, nodding and stammering. "I promise…. and trust me this is not just another routine surgery to me." And before he could say anything else he heard his name being called out urgently, and then he was inside the elevator, the doors closing as he was whisked away to surgery.

"Scalpel," Alex said, his hand shaking ever so slightly as he held it out.

Alex performed surgeries like this all the time. But on this day in the OR with a team of people looking at him, counting on him to keep it together to lead them and to be the rock star he always was in the OR, he suddenly felt full of nerves, even fear. He knew he couldn't screw up with this patient, he just couldn't. It wasn't that he didn't care about all his patients. As much as he tried to pretend he was purely in it for the hard core surgeries, Alex cared more than he knew he should about all the kids he operated on. But there was something about this girl in particular and it wasn't just the mistake he'd made putting her here in the first place. It was something deeper, something he couldn't put his finger on.

He took a deep breath and just as he felt confident to get started, the door to the OR swung violently open and Dr Robbins marched in. Alex felt his heart sink slightly. It was extremely rare for his boss to oversee any of his surgeries these days. She normally put her complete trust in him. He was her 'star student' after all. But as he looked over at her, he could see her eyes were stern and icy and he knew she must have found out about what he'd done. Despite her warm and bubbly front, Dr Robbins was not someone you messed with and Alex knew he was in trouble, big time.

"Okay, Karev. What have we got?" She said, her tone firm and cold.

…

Alex worked for the next hour in silence, Dr Robbins watching his every move like a hawk, scrutinising every decision he made. Then just as he thought the worst was over and he had nearly finished he heard the dreaded sound of the heart rate monitor speeding up.

"Okay, we're losing her. Dr Karev, Dr Karev…" A panicked voice said.

All of a sudden Alex felt the room spin around and he almost felt himself leaving the OR. He could hear voices coming in and out, but he was gone, everything was fuzzy. It was as though he had completely lost all control of his actions.

"Get it together, get it together." He willed himself as he forced himself to snap back in to reality. And he focused, he knew he had no choice. The girls life depended on him.

"Right, pass me the clamp." He said defiantly to the nearest scrub nurse as he took complete control again.

"Okay, she's back." He then said moments later.

"Nicely done." Dr Robbins said her eyes warming slightly.

"Thanks." Alex replied. He knew Robbins didn't hand out praise lightly. That was one of the reasons he respected her so much. She didn't bull shit, she complimented when it was needed and she criticised him only when it was deserved.

…

"So, you want to tell me what all that was about earlier?" Dr Robbins said to Alex as they scrubbed out of the surgery together.

Alex didn't say anything as he stared down at the sink.

"I mean, great work, Karev. You saved that girl's life. But let's not pretend that you weren't also the reason that she was on that operating table in the first place. So you're going to tell me just what's going on? You don't make mistakes like that. You're the best."

"Well, maybe I'm having an off day." He mumbled moodily as he still refused to look at her.

"Well you can't afford to have off days if you want to be the best. You know that. And for the record too, the way I heard you speaking to that girl's mother earlier in the ER, you'd be lucky if she didn't make a huge complaint about you, now you'll be lucky if you're not looking at a huge law suit!"

Alex looked up then, his eyes meeting hers. His cheeks burning as she said sternly. "So after you're done here, you go and explain to her exactly how you screwed up with her daughter and you say and do whatever you need to, to stop her from taking legal action against you. Then, you're off the case."

"But…." Alex opened his mouth to protest. He knew he'd screwed up, but after everything that had happened, he had to stay on the case.

Dr Robbins quickly cut him off, saying. "You think I'm going to let you anywhere near that patient after this…"

Still in his surgical gown and cap, with a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead, Alex quickly made his way to the relatives waiting area. He spotted her immediately. She was sat on a row of chairs with a man and woman about the same age as her. She was bent over with her cheeks in her hands and as soon as she saw him in the distance; she leapt up and rushed towards him. She was still dressed in the same short dress and brown boots from earlier and despite her eyes being red rimmed from crying she looked flawless and effortlessly beautiful as her long blond hair fell down her shoulders.

"Ms Stevens. That's one tough little girl you have there." Alex said smiling gently as he added. "We repaired the internal bleed and she's going to be fine."

"Oh, thank goodness." She replied as the relief shone through in her face and she took another step towards him. She smelt incredible, Alex thought and for a moment he really had to fight the urge to throw his arms around her and hold her close to him, while he whispered everything was going to be okay. Because at that exact point in time nothing in the world felt more natural to him. But then he remembered she was a stranger, he'd only seen her face for the first time that day.

She beamed back at him instead and just for a second Alex felt like a real hero in her eyes, until he remembered the conversation he needed to have with her and he shifted uncomfortably as he cleared his throat and said. "Ms Stevens…."

"Oh, call me Izzie." She quickly replied with a friendly smile.

"Right, umm… Izzie. There's another matter I need to discuss with you." Alex said feeling more and more anxious, he had no idea how she would react when he confessed he'd screwed up and he was responsible for nearly killing her daughter. And he knew he needed to apologise because she' have every right to hate him and think he was a complete ass after their earlier exchange.

"I'm not going to sue." Izzie suddenly said boldly.

"What?" Alex replied, his brow wrinkling with confusion.

"Another doctor explained what happened earlier when Sarah was first taken in to theatre. You made a mistake. We all have lapses in judgement sometimes, Dr Karev. The important thing is you put it right and you saved my little girls life today, so that makes you a hero in my eyes and besides I'd never sue a hospital. You have to make the toughest life and death decisions every day and that's what makes what you do truly heroic. "

Alex felt his cheeks burn. He wasn't sure whether to feel humiliated that he'd screwed up or relieved that she wasn't going to take the matter further.

"About earlier..." He said crinnging as he heart thumped, he was terrible at apologies.

"It's forgotten about." She said slowly as she looked him straight in the eye.

Alex wiped his brow as he realised he should really go and shower and change as he simply said. "Okay...Well, Sarah should be coming round from the anaesthetic soon, so when she does you can go and see her." And he broke in to a fresh smile at seeing her look so happy, as she continued to smile back at him.

"Thank you, thank you." She said again and there was a brief moment between them then. When for a moment Alex swore she was about to throw her arms around him and kiss him. Instead they just continued to look at each other, before she turned to walk back to her friends, leaving him stood glued to the spot, staring after her.

As he showered Alex couldn't get the day's events out of his head. It was coming close to midnight and he was exhausted but he couldn't stop thinking about her, Izzie. The name suited her perfectly, if he'd had to guess what she was called it would have been something like that. It was 'pretty' sounding, but fun, the kind of name you'd give a real 'cool girl'.

As the warm soapy suds washed over him he felt a surge of arousal spread across him as he thought about her more. But it wasn't just that physically she was one of the most stunning girls he'd ever seen, there was another level to it as well, she was smart and he could tell she had a sense of humour, she had a real sparkle about her. Although he realised he really knew very little about her. All he knew was that she wasn't married, she worked as a top model, she'd had a kid young and had wanted to go to med school. He knew there must be more to her story than that though and he wanted to find our more, desperately. He was fascinated by her.

…

After he'd showered and changed in to his jeans and casual sweater, he quickly put some aftershave on, ran some products through his hair and stepped out in to the quiet hospital corridor. His shift had finished, but rather than turn right for the elevator and home, he turned left to walk back across the pediatric department. Stopping when he reached Sarah Stevens room and peering in a little nervously he saw that Sarah was fast asleep and Izzie was sat cross legged on one of the make shift cots, made up for parents that stayed in overnight with their sick children. She had changed in to a loose white sweater and fashionable shorts with ankle length causal boots and her light blond hair was loosely tied up with a few strands falling across her face. She was reading a book with head phones on and sipping a coffee and she looked a million miles away as Alex softly pushed the door open and walked in.

She looked up as she saw him, instantly grinning as she pulled a headphone out of her ear.

Alex felt obliged to pick up and scan Sarah's patient chart from the foot of her bed as he said quietly. "I just stopped by to check on our patient here, before I head home for the night. How's she doing?"

"She's doing really well. A little groggy, but quite cheerful considering." Izzie replied.

"Well, that's normal. Dr Shepherd will be around in the morning to take a look at her too. We still need to determine why she collapsed in the first place." Alex said as he looked at the large book balanced on Izzie's lap. It was a famous medical text book he knew only too well. "Good read." He said raising his eyebrows as he looked at her waiting for a reaction.

For a minute he thought she was going to explode at him again like she had earlier, but instead she just looked a little awkward as she said. "Oh, call me crazy, but I'm actually hoping to enrol in med school in a couple of months time. That's why Sarah and I moved back to Seattle from New York, so we could be nearer my family. I know I won't be around so much and it will be tough on Sarah."

"That's great, and I don't think you're crazy at all. And med school here in Seattle is first class." Alex replied sounding impressed.

"You went there?" She replied excitedly.

"No, I went to med school back in Iowa. But George my old roommate, a guy I started my internship here with, did. He rated it really highly…..So, what you want to specialise in then?" He said looking at her intently.

"Surgery," Izzie replied immediately.

Alex raised his eyebrows with surprise then. As she scowled slightly back at him, before she said. "What, you don't think I'm hardcode enough for surgery? Is that because I have breasts?" This time though her tone was all playful, with none of the defensive anger she had directed at him earlier that day when they had been discussing her career ambitions.

"No, no. Some of the best surgeons I know have breasts actually." Alex replied mimicking her flirty tone as he couldn't help himself but instinctively glance down at her breasts, feeling a tingle of arousal as he noticed her sweater was slightly see through and her could see the outline of her bra.

She giggled then as she caught him checking her out and she said. "Glad to hear it." Before she swallowed and said more seriously. "I'm sorry. I'm keeping you from getting home to your family."

Alex put his hand up to rub his chin then as he said. "Ah, it's okay. I live alone. There's no-one to get home to."

Her eyes lit up a little then as she broke in to a shy smile and bit her lip as she said. "What a paediatrician with no kids of their own?"

"Well I like kids well enough. But honestly, I guess I'm all about operating on them and saving their lives. Not sure I'm really cut out to be parent material." Alex replied.

Izzie shook her head and sipped her coffee, putting it down beside her as she said. "That's what all guys say, until they meet the right girl. Then it's marriage, babies, the lot…" She teased.

Alex shook his head too as he laughed, before he looked at Izzie's coffee and said. "You want me to get you another coffee from the machine before I go?"

Her cheeks went a little pink then before she said with mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Okay I really shouldn't be telling you this, seeing as you're my daughters doctor and all…But I'm not actually drinking coffee…It's wine. It's been a rough day and I needed something to take the edge off, so my friend snuck me in a small bottle…" She paused then as he didn't say anything and she said. "Okay, I really shouldn't have told you that seeing as you already think I'm a terrible mother….bad idea." She mouthed as she looked away.

Looking back at her, Alex grinned and replied. "Listen I'm off duty now and believe me I'm really not in a position to be telling anyone to not to have a little drink at the end of a hard day."

"Want some?" Izzie said as she held it up to him and taking it from her, he moved to sit down in the vacant seat next to her bed.

"I'm Alex, by the way.." He said as he took a small sip and looked her in the eye as they both smirked and he added. "And for the record I think you're a great Mom."

Feeling sleepy Alex sank back in to the chair in his office and switched on his computer, he was due back in to work in a couple of hours, so it hardly seemed worth going home just to have to turn around and come all the way back in again. He'd spent the last few hours doing something that seemed to have been severely lacking in his life recently. Having fun. Ironically with the mother of the patient he'd nearly killed with his screw up earlier that day too.

Just when he'd all but given up on the idea that he'd meet his dream girl, out of no-where it seemed that she'd somehow come crashing in to his life when he'd least expected it. They'd completely lost track of time as they'd sat laughing and chatting in Izzie's daughter's hospital room as she slept soundly next to them and for the first time in his life Alex felt as though someone actually 'got him'.

Alex was confused though, he knew he liked her, a lot! But he really wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about that. He'd wanted to ask her out properly. But instead he'd just said he'd stop by the next day to check on Sarah, but technically he wasn't even her doctor anymore, since Robbins had taken him off the case.

As far as dating a girl went, Alex was pretty much clueless. He'd always just relied on his confident charm and good looks to get women in to bed. He'd viewed being romantic as being for saps, making fun of his friends Jackson and George when they had dated girls in the past. But if he was honest Alex was just simply no good at relationships and talking about feelings.

...

He continued to stare blankly at his computer screen as he heard a gently knocking on his office door and he looked up a little bleary eyed to see his boss Dr Robbins stood there.

"She's not going to sue." He said gruffly.

"You still here?" She said ignoring his comment, she still wasn't smiling but her cold eyes from earlier had been replaced with a new subtle warmth.

"Yeah, I had a few things to do." Alex replied abruptly.

"Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain 'Isobel Stevens', would it?" Her eyes sparkling, as she broke in to a smile, adding. "It all kind of makes sense now. I mean it's not every day you get to treat the child of a top supermodel."

"You recognised her?" Alex said sounding surprised.

"Yeah. You didn't?" She exclaimed, arching an eyebrow. "Isobel Stevens, was like everywhere the last couple of years. Bethany Whispers, Victoria Secret, TV commercials and stuff and she's been in tons of magazines, she was always photographed by the paparazzi. She was engaged to some really famous actor. Oh, what was his name? Denzel, or David somebody?" She paused then as she concentred trying to remember, as she waved her hand and said. "Oh, it will come back to me."

Her tone changed then as she leaned on the door frame and teasing she said. "Anyway, Karev. Seems like it's your lucky day, because she's requested you personally back on her kid's case. So as much as I'd love to take over, being that she's insanely hot and all. You're back in…"

Alex didn't say anything then as she leaned in to the room even more and said. "You're blushing…."

"Shut up." Alex exclaimed as he broke in to a smile and shook his head, looking away.

"Well I'm off home to get some sleep now. I suggest you do the same." She said as she turned to walk away closing the door behind her.

…

Moments later there was another knock on the door, looking up expecting it to be Dr Robbins again, Alex was surprised to see his friend Jackson stood there instead and from the look of it he'd been up all night too.

"Two words for you... No chance!" Jackson said.

"What?" Alex replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Isobel Stevens, you're treating her kid. You were in her room for ages. There is no way, Karev, that you would ever be able to tap a woman like that, no way. You, my friend have 'no chance' of sleeping with her."

"That right? Well why did she request me personally on her case then?" Alex said with an arrogant smirk as he realised if she was really was super famous it was no wonder it was all round the hospital by now and Jackson had come to wind him up. Especially after their scene in the ER earlier in the day, when she'd yelled at him in front of everyone.

"You can try as much as you like. But the closest you'll get to sleeping with her, is by jacking off to a life style poster of a Bethany Whisper's ad. Seriously man, fifty says she blows you right out."

"Okay, fifty says I have her underwear for real on my bedroom floor by the end of the week." Alex replied cockily as Jackson just shook his head in amusement and walked out.

Alone again Alex suddenly felt weird, he'd had may conversations like that with Jackson about chicks over the years. Mainly about interns the two of them had been sleeping with at the hospital. But talking like that about Izzie felt all kinds of wrong. Yes, he was desperate to sleep with her as soon as possible a thought that filled him with an overwhelming rush of excitement. But spending time with her earlier, the way she'd looked at him, he'd felt for the first time in his life as though he really mattered and it was that more than anything, that he was excited to explore further.