Hello world...I'm back!
Alex: Yipee(!)
You don't seem excited, surely you should be? Maybe you'll get better now.
Alex: I highly doubt it...(whispers) you're sadistic
George: You shouldn't insult her, she could make it worse!
Thank you George, you should listen to him Alex...(door slams)...or maybe not...care to do the honours George?
George: She owns nothing!
Chapter Five
By Rosa241
Christina POV:
Wow! Never thought I'd admit this but I actually miss the old Alex...damn I must be coming down with something. I couldn't help peaking at the rash that was covering his chest, dang that thing is nasty, all red and blotchy. Poor Karev...I know how nasty scarlet fever can be; from what I know it isn't usually fatal...at least not when it's been treated correctly. Of course Alex could have been suffering for a couple of days before he collapsed because he's a typical man and men cannot admit to being sick.
George is worried about him, hell I think everyone is...it isn't everyday a friend is diagnosed with something like this. Alex and I have never really seen eye to eye but after the Rebecca incident I've grown to respect him a lot more. From what Izzy told me...and from what Alex told her, his mother had a mental disorder and he was the one who looked after her. I'd always thought that Alex was just you're average jerk but Izzy had confided in me and Meredith a while back about Alex's mother. After Ava, or you know Rebecca, got committed he lashed out a lot at her. When we asked why she put up with it she told us about his mother, needless to say we were ever so slightly shocked. I had a feeling that there was more to the story but I wasn't about to push, things like this are way too personal to just bring up in conversation.
Looking at the clock I realise it's been almost a half hour since George asked me watch over Alex. I just so happened to be passing when he said he needed a shower and a change of clothes, not surprising considering that he's been constantly at Alex's bedside for the last 24 hours.
Thinking of George gets my mind working. It's been a couple of months since I noticed that George had a crush on Alex...well I say noticed, in truth George confessed it to me after Meredith and I got him madly drunk. Luckily George doesn't remember anything about that night so I was spared his awkward next day stuttering. It was about a week ago when I noticed that George's feelings were reciprocated, practically caught Alex drooling whilst watching him change. Hopefully they'll realise it soon and stop dancing round each other. Mind you, when Izzy realises George is no longer pining for her she'll be pissed. Izzy a great girl but she's a little one track when it comes to George. As Alex shifts slightly in his unconscious state I push all thoughts of George and Izzy out of my mind.
Come on Karev...stop being such a damn drama queen and get your butt back to the land of the living. George is going stir crazy without someone to blush over...
-Greys Anatomy-
"You okay Bailey? You look like you're about to puke." Derek joked as he wandered over to the older woman. "Although if you're going to you're in the best place for it."
When she didn't respond Derek sighed, he knew where her brain was, it was in the same place Mark's had been all day. With Karev. Mark had mentioned he'd collapsed, the next thing he knew he'd been diagnosed with Scarlet Fever. As much as Bailey might like to deny it she cared about her former interns, and she had a soft spot for Karev. She knew his past and judging from what Meredith had told him he had one hell of a past.
"So, Karev getting any better?" Derek already knew the answer was no but he figured it might make her start talking. "Miranda?"
"No...he's getting worse, a lot worse. His temps gone to 104 twice, so far we've managed to bring it down but the penicillin isn't working. I've swapped him over to Clindamycin a few hours ago and started praying that it has some sort of effect." Her words tumbled out so fast that if Derek didn't know Miranda the way he did then he would have sworn she was on the verge of crying.
"Well we both know that in 30% of cases scarlet fever antibiotics can prove to be ineffective." He realised what he'd said a moment too soon. "Oh um...but I'm sure that Karevs going to pull through. He's a fighter...it's what fighters do."
"I hope so. It's just driving me crazy trying to find out where this came from. I don't remember having anybody come in with Scarlet Fever recently...and if I don't find out where it came from we could have a god damn epidemic on our hands!" Miranda all but yelled, punctuating her words with a growl at the end.
"Okay...okay. You're stressed out, it's uh...it's hardly surprising so I'll tell you what. You focus on Karev and I'll find out where the scarlet fever came from." The look Miranda gave him in that moment was one of total and complete gratitude. It wasn't hard to realise that she'd been under a lot of strain, just this morning a bus crash brought thirteen people in, four emergency surgery's, three in coma's, five deaths and just one escaped with minor injuries. It'd been a bad morning and judging from the way Karev was going it wasn't getting any better.
"Sheppard you are a life-"She stops suddenly as her pager goes off, eyes widening and swearing loudly she tears off.
-Grey's Anatomy-
"George seriously slow down! You're going give yourself heart burn at this rate." Meredith wrinkled her nose at the speed George was ploughing through the dinner Izzy had forced him to eat. Thankfully George had crumbled and had agreed to eat it, if he was going to be staying at the hospital he was going to need his strength...and also Izzy would shut up about him ignoring her.
"Sorry." He swallowed before carrying on. "But I promised Christina I wouldn't be too long and I really want to get back to Alex so..." With that he continued eating at his frenzied pace.
"You know staying at the hospital for so long isn't good for you. You should stay home tonight." Izzy said casually, not noticing the way George was looking at her she continued. "Get someone else to look after Alex for tonight; he'll still be there in the morning."
"Maybe not..." Seeing the look Meredith was giving him he continued. "He didn't respond to the penicillin so after the second time him temperature went above 104 Bailey switched him to Clindamycin." Meredith winced in response before sighing heavily.
"He's really bad huh?" She gave George a sympathetic look. "Well then you make sure you take good care of him, and besides he'll be fine. Scarlet fever is totally treatable and he'll be fine." George knew she was reassuring him, she was right, Alex would be fine.
"Meredith!" Izzy hit her on the arm whilst scolding her. "You shouldn't be encouraging him!"
"Encouraging me! Encouraging me to do what? Look after my friend? Do my job? Make sure he gets better?" George could hardly believe what he was hearing. How could she be so thoughtless? "Alex is sick and I promised I'd help him get better. Now if you'll excuse me."
"George come on! Just stay home tonight, you know we can watch a movie, eat some junk food..." He didn't know if it was anger at her words or frustration at not being able to help Alex that made him say what he did but he couldn't help thinking he might have actually had a point.
"Do you even care that Alex could die from this? I know it doesn't happen often but Alex isn't responding to treatment and he's only getting worse." Naturally Izzy had responded that of course she cared. "Oh really? Well it sure doesn't look like it."
George had left after that feeling incredibly guilty about saying what he had to Izzy, he knew she hadn't meant any harm by what she'd said but for some reason he'd gotten so angry at her. He'd blown up at her...although...he couldn't help this tiny part of him still wondering whether just maybe there'd been more to her words than he first thought. He stopped thinking as he entered Alex's room, Bailey was there, so were Sloan and Sheppard. Machines were beeping and Bailey was barking out orders for more ice. It took less than a second for George to react.
-Grey's Anatomy-
"Yang? What're you still doing here?" I can't help the confusion; didn't she get off hours ago?
"George needed to get a shower and stuff so I said I'd stay for a while...what?" Apparently she'd noticed my smile, I couldn't help it but I burst into laughter. She stared at me for a moment before glancing down at herself. She quickly noticed and gave me a dark glare. One of the ice bags that had been sitting on her lap had melted and she had a rather compromising stain on her trousers.
"Oh ha ha very funny Sloan...seriously how old are you?" She sounded less than impressed.
"Maybe you should hold off on that question seeing as I'm not the one having little accidents now am I?" Her response was another dark glare as she attempted to dry herself off. "But in all seriousness, I was planning on sitting with him for a while so why don't you go and head home."
It took a little more persuasion than I would have thought to get her to leave but she eventually conceded, after telling me I was a child that is. My heart sunk as I looked over Alex, he was pale as a ghost yet hot as hell (his temperature I mean) and sweat was dripping off of him...although that may have been the ice packs melting. He looked so fragile and innocent (Ha! Innocent Karev, there's a first) nothing at all like himself.
"Come on Karev rise and shine, get those eyes open quick smart. You've got even Yang worried about you, now there's a miracle – Yang DOESN'T worry – hell you've got everyone worried about you...especially O'Malley. Although I'm willing to bet that you'd be pretty pleased to find out you got O'Malley running around here like you're his world. When the hell are you going give up the act and just admit that you like him already?" Sloan gave a sad smile as he spoke. "You know I was surprised at first to realise that O'Malley liked you, but I think I'm getting it now. The girls...they love him but they treat him like a toy, something they can use when they need him and push to the side when they don't. But you've never treated him any differently, doesn't matter what happens you don't coddle him or use him, you're there for him when he needs you...even if he doesn't always realise it."
I'm brought from my thoughts as I reach across to swap the cloths around his neck, my hand brushes across his forehead and I can't contain the gasp that radiates back. Instinctively I grab the thermometer and almost hit the deck at the reading. 106! Somehow I push through the shock and page Bailey, whilst simultaneously yelling for ice packs and cloths.
Baileys by my side within minutes barking out orders for ice and cloths, we both share the briefest of looks before setting down to lower Alex's temperature. Any doctor knows what happens if your temperature goes above 106.7, he'll enter hyperpyrexia and if we can't lower it he'll certainly die. We need to cool him down NOW!
"Come on Karev! COME ON!" Another pair of hands suddenly comes into the mix, O'Malley! Where he came from I don't know but between the three of us, more bags of ice than I care to think about and plenty of water we move faster. O'Malley has tears in his eyes but he's refusing to let them fall. I'm not quite sure if the water dripping down my face is sweat or whether I'm crying, honestly I think it's the latter (not that I'll ever admit that).
"Hold on, hold on!" Bailey practically shoves O'Malley out of the way and takes his temperature. The room is thick with tension as she pulls the thermometer out and sighs. "102...he's at 102...he's safe."
"Thank god!" George whispers as I let out a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding. I quickly wipe my eyes as Bailey starts yelling out instructions.
"Alright, O'Malley you take his temperature every fifteen minutes, it so much as breathes past 103 and you page me alright! Sloan go check where the nearest available room is...this one's a little wet." I can't help the laughter that escapes me as I gaze around the room, the floor is literally soaked (not surprising with the amount of water that we've thrown around) and Karev is drenched from head to foot. Bailey gives me a strange look, probably thinks I've gone insane, whilst O'Malley doesn't seem to notice anything. He's standing there stroking Karev's hand and smiling sadly down at him. Bailey motions for me to get going and as I leave to room I can't help but think that just maybe we're through the worst.
So is Sloan right...is Alex through the worst? And what's up with Izzy?
Sloan: Least I didn't get puked on this time!
Nope, just really wet!
Alex: You want to talk about wet! Think I pretty much got that one covered...although at least I wasn't crying.
Sloan: Yeah I got to ask, why was I crying over him?
Alex: Cause you're a wuss?
I wouldn't make jokes Alex, there's lots more to come, I'm sure I can find room for some Alex tears...ooh, think I made him mad. Review and maybe he'll cheer up. See you next time!