Fallen Angel // Alex Karev

Chapter 32

It's been a few days, I am sitting at the nurses station in the peds floor when I get a page to the NICU. As I head there I can hear someone of the nurses whispering about something, I think I catch Alex's name at one point but I'm sure I heard them room. However when I reach the NICU it turns out I did hear it correctly.

There stands Alex Karev, shirtless and holding a baby. He is fully concentrated on the baby that he doesn't notice me standing there until I ask "Karev what are you doing?" He looks up jumping slightly and going red when he sees it's me "the baby was in distress, the nurse suggested I do this" I cover my mouth with my hand to keep from giving away my smile and I walk further into the room, "I think she just wanted to see you with your shirt off" I muse looking down at the little baby in his arms.

"What? You jealous?" He asks and I hit him arm gently "careful" he warns panic in his voice, I take one last look at them and smile "I can't be jealous of something I already have" Alex winks at me and I go back to my work. "Did you see those two" I hear a nurse whisper as I walk away from the NICU "is she really sleeping with her student" I roll my eyes, people really have nothing better to do then to gossip about others. If they want gossip I can certainly give them some gossip but I'm not in high school anymore so I just shoulder past them and pretend I don't hear a word they are saying.

——

"I give you Tapley and you pass it over to your intern?" I hear someone shout, I turn the corner and see George standing over Cristina who is looking rather unbothered by the whole thing and Meredith's kid sister Lexie looking in pure shock. "What the hell is wrong with you?" George asks his friend who is currently poking holes into a styrofoam cup with paper clips, "do you think if you kiss the chief's ass by taking care of Tapley, something magical is gonna happen?" Cristina asks finally looking up.

I move over to the intern and cross my arms "what's happening here?" I ask and she explains how George gave one of our most prestigious guests to Cristina who handed the job over to her. When George comes back over I hit him over the head "ow!" He says "what was the for?" I fold my arms and glare at the man "the Tapley comes in, the God of surgery and you give him to Cristina?" I hit him again, harder then before "you give him to me, O'Malley, me" he frowns and rubs his head "you aren't even a Cardio surgeon" for that I kick his foot "I'm not just a peds surgeon O'Malley you know that"

Suddenly my pager goes and I glare at him "you are lucky this time O'Malley" i start to walk away "this time!"

—

On my little break I find my two friends hiding out in an office, Derek is sitting in a chair and Mark is sitting on the desk "what's going on in here?" I ask closing the door behind me. "We are talking about Rose" Mark says and I smile "oooo Rose" I say teasingly and Derek reaches out to hit me, "knock it off. It isn't funny" since Derek has been seeing this nurse Mark and I have been giving him hell for it. Not that he doesn't deserve it, him and Meredith are meant to be together, there is no point in fooling around with other people just to end up together.

"Was I happy when I was with her?" Derek asks looking out of the window at Meredith who is currently studying a chart, "off and on" i say honestly because I remember the times he would show up to my apartment and tell me about another fight they had. "I think I idealised it" he says more to himself then us, I stand behind mark, leaning against the wall casually. Derek looks over to his best friend and continues "I mean you wouldn't hang on to a woman who's unavailable, unpredictable right?" Mark clears his throat and looks over at me briefly.

He clears his throat and I smile "no offence taken Mark" and Mark changes the topic slightly "don't sell yourself short. Allow yourself time to grow with rose" I laugh at the pun but don't interrupt "share experiences. Build memories" I am surprised at such a mature answer coming from Mark but I don't question it. Derek narrows his eyes at his friend "is this the new leaf?" He asks and Mark, self-assured as always nods his head "yeah" I snort this time not bothering to hide my amusement.

Derek laughs as well and stands up "it needs work" he pats his friend on the back and heads out. Mark looks stunned and I say "don't worry Mark I thought that was very mature" He smiles and stands as well "thank you" there is a pause "so you and Karev" I roll my eyes and head for the door "and you just ruined it"

—

In the cafeteria at lunch I watch as Lexie approaches Cristina and Meredith, it looks like she is about to cry. Poor girl. "Hey" Alex says kissing me on the cheek, I swat him away with a frown "not now" he sits next to me and takes one of my fries "what are we looking at?" He asks but then notices where I am looking. He puts an arm around my shoulder "I wouldn't touch that, that's messy. Anything involving Mer and her family you had better stay ten feet away from" I bite my lip nervously.

After a few minutes Lexie walks past my table with tears in her eyes "babe don't" Alex warns and I stand up "I have to" I say before rushing after the young girl.

I find her sitting in a stairwell crying, "hey lexie what's wrong?" I ask gently as I sit next to her, she has her head in her hands and sobbing her little heart out. After a few seconds she looks up, her eyes red and puffy "my sister hates me" she says and I start to rub her back "who Meredith?" I ask and she nods. "Look Lexie, Meredith can be very closed off to people she doesn't know" I say as the girl wipes her eyes "but I'm her sister, she won't even talk to me" Lexie insists. I brush a piece of hair from my face and continue talking "Meredith doesn't trust easy, not with the things she has gone through. It takes a while to build that up but once she is in your corner. She is in your corner for life. Just give her time" Lexie nods her head and I stay there for a while soothing her.

When really this should be Meredith comforting her little sister. I know that her father abandoned her but didn't abandon Lexie but she shouldn't punish her for that. It wasn't something Lexie could control. There is a lot I respect about Meredith Grey but this isn't one of them.

—-

I am in surgery, taking out the tonsils of an 11 year old boy when the door to the OR opens "Andy I need to speak with you" I hear Alex say, i look up for a moment and I can see he is distressed "doctor Karev, as you can see right now I am in surgery. Can't this wait?" I am almost done with the first one and i am pleased with how clean this procedure has been. It might be my cleanest one yet.

"No Doctor Tearney it can't" he says coldly and this catches my attention, I look over to my resident and ask "can you finish this up?" He nods and I follow Alex out into the hall. "You better have a good excuse for pulling me out of my OR Karev" I say using my boss voice, Alex looks slightly pale and he starts to stutter. Rolling my eyes I say "spit it out Alex or I'm going back in my OR" when he doesn't I turn and make it for the door. As I reach it however he says "Rebecca is pregnant" I stop short and turn around "what does this have to do with me?" I ask and he looks really nervous, I can see his hands shaking "with my child" my eyes go wide.

I step forward thinking about it, really thinking about it "how is that-? Unless?" I slowly look over to the man I was falling for "you-" I don't even have enough breath to continue, it's all been taken from me. Alex seems to know what I am saying as he lowers his head "yeah" a surge of anger fills me body then and I shout "go! Get out of my face Karev. I don't want to see you anymore" and just like that my heart is broken.