12. Text Me

How do you explain to two of your friends why you were kissing an attending who was famed for cheating with the head of OB/GYN.

The answer? You just try your hardest and fail spectacularly.

"It was a deal."

"Well, whatever it is, you should get in on it more."

Emily wanted to cut her ears off. Unfortunately, doing so would mean she could not be a surgeon so she did not. She just made sure they swore to secrecy but when Meredith eyed her the first next morning with a smirk, she knew that Cristina let the dog out. Whatever. As long as the attendings didn't figure out.

.

"What's going on?" Cristina asked as the two spotted George nearly yelling at their other friends. As the brunet stormed past them, Emily tried to grab her shoulder but he shrugged her off sharply.

"Baby boy is freaking out," Alex told them as the infuriated intern stormed down the hall.

"She can see that," Izzie snapped.

"I can see that," Cristina agreed.

"Why is he freaking out?" the three women chorused.

"George!" Emily called after him, walking faster but Meredith was faster, pleading to talk. He whipped around, a frustrated expression across her face. Spitting words in the blonde's face, he threw open the door, stomping down the stairs. As they followed after him, Meredith agreed.

"Okay, you're right! But can we just talk now?"

"You want to talk now because you told everyone that we had sex!" he yelled, exasperated. Reeling back, she nearly bumped into Alex as they all froze on the steps. Eyes widening, this time her head did brush the other male intern's scrub shirt.

Three variations of "You had sex with George?" left their mouths in exclaims causing George to whip around, surprised.

"You didn't tell them?"

"No," Meredith sighed heavily, a hand to her temple. Letting out a curse, he started down the stairs again until the squeak of shoes caused them to watch as George's body thumped against the steps. As they cried out in fear, he let out a groan of pain. They stared as he writhed in pain, clutching his left side before they finally came to their senses. Izzie slapped Alex for laughing, an offended expression across all the females' faces as the women started down the stairs. With Meredith leading the pack, the interns ran down the stairs and helped George up, gathering the dropped notepad and book.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked first, helping him up. Touching his left shoulder, she felt him wince. "George? Okay, it's a dislocated shoulder."

"Fine," he gritted out, "great." Meredith opened the door and they slowly walked him to an exam room, paging for ortho. "Get out," he demanded.

"Dude, let us see your arm first,"

"Especially you, Alex," The brunet hissed as he adjusted his grip on the table. Flinching, he let the remaining interns perform tests on him except Meredith, who stayed back, a solemn mask upon her features. "I'm fine. No headaches, no stomach aches, my shoulder's just dislocated, okay? Get out," They did, crowding around the window.

"Go away."

.

:Mer i need to jumpstart my car wont start:

:i cant Em im out:

:where the heck are you out i cannot get to work:

:out on some mountain trail: Emily didn't need to type a response for her friend to know she was waiting for an explanation. :with derek we're walking doc we're friends:

:friends sure:

:FRIENDS:

:so youre out with your ex that you still love while im waiting on a jumpstart seriously!?: Frowning, she added :thats a terrible idea i bet he does his mcdreamy thing all the time:

:im happy shut up:

:youre on a mountain with your one true love dont let me bother you: She typed in sarcastically.

:I wont: The response came quick and she huffed although a smile played across her lips at the thought of the two surgeons alone together on the nature trail.

.

Eventually, she did get a hold of Alex who, although half-heartedly, did drive to her apartment and jump start her car. He did it quickly, efficiently, with the movements of someone who did it often. Opening the trunk, he tucked the cable away before slamming it shut. Turning to her, he nudged the brunette with his shoulder. With an annoyed half-smile, he walked around to the driver's seat. "You owe me."

"I know!" she called back, opening the driver's door. "Say the word."

"You got it."

.

"You really like him, don't you?" Emily asked as she saw Izzie keep staring at the brunet on the bed, his chest rising and falling peacefully. The blonde turned her head at the voice but still kept an eye out of her peripheral on him.

"Who?"

"Denny."

"Oh… yeah. I mean," She cleared her throat awkwardly, "I'm sleeping with Alex, so,"

"Right," The brunette shook her head, disbelief clear in her hazel eyes. "Right, okay then. If you say so." Checking her phone, she didn't know why but she thought there was a text from someone. And she knew exactly who that someone was, so she opened her messages and sent a new one.

:hey:

.

As she flipped through the charts, she heard a low wail pierce the silence. Looking up, she spotted a woman with straight black hair holding onto the rails of her bed and bending, breathing deeply. "Ma'am." She stood, walking into the patient's room. "Are you alright?" Helping the woman up, she aided the soon-to-be mother onto the bed.

"Yeah, just a bout of Braxton." The woman let out a relieved sigh, "He's pressing down on my bladder and I needed to pee," She said with a gusty laugh. Smiling, Emily flipped through the chart and clicking her pen. Another low groan escaped the woman and the doctor stood, feeling the rounded abdomen.

"How long have you been having these contractions, Mrs. Smith?"

"About an hour. Hasn't been this bad before though. I've tried changing positions and walking but they aren't really working as they did before,"

"And how long are each?"

"I don't know, maybe thirty-forty seconds?" The woman's face scrunched up in fear, "Why? What do you think is wrong?" Plastering a smile on her face, Emily grabbed a pair of gloves and told the woman to lie down and relax.

"Don't worry, I'm just performing a cervical exam. How long have you been here?" The brunette asked, trying to distract her. Her blood chilled as she tried to feel for a head and instead felt a foot with curled toes.

"Only got admitted a few days ago but Dr. Shepherd's been busy. Another woman examined me."

"Did they perform a cervical exam?"

"No, I don't think so," she replied easily before frowning. "Why do you have that look on your face?"

"Nothing, it's nothing." The intern spotted a nurse at the station and quickly got her attention. As the woman leaned down beside the brunette's ear, she whispered urgently, "Page Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd." Feeling for another foot, she shook her head minutely as it came into contact, "Tell her Olivia Smith is in complete breech."

"Right away, doctor,"

"Tell me, what's happening?" Olivia Smith gritted out through her teeth as she removed her hands from the woman's body and tore off the gloves. Bringing the rails of the bed up, she patted the panting woman's shoulder. "Your baby is in breech, Olivia. Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd is going to perform a c-section. You're going to be fine, just fine, okay?" Nodding nervously, the woman was wheeled out of her room with the help of a few nurses. "Book an O.R.,"

"Dr. Moore!" Whipping around, she spotted the familiar redhead, "Alert the husband then scrub in. Good catch," the attending complemented, taking head of the situation.

.

"O'Malley, you're a sad excuse for a man," Alex commented darkly with a chuckle, earning the attention of the other interns in the locker room. George shrugged off his lab coat, pretending not to be fazed.

"Excuse me?"

"I know you heard me." The man raised his head, his eyes dark, "You're like a whiny, little girl." Glaring at the brunet, he returned back to his task of fidgeting with a pen. Meredith let out a warning from where she sat on the bench as Cristina just ignored the trio. Emily sent the man a frown, poking her head through her shirt. "You know why he's not speaking to you, because he's not over you. Man," He addressed George, "you got laid. It went badly; a man would move on. But you - you mope around this place like a dog that likes to get kicked. You make me sick," As he continued to rant, his tone rose in volume. Now finally facing the frozen brunet, Alex stalked over.

"Alex!" She called but he ignored her, coming nose to nose with George.

"And if it wouldn't get me thrown out of the program, I'd smash your pathetic little face right into that locker!" A fist came into contact with the metal door as he said this. Even Cristina ducked her head away from the man. Rubbing the back of her neck, the rest of them watched Alex slam his own locker shut and storm out.

"Should I-" She started but faltered at their slight shake of the head. Staring blankly at her locker, she ran through the things she needed to do. Grab dinner, sleep, shower. Not in that order, she mused, grabbing her bag and jacket. Swinging it onto her shoulders, she took out her phone to check for any missed calls. Instead, she found unread texts.

:hi:

:wait you text me and then you dont answer:

:wow are you alive its like 3 am here: That was the most recent one, sent mere minutes before. Smiling, she dialled the contact number as she exited the locker room with a wave farewell.

"So the woman finally calls!" the man on the other end exclaimed, his voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Shut it, Sloan. I've been working," she shot back, walking down the hall. "You should be sleeping," the brunette added, pressing the elevator button. The words slipped out as reprimanding but with a undertone of sincerity.

"Can't sleep. It's a habit," he said, seeming to move something due to the squeak. A bed, she presumed as the elevator doors open. "So, why'd you text me?"

"I was bored."

"So you find me entertaining?"

"It'll take a while to look past the adultery, but I think you're a person, too," she said with a shrug and then remembered he couldn't see her. "Anyways, how was your day?"

A/N: Edited - August 30, 2018