Let You in on a Little Secret - Alex is happy. He is smiling. And it’s kind of freaking everyone out. He wants to shout it from the rooftops, but it’s a secret.
I’m Happy Right Here with You - A Season 10 AU where Jo and Alex do not get together in 9x24, but she moves into the frat house with him and Cristina.
Everything They Say is True - Jo and Alex don't really broadcast their relationship to everyone. Sure, they are excited to be together, but it's no one's business but theirs. For those who don't know about their relationship status, things can get awkward very quickly.
Can’t Say I’m Surprised - It was too soon. She messed up. And she had no idea how she was gonna tell Alex.
This is me Trying - They could get through this. They could get past this. They had to — or a 12x24 AU where Jo doesn’t go to bar. The
It’s all because of you - Alex tells Jo about the twins immediately after finding out about them
I knew you’d come back to me - A season 17 fic, where Alex tries to fix the mistakes he made
that same kind of joy - a prompt fic where Jo scares Alex half to death and realizes something about herself
you belong with me - FEARLESS tsjolexweek21 fic #1
best thing that’s ever been mine - SPEAK NOW tsjolexweek21 fic #2
be this close forever and ever - LOVER tsjolexweek21 fic
Oh it’s true, that I was made for you - a season 15 AU jo is a fellow, alex is chief
- SERIES
I was made for loving you - They say some people are meant to be. They say that some people were made for each other.
Pt. 1 - where you have matching soul marks
Pt. 2 - where you don’t know until you kiss
Pt. 3 - where you have a clock counting down the minutes
Pt. 4 - where you find out after your first time together
didn’t think it would be like this - Five times people found out Jo was pregnant before her husband and the one time he finally did
(available on AO3)
Every Day I Love You More - (Multi-chapter sequel to I’m Happy Right Here with You)
Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3
Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6
Chapter 7
The Little Bit of Hope I Cling To - Izzie goes to Grey Sloan looking for Meredith, Alex, and Bailey. She meets Dr. Karev instead.
Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 (COMPLETE)
I Believe in Second Chances - Alex dies while on his way to stop Jo from reading the letters. He gets to relive his life from the moment he met her
Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5
Part 6 // Part 7 //
More than a Helping Hand - A season 9 AU where Jason Myers does not exist (COMPLETE)
Part 1
Part 2
maybe it’s wrong to say i love you - I knew you’d linger like a tattoo kiss... I knew you’d haunt all of my what-ifs
1. Cardigan / 2. Home / 3. This Love /
help, ‘cause I need saving - six times Jo and Alex saved each other from horrible dates and the one time they didn’t (a two-shot) COMPLETE
1. six times / 2. plus one
all through the night - a fic where Jo has a medical emergency before Alex sends the letters
chapter one
chapter two
chapter three
chapter four
what’s my hand without your heart to hold? - where Jo is a firefighter, Alex is a resident, and chaos ensues
part one | part two | part three | part four | part five
* updated on grey’s day *
- Head Canons & Ficlets
Nobody Lives, Nobody Dies
Lexie Grey /
oh i believe in yesterday - Alex sings to the babies in the NICU and thinks nobody knows when in reality everyone knows.
Prompt Lists -
Please specify which list you’re getting the prompts from!
glad you didn't leave the fandom. i was worried for a minute there. are you going to continue any of you wips?
Hi anon! I am going to continue some of them. I am just so out of practice that I'm struggling to get back into writing. That's why I've been trying my hand at short ficlets and head canons. Keep an eye out for anything I may post in the coming days/weeks.
Alex sings to the babies in the NICU and thinks nobody knows when in reality, everyone knows.
PAST
He’s not really sure he picked it up from because Arizona can’t sing for shit and neither could Addison, but Alex started singing to the babies almost as soon as he joined the vagina squad. He didn’t do it often so not a lot of people knew about it at first, but when Alex finally sets his heart on peds, it becomes something he does a lot more frequently. So much, that every kid he sings to gets a different song because they're special and there’s something different they each need to hear.
He’s especially fond of the babies that their mom is in the hospital due to health issues or babies that don’t have anyone looking out for them. Part of it is because one of the very few memories that he has as a child we’re those of his mom singing to him. She didn’t have the best voice, but every word was sung with so much love and sometimes singing to her was the only way he’d be able to calm her down. So when he heard a crying baby in the NICU, he would pull up a chair and sing a song to the little one struggling to survive. He’d like to think that they know he’s there for them.
That practice didn’t end when he finished his residency and became a fellow. If anything, it increased now that he didn’t have to split his time between other specialties and got to spend his days around kids all day.
The first time Jo heard it is after the teen mom abandon’s her baby. They had reached a silent understanding earlier but she was still a little annoyed with how casually he treated the whole situation, as if he had seen it a hundred times before—which Jo was sure he had. But she couldn’t shake how indifferent he sounded to the baby’s newfound loneliness. Deciding that she couldn’t ignore it any longer, Jo makes her way over to the NICU to keep the baby some company overnight only to find that Alex is already by his bedside singing him a song.
Alex is singing “Yesterday” by the Beatles to the little boy and Jo’s heart just about melts. Suddenly all of the leftover bitterness in her heart dissipates and she finds herself seeing him in a whole new light.
Later in the future, Jo reveals that she first started falling in love with him that day. When Alex asks in surprise how she knew he did that, she just laughs because literally everyone knows he sings to the babies. He asks why she never said anything and she says, “because we all find it so sweet and we knew if we said something, you’d stop.”
“Who’s we?”
“The better question is who isn't 'we.'"
——————
PRESENT
Jo avoids the NICU and peds ward pretty much at all costs after Alex leaves. It’s too much for her. It full of the memories of major moments in their relationship. It’s where they became friends. It’s where they fell in love. It’s where they’d spend hours together. It’s when they had their first kiss, etc. It used to be her favorite place in the hospital but now it’s just full of pain. When Alex left it lost it’s magic and it became what it was: a room full of kids that are sick or dying.
When Luna is born, Jo goes to the NICU solely out of love for Val. She wants Val to be able to know her daughter and hopes that seeing Luna through the screen would motivate her to get better quicker. When Val dies, Jo continues going to the NICU because she feels responsible for this baby somehow.
One night, she pulls up a chair text to Luna’s incubator and sighs at how quiet everything is around her. Due to covid, not as many people were allowed up there as before and right now, it’s just her and Luna. Something about the silence doesn’t feel right and she can’t quite put her finger on it until Hayes pops in to say goodbye for the night. She realizes what’s missing. Alex.
If Alex were here, he would’ve already sang Luna about a dozen songs. Jo would struggle having to drag him out of the NICU every night to go home and get some rest since he’d want to dote on her and give her all the love she was missing out on. Hayes is a great peds surgeon but he wasn’t Alex. He didn’t sing to sick babies in his free time.
Jo looks back down at Luna and feels her heart flutter. Well, if Alex wasn’t here to sing a sick baby to sleep, she could do it. So Jo starts singing to Luna and for the first time, she feels like a mom. And despite all the pain she feels over alex leaving her, jo finds herself amazed at the things he taught her. Because even in his absence, he still keeps changing her life.
🎶it’s the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrr🎶 jk we’re all annoyed tbh but also we’ve made this a thing now and enjoy it so we’re doing our own personal bingos again like last year.
we haven’t had a new pin recently, but we’d like to keep y’all updated on our ever changing gc name. we’re back to our JC hate club bc yesterday it was the two-year-iversary of alex’s death leaving
tumblrless nat pinned this bc “I need to read this later” and then I decided to fic it here entirely instead but it’s nice having an entire start of a fic pinned. That way she can see all the bullying I endured. Or in everyone else’s case “LOOK HOW LONG COCO TOOK TO WRITE WHO CARES IF SHE WAS WORKING I NEED MIRE”
@doc-pickles it’s the fact that she kept saying wesT AND THERE WAS NO MORE WEST. she lived east of where she was talking and i was so fucking frustrated oh my gOd @angry-slytherin please go back to the third grade and learn your directionals again. ily bestie.
haha yes I am still alive. I was in the process of trying the graduate so that made it difficult to post or be active. but, I'm proud to announce that I am officially a university graduate and I will hopefully be back soon with some content :)
what’s my hand without your heart to hold - part five
the one where jo is a firefighter, alex is a resident, and chaos ensues
read part four here
“He doesn’t know that we live together?”
“He doesn’t even know that we’re a thing!”
Rated: T
Word Count: 1849
I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but it's been a minute since I wrote anything so I decided to update. let me know what you think :)
Previously…
“You’re in love with me?”
Alex chuckled, “Yes, Jo. I’m so in love with you.”
“And you want to stay with me? You actually want to be with me, like a couple? A real relationship?”
“Yes.”
Jo nodded as she tried to process everything, “Okay. “
“Okay?”
Jo smiled, “Yeah.”
And for the first time in a long time, all was right in the world.
———
Of course, things weren’t as perfect as they seemed. Knowing that their little arrangement was now a permanent one definitely increased Alex’s comfort in their space. Gone was the cute honeymoon stage where neither one of them could do no wrong. Their commitment to each other highlighted some quirks that the other was either previously unaware of or chose to ignore in order to preserve the little bubble they had created.
And while now they occasionally bickered like an old married couple, Jo couldn’t help but love it. She was happy and living with the incredible—albeit annoying—love of her life.
“Do you know how much you shed?” Alex walked out of the bathroom with a frown on his face. “I was grabbing my towel to dry off and I found some of your hair clumped into a little hairball on my chest.”
“I’m sorry?” Jo shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to tell you. It’s not my fault and I try to clean up after myself, but I can’t control where it ends up.”
“I know. It’s just annoying.”
“You’re annoying,” Jo deadpanned.
“Hey!” Alex frowned again.
“But I love you anyway!” Jo’s face broke into a smile. She waited for him to sit down on his side of the bed before scooching close. “How was your day today?”
“It was good. I got to assist on a couple of surgeries with Robbins,” Alex got under the covers and pulled Jo towards his side.
“You’re really liking peds, aren’t you?” Jo leaned into his embrace.
“Yeah, I guess I am,” Alex nodded. “It’s weird. I never saw myself enjoying it. I always thought I’d go into plastics. But I don’t know, there’s just something about those kids. They make the job worth it.” Alex rubbed circles on Jo’s arm. “I probably sound stupid right now.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid,” Jo straightened up to look him in the eye. “I think it’s sexy.”
“Sexy?”
“Yeah,” Jo smiled and kissed his neck. “My super hot, super smart, surgeon boyfriend is good with kids.”
“Are you trying to tell me that you want a baby?”
“What? No,” Jo laughed. “I mean, someday yes, but not today. So don’t get all weird on me, or anything. We are not making a baby.”
“We could practice, though?” Alex pulled her in for a searing kiss.
“Mhmm, yes. We can practice all you want,” Jo moaned lightly.
Things didn’t get much further than that before Jo’s phone began ringing.
“Ignore it,” Alex kissed along her jaw. “They’ll go away eventually.”
“I can’t. What if it’s an emergency?”
“They’ll page you,” Alex continued down her neck.
“I’m not a doctor so I don’t get paged. I get phone calls in the middle of the night saying that B-Shift is working on a bad fire, three other stations are already there and they need some extra support,” Jo pulled away and reached for her phone.
“Oh come on,” Alex groaned.
“I’ll make it up to you later I promise,” Jo pressed the answer button. “Hello?”
“Jo! I’m coming over and I’m bringing pizza.”
Jo froze at the voice on the other end of the call, “Jack?”
“Jack? As in Gibson? Why is he coming over?“ Alex whispered.
Jo shrugged at Alex before speaking again, “Why—what do you mean you’re coming over? It’s ten o’clock.”
“What, I can’t come to hang out with my little sister?” Jack chuckled.
“No—yeah, I mean of course it’s just… you haven’t come over to my place in months,” Jo got up from the bed and motioned to Alex to get up from the bed. She covered the receiver and whisper-yelled at Alex. “Hurry up, put all your stuff away so that it looks like no one else lives here.”
“He doesn’t know that we live together?”
“He doesn’t even know that we’re a thing!”
“Jo, you there?” Jack asked.
“Huh? Yeah! I’m here. Sorry,” she rubbed a hand on her forehead. “Are you sure you wanna come over right now? I’m really tired and I don’t know if I’d be good company.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just hang out and crash on the couch watching TV or something if you knock out,” she could practically picture Jack’s face as he shrugged off her excuse. “That’s okay with you, right?”
“Hmm? Yeah… yeah that’s fine,” Jo continued tidying up the space and hiding what things of Alex that she could. “How far away are you?”
“About two minutes.”
“Two minutes?” Jo could feel the panic rising in her chest.
“Yeah. I’m at light right before your place,” Jack answered. “Oh, it just turned green. Okay, I’m gonna hang up so that I can park and stuff. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Jo turned over to Alex with wide eyes, “What are we gonna do?”
“Don’t ask me. You’re the one who didn’t tell your brother that we’re a thing!” Alex replied. “Have you told anyone?”
“No,” Jo confessed. “I like what we have. I like that not everyone knows. I like this little bubble that we’ve created. I like that only Meredith and Cristina and Lexie know about what’s going on. And you’re one to talk, you didn’t even tell your family when you got married.”
“Because it was last minute and I didn’t want the first time I spoke to them in years to be a random phone call from me saying, ‘hey I got married, oh and by the way, she left me and I’m getting divorced and now I’m living with another woman. But it’s different because she actually loves me.’ So, don’t try to spin this on me,” Alex retorted.
“Well… he’s not actually my brother. Our foster parents never got a chance to sign the adoption papers before they died,” Jo attempted to defend herself.
“Oh please, you know better than I do that papers don’t make a family. Neither does blood,” Alex pulled on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers. “You’re lucky I love you.”
“Have I told you that you’re the best lately?” Jo smiled sweetly.
“Yeah, yeah.”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door.
“I guess it’s now or never,” Jo took a deep breath. “Okay, go sit on the couch and act natural.”
“I am acting natural. This is my house.”
Trembling slightly, Jo made her way up to the door and opened it.
“Hey,” she attempted a casual smile.
“I brought pizza, as promised. I also brought a case of Smirnoffs because I know you like those,” Jack let himself in. He looked around the space and saw Alex sitting on the couch in front of the television. Looking back to Jo he whispered. “What’s Karev doing here? I thought you said you were getting ready for bed.”
“I was getting ready for bed,” Jo stated simply. She wasn’t really sure what else to say.
Jack took another look at Jo’s oversized t-shirt and scrunched his face. Iowa State. Jo didn’t go to Iowa State. She went to UDub and graduated with a psych degree in two years instead of four. He let his eyes wander back over to Alex who was in his own world watching football on the couch. Alex was lounging comfortably - almost too comfortably- in a pair of sweatpants and a wifebeater. Definitely not the kind of outfit you’d expect someone to wear when coming over to someone’s house in 40 degree weather.
Jo could tell the moment Jack realized what was going on. The look of realization that crossed his face was almost comical. His eyes widened and his jaw opened as his brows furrowed and the beginnings of a scowl grew.
“He’s the guy?”
Jo mocked innocence, “Hmm?”
“Oh no, you don’t get to act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Jack stared at Jo in disbelief. “What are you thinking? He’s married. You’re sleeping with a married man.”
“You’re one to talk. You were sleeping with Rigo’s wife for months,” Jo frowned at him. “Besides, he’s not married anymore.”
“Jo, what did you do?” Jack gave her an accusatory look.
“I didn’t do anything!” Jo whisper-yelled. She looked over to where Alex was sitting in front of the television. Although his eyes were on the screen, he had stopped paying attention to the game in front of him and was completely in tune with the conversation she was having with Jack. “She left him. She left him without a word, in the most horrible way and then had the audacity to try to win him back. They’re getting divorced. It’s over between them.”
“Josie,” Jack’s voice softened as he used the nickname he’d given her when they were kids. “I love you. You know that right? So, I don’t want you to take what I’m about to say the wrong way… I know how you feel about him. You tried to hide it for years, but I knew. I always knew. This is dangerous. You’re putting your heart on the line for someone who probably only sees you as the best way to cope with loss.”
“She’s not a rebound,” Alex declared out of nowhere, causing both Jack and Jo to turn and face him. He stood up from the couch and walked over to stand in front of Jack. “Look, I’m sorry you’re finding out this way. I’m sorry that Jo didn’t tell you from the beginning, but that’s in the past. My marriage is also in the past. It was a mistake and if I could do it all over again, I would change a lot of things. Because it’s always been Jo. Since the first day I met her. We were dumb and stubborn and blind, which caused us to miss out on a lot of things and hurt each other along the way. This time, we got it right though. And I get it, you’re looking out for Jo and I hope you always do because no matter what she may say, she’s always going to need you. But I love your sister, man. More than anything. So, I hope you’ll keep an open mind and give me a chance.”
Alex stretched out his hand towards Jack. Jo waited a couple seconds before letting out a breath she wasn’t aware she had been holding when she finally saw Jack shake Alex’s hand.
“Okay,” Jack nodded. “But I think it’s safe to say that if you hurt her—”
“Yeah, I know. You’ll hunt me down and kill me,” Alex chuckled. “I’ve got a little sister, too. I get it.”
Jack’s lips curved up into a smirk. “Actually I was gonna say, she will. You should definitely be much more scared of Jo than me.”
what’s my hand without your heart to hold - part four
the one where jo is a firefighter, alex is a resident, and chaos ensues
read part three here!
“Jo, I-”
“I know."
“What?”
“I know that Izzie came back."
It’s not Grey’s Day but I’ll post anyway!
Rated: T
Word Count: 1542
She was almost grateful that she was on a 24 hour shift today because it gave her plenty of time to avoid Alex and the conversation she knew was coming. As she got into her car the next morning and strapped herself in, she could feel the nerves bubbling up underneath the surface. Jo had half a mind to not even go home and just drive until she couldn’t drive anymore. The thought of arriving back at the loft not knowing what she’d be coming home to was enough to have her considering running.
What if she got home and he was packing up to leave? What if she got home and his stuff was gone? What if she got home and he was with Izzie? What if she got home and Alex had left her a letter saying that he was going to get back together with Izzie? What if she got home and Alex was standing in her kitchen ready to break her heart?
Every worst case, heart-wrenching, nausea-inducing thought ran through her brain. She was going to get her heart broken today.
The drive home went by way more quickly than she hoped. As she turned down the radio and shut off the engine of her car, she felt the shakiness all the way down to her toes. Alex’s car was in the driveway, meaning that he was home. This conversation was about to happen whether she wanted it to or not.
As Jo reached the door, she tried her best to steady herself. She took a deep breath and willing the trembling in her hands to cease. If she was going to do this right now, the last thing she needed was for Alex to see the way her body shook in fear.
The loft was quiet. The only sound that could be heard were Alex’s soft snores coming from their bed. No. Not our bed. My bed. Jo reminded herself. She walked over and placed her belongings down and grabbed a pair of pajamas so that she could shower and take a much needed nap. She walked over to the bathroom and changed quickly and quietly, hoping not to wake Alex from his slumber. He must’ve fallen asleep waiting for her to arrive. He was still half dressed in the t-shirt he wore yesterday but his pants and shoes had been tossed hastily into the corner.
He must’ve sensed her presence because when Jo walked out of the bathroom, Alex was sitting up on the bed.
“You’re here.”
“Yeah,” Jo let out a little breath. She wasn’t sure where to start. Should she bring it up? Should Alex? Should she act like she knew nothing about the situation? Should she yell? Should she let him go in peace?
“Jo, I-”
Well, it looked like the decision was going to be made for her.
“I know,” Jo looked away.
“What?” Alex scrunched his face in confusion.
“I know that Izzie came back,” Jo wrapped her arms around her chest.
Alex eyebrows furrowed in question. As if deciding not to ask how she knew that information, he nodded instead. “She did.”
“So, um… I’m gonna go stay with Maya and Andy for a couple nights. They’re always saying that I need to hang out at their place more. It should give you enough time in between shifts to get all your stuff together and move back in with your—uh, wife.” Jo shuffled around and grabbed a bag to put enough things to stay with her friends for a few days.
“Wait, what?” Alex moved from where he’d been standing to pull Jo away from her dresser. “What are you doing? Can we talk?”
“We’re nothing, I know that, okay. I was just a good fuck and uh—a distraction from everything. I know it. I don’t need to hear you say it,” Jo fought against the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “I really don’t need to hear you end this… whatever you want to call it.”
“You don’t even know what I’m going to say,” Alex frowned.
“But I do,” Jo heard her voice crack and that’s when she knew it was too late. She was going to cry and Alex was going to see it. “You’re gonna say that you owe it to yourself to try and make your marriage work. You’re going to say that you’re still in love with Izzie and that she’s back and you’re finally happy again. You’re going to thank me, and say that you’re so grateful for the support I’ve given you for the past few months. You’re going to say something about how you hope that this won’t change our relationship, that we can still be friends. But deep down, I know you won’t really mean it because how can we go back to being just friends after everything? That’s just what you say when you end something like this. You’re going to make all these promises I know you’ll never keep because at the end of the day, I’m nothing to you. I’m not your wife. I’m not your girlfriend. And I probably won’t be your friend after this so, please, spare me the speech. I don’t need to hear it. I don’t need to hurt more than I’m hurting right now.”
“You think you’re nothing? You think that these last few months meant nothing to me and I’m just using you to forget?” A hurt look crossed Alex’s face. “I thought you knew.”
“You thought I knew what, Alex? That this was temporary? Yeah, I was very aware that this was temporary,” Jo huffed in frustration. “I was aware that Izzie could come back at any moment and you’d go back to her. I knew what I was getting into the minute I let you in my bed and I did it anyway because I wanted you! I’ve wanted you for years, but suddenly you were with Izzie and I couldn’t have you. So when I finally had the chance, I took it! Despite my better judgement because I have been in love with you for years and I never said anything!”
Things went quiet after that. Jo was a little more than mortified at the words that came flying out of her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say them in the first place, much less scream them at Alex. All she could do was stare at him in horror as his face twisted in shock. There was that pesky nausea again. Jo wanted the earth to swallow her whole.
“God, I’m an idiot,” Jo breathed out. “I—I’m just gonna go. Like I said, take your time packing your stuff and leave your key on the counter so that way we don’t have to see each other again. I’ll do my best to avoid you if I’m ever at the hospital or Joe’s. I won’t bother you, I won’t reach out. I won’t get in between you and Izzie, I swear. It’ll be like I don’t exist. It’ll be like none of this ever happened and—”
“Will you just shut up already?” Alex placed his hands on her shoulders. “You know, you were right about one thing. You are an idiot.”
Jo felt her heart drop at his words, “I know and I’m sorry I—”
“Hey. It’s my turn to talk now,” Alex shushed her. He stared at her tenderly for a moment and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re an idiot, but not because of what you said. You’re an idiot because you never noticed that I’m in love with you, too. It’s always been you, Jo. How could you not see that? From the minute I met you in the pit three years ago to today, it’s been you.”
“But what about Izzie? She’s your wife.”
“I thought you didn’t want me. You never said anything when I tried, so I stopped trying,” Alex shrugged. “Then she got cancer and she was dying, so I married her and gave her the wedding of her dreams because I thought it would help make her last few months a little easier to get through. And yeah, I loved her, but never the way I loved you. Love you. Jo, you said you took the chance when it presented itself, but so did I. And I’ve never been more happy than when I’m with you.”
He wiped away a tear that had made its way down Jo’s cheek. “Which is why I ended things with Izzie, officially. They were over a long time ago, but these past two months with you have shown me that I’m a good guy, deserving so much better than what she could give me. Because Izzie always said I wasn’t good enough, for her or anyone. But that’s not true. I am enough. I’m good. You remind me of that every second of every day. So, if it’s okay with you, I’d really like to not move out and back into Mer’s place.”
“You’re not getting back with Izzie?” Jo’s eyes were wide in question.
“Nope.”
“You’re in love with me?”
Alex chuckled, “Yes, Jo. I’m so in love with you.”
“And you want to stay with me? You actually want to be with me, like a couple? A real relationship?”
“Yes.”
Jo nodded as she tried to process everything, “Okay. “
“Okay?”
Jo smiled, “Yeah.”
And for the first time in a long time, all was right in the world.
My new head canon series where you pick a character and see what I think they’d be like if we ever would’ve gotten to see them in dark blue scrubs.
For anon
George O’Malley
George is the attending that everyone really loves to work with. They know that if he’s in charge, the residents will get a chance to cut and participate in actual surgeries instead of just watching from the sidelines. He’s also so calm under pressure since you know, crazy things happen at Seattle Grace Mercy Death. Especially when he comes back to Seattle after a couple of years in the army.
He’s also a great teacher aside from just a great trauma surgeon and no one has anything bad to say about him as a doctor. He’ll randomly quiz people in the OR about what to do if they were ever caught in a situation where they didn’t have the luxury of waiting until they got back to the hospital. That’s why he’s the best when it comes to calls in the field. When that huge sinkhole opens up in Seattle he’s the first one on scene.
When Owen becomes Chief of Surgery, George becomes chief of trauma and stays chief of trauma even after Bailey gets the position. Him and April grow close and form a badass trauma team that is always on top of everything that comes through those ER doors.
George is also really proactive when it comes to making sure that patients get the care they need regardless of financial status. He’ll do things like look for hospital loopholes in order to get someone a free surgery or discount on medication. It becomes one of his passion projects and he sets up a committee through the board to help fund his initiative.
Due to being a vet himself, he also spends a lot of time at the VA as well. Eventually, George gives up his chief of trauma position at Seattle Grace in order to be a trauma surgeon at both the VA and SGMW.
As far as his personal life goes, George ends up marrying an army vet and current high school science teacher named Vivian. They met at the VA when she joined the same group therapy session he was in. They hit it off right away and became fast friends. Fast forward three months and he and Vivian were getting a place together. Six months after that, they were married. Sure, some people might think it was fast, but George just knew. She’s very supportive of all of his projects and his career and he loves her for it.
They never have any kids of their own—not because they are unable, but because they choose not to. Foster care and adoption is something big in both of their hearts, so they foster many kids throughout the years. They end up adopted five of them, which may seem insane to outsiders, but to people who know George and Vivian, it’s not a surprise at all.
Cameron was their first one. She six when they adopted her. Later came Quincy, he was eleven when they adopted him. Then was Kayla. She was three when she became a part of their family. Brian was nine when they adopted him. And last, but certainly not least, was Jesse. He was fourteen when he was adopted.
The kids, despite their trauma, we very well adjusted thanks to George and Vivian’s love and support. They all grow up to be successful, independent, kind individuals. Although none of them become doctors, George couldn’t be more proud. After all, he’s got a psychologist, a naval officer, a small business owner, a firefighter, and a school administrator in his family.
Things aren’t perfect, but they are good. And that’s all George could ever ask for:
Just finished last night’s greys and Jooooo was so fucking good in this ep. Excellent doctor and kind to her patient and she was also such a great mom! The things she said to her patient that were probably coming from her own experience she loves luna so much. Jo and Luna🥺🥺🥺💖💖💖💖
what’s my hand without your heart to hold - part three
the one where jo is a firefighter, alex is a resident, and chaos ensues
read part two here!
“Jo?”
“Hmm?”
“Nothing, you just looked like you got a little lost there. What were you thinking about? Last night or this morning?”
“I swear, you have a one track mind.”
Happy Grey’s Day!
Rated: T
Word Count: 1463
One Month Later
“Have you seen my blue stethoscope?” Alex searched around Jo’s loft space. “It’s the one I normally bring with me on my peds rotations. I thought I had put it in my bag when I left the hospital last night but it’s not in there.”
“I saw it in your coat pocket when I picked you up last night,” Jo poured coffee into two thermoses.
“Found it! Thanks,” Alex came around Jo and placed a light kiss on her cheek. “Thanks for the coffee too.”
Jo felt her heart flutter at the action. “Yeah. Of course.”
It was strangely domestic. In the past month they’d fallen into a sort of morning routine. Alex had all but moved into the space. He had a key made. He had a side of the bed, a drawer for his clothes, space in the closet, toiletries beside Jo’s. He’s even brought over his weight set that had been in storage while he’d been living in the trailer so that he and Jo could train together. His favorite blanket was draped across the back of the couch. He bought groceries and graciously paid for the water bill for this month seeing as his affinity for shower sex had racked her bill up. He even did things like kiss her good morning and goodnight.
Jo wasn’t sure when she obtained a live-in boyfriend, but she wasn’t complaining.
The thing was, they weren’t really together. Alex was technically still married to Izzie. And she was the dirty mistress committing adultery with him. Sure, Jo wasn’t convinced it counted as adultery since Izzie had up and disappeared over four and a half months ago without a trace, effectively abandoning her husband. But still, the fact of the matter was, Jo was playing house with a married man.
She wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up. The past few months had done nothing to lessen her love for him either. If anything, it had increased as she spent more time with Alex. That in and of itself was terrifying. Jo had never felt such strong feelings for anyone in her life before. She didn’t know if she’d be able to express those feelings even if she tried.
To top it off, she was scared that Alex didn’t feel the same way. Although he didn’t try to contact Izzie anymore, at first, he did everything in his power to get her back. He would stay up late at night waiting for Izzie to come home. He would call her and her mother Robbie incessantly. He sent emails and letters and even threatened to call the police if she didn’t answer. Eventually, he grew tired. But Jo wasn’t sure if his lack of communication with his estranged wife was by choice or just exhaustion. Because what if he still loved Izzie? What if she came back?
That was probably Jo’s biggest fear. That Izzie would come back and repair her marriage with Alex, leaving Jo heartbroken and in the dust. Maybe it was selfish of her to think that way, but no matter how things ended, Jo would get hurt in the process. As soon as they had sex for the first time, Jo and Alex crossed a line that they could never uncross. They could never go back to the relationship they once had. Their friendship would be left in ruins and Jo would be forced to watch the man she loved be happy with someone else.
That’s what you get for not telling him when you had the chance.
“Jo?”
Jo was brought out of her thoughts by Alex’s warm hand on her lower back, “Hmm?”
“Nothing, you just looked like you got a little lost there.” Alex’s face curved up into a smile. “What were you thinking about? Last night or this morning?”
“I swear, you have a one track mind.” Jo gave Alex a light shove.
“I do not,” Alex placed a hand on his chest in feigned offense. “We didn’t even have sex last night. We had dinner, drank the rest of the wine you bought straight from the bottle, watched a movie, and went to sleep. This morning, though, I definitely made up for the lack of sex happening last night. If anything you’re the one with the one track mind. You automatically thought about sex.”
“Okay, so I think you’re good in the sack. Screw me,” Jo shrugged.
“Gladly.”
“I meant sue me,” Jo rolled her eyes.
“Seriously, though, I don’t always think about sex when it comes to you. The sex is great. You’re probably the best sex I’ve ever had. But you’re not just sex for me, Jo. I don’t want you to ever think that.” Alex held one of her hands in his own. “You’re my best friend. My person like Mer and Yang like to say. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”
There was that fluttering in her chest again. That pesky bubbling feeling underneath her skin that threatened to burst out at any moment. Alex’s statement wasn’t a declaration of love by any means, but it was enough to lessen her fears for just a little while.
“You ready to head out?”
“Yeah let’s go.”
——
“Jo! I’m so sorry.” Meredith ran into Jo in the entrance of the emergency room. “It’s all my fault. I didn’t think that this would happen and I—”
“Whoa, Mer, slow down.” Jo placed her hands on Meredith’s shoulders. It had been about four hours since she had dropped Alex off at the hospital. In that time she’d been on a couple calls, the most recent one needing to be brought to SGMW for care. What could’ve happened in those four hours was a mystery to her. “What’s going on? Is everyone okay? Did someone get hurt?”
“No. No one is hurt. At least, not yet.”
“Meredith, you’re not making any sense right now.” Jo gave her friend a concerned look. “What happened?”
“Izzie is here.”
And just like that, Jo’s little bubble of bliss popped.
“What do you mean by here?” Jo felt her heart pick up at the news. “She’s here as in, in this building?”
“I called her the other day,” Meredith took a deep breath. “She didn’t answer, so I left a voicemail. I was worried and I told her that I hoped she was doing okay and keeping up with her treatments. I told her that I hoped she was ready to finally have a conversation with Alex because he was moving on. I thought she understood that I meant it was time for her to move on too and file for divorce, but she came here instead. She said she’s here getting a PET scan done for a job interview in Tacoma because they want to make sure she’s truly in remission before they hire her. But she’s really just here for Alex. They’re talking in one of the empty on-call rooms right now.”
“Oh.” Jo nodded slowly, trying to keep her fear and hurt off her face. “Why—why are you telling me this?”
“Really? Why do you think I’m telling you?” Meredith scrunched her face in disbelief. “You’re the person Alex has been moving on with.”
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Cut the secrecy,” Meredith rolled her eyes. “I know that Alex is practically living in your apartment. He handed in the keys to the trailer weeks ago but then never moved back into my house. I’ve noticed how you’ll occasionally drop him off here at the hospital and how you leave together after we all go out for drinks. I know you’re the one who’s got him happier and freer than I’ve ever seen him. I’m not blind. I’ve just kept my mouth shut because I figured that you guys would say something once you were ready.”
“We’re not together,” Jo blurted out. Her eyes stung with tears. “I don’t know what we are. It was just sex at first until it wasn’t, and then he was practically living with me. We sleep together and share groceries and water bills and we carpool when we can, but we aren’t together. We’ve never said that we’re together.”
Meredith’s face dropped. “You’re not a couple?”
“No,” Jo shook her head. “I uh—I was too scared to ask so I told myself that I was just giving him time. He was still legally married and all he needed at the moment was a friend. So I did that, I’ve been his friend even though everything within me wants more than just friendship… I didn’t say anything, though. I kept my mouth shut.” Jo looked up at Meredith and wiped a straying year. “He’s going to go back to her, isn’t he?”
ah!!! reading oh it’s true, that I was made for you made me so happy!!!! thank you for sharing, i super love the twist at the end, so cute and perfect!!!
ahhh thank you!! I wrote it on a whim instead of writing a paper for one of my classes and had so much fun. glad you enjoyed it!
Hi guys! I hope you enjoy this fluffy s15 AU that I wrote bc I just miss the days when Jo was still a Karev
Rating: G
Word Count: 2778
———
“Dr. Bailey! Oh thank God, I need your help!” Jo squeaked as she came to a halt in front of the woman in question.
“What did you do, Wilson?” Bailey sighed and looked up from the tablet in her hand.
“Karev.” Jo stated, eliciting a confused expression from the woman in front of her. “It’s Karev now.”
“Oh yes. Karev.” Bailey rolled her eyes. “What can I do for you, Karev?”
“I need someone to take my two o’clock surgery.” Jo grimaced. “I wouldn’t ask you unless I absolutely had to. I tried to get Meredith to take it but she’s in the OR doing a transplant that is going to last another four hours. It’s an ex-lap.”
“And why is it that you can’t perform your own surgery? You’re a fellow now Wilson—I mean Karev. You shouldn’t be carting off a simple ex-lap to another surgeon. You’ve done plenty of them before.” Bailey’s frown made it known that she was unimpressed with Jo’s request. “So you better have a pretty damn good reason why you need me to do it.”
“I—uh,” Jo paused and considered whether she should tell Bailey the truth. She had tried keeping her suspicions to herself for the past few days, but Jo was practically bursting to tell someone. “I have an appointment to see Carina DeLuca.”
Jo watched as Bailey’s eyes grew wide.
“Wilson, are you pregnant?”
“Karev. And could you keep your voice down?” Jo shushed her superior and looked around to make sure no one was listening. “I haven’t told anyone. Not even Alex. I took a test this morning because I had been feeling strange and the line was really light but it was there so I just made an appointment to be sure. I don’t want to say anything until after the appointment. I mean, we just got married and he’s interim chief and I just started a fellowship, so this just might be the worst, most stressful time to make a baby, but of course, this is when he decides to knock me up!”
Bailey stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds before speaking. “Alex Karev is having a baby?”
“Maybe?” Jo shrugged. “I don’t know. You see. This is why I really need you to take my ex-lap so that I can make my 1:45 appointment and find out if my entire life is about to change.”
“Um… yes of course.” Bailey nodded. “Just let me rearrange some things. I can get one of the senior residents to take my appy.”
“Thank you so much Bailey. You’re amazing!” Jo clapped her hands together in gratitude.
“Yeah, uh huh…” Bailey waved her hand as Jo skittered away. “You better tell me as soon as you find out.”
“Yes ma’am!”
The next few hours seemed to drag on as Jo waited for 1:45 to roll around. She spent the entirety of the lumpectomy she was performing mulling over the faintest little line that had showed up on the stick that morning.
“Dr. Karev? Dr. Karev? Jo?”
Jo looked up to see Andrew trying to capture her attention.
“Jo. Are you okay? You froze for a second there.” Andrew asked, concerned. “Did you feel like you missed something? Because, you already finished the hardest part of the procedure and you did it flawlessly. All that’s left is to close.”
“Thanks. And no it’s not that.” Jo shook her head. “Sorry, I just got a lot on my mind right now. Do you think you can close?”
“Uh, yeah of course!” Andrew’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure you don’t want to do it?”
“I trust you. You have great suturing technique. You barely leave a scar. Go ahead. Finish.” Jo insisted. “I’m going to head out. I have an appointment to get to. When you’re done, make sure to talk to the family and assure them that everything went smoothly. I’ll come back to check on her as soon as I'm done.”
“Okay…” Andrew grinned under his mask. “I won’t let you down!”
As soon as Jo stepped out of the OR, she braced herself against the nearest wall. She took some slow deep breaths to help keep the ever present nausea and dizziness at bay. Come on, Karev. Get yourself together. You don’t even know for sure yet. That line was so light it was basically nonexistent. Your results could come back negative. Yes. They could be negative. That’s what Jo needed to remind herself of. They could also be positive, though. That would mean you’re having a baby. That would mean that you’re growing a human, right now, at this very moment.
Jo’s heart pounded the entire way down to the OBGYN clinic offices. When she finally rounded the corner, she was surprised to see Carina waiting for her already.
“Jo. I was surprised to see your name added last minute to my schedule. Let’s get you into the room quickly.” Carina led her past the front desk as discreetly as possible and into an exam. “I’m assuming you want to keep this from as many people as possible since your husband is the chief, no?”
“You would be correct.” Jo nodded.
“I figured that was the case.” Carina smiled. “I normally wouldn’t do these things myself but I had a nurse come set up everything for me so I could do all of your examinations myself. I promise everything will be done with the utmost discretion.”
“Thank you so much Carina.”
“So you said that you think you might be pregnant? Tell me, have you taken a test yet?” Carina washed her hands and donned some gloves.
“I took one this morning because I had been having some of the same symptoms as last time and wanted to check. So, I took the the test, but the line was really light so I’m not sure if it was a false positive or if it’s just too early.”
“You said you’re having the same symptoms as last time. I thought you and Dr. Karev didn’t have any children. Have you been pregnant in the past?”
Jo cursed herself for the slip. She’d never had this conversation out loud with another soul and was terrified to do it now, but it seemed as good a time as any. “I was pregnant about ten years ago. It was during a very difficult time in my life. I was in an abusive relationship, so… I had an abortion.”
“I’m sorry about your situation.” Carina placed a sympathetic hand on Jo’s shoulder. “But these circumstances are very different from the last one. So, no matter what your results say and what you decide to do going forward, it will not be like the last time.”
“You’re right.” Jo took a deep breath. “My life is different now. It’s good. I'm happy. I’m in a loving relationship with a man who would die before ever laying a hand on me. That won’t change depending on if I’m pregnant or not.”
“Well, we are still going to find out. I don’t need you running around stressed out about whether or not you’re pregnant.” Carina took the needle in her hand and began to draw some blood. “I'm going to do this first and run the labs so that hopefully it’ll be in soon.”
“Do you think I’m pregnant? They say OB’s have like a sixth sense about these kinds of things. Well, they also say that about peds surgeons and Alex hasn’t said anything to me so maybe they’re wrong. Maybe a special pregnancy sixth sense doesn’t exist.” Jo rambled as Carina put a bandaid on Jo’s arm.
“Oh, it exists. Trust me.” Carina’s eyes glimmered as she dropped a couple vials of blood into a specimen bag. “But, I will not tell you what I suspect until the results come in.”
“Come on, that’s no fun.” Jo pouted.
Carina walked over to the door and opened it slightly, blocking Jo from view. She motioned to one of the nurses to come over.
“Hi, Vivi. Could you run these labs for me? I need them back as soon as possible.” Carina smiled and handed them over to the nurse.
“Yes, of course.” Vivi reached for the bag and took a look at the vials. “There’s no name on these.”
“Yes. I know.” Carina nodded. “Just put it down as Jane Doe or something like that. Remember to tell them that it is urgent!”
As soon as she closed the door, Carina turned back towards Jo. “Okay, I am going to go check on some of my other patients while we wait for those results to come. I will be back soon and then we will know if we’re going to have a little bambino to care for.”
“Sounds good.”
Minutes never felt this long in the past. The ticking of the clock seemed exponentially louder than it ever had before. The last time she’d been pregnant, Jo never gave herself the time to think of whether she could be a mom. She never allowed herself to picture her pregnancy as more than just another thing that Paul could beat her for. She refused to allow herself those thoughts in the past out of fear of getting attached to something that could never happen. Now that she was no longer in the same position, Jo couldn’t help but think of everything. The passing minutes were full of countless thoughts ranging from fear and anxiety inducing ones, to happiness and excitement, to uncertainty and trying to calm herself down.
By the time Carina returned, Jo was sure of one thing and one thing only. She needed to know the results.
“Okay, Jo. Let’s see what this says.” Carina clicked on the screen of the iPad in her hands and waited for the results to load. When they showed up on the screen, she gave an almost imperceptible nod. “You ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“You’re pregnant.” Carina beamed. “Most likely very early on based on your hCG levels. I’d estimate somewhere around five weeks. Two of those weeks are counted from your last period which means you conceived approximately three weeks ago… So right around the second week of June.”
As she did the mental math, Jo burst out into laughter. “Oh my God.”
“What’s going on?” Carina asked, a confused expression making its way on her face.
“I know when I got pregnant.”
“You do?” Carina’s eyebrows raised. “Well, if you can remember the exact date, that would be very helpful in tracking the development of your baby.”
“It was on my wedding day, June ninth.” Jo laughed again. “Alex and I snuck away and had sex in a shed before the ceremony. I forgot to take my pill the night before and didn’t bring them with me to the venue. I thought I’d be okay because I had Meredith bring them to me so I could double up the next day.”
“It must’ve been enough to cause you to ovulate.” Carina chuckled. “But besides the nausea and dizziness, how do you feel? Do we need to talk about options or have you decided?”
“I’m keeping it.” Jo said without hesitation. She gasped immediately after. “I can’t believe I said that. I’m going to have a baby. I’m going to be a mom.”
“Yes, you are.” Carina laughed. “My sixth sense never fails me.”
The remainder of the appointment went smoothly. When Jo and Carina finally parted ways, Jo took a second to gather herself before walking back over towards the surgical wing. She entered the gallery of OR 4 and waited for Bailey to notice her presence.
After a few minutes, Bailey’s head turned in Jo’s direction. “Well, Wilson? Sorry, I mean Karev. What’s the verdict?”
Sure that no one would understand the context of their conversation, Jo smiled. “Yes.”
“Ah!” Bailey let out a little shout of excitement. “Okay, we’ll talk as soon as I get out of here. For now though, I’d appreciate it if you popped in on Baldwin in OR 6. Make sure that he isn’t screwing up my appy.”
After checking in on the residents, a consult in the pit, and a quick hernia repair, Jo was back in the lab with Bailey. She was grateful for the older woman’s care and support. Bailey had been so helpful and understanding as soon as she learned about Jo’s pregnancy.
“I’m really happy for you, Jo. I think this is going to be wonderful.” Bailey squeezed Jo’s hand lightly. “Can you believe how far you’ve come?”
“It’s still surreal.” Jo confessed. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m going to wake up as Brooke, living in Paul’s prison of a townhouse hoping that he’ll be in a good mood today and decide not to hit me… But then I realize that this is my life. I’m Jo Karev now. I have a loving husband. I’m a doctor. I have friends who care about me. And I’m going to be a mother.”
“Alex Karev is going to be a father.” Bailey snorted. “I never thought I would live to see the day.” She shook her head. “Is it selfish of me to hope that the baby is a girl? You know, as payback for all of the headaches he gave me with every one of his indiscretions?”
“Not at all.”
————
“Hey. You’re home.” Jo said as Alex walked in the door.
“Yes, finally.” Alex sighed as he put his stuff down. He walked over to where Jo was seated on the couch and kissed her. “I missed you today. I usually see you at least once but I didn’t see you at all today.”
“I was uh, busy.”
Yeah, real busy avoiding him to avoid slipping up and revealing their baby news.
“I got something for you.” Alex pulled away to retrieve something from his bag. He handed her a small box.
Jo looked at the box and her eyes widened. “Is this a pregnancy test?”
Alex shrugged. “Look, call me crazy, but I’m a peds surgeon. I’ve been enough pregnant ladies that I can practically sniff it out. I’m not saying you look different or anything, I don’t know… I just have a feeling.”
“And you want me to take this?” Jo stared at him in shock.
“I know it’s ridiculous and it’ll probably be negative, but I don't know. Humor me.” Alex cracked a grin.
“I don’t need to take this test.” Jo shook her head.
“Come on, Jo. It’s not that hard. All you gotta do is pee on the stick and give me a little peace of mind.”
“No, you don’t get it.” Jo put the box down beside her. “I don’t need to take this test because I already took one.” She inhaled deeply as if trying to muster up the courage to say it. “Alex, I’m pregnant.”
“Hold on, what?”
“I’m pregnant.” Jo beamed. “We’re gonna have a baby.”
“We’re having a baby?” Alex’s jaw dropped. “You’re pregnant? Like, right now?”
“Yes.” Jo laughed as Alex swept her into his arms.
“Holy crap. We’re going to be parents.” Alex’s eyes widened in shock and excitement.
“Yeah, we are.” Jo felt a couple tears prickle at her eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you.” Alex kissed her. “I love you so much, Jo. More than you could comprehend.”
After a few tender moments just reveling in their joy and impending parenthood, Jo sat up. “So, I figured out when we conceived this baby.”
“When? Because I’ve been trying to figure it out myself. We haven’t exactly had a ton of sex since I got this job.”
“We made a baby in that shed next to that corpse on our wedding day.”
Alex stared at Jo in disbelief and laughed. “You’re joking right?”
“I wish I was.” Jo giggled softly.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Jo, I—” Alex's laughs filled the room. “Well, you have to admit that was some of my best work.”
“Yeah it was.” Jo joined his laughter.
“You’re happy about this right? I know it’s not ideal and I certainly didn’t mean to knock you up right at the beginning of your fellowship, but you’re okay with it, right?” Alex asked quietly.
“Alex, I don’t care if it isn’t ideal. I love you so much and I already love this kid so much and they’re nowhere close to being here yet. I’m happier than I’ve ever been and that’s thanks to you.” Jo pressed her forehead against his. “You’re giving me everything I thought I’d never have.”
“You’re everything to me.” Alex kissed her again. “I can’t wait to experience this with you.”
