the one where they met in med school - part twenty-five
bullet wounds and blood transfusions
hi everyone, hope you enjoy this long awaited part of this fic. let us know what you think in the comments!
Jo didn’t think she’d ever been so scared in her life. Seeing Alex’s body on the conference table, slowly bleeding out from a bullet wound was absolutely terrifying. She felt nauseous looking at him. Honestly, she couldn’t really tell if that was the adrenaline or the morning sickness, but nonetheless she wanted to puke.
There was something so unnatural and foreign about seeing Alex’s blood soaked scrubs and pale, lifeless form. She’d seen GSW’s on multiple occasions and knew exactly how dangerous that could be. She knew exactly how many ways this could go wrong. The bullet had hit him in his chest and was likely affecting his lungs among other organs.
Alex let out a small noise, breaking Jo out of her thoughts as she rushed over to his side. He grunted in pain, “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”
“Alex!” Jo desperately met his eyes, placing her hands on either side of his face.
Alex was barely conscious but as soon as he saw her he forced a small smile onto his face, “Hey you. You're safe.”
“Alex Karev you do not get to die today, do you hear me? You don’t get to die because,” Jo let a sob overtake her as she stared down at Alex, attempting to get coherent words out as she fought back the urge to break down. “Because you promised me forever. You promised that I’d never have to be alone anymore. You promised me a house, and a wedding, and kids. We’re supposed to have a house full of babies… Damn it Alex, we’re having a baby and you can’t die! You can’t leave me when we’re so close to getting everything we’ve dreamed about for so long. So please, please don’t die on me.”
Alex scrunched his face in pain as he looked up in disbelief, struggling to keep his eyes open, “Are you really telling me you’re pregnant right now?”
“I didn’t really think I should wait any longer,” Jo tried to stifle a laugh but it came up sounding like a sob. “Please don't die today.”
Alex’s eyes shut again, but his hand squeezed Jo’s tightly as she watched him with bated breath. She didn’t know how much longer she could sit there watching him bleed out onto a conference room table but she knew she’d stay as long as she could.
The next few hours passed slowly, Alex drifting in and out of consciousness as Mark tried to stem his bleeding with the few supplies they had. Everytime his eyes opened up Alex would look around frantically until he found Jo, her position next to him with his hand clasped tightly in hers never wavering.
He'd mumble unintelligibly on occasion and grunt in pain as Mark continued treating him. At some point after Alex's breathing grew very labored, Mark decided that it was time for a chest tube.
"We've got to do it. He's got a collapsed lung and his oxygen levels are diminishing fast," Mark ran a hand along his face. "He's going to scream in pain and alert the shooter that we're here. So Jo, I know you're worried and stressed, but I really need you to distract him. Do something, anything so that he doesn't focus on the pain and so that Lexie and I can hold him down.”
Jo’s eyes prickled with tears as she nodded and held Alex down so that Mark could begin his work. She caressed his face lightly, “Alex.”
Alex grunted in pain, “Yeah?”
“Alex, I know you are hurting right now and I am so sorry, but you’re going to be in a bit more pain soon,” Jo paused and watched as Alex shook his head in protest. “I need you to be quiet now, okay? I’m gonna be right here. I swear, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re doing great Alex, really great,” Mark spoke. “Now, I need to put in a chest tube. You with me? Okay?”
“No, no chest tube,” Alex clenched his jaw tightly. “I’m okay. Don’t cut me.”
“Lexie, you get the betadine ready and I’ll do the rest. Okay?” Mark instructed.
“Okay,” Lexie wiped a few tears on her shoulder. “Okay.”
“Jo, hold him down for me. I need you to hold him still,” Mark waited as Lexie began to clean the area.
As soon as Mark began making the incision, Alex shouted out in pain, “Ah! AH!”
“Oh God,” Lexie whimpered sadly at the sight of her friend in distress. “Oh my God.”
“Shut him up! Shut him up,” Mark looked at Jo for help.
“AH!”
“Okay, okay…” Jo looked around frantically for something to stuff into his mouth to muffle the cries of pain. She found a somewhat clean towel and put it in between his teeth to bite on. “Alex, baby, please. I know it hurts really bad but I need you to be quiet. He could come back. The shooter could come back if he hears you.” Jo felt the hot tears run down her face as Alex let out a particularly strangled cry. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I’m so sorry.”
***
“B.P’s 60 palp,” Lexie her stethoscope around her neck.
“He’s losing a lot of blood. Damn it,” Mark sighed. “He needs a transfusion. I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”
“I’ll go,” Jo let out a breath. “I’ll go get the blood for him.”
“No, Jo you need to stay here,” Mark shook his head.
“He needs blood though, he can’t go without blood. He’ll die,” Jo felt herself grow agitated at Mark’s protest. “We can’t just leave him here to bleed out.”
“I’m not suggesting that,” Mark frowned. “It’s too dangerous. I can’t let you go out there in good conscience. I’ll do it.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. You’re the attending. Alex needs you here more than he needs me,” Jo insisted and pressed a hand to her chest as she felt the anxiety increase within her. “And I can’t just sit around here waiting for him to bleed out on the table. I can’t Mark, I can’t watch him die.”
“I’ll go,” Lexie interrupted. “I’ll go get it.”
“That’s insane. I’ll get it,” Mark flashed a crazed look towards Lexie.
“No. Jo is right. I don’t know what to do, neither of us know what to do. You know what to do. You need to stay here and take care of him and Jo can help you,” Lexie placed a hand on Jo’s arm. “Jo, you need to be here. Alex needs you right now. He’s in so much pain and he needs you to hold his hand and tell him that you love him and remind him that he’s going to be a dad, because you’re having a baby. You’re pregnant, Jo. That’s the best news in the world right now. And you’re my best friend, which means that it's my job to take care of both you and the baby. So, you’re going to stay here because I don’t need two more Karevs in danger.”
“Lexie…”
“I’m serious,” Lexie took a deep breath and leaned over Alex. He had a glazed expression in his eyes. “Alex, it’s me. It’s Lexie. I’m gonna go get you some blood, but I’ll be right back. Don’t die. Please don’t die.”
Once Lexie had made her way out the door, Alex mustered enough strength to speak, “Hey, Sloan. Try not to kill me. I’ve got a kid on the way and a wedding to plan.”
the one where they met in med school - part thirteen
roomates and sex noises
Hi!!! this part was SO MUCH FUN to write. I think we laughed one too many times while planning this part out. -- @iamtrebleclefstories @doc-pickles and Nat
If you haven’t read parts 1-12, you can find them on our Master List!
Happy reading :)
———
(March 2008)
It was kind of embarrassing to be honest. When they showed up at Meredith’s doorstep with a couple bags and boxes full of their belongings as the rest got hauled off to storage, they couldn’t help but feel the heat rising in their cheeks. Because leave it to them to leave the water running in the bathroom while they were too busy have sex in the living room. The tub overflowed and flooded causing water damage all over the small apartment.
After some laughter and teasing, Meredith opened the door and allowed them inside, pointing up to Alex’s old room, “Rent is due on the fifteenth.”
“Do you think we’ll get our security deposit back?” Alex asked as they unpacked their things.
Jo raised her eyebrows, “You’re kidding right? We’re never getting that money back again. Be glad we were able to save our couch.”
A few hours later, the two were lounging on the couch when Izzie walked in, “Oh, hey guys. What are you two doing here?”
“Moving in,” Alex replied simply and grabbed another handful of popcorn from the bowl in Jo’s lap. “Our apartment flooded.”
“Wait, you didn’t move back into your old room did you?” Izzie narrowed her eyes as she watched Lexie come down from the attic.
“They sure did,” Lexie crossed her arms. “I got kicked out and banished to the attic.”
“You didn’t get banished,” Jo rolled her eyes. “It just made more sense because we have more stuff.”
“What? No, no, no,” Izzie shook her head. “Absolutely not.”
“Izzie. It’s my house. I decide who gets to live here,” Meredith looked at Izzie in surprise. “You’ve lived across the hall and shared a bathroom with Alex before. What’s the issue?”
“Last time he lived here, he was practically celibate and quiet. Now Jo’s here and you know what means,” Izzie scowled in disgust. “The last thing I want is to be living across the hall from sex-crazed monkeys while I am very much single and not getting any.”
Her response garnered a few laughs from the group. Lexie shrugged her shoulders, “You get used to it after a while. Invest in wax ear plugs.”
***
Living in the frat house wasn’t so bad. Sure, privacy was few and far between, but there were definitely some benefits to living under the same roof as so many people. Alex would disagree and say that it was too much estrogen for one guy alone, and got excited anytime Shepherd was around to talk to.
In just a couple weeks, Jo had gone from being friendly with Meredith and Izzie, to actually considering them friends. The girls would often be found sharing the bathroom and getting ready together in the mornings before having to make it in for their shifts at the hospital.
“Jo! Are you coming with us today? Because we’ve got to go now!” Meredith yelled down from the kitchen as Jo made her way down the stairs.
“Yes! Alex was on-call last night so he’s got the car,” Jo reached over for one of the apples in the fruit bowl and dropped it into her purse. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Jo piled into the car with Meredith, Lexie, and Derek looking around in confusion, “Where’s Izzie?”
“She’s got the day off,” Lexie explained.
“Lucky her,” Jo clicked her seatbelt in place as they pulled out of the driveway. “I wish I were still sleeping.”
“At least you get sleep,” Derek looked into the rearview mirror. “Meredith snores. Loudly.”
“I told you about the wax ear plugs,” Lexie pointed out. “How do you think Izzie gets sleep every night living across the hall from Jo and Alex?”
“We’re not even that bad,” Jo rolled her eyes. “Besides, he’s been pulling lots of night shifts the past two weeks, so we haven’t really had a chance to be loud.”
Meredith chuckled, “It’s okay, Jo. You don’t have to explain yourself. Lexie isn’t allowed to talk since she’s sleeping with Sloan.”
“I still don’t like it,” Derek shook his head. “Mark should know better.”
“I appreciate your concern Derek, but I’m a big girl,” Lexie narrowed her eyes before breaking out into a smile. “It is nice to have a big brother, though.”
The rest of the ride was done in a comfortable silence. When they got to the hospital, Jo and Lexie made their way over to the locker room to get ready for the day.
“Who’s service are you on today?” Lexie asked.
“Your boyfriend’s,” Jo gave Lexie a sideways look as she stripped out her street clothes. “Which means I get to spend the day getting him lattes and not doing surgery.”
“I can talk to him if you want,” Lexie offered. “Sure, he can be an arrogant asshole at times but he’s really sweet if he wants to be. Kind of reminds me of how Alex was with you.”
“So, it’s serious then? Between you two?”
“Maybe? I don’t know,” Lexie shrugged slightly. “I introduced him to my dad, so…”
“Wow,” Jo raised her eyebrows and pulled her scrub pants on. "I didn't even meet your dad until a few months ago."
"We just got here a few months ago," Lexie pointed out. "Anyway, the point is, I could ask him to actually teach for once. He's actually pretty good at it."
"I don't know if it's the age difference, but that definitely sounded dirty," Jo made a face.
"What sounded dirty?" the girls were interrupted by Alex who came behind them and placed his hands on Jo's bare waist. "You know, I don't know how I feel about you undressing in front of everyone. You're too hot."
"Okay, now I'm leaving," Lexie rolled her eyes. "You guys are too much. I'll see you at home later."
The couple giggled lightly as they watched Lexie shut her locker and leave. Jo put her scrub top on, "How was last night? Anything interesting come in?"
"There was a trauma that came in at around 2am. A sixteen year old and a couple of his friends got into a car accident trying to sneak out of the house. They got pretty banged up, but everyone made it out okay."
"That's good," Jo looked up at Alex. "Are you sticking around
or going home?"
"I'll be here until lunch and then I'm going home to sleep,” he replied. "I'll see you tonight, okay?"
"Yeah," Jo nodded and said goodbye to Alex, making her way to find Sloan.
***
Later that evening, the doctors arrived home absolutely exhausted, everyone going to their respective rooms to sleep. Somewhere around 2am, Jo found herself being poked awake. She turned and saw Meredith looking up at her.
"Meredith, what the hell?" Jo whispered so as not to wake up Alex.
"Hi. I need your help with something," Meredith explained in hushed tones. "I had an idea after reading my mother's journals and I need your help."
"Why me?" Jo grumbled.
"Because you're the smartest person I know," Meredith stated plainly. "Don't tell Cristina or Lexie I said that."
"Fine," Jo huffed and slipped out of the bed, following Meredith downstairs.
After about an hour of sifting through the journals and coming up with a plan to pursue in the future, Meredith and Jo both heard their pagers go off. They made their way back up the stairs to change when they heard a loud moan.
“Ah!”
Meredith and Jo exchanged a look, “Is that Izzie?”
“Did you guys get paged too?” Lexie walked out of the bathroom and stopped in her tracks, “What the hell?”
“Wait, we’ve been up for over an hour. If no one walked into the house, who’s in there with her?” Jo furrowed her brow in concern.
“Derek!” Meredith shouted, eyes wide, hoping not to find her boyfriend in the room with her friend.
“What? What’s the matter?” Derek rushed out of their bedroom into the hallway.
“Nothing, nothing—is wrong,” Meredith shook her head. “I just—“
“What are you doing up? It’s three in the morning,” Derek froze when he heard the groans, face scrunching in confusion. “Who’s making a porno movie in Izzie’s room?”
Jo’s eyes flitted over to the door of her room. She walked over and opened it, peering inside, “Alex?”
Jo’s heart dropped when she saw the empty bed. She turned back to her friends and gulped, “He’s not in there.”
Three sets of eyebrows raised and Jo felt a couple tears prickling at her eyes. She felt her breaths grow more rapid and shallow as she started to panic.
“Oh my God,” Lexie gasped in shock. “No… he wouldn’t. Right?”
“He’s in there with her,” Jo placed a hand on her chest in hopes of slowing the rapid beating of her heart.
“Jo. Look at me,” Meredith grabbed her shoulders. “I need you to breathe.”
“I can’t,” Jo shook her head as she begged the tears not to fall. “I can’t. He’s in there with her. I can’t believe Alex would—.”
“Can’t believe Alex would do what?” Alex asked as he trudged up the steps, fully clothed. “What did I do?”
“Wait, what were you doing downstairs?” Meredith asked.
“I got paged and went to use the bathroom, but someone was already in this one. So I went to use the one downstairs and saw you and Jo flipping through your mom’s old diaries, but I didn’t want to bother you. Why do you guys look so relieved to see me?” Alex tilted his head to one side.
“That’s why,” Lexie made a motion to Izzie’s bedroom as another loud gasp of pleasure made its way to their ears.
“Oh crap,” Alex’s face donned the same look of shock as the rest of them. Realizing what must’ve been going through everyone’s minds, he turned to Jo who looked positively ready to cry. “Jo. You really think I'd cheat on you literally across the hall from our room? Do I look that stupid?”
“I opened the door to our room and you weren’t there,” Jo averted her eyes. “I didn’t know what to think. No one’s entered the house.”
“Wait, you didn’t see anyone come in?” Alex scratched his head slightly before pressing his ear up to the door. “Guys, she’s the only one making noise.”
“She’s flying solo?” Lexie gasped once again and clasped her hands over her mouth. “Oh my God.”
“I’m gonna go,” Derek made a face and walked back into his and Meredith’s room.
“Damn... that’s hot. How do I get in on that?” Alex joked, ducking when he felt a slap on his head. “Ouch.”
“You pig,” Meredith rolled her eyes. “Okay, everyone get dressed if you’re going to the hospital. We’re leaving in five minutes. And someone go knock on her door and find out if she’s coming with us.”
“Not it!” Lexie ran back up to the attic to get ready.
Sighing, Alex banged on Izzie’s door, “Izzie! Party’s over. Let’s go. We’ve got a trauma coming in.”
“Oh, hey. Hi. I’m not going. I’m not feeling too great, actually,” Izzie panted as she cracked the door open and poked her head out. “I think I have the flu or something.”
“You sounded just fine to me,” Alex muttered, the beginnings of smirk tugging on his lips. “Okay, then. Get some rest I guess.”
“Uh huh. Thanks,” Izzie shut the door quickly.
Alex followed Jo back into the bedroom and watched as she changed into her clothes. She avoided his gaze and silently began to pull on a pair of jeans. He watched her for a minute before speaking, “Dude, did you really think I was cheating on you? With Izzie?”
“I told you, I didn’t know what to think. I saw that you weren’t in bed and then I heard her moans and it just brought back all of my insecurities,” Jo shared softly.
“What do you have to be insecure about?” Alex narrowed his eyes at her.
“You’re kidding right?” Jo scoffed. “She’s a model. An actual model. And we live with her. She’s hot and smart and funny and tall, and she’s everything I’m not.”
“So what?” Alex shrugged. He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her close. “You are hotter and smarter and funnier. You’re not tall, but that’s okay because you’re already perfect. Do you really think I care if she was a model? She’s not you.”
“So, you still think I’m hot?” Jo asked shyly.
“Dude, I literally told you earlier today that it shouldn’t be allowed for the interns to see you change because you’re way too hot. The guys are drooling and the girls are probably jealous.”
“Oh please,” Jo rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious, babe. You are way too hot to handle,” he leaned in to give her a kiss. “But you know, you are always welcome to model for me. Any time, any place, any state of dress.”
Jo is going through something and Alex is going to figure out what it is
Check out our Master List for parts 1-4 as well as other jolex fics we've been working on!
———
(May 2007)
Seattle Grace is a disaster zone full of lovesick, horny patients and doctors. It’s like Alex cannot turn a corner without finding someone hooking up or getting hit on. At first, he thinks he’s imagining things because there’s no way that Doctor Montgomery is staring at him like he’s a fresh piece of meat and she’s a hungry lion. They see each other almost everyday as he helps Ava recover and everyday the woman stares him down like she wants to jump him.
And that’s another thing, he was pretty sure that Ava is trying to hit on him too. He knew he was good looking and that his rare soft side has been on full display lately, but for fuck’s sake even his patients? Ava was easier to handle than Addison, but both women were giving him a run for his money.
“You know, I think she’s trying to get in your pants,” Ava’s voice startled him as he looked up from her chart, brows furrowing as he looked at her. “Doctor Montgomery. She keeps looking at you with those sex eyes, like if I wasn’t here she’d be all over you.”
Well at least he isn’t crazy… Alex heaved a sigh and closed the chart, meeting Ava’s eyes with a smirk, “She can stare all she wants, I am off the market and not interested in one of my superiors dragging me into a supply closet for a quick hookup.”
He could tell Ava was shocked. Who in this death trap isn’t by the fact that Doctor Evil Spawn is tied down? She paused for a moment before a laugh came out, eyes falling to her hands that lay over her swollen belly, “Figures, I knew you were too handsome to be single. Does she work here too? It seems like everyone in this hospital is screwing.”
“No she’s back in Boston, she’ll be here in a few weeks though,” just saying the words out loud makes Alex’s heart flutter. Both Jo and Lexie had been accepted to the next class of interns at Seattle Grace, meaning that as soon as they walked across the stage in June they’d be flying across the country to Seattle. “It’s been too damn long, we’ve been doing long distance for almost a year now.”
“A year? Do you see her ever? I’m sure you’re super busy here,” Ava seemed genuinely curious about Alex and Jo’s relationship, a refreshing take compared to his friends that only asked if he was getting laid or not.
“Yeah we’ve both been out to see each other a few times. I just went there in March actually. It’s not enough, though. It’s not the same,” his mind now occupied with thoughts of his girlfriend, Alex said goodbye to Ava and left her room. He wasn’t even through the doorway of an on-call room before he dialed Jo’s number and waited for her to answer. “Hey you, how’s your day?”
“Fine.”
The one word answer stopped Alex’s heart. Usually, Jo was more than ready to rant about classes or tell him something exciting that she saw on campus. Instead, her monotone voice and lack of words scared him.
So he did the only thing he could think of and decided to call Lexie. The phone went to voicemail twice before it was answered, “Alex what’s going? I’m at work.”
“What’s wrong princess? Bad day?”
“No it’s just been long,” Jo sighed, her voice seeming even further away. “I have a headache, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry babe, if it makes you feel better, one of my patients thinks that my boss is trying to screw me,” Alex’s voice was light hearted as he tried to cheer Jo up, but her frustrated sigh on the other end of the line told him that she didn’t find the situation amusing. “Look, I’m sorry. I thought it was a funny story but-”
“Hey, Lexie. I’m sorry, but is Jo okay?”
“What?” Lexie scrunched her face. “That’s why you’re calling me? I have to get back to the lab.”
“Don’t hang up! It’s just… I called her a few minutes ago and she was acting weird. She was giving me short answers and then she hung up on me. She sounded stressed and nervous. Not school stressed either. I’m worried,” Alex explained.
“I know you two have been together for years, but it still kind of freaks me out whenever I hear you talk like this… Now that you mention it though, Jo has been acting off. Normally she’s really chatty in the evenings, but lately she’s been distracted.”
"Did something happen?" Alex asked.
"Not that I know of… should I get off work early and go check on her?"
"No, it's fine. I'll take care of it. Thanks Lexie," Alex hung up the phone and decided to look for Bailey.
“I gotta go, I’ll call you later,” the line went dead before Alex could say anything else, leaving him to stare down at the phone in his hands in shock. No matter how angry or upset his girlfriend has been she’d never hung up on him like that, not even during their big blowout fight a few weeks before.
After a few minutes of running around the hospital, he finally found Bailey sitting behind the nursing station giving Izzie some instructions about a patient's post-op care, "Dr. Bailey can I speak with you for a moment?"
"Say what you need to say, Karev. Stevens and I are very busy today. I don't have time to waste," Bailey replied without looking up from her charts.
Alex looked up at Izzie who just shrugged and motioned for him to speak, "I need the rest of the day off, the next few days actually."
Bailey looked up from the chart she was writing in, an unimpressed expression on her face, "Excuse me?"
"I know we're swamped and I'm on Ava's case, but I really just need a couple days. There's been a family emergency and I need to catch the next flight to Boston," Alex looked at Bailey expectantly.
"Is everything okay?" Izzie asked, concerned.
"I don't know. I couldn't really get a lot of information over the phone, but I need to get to Boston as soon as possible. Please," Alex waited for a couple seconds for Dr. Bailey's response.
"You are lucky I like you," Bailey mumbled. "Go Karev, get out of here. You have three days. Call me if it's really bad and you need more."
Alex nodded in thanks and ran to the locker room to collect his things. By the time he arrived at the airport, an hour had passed since he left the hospital. He ran up to the ticket counter and asked for the next flight to Boston. It was pricey, but the plane would leave in an hour, meaning Alex had to be quick if he wanted to make it in time for boarding.
The rest of the time in between him getting to Boston was a blur. When his plane touched down, it was midnight on the east coast. He called a cab and hopped in, giving them Jo’s address. It was 12:37am when he finally arrived. Alex walked up the steps to the apartment and knocked on the door. There was a shuffling on the inside before the door opened.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Jo’s eyes widened as she opened the door. She looked like shit, her eyes were red and puffy and she was dressed in one of Alex’s dark blue flannels and some pajama shorts.
“I was worried about you, you didn’t sound okay when I called,” Alex watched Jo’s bottom lip tremble as she held back tears, his hands coming up to hold her shoulders as she looked up at her. “Jo, what’s wrong?”
Jo tried to open her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Instead a sob broke from her throat, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks as Alex pulled her into his embrace. His hands rubbed her back slowly as he attempted to quiet her sobs.
“Jo what’re you- Alex? What the hell,” Alex looked up and met Lexie’s eyes behind Jo, hers softening as she glanced at her friend who was still crying. “She wouldn’t tell me anything, she’s been crying on and off since I got home.”
“Come on babe, let’s get you to bed,” Alex pulled back from Jo just long enough to hook his arms under her legs so he could carry her to her bedroom. She made no protests as she nuzzled further into Alex’s chest, her silence throwing him off as they settled into bed together. “I’ll be here in the morning, you just sleep.”
Jo’s sobs had turned into sniffles as she pressed her face into the crook of Alex’s neck. She was never a big cuddler when they would sleep together, most of the time Alex would be fighting her for room on the mattress as she starfished across it. That’s how Alex could tell something wasn’t right, the way that Jo was curled up into a ball pressed as close to him as possible told him everything he needed to know.
Somewhere around 3am, Alex felt Jo poke him in the side. He opened his eyes and looked at the face of the woman he loved only to find her usual joyful demeanor replaced with one of fear. He watched as Jo took a deep breath, “We need to go to the store.”
“The store? For what? Jo, it’s three in the morning. Is anything even open right now?” Alex furrowed his brow.
“There’s a twenty-four hour CVS a couple blocks away,” Jo lifted her head from its place on Alex’s chest and moved to get out of bed. “I just really need to get something from the store.”
“Jo, the store can wait. We can go in a few hours,” Alex tried reasoning with her.
“It can’t wait!” Jo exclaimed as tears began to trickle down her face again. “It can’t wait Alex. We need to go right now.”
“Okay, we’ll go now. Just calm down for me,” Alex placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to get dressed. Give me two minutes.”
By the time they arrived at CVS, it was 3:23am. Alex made a move to exit the car when Jo placed a hand on his arm, “No! Stay here. I’ll go alone.”
“What? No, Jo it’s three in the morning. I’m not letting you go into the store alone,” Alex protested.
“There’s nobody here. I will be fine,” Jo opened the car door. “Besides, I know how to take care of myself. I’ll be back in five minutes.”
Alex was extremely confused. He had no idea what the hell was wrong with his girlfriend, but he knew it wasn’t good. In the years he’d known her, Alex had never seen her like this. He tried racking his brain for any possible thing that could’ve led her to acting like this but he came up blank.
Jo entered the car with a plastic bag in her hands, breaking him from his thoughts. He looked over at her, “You good?”
“Yeah,” Jo’s voice and face despondent. “Just drive the car.”
“Okay…”
As they walked back into her apartment, Alex gave Jo a worried look. She’d been silent the entire car ride and Alex basically had to drag her up the stairs to the apartment. He sighed, “Jo, come on. It’s been hours since I got here and you still haven’t told me anything. I left the hospital early and asked for the next three days off because I know you are not okay. I know something is wrong and I’m worried about you. Please, I love you. I am here. Let me help you.”
Wiping a couple stray tears from her face, Jo pulled Alex into the bathroom and locked the door. She handed him the bag containing what she’d just purchased from CVS.
Alex’s eyes widened as he removed what was inside the bag, “Holy shit.”
“Yeah,” Jo swallowed nervously. She leaned against the sink and closed her eyes. “Now you know why I’m acting so weird… I’m freaking out here, Alex.”
Alex looked from the unopened pregnancy test box in his hand back to Jo, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be fine Jo. You’re going to take the test and I’m going to be right here the entire time. I’m not going anywhere, no matter what this test says.”
“Can you just… go in the hallway while I pee,” Jo’s voice was quiet and far away as she looked up at Alex. Their eyes met and they both took in the same expression of fear that the other wore.
Alex nodded and left the bathroom, sliding down the wall of the hallway as he waited for what seemed to be forever for Jo to finish. His mind was racing, heart hammering in his chest as he played the last two months over in his head. If Jo was… it had to have happened when he came out in March. They’d been careful, they were always careful, but the trip had been short and sweet and they’d spent most of their time in bed.
“It says wait three minutes,” Alex is startled out of his train of thought by Jo’s voice, her figure now standing in front of him with a solemn expression. She had thrown on one of his Iowa State sweatshirts in her haste to get out the door, the fabric hanging loosely off her body as she sat on the ground and dragged herself into Alex’s waiting arms. “I’m scared, Alex.”
“Hey if it is positive you’re already heading to Seattle in a few weeks anyways. We can work it out,” Alex brushed his fingers through Jo’s hair as he pulled her close, his lips pressing into her forehead. “I love you, no matter what happens I’m always gonna love you.”
Jo nodded her head, but didn’t speak anymore. Alex felt terrible, she’d probably been carrying this around for a few days by herself while he was clueless on the other side of the country. The past year had been hell on earth for him, but he took a little comfort in the fact that in just a few short weeks they’d be waking up next to each other again.
“I’m late, like stupid late, and I haven’t been able to keep food down all week,” Jo’s voice was muffled as she pressed herself further in Alex’s chest, his fingers rubbing against her back in slow circles as her breathing became more erratic. “I’m so freaking stupid, I can’t believe this. I’m so dumb.”
Brows furrowed, Alex looked down at his girlfriend in worry. He’d never seen her this upset about something, leading him to believe that an unexpected pregnancy wasn’t the only thing clouding her mind at the moment, “You’re not stupid, I was there too. If anything I’m the stupid one.”
Jo sniffled, one hand coming up to wipe at her cheeks as she met Alex’s gaze. He’d never seen her so devoid of emotion, her face blank as she blinked up at him, “I’m ruining your life. I should’ve just let you go to Seattle without being tied to me because now you’re gonna be stuck with me and all this shit. You don’t deserve any of this.”
Alex’s face softened, his hands coming up to cradle Jo’s face tenderly. She was sitting here waiting for the results of a pregnancy test and she was worried about him instead of herself.
“Babe, you didn’t ruin anything, you never could. I’m not here because you’re forcing me to, I’m here because I want to be and because I love you,” brushing back her hair, Alex leaned his forehead against Jo’s. “No matter what happens, nothings going to change how I feel about you. Okay?”
“Can… Can you go look? Please.”
Rising from the floor, Alex walked into the bathroom and stared down at the three tests laying across the counter. Hands braced on the countertop, he let out a sigh as he looked back to Jo.
“Negative. All three are negative.”
Jo released the breath she had been holding, “Oh thank God… okay… okay.”
Alex stood silent for a moment and watched as Jo allowed a few tears to slide down her face. He crouched down next to her, one of the tests in his hands, “See. They’re negative. You’re probably just stressed about finals. It’s all good, we’re okay.”
“I’m relieved that it’s negative. I really am. We can’t handle this right now,” Jo spoke after a couple moments of silence. She looked up at Alex, eyes shining with unshed tears. “But… Is it wrong that I’m a little disappointed, though?”
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise at her words. He and Jo never really talked about kids. It wasn’t something that was on either one of their radars. They were content with just the two of them. Alex had always assumed that he and Jo would be together until one or both of them died from old age. He didn’t need anything other than to have her by his side.
On top of all that, he didn’t think Jo wanted kids. Neither of them had very good upbringings, but Jo definitely had it worse than he did. Even though she’d never verbalized it, he knew she was afraid of being a bad mom to their hypothetical child. He supposed it was similar to the fear he had about being a horrible father, given his own history with crappy dads.
Alex's mouth twitched slightly, "It's not wrong. There's nothing wrong with feeling disappointed."
"I know, but we've never talked about it," Jo shrugged one shoulder. "I didn't even know I wanted it until just now. I've never thought about it. I've always assumed that I'd never find someone who'd want to do that with me."
That's when Alex understood. Even after three years, Jo still expected that one day he'd leave her. She thought that one day, he'd find someone better—as if that person existed—and she'd be alone. Jo didn't understand the concept of forever, she'd never had anyone stick around. It was a bit of a wake up call for him. Alex realized that he'd never been clear with his intentions.
“I guess this is my fault,” Alex rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath. “I’ve never said my intentions out loud because I thought they were all so obvious. I didn’t think they needed to be vocalized, but I’m not going anywhere. This ‘someone who would want to do that with you’ you thought you’d never find is me, Jo. I want it all with you. You are my home, and I never wanna go anywhere without you, do you hear me?”
Alex lifted Jo’s chin to make sure she was looking into his eyes. He noticed hers were full of tears and knew it was probably because nobody had ever said that to her before. Pulling her closer, he placed a kiss on her head, “And you don’t need to feel guilty about being disappointed.”
He moved his head so their foreheads touched, “Someday, when the right time comes, we’re gonna have a family to call our own. Until then, it’ll be just us, but we won’t need anybody else. We’re the only family we need, right? You and me,” Alex smiled, earning a smile and a chuckle from her. “We’re gonna have it all, Jo” he said.
“Someday,” Jo looked at him from the corner of her eyes with a shy smile.
Alex pulled her into a meaningful kiss, “Someday.”
If you haven’t read parts 1-5 yet, make sure to check out the Master List for that and more fics that we’ve posted
Tonight’s episode was... well if you watched you know what we’re talking about. Anyway we figured you might need this
———
(June 2004)
“You’re absolutely positive about this?” Lexie asked as she taped up another box. “No doubts? Because if you freak out, you know you can always move back in with me.”
“Yes, Lexie I’m sure,” Jo smiled. “I really appreciate you trying to look out for me, but I’m ready. I’m excited to move in with Alex. This is a huge step for me and I really need your support.”
“You have my support. I’m happy for you, really happy for you. You of all people deserve this,” Lexie stood up from her place on the floor and picked up the box she’d just finished packing. “Okay, well that was the last box. Let’s get you out of here and into your new place.”
Soon after, the two friends arrived at the apartment that Jo and Alex had signed a lease on. It was a cozy one bedroom, second floor apartment about two blocks away from where Lexie lived. The majority of her things were already at their new place, Alex had come by earlier that day to transport her larger items to the apartment in his truck. There wasn’t much left to move and it’s not like Jo had many things to begin with.
“Honey I’m hoooome,” Jo pushed the door of the apartment, a box in hand as she walked through to the still fairly empty living room. “Alex? You here?”
“Hey you,” Alex peeked his head out from the bedroom, a grin lighting up his face as he spotted his girlfriend. “You need help with anything?”
“Nope, I only had a few boxes left and Lexie helped me carry them up before she left,” Jo set the box in her hands down before walking over to Alex and kissing him. “Wow, it actually looks nice in here.”
“What? Did you think you’d get here and this place would be a dump?”
“No, I just… usually we would hang out at my place. I just realized that I never actually saw where you lived before signing the lease on our new apartment,” Jo stuffed her hands in her pockets and leaned against the wall.
“Now, that place was a dump. My roommates were disgusting. Be glad you never stepped foot in there,” Alex walked up towards her and placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head.
She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "I'm kind of nervous. I've never done this before. I never leave more than a toothbrush and pair of underwear at someone's house."
"I know. I haven't either, so I guess we're doing this together," Alex smiled at Jo coyly. "What do you say we christen our new house?"
"I can be into that," Jo’s gaze darkened and she squealed as Alex threw her over his shoulder and carried her to the bedroom.
———
(June 2007)
“Hi,” Jo grinned brightly as Alex wrapped his arms around her outside the airport arrival terminals. “Can you believe that this is the last time you’re picking me at the airport?”
“Trust me, I’m very excited that I never have to drop you off for an extended period of time again,” Alex leaned in and kissed Jo, grabbing the bags in her hands. “Come on, let’s go home.”
They arrived outside an apartment complex across the street from the hospital. Jo looked over at Alex quizzically, “I thought you were living at Meredith’s?”
“I was. It was great and the rent was cheap, but I didn’t feel like having Mer and Izzie and Cristina all up in my business. Which is exactly what would happen if you suddenly moved all your stuff into the house,” Alex explained as he guided her through the building. “Come on, I already brought most of the boxes you shipped inside.”
“Huh, should I be worried about all the women you’ve been living with?” Jo teased. “Are any of them, I don’t know, in love with you?”
“Please,” Alex scoffed. “Yang just got left at the altar a week ago by her fiancé, Meredith is in love with Shepherd, and Izzie’s doing it with O’Malley—who’s married.”
“Woah, back it up,” Jo eyes widened. “You didn’t think to tell me that Yang got left at the altar?”
“In my defense, I left the wedding before it happened because my patient Ava—I mean, Rebecca was getting discharged from the hospital that day. So, I didn’t find out until I got back to the house that night and saw Izzie stress baking and she spilled everything that had gone down.”
“Stress baking?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of her thing,” Alex shrugged. “When her fiancé died, she made these killer chocolate muffins.”
“Uh huh,” Jo nodded. “And now she’s having sex with George? Married George?”
“Yeah… I’m trying my best not to judge because we all know I’m not a saint. I’ve cheated on girlfriends before, I’ve been the guy who slept with a married woman, but it’s different. I was a kid back then. And I certainly didn’t do it with the intention to break up a marriage. She’s actually trying to break up O’Malley and Torres, because she’s what? In love with him?” Alex shook his head. “Well, that girl falls in and out of love quickly.”
Jo eyed Alex curiously for a moment as they stepped onto the elevator, “You haven’t cheated on me, right? You’d tell me if you had?”
“No, of course not,” Alex looked at Jo with wide eyes. “We’ve known each other for a million years, do you really think I’m like that?”
“I know you’re not,” Jo leaned up and pressed a kiss on his cheek. “I trust you.”
A goofy grin spread across Alex’s face as he looked at Jo. He’d just seen her the month before, but he was more than thrilled that she was here and that this time there would be no teary goodbye, no more late night and early morning phone calls, no booking cross country flights because he was concerned that she wasn’t feeling well. After a long and torturous year, they were finally reunited for good.
“I love you,” Jo’s eyes flitted to Alex as he said it, the elevator dinging and letting them off on their floor. “And I’m really freaking happy you’re here. And that we have a whole new apartment to christen.”
Jo let out a laugh as Alex stopped outside their door, hands digging in his pockets to grab his keys and unlock it. She made a move to step through the door, but Alex held his hand out to stop her, “What? Why can’t I go in?”
“I have to carry you over the threshold, you know it’s a stupid new house tradition,” Alex peered into the still empty apartment with a shrug. “It’s definitely not a house, but it’s all ours so I think that counts for something.”
Alex turned back to Jo, who was beaming at him. He quickly grabbed Jo around the waist, throwing her over his shoulder as she giggled, “I’m pretty sure this isn’t how you’re supposed to do it. Also I’m fairly certain that this is a tradition for married couples.”
“Yeah but it makes it easier to carry you to the bedroom so I can have my way with you. And I promise I’ll put a ring on it eventually, I already told you I would,” Alex’s retort brought out more laughter from Jo, her fingers reaching down to pinch Alex’s ass as he continues through the apartment. “Hey! Keep your hands to yourself, at least until I put you down.”
Jo laughed as Alex lowered her from his shoulder and pressed her against the wall, “Make me.”
“Bad choice of words, princess.”
*****
A couple days later, Jo and Alex were laying on the floor, basking in the afterglow of their weekend sex marathon when Jo turned in Alex’s arms.
“You realize we just had sex on the floor, right?” Jo faced Alex, while his arms were around her.
“Yeah. What about it?” he asked, confused about her question.
“You know I have no problem with it, but it’s just… we had sex on the floor because there was no other option. There is no furniture in here,” she pointed out.
“You might have a point,” Alex shrugged.
“I bought us a couch,” Jo admitted.
“Wait what?” he sat up.
“Yes. We can’t have sex on the floor forever, Alex. And, there’s no dining table, chairs, our mattress is lying on the floor, for crying out loud. How the hell did you survive an entire year without me?” she chuckled.
“Well, I had furniture when I first got here, but then I got kicked out of the one place and moved into Mer’s, and she already had furniture,” he shrugged, just then realizing that she had just told him she had bought a couch. “You bought us a couch?” he pulled her closer, his lips brushing over hers. It was only a couch, but it meant something much more important than that to them.
“I did. It will be delivered tomorrow morning,” Jo smiled.
“I really don’t know I survived without you,” Alex shook his head. “On the brightside, when the couch gets here we’ll have plenty of opportunities to make use of it.”
“Hot couch sex?” Jo raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like fun. Count me in.”
“For now, though… I say we continue making use of the floor,” Alex’s hand trailed down Jo’s stomach to the nook between her thighs.
Jo let out a breathy sigh, “Alex.”
“Yes?” Alex smirked as his fingers began their work, teasing before finally allowing two of his fingers to curl inside her.
“Don’t stop,” Jo let out a shaky breath. “God, please don’t stop.”
“Wasn’t planning to,” Alex kissed his way down her body, settling between her legs. He lowered his head and breathed over her sex quietly. “You might want to hold onto something.”
