She should have known that there could never be a normal day at Seattle Grace. Just when she was preparing to take off her lab coat and go back to her hotel, relatively unstressed by the day's events, she had to have that last patient; one that would turn the social environment of the hospital upside-down.
And to make things worse, she knew this patient. Well.
"Dr. Montgomery? Do you have a minute?"
The door opened to reveal the speaker of such quiet, hesitant tones. She looked up and found a familiar blonde intern peeking in at her questioningly.
"Sure, Izzie," she sighed. "Come on in."
The younger woman entered and instead of coming to stand near her, in a conversational distance, she plopped down onto the hospital bed in the middle of the room.
"I have a problem."
When women seek out Addison Montgomery for assistance with a problem, it's usually for one reason. But Izzie had sought her out before, for a different more illicit type of quandary, so she didn't jump to conclusions.
"What is it this time, Stevens?"
"I… I… have a problem."
She sighed. For a normally talkative woman, the intern was unusually guarded.
"Is this problem regarding what we talked about before?"
The blonde's eyes locked with hers and she nodded slightly. "Sort of. It's more a consequence of my actions in attempting to deal with that problem."
Addison was lost. "Izzie…"
"I think I'm pregnant."
She nodded. She should have jumped to her first conclusion after all, she realized. But she wasn't one to judge, given the transgressions scarring her own past. However, there was no denying her curiosity in the who the father might be. It just wasn't appropriate to ask.
She quietly collected all of the materials needed to take the intern's blood. Each woman was silent, an underlying tension built by the situation and their detached relationship permeating the room. Stevens observed her every move. Sure she was a doctor, but in this room, she was the patient.
Watching the neonatal doctor begin her procedure, Izzie felt her hesitancy melt away slowly, though the uneasiness of instinctively knowing she was pregnant remained. Usually in moments like these, when the events of life seem overwhelming, she became anxious and overly energized; she rambled uncontrollably and often shed tears. But she felt a sort of bond with the older woman. Perhaps it was the mark of a good doctor or a sign they were to be friends.
"Go ahead. Ask me."
Izzie's words jarred Addison from her thoughts.
"Excuse me? Ask what?"
Stevens smiled briefly. "I know you're curious. You want to know who the father is."
Addison looked away guiltily and nodded slightly.
The younger doctor was about to tell her when there was a knock at the door.
A masculine figure entered, not bothering to wait for permission.
Both women looked over at the doorway to see Mark Sloan entering, an inquisitive look on his face.
Stevens glanced back at the redheaded doctor, attempting a look of innocence.
"I think you and I have something in common…"