"Oh my! Is that a baby? Yes, he is," Maddox croons, touching the baby's nose with her free hand. The rest of the interns and Dr. Bailey look at her like she's crazy, so she stops gesturing and clears her throat, leaning back. "Morning, Dr. Bailey. Morning, baby. How's the family?"

"We're taking Tucker home tomorrow. Yes, we are," Bailey speaks in a soft voice, rocking the baby. Izzie moves closer to Maddox to make room to admire the baby, who babbles, and Bailey reacts, putting aside her motherly side and embracing the resident side again. "Okay, this is not a tea party. Go, work, save some lives! Easton, come with me. The rest of you, go!" Maddox nods, resting the tray of coffees on the counter and fixing her sling with her good arm. Bailey waits for the rest of the interns to disappear before speaking. "You holding up okay? The Chief told me you had to had your shoulder fixed by Dr. Torres."

"Yeah, I guess I landed on it when I fell, but everything's under control now. Dr. Torres had some x-rays done and everything seems to be healing just fine. She recommended I had this on for a week just to prevent damage. And before you say it, I get it, no surgeries until it's healed, I get it. I promise I won't whine much about it."

Bailey nods, agreeing. "Good girl. Did you tell your parents? About the bomb."

"Oh, no. I don't want them worrying. I'm fine. These things happen," Maddox smiles innocently. "Okay, maybe these things don't happen that often, but seriously, I'm alive. They don't need to know. Unless any of you already called them," Maddox murmurs.

"My mouth is shut, Easton. I just think you should, that's it, but I'm not one to judge," Bailey's gaze focuses on the two coffees on the counter, and she raises an eyebrow. "You brought coffee?"

Maddox looks at the two coffees, knowing they weren't originally for Bailey, but decides to nod and sacrifice her coffee, taking advantage of the fact that it's the same one Bailey usually orders. "I did. Mocha latte for the mommy! Sorry. I won't say that ever again. I'll get out of your sight now, Dr. Bailey."

The brunette nods to herself, picking up the tray of coffees again, this time with only one, and heads to the coffee shop to buy another. She doesn't have any cases assigned to her, she'll just be handling consults, so she's in no hurry, but the rest of the hospital seems to be, as she has to go dodging people who cross her path, with no regard for the injured girl.

She arrives at the counter to pick up some discharge case or minor ER consults, but as she turns the corner she collides with a big, burly body, and must make a supernatural effort to keep the coffees from falling out of her hands. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The man turns around, looking her up and down with a small smile, and Maddox, while acknowledging that he's incredibly attractive, doesn't take the disapproving look out of her eyes. "I am watching where I'm going. Sorry about that. It's my first time here and I'm a bit lost. I'm visiting," the man clarifies, and his blue eyes sparkle with amusement. "I'm confounded by all the rain and it's only my first day in town."

Maddox wipes the grunting gesture off her face so as not to appear unpleasant, taking pity on the stranger. "You get used to it. I've lived here all my life, and I assure you I don't miss the sun."

"It makes me wanna stay in bed all day," the man acknowledges, and something in his voice makes Maddox turn away, raising an eyebrow.

"We just met and already you're talking about bed. To a convalescent woman. You're sick in the head."

The man smiles broadly, catching Maddox's humor. "Subtle's never been my strong suit. So, do you ever go out with coworkers?"

Unbeknownst to the man or Maddox, Addison and Derek are looking at the image, each from one side, and neither is particularly amused, though Maddox wouldn't know why. Maddox smiles at the man's lack of subtlety. "You know, I have friends who do. And that's precisely why I've made it a point not to."

"Then I'm really glad I don't work here."

"Seriously, you're hitting on me in a hospital? On any other occasion I would find it insulting, disrespectful, even, but since I almost die, I'll make an exception," Maddox holds out her good hand, smiling. "Maddox," And before the stranger can take her hand and introduce himself, Derek punches him so hard in the face that the man falls to the ground, catching his cheekbone and writhing in pain. Maddox instinctively recoils, startled by the blow, and looks at Derek in surprise. "What the hell was that?"

Derek doesn't even look offended that Maddox would talk to him like that in front of everyone, just sticks out his hand to ease the pain. "That was Mark."

"I've been looking for you all morning. You don't know how hard it's been to walk with one arm, dodging every blow. Maybe that was a bad choice of words. Anyway, people kept grabbing my coffees, taking advantage of the fact that I can't keep their hands off 'em, but they've probably gone cold, so screw them. I'm doing a lot of talking here, so I'd appreciate something coming out of your mouth," Maddox rambles, smiling a little. Addison just stares at her with sad eyes. "I've come at a bad time, haven't I?"

"It is a bad time, but that doesn't mean anything," Addison sentences, and Maddox smiles broadly, sitting down in one of the chairs. "How come you're here? I hear the Chief won't let you take any cases. Better to be at home, away from all this mess."

"I lied," Maddox blurts out, and Addison looks at her, curious. "That night in Der— Dr. Shepherd's trailer. I was thinking about Mer and Dr. Shepherd, but I've been thinking lately. About what you said. Feeling lonely," Maddox clarifies. "I've never been a girl with a lot of friends. My brother was the best and only friend I had for a while. I guess growing up that made me a little sad, but as I got older I became so cold that I didn't mind not having friends. I was focused on my studies and getting my mother well again. I had some friends at Harvard, but nothing like what I've found here. I've been feeling lonelier than ever for five years. And it's taken me being accepted into this program to find the friends I've never had. They're messy, and they make mistakes, and they're a little crazy sometimes, but they're my friends, and I love them. So," Maddox pauses after noticing her babbling. "This is me accepting your 'we should get coffee sometime'."

"Really? Oh, okay. It is."

"You know, now that we're in the process of being friends, you can be honest and tell me if this is a good time for me to stay or not. I won't hold it against you, I understand it's been a tough day. Mark is a handful."

"He is," nods Addison.

"We're both adults here, so please tell me if you don't want to talk about certain things. I won't be offended, I promise. I want to know you," Maddox sighs, seeing that the situation doesn't seem to be leading them anywhere apart. "Fine, I'll start. Imagine I'm not who I am here. I'm not Dr. Easton at the moment. My name is Maddox. I like two things: cutting people up, which is my job, and getting on people's nerves just because I can, which is my whole personality," Addison laughs, and Maddox copies her smile. "By the way, I'm sorry I called you Satan."

"You didn't call me that."

Maddox grimaces. "I did. Once or twice."

"Okay. I guess I deserve that. I'm sorry about the baby Emily. I thought it would really help you."

"It's been a long time since that. It's forgotten. I mean, it wasn't for almost a whole month, but now it is. Now, I want to know what's going on with you. You know that I almost lost my mother to cancer, that I lost my brother because he ran away, that I almost died because I held a freaking bomb inside a man's chest. I think it's only fair that you tell me how you feel right now."

Maddox looks at her, and when she sees the pain in her eyes she stops seeing her as her boss, her possible boss, and sees her as a person. It doesn't make sense to call her Dr. Shepherd because in front of her is only Addison. "Mark was Derek's best friend. Actually, we were all very close friends. He used to work with Derek in New York. We were going through a tough time, Derek was always at work, he was away, he wasn't paying attention to our relationship. And Mark... he was just there. He's always been charming and has a way with words. He saw me when I felt ignored. Sleeping with him was a mistake, but he made me feel seen. He made me feel good for once in a long time."

Maddox nods. "Okay. So you don't love Mark. It was a mistake. A big one, yes, but also a one-time thing. Did you tell Derek that? About how you felt and what made you do it?"

"He knows. And he accepts that he was absent during our relationship, but me cheating on with his best friend is not his fault. And I'd want to find someone to blame so I wouldn't feel guilty anymore, but it's no one's fault but my own."

"This isn't to make you feel better, but Mark had his share of responsibility too. He was your best friend and Derek's best friend, but mostly Derek's, from what he's told me, so him taking advantage of your bad marriage streak wasn't a very friendly move. You were hurting and lonely, and he knew it. It's not entirely your fault. I think you have to look at it from another perspective."

"Yeah, yeah, I know.... I've tried to think of it that way, but it doesn't change the fact that I screwed up my marriage. Years of marriage ending because I was lonely. I fucked up."

"Addison...," Maddox begins, and the woman looks up. "Derek's my friend, too. Sort of. Considering we're all friends. Anyway, he told me... stuff. Things you already know but are too determined to ignore. Mer wasn't an affair for him. I know he loves you: you can't forget years of marriage in one night, but he doesn't love you the way you want him to. I know it's easy to say, but I really think you should move on like he is trying to. Because dragging this out will only hurt both of you."

"Would you say this if Meredith wasn't the girl Derek's chasing?"

Maddox breathes. "Yes, because I know what I see. I'm not saying this because I want to ruin your chances or because I want Meredith staying with Derek, but because you and I are friends now, and friends deserve to be told the truth. I'm telling you what I think is best for you. Trust me," Maddox's pager beeps, and it's odd because she has no case assigned to her, but decides to take care of it anyway. "However, during these," she looks at the watch on her wrist, "sixteen minutes that we've been friends, I've learned that it will take more for you to give up. So, here's my phone number if you need anything. Coffee, food, shooting at a shooting range —I'm incredibly good with guns, please don't ask—, a place to stay."

Addison laughs a little, wiping away the tears that remain under her eyes. "You're sweet. Thank you. For not judging. And for telling me the truth. And for the coffee, obviously."

"That was the best part, right?" Maddox laughs. "I have to run. Bailey's asking for me. I'm not changing Tuck's diapers, though."

"Okay, I've had enough. You need to tell me what happened this morning," Maddox says quietly when she sees Alex in the elevator. "And I don't mean about you sleeping around with Izzie, and on that subject I'll just say that I'll seriously break your face if you ever hurt her again."

Alex scoffs. "You and who, that eighty-year-old shoulder? Don't make me laugh."

Maddox hits him hard with the clinical board she carries on her good arm, and Alex lets out a whimper. "I'll hurt you, Alex. Now, about this morning. When I left my room Meredith and George were looking at each other like they wanted to disappear off the face of the earth. Good thing you came out of Izzie's room almost naked to relieve some of that tension. I've been MIA for three days straight, I need some action in my life or I'm going to throw myself down the stairs."

"So you haven't heard? Little guy blew up earlier, everyone must have heard. Turns out Mer and George slept together last night and she's regretting it. You know him, he looks like a kicked puppy when things don't go his way."

The girl hits him again with the clinical board at the same time the elevator beeps. "Don't be like that with George. Oh, God, I didn't know. I should have known by the looks on their faces. He's been in love with her since day one, how could she do that to him?"

Alex shrugs. "We all make mistakes. You sleep with the wrong people when you're drunk. It's not that big of a deal."

"You're an ass and you're insensitive and you're many, many other bad things. I don't know why I'm your friend. Really, remind me why because I'm starting to understand why everyone else hated you so much."

The boy looks at her and smirks. "We're friends because I'm an ass and I'm insensitive but you're neurotic and a little crazy. We balance each other out. By the way, how's your arm? So you can't say I don't worry about you," Alex puts his hand to his chest, feigning drama, and Maddox restrains herself from hitting him a third time.

"For some unknown reasons I like you, so I'll let it slide. I was actually going to Dr. Torres' office. Hopefully she'll get me out of this. Are you going to suck Izzie's face off or what? That's all you seem to be doing lately."

Alex scoffs. "No. Denny Duquette was admitted this morning. She goes after his ass every time he's in."

"Don't tell me you're jealous. The Alex Karev is jealous of a poor, no-functioning-heart man?"

"I'm not jealous. We have a thing, okay? I don't like to say this but Denny will die in the end, so she'll give up her obsession with him."

Unfortunately, the two of them know Izzie. She gets too involved in patients' lives, so the fact that Denny will very possibly die soon will affect her more than it should.

"She's like that. Sympathetic, kind, generous. He's a funny guy, it's easy to like him. Well, I'll see you later. Get those juicy details, okay? And don't cause any more trouble."

"Yes, sir."

They go their separate ways, so Maddox is left alone. Dr. Torres' office is near the elevator, so it doesn't take her too long to get there. However, she is in for a major surprise when she sees Dr. Torres conversing with George inside the room.

"May I?" Maddox knocks on the door, smiling when she sees George, feigning surprise and also pretending not to know anything. She doesn't want George to think they're whispering about him behind his back. "George! What are you doing here?"

"Come in, Maddox," Dr. Torres says, smiling. "Dr. O'Malley was just leaving. Had to fix his shoulder, too. You two are friends?"

"Yeah, she's my friend. We met on the same group of interns, under Dr. Bailey. I, uh, I will talk to you later, okay?" He addresses Maddox, who nods, and leaves, nodding to himself.

"Alright, George. Now, Dr. Torres, please tell me I get to be free of this thing."

"I am not your resident, and I'm only a few years older than you. I told you to call me Callie."

"Okay, Callie. Be a good friend and take this thing off. And I'll be an even better friend and won't tell anyone you're crushing on George," Callie gives her a look that's meant to be intimidating, but Maddox simply shrugs, pulling herself up to sit on the gurney. "Don't look at me like that. I could've mopped the floor with all the drool over there. And before you say anything, yes, I speak to everyone like this the minute I get to call them by their first name."

When Maddox arrives home that night, everything seems to be trouble. The good part is that Callie has removed the sling from her shoulder, she just has to be careful propping it up and straining hard, but in principle she should have no problems when it comes time to operate. The bad part is that as soon as she gets out of the cab, she sees through the glass as George drags his suitcase across the floor with his good arm.

"George!" Maddox runs up to him, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

The boy laughs humorlessly, still dragging the suitcase with effort and trying to hold the door so he can get through at the same time. "You must be the only one who doesn't know. You'll hear it in the hospital, so I'll tell you. Meredith and I slept together last night, so me leaving the house must be a clue of how it went."

"George, I'm sorry. These days I've been MIA, but I'm still here. I don't want you to go," Maddox says, her voice sad. She doesn't want to see her friends fighting.

"It's okay, Mads. It's just, now's really hard. I need some time to cool off. I'll see you tomorrow, yes?"

"But where will you be staying? I need to know you'll be fine."

"Dr. Burke says I can stay with him and Cristina for a couple of days before I find something of my own. I need to go now."

Maddox gives him a hug, scratching the hair on the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry, George. I'm just a call away if you need something, anything."

"I know. You're a good friend, Maddox."

And with that, George simply walks away, walking toward the bus stop. Maddox watches him until he disappears into the darkness of the night, and enters the house, suddenly feeling very dejected. She goes to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, but decides to exchange it for one of Izzie's muffins, realizing she hasn't eaten anything since lunch that morning. She goes up to her room, down the hall, and senses that it's deserted, without the typical shouting of Izzie and George arguing, and with Meredith's typical silent ignorance.

She enters her room, throwing her backpack on the floor but making more noise than she would have liked. She decides that tomorrow morning she will take a shower, because she is too tired now, so she changes into her Harvard sweatshirt and sweatpants, which she deems sufficient for pajamas. She lies down, hoping to have a restful night, but it doesn't last long when someone knocks on her door shyly.

She's expecting Izzie, so she says to come in, but it's not the blonde, but Meredith. "Can I come in?" Maddox nods from the bed, so Meredith enters and closes the door. The girl gets under the covers of her friend, who presses her lips together not knowing what to say. "I haven't seen you much these days."

"I've been on shitty shifts just because of my shoulder. It's healed, so I'm hoping Bailey will let me on some cases."

"How are you doing? I feel like I never asked."

"It's fine. I told you, my shoulder is fine now. Don't worry about it."

"No, I meant emotionally. Izzie said you broke down for a minute, but you look so... unscathed. I don't know, it's like nothing happened. You came home that day and we never talked about it. It could have been me if you hadn't let me stay home. It's crazy."

Maddox smiles a little. "I try to live life like nothing's going on. But I see him every night, when I close my eyes. I see him, telling me I'm doing good. I see him, coming out of the room and I see him blowing up in front of my face. Sometimes the nightmares change his face to mine. Sometimes my brain makes me watch myself die over and over again. I didn't know him, but Dylan didn't deserve to die. Sometimes I wish I had stayed home that day, imagine what could have happened."

"Mads..."

"Have you ever had a close to death experience? That moment when I was holding the bomb, I thought I was going to die. I even said some things to Burke that I wouldn't have said to him any other time. There was no turning back. This is it, I told myself many times. They say you can relive your life one last time before you die. And I saw him before it all happened. I saw my brother. After Dylan told me to imagine someone I liked so I could hear him clearly. I saw Dennis even after everything he did. Not even my mother, but my brother."

Meredith looks at her from her side of the bed in silence. "He's your brother. The heart wants what it wants. It doesn't see right or wrong, it just demands. Sometimes it demands so hard it makes you take notice. Have you ever thought that you might want to give your brother a chance to come back into your life?"

Maddox's eyes get wet. "I loved him, he was all I had. My mother could have died and he wouldn't even have known because he wasn't there. Now he has a life. He's having a baby. He lives in Seattle with his girlfriend. My parents seem to have forgiven him, but I don't think I'm capable of doing so. Do you think you'd be able to forgive someone after abandoning you for so long?"

Maddox wipes away tears, oblivious to the fact that Meredith is going through something similar. "Tonight I saw my father for the first time in twenty years. He has a life. I'm sure he even has kids, and a wife, or someone like that. He lives here in Seattle. My mother doesn't have to forgive him, because she was the reason he left. But I looked him in the eye for the first time in a long time, and I couldn't forgive him for leaving me when I was just a kid. So I'm not going to be a hypocrite and tell you that you should give him a chance because I haven't myself. I'm just telling you that I'll be here, no matter what you decide."

The brunette takes Meredith's hand, who squeezes it back. "I know. Thank you, Mer. You're a good person. Even after what happened with George. I know you didn't mean to hurt him. He'll come around."

"I messed up pretty bad. He left and that's my fault."

"Give him some time. He's hurt but we all know you didn't mean any harm. McDreamy screwed you over, didn't he?"

Meredith covers her eyes with her hands, huffing. "Now he wants to be friends. He's messing with my mind. I'm walking Doc with him tomorrow, as a matter of fact."

"If Derek wasn't a friend, I'd prefer McSteamy. What? Don't look at me like that. He's hot as fuck and his presence here is just the way I like it in men: fleeting," Maddox says and Meredith laughs so hard she almost chokes. "Did you see the punch? He took it like a champ. And he stitched himself up," when the two stop laughing, a comfortable silence reigns in the room. Suddenly, Maddox remembers something. "Hey. Remember when we watched your mother's surgeries? I imagined then what she would be like as a person. You always mentioned how good a surgeon she was, but I had no image of her as a mother, or as a friend."

"She was bossy. She was cold. She was always working, so she always spent the holidays home alone. When she was home, she would complain that she wasn't operating. She was devoted to medicine. But now she is a shadow of her former self. She has her moments, but the rest of the time she's anchored somewhere twenty years ago."

"Do you visit her often?"

Meredith shrugs. "Not as much as I would have to. She looks down on me the time she knows I'm a surgeon, and the rest of the time she thinks I'm five years old."

"That must suck. Hey, do you think I could go with you sometime?"

The girl looks at Maddox, somewhat surprised. None of her friends have ever offered to go with her to see Ellis. "Yeah, sure. Maybe she'd like some other company. Other than myself and Chief Webber, at least. By the way, did I tell you I think they were together at some point?"

"Oh, shit."