"She kicked me out!" The office door opens, and Lexie bursts in, noticeably upset and with red cheeks, probably from a mixture of embarrassment and helplessness. "Apparently my resident and Meredith have decided to swap interns, and to my surprise I get to be with Meredith today. I thought it would be a great opportunity to finally talk! I just want to show her that I'm a good person, that I have nothing to do with the father who abandoned her. But after telling me yesterday that I'm someone she doesn't want to know, today she goes and sets me up. She wanted me to intubate a man who ended up dying. She could've warned me that nothing more could be done for him! She had to do something for him! Then she kicked me out of the ER and sent me to the clinic with Bailey. She hates me. My sister hates me, Maddox."

The young woman lifts her head to look at her and blinks. "How did you know I was here? I purposely hid."

"What?" Lexie frowns. "Oh, yes. I was walking down the hall and saw you through the window."

"The drawn blinds didn't give anyone a clue that I'm busy?"

"Oh," Lexie murmurs. "What are you doing?" Maddox stares at her again, but since she knows she's not going to get to be alone much longer, she ends up huffing. "Paperwork?" She asks when she sees a couple of sheets in front of her.

Maddox is quick to hide the papers she has stacked up, as if she wants to hide the contents of them. "Exactly. Being a resident is harder than I thought. Dealing with the legality of deaths is something I didn't expect to deal with."

"Can I help you with something? I don't want to go back to the ER with Meredith and I'd rather give you a hand here than spend my time sewing stitches in the clinic," Lexie gives off a sheepish smile, trying to keep Maddox from being able to refuse her requests.

"Sewing, cleaning up kids' drool and doing labs, as much as they're unglamorous chores, is how you learn the most. So no," Maddox sentences. "I can't assign you to my shift even if I wanted to. That's a request you'll have to take to Callie —Dr. Torres. Or well, to Bailey. We all know she's the real boss."

Lexie shrinks back in the seat, hiding her head in her arms, and Maddox feels momentarily sorry for her. They're not so different, maybe that's why she empathizes with her so much: they both have siblings they don't talk to, their fathers are present but not too much, and they've both lost their mother in some ways. "You used to be more fun."

Maddox lets out a short laugh. "I wasn't one of your bosses before."

The door opens again, and Maddox snorts again. Cristina lingers in the frame, arching an eyebrow at both the brunette's welcome and the presence of one of her interns in Maddox's company. Then she decides she doesn't want to ask, so she shrugs, takes a seat to Maddox's right and rests her legs on the table, adopting a relaxed posture.

"Really?" Maddox laments aloud. "You shouldn't even be here," she adds, turning to Cristina.

"I need a break from my interns. How do you think Bailey held up? If they ask me another stupid question I'll have no choice but to hang myself in the locker room," Cristina curses, letting out a big sigh. "Ah, hello, two. Or was it three? I don't remember anymore."

"Her name is Lexie," Maddox chides her. "And she was just leaving."

"What are you writing?" Cristina questions when she sees the folded papers on the table.

"My will," the brunette says with an impassive expression.

"Your will?" Lexie inquires, her tone horrified.

"Cool," Cristina nods. "What are you leaving me?"

"For my great friend Cristina Yang I'm leaving the toaster that my great friend Cristina Yang gave me in exchange for a surgery that ended before it started, because the patient died in his room exactly one hour and twenty-three minutes before she got to the operating room," Maddox pretends to read from her paper, and fake-smiles at Cristina.

"Yikes," Lexie murmurs.

"Maybe I'll get you a sex toy, too. Maybe that way you'll stop being so uptight. Is Satan not delivering in bed, Mad Max?"

"I hate you," Maddox eventually surrenders.

"The feeling is mutual," Cristina knows perfectly well that the feeling is not mutual. The girl's pager goes off at that instant, and it seems to be something exciting, because she springs up and her eyes widen. "I've got to go. Sloan's big operation."

"Oh, can I go?" Lexie asks.

"Mmm, you better stay here."

The young intern frowns as Cristina rushes out of the room, leaning her elbow on the table and then dropping her head. "Let's get out of here. This isn't a safe place anymore anyway. I'll walk you out to make your rounds."

"Really?"

"You're lucky I get along with Dr. Torres. My interns are in the ER and I warned them to call me if anything happens, but it looks like a quiet day today. I'll show you some of the cases I've been dealing with this week and you'll explain possible solutions to their problems."

"Really?" repeats Lexie, smiling. "I feel like there's something hidden going on."

"Nothing. All I ask in return is that you say nothing to the rest of the interns that you've been with me. Oh, and that in a few days you stop by Joe's bar. It's my birthday and I'll celebrate it with a few drinks with people from the hospital. It's a good opportunity to meet people who aren't just interns."

"Do you think Meredith won't mind if I go? She doesn't seem very willing to talk to me, especially not with what happened earlier," Lexie laments, flashing back to the way she's interrupted Maddox's quiet time.

"Meredith doesn't hate you," Maddox repeats. "Meredith needs time. Meredith has just discovered she has a half-sister she's going to see day after day, a sister with whom she shares a father who was present in your childhood while she was left out. Let her get used to the situation and, above all, don't push her. If you push past her boundaries Mer will most likely shut down. Just give her time, okay?"

"Okay," Lexie nods to herself, feeling somewhat more comforted. Maddox knows her friend well, so she's confident her words will work. However, Lexie is not one to let things flow. Lexie Grey needs to be in control and know what's going on around her, and so she doesn't miss the opportunity to ask again: "May I ask what you were writing in there? Cristina is your friend; if it was just paperwork, you would have had no problem telling her."

Maddox sighs, massaging her temples as she glares for the nurse on duty to pass her one of the medical charts. "I obviously wasn't writing my will. I plan to live a long life, even if it's just to annoy her," her words make Lexie smile, who envies the ease with which Maddox has found in Seattle Grace a family. "I was writing a letter. I still live at Meredith's and no one there would give me a break to write. Besides, in Addison's room I wouldn't have any privacy either —she'd easily see what I write and I don't want to worry her."

Lexie nods, though she still doesn't quite understand how things work there. "Addison is... the neonatal surgeon, right? Red hair, intimidating. I think I've only met her once since I've been here."

"That's the one," Maddox smiles. "Addison is Derek's ex-wife, and Derek is the one Meredith is dating every other day. The same one you hit on at Joe's bar," Maddox shoots her a warning look.

"Wow," Lexie whispers. "Has everyone slept with everyone here?"

"You'll get used to it soon enough."

"I understand. And why would you worry Addison? It's just a letter."

Maddox purses her lips and pulls the papers out of her robe pocket absently. "It's not about the letter itself, it's about the content. Every year since we've been out of touch, I write to my brother for our birthday. I guess everything I write here is what I wish I had said to him under different circumstances."

Lexie's heart shrinks in her chest at the sight of her friend's sad expression, even though her friend tries not to let it show the way her voice cracks or the way her eyes look up at the ceiling to keep from getting emotional. Lexie is one of the few people who knows what happened in the Easton family, specifically between Dennis and Maddox, so she can't help but get emotional either. "So what does he say back to you in letters?"

Maddox shrugs. "I don't know. I've never dared to send them. Whenever I decide to wrap them in an envelope, I remember how he walked away without a word, leaving us stranded in one of the worst situations. I remind myself that he would also be able to remember me on my birthday, and that's when I take it out of the letter and keep it for myself. I guess I can't bring myself to get rid of them or burn them because what I write is what I feel, whether for good or bad, and at some point in my life I will be able to tell him. Anyway," Maddox blinks several times to get rid of the tears. "Let's stop with the depressing situations. Let's welcome your first real patient."

That night the rain beats hard against the window, but that's not what wakes her up. Repeated knocks on the door are what cause the alarm, and Maddox awakens from her lethargy. Confused, she looks around, and to her surprise discovers that she has fallen asleep over a research book, the desk light still on and her hair completely disheveled. The knocking against the wood becomes more noticeable, and Maddox, alone in the room, has no choice but to go attend to them because she knows she won't be able to fall asleep again so easily.

She looks at the clock. Half past one in the morning. She knows Addison was working that night, but she didn't expect to have her back so soon. "Honestly, Addison, did you forget your card again?" But who is on the other side of the door is not Addison, but Callie, completely drenched and with an impassive expression on her face. "Callie? What are you doing here? Are you okay?"

"I woke you up," Callie's voice is shaky, and she's not asking, but stating. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here. I just thought... I don't know. I knew Addison wouldn't be here tonight, and I just needed someone. I didn't mean to bother you. I know we're not that close, but I didn't know where else to go. I don't have anywhere else to go," Callie takes a deep breath with tears in her eyes.

"Don't be silly, come inside," Maddox urges her. "I'm going to get some towels. What happened?"

Callie is taking off her jacket and wiping the drops from her skin and hair when she speaks. "George cheated on me."

Maddox turns around quickly, incredulous. "What?"

"George cheated on me," Callie repeats, as if she wants to believe it. "I've been wanting to deny it for a while, but I can't anymore. He's been distant, he barely speaks to me, and with the whole being an intern thing again I barely see him."

"But are you sure about what you're saying?"

The orthopedic surgeon nods, taking a seat on the bed. "He told me. He cheated on me with Izzie Stevens."

"What?" Maddox repeats. Suddenly everything seems to start making sense: the strange looks between the two, the distance between them, the energy Maddox sensed from Callie about Izzie, George wanting to switch hospitals.... The younger one brings her hands to her hair and shakes it out in disbelief. "How did this happen, when did this happen? I can't believe any of this."

"I don't know," Callie admits, "He told me the other day. I've been so busy with the whole Chief Resident thing that I haven't been able to focus and reconnect with him. He had wanted to talk to me, but I honestly couldn't do it; I was so stressed out that the last thing I wanted was for him to leave me. So I waited, and waited, until we both couldn't take it anymore: he was dying to tell me, and I had been putting it off for too long. He just confessed and I told him I forgave him."

Maddox frowns, taking a seat next to her. "But do you? Forgive him? I know you love him, but this was a hard blow. You don't have to stay with him if you don't feel like it just because you're married to him. George is my friend too, and yes, I knew him before I knew you, but this I can't defend. This was wrong and it would be completely understandable if you were angry and didn't forgive him. At least not right away."

"I don't know," the other brunette repeats, bringing her hands to her face and covering it. "I don't know what to do. I've had suspicions about him and Izzie for so long that I don't know what to do now that I've confirmed them."

"Well, did he mean it? Was it a mistake or did he mean it? I'm not one to judge other people's relationships, but if you've been suspicious of them it's because you had your reasons for doing so. I can't tell you to forgive him or leave him, but I think this will be hard for you to get over. You can't just forgive and forget when someone breaks your trust like this."

"I know he thinks we shouldn't have gotten married," Callie scoffs and laughs humorlessly. "I can feel his doubts and anxiety. He's just never said it out loud."

"It did seem a little rushed, but I guess it doesn't matter as long as there was love. I can't believe George would do this. And with Izzie. I feel like I've missed out on so much. Hell, even I'm angry. You have every right to be angry about this."

"Is it weird that I was kind of expecting it, so now I don't really know how to feel? I've always known I would break up with someone the moment they cheated on me, but now that I'm living it I don't know what to do. I'm tired of expecting the worst and now that it's happened it's kind of liberating, in a way. I'm a mess but at least I know I wasn't crazy."

"Of course you weren't. I'm sorry this happened. You don't deserve this," Maddox slips an arm around her shoulder to try to comfort her. "You want me to talk to George, talk some sense into him?" The girl gestures with her fists, trying to mimic a fight, and Callie snorts.

"I think I need to not see the two of them for a while. I need to calm down."

"Okay, I understand. I'll lay out some bed clothes for you to sleep in. What?" adds Maddox when she detects Callie's hesitant look.

"I can't sleep here. Addison could be back any minute."

"Addison's shift lasts all night. She'll get some sleep at the hospital, since her next shift is tomorrow morning. She won't be back, so you can have her spot. Come on, I don't bite and I'm really tired. I think you could use some sleep too," Callie bursts into tears and Maddox hops out of bed to come over to her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's just... you're the first person to really show me kindness since everything that's been going on."

"Hey, come on. We're friends, any friend would do this. You don't have to worry about staying here, this is a safe place for people. Besides, I assure you Addison won't mind."

"Care to tell me why we had a sleepover with Dr. Torres?"

Maddox lifts her head to meet head-on the curious blue eyes of Addison, whose eyebrows are arched and always seems to have the same facial expression when she encounters Maddox. Addison realizes she's asking weird questions, but it's Maddox's fault for doing weird things.

"That's a great question. I didn't know you were back at the hotel."

"I had an hour off and thought I could come back and hang out with you for a while. But my surprise is a capital one when I swipe the card, walk into the room and see Calliope Torres occupying my side of the bed and you curled up next to her," Addison narrates, knowing Maddox is trying to avoid the subject. "Of course I had to see myself out, since I wasn't even welcome in my own hotel room."

"See, if we had our own place, that wouldn't have happened! We'd have a guest room —maybe two, because sadly I know a lot of people who could use it at some point in their lives."

"Maddox," Addison warns.

"Okay, okay! George cheated on her. She found out and needed a place to be that wasn't with him, so she came to see me. I let her sleep there because I thought you wouldn't come back at night. She even cried, you don't get to be mad."

"I'm not mad," Addison reasons. "I just find it funny how you try to talk your way out of every situation," the redhead emits a chuckle and Maddox shrugs. "You're a good friend. By the way, how do you feel about that? I know O'Malley was your friend before Callie."

Maddox snorts, pressing the elevator button. "It's hard. I can't judge, I just didn't expect this. I expected more from George. And from Izzie."

"She cheated on you with Stevens? God."

"Yeah. I understand it's hard when feelings are involved, but at least they could have waited until George was sure their marriage was over. There was no need to hurt Callie."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Addison asks as she hears the anger in her voice, and wonders to herself if the fact that she's upset about George cheating on Callie is related to Addison cheating on Derek before she met Maddox.

"No, I'd rather not. I'm heading to the cafeteria right now and I assume they'll be there, so I don't want to get worked up before I need to," Maddox smiles a little and kisses Addison's cheek reassuringly. "You look so pretty. You can't even tell you haven't slept today."

"Torres kept me from sleeping. I'll be sure to remember that."

"Okay," Maddox laughs. "Join me for coffee. We need to get that brilliant brain of yours working."

When they get to the cafeteria, Maddox sees Cristina and Meredith already seated at a table in the back by the bar, so she shares a glance with Addison, who rolls her eyes but smiles a little. "I guess this is goodbye. There's no way I'm sitting down to gossip with you juniors. I'll see you tonight. And you better be alone this time," Addison warns her with a protective but jocular look, and Maddox gives her a salute.

"What are you guys doing?" Maddox asks, taking a seat. Then she notices a bag with something resembling powder inside. "What's that?"

"My mother," Meredith answers simply.

Maddox spits the contents of her water bottle onto the table, earning a reproachful look from Cristina and an amused one from Meredith. "What?"

"I needed to get it out of my house. I put it in my locker but everyone seems to dislike the idea, so I'm carrying it until I know for sure what to do with it."

"Medicated Ellis was such a nice woman. I liked her," Maddox laments.

Cristina joins the talk. "Wait, you met her? She met Ellis Grey while she wasn't screaming her head off and I didn't?" She chides Meredith. "You know what? Forget it. She's dead now anyway. We could scatter her off the roof."

"She was afraid of heights."

Cristina scoffs. "They're ashes, Meredith. Ashes aren't acrophobic."

"I need to put my mother to rest. I need to not become her. I need to not die emotionally crippled and alone. And I need to not attend Derek Shepherd and Sydney Heron's wedding. I need to put my mother to rest."

"Sydney Heron?" Maddox asks with a frown. "Do you hear yourself when you talk?"

At that moment, Izzie and George approach the table with trays and take a seat. Meredith is the only one who takes a neutral position, as Cristina and Maddox decide to turn away and shut up in a noticeably uncomfortable manner.

It's Izzie who breaks the tense silence after a while of not being able to take it anymore. "Just ask."

"Have you two been... without either of us knowing? Doing this all the time?"

"Only once."

"Iz," George interjects, feeling revealed.

"I said she could ask questions," the blonde replies in a whisper. "Just once. And now we're waiting to... be together. Out of respect."

Maddox can't help but raise an eyebrow in irony, and sees Cristina look at her as she does the same. "For Callie's feelings."

Cristina scoffs, incredulous, and as she gets up to leave, Maddox leaves with her.

It's not being a great day, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out, and Maddox can definitely feel it in the hospital environment. Callie has exposed Izzie and George and the whole hospital has been gradually learning of the couple's love disappointment; Erica Hahn has arrived at the hospital to fill in as head of the cardiothoracic department to replace Burke, who has left for good and although Cristina says all is well, all is not well; and, to top it all off, as much as Maddox likes to go into surgery, she has run into a man who has cut off his seemingly healthy foot with a chainsaw.

Maddox is walking down the stairs and heading for the operating room when she crosses paths with Izzie for the second time that day. The first hasn't turned out to be the most favorable encounter ever, and from the blonde's countenance and Maddox's dodgy look, this looks like it's going to be the second worst interaction of the day.

"It's not my fault Hahn chose me," Izzie says to get her attention. Maddox tightens her op hat and sighs to herself before turning away.

"I don't care that she chose you."

"I can't believe that you are judging me," Izzie scoffs. "That after everything that you've gone through, you're judging me."

Maddox, aware of where Izzie is trying to steer the conversation, clenches her jaw. "It's not the same."

"It is the same thing. It's exactly the same thing. I'm sorry that I hurt Callie. I didn't mean to hurt her."

"You slept with her husband. I fell in love with someone who was married and whose husband I knew, and I waited until they were no longer married to pursue a relationship. I slept with my girlfriend. It's not the same thing."

"Meredith slept with another woman's husband," Izzie resorts at the last minute. Maddox makes an effort not to roll her eyes. "Meredith slept with another woman's husband! The three of you are like this closed circle. You can commit whatever crime you want and in your little circle it's all fine."

"Cut the crap, Izzie. You know as well as I do that Meredith didn't know Derek was married, and that she didn't do anything until their marriage was completely over. I don't think it's entirely your fault, I think it's George's fault. I just expected some respect from both of you."

"I bet you're not having this conversation with Addison, are you?" Izzie shouts. "She cheated on Shepherd with Sloan! She did not have the respect to her husband you're looking for but with her everything's just fine?"

Izzie knows she's screwed up, because she hasn't seen Maddox this furious in the time she's known her. "Don't you drag her into this. What happened before meeting her is not your business. Focus on yours and I'll mind my own business when you people stop throwing yours in my face."

Maddox removes her hat in an instinct of rage, bringing her hands to her face to focus. She leans against the hallway to catch her breath, but Izzie's words linger in her chest for a long time. She shakes her head: her words don't have to make any sense to her. Addison made a mistake before she met her, a mistake that doesn't have to be repeated now that they're in a relationship and something that doesn't have to impact the trust she has in her. Addison hasn't given her any reason to distrust her, so Maddox isn't going to start doing it now just because Izzie is feeling jilted.

She runs into Lexie and Meredith, and she's so distracted that she doesn't question why the two half-sisters are talking in the middle of the hallway, when Meredith doesn't seem to want her presence around and Lexie is more scared than a deer in the road. "You okay there?" Meredith catches her eye when she sees her coming.

"I need to do something," Maddox mutters. "Something that can keep my mind off things. Something really strange, preferably."

"Uh, okay," Meredith muses. "I'm gonna go get rid of my mother's ashes. Want to tag along?"

"Strange enough," Maddox nods. Then she hands the scrub cap to Lexie. "Are you interested in scrubbing in with Yang and Torres? Foot amputation. All yours if you want it."

"Nice," Lexie smiles.

"Come on, let's say goodbye to Ellis Grey," Meredith smiles and hooks her arm with Maddox's.