AN HONEST MISTAKE
5x16

"The lack of blood flow through the vessel is causing the mini-strokes and aphasia," Derek tells the two.

The wife—Jen—had just undergone her long awaited surgery, done by Derek. Although, it hadn't gone the greatest.

He's beating himself up over it, and everyone can see it. She was missing words and stuttering throughout her sentences.. something she hadn't done before her procedure.

"We can't put the surgery off any longer, so what I'm gonna do is a repair that's called an E.C./I.C. bypass," Derek explained.

Him and his team contained himself, Addison, Rowan, Alex, and Meredith.

Rowan could already tell this was going to be a more than stressful case. Just what she needed, right?

She was on about two hours of sleep and coffee.

Something inside her prayed she saw just a glimpse of Lexie, even though she shouldn't, she misses her.

As a friend, though, she assured herself.

"And— and that will fix the strokes?" The husband asks. "She'll be better after this?"

"I'm hoping it will work yes."

"But.. the.." Jen sighs, struggling to voice her concerns. "M—"

"I'm sure they wouldn't operate if it wasn't safe for the baby," Her husband looks up at Addison and Rowan. "Right, Dr. Montgomery?"

"Oh, your— your blood pressure is still high, but that's why we'll be there, to monitor you and your baby," Addison points to herself and to Rowan.

"Get some rest. We'll see you soon," Derek nodded and led the group out of the room.

💍

Rowan had been passed out at the nurses station for about an hour now. Lexie noticed her a while ago, but decided it might be better to let her be for a bit.

She came by another half an hour later, and Rowan was still in the same position. Lexie was beginning to wonder if she was still alive.

So she went and got Rowan and herself some coffee.

A nurse got up right as Lexie came back with two large, steaming hot coffees in her hand, leaving her with a perfect entrance.

Lexie sits in the other chair in the nurses station, and sits the coffee near Rowan, but not to close that she would knock it over when Lexie woke her up.

"Hey," Lexie patted Rowans arm awkwardly.

When that didn't work, Lexie tried rubbing her arm—but surprise, surprise, that didn't work either.

"Rowan?" Lexie sat with hopeful eyes as Rowan began to stir, but didn't fully wake.

"Trying to wake her?" Addison slid up to the counter, leaning over.

Lexie jumped, and shrieked, which then woke the blonde up.

"I was coming to find you for surgery," Addison chuckled. "I didn't realize you'd be passed out at a nurses station, of all places. If I would've known you fell asleep in random places, I would've saved my time in checking all the on-call rooms."

"That's me," Rowan shoots finger guns before noticing the coffee in front of her face.

She then notices the intern sitting right next to her, staring at her with the same hopeful eyes she had two minutes ago.

Rowan fixes her hair and wipes the drool from the corner of her mouth, to look presentable, of course.

That was the only reason!

Rowan reaches for the coffee and almost drinks the whole thing in one chug.

"Woah there, tiger," Addi stands up and reminds Rowan of the reason she was standing there in the first place.

"Wait— surgery? Now? But it's only—" Rowan checks the clock as she takes another sip of the coffee, only to reveal that she'd been passed out longer than she'd anticipated.

Rowan deflated, because there's nothing she would want more than to sit here and enjoy this coffee with a certain Grey sister.

But she has to be in surgery right now, so she'd have to wait for lunch or dinner, or whatever came next because she really couldn't tell you if it was night or day right now.

"I'll see you for lunch or dinner," Rowan smiled and put a hand on Lexies shoulder, making the younger girls cheeks catch aflame. "Thank you for the coffee. I'll drink as much as I can in this three minute walk."

"See you then," Lexie gave a disappointed nod, but really, what could Rowan do. She couldn't back out of the surgery just because her fake wife wanted to spend time with her. She would be okay for a few hours—she'd find something to do.

💍

Normally, Rowan would be excited and beaming after a successful surgery. But not now.

The surgery had went well for Derek, which had Jen and Rob excited, until Rowan and Addison had crashed the party with the haunting news of preeclampsia.

It was now lunch time, and Rowan was awaiting her daily salad for lunch.. and maybe a certain brunette interns company.

The lunch had to be on the quicker side, because she would have to be back in surgery by the end of the hour, for only god knows what now.

Rowan didn't take her hair out of the low bun she'd had in, but she did take her scrub hat off—which was now resting in her scrub pocket.

She approached Lexie, who was standing in line, and had already grabbed food and drinks for both of them.

Rowan laughed at the sight of Lexie trying to juggle at least 6 things in her hands.

"Well— well are you just gonna laugh, or are you gonna help me?" Lexie rolled her eyes playfully as she almost dropped Rowan's salad.

Rowan grabbed the plastic container and the water from her wife's hands.

"You looked cute, I thought I'd let you struggle," Rowan lifted a shoulder in a shrug.

"Hm," Lexie narrows her eyes with a mischievous expression, which has Rowan raising her brows and laughing.

"Come on, let's pay and eat," Rowan takes everything out of Lexie's hands, in a more organized fashion, and pays for it.

All of it.

"Thank you," Rowan gives a kind smile to the woman at the register and pretends to not notice how one of the interns mouths, "Sugar mommy?" to Lexie.

"You didn't have to pay for my stuff, you know?" Lexie questions as she sits down.

Rowan places Lexie's unhealthy garbage in front of her, along with her sugary drink, with a shrug.

"You bought me coffee earlier," Rowan shakes her head. "Trust me, it's alright."

"It was like, what? Three bucks?" Lexie juts her chin out. "This," Lexie nods to the tray full of food. "had to be like thirteen."

"It was nothing. Drop it."

"But-"

"I said drop it, Alexandra," Rowan said with a stern expression, no humor embedded deep down under the surface. "I'm sorry, that was a bit harsh."

Rowan reaches across to grab Lexies hand but the brunette pulls her hand into her lap, "It's fine."

"Alexan-"

"No, really, it's okay," Lexie shrugs, keeping her eyes down so Rowan can't see the hurt in them. "Let's just eat lunch."

Rowan sighs, her eyes plastered on the top of Lexie's head, because Lexie won't lift her head.

The blonde woman picks up the plastic fork and begins eating her salad, trying to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Everything was not fine or okay, and she knew it. But she'd let it go.. for now.

💍

Twelve hundred surgeries later, and Rowan Potter is a hot mess in need of a shower and a long nap. Which is probably why she doesn't even realize Lexie isn't waiting in her usual spot when she gets to the front of the hospital.

In fact, she isn't even there at all.

She blinks and lets out a tired yawn before another intern—who almost gives Rowan a heart attack because they're sitting in a chair, out of Rowan's sight—informs Rowan of her wives whereabouts.

She'd went home without her.

She'd really messed up. Because in the short time the two have been in this marriage, Lexie had never went home on her own.

Rowan wants to know how she even got there on her own, because, normally Rowan would drive her.

The intern must have read the concern on her face because then she says, "Dr. Grey drove her."

"Of course she did," Rowan said sarcastically. Not even saying thank you to the helpful intern.

When Rowan gets home she doesn't say hello to Derek or Alex or whoever else is sitting in the living room. She goes straight to Lexie.

"Alexandra," Rowan sighs in the doorway. "What's wrong?"

Lexie looks up from her book with a bored expression.

"Nothing."

"Okay, well, something was wrong," Rowan raises her brows and sits in the bed next to Lexie.

But Lexie just keeps reading.

Rowan snatches the book out of the interns hangs which has Lexie throwing her hands in the air.

After a few minutes of silence, Lexie breaks.

"Fine, yeah, something is wrong," Lexie is fuming now. "You got snippy with me at lunch today."

"Okay, and I said sorry," Rowan said, still not understanding the problem.

"I don't.." Lexie looks down in frustration. "I don't handle that well. When people yell at me."

"Alexandra.."

"My father yells at me when he's drunk," Lexie says. "It doesn't bring back good memories. It also means I've made mistakes. And I don't like to make mistakes."

"I've noticed," Rowan says, which makes Lexie giggle.

"I just don't like it."

"I'm sorry I made you upset."

"It's okay," Lexie rolls her eyes. "As long as you give me back my book and keep buying me lunch."

"Deal," Rowan smiled, handing the girl her book. "Now how about you read to me?"

"Deal."