Wake up calls.  They happen when we least expect them but they are sometimes what everyone needs in moments of hardships.  To remember the importance of forgiveness.  To remember your loved ones.  To remember the good times and not focus on the bad.  They help us grow as a person.  To realize our potential.

Wake up calls are something that we didn't even know we needed at the time but it was everything we needed.  They help mend broken hearts.  Help to heal all wounds.  And maybe if you're lucky, it will make you even stronger.

-

Derek was sitting in the waiting room when someone who was sitting next to him spoke up.

"Who are you here for?"

"What?" Derek asked a little out of it.

"I'm waiting on my wife.  Car hit her.  Can you believe that?  On the ferry.  She was run over on the ferry.  They haven't said much."

"My girlfriend and best friend were there too," Derek answered his questioned.  "I don't know how either of them are doing and I really messed up with my best friend.  I don't know what's going to happen."

"It's out of our hands.  It's up to the doctors now."

"Yeah," Derek agreed.

"What I do know is that even if you did mess up I know that there are wake up calls in our life for a reason.  What's their names?"

"Alison's my best friend and Meredith is my girlfriend."

"I'll put them in my prayers."

"Thanks," Derek smiled sadly at the person waiting on his wife.

*

"That is on you.  That is on you!" Addison heard Derek begin to yell and she stepped in to Ellis Grey's room.

"Derek," she called his name as she stood at the door and gave him a disapproving look as he followed her out.  

"The woman is just-"

"There is no question that there is a black hole," Addison agreed.  "But she can't help herself and she certainly can't fix Meredith."

"It's my fault," Derek said.

"Don't."

"Everything was happening and I wasn't there for her."

"Your human."

"She just pulled away from me," he said beginning to cry.  "And then with Alison," he shook his head.

"You think that Meredith went into the water on purpose?  What happened with Alison was shitty thing but it is not your fault.  I know you think so because of your fight but none of could have predicted this would happen."

"She knows how to swim.  She can swim."

"Derek you don't know," Addison said and grabbed his face to look at her.  "You do not get to break down.  You don't get to fall apart.  Not when there is still a chance and there still is a chance, Derek.  Okay?"

"Okay," he nodded his head in understanding.

*

It was hours later when Meredith had woken up.  Mark went up to Addison as he saw her watching Meredith and Derek in her room.

"She's okay?" Mark asked crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Addison nodded her head.  "We never had that.  He never felt that way about me.  What does she have that I don't?" She asked him.

"I think we both know the answer to that," he pointed out as he crossed his arms.  "Derek."

"Not Meredith.  I meant Alison."

"What brought this up?" He asked, confused.

"I don't know," she shook her head.  "It's just.  I see your relationship with her and I guess in a way it makes me reminisce about ours.  I mean we did have a pretty good thing."

"There was nothing good about it with how we started it, Addison.  You and I both know that.  Was it all a game to you?  Because now being with Alison, it sure feels like it was.  Now I finally see what being in a relationship is supposed to be like.  She makes me feel better and be better even when I feel like the shittiest person alive.  It's the little things you know?  Her making breakfast for me in the morning.  Having my coffee ready before we head off to work together.  Alison makes me want to be a better man.  You know?  You deserve that too, Addison.  Just because we didn't work out doesn't mean you don't deserve the best.  I know Alison would say the same."

"Thank you, Mark," she smiled at the man she had the affair with.

*

Alison's eyes slowly fluttered opened as she took in her surroundings, wincing slightly at the bright light.  Her lips felt chapped and felt immediate exhaustion even with just waking up.  She could feel a slight pain in her left leg.

"Water," she finally got out.

"What was that?" Adam asked his older sister as he rushed over to her side.

"Water."

He immediately got up and pressed the call button so that one of the nurses could be alerted that she was now awake.  

"The syph nurse," Alison exclaimed in reference to Olivia as she was both tired and having just woken up from surgery.  "Yay!"

Adam furrowed his eyebrows, not understanding what she meant by that but ignored it for now.

"Ali's awake and I know she would like some water," he told her and Olivia nodded her head with a smile.

"And some vaseline," Alison told her and Olivia understood before she left.

"The syph nurse?" Adam questioned his sister and she gave him a lazy smile.

"Keep it to yourself but she slept with an intern who didn't know he had syphilis and then she gave it to another intern who ended up catching syphilis."

"Damn, that sucks," he said laughing as he shook his head.  "Is that a normal thing around here to be sleeping with everyone who works here?"

"Only here," she brought up a finger to tell him to keep quiet on it making them both laugh.  She was definitely feeling a little out of it still after surgery.

Olivia came back in as well as Alison's family since Adam had sent them a text letting them know she had woken up.

"Thank you, Olivia," Alison said a little more awake as Olivia as the nurse applies vaseline to her lips and hands her the water.  "Sorry... about earlier."

"It's no problem," Olivia said a little embarrassed.  "It's embarrassing but I've learned that's what I'm going to be known as.  The syph nurse."

"I really should stop saying that," Alison said.  "And if it's any consolation I'll get everyone else to stop saying it too."

"You don't have to," Olivia told the resident who was laying in the hospital bed.

"Believe me, I need to do that."

"Thank you," the nurse smiled shyly at the blonde as they came to an understanding.  "I'll page Doctor Torres and Doctor Sloan.  I know he will want to be updated.  Besides you need your burn looked at."

"Thanks Olivia," she told her as she walked out leaving her with her family.

"Mark told me that you didn't have your I.d. on you," her father told him as he narrowed his eyes slightly.  "What have I always taught you three about keeping some form of I.d. on you?"

"To always keep it in case of an emergency," she mocked him.  "I know dad, I made a mistake.  At least I had a small first aide kit in my purse and was able to help people before the other doctors came," she said trying to look at the bright side as her father wore a straight face with crossed arms.

"Your right," her dad let out a sigh as he leaned down to hug his daughter and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Callie and Mark came into Alison's room.  Mark had been with Alison and her family pretty much the whole time unless he was called to help Izzie over the phone and then with her surgery.  Or when he went to check on Meredith and some other patients.  

"How's our patient doing?" Mark asked with a smirk as he handed his girlfriend a grande pumpkin spice Frappuccino cold and a warm pumpkin cream cheese muffin.  She thanked him and pecked his lips quickly.  

"Surgery went really well," she told Alison and her family as her parents let out sighs of relief.  "What we had to do was an open reduction internal fixation.  We had to insert a surgical rod to help set and support the bones in order for them to heal.  Now you are going to need to have physical therapy," Callie told Alison as her family and Mark listened intently.  "The recovery time for you to come back to work is unfortunately four to six months.  Sometimes a year.  I want to see you in about a month to see how your femur is doing and how PT is going."

"Four to six months?" Alison shot up in her bed.  "No way in hell can that happen!"

"Ali, listen to the doctor," Madelyn chastised her daughter while her younger brothers looked at the situation amused.

"I am a doctor, mom," Alison let out a huff.  "And if I wait that long who knows what can happen.  Boards are coming up and I need all the help I can get."

"Believe me I get it Alison.  I know this situation sucks and that you can't do surgery for a while but I'm sure the chief will at least let you come to work do something.  I want you to stay in the hospital for at least four days before discharging.  You won't be able to have a shower for five to seven days but I would say at day five would be okay and no sexual activities for a while," she said the last part awkwardly with her family in the room.

Alison knew even without her femur fracture she wouldn't have been able to perform any surgeries because of the second degree burn on her right wrist.  

"How long is a while?" Mark questioned Callie as if it were a serious question and to him it was.

"Alison," Gabriel said as he shook his head.

"Kill me now," Alison let out a groan.  "I'm thirty years old!  Thirty!  Did you guys think I would be a virgin my whole life?  Besides if you think I'm bad then you obviously don't know your sons," she says as she lifts her arms in the air and then they go back to their side making Mark and Callie laugh quietly.  "Thank you Callie, I honestly really appreciate that it was you who operated on me.  I just wish this wouldn't have happened in the first place."

"That's how we all feel," Callie agreed before she was getting ready to leave Alison stopped her.

"There was a little boy I was helping before we got separated.  His name was Chris.  I know we can't really discuss what happened to the patients but is he okay?  Did he make it back to his mom?"

"Chris?  Did you say Chris?" Callie asked thinking of the little boy she operated on earlier that day.

"Yeah."

"I operated him today and he's going to make it through.  He's now with his mom who had been operated on as well."

"Oh good.  Good," Alison let out a sigh of relief.  "Thank you again, Callie."

"Your welcome," she smiled at the blonde resident.  "If you guys have any other questions just let us know," she said and walked out.

"And I need to clean your burn," Mark told his girlfriend.

"Actually before you do that, can I go to the bathroom?" 

"Really?"

"I haven't gone for basically the whole day so yes really," she sassed back at him.

Mark paged her physical therapist as a young man, probably just a little bit older than Alison came in and introduced himself as Nathan.  He helped her sit up at the side of her bed as he put a gate belt around her first to help steady her to walk.  

"I'm going to have you use the walker at first but try not to weight bare on your left leg.  Okay?" He asked her and she nodded her head as he put the walker right in front of her.  She held onto the bars, both sides, as she began to walk - more so limping but it was still good for after surgery.

"Good, you're doing really good," he told her as he encouraged her.   

Alison gave a strained smile as she made her way into the bathroom and he told her that he would be right outside when she was done.  After Alison was done and washed her hands she opened the door and he helped her to her bed to sit on as he worked on some exercises with her.

*

"Hey," Derek stood at the doorway of Alison's hospital room with his arms crossed.  It was the first time since she had woken up that she was able to be by herself all day.  "Mind if I come in?"

Since waking up, Alison had a few visitors - Addison, Burke, Alex and of course Mark.  Burke had let her know earlier that day before getting on the ferry that he proposed to Cristina and she couldn't be happier for them.

"As long as you promise not to insult me any further because I'm really not in the mood for it."

"I promise," he gave her a small smile and walked in as he sat next to her in silence for a little bit.

"How's Meredith?" She asked him a little timid.

This was unfamiliar territory for her.  She always felt confident and sure of herself around Derek. Never having to question her ability in her field or of their friendship.  

"She finally ended up waking up.  Just a little bit before you.  Ali, I owe you a huge apology.  What I said - calling you a whore and the terrible things I said and did to you.  It wasn't right.  None of it," he told her as he held her hand and her eyes welled up with tears.

"To be fair, I gave you every reason to believe those things.  I wanted to tell you Derek.  Mark wanted to tell you.  We just thought that if we gave us a chance before we told you that we would be more sure.  But now we realize that we went the completely wrong way about it.  But I am not a whore, Derek."

"I know-" he began to say but she cut her off.

"No, I need to say this.  I am not a whore and it is not okay for you or any man for that matter to call women that.  It's a double standard and I would have thought you knew me better than that.  I wouldn't have given Mark a chance if I didn't believe he has changed.  And he is.  Changing.  Instead of using sex as an excuse to not talk about things or as an excuse to not be in a serious relationship - he wants to be better.  It might take you time to see it but I don't need your blessing to date him."

Derek was in awe of his best friend as he stared at her.

"Okay," he nodded his head.  "Can I just one thing though?"

"What's that?"

"Don't be all lovey dovey around me.  I'm still trying to get used to the idea of you guys being together," he said making her laugh.

"We'll see.  Thank you, Derek."

Sometimes wake up calls know what's better for us than we do ourselves.  It gives us second chances.  Miracles can happen.  They do exist.  We can't explain it but I guess that's the beauty of them.  

They just happen.

--

One more chapter left and then onto season 4!  I'm going to kind of combine episodes of Alison taking her test for residency and then Burke's wedding.  What do you think about Derek and Alison making up?