[season 4 episode 2]

TESSA hoped that today was better.

She had the worst sleep last night after seeing Alex from not seeing him in years.  She tossed and turned all night and had to wear her best concealer to cover up her under eye circles the next day.  She knew that seeing him again would be emotional but she just didn't know how emotional it would be.  

Thank God for makeup.

Not to mention how much he had changed.  He was so much different than what she remembered.  She guessed she was to blame for his attitude now.  She let out a sigh as she thought about his behavior yesterday and how he acted towards her.  

"Hi piccola," her mother, Natalie said over the speaker phone of her cellphone.  "We miss you!"

"Ugh, I miss you guys too.  Yesterday was a nightmare."

Natalie frowned.  She hated hearing about how Alex treated her on her first day and she supposed she couldn't blame him.  But Tessa was her baby.  Her only child.  She was on her side no matter what.  

"I'm sorry baby," Natalie empathized with her.  "Hopefully today will be a new day.  You know what?  Don't focus on Alex.  Focus on your work there at Seattle Grace.  Think of the progress you've made.  And if you need help, get in touch with your therapist again."

"I will, thanks mom," Tessa said to her mom as she made a left turn and continued to drive to work.  "I wish you guys would come visit me soon."

"We actually might," her mother then went on to tell her daughter how they were thinking of buying a third home in Seattle to be closer to their daughter whenever they wanted to be with her.  Tessa was excited.  

*

"I just woke up and realized I can't do this anymore," George told Izzie.

"You can't do this anymore," she repeated almost as if she were in disbelief.

"I don't love Callie like I love you.  Why did I get married to Callie in the first place again?  I have to talk to her today," he said with determination.

"Wow," Izzie said.  Izzie was excited because she thought now was the time that she and George could finally be with each other.  She loved him and he loved her.  

"I thought I loved her.  But I don't.  Not like I love you.  I shouldn't have gotten married in the first place.  I need to do this.  For us and for me," George tells Izzie and he leans in as he gently holds her face in between his hands and kisses her before he leaves.

"He loves me," Izzie said with a smile on her face.

Finally.

*

"You look like hell," Mark commented as he handed her a latte as Tessa laughed, a big one, that she hadn't done in years as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Thanks, I think?  Are you always this charming?" She asked and noticed how big a smile he had on his face.

"I normally am a little more seductive with my wording," he said and she nodded her head.

"Oh, I knew it!  What would you say to someone you just met?"

"If being sexy was a crime, you'd be guilty as charged," he told her as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Wow," Tessa exclaimed.  "Okay, I think I officially love you."

"I have that effect on women," he teased but Tessa knew that he was serious as well.  She had heard whispers from a few of the nurses who had sex with him and how good he was in bed.  If this were years ago, she would have stayed away from men like Mark.  Too afraid to even be within five feet of them, like a porcelain doll ready to break at the simplest touch.  But she had slowly but surely been making progress.  

"I guess I know why you're called McSteamy," she teased back as they walked through the hospital .  "So what made you want to do Plastics?"

"I get to be around beautiful women," he grinned at her as they walked through the elevator door after it dinged.  

"Figures," she smirked to herself as she sipped on her latte.

"So, word has it that you dated Karev," Mark said and he noticed a change in her behavior.

"I don't really want to talk about it," she muttered getting defensive as her shoulders grew stiff.  "I heard you hate interns and residents.  So why are you talking to me?"

"You look like you could use a friend is all," he told her.  "And your parents paid for my new equipment.  I'm just kidding by the way about the last part," he told her with a laugh and she started to slightly laugh too.  "Somewhat."

"I think we're gonna get along just fine.  As long as you don't try to hit on me," she told him the last part knowing she just can't have a fling, a boyfriend or anything right now.  She was still healing from what happened.  It was a process and she needed to focus on herself before she could even think about going into the dating world again.

"Deal," Mark told her and for the first time in a long time he actually meant it.

Normally, he wasn't really good at reading people, women in particular, but he could tell that this woman had been through a lot.  He had his suspicions of what she had been through but until she told him he wasn't going to say anything.  It wasn't his business anyway.  

"I think we're gonna be good friends," she told Mark and he looked down at her with a raised eyebrow as they went into the elevator.

"Friends?"

"I mean, that's what we agreed to be just then wasn't it?" She asked looking up at him.

*

"What's this?" Tessa asked her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning and Mark's eyes narrowed in on an espresso machine.  "Are you giving away free things?"

"For a price," Cristina told her.  "You find something you like you have to be willing to give me something.  Surgical wise.  Preferably anything cardio."

"They're all wedding gifts," Mark murmured in Tessa's ear and she nodded her head in understanding.

A wedding that never happened.

She wouldn't bring anything up about an almost wedding.  That wasn't who she was.  Everyone had the right to their own privacy.  

Tessa let out a gasp.

"Is that the Caraway cookware set?" She asked Cristina and she looked at the box that was in the navy color.

"It looks like it," she said not understanding what was so special about it.

"Sure you're ready to part with this?" Mark asked Cristina in reference to the espresso machine.

Izzie had her eyes on the mix master which made Tessa think she loved to bake.  

"I want it, I want it," Izzie said about the espresso machine as well.

"I am if I can help on your surgery later," she told Mark.

"I was actually going to have Tessa scrub in with me but what if I gave you her spot and that way she gets the Caraway cookware set, I get the espresso machine and you get in on the surgery?  Everyone's happy."

"Alright deal," Cristina said.

"Hey, that's not fair," Izzie whined.  "I've known you longer."

"Life's not fair," Tessa smirked as she grabbed the cookware set.  "Pleasure doing business with you, Yang.  Thank you, Mark," she said to him as they were walking away with their new presents.

She didn't even care that she didn't get to scrub in on the surgery today with Mark.  All that mattered was that she had a new cookware set.  

*

Her pager went off along with the rest of her interns due to the incoming trauma from an apartment explosion had happened.  She met up with Cristina and her interns along with Richard and another resident she hadn't met yet.  

"What have we got?" Richard asked Callie.

"Gas blew in an apartment building.  Five injured badly," Callie said when Cristina spoke up.

"Excellent," but then Cristina changed her verbiage as she realized it was the wrong to say in front of Richard and Callie as they gave her a look.  "Horrible.  Horrible, bad."

Tessa let out a small laugh as she was putting on her yellow gown and Cristina looked at her with a small smile on her face.

"Marla Kristler," a paramedic comes up to Richard to hand him her charts.  "A forty-year-old female.  Abdomen blown out, skull is fractured, third degree burns on at least 40% of her body."

"Okay I got this, open OR two," Richard said.  "Page Doctor Shepherd.  Torres triage the rest.  Moore?" Richard called out for Tessa.

"Yes sir?" She answered.

"You'll be with me today along with one of your interns.  Take your pick."

"Liam come on," she told her intern and while he silently cheered the rest of them pouted as they had to find something else to do.  

"Yang you're with the chief also," Callie told Cristina.

"Alright, one and four come with me," Cristina told her interns.

"What about us?" Lexie asked.

"Oh uh, go help Bailey in the clinic," she told them and left.

*

"Karev," Callie called Alex as she was looking over a crying baby.  

"I'm supposed to be on plastics," he told her.

"I'll take it though," Izzie said.

"I said Karev not you," Callie bit back.  

"So then where do I go?" Izzie asked confused.

"I don't care," Callie bit back.  "Just find something to do."

*

"What the hell are you looking at?" Alex asked Tessa in a rude tone.

"N-nothing," she told him and speed walked away as she felt like she could feel her heart beat erratically.  

What was she doing?  She wasn't a coward.  And she certainly wasn't afraid of Alex.  She knew him.  Or at least the old him.  This Alex was cold.  Mean.  Bitter.  She wondered if she was to blame for how he was?  Even when they dated he was a little rough around the edges but he ended up warming up to her and opening up to her as well.  It was different now.  Tessa wasn't sure what she expected if she ever were to see him again but it certainly wasn't this.  

She wouldn't dare tell him that when she saw him with that baby all she could think about was their future that would never happen.

*

"Doctor Yang, was that Doctor Burke's mother I saw in the waiting room earlier?" Richard asked Cristina in surgery as they were all masked up and Tessa glanced at Cristina.

"Missus Burke was here?" Derek asked.

"I don't think- I wouldn't know, sir," Cristina lied.

"How are we doing up there, Moore and Shepherd?" Richard asked the two.

"Looks good from my end.  Moore you're really good at this.  Is neuro the field you're interested in?"

"Thanks," she smiled through her mask.  "It's a second option but I really love cardio."

This sparks a curiosity and determination within Cristina.

"It's the best part of the job, don't you think?" Richard asks the group but look at Cristina specifically.  "Giving people second chances."

Alex comes in moments later which makes Tessa tense.

"Chief, the one year old, Brian Kristler, he's strung out on meth.  

This catches the attention of the doctors.

"What?" Derek asks in shock.

"Yeah, it was a meth lab that blew up," Alex tells them.  "This woman and her husband are running a meth lab."

"Aw yes, the joys of surgery for doing it for those who deserve it the most," Derek said sarcastically.

"I mean I wasn't going to say anything but since you said it I feel so better for thinking it," Tessa agreed with the attending.

"Tell Doctor Torres to follow exposure protocol for children.  Tell her I'm counting on her to take care of this," Richard said to Alex.

"Got it," he said and left.

"You sure you don't want someone to take over so you can go handle it?" Derek asked his boss.

"I'm trying to get back with my wife, Derek.  In order to get back with my wife I have to learn how to -"

"Delegate," Derek finishes and the two residents look at him.

"Doctor Torres can handle this," Richard tries to find reason.

*

"Hi," A brunette hair man who seemed a little unsure of himself greeted the brunette.  "You don't know me but I'm-"

"George, right?" She asked with a smile on her face.  "I'm Tessa.  It's nice to meet you."

"You too," he smiled at her.  

"So how long have you been here for?"

"A year.  Do you know what specialty you want yet?" George asked her.

"Cardio," she grinned but noticed the grim look on his face.  "What?  Is something wrong with that field?"

"N-no, it's just Cristina is also interested in that field."

"I know," she smiled but saw George had an apprehensive look on his face.

"You okay?"

"It's just- be careful around Cristina when talking about cardio.  She can kind of be like a Piranha about it."

"Thanks for the heads up."

"I knew you seemed harmless," he spoke out loud and he instantly regretted it as soon as he said it.  Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Harmless?"

"I, uh, well, it's just the others were saying things..." George treaded carefully.  

"So he's talking about me?  That's just great," she muttered the last part.

"Forget I said anything, please," he begged her.  "Prove to him that you belong here.  You wouldn't have gotten in if you didn't," he told her.

"Thanks George," she gives him a small smile.  "You seem like a good person."

"I'm not really," he said disappointed in himself and while she wanted to question what he meant by that she could tell it wasn't something he wanted to discuss with someone he just met.

*

"What's with her?" Alex asks Meredith as Cristina paces.

"Well, momma Burke is here and we don't know why," Meredith told him.  "My guess is that she's here to kill Cristina.  She's hovering again."

"If you're done with the charts go fold something like you know sheets," Cristina tells Lexie who does as she's told.

"So, what's it like seeing Tessa again?" Meredith asked Alex she and Cristina were in the clinic stitching up his head from being punched by Brian's dad.

"Don't say her name," Alex snapped.

"Oof that bad, huh?" Cristina asked after she stopped pacing.

"I don't want to talk about it," he grumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Oh come on, that's not fair!  You have to tell me after seeing how my disaster of a relationship ended," Cristina said.

"Okay fine.  But I say this once and no more.  And this doesn't leave the room."

The two residents nodded their head and Cristina pulled up a stool and listened to his story while Meredith continued to do his stitches.

"We dated for four years while we were in med school.  She had a job," he left out about the part of her job being a stripper because he wasn't sure if she wanted people around here knowing about that.  When he dated her, he saw how fast she lost friendships when they found out.  Despite how she ended things, he hated that he still cared about her.  "Something must have happened that night.  It was her last night at the job since we were graduating and next thing I know she sent me a text message saying it was over."

"She never gave any indication that she wanted to end things?" Meredith asked confused.

"None."

"It doesn't make sense though," Meredith said.

"So is that why you're a manwhore now?" Cristina genuinely asked.

Meredith would have laughed if it weren't for the story Alex told them.  Tessa didn't seem like that kind of person from what she could see.  There had to be more to the story.  It was going to be Meredith's mission to find out what that was.

"Shut up," he bit back and left after getting paged that police wanted to talk with him.

"What?" Cristina asked Meredith when she gave her a pointed look.  "It was a reasonable question."

*

"I want to know what the hell is going on with you and Moore.  And don't tell me it's not nothing.  You act like you hate her more than the interns," Miranda said to Alex as they were watching the surgery.

"It's just...history."

"You knew her before?" Miranda asked shocked.

"Knew her?  I dated her.  I was about to propose to her when she broke up with me over a stupid text message."

"What?" She questioned with shock.

"Shit," Alex let out a frustrated sigh as he thought about what he just told Bailey.  "Forget I told you anything."

"Well, don't let it affect your work to your patients.  Because if you keep doing what you're doing its not going to end well for either of you."

"Got it," he said annoyed and left.  

What was this woman doing to him?

--

I promise I didn't mean to take this long to update.  Not sure when the next one will be but hopefully you won't have to wait a long time for the next one.