─── INTO YOU
CHAPTER EIGHT...!

❝ and i'll role the dice  ❞

          DEATH.

Lilia Love had never grown apart from it. Because even after her grandparents had died, her mother would be the next in line. And after that, it would be her father's turn. Again and again, she'd be hit with a bullet called the five stages of grief with such vigorous force, knocking her down each time, just for her to find some way to get back on her feet.

The five stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The strongest bullet of them all. It wouldn't kill you. Instead, it'd rip you piece by piece, slowly but surely, until finally you became numb.

And in just a few moments, Lilia Love would find another person she'd grown to love involuntarily knocking at death's door.

It'd bring the thick atmosphere of the operating room to bite into Lilia Love's skin like a thousand needles, as she sobbed until the taste of her own tears were all she could identify. Her body aching as she cupped her newly best friend's face in her trembling hands.

The distorted sounds of the George O'malley's monitor that aired through the room would barley be recognizable. The blurred vision of her new friend's body being put to sleep wouldn't be perceived.

Because all Lilia Love would be able to think about was how she let another person she loved die.

Right in front of her eyes.

˗ˏˋ  INTO YOU ˎˊ˗

      YOUNG LILIA LOVE'S mess that'd she'd often find herself calling her 'life', she had taken great value in succeeding academically.

She wasn't any Spencer Reid, or an Alex Dunphy. Or even a Lexie Grey, who was a smart, young doctor at the hospital that she had grown to have a special liking towards.  

However, she was intelligent enough to be called the 'smart kid' in school. And she had lived off of that title for most of her life.

However, as she stood outside Izzie Steven's room, watching her boyfriend place post-it notes everywhere because she couldn't remember a thing for more than five seconds, she couldn't help but wonder if that title left after medical school.

Because smart kid Lilia would've figured out whether Izzie was okay, or if the brain-surgery her and Dr. Shepherd performed had damaged the patient. Smart kid Lilia wouldn't even be standing in front of the patient's room, but celebrating because the surgery went well.

But Lilia wasn't in school anymore. She was a doctor, and for one of the first times in her life, she had no idea what the hell went wrong in the OR.

"Lilia."

The oncologist finally tuned back into reality, hearing footsteps from behind her. Turning around, she met the eyes of Derek Shepherd.

"Give Stevens a few more hours. The reoccurring forgetfulness could wear off ." He told her, standing next to the woman as the two looked through the glass to see Alex beginning to become frustrated with the blonde.

"I know." Lilia had spoken softly, with a slow nod of her head. However, the tension that ran through her body hadn't gone away.

Derek only let his lips form into a small smile, squeezing the woman's shoulder comfortingly, before walking away. As her eyes turned back to the glass, she saw Alex leaving the room, in obvious defeat. The sight had saddened Lilia, but all she could do was hope that Izzie Steven's would be okay.

Before she could think too much of it, she could then feel a strong grip pulling by her ear.

"Ow, ow, ow-" Lilia let out, looking at who was pulling her, only to see the short figure of Dr. Bailey, "O-Ow, o- w-what is this for? What are we doing?"

"Going to stop George from joining the army." Callie spoke, walking behind the two, with her hands placed in her pockets.

"O-Ow-" Lilia's pained continued, as the resident's squeeze only hurt more, "W-Wait, why are we doing that?"

"So he doesn't end up in a ditch dead." Bailey told the attending, as if it was obvious. Before Lilia could say anything else, they then made their way to the cafeteria, as Callie and Bailey led the woman to a table that was being occupied Cristina and Meredith, and Alex who was just now taking a seat at their table.

"Okay, uh, at 6pm, your idiotic colleague, George O'malley will finish his surgery with the Chief." Bailey began explaining her plan to Lilia and the other residents, until Callie took over.

"And at 6pm, you all will be standing beside us in the O.R. hallway, prepared to join in an intervention."

"What polite company might call an intervention, though i'm not sure interventions involve whooping people on the behind with a belt." Miranda spoke, making Lilia's eyes widen.

"What? He's got a drinking problem now?" Alex joked, stifling a laugh.

"He joined the army." Lilia spoke, the whole table erupting with 'what?!'s.

"007? He cant go to the army." Alex chuckled out, "He's gonna get killed."

"He can, and he will. It's not our job to tell him what he can and can't d- Ow! Ear! Ear!" Lilia tried defending her best friend, being interrupted by Bailey's tight squeeze on her ear.

"Dr. Love, you are going to coax him back as a loving best friend. He likes you, he should listen to you." Bailey continued with her plan, finally letting go of the woman's ear, before turning to Cristina and Meredith, "If that doesn't work, you two are going to use logic and reason to point out the idiocy of his ways. Stevens will make sad cancer eyes. And, if all of that doesn't work, Karev, you're going to pull out your- 'I was raised out back with the trash cans' roots, and just beat the crap out of him."

"6pm." Alex nodded, with a devilish smirk.

"6pm."

Lilia sighed, as her pager beeped. She quickly then made her way out of the cafeteria, calling out Alex over her shoulder, "Alex! Don't do that please! Don't beat the crap out of George!"

˗ˏˋ INTO YOU  ˎˊ˗

          LILIA walked into her patient's room, after getting off a phone call with Odette, who only kept asking when Lilia was coming back to Hawaii. She greeted the patient, who was staring into space, with a soft smile, "Hey, Iz!"

Lilia looked around the room, her eyes widening at the variety of post-it notes scattered around the room, "Wow. Alex wasn't kidding when he said he was going to try and help your memory, huh?"

Izzie only remained silent for a moment, before sighing, beginning to vent "I know I'm supposed to be grateful for my new lease on life, but Alex marched in here and basically told me that being married to me was the worst thing that ever happened to him. And that he was trying to decide if smothering me with a pillow was the best way to put us both out of our misery."

Lilia's eyes only saddened at th words Izzie Stevens spoke, grabbing the patient's hand to squeeze it comfortingly.

But then it hit her.

The patient looked at the oncologist with furrowed eyebrows as she saw Lilia looking around the room, under the bed, and on the walls, as if she was looking for something.

"I-Izzie. Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"Where's the note that says that? Did you write that down?"

"No?" Izzie's expression of confusion then washed off, her eyes widening as she realized she had remembered exactly what Alex had told her, "N-No! I remember!"

Lilia could practically feel her heart beat get stronger, as she jumped, cheering excitedly, with practically the whole floor being able to hear her "Yes! Thank you, Universe! God, I'm such a genius!"

Izzie's cheerful face slowly into an expression that held slight confusion, as Lilia was quick to follow up on her last statement, clearing her throat, "Sorry. Your moment. Totally your moment."

˗ˏˋ INTO YOU  ˎˊ˗

"I know this is scary, but you do have a great team up there." Meredith told the unidentifiable man, holding his hand gently, "You wanna try and write again? Can you hold the pen?"

The John Doe only continued tracing in Meredith's hand, as she tried reading what he seemed to be writing "0? 0? 7? Double 0...seven?"

It was in that moment Meredith Grey thought she could feel her heart stop "Oh God! Oh G-God!"

˗ˏˋ INTO YOU  ˎˊ˗

          LILIA walked Alex through the doors of the patient ward, with him not knowing about Izzie's memory yet, "You know, saying you'd smother your wife with a pillow isn't really the most romantic thing a gentleman could say."

"Oh, mind your own-" Alex stopped in his tracks, looking at the oncologist with wide eyes, "Wait- how did you-?"

"She told me." Lilia's smile grew as she could see Alex's eyes light up, before quickly running into Izzie's room.

When she saw the couple's smiles widen, her heart filled with warmth. She would've let a joyful tear fall if it wasn't for the sound of someone walking up to her.

She turned to see Mark Sloan slowly approach her. She was too happy to even notice his look full of dejection, quickly speaking once he got close enough, "Oh my God, Dr. Sloan! Do you see that? Do you see that in there? Izzie's memory is good. She's good!"

"That's amazing, Lilia." Mark spoke, but his tone could speak otherwise. As if what he was about to say would be what could wash away the sunny-filled persona of Lilia Love.

She turned to him, her eyebrows furrowing, and her face filled with slight worry, "What is it?"

"Lilia-" Mark spoke, looking into the eyes of the oncologist. And to see the confused look on her face, showing that she was completely oblivious to what he was about to tell her, made his eyes sadden even more, "It's about Georg-"

He was then cut off by a sound that haunted Lilia.

It would be the sound of Izzie Steven's monitor, as she flatlined in Alex Karev's arms.

And that was when Lilia Love's day started to become what she'd soon recognize as her worst day at Seattle Grace Hospital.

˗ˏˋ INTO YOU  ˎˊ˗

          LILIA had stormed into Izzie's room within the same time frame Dr. Webber and Dr. Bailey had gotten there. Her eyes fell to the sight of Alex Karev doing chest compressions on his dying wife.

"Alex-" Lilia let out. All she wanted was to get some damn paddles and shock her patient's heart. But she couldn't. Because Izzie Steven's made it clear to Lilia that she did not want to be resuscitated.

"Get a crash cart!" Alex yelled, causing Dr. Bailey, Cristina, and Dr. Webber to flinch slightly. However, Lilia was used to it. Because that same, pained voice Alex had was the same one Lilia each time her family member had died.

Lilia looked at the patient, then to Karev, and then back at the patient.

That's when she finally sighed, pushing herself past the other doctors, and going to Izzie's side. She placed her hands on the patient's chest, taking over the compressions, "Get me a crash cart in here, please!"

"Dr. Love. The patient is DNR-" Dr. Webber began, in a stern voice.

"Chief Webber, with all due respect, if you don't rip up those papers, I will make you very sorry." Lilia spoke, slightly panting from the strong force of her chest-compressions, "Not physically, because I do respect you very much as a surgeon. But I will call my friend Odette, back in Hawaii, and she does not hold back verbally."

The Chief's eyes had widened slightly. He had never seen Lilia Love get this passionate for her patients. He knew the Lilia Love he hired would respect the DNR for any other patient.

But he knew Izzie Steven's wasn't like any other patient.

"Chief Webber, please. One of your students are dying."

Richard looked from Lilia to Alex, who's eyes were filled with tears, and from Alex to the patient.

He finally huffed, "Screw the DNR. Hand Dr. Love those paddles!"

Lilia had let out a breath of relief, as the nurses rushed over with the crash cart.

And just as she got ready to shock Izzie, she muttered something, not taking her eyes off of the patient, "I'm sorry, Iz. But you are not dying today."

˗ˏˋ INTO YOU  ˎˊ˗

          THE time was nearing 6pm. Izzie Steven's was alive and well. And Lilia Love needed someone to talk to.

Odette was most likely hard at work, and George- actually, she didn't even know where George was. With Izzie flatlining, she was sure she'd see him at some point today.

But she hadn't.

She stood by the nurse's station, filling out some paperwork before she could finally go home.

That's when she could feel a presence behind her. She turned to see her favorite plastic surgeon, immediately making her lips form into a smile, "Hey."

"Hey, Lilia." Mark spoke. There was that low tone from earlier. It was still in his voice.

Lilia's face immediately went into a worried expression, "Hey, Dr. Sloan? You okay? You've seen down all day."

Mark only looked down at the nurse's station counter, before meeting the innocent eyes of Lilia Love. He let out a small sigh, him lost for words.

He didn't know what to say.

But then again, what do you say when you need to tell someone as chirpy as Lilia Love that her closest friend at Seattle Grace was hit by a bus, trying to save a woman's life.

There was so much to say, but not enough ways to say it.

Because seeing Lilia Love's eyes loose their shine could break Mark Sloan's heart in ways he'd deem unimaginable.

"Mark?" The man's eyes had shot back to Lilia's at the sound of his first name, them softening as he saw how oblivious she was to the situation, "Mark, w-what's wrong?"

But before Mark could do anything, a woman had walked up to the two, "Uhm- excuse me?"

Lilia turned to the woman, and immediately moved her eyes to her arm that was in a cast, "Oh, ma'am, are you okay? Are you a patient he-"

"No, no, I just-" The woman paused, not finishing her sentence. "Uh, who's George?"

Lilia looked back at Mark, and then back at the woman, her eyebrows furrowing, "I'm sorry?"

"John Doe- he-he threw me out of the way of a bus, he saved my life?" The woman spoke, "Everyone's crying, and saying John Doe is George."

And as Lilia Love's heart began to race at the words that fell out of the woman's mouth, it was in that moment that she knew one thing.

Odette Davis was right. She should have never left Hawaii.

˗ˏˋ  INTO YOU ˎˊ˗

AUTHOR'S NOTE. |

hey baes

okay FIRST, i want to deeply apologize for not updating this book since MARCH?? i had no idea it's been that long. i love writing this book with all my heart, but i've been in such writer's block for the longest time. thank you all for being so patient with me. i love you all tremendously <3

i will be trying my best to update this book as frequently as i can. i have such high hopes for this book, and i've even planned out the sequel for it as well!!

again, thank you all SO much for the support <33

also,, to dismiss a DNR is so out of character for lilia, i really hope you guys don't hate her now 😭

ALSO ALSO ikik izzie is bald around this time, but sometimes i find myself still referring her as "the blonde" by accident so IGNORE THAT PLS LMAO

but anyways, please stay safe, drink some water, and take care of yourself. mwah :)

𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍.
2667.