Brown sugar and Lavender

Chapter three: Addison's attempt to get it together

Addison's POV:

After seeing a clearly devastated and heartbroken Meredith at the hotel bar, I almost, almost, felt bad for being rude at the hospital.

But, then I remembered her shacking up with my husband, and the pity faltered quite a bit.

When I left to go up to my room, I more or less realized she was right. I shouldn't be smoking, I shouldn't have even dared to buy the pack! A freaking doctor smoking like a chimney, imagine if a patient or another doctor saw me?!

I tossed the pack straight into the garbage, questioning by own judgement and if I was even fit to be possibly operating tomorrow. Smoking always calmed my nerves when I was in high school, I barely smoked one a week but it still helped. Between the pressure of taking three AP classes, piano lessons, tennis lessons and babysitting for some pocket money, I was stressed to the max. No wonder I picked up smoking.

That faze lasted for about six months (I'd also like to point out I only ever bought one pack in high school. I smoked so infrequently that I'd managed to keep the same pack for half a freaking year) until I realized I wanted to go into medicine when I graduated (and that I'm slightly asthmatic when it comes to inhaling smoke).

Sighing, I went upstairs to my room and kicked my heels off. I was so ready to just collapse in bed before work in the morning. I changed into some pjs and suddenly, I was just..overwhelmed. I started to cry and once I started I couldn't stop. I cried and cried and cried until I was limp and pale. I cried until eventually, I just fell asleep.

~

The next morning, I woke up with a headache. The absolute perfect way to start off the day.

Groaning, I stood up and fished around my purse until I found a bottle of aspirin. I popped two, and then got out a dress to wear and some scrubs to bring to work with me. Then, I went to shower the smell of smoke and gin off my skin. I reeked of a bad breakup.

After finishing up my shower, hair and makeup I slipped into my dress and stuffed my feet into some black heels. I put my scrubs and some sneakers in a black leather tote bag before leaving for the hospital.

Arriving at Seattle Grace was...interesting to say the least. It was definitely one for the books. Everyone was staring, pointing and whispering at me. The head of neuro's wife was here, even though he'd been going strong with an intern.

"Addison!" I heard Richard Webber call. I turned around and smiled, giving him a big hug.

"It's been a while! How are you? How's Adele?" I asked.

"She's well, thank you" he chuckled "I'm so glad you could make it!"

I nodded "well, I wasn't going to pass up this lovely experience. People sure are talking since I stepped foot in the building"

Richard nodded "well, I'm hoping that things sort themselves out. I was good friends with Meredith's mother and I know for a fact she wouldn't have tolerated any of this" he chuckled, like he could hear what Meredith's mother would be saying now.

"You knew her Mother?" I say "was she a friend of Adele's?"

"She was a doctor here. Did her internship and residency here and her fellowship out in Boston. Ellis Grey" he tells me.

"They Grey method Ellis Grey?" I asked in shock. Ellis Grey was a General Surgery legend. She won three Harper Averys, one of the highest awards a doctor could receive, and anyone who was an anyone in surgery knew who she was. The day she invented her surgery method, The Grey Method, everyone who witnessed it said she walked into that operating room a resident, and she walked out a legend.