Something beautiful

Before (2)

Because of Wattpad and the order of my chapters, After (1) is chapter one but is before the preface in the table of contents. Go to story index and read after (1) before this chapter. Sorry for any confusion :) ps let me know how the smut is, by its only my second time writing it lol

Addison's POV:
2008

It was late.

I was tired, I was sore, and it was late.

The surgery I was in ran later than expected, there was some surprise circumstances and a few times when I thought the patient would die on the table. But she made it, and now, I needed to sleep.

Without knocking or thinking to check if anyone was already asleep in there, I barged into the first on call room I was met with and gratefully plunked myself down on the first bed I was met with, groaning in discontent as I rubbed my shoulders in an attempt to ease some of the pain in them.

"Addison?" Meredith asked, from the next bed over. Meredith and I were civil now; since the divorce was finalized and I'd considered myself ready to move on, I'd been nice to Meredith. Not best friend nice, but I met her gaze in the halls of the hospital with more than just a cold glare.

"I'm sorry; did I wake you?" I immediately felt bad, considering it was nearly two in the morning and I knew she had to be up for rounds in about two hours. While late surgeries were brutal, at least I could sleep later than four am.

"No, gosh no" Meredith assured me quickly "I was already awake; can't seem to sleep" she chuckled lowly, before sitting up and facing me "are you alright?"

I must've looked like hell; it was closing in on twenty four hours without sleep, I'd spent the better part of the last eight hours hunched over an operating table, which meant my shoulders and back were dead to the world, I wasn't wearing any make up, and my hair was thrown messily into a sad ponytail.

I was far from the woman Meredith met in the lobby of the hospital for the first time six months ago.

"I must be a sight for sore eyes" I wince, hitting one of the knots in my back dead-on "I had a rough surgery, but the patient made it and after I get some sleep, so will I" I gave her a half-hearted smile, stretching my neck from side to side.

I expected that to be the end of our pleasantries; she'd say goodnight, I'd say goodnight, and we'd have the sleepover neither of us ever wanted. Instead, she surprised me with what she said next.

"Let me help you; there's no way you can sleep with those kinks in your neck. I can hear the bones cracking from over here" she joked lightly.

"I don't want to keep you up; you've got rounds in a couple of hours" truth be told, I didn't want this to be some awkwardly weird, ex wife and ex mistress become best friends type of thing. Being besties with Meredith Grey was not something I aspired to be.

"Is it really an internship if you're never tired" she countered, before standing up and joining me on my bed. Wordlessly, I give in and turn so that my shoulders are facing her as she sits cross-legged behind me and begins to work out the knots in my back with skillful, nimble fingers. Perfect surgeons fingers.

It had been so long since someone touched me as innocently and as tenderly as this; it had been so long since someone had touched me in general, in any way. The contact was nice, and her small, warm hands adding much needed pressure to my stiff back made me melt.

"Is this alright?" She asked, as she began to work on a particularly tight knot. I couldn't answer; my eyes were closed and my mouth was in an 'O' shape. It felt so nice.