Always been you//Jolex

Chapter 4

In the morning, Alex is already awake and dressed, and he brings me a cup of coffee when he sees me stirring. He gives me a kiss and hands me the mug, and I take a big sip before flinging off the covers and getting ready.
"I was thinking that maybe you should talk to the social worker before you do Sadie, so that she understands the situation. I have the test results from the other day if you wanted to show her."
I nod, and continue with what I was doing.
We walk hand in hand through the entrance of Grey Sloan the way we do every morning, but today it was more than surgeries and charting that waited for us behind the doors.
We change and walk up to the peds wing, both agreeing it would be best if I talked to the social worker alone for now.
We walk over to her room and Alex goes inside to say good morning and check her vitals, while I get the lady's attention.
"Excuse me, Chelsea? I need to talk to you about Sadie."
"Oh, are you taking her for more tests?"
"Ale- Dr.Karev will be taking care of her for right now, and he'll update you on that in a minute.This is about something else. Maybe we could go somewhere more private?" I ask.
She nods skeptically, and I lead her down the hallway.
When we reach a conference room, I bring her in and ask her to sit down.
"Dr.Karev, what is this about?"
I clear my throat and fold my hands, inhaling before I tell this stranger half my life's story.
"8 years ago, I found out I was pregnant by my abusive ex-husband."
She nods and waits for me to continue, obviously unsure of how this relates to her.
"I decided he could never know, it just wasn't safe to raise a baby in those conditions. I hid the pregnancy from everyone and gave birth in the bathroom while he wasn't home. Then I dropped off the baby with safe surrender and moved here, changing my name to Jo Wilson. I never saw her again, but I made sure I got to name her. I used my new last name. I called her Sadie Wilson."
"You're..."
"Sadies mother. Yes."
"And her father? Your... ex?"
"He died a few months ago. Drunk driver."
"I see. Well... um, do you have proof of paternity?"
I pull out the paper from my purse, sliding it across the table. She reviews the labs and seems satisfied with what she sees.
"She's in foster care?"
"Yes. She's with a nearby family right now, but nobody has applied for permanent custody."
"I'd like to... tell her who I am.
"Right. It's a lot for a child, though, so it might be best if you don't tell her the whole story. You'll have to explain that you're her birth mother, and go from there."
"Of course."
"Dr. Karev, is she stable?"
"Yes."
"Then I don't see a reason to wait. Go ahead." She says, and I'm still entirely shocked with the whole situation.
She does look a lot like me. Her wavy hair that flows down her back, framing her face, and creamy dark eyes are brown like mine, but more than that, her face is like a younger version of my own. Her skin is a bit darker than mine, which she likely got from Paul.
I admire all this and more through the window of her room, and Alex steps outside and slips his hand through mine.
"Ready to go in?"
"No. But it's time."