forty-six

she would get married. She imagined her father walking her down the aisle, she expected her mother to wipe her tears seeing her daughter in her wedding gown. She also expected to marry someone she was madly-in love with. The day was here, the day she will get married to Micheal—which is why she had the day off from any hospital work.

Meredith and Cristina's friendship has been causing a drift with work and personal life which is why they haven't had their bridesmaids dresses measured—which is why Allison found herself at the hospital, her hair in rollers in order for her hair to be curly for the wedding.

Allison exited the elevator, walking to find both Cristina and Meredith, but she bumped into someone causing her to mutter a curse before looking up to see it was Jackson.

Jackson spoke, with a smile on his face,"Wow, you look—-"

Allison shook her head, interrupting him, "Nope, don't say I look nice or I'll kill you."

"Like a train wreck." Jackson finished causing her to shake her head and chuckle as he looked around the hospital. "But I can see where it's going on. Um—what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for my bridesmaids." Allison huffed, wanting nothing more to get this over with.

"Now is that some tradition, I don't know about?" Jackson laughed, amused by all this. Allison sent him a glare.

Allison sighed, "Are you gonna be there?" Jackson's smile fell, "All right. I totally understand if you're not."

"Do you want me to be there?"

"Yes, of course." Allison nodded, as Jackson noticed the hopeful look in her eyes.

"Then I'll be there." Jackson confirmed seeing the smile she wore on her face.

"Thank you." Allison breathed, going in for a hug but the hair rollers on her hair prevented them to embrace one another as she shook it off and left to find her friends.

***

Allison wandered through the hallways searching for Cristina or Meredith, hoping to find one of them soon. The cameras flashing caught her attention, as she opened the door, "There you are." Allison huffed at Cristina before taking a hold of her hand and dragged her away from the cameras, "Come on, let's go."

"Why are you here?" Cristina questioned her friend before she thought of it, "Are you bailing on your wedding?"

Allison looked a bit taken back, did they expect her to bail on it? Allison shook her head, "No."

Once she took Cristina to one of the rooms in the hospital where the seamstress stood with their measuring tape and the dresses.

"You haven't had time to get your dress measured so get your butt in there and make sure the dress fits you." Allison sternly spoke before closing the door and went to find Meredith.

Allison wandered off to the skills lab, where Meredith usually is working on her project. She opened the door finding the blonde doctor inside, looking inside a microscope.

"Mer." Allison let out a sigh of relief, as she stood in the doorway, "There you are."

Meredith turned around to see Allison, "Allie, what are you doing?" Before she inhaled thinking she was bailing on the wedding, "Oh, god. Are you making a run for it? Don't worry. I know what to do."

"I am not making a run for it." Allison repeated, what she told Cristina, before she took a hold of Meredith's hand and dragged her to the room, "You've missed on every single one of your fittings for the dress, so... I brought the seamstress to you."

Once Allison opened the door, she took notice of Cristina standing there with the dress on as one of the seamstress spoke, "Hello. No clothes please."

"You both are going to look pretty." Allison stated before looking at her people, "You guys are supposed to be doing this stuff for me, now I have to go."

***

In the last hour, Allison made it to the venue with the Rivers family and her cousins. Her Aunt managed to fly in a few hours before the wedding. Mrs. Rivers, double-checked to make sure the venue was beautiful and perfect for the wedding.

The venue was decorated nicely, it held roses at the end of the aisle, in the outside there was a table filled with boxes for the guests to throw confetti when the newly-weds pass by them.

Allison managed to have her makeup and hair done, as she stared at herself in the mirror. Once she heard the door open to the room she was currently in, she turned around to look at Mrs. Rivers who wore a light purple dress, Emma trailed behind her mom wearing a red dress, her hair was resting on one side of her shoulder. Seconds later her Aunt Caroline made an appearance wearing a flowered dress.

"You look beautiful, hon." Mrs. Rivers was the one to speak up, causing Allison to let out a small smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Rivers, so do you." Allison politely nodded.

"Please, call me Camila seeing as you are soon to be Mrs. Rivers." She corrected her.

Allison sympathetically looked at her, "Actually, I decided to keep my last name, in memory for my father."

It felt wrong to stand there and talk to her future-in-laws when she doesn't completely feel right about this wedding.

"Guests are coming in, taking their seats." Aunt Caroline told her, before kissing her cheek, "I'm glad you found someone to spend the rest of your life with."

"Yeah." Allison gritted out, she did find someone, but her aunt ran him off.

Emma and Camila, left the room to give the aunt and niece a moment.

"Look at yourself, so beautiful." Her aunt complimented placing her hands on her shoulder.

Allison turned around once again, staring at herself in the full-length mirror, her eyes traveled to stare at her aunt. She only hoped it wasn't her aunt but her mom.

Allison looked at the dress, April helped her put it on and she didn't leave until she made sure it was perfect. The dress fitted her like a glove, it was a beautiful dress.