⇢ CHAPTER 33

Tequila. Shots. Everything.

It was... another crazy night.

Jackson decided to drive Holly back to her apartment since Derek's party at Meredith's was... boring, to place it nicely. Other than a few drinks, food, and conversing with others, Holly and Jackson quickly got bored. So, deciding to stick with a plan to escape although she wanted to be supportive, Holly acted drunk and Jackson offered to drive her home.

Holly closed her eyes tighter, snuggling herself in the blankets as she placed a hand over her face, not wanting the sun in her eyes as she thought, "

It came as a flash-- the memories. Her inviting Jackson inside her house. Her getting wine, tequila, and possibly every alcoholic drink she had in her house until eventually she invited him into her bedroom.

"Holly's eyes snapped open, ""

She sat up in her bed, eyes slowly moving to Jackson, who was sleeping-- .

"" Holly reasoned, quickly grabbing the blanket Jackson gave to her as a gift before she wrapped it around herself, sneakily walking away, "Ow."

Jackson woke up at the sound of Holly accidentally hitting her leg on the edge of the bed, his groggy voice spoke, "Holly?"

Holly froze as Jackson sat himself up and looked at her, she awkwardly smiled at him, "H-Hey."

He looked down at himself and her as he sat up frowning his eyebrows, "...Did we..."

"Yep." Holly nodded, pursing her lips before she pointed behind herself, "I-I gotta go." She awkwardly chuckled, not noticing Jackson slightly freaking out due to the fact that he slept with , "I-I'll be late for pre-rounds."

✧

Holly leaned back on the wall as Lexie used the hospital computer, Lexie's eyes widening as she whisper-yelled, "You had sex with Jackson?"

"Yes." Holly admitted shamefully, slowly sinking down as she placed her hands on her face, "I'm horrible. I need to be stopped." She grabbed Lexie's arms, "You can't let me drink anymore."

Lexie squinted her eyes, "Do you need me to beat him up for you?"

Holly shook her head, "No, I just--"

"I walked in on Mark and Reed Adamson last night." Teddy's voice was heard from the Nurse's station, bringing Lexie and Holly's attention to the station a few feet away.

Holly's mouth almost dropped as Lexie held a hard face, turning her head back to the screen as Holly looked at Lexie, "Do you need to beat him up for you?"

Lexie rolled her eyes with a smile, "Holly--"

"Holly." Jackson's voice grew louder as he approached the duo, making Holly's eyes widened before walking away, making him exhale softly, "Damn it."

"I'd give her some space." Lexie advised, clicking away at the laptop.

Jackson frowned his eyebrows, "Why?" He gestured towards her retreating figure having thought she may have held the same feelings for him, "I... I thought--"

"The last guy she was with was George." Lexie explained.

Jackson turned his head towards the blonde and frowned his eyebrows more, "Who's George?"

Lexie exhaled deeply, "Oh, boy."

Jackson put a hand to his lower abdomen as he winced in pain before looking up at her with an expectant nod, "What?"

✧

Holly sighed, pacing around the resident lounge as April sat on the chair in the center, trying not to react as Holly outburst, "How does this happen, April? Twice!"

"I don't know!" April spoke, a slight chuckle at the end of her sentence, "How does this keep happening?"

"I don't know!" Holly shrugged, "Alcohol?!"

April nodded, putting her hands in a prayer position, "I need you to stop talking and start praying with me."

Holly frowned her eyebrows, joining April as she sat down and placed her hands in the same position, "...What are we praying for?"

"For you to stop sleeping inappropriately with boys when you're drunk. Holly," April chuckled, shaking her head, "for God sake, you're not a lightweight."

Holly squinted at her sister, "April--"

"Holly," Lexie spoke out of breath, having run to the resident's lounge, "Jackson's in the E.R."

"Okay, good." Holly sighed in relief, "I'm on ortho."

"No." Lexie shook her head, leaning against the door frame, "He's the patient."

Holly slowly looked at April with worried eyes, "I'm a curse." She placed her head in her hands, "Every guy I have sex with gets hurt."

✧

Holly and Lexie sat down in the cafeteria table with Alex and Meredith. Cristina, not wanting to be near Meredith after Meredith didn't explain why she shouldn't move in with Owen, sat at a different table a few feet away. And April had gone to visit Jackson in the E.R. while Holly, who in her words was a coward, didn't want to see him.

"Oh!" Alex exclaimed as Lexie sat down, "I need the Lexopedia to diagnose my patient."

"She's not a book you can flip through." Meredith defended and Holly nodded, pointing her fork to Meredith in agreement.

"I kinda am." Lexie shrugged before nodding at Alex, "Go."

"A sixteen-year-old with hyperacusis, vertigo, tinnitus, nystagmus..."

"Cholesteatoma..." Cristina responded, slurping on her drink, "or temporal lobe tumor."

"For God sakes," Meredith sighed, "will you just come over here?"

"No." Cristina slurped on her drink again.

"Scans were clean." Alex continued, "Uh, it's worse with sounds. We have to whisper."

"Oh," Lexie blinked rapidly, "uh, uh, page one-hundred-sixty-two in a June... 2004 issue of a journal with a mint green cover." She closed her eyes, "It's, uh, sound- or pressure-induced vertigo. It's called, um..." Meredith leaned her head closer as Holly frowned her eyebrows, "I can't... crap." Lexie blinked, "I can't see it. Um, I can't--"

Alex brought his hands up, "It's like the computer froze."

Holly snorted as Lexie gave him a stretched closed smile, "June '04, mint green cover, it's in the research library."

"Got it." Alex smiled, grabbing his books as he leaned over to kiss Lexie, "Thanks."

"How's Jackson?" Holly asked, eating a few fries as she looked over at Lexie, "I-Is he okay?"

Lexie gave her the same stretched closed smile, "You should go talk to him."Holly squinted at Lexie as she continued to drink her soda, shaking her head lightly. Lexie sighed before looking over at Meredith, "So Mark slept with Reed. Gross, right?"

Holly scrunched up her nose slightly as she nodded, "It's gross." She paused, squinting her eyes as she thought, "But then again, I don't really like Reed."

"But you're with Alex." Meredith reminded.

"I know." Lexie nodded, "No, I'm just saying, it's--it's gross." Her pager beeped, along with Holly's, "I mean, that--that's... that's all." She stood up, walking away as she whispered, "I'm just... it's gross."

✧

Holly sighed, sitting next to Jackson's bed as she continued to keep an eye on the monitor-- internally freaking out that the monitor would emit a continuous beep and he would flatline.

Holly exhaled deeply, hesitantly reaching out to grab Jackson's hand to show him she was there for him. Holding his hand, Holly grew unaware of the fact that she had accidentally unplugged one of the wires attached to the sticky pads connected to Jackson's chest for the monitor.

"Oh, my God." Holly freaked out, her eyes darting to the flatlining monitor, "Jackson!"

She did one compression before Jackson's eyes snapped open and he frowned his eyebrows, flailing his arms to get Holly's away, "Jesus, woman! I'm alive."

Holly backed away as she let out a small, "Sorry." Jackson placed the wire back on the sticky pad, oblivious to Holly's shaky hands before he looked back up at her.

"Holly--"

"I-I thought you died." Holly stuttered, holding her shaking hands as she shook her head, "I--"

"It's okay." Jackson comforted, placing his hand over her shaky ones, "I'm okay."

"I..." Holly exhaled, "I'm sorry for this morning-- it's just--"

"It's okay." Jackson assured again, "You don't have to explain, it's okay... and I'm sorry for--"

"It takes two to tango." Holly shrugged, cringing as she remembered, "And I'm pretty sure it was my idea, too." She exhaled lightly as they both chuckled, "But thank you."

"You're--"

"Okay." April interrupted the moment, walking inside as she glared at the two, "Sit down and get comfortable because--" She chuckled, beginning to pace as Jackson and Holly stood frozen, his hand still on top of hers, "I'm about to get started."

✧✧✧

the next chapter... O O F

also the parallels to george and holly o - o