Rebecca Pope occupies a tragic and revealing part of Alex's arc in the series. In season three, Alex rescues a pregnant Jane Doe during the dreadful ferry boat accident and nicknames her Ava, as she couldn't remember who she was. She and Alex pursue a brief relationship, in which he tries his best to care for her. Eventually, Izzie convinces Alex to get Rebecca psychiatric assistance even though Alex claims that he's aided his mother in this kind of situation before. Their relationship becomes a thing of the past after Alex concedes that Rebecca, who suffers from borderline personality disorder, needs more help than he can offer.