Disclaimer-"I don't own Grey's"

Richard Webber knew that he had no choice but to do everything that he could to fulfill the hospital's board of directors order camouflaged as a request as he was already on shaky grounds as far his job as Chief of Surgery of Seattle Grace Hospital since the fall in rankings of the hospital's surgical residency program for which the board was not happy with him at all and if they had someone from the hospital experienced and willing enough to replace him as the chief they would have replaced him but since none of his staff wanted to become the commander of what they believed to be a sinking ship, to get someone from outside they needed him to resign willingly or most of the doctors who believed in him or were faithful to him might just walk away.

So he had to make a call, to beg someone he never wanted to meet again in his life to offer a job because she was the best general surgeon in the country if not in the world(the woman who had won two Harper Avery's and had more articles published than all his heads of department combined) and the board believed that she was who they needed to improve the hospital's ranking by just joining the hospital as the new chief of general surgery and a possible future chief of surgery, as much as he wanted to disagree with them he couldn't as they were right and also it was what was best for his hospital.

"Patricia can you connect me through to Boston Mass General" he ordered his faithful secretary.

"Right way sir."Patricia answered.

As much he didn't want to he counldn't stop himself from taking a trip down memory lane.

30 years ago

Seattle Grace Hospital

The genius woman working alongside him focused on the chart she was filling as her shoulders hunched and her eyebrows joined as they always did when she was thinking hard. She was without doubt the most beautiful and intelligent woman he had ever known and he loved her a lot.

"Mommy, I missed you" a child's voice broke into his thoughts.

"What are you doing here Meredith, I am working haven't I told you not to disturb me when I am at work."Ellis said angrily."Where's your father?"

"Meredith how many times have I told not to run away from me. "said a man running towards them looking flustered.

"Sorry daddy, sorry mommy" said the little girl looking sad.

"Thatcher what are you both doing here?"the mother asked angrily.

"She missed you, you haven't been home in nearly three days." Thatcher answered.

"Well I am working so that I can earn money to pay for your lifestyle and her needs,as your job can hardly pay for anything."She answered angrily.

"Meredith why don't you and I go to the cafeteria and get yourself a cookie or a pudding cup."Richard interrupted the parents argument so he could take the little girl away from them.

"Okay Uncle Richard" the little girl replied.

End of Flashback

"Sir Boston Mass Gen's on the line." Patricia interrupted his line of thought.

"Hello Boston Mass Gen surgical floor nurses station how may I help you?"a woman's asked.

"Hello this is Dr. Richard Webber Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, is Dr. Grey available I wanted to talk to her."

"Well sir I will patch you through to her secretary as I believe she is not in surgery right now but her secretary may know better."

"Hello 's office this is Rachel speaking how may I help you."

"This is Dr. Richard Webber Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace Hospital, is Dr. Grey available I wanted to talk to her."

"Yes sir she is available."

Rachel pressed a button to ask her boss whether she wanted to talk to him or not.

"Maam there is a Chief of Surgery at Seattle Grace wanting to talk to you."

"Richard….Web….Webber you .. okay…. Patch him through."

Rachel observed that for the first time in two years that she had worked for Dr. Grey she heard a bit of something she had never heard a sense of discomfort and hesitation in her voice which was something that she never expected in her life whoever this Dr. Webber was, he was not someone she was excited to talk to but had to talk.

"Hello Dr. Webber"

"You know it hurts that you are calling me Dr. Webber after so many years that we have known each other."

"Really I think it hurts more that you never talked to me in years and now out of the blue you call me I don.t know why but I have my suspicions."

"Really what could that be and sorry for not calling before."

"No you are not sorry and the reason you called is that you want to or you are forced to offer me a job at your hospital to give me a job so you can improve your hospital's ranking which has fallen from 3rd to 12th in this year's latest ranking. Although my money is on you are being forced as you have been avoiding me for years."

"How do you know all that?"

"Have you forgotten I know everything and I feel like you are questioning my intelligence by all the lies you are telling me."

"I will never make the mistake of questioning the intelligence of a Grey woman. I am really sorry about not talking to you and really I am not lying but what do you think about the job?"

"I will try to believe you and as for the job send me details about what you have to offer and I will have an answer for you after studying the details and after discussing the offer with my husband and children."

"YOU ARE MARRIED AND YOU HAVE CHILDREN AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME."Richard asked shocked .

"I tried to call you but you never took my call and I believed you never opened the letters I sent you which contained my wedding invitation and the invitation to my children's baptism as you never showed up for if you wuld know if you heard my Harper Avery acceptance speeches"

"Oh…I….I…didn't…."

"Richard I told you not to question my intelligence and whatever the reason was I don't care now but you don't get to shout at me for not knowing what you never tried to know. So I believe this conversation should not involve my personal life and as far as job is concerned I will give you an answer after discussing it with my family and I would like to know whether you have a job opening in your neuro and plastics departments because I will not come alone if I accept the offer. "

"Well I have a lot of job opening except that of Department Heads as many other people left after the rankings fall but the surgeons that may want to come with you need to be good but since they are with you they must be good but they might need a recommendation from my future Head of General Surgery as my department heads may create problems for them."

"Oh they are good they will never need recommendations they are that good and I believe my recommendation will be called biased."

"Well I know that you can never be biased. And I will send you all the details of my offer and also for the plastics and neuro surgeon. "

"NO don't send details for the other jobs they will contact you themselves if they want it and they will never use my name when they contact you."

"Okay whatever you say."

"Bye Richard."

"Bye Meredith I will talk to you later."

Richard Webber put the phone down and thought to himself surprised that the little girl he used to change diapers of has all grown up was an extraordinary doctor and more importantly got married and also had children.

He braced himself for meeting Meredith Grey.