Chapter 1 –Meeting my doctor
"So ... to make it clear to you one more time... at hospital you are the intern; you are now the Dr. Meredith Grey and I am an attending... I am Dr. Webber for you! "
Walking out of her bathroom, Meredith rolled her eyes. For the hundredth times, her mother gave her the lecture about how they would co-exist in the same hospital once that Meredith would start her internship. "Yes, mother!" Meredith replied, sounding as if she was agonizing. "I graduated the med school so I am not that balmy; trust me I understood everything perfectly from the first time."
"You don't have to be ironical Meredith." Sitting on the edge of Meredith's bed, legs crossed, Ellis watched every move that her daughter was doing. "Let me see the dress you are going to wear tonight." She held out one hand, impatiently waiting to criticize whatever Meredith was going to show her.
Meredith took out of the closet a long blue navy gown, spaghetti straps criss crossed over the back. "This is the dress." Meredith put the dressed over the front of her body, showing her mother the most important elements... elegant and decent.
Ellis checked it closely with critical eyes. "It's ok. It looks decent." She agreed. "I have to go home and get ready myself." Ellis handed the dress back to Meredith and turned on her heels heading towards the door.
Meredith followed her outside the bedroom and walked her until they reached downstairs at the front door.
At the bottom of the stairs, Ellis bumped into Meredith's best friend, who was also her new roommate. "I hope you two won't make me regret that I let you live alone in this house." Ellis scowled each of them.
Alex chuckled amused, not being too scared of the towering posture of Ellis Webber "Don't worry Mrs. Webber, we'll play nice."
Ellis rolled her eyes and then looked back at her daughter. "Sure. Try not to arrive late at the mixer tonight."
"We won't. Bye now!" Meredith hurried to open the door, inviting Ellis to leave faster.
"Meredith, don't be impertinent." Ellis snapped at her.
"Sorry" Meredith looked down muttering, acting like a little Meredith.
From the doorway, Ellis looked around the small area of the hallway, but yet scanning the whole house. "I can't believe you chose to come back into this house, with all its bad memories. I should have sold it a long time ago."
"I was very little when everything happened so I don't really have too many memories here." Meredith talked much calmer this time, somehow affected by all the displeasures that her mother had to endure in that house, before they moved to live in Boston. She wasn't sure of what exactly had happened between her parents, but she never willed to find out either.
"Lucky you." Ellis sighed. "I'll see you tonight." She said as she stepped outside on porch.
"Bye!" Like two children left home alone, Meredith and Alex hurried to close the door after Ellis.
Meredith and Alex returned in house, walking together in living room; a furnished space, entirely covered with white sheets.
"This place requires reconstruction." Alex grumbled scowling the area.
Meredith slapped his arm walking inside past him. "Stop whining. Would you prefer to pay rent somewhere else or worse... to live in the same house with Ellis Webber and her husband?"
Alex seemed to be chocking at that thought. "nooo... this house is perfect!"
Meredith grinned back at him. "I thought so too." She grabbed the side of a sheet that was covering the couch and made it flew in air along with a mass of dust. Once they inhaled the dust and the air became too heavy to breathe, they ran out of room.
Alex was ready to protest when Meredith held up one hand. "Remember …Ellis, the rent …" She trailed off soothing words.
Alex rolled his eyes, unable to stop grumbling. "It'll take us forever to clean it." He muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Meredith to understand him.
"I know" Meredith admitted and let out a sight.
"What are we doing in Seattle, Meredith?" Alex asked her, not looking at her.
"Did you forget already? To play as doctors." Meredith retorted, same as Alex her mind wandering over all the things that needed to do to make that house look habitable.
"Oh yeah... I remember now!" Alex retorted with sarcasm. Meredith laughed. "And remember me again... why did I let myself convinced by you to come here?" He asked raising an eyebrow as he looked at her.
Meredith smiled and leaned to him sweetly. "Because you are my best friend and you didn't want to know me here, all alone with my mother and Richard. Oh, and because this way you could escape from your family."
"Oh yeah" Again, Alex sighed.
"I know this city is not the greatest Alex, but here they have the best internship program in surgery." Meredith admitted.
"Aren't you afraid that having your step dad as the chief of surgery and your mom as the head of general will give you big troubles with the other hospital staff? "
"Like I care their opinion." Meredith shrugged. "And this is another reason why I brought my good friend with me here." She grinned and threw her arms around Alex.
--
"Come on Meredith!" From the bottom of the stairs, Alex shouted up after his friend. "We'll be late and we don't want to be late. We were warned not to be late!"
"One more second and I am ready!" Meredith shouted back from upstairs.
Alex groaned in annoyance and not trusting that she would come downstairs as soon as she had promised, he decided to sit down and wait for her. But a second had passed indeed when he heard Meredith climbing down the stairs. Alex jumped on his feet and extremely bored turned to greet Meredith.
With a big smile on her face, Meredith was climbing down the stairs very graceful in her black dress, much shorter than the one she had showed to her mother and with a deep v-neck.
With the mouth wide open, Alex was speechless. "I was nice to have a friend like you." He admitted with admiration and then smiled up at her. "You're mom is so going to kill you when she'll see you!"
Meredith stopped beside him and wrapped her hand around his arm laughing. "I know."
--
Walking in at Alex's arm, Meredith and Alex finally made it to the hospital where the mixer party was taking place. They stopped at the entrance for a first look over the crowded place where people of all ages were interacting or simply staring with bored expressions on their faces around them. Alex was the first one who notices Ellis' presence in there and elbowed Meredith.
Meredith followed the the line of his vision and laughed after she understood why he was taking steps back; Ellis wasn't far from them, talking to some people. "Are you going to leave me alone?"
"Sweetie, you know I love you but I can't risk my life right now." He smiled apologetically. "I would like to experience the life as surgeon first." He smirked and mixed with the crowd.
Left alone, Meredith took a deep breath expecting to a long night. Staring around at all those faces, Meredith tried to figure which ones would be her co-workers and which ones their bosses, besides Ellis. Then she met the gaze of her mother on her, glaring at the design of her dress. Meredith sighed resignedly and waiting for Ellis to come to her.
"We'll have a talk about this later." Ellis muttered still staring at Meredith's dress. "Now don't just stay here! Go socialize with the others!" She urged her.
Meredith turned around instantly wishing to do anything just to get rid of her mother's presence. She was lucky to spot Alex nearly, smirking at her. Meredith walked over to him and slapped his arm muttering. "Coward."
Alex winced rubbing the spot that Meredith had slapped and chuckled. "Sorry, but I don't think it was that bad."
Meredith grinned with sarcasm at him and gave another look around her. "This looks boring." She grumbled.
"I found something not boring." Alex replied staring at someone with a crooked smile on his face.
"Who?" Meredith asked him with interest and tried to notice the person that caught Alex's attention.
Still staring at that person, Alex gestured with his head towards a blond girl. "It will be interesting to have a friend in Pediatrics."
"How do you know she is in Pediatrics?" Meredith asked him curious.
"Does she look to you like she could work in other field? Seriously Mere!" Alex chuckled with sarcasm and left Meredith's side.
"Hey, you were supposed to look after me." Meredith whined terrified by the thought of spending the rest of the evening all alone. "If my mom finds out ..." Meredith tried to find a way to scare him. "She will kick your butt."
"Come on Mere, you are a big girl now!" Alex laughed. "You will be fine, besides…" he smirked looking at someone else now "someone else is already looking after you."
"Who?" Meredith became suddenly interested.
"Just look on your left." Alex mumbled.
Meredith turned her head to look at her left and easily she saw a good-looking man staring at her and smiling. Meredith smiled back at him and turned giggling to Alex. "He's hot." She admitted almost breathless. "But he doesn't look like an intern; he might be a resident or an attending so I am not going to risk." She shook her head.
"He looks like he wants to risk so I think I am going to introduce myself to the ped and give you the chance to meet him. Good luck!" He said quickly and left her alone again.
"Good luck with her." Meredith grumbled.
Right after Alex left, the man who was staring at her earlier was beside her in an instant like he was waiting for this chance.
Meredith had her back turned to him, so she started when that man whispered to her ear. "Are you one of our new interns?"
'One of our interns.' Meredith sighed slightly disappointed. He was one of her soon-to-be bosses.
"Yes, I am." Meredith answered as she turned to face him.
"What program are you into?" He asked her.
"Surgery"
"Really?" The man seemed pleasantly surprised to find that out. "I am very lucky in this case; we are going to have the chance to work together. Hi, I'm Dr. Mark Sloan. I am the … " He introduced himself holding out his hand, but Meredith cut him off.
"… the head of plastics; I know." Meredith smiled.
"Wow, I am impressed!" Mark chuckled. "You are very well informed. What's your name?"
Meredith hesitated for a moment before introducing herself. "My name is Meredith. Nice to meet you." She shook his hand.
"Just Meredith?" Mark asked her with amusement.
"Just Meredith" Meredith replied. She didn't want to be known as mommy's girl yet, though most of the doctors present there knew she should be around.
"Oh. Alright then. I would like to call you Dr. Meredith then." Mark laughed.
With regret, Meredith knew she should step away from Mark now that she knew he was going to be one of her bosses.
"You know, Dr. Meredith..." Mark chuckled and leaned dangerously close to her ear. "I really hope you have a special interest in Plastics."
Meredith felt her face flushing and lost the train of her thoughts as she met her mother's glare staring at them. "Umm... ok….I…I'll just go and … I'll see you around." Meredith stammered already stepping away from him.
Mark stared after, a crooked smile spread across his lips. "I look forward too." He muttered under his breath. He was gazing at Meredith so intensively that he hadn't even noticed Ellis stopping beside him.
"Dr. Sloan." She cleared her throat.
"Dr. Webber." Mark started. "Are you enjoying the mixer?" He asked her smiling.
"Not as much as you are." Ellis replied dryly, still glaring at him. "I hope this year you'll teach something to our interns."
Mark chuckled and turned to look at Meredith again. "I sure will" He laughed. Ellis shook her head disapprovingly and left.
After she left Mark, Meredith went to Alex who was now talking to the blond girl he had spotted and another guy who looked around their age.
"So" Alex came over to her and smirked as expressed his wish to find out more about Meredith's potential date.
"He is an attending." Meredith grumbled with disappointment.
"I'm sorry, sweetie." Alex patted her back friendly. "Let me introduce you new fellow interns." He said as he led her to those he has been talking to. "Izzie and George, this is Meredith." He made the introductions.
Meredith shook hands with both of them, amused to find out that Izzie wasn't in the Pediatrics as Alex had thought. They a short chat about how their future workplace would be until Meredith excused herself saying that she would rather go home.
"Hey, but you are my ride, and I don't want to leave now!" Alex protested.
"If you want ...I can give you a ride home." Izzie offered to help him, smiling flirtatiously at him.
Alex and Meredith shared a knowingly smile and then Meredith wished them fun and left the hospital.
When Meredith walked outside in the parking lot, the rain was pouring badly. She ran to her car, fumbling for her keys to unlock it faster and as she reached to it, she opened the door and got inside. She let out a sigh as she stared out on window at the hospital. "I don't feel like going home" She muttered under her breath. "It doesn't even look like a house." Meredith giggled. "Alex is right... we are so screwed."She was about to start the ignition when she noticed the bar across the street. "I could need some tequila right now." Meredith opened the door and got out in the rain again, locking the car and running towards the bar.
Inside, Meredith noticed a free spot at the bar, so she took a seat down on a barstool.
"Hey." The friendly barman greeted her. "What can I get you?"
"Many shots of tequila." Meredith ordered.
"Are you sure?" the bartender asked her incredulously. "You don't look like you can handle them."
Meredith smiled at him. "You don't know me. I can take them, don't worry."
After a few shots a man came to sit beside her at bar.
"This looks dangerous for you." He stated with amusement in his voice.
"You don't know me either." Meredith grumbled.
"That's true, but I am want you to know me so … hi. I'm Derek." He held out his hand for a friendly shake.
Meredith turned to look at him and noticed him for the first time. She swallowed a lump, feeling her knees weak and she found herself lost in his piercing blue eyes. 'Another hot man.' She cried on the inside. 'At least he can't be an attending.' She said to herself.
"Are you going to stay mysterious?" He chuckled at her gaze.
Meredith snapped back to reality and smiled sheepishly at him "Do you want to know my last name too?" She asked him laughing.
"No ... at least not now." Derek laughed. "But I will want to when we'll get married." He added.
Meredith laughed. "Alright then." She held out her hand. "I'm Meredith."
"Nice to meet you, Meredith." Derek shook her head smiling dreamily at her.
"Nice to meet you too, Derek." Meredith giggled.
"So what made you come and drown your self with tequila?" He asked her.
"New town, new house, new job." Meredith trailed off.
Derek chuckled. "Too many new things indeed."
"How about you?" She asked him pointing to his drink.
"You won't believe…" He grinned.
"Try me." Meredith giggled.
"New town…" Derek started.
"Oh nice …cheers for this one" Meredith laughed and she took a swing of tequila while Derek took from his drink.
"And that's not all…" Derek continued. "Also a new house …or more a new roommate and a new job too."
"Really? Umm…well cheers for the new roommate and the new job." Meredith held up her shot of tequila again.
"Cheers" and their glasses hurtled, both of them pouring their drinks down their throats.
"Are you for the first time in Seattle?" Derek tried to start a casual conversation.
"No, but I haven't been here for almost 10 years, I think." Meredith giggled, being already tipsy.
"Well, at least you have an idea about the city. I have 2 months since I live here and so far none showed me the surroundings." Derek confessed.
"And do you want me to be your guide?" Meredith giggled.
"You'd do me a very big favor." Derek admitted it grinning at her.
Meredith laughed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I think I may need a guide too."
"We can make a trip together around the city and if we get lost we can take it as an adventure. What do you say?" Derek suggested.
"I don't think so." Meredith shook her head.
"So you don't like the adventure." Derek stated with disappointment.
"I do like it, but not with a stranger." Meredith admit it.
"First of all ,I am not a stranger. I am Derek, remember?" Derek chuckled. "And secondly, that's what makes an adventure."
"Ok …Derek, but I still don't go in adventures with strangers. What if you are a psycho?"
"Do I look like a psycho?" Derek frowned mockingly and turned to Joe the bartender. "Do I look like a psycho to you?"
Joe laughed. "Sometimes you do."
Meredith laughed too. "You don't have to look like a psycho to be one."
Derek sighed acting disappointed. "Ok, so I guess I still have to wait for a tour from somebody else."
"I'm sure you'll get lucky one day." Meredith smiled with the same mockery in her features as Derek's. The she noticed his clothes. "So from where did you run off?" She asked him.
"What do you mean?" Derek asked her curious.
"You are dressed very fancy; did you run away from your wedding or someone's wedding?" Meredith interrogated him.
Derek laughed as he answered. "I didn't get where I was supposed to get. I changed my mind in the last minute."
"Did you left your fiancé at the aisle?" Meredith asked him raising suggestively an eyebrow.
"No!" Derek laughed. "I just missed from a fancy party. How about you?" He asked her as he saw her dress.
"I gave a chance to the party, but it didn't work so… here I am." Meredith admitted.
"Here we are." Derek concluded. "It looks like we have a lot in common."
"It seems so." Meredith smiled.
--
The next morning, at 5.30 am the alarm started blurring. Because nobody seemed to turn off the alarm, Alex broke in Meredith's room "Meredith we'll be late! Wake up ….Shit!" He walked outside as fast as he had walked inside after he met an unpleasant view. Meredith lying naked over Derek, also naked.
Alex's noisy appearance and loud noise of the alarm clock made them jump upright.
"Crap!" Meredith grumbled rubbing her temples as she felt the pain throbbing inside her head.
"Who was that? Your brother, your boyfriend, your fiancé, your husband?" Derek asked her worried.
"My roommate, but that's not important right now, I'm late and … I have to shower and you …you have to leave …. " Meredith trailed off as she got out of the bed.
Derek gave a look around at the empty room; a bed without sheets, a closet and an armed chair …and all this very dusty, were the only furniture. "You know, because of you I am very dusty right now so at least you can do to make it up to me is to let me get into the shower …" Derek pouted. "…with you." He grumbled as he added and smiled crookedly at her.
Meredith loved his smile since she first met him and she would have accepted his request, but she quickly remembered her mother and the fact that she couldn't be late…not today. "I'm sorry. You look nice even if you are dusty so you can go home like this." Meredith smiled.
"Ok, but for this you owe me another date and a shower." Derek warned her smiling.
"Ok, wie'll negotiate this some other time, but now I really, really have to go." Meredith grabbed his clothes from floor and threw them in his arms.
"Ok, I'll get in touch with you about this." Derek promised.
"Bye Derek."
"Meredith."
Meredith took a quick shower and headed downstairs, where Alex was waiting for her with her jacket and a mug of coffee.
"So you had fun last night after all." Alex chuckled.
"You bet I did." Meredith smirked. "How about you?"
Alex grinned at her as response.
"Good boy." Meredith laughed. "Let's go now."