You and Me and All Other People
Chapter 1 - A Day to Remember
Few months later
Communication. Surely it was a challenge to many marriages but hardly as it was for Alex and Meredith Karev. They have been together for almost four years but it seemed like four weeks. Nobody could explain how they actually got married. Surely he proposed and she said yes but it was no coincidence it took them more than two years to finally walk down the aisle. It was funny and totally Alex and Mer likable.
Flashback starts
"You know that now you guys were left behind?" said Mark as he and Lexie sit on the table that were Alex, Meredith, Cristina and Owen in the reception of the Chief of Surgery and the second year resident
"I have no idea of what you are talking about" said a nervous Alex sipping his drink
"What?"asked Meredith as all the eyes turned to her
"You know what. What kind of fiancees never talk or plan their marriage?" asked Mark smirking
"The kind that is not pregnant or going after money?" asked Alex
"Come on, guys, you started dating before us, you got engaged before us and Meredith you will probably get pregnant before me" said Lexie sit on her brand new husband lap.
Meredith choked on her drinking spilling it all over the table.
"Motherhood is not her favorite subject" said Cristina rolling her eyes
"Even Cristina is a mother, Meredith. Cristina for God's sake!!!! I thought she was going to give birth to R2D2 droid" said Mark sarcastically
"Hey, my godson is an angel" said Meredith trying to recover from her fiasco with the champagne
"How come can you be a godmother, Cristina a mother, a manwhore like me can get married but you can't? I mean, we closed our club a long time ago. There is more on you, Grey"
"We will get married, okay? When the time is right" said Alex seeing that Meredith was getting uncomfortable. They got used to the comments and questions about their engagement and wedding but it didn't mean they didn't have a hard time, especially when they were at a wedding reception.
"Right" said Cristina rolling her eyes "I am going to check the drooler" she completed as she stood up to look for her son
"This kid will need therapy at age five" said Mark
"She loves Johnny and he knows it, she just has a different way to show it" said Owen
"We all know she is a softie when she is alone with him, poor boy must have bad dreams about his bipolar mother" said Alex smirking
"So, Alex, when is right?" said Owen, who was always very protective of his family
"Yeah, I want to be a married bridesmaid" said Lexie excited for her elder sister wedding
"If we knew when right is we would already be married" he said
"We will know it" Meredith completed "Eventually?"
"Yeah, right" Owen said smirking
"Right" both Meredith and Alex whispered
Flashback ends
"So how was your day?" asked Alex as Meredith entered the house after her day shift
"It was okay" she said throwing her purse on the couch and laying by his side
"Missed me?"
"No, you are too annoying and it just feels nice to have a day away from you" she said as she slipped until his lap
"So no special dinner for you" he said rubbing her head
"Does my amazing husband have something for me?" she asked
"Do you think it is a coincidence that on your birthday I am not working and you are?" he asked with a big grin on his face that was immediately on her face as well
"What did your naughty, naughty boy do?" she asked sitting down with a mischievous smile
"Nothing you are imagining your dirty, dirty missy" he said as he stood up and lead the way to the kitchen
In the square table of their kitchen there were her favorite dish, Chicken Parmesan, wine and a rose, a yellow rose.
"Thank you so much" she said kissing him passionately
"I just wanted you to know you own me big time" he said kissing his wife back
"And I am more than please to play dirty-naughty as payoff" she said walking until the table
"Wow I even got a card?" she said as she opened the little white card
I have a lot to celebrate not only today but also tomorrow.
The day you were born I was blessed without know it.
The day you married me I was saved.
I love you, Meredith Lily Karev.
Thank you, for everything.
Alex
"Oh Alex" she said with teary eyes "I got used to your corny remarks but this was beautiful, thank you" she said kissing and hugging her husband
"You make me so happy, Mer, you've changed my life some years ago and I have a lot to celebrate, our marriage, our life together but especially you" he said still hugging her
"You make me happy too" she said as they released themselves from each other
"Shall we eat?" he asked
"Shall we" she said
They ate and talked through the night. They didn't develop a lot of subjects, mostly about the hospital, their sex life and mocking their friends but somehow a subject they were avoiding like the plague rose in their friendly conversation
"Don't you think we should move to a smaller place?" she asked
"But you love this house, you say you had the best memories of your life here" he said
"I know but this is too big for only the two of us. I have my mom's funds and also some properties in Boston and other cities. We could buy a new place" she said tasting her wine
"I don't know, we don't even know where we are going after our residence is done maybe we should wait" he said turning pale the moment the words left his mouth
There it was. The future talk. Their future. The truth is they knew in a little over a year they would be released from the hospital and they were already contacting their network in some hospitals in the country. The problem was they were doing it alone and very shyly. Only fifteen months away of their professional freedom, they should be looking more seriously for a place to work in the second half of the next year.
Surely Mark already told them and Cristina he would try his best to keep them in the Grace. He compromised himself to write them very convincing recommendation letters but they knew it wasn't this easy to keep three residents from the surgical program. It was easier for Alex and Cristina, as their specialties weren't exactly on their best shape on Grace. Every since Addie and Preston left, it was on a nightmare for Richard and lately for Mark.
They got resumes and some very nice doctors worked with them but for one reason or the other they left. Dr Lee was very competent, but he was the only highlight of the cardiology-surgery staff. Surely Mark had more than personal reasons to keep Cristina. She would probably be the successor of Joshua when he retires within 5 or 8 years as he already suggested to Mark. Alex also had a great opportunity there. Definitely Addison was missed. The department was led by six different doctors since her farewell and still it wasn't on his best shape now with Dr Morrison. Alex and Dr Simon were two good additions to their OB Gyn staff. As Alex would finish his residency in the next year, Simon had still two more years ahead of him and Mark knew both men could do a great job.
As for Meredith, it wasn't easy to keep her. Seattle Grace had the best pediatric wing of West Coast. Robbins and Bailey were a great team and they have other two great doctors working with them. People traveled thousands of miles to have their children operate by one of the two doctors and it would be hard for Mark to prove to the board that they needed another pediatric surgeon and both Alex and Meredith knew it.
They didn't want to be a burden to each other. Meredith knew Alex had a great chance to become the head of OB&Gyn very soon. He was talented, he was passionate by his job and he loved those children and mothers as if they were his. He has kept contact with Addison and in more than one occasion she invited him to assist her in a rare procedure on Los Angeles. He had learned a lot from her not only during the months she stayed on SGH but every since he chose for the vagina squad.
Alex knew it was a great opportunity for his career maybe the biggest of the next ten years. It wasn't common to have the chance to be the head of a surgery department only a few years after the residency no matter how good he was or not. It wasn't only about his performance as a surgeon but also trustworthiness.
Would he resent Meredith if he chose her over his career? Would he resent his career if he chose it over the woman of his life? He truly didn't know the answer. He surely wasn't totally comfortable with the great amount of money she had, from her mother's heritage and surely his mother had some money but he hadn't and he never liked to ask for money to her. He worked hard to keep himself on Seattle when he was alone. When he moved in to Meredith's house, they were four to pay the bills and it wasn't too much but then Izzie died, Lexie left and it was only Meredith and him.
They didn't have an expensive way of life but he felt like if they had a baby or needed to buy a house, Meredith would be the money provider and his pride was hurt. If he was head of a department in a hospital as Seattle Grace he would provide to his family everything they needed and still have money for something else. Obviously if he had to think exclusively about his career and Meredith he would choose her in a blink of eye but the reason why he wanted to have a good job was to give her financial freedom to open her practice or to get pregnant without worry about money. She avoided spending her mother's money as she still referred to the funds she inherited and she was proud to keep themselves by their incomes only and he wouldn't want her to change something so important to her pride.
Slipping the subject during their celebration wasn't what he meant but now he couldn't take it back. She didn't say anything and he didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. He knew her better than anyone else but there were some moments like now that Meredith was still a complete mystery to him. Sometimes she was silent and sometimes she was clearly annoyed and he couldn't say what it was about. He was still learning to read her in these moments and right now he had no clue of what she was thinking.
Not knowing what else to do he broke the silence
"Mer?"
"Yeah, you are right, we are living here for years and now we are close to finish our residence so what means 15 months, right? We can wait until our lives are decided and we know where we are going, then we buy a smaller house. It is not like we know it and it is not like we will have any children to populate this house." She said and quickly excused herself to the restroom not before thanking him one more time for the dinner and the card.
Once more he decided to keep his lips shut. He wouldn't start a subject that clearly annoyed her and spoiled their celebration night. Like many other times before, a glimpse of their future was more than enough to build higher walls between them, so as always he cursed himself for his big mouth as he washed the dishes.
"That's why you should keep your mouth shut, idiot" he murmured as he took a beer and kicked the chair.
Upstairs, Meredith splashed her face. No, this wasn't how she planned to talk to him about their career decision and she knew she was scared but now she also felt guilty. She ruined their perfect night and her stupid fears once more messed up everything. She has been totally unfair to Alex who clearly didn't want to pressure her and just mentioned it because it was a stupid idea to move to a new place. Once more she hurt him and she couldn't find a way to forgive herself for hurting him when all he did to her was love her, with all her flaws, and do his best to make her happy.
"Way to go. That was pathetic" she said as she wiped the tears falling continuously on her face
One day more that Meredith and Alex couldn't communicate, another day they will remember for awhile, the day they could have take a step forward but instead took two back.
AN: This and the next couple of chapters will set up the situation Meredith and Alex are going through. This fic is about they taking the next steps. Unlike MD and the show, both Alex and Meredith have a background that can't be ignored. There isn't a Derek figure here, so they never showed support to each other to face their demons and let their hurting past behind of them. They were scared most of time not about themselves but about each other. On the next chapter I will develop a bit more why they are behaving like this, especially after a few years together and then the action will come. I'd love to have some feedback about the plot and things you like or dislike but if you are not into Meralex, if you think it is just stupid for them to be together, then this is not for you, I'd advice you to do not keep reading.
Unlike Reflections of Love, there will be a lot of medical action going on that will help or not them with their issues. The first one is communication. The second is about their careers after their residences and as I already gave clues on ROF and also in the prologue, Meredith wants to have children but let's just say Alex is not there. I hope you guys enjoy the trip.