Meredith walked into the attending's lounge, the bags under her eyes very prominent as she just finished an 8 hour surgery. Cristina and Alex were sitting and discussing something when she came in. They both stopped and looked at her, a devious look upon their face.
"What?" Meredith asked cautiously. She knew by their faces they were up to something.
"The kids are spending the night with their grandparents, right?" Cristina asked curiously. Meredith stopped for a moment, her lips pursed as she thought for a second before answering her.
"Maybe, why?" She replied.
"Just curious," Cristina shrugged.
"What are you two up to?" Meredith asked.
"Nothing, I was just thinking it's been forever since the three of us just went out and had fun," Cristina replied.
"That's because I have kids and my husband died a few months ago. I haven't had time and I'm really not up for going out tonight so don't even think about it," she grumbled as she took a diet soda from the fridge.
"Come on Mer, it's been at least six months since we just had some fun. It would only be for a few hours," Alex begged.
"Fine, but only for a few hours," she mumbled, getting what she came for and started out the door.
"Be at Joe's in an hour!" Cristina called after her.
Meredith silently groaned, she didn't know why she had agreed to that but she knew Cristina wouldn't leave her alone if she didn't agree to it. She went into her office and grabbed her things before leaving. She went to her home and put her things on the kitchen table. She went up to her room and opened the doors to her closet, scanning all the clothes she had. She didn't want to dress up, she was exhausted. She also didn't want to look like she had just crawled from her bed. She tried on a few different outfits, deciding on her comfortable lavender sweater and skinny jeans.
She took one look at her bed, wishing she could crawl into it and sleep for the next twelve hours. She cursed herself as she left her home and drove to Joe's, being just in time to see Cristina walking from her car.
"Cris, wait!" Meredith called as she gathered her things and hurried over to her casually dressed friend.
"Wow, I thought you were going to dress up," Cristina nodded at Meredith's outfit.
"I'm not trying to impress anyone, I'm..." Meredith stopped herself from finishing the sentence. A small frown came on her face as she became silent.
"Mer, let's drink and forget,"Cristina said, grabbing her arm and dragging her inside where Alex was sitting at a table.
"Joe, give us a round of tequila!" Cristina yelled as she headed toward the bar.
"Mer, are you good?" Alex looked concerned of her face.
"Yeah," she nodded, not wanting to start that conversation. She didn't want to come but she always wanted to have a good time since she decided to come. Cristina came over with the three shots in her hand and put them on the table.
"Tequila, really?" Alex grimaced.
"Oh shut up you baby," Cristina smirked as she tipped back the tequila along with Meredith. Alex groaned before taking the shot also.
"I haven't seen you here in a while," Lexie smiled as she hugged her sister.
"I know, I missed Joe's. Sit down with us. Is Mark here?" Meredith asked looking around for him.
"Yeah, and so is Derek," Lexie said casually. Meredith silently groaned, every since she agreed to sort of be his friend, he would never leave her alone. Every time she saw him, he wanted to stop and chat. He would also occasionally bring her coffee in the mornings, along with cream and sugar which she never used.
"Great," Meredith put on a fake smile and a nod. She knew in the hospital she had to be kind and considerate to him but she didn't want to socialize with him outside of work. Lexie sat down and then Mark and Derek came over also, each with a beer.
"Hey Meredith," Derek smiled and Meredith smiled slightly back. She was holding backs cringe, she hated when other people besides her close friends called her Mer except when he said it, it rolled off his tongue.
"Hi Derek," she nodded at him. She starred into his blue eyes, her heart felt like it was pumping out of her chest. He looked so different in clothes rather than the navy blue scrubs. They all sat at the table, sharing their stories of how their day was spent. Meredith continued to have these unknown and unusual feelings about Derek. She continued to drink, hoping that they would go away.
The drinks continued and more shots were ordered by Meredith and taken by Meredith. As the tequila quickly entered her body, she began to sway to the music in her chair, not even paying attention to the conversation any longer. She didn't even notice when everyone left and it was only Meredith and Derek. She looked at him, confused on why he was still there.
"Where did everyone go?" She slurred slightly.
"They all left, do you not remember?" He asked, concerned.
"I remember that but why didn't they make me go?" She asked, a small bit of anger to her voice.
"I said I would make sure you get home because I am sober," he said to her.
"Why?" She popped off.
"Because I have an early morning tomorrow," he said, sipping the sparkling water he had.
"No. I mean why did you stay?" She asked again.
"Oh. I don't know, I just wanted to make sure you're safe," he said. She felt her body warm up as a rush of anger came through her.
"I didn't ask you to keep me safe. Now I'm going home," she slurred, standing up as she wobbled to keep balance. She grabbed her purse and searched for her keys. He held them up and shook them. She furrowed her brows, going to reach for them.
"Give me," she grunted.
"No. I'm not letting you kill someone because you're too stubborn to accept help," he said, sliding the keys into his pocket.
"Fine. I'll walk," she said, wobbling at first as she headed for the door. He paid the tab and quickly went out to find her. It was pouring rain and she was walking on the sidewalk.
"Meredith!" He chased after her. She continued to stop down the sidewalk, ignoring him.
"Mer," he said breathless as he caught up to her.
"Leave me alone," she said, accidentally stepping on something and stumbled sideways. He caught her before she fell. She torn his arms off her and continued her journey.
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he continued after her.
"You can't make me," she hummed. He rolled his eyes, grabbing to her arm. She tried jerking away.
"Let me go!" She said, hitting him. She didn't need him, she didn't need anyone. She was all alone in this big world and she lost the one person who understood her.
He shook his head, taking a few deep breaths. He leaned down and grabbed her waist, throwing her slender body over his shoulder. A loud gasp exited her mouth as she realized he really picked her up. He started back toward his car.
"Let me down!" She yelped, hitting his back with her fist. He laughed as he continued to carry her.
"I can't believe you," he laughed as they made it to his car. He opened the passenger side door in his Cayenne and put her down. She started to protest but decided not to. She stepped into his car, looking at the mirror. The minimal make up she wore had smeared down her face. Her hair a wet mess and her favorite sweater was soaking wet along with the jeans she wore.
He got in, his hair wet and curly in the natural state. He slid his hands through the wet mane, wiping the wetness on his jeans. He looked at her, dripping wet. He bit his lip slightly, trying to not think about all the dirty things coming to his mind. He shook his head a little, a smirk smeared on his face.
"Care to tell me where you live?" He asked.
"Nope," she huffed.
"Fine," he shrugged, cutting on the ignition and turning the heat on to help dry them.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked, noticing he wasn't fighting with her.
"To my house, since you want to act like a child," he grumbled, now regretting to agree to this.
"Fine, it's 287 West Avenue St," she said. He put it in his GPS and they started on the journey.
"Why do you care so much about me and wanted to take care of me tonight?" She asked.
"Do you want the truth?" He asked. She paused before nodding.
"You're hair smells like some type of flower," he said, she looked at him with a very confused face.
"What?" She asked. He chuckled and shook his head at her.
"When I got here and I met you that first time, I had no idea who you were but something about you caught my interest. I wanted to get to know you from the start. Then I found out you were Lexie's sister and your situation and I understood you being angry at me for taking the position. I have been where you are, I know how you are feeling. You're not alone and I wanted you to know that, you can have someone to talk to about and can get where you are coming from," he said. She looked like she was about to cry but held them back very well. They sat in silence for a moment.
"What about tonight? Why did you stay and kept me from driving?" She asked, curiosity beginning to seep from her pores.
"Rose, she was killed by a drunk driver. We were coming home from work later than usual, we had Zoe in the car because she was only two so she stayed at the daycare in the hospital. It was dark and raining and one minute we were driving and the next I see headlights coming from my right as we went through a green light and my car flipped. She was killed on impact," he spoke, sadness filled his voice. She felt horrible, her drunken stupor could have ended a family much like the person who took his.
"I... I didn't know," she shook her head.
"It's fine. You aren't in you're right mind," he said in a low voice.
"I guess that's what that is from," she said, reaching over to his head. She placed her finger over the scar that laid on his forehead. She felt a jolt through her body as her skin touched his. She moved her hand away and he chuckled, shaking his head.
"No, actually a story for a different time," he smiled slightly. They sat there again, it was silent besides the music that played through the speakers.
"Lavender."
"What?" He looked at her.
"My conditioner smells like lavender," she said, looking out the window at the passing houses.
"Lavender," he repeated, focusing on the road. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, keeping his mind focused. He was hoping that she wouldn't be too drunk to forget this. He knew it was a step, a step toward a friendship. She now knew the story of how his wife died, hoping to allow her to trust him more.
The drive seemed like forever before he was pulling into her driveway. The house looked like an actual family home, one with a white picket fence and the whole nine yards. He looked over at Meredith who had fallen asleep.
"Meredith," he said, hoping to wake her up. He wasn't sure he would be able to carry her again. She didn't answer and he sighed. He grabbed the keys from her purse and went to open the door. He came back out, picking up her body. She woke up for only a slight second, enough for her to wrap her arms around his neck. He shook his head at her, carrying her into the house. He went upstairs in the dark house, almost tripping over multiple child's toys. He found the master bedroom, going in and laying her down. He took her shoes off, debating to take off her damp clothes or not. He decided against it, knowing it would be weird to see her naked. He covered her up, looking at. Small snores began to come out of her body and he just shook his head. He had no idea what it was about her but something made him want to know everything about this woman.