Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I think you know that only the story is mine by now.

A/N: This chapter is a short one, but I hope you still like it.

The next day, Derek practically dragged himself to the hospital, dreading the day that was ahead of him. All incoming neuro patients were to be directed to another attending, as Derek was to be solely on this case. The thought of this unnerved Derek. Knowing that he was not only going to be stuck with Mark and Addison for days, but that Meredith would be with them too, and he couldn't talk to her as if she was more than an intern to him.

As he was making his way to the attendings' lounge, he passed Cristina and Meredith. They were still wearing the clothes they had arrived in, meaning they were on their way to the locker room. Meredith smiled at him as they walked past each other, but he just averted his gaze to the window at the end of the hall. He didn't want to come off as though he didn't want to talk to her, but that would be the easiest way to follow the chief's instructions.

Opening the door to the lounge, Derek was surprised to be met by the presence of the visiting attendings. They both stopped talking as he walked across the room, but neither said anything to him. He did what he needed to very quickly, then sped out of the room, attaching his pager to the waistband of his scrubs as he did so. When he was outside the room, he paused for a moment. He tried to listen to what Mark and Addison were saying, but didn't hear anything, so he headed to Grace Mitchell's room.

On his way to the elevator, he heard the whispered chatter of people walking behind him. He couldn't identify the voices, but when he found them to be following him, he assumed they belonged to Addison and Mark. That was confirmed when they stopped beside him while waiting for the elevator to come down. He stepped in when it arrived, awkwardly followed by them. Just before the doors closed, an arm slid in between them to open them back up. And, to his dismay, the arm belonged to Meredith.

She stepped onto the elevator and smiled at her superiors. As the doors closed once again, Mark cleared his throat. No one said anything. They had to go up two floors to get to Grace Mitchell, and the ride up was painfully long. Clearly not sensing the awkward feeling that had settled over the small space, Meredith said an uncharacteristically cheerful 'good morning' to Derek. He did nothing more than smile at her in response. Her face fell slightly at this, as normally he would have either given her an equally cheerful response, or teased her for the strange greeting. When the doors finally opened, Derek let out a quiet but grateful sigh.

The four of them walked to Grace's room in silence. Whether it was because no one knew what to say, or because breaking the silence would be more awkward the silence itself was, Derek didn't know. When they arrived at her room, Dr. Webber was waiting for them, an odd look on his face.

"What is it?" Derek asked, slightly nervous. Richard looked at the floor, then back up at him. His gaze flew to the four doctors in front of him, then landed on Derek once again. He stayed quiet for a few more moments, when someone else spoke up.

"Dr. Webber, what's wrong?" Meredith asked. He looked to her and he sighed.

"Grace isn't feeling too well. I want to wait a few more days before getting started. I don't know if it's the stress of all this or something to do with the baby, but I think she needs some more time." He spoke to all of them, though he looked at Meredith. As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes moved to Addison.

"I want to you to run a few tests, do an ultrasound or two, just to make sure the little girl isn't in any distress. If she is, don't let Grace know, and page me as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course," she responded, sounding like she was going to say something else, though she didn't. Dr. Webber stepped aside, allowing Addison access to the room. She slid inside and closed the door gently behind her. Turning back to the others, Dr. Webber crossed his arms over his chest.

"Shepherd, I want you and Dr. Sloane to go and create a solid plan for the surgery on Frankie. You may not be working on her at the same time, but you need to work together for this to be done right. There should be an empty collaboration room in the east wing of this floor."

Derek's breathing hitched slightly, and Meredith cast him a funny look that he pretended not to notice. Though he didn't say anything, Dr. Webber gave him a stern look that told him he needed to behave. Rolling his eyes, Derek turned and headed for previously mentioned empty collaboration room, Mark hot on his heels. When they were both out of earshot, Dr. Webber turned back to Meredith.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, suddenly uncomfortable with the lack of placement for herself. Dr. Webber pondered it for a moment, but didn't look like he knew what to do with her. After a few seconds of silence, he took a small step towards her.

"I think for now you can see if Dr. Montgomery needs any assistance. Grace might feel more comfortable with just one doctor right now, so don't be upset if you're told to leave. Shepherd and Sloane need some time to work out their plan, so I don't want them to have any disruptions. If Dr. Montgomery asks you to leave just come see me in my office and I'll find something for you to do in the meantime."

Meredith nodded her head and Dr. Webber smiled, then walked off down the hall behind her. Taking in a breath, Meredith slowly opened the door, and walked into the room. Dr. Montgomery was writing something down on Grace's chart, who was laying in the bed half asleep. At the sound of the door closing, Addison looked over to Meredith. She didn't say anything, didn't even smile at her. She just looked back down at the chart in her hands and continued writing. When she finished and flipped it shut, she stood and gestured for Meredith to leave the room. Meredith did as she was instructed, and Addison followed her out, chart still in her hands.

"Dr. Webber told me to see if you needed any assistance."

Dr. Montgomery gave her a look that Meredith thought could only be described as a glare, though she wasn't sure why she was receiving such a look. She wondered if somehow, she knew who Meredith was, even though she wasn't someone Addison had any reason not to like.

"Give Grace an ultrasound and take down her vitals every ten minutes for the next hour. If there is any change whatsoever, I want you to page me." She said as she handed Meredith the chart. She took it, slightly stunned that Addison so willingly gave her this responsibility on such a big case. With her lack of response, Addison raised an eyebrow.

"You do know how to do an ultrasound, right Dr. Grey?" she asked in a condescending tone.

Meredith nodded her head, but didn't say anything. All that Addison said before walking away was "good," leaving Meredith alone to stay with Grace. Despite the sense of butterflies in her stomach, Meredith didn't think it was because of being nervous. There was something about the way Dr. Montgomery had looked at Meredith that created an unsettling feeling inside of her. And as the visiting doctor walked away, for some unknown reason, that unsettling feeling inside of her grew.