CH 10 too late to apologise
Meredith giggled at the scowl Alex was directing her, Izzie and Christina.
They were having lunch in the cafeteria, all of them together for the first time since Mer coming back the day before. Meredith's first two shifts had gone reasonably well, and despite Richard's insistence that she keep it easy, she had managed to scrub in on some interesting surgeries, particularly in neuro, due to Derek's absence.
She had also managed, however, to successfully lead a difficult trauma operation with Bailey, caused by a teenage boy being impaled by a tree, much to the surprise and admiration of her colleagues. Many attendings, like Derek Shepherd, had voiced mild concerns of this sudden transfer from the army so hastily being flown in without much explanation, but all the sceptics had been forced to realise their fears had been far from founded.
Dr. Lieutenant Grey, as well as being an amazing teacher and having an indisputable aura of authority that no doubt derived from her position in the army, was also incredibly fair, and an unquestionably gifted surgeon. Many of those having watched her operate were in awe of her technique, some going as far as to suggest she could give Derek shepherd a run for his money. Meredith smirked at the rumours, partly due to her annoyance at Derek's comments, but also because, as much as she was loathe to admit it, in the basis of her training in neuro, and surgery in general, he had very much been her first real mentor.
More than their personal attachment, she had been aware of how well Derek and her had functioned in the OR, and that, she recalled, had only been with her assisting. It had been a connection she had missed in Iraq, and, to her consternation, had often found herself longing to find again. When further news spread of her 'lineage', speculation spread that she would no doubt join her mother in medical history, and that she had definitely inherited her talent.
But at the moment; Meredith was ignoring the stares and whispers of curiosity and admiration, and was revelling in the feeling of once more being surrounded by her family. Because in the end that's who they were. In the army, she had Michael, but he was her commanding officer, whereas the five of them had all been interns together. True, George was a year behind the rest now and she was technically the boss of all of them, but the bond remained.
The three girls were currently laughing at Alex's recounting of his morning surgery with Dr. Lucy Fields, who he was still trying to deny his feelings for, as well as a totally oblivious Sydney Herron, who had thought of no better conversation topic than Alex's love life for all of three hours, under the amused gaze of all the surgical staff.
"So then she was all, 'find love, heal with love' Dr. Karev, that's my advice to you'" he imitated her in a fake high-pitched voice.
"I think this is the first time I regret scrubbing in ever" Christina laughed "I would have loved to see your face evil spawn".
"Shut up yang!" Alex growled. "I don't remember you faring any better in peads with Mr. Bear clipped to your lab coat."
Meredith's laughter redoubled as Christina's smirk faded. She had been kept up to date with Christina's desperate attempts at getting in on surgeries during the merger.
"I actually miss Mr Bear" said Christina thoughtfully "after all he did manage to make my patient shut up in the end."
George scoffed "yeah, because you used him to terrorise her into submission with that scary Godzilla voice."
Christina shrugged her shoulders "Hey, all I can say, is Robbins said the bear was to calm the midgets down"
Izzie rolled her eyes at Christina's designation of the peads patients, "and it worked." Christina continued, ignoring as Izzie glared at her
"She meant to comfort them, not scar them for life."
Meredith shook her head at the banter between the two; it was good to be home.
But then her reverie was interrupted by the person she least wanted to see. Or maybe second least. Derek shepherd was still high up on top of that list.
His tone was less cocky and flirtatious than it had been at their first meeting, but the memory of their last encounter was clear enough in her mind to spurn at him, in reminding her of his behaviour and Derek's insulting remarks.
"So I see you're getting along well then?" asked Mark Sloan hesitantly, conscious of the half interested half scowling looks he was getting from his residents. But no scowl was bigger than Meredith's.
When Meredith failed to answer, he took it as positive sign, that at least she wasn't mad to the point of wanting to kill him. And maybe this could be an opportunity to renew his attempts at a date, or at least a cup of coffee, where he would be able to charm her, and perhaps fix the mess he had caused with Derek.
"So you never really answered my invitation, would you like to get a drink?" he said, sending her a seductive grin, recovering some of his flirtyness at her apparent lack of open hostility. Which was a mistake. Meredith had simply decided the safest of her options (for Sloan that is) was to ignore him. But at his renewed cockiness, Meredith lost it. Did this guy really not get a clue?
"What part, of 'not my type', 'I don't date co-workers' or 'stubborn asshole' did you not comprehend Dr. Sloan?"
The others bit back their laughter at Sloan's reddening face: he was their attending after all. But if Mer was gonna take advantage of her position to ream him down; they definitely weren't going to stop her. Mark's expression sank. So maybe he'd thought wrong with the whole 'lack of open hostility' thing.
"I thought you were referring to Derek..." the others lifted their eyebrow at the mention of her ex, but Christina signalled to them that this wasn't about their relationship.
"At the time, I was. Yet since you seem to agree with your buddy's appreciation of me as an incompetent lackey the army want to get rid of, I thought I could extend the definition to you. And don't bother apologising for him either. If his pathetic ass isn't able to face what he said, too bad for him. As for the date, I didn't think a blatant manwhore like yourself would want anyone so...what was it you said? Inexperienced...?" and with that, unable to spend another second with him, she left, walking away very much like she had the first time, leaving Sloan to face her friends.
"Dude!" cried Alex, forgoing the respect he owed an attending, "What the hell was that?" but Christina answered for him.
"Apparently he hit on Mer three seconds after they'd met, after throwing her on her ass, before informing her McAss thought she was an inexperienced dud. Understandably, that's got Mer pissed, and hating their asses." they continued to ignore a completely bewildered Mark.
George spoke up. "Wait! Shepherd trashed Mer?"
At this Mark reacted "No. No it was my fault. Derek wasn't even there. I was just..."
Alex interrupted him again.
"Oh please! Shepherd's been complaining for weeks to anyone who will listen about the transfer." he turned to George 'But no Bambi, to answer your question, I don't think he was trashing Mer, just the unknown army doc."
"Still why would he say that?" asked izzie outraged "I mean, he hasn't even seen her operate, and he's all judgy..." she shook her head in angry disbelief.
Mark looked at them pleadingly, "give him a break guys, this isn't really Derek's doing..."
"Ah but see that's where your wrong Mc S.T.D." cut in Christina "I don't think you realise to what point all of this, is your pal McAsshat's doing." and while Sloan had no way of knowing what she was referring to, the others knew it was much greater than just the insulting preconceived ideas Derek had untactfully expressed concerning his newest colleague.
The hidden marriage with his satanic whore of a wife, the choosing of said satanic whore of a wife over Mer -effectively chasing her out of the country-, and even, to an extent, her getting shot, which wouldn't have happened had Meredith never left. In their minds, all were direct consequences of Derek Shepherd's actions in one way or another.