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Meredith was sitting in her office contemplating her current situation with Mark, as she waited for Addison so they could have lunch together. Their working relationship was much better than when she took over at Seattle Grace, but it definitely wasn't anything like the one they had during residency. She still figured he had a long way to go before she could ever forgive him. The way he had taken care of her after her marathon surgery with Derek had her feeling a little bit nostalgic.
There had been others after Mark, but no one had been able to completely fill the void left by him. One had come close, but she knew mark would always have a place in her heart even though he had abandoned her. Meredith's musings were interrupted by the shrill ringing of her phone.
"Dr Meredith Grey," she answered after the second ring.
"Meredith how is Seattle?" The caller asked.
"Wet, but definitely better than the frozen tundra that is Minnesota," Meredith replied. "But you didn't call me to talk about the weather Cameron."
"You could always read my mind Mer," he said, using the short form of her name affectionately, just like when they worked together. "I have a patient with pancreatic cancer and it has metastasised rather rapidly. It has reached her brain and liver, and she's young Mer, a full life ahead of her."
"Pancreatic cancer is awfully rare in children Cam," Meredith said.
"I know Mer, that's why I'm asking for your help. We've resected the primary tumour before but we have never been able to get it all out, and it keeps returning. I need your help."
"I can't make it to Minnesota any time soon." Meredith sighed. "I wish I could help but I really can't leave Seattle Grace for the foreseeable future."
"Ahh yes. Youngest Chief of Surgery ever. You were always an over achiever Mer. Us normal people never stood a chance against you." Cameron laughed. "I can bring her to you. She's stable enough to travel for now, but a few more days and that may not be the case."
"Alright, send her chart over and I will have Dr Robbins look at it." Meredith stated.
"No Mer. I didn't call you for Dr Robbins. When I said I needed your help I meant you Mer. This girl needs the best and that's you."
"I'm not a paediatric surgeon Cameron, and Dr Robbins is extremely competent."
"I know Meredith, but don't forget my patient has a brain tumour as well. That's why I asked for you. You've operated on plenty of children before. This isn't anything different. It might be possible to do both procedures at once to save her the trauma of two surgeries. I might need you to help with the pancreas and liver after you've resected the brain tumour. I can be there tonight and we can operate tomorrow morning."
"How is that even possible? I haven't even said yes yet, and you have already made travel arrangements?" Meredith asked surprised.
"But I know you Meredith. You were never one to say no to me," Cameron replied. Even though she couldn't see him through the phone, Meredith knew he was smirking. He had always been able to charm her into getting his way.
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for the old Delaney charm and a pair of blue eyes." Meredith said with a grin.
"Thanks so much Mer, I will see you tonight, and you can tell me all about your reign of terror over Seattle. I have to let her family know and before you say it, I know not to give them false hope."
"I will see you tonight," Meredith said, a familiar feeling of content rising within her. Whether that was from Mark's recent attempts at rebuilding their relationship or her talk with Cameron she wasn't sure.
Addison had entered Meredith's office with lunch for the both of them and heard the tail end of her conversation with Cameron.
As Addison sat down, she saw the smile on Meredith's face. "I know that look Mer. Hot date tonight? Addison asked with a wiggle of her eyebrows. She had been privy to Meredith's dating life over the past few years when they were apart, but she had never met any of them in person.
"No Addi." Meredith sighed.
"So who has you smiling like that then?" Addison questioned as she stabbed at her salad.
"An old friend from Mayo. He's bringing a patient to Seattle tonight."
"Meredith you are only 32. You can't have old friends yet." Addison said as a joking reprimand. "Oh is this the guy you were seeing in Minnesota? It's him isn't it?"
"Yes it's him," Meredith answered. "Do not badger him."
"Well it's good to see you smiling over a guy again. I haven't seen you this happy in a while." Addison remarked as her pager went off. "Damn it. Details later," Addison commanded as she left the room.
Meredith finished the rest of her lunch in solitude before returning to the stack of paperwork on her desk. The only regret of becoming Chief of Surgery was the sheer amount of paperwork that required her attention. She definitely needed to get into the OR more.
It was early in the evening when the group of surgical fellows had gathered in the cafeteria for a quick dinner before they returned to the rest of their shift for the day. Cristina was sitting with April and Alex as Jackson approached them tray in hand.
"I heard Cameron Delaney is coming. You know anything about that Karev?" Jackson asked as he sat down.
"No dude. Robbins didn't say anything?" Karev said mildly surprised. He was pretty sure Robbins wouldn't leave him off a case like this.
"Maybe she doesn't know?" Kepner asked.
"I doubt that. Do you think Grey is looking to poach him from Mayo? Is Robbins leaving?" Cristina directed her questions towards Alex. She had no interest in paediatrics, but she was always interested in working with top calibre surgeons. In the few months she had been working with Carter she had seen many rare cases she only ever dreamt about. Top calibre surgeons always brought with them challenging cases even if they belonged to another department.
"I don't know. I told you guys she didn't say anything." Alex responded frustrated. Robbins had believed in him when no else bothered to. She was a bit too cheery for his personal tastes but she was a good teacher. "Delaney isn't even the same specialty as Robbins."
"No, but he is a surgical paediatric oncologist. He has one of the lowest mortality rates in his field. And he's young. I think he's only a year older than the Chief. I heard the nurses saying he was going to be here tonight." Jackson added.
Just as the group of fellows made their way back to the surgical ward, they noticed the entrance of a sharply dressed man pushing a frail looking girl in a wheelchair in front of him. He had approached the group when he noticed they were staring at them.
"Hi, I'm looking for the paediatrics ward." The man said with a smile.
"I was on my way there. I will take you guys." Alex said.
"Thanks," the man said. "I'm supposed to meet Dr Grey in a few minutes. Don't want to be late. She never did tolerate tardiness. I'm Cameron Delaney."
"Alex Karev and yeah, she's a ball buster," Alex said in response. "Don't tell her I said that." He added as an afterthought.
"That she is. And don't worry about it. I've worked with her before." Cameron said with another smile.
Cristina was smiling like a Cheshire cat as they left, as April was blushing profusely. Jackson had already left for his surgery with Sloan.
"He's hot." Cristina said excited.
"Cristina!" April shrieked. "You're married."
"So what? It's not like I'm cheating on Owen. And like you said I'm married, not dead."
April just sighed as she left. She had never seen eye to eye with her friends on sex and relationships and they would ridicule her for it sometimes, but never with any menace. It was a topic she wasn't as open with as the others.
Meredith was pacing the hallway of the paeds floor as she noticed Addison approaching her. "What are you doing here Addison? Aren't you and Derek supposed to have left already?"
"Derek's surgery ran long and I'm just going to wait for him." Addison said.
"Addi, don't forget I've known you since we were little. I know when you aren't telling me everything."
"Alright fine Mer. I want to meet this guy from Minnesota that you used to date. You've told me about him but you've never told me his name. Even Carter doesn't know." Addison admitted.
"You asked Carter?" Meredith almost shrieked. While she and Carter were close, she was always weary of telling Carter anything about the guys she dated. He would always threaten them in some way without her knowing. It had ruined a few relationships before they even got past a couple of dates.
"What? I thought he would know. Turns out he doesn't even know you were seeing someone when you were working at Mayo. It looks like little sis has been hiding something from her big bad brother." Addison laughed.
"This is not funny Addison. You know how he gets." Meredith said flatly.
Addison was about to respond when she noticed Cameron approaching them. "Is that him Mer?"
Meredith turned around just as Cameron reached them. "Hey Mer, it's been a while." Cameron said as he enveloped her in a hug. Meredith leaned into the hug probably a little more than she should have in the workplace, but Cameron had been her rock after Mark. He had helped her get her life together and was always there for her when she needed someone.
Addison was watching the pair and taking in their obvious chemistry. She had always thought Meredith and Mark were meant to be and would get their happily ever after just like she and Derek had, but seeing Meredith with Cameron had her questioning that. The chemistry between them was almost on par with what she had seen during Meredith and Mark's relationship.
"Hi, I'm Addison Montgomery-Shepherd," Addison introduced herself.
"Yes, Dr Montgomery-Shepherd. I'm a big fan of your work." Cameron said with a lazy smile that had Addison blushing. Addison wasn't shy by any means and she loved Derek with all her heart, but even she had to admit, Cameron Delaney was a charmer.
Meredith noticed Addison about to say something, and knowing her friend it would most likely be something inappropriate or embarrassing for Meredith. "Why don't you go see if Derek is done?" Meredith asked.
"Don't use that tone on me Mer. I know when I'm not wanted." Addison said as she left them. "It was nice to meet you Dr Delaney." As Addison turned the corner she mouthed to Meredith that they needed to talk.
"So I got Ellie all settled in. Thanks for getting everything set up for her so soon Mer." Cameron said. "Can we talk in your office?"
"No problem. You know I don't do anything half assed." Meredith said.
"You definitely don't. Two Harper Avery Awards and youngest Chief of Surgery ever in the country," Cameron responded. "Maybe we should get a drink and catch up. I'm sure you are up to speed on Ellie." Cameron said as he looped his arm with Meredith's.
"There's a bar across the street. Let me just grab my stuff and we can go."
Mark was on his way to Meredith's office to see if she was done for the night and if they could maybe grab a drink together when he saw her with Cameron, although he didn't know who he was. A flash of hurt passed through his face as he saw how close the two of them were and he turned around and left before she could see him.
A/N: Sorry for being absent for such a long time guys, but here's a new chapter. Hopefully I can get into writing this fic again without such a long break but studying is the main priority for me. For those who are still with me thanks for reading.
For those who need a visual for Cameron, I'm envisioning Matt Bomer.
As always, feedback in any form is appreciated.