Chapter 11 Part 1 Joes
Derek was sitting on the edge of his bed waiting for his mom and Mark to come and collect him. He was getting out of there and he couldn't have been happier.
As soon as they arrived and his discharge papers were in his hand then he would no longer be a patient of Meredith Grey and he could work his ass off to try and get her to agree to a date. He hadn't seen her again since his mention of the tequila and he had no idea if she had remained in surgery or if she had just decided it was easier to avoid him completely; his comment had definitely affected her – her reaction made that clear. But what he didn't know was if it was good or bad!
However getting out of there was the easy part, it was getting late, the early evening sun had turned to dusk and night time was drawing in and it made sense for him to go straight home to bed and rest. But she was at Joes, drinking tequila, and just maybe losing some of her will power, and he had to be there, just to see if he stood any chance away from the hospital – he had to try. He wouldn't even drink, not that a scotch wouldn't hit the spot, but the medication he was on to prevent any further complications prevented him from drinking during the course of the treatment so he would just have to do it sober, it hadn't stopped him trying from his hospital bed, so it wouldn't stop him in the bar either!
Mark wouldn't be a problem, a quiet word in his brother's ear would have him all but carrying him straight into the bar, it was his mother he had to worry about. How could he persuade her that an evening in a bar was the best medicine for a recovering smoke inhalation patient who had only just been discharged? He knew it was crazy, she would think it was crazy too but he had to persuade her, it was either that or revert to his adolescent years and put some of his fire fighter skills to the test and shimmy down the drain pipe outside his bedroom window, but the thought of that didn't exactly appeal!
He couldn't believe how much his thoughts had been taken over by Meredith. She mesmerized him, and the fact that she was stubborn and hard work made the chase even more appealing! Not that it was just the chase, it really wasn't! There was something so captivating about her, and for the first time in his life he appreciated the stories his mother told him, about the feelings she had when she first laid eyes on his father, the thump, the connection, he knew he definitely felt something, and he wasn't entirely convinced that Meredith hadn't felt it too!
'Hey man ready to break out of this joint?' Mark laughed as he came into the room and broke Derek from his thoughts.
'Never been more ready for anything in my life.' Derek joked as he stood up from the bed, still a little unsteady on his feet but determined not to show it.
'Whoa no standing, doctors orders, mom is tracking down a wheel chair – hospital rules, it's the chauffeured route out of here for you!'
'I'm fine, I can walk.'
'I know that, and you know that, however if Bailey so much as catches a glimpse of you walking down that corridor it's my balls that will be on the line, and I'm quite fond of my junk so I'd like to keep it in working order, so chair it is!'
'Well if you're making me do that then I need a favour, or your help to get mom to take a little detour on the way home.' Derek smiled, a look of tomfoolery routed firmly across his face.
'Detour? I'm going to need a few more details if you want me to agree to anything!'
'Really? Think I'll walk out of here then and give Bailey a call on the way...'
'Man don't hurt the jewels, enough already, what's the favour, spill!'
'Do you agree to it though, whatever it may be?'
'If it means I can get laid later tonight by Debbie the scrub nurse in plastics, then yes, I don't exactly feel like being admitted to have my balls removed from my intestines!'
'I need to go to Joe's.' He smirked and as soon as the words were out of his mouth Mark realised exactly what Derek was saying.
'Joe's, really? A bar you have never visited in your life and you probably didn't even know existed till today? That's the detour you really must take?'
'It is.'
'And could this be because a certain Doctor will be off duty sinking a tequila or five with her friend's right about now?'
'What? How did you know?'
'The walls have ears in this place, and I may have over heard Meredith and her friends talking earlier when I was otherwise occupied.'
'So Joe's? Can you put an injured fire fighter out of his misery and help him?'
'You know you don't have to ask me twice, it's a miracle you are even chasing someone, this is a side of you I haven't seen since high school prom when you were a geek and desperate!'
'I am not desperate, not now, there is just something, I can't put my finger on it, but I'm not prepared to stop trying, I'm taking a leaf out of mom's book.'
'But mom's book is all romance, flowers, dating and love!'
'Exactly, there is more to chasing someone then getting in their pants, there are these things called relationships that people tend to fall into when they know it feels right.'
Mark look puzzled at his brothers comments.
'Relationships mark, where couples talk and communicate and see each other regularly, and more importantly have eyes only for each other!'
'I don't understand!' he laughed 'why would anyone only want one person for the rest of their lives when the world is an ocean.'
'I'll remind you of that fact on your wedding day.' Derek joked.
'the day I get married is the day hell freezes over, I don't settle down, hell I don't even see girls twice if I can help it, unless they are adventurous, then they may get a second outing!'
'Enough already, I don't need the sordid details of your sex life, what I need is for you to persuade mom that a drink in Joe's is the perfect way to celebrate my release.'
'Leave it with me. I'm starving aren't you; a bit of bar food would be perfect before heading back? I bet mom is hungry too and won't feel like cooking. I'll find mom to ask her' He smirked as Derek realised he didn't need to worry dreaming up his own plan; he had his very own master right in front of him.
'Ask mom what?' Mrs Shepherd enquired as she came into the room clutching the piece of paper that was Derek's ticket out of there.
'if my favourite mother would like to be treated to be dinner at the bar across the road from here, you must be exhausted after waiting on Derek whilst he has been in here, the last thing you need is to go home and slave over a hot oven at this time of night.' He smiled as he embraced his mother in his arms and threw Derek a cheeky wink over her shoulder.
'Mark Sloan have you lost your mind? Derek needs to get home and rest, why on earth would we even consider taking him to a smoke filled bar for him to inhale others peoples fumes!' she shouted as she pulled herself out of her sons embrace.
'mom don't you keep up with the news, Seattle has been smoke free for the past six months, the only smoke in Joes will be outside in the designated area, Derek wouldn't even have to pass it to get inside.'
Derek found himself smiling to himself as he watched Mark at work, he was good he had to give him that, his mother would have no come back to that, he could see her brain working to think of a plausible reason why Derek shouldn't go, but she was faltering, he could red his mother well.
'but..What...there might be...'
'Ma, he has been stuck in here, he can't even drink, the least we can do for him is give him the food of his choice, and a little fun.'
'Derek dear, how do you feel? You don't need to feel pressured by your brother to go out just because he probably had his eye on some doe eyed little thing who thinks he is God!'
'Ma, do you really think so little of me.' Mark interrupted as he saw Derek begin to laugh. Derek was the innocent one in his mother's eyes, this was perfect, and she would never expect it to be Derek who actually wanted to chase after the girl! But doe eyed she wasn't, stubborn, mesmerizing and beautiful, that summed her up so much better!
'I honestly feel ok Ma, I promise you, and a change of scenery would be good before you have me confined to my bed again.' He smiled 'besides imagine if the doe eyed little thing turned out to be the girl who tamed Mark Sloan, it would be all down to you.'
Mark looked on at the exchange between mother and son, Derek was good, he had obviously learned from the best!
'Dinner, just dinner, however what sort of food a bar serves I really can't imagine, if my food comes in a basket or On paper then I'm out of there!' Mrs Shepherd laughed as she handed Derek his discharge papers.
His eyes fell on the signature at the bottom of the paper
Dr Meredith Grey... so she had been back to sign his papers but she hadn't called in to say goodbye... at that moment he had a feeling he could do this, he had ruffled Meredith's feathers and he was going to get her to agree to a date, her absence spoke louder than any mega phone, she was interested.
The game just got a whole lot more interesting.
Meredith was just downing her third shot of tequila when Alex, Cristina and Bailey arrived. She had been surprised to find the bar relatively empty when she first walked in, and even more surprised to find that her friends weren't there! But then again she was twenty minutes early. The surgery hadn't lasted as long as she expected after everything went to plan, and she quickly signed off on Derek's discharge papers after she was informed his STATS had improved once again and took the decision to get out of there and not hand them over to him herself. The last thing she needed was him making her feel like a twelve year old girl again with her first crush! She knew it was rather rude of not to even say good bye, he was her patient after all for the duration of his stay but whenever she was in close proximity to him she felt like something had taken over her body, her cheeks flushed, palpitations had her heart practically jumping out of her chest and she had never experienced anything like it before! She didn't fall for people, she didn't get close to people, and no one ever showed her any kind of attention – unless they were planning on using her
This was new.
Mrs Shepherds famous thump factor at work again and he wasn't even in the dam room!
'When you said a drink Grey I didn't realise you meant you were actually taking out shares in Jose's.' Bailey laughed as she sat herself down on the stool next to Meredith.
'Oh you haven't seen anything yet, she will be swinging off the chandeliers and giving her best coyote ugly impression soon enough.' Alex joked as he too took a seat at the bar and motioned for service from Joe.
'I will not.' Meredith protested.
'Oh this is going to be an experience, I don't know if I will ever look at you again in the same light if you do that Grey.' Bailey laughed as she accepted the drink Joe placed in front of her.
'Meredith plus Tequila equals a stressed Meredith in my opinion.' Cristina noted as she took the seat to the left of Meredith. 'I'm guessing those three tequilas were sunk in approximately 7 minutes which means she will either need carrying to a taxi, or her stomach pumped in the next hour!'
'I am here.' Meredith motioned as she reached for the next shot now waiting for her at the bar.
'Really, we didn't notice you there little miss lime and salt!' Cristina laughed as she watched Meredith throw the shot back like a pro before asking Joe for another.
'Oh holy mother of God if you can't beat them join them!' Bailey laughed as she finished her own vodka and asked for another too. 'I will hold you three personally responsible for the state of my hangover tomorrow and if I puke more than three times I will ensure you are stuck on rectals for a month.'
'Joe cut the lady off after four, there's no way I'm spending my days with my fingers firmly placed up someone's...'
'Enough. There will be no talk of fingers up anywhere, or puke, or patients or anything! There will be drinking, lots of drinking.' Meredith interrupted.
'Who mentioned patients...Oh what did you do? Cristina laughed as she heard the hesitation in Meredith's voice.
'I didn't dooo anything.' Meredith slurred slightly as the effects of the liquor began to slowly flood her veins and make her feel slightly more floaty then she had a few moments ago.
'Then what's with the tequila race, you might as well set it up in an IV and be done with it!'
'I just feel like drinking, do I need a reason? I have no work tomorrow, it is my first day off in, well what feels like forever, so I'm reacquainting myself with my good friend Jose, I'm sure he has missed me!' she laughed.
'Oh she has definitely done something.' Alex whispered to Bailey, who threw Meredith a curious glance to try and make out what it could possibly be that had led her to her tequila marathon.
'This wouldn't have anything to do with a certain fire fighter would it?' Cristina asked, three pairs of eyes fixed firmly on Meredith for her reaction.
'I hope it hasn't.' Bailey interrupted 'he is your patient and doctors don't date patients, or jump them in their beds for the rest of the floor to see, Izzie learnt that lesson so I hope I'm not about to hear something I really shouldn't!.'
'technically he isn't her patient any more you know, he was awaiting discharge about half an hour ago, so right about now he should be a free man from the hospital meaning Mer could do whatever she wanted with him without breaking any kind of rules. So she could screw him!' Alex pointed out.
'breaking them no, but bending them in such a way that it could still be considered wrong, then yes, awaiting discharge and already planning his route to her bed.' Bailey gasped.
'Am I invisible?' Meredith shouted as she stood up from her bar stool and turned to face her friends. 'I am not plotting to get anyone into my bed, just because Lieutenant Shepherd is...'
'Mer... .'
'Incredibly handsome, has eyes that would melt the iciest of hearts...'
'Mer you might want to st...'
'Quit cutting me off just because he has the thickest, most beautiful hair I have ever seen on a man...
'Mer really you want to think about stopping right about now!'
'No you're doing it again... it does not mean that I want to screw him.
Not now...
Not ever...'
'That's a shame just when this was looking like a good place to hang out...'
