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It was five am when Meredith awoke in a cold sweat. She tried to move but she was pinned down by Derek's arm again. She felt hot, and the pain was worse. She tried to move but the nausea shot through her body. Her stomach felt as if it were on fire. She groaned, Derek's arm tightening around her abdomen causing her to dry retch.

She whimpered in pain, "Derek," she cried, "don't squeeze me." She pulled off his arm, hobbling towards the bin under his desk. Derek sat up in bed, looking over at her small frame, uncomfortably crunched over.

"I think I need to take you to the hospital."

She looked over in fear, "Anything but the Gen. Please don't take me there."

Derek nodded, grabbing his sweat shirt from his chair and his keys. He placed his arm under hers and half carried her down the hallway.

"I won't wake Mum, but I need to tell someone. Who would you prefer, Amy or Mark?"

"Can Mark come with us?"

Derek saw the pain in her eyes. She was trying to be strong, but he could tell the pain was more than she could bare.

"Stay here, don't move" He said, tiptoeing down the hall towards Mark's room.

"I wasn't planning on it," she smirked. Even when she was in pain she managed to make a joke. It definitely made Derek feel more optimistic about the situation. Mark hopped from his room pulling on a pair of trackies.

"Grey, I'm sure you will be fine, you know…" He said, trying to reassure her. When they got to the stairs Meredith glanced at Derek, who proceeded to slowly pick her up carefully and carry her.

Mark glanced over, "I'll leave a note in the kitchen, Shep, get her in the car. Where are we headed- Gen or Pres?"

"Pres." They both answered very quickly.

"Pres it is."

Two hours later, Meredith was sitting upright in a hospital bed, gazing around the room. The morphine had kicked in, and she was no longer doubled over the pain. It had even moved the nausea - which she was really glad about. Derek had just stepped outside to take a call from his mother after she'd obviously found the note. Mark was perched on the chair next to her bed, playing a game on his phone. Meredith started to speak,

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaark."

"Yes, Meredith?" He asked, giving her the trademark smile.

"Maaaaaaaaaaark?"

"Yes?" He smirked.

"Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaark." He didn't even bother answering, he just laughed. "You're pretty." She was smiling at him when Derek walked back into the room, sliding the phone back into his jeans pocket.

"I hope I'm not interrupting." He smirked, "but Mark, what did you write on that note? Mum was close to hysterics with worry."

"Ha. I don't even remember. Something like, Taking Mer to the hospital, trying to keep her alive. Got our phones."

"You really do tell it like it is." He rolled his eyes.

"No frills." Mark nodded, pleased with his work. Meredith looked between them giggling, before rubbing her face clumsily. "You're both really pretty." Derek was finally relaxed enough to laugh at how spacey Meredith had become. She had lost any filter on her mouth, acquiring this brutal honesty. "You know, you're both like my brothers. But you're not. It'd be weird if I were dating my brother. Ew. Incesssssssstuous. That's a funny word. Incest. Innnnnncesstuous. Ssss. Sssssssssssssssss." She giggled until something flying past the window outside caught her attention. She sat up and starred intently even when both Mark and Derek tried to distract her. "I really want some watermelon juice."

Derek laughed and looked towards Mark, "does that even exist?"

A short and stern doctor slid open the door to Meredith's rom. "Meredith Grey?" she asked, looking up from her charts. Meredith flicked her head around and nodded. "You have a fever, high white count, and tenderness over McBerney's Point which suggests-"

"Appendicitis!" The three of them called out at once. The doctor looked slightly confused as their snap but correct diagnosis. She looked over to Derek and Mark slightly confused,

"Future med students." he offered. The doctor, Dr Bailey according to her ID badge, nodded in understanding. All eyes turned back to Meredith who was beaming at the doctor.

"Right, well, I won't have to explain much then but we have an opening in the OR this morning, so I'll be back less than an hour to prep you for surgery."

"Thank you, Doctor." Derek said standing as she swiftly left the room. Meredith started to giggle again, reaching for Derek's arm.

"Do ya reckon that I'd be able to count this as lab time? I'm like a few years early, but, it's totally OR time. We should ring Professor Westmount." She said, struggling to find her pocket for her phone. "Where are my pants?!" She yelped, looking horrified.

"Mer, it's okay!" Derek jumped towards her bed, "you're in a hospital gown. Your clothes are just here. You got changed just before you got into bed, remember?" She looked up into his eyes and smiled again. Her mood could shift from terrified to happy within a second, "Yeah!" She replied. "Lucky I have you. Now. Hand me my phone." She said sticking out her hand, nodding surely.

Derek looked at Mark and smirked. Mark laughed and stood from his chair.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Grey. Plus, I think it's at La Casa de Shep."

"That's a p-p-p-pitty!" She replied, "will you ring him when you get home for me?"

"Of course I will." Mark laughed. She seemed to be satisfied with his answer and turned back to Derek. Her hair had fallen over her face. He pushed it away, laughing. He ran his thumb over her cheek bone. Meredith started to giggle again before taking his hand and weaving her fingers in and out of his, pulling him down to sit next to her on the bed.

"Derek!" She whispered loudly, becoming him to come closer with her finger, looking like she wanted to tell him a secret. "You're my boyfriend." She giggled. "At first, I didn't like you because your hair was too perfect. You were so sure of yourself. I thought I could see right through you and your smile!" she laughed, "but I was sooooooo wrong. That smile. It's intoxxxxxxxxicating. It lures you in slowly, and then BAM. You're in for life."

"For life, hey?" Derek questioned.

"Ya-huh. You found me and you cared about me. Plus, your family are all so kind! But Mark, you're still a manwhore, I wasn't wrong about that" She paused, her attention caught by something out of the window again. "... What was I saying?"

"Only things you'll regret tomorrow." Mark laughed at her expense making himself more comfortable in the plastic chair.

"You were just saying how much you love me. And my hair."

"Right." She breathed raising her hand. "You're so kind."

"You're so uninhibited." Mark jostled.

"And I really do like you, like a lot. A whole lot. Mmmm." She smiled at him. "Cristina says I'm smitten. She's like my best friend in the whole entire world. She calls you Hair-products because of you and your hair. You and your hair are always so perfect, even when you run. Like that day when we met by my house. You said you'd been running but your hair was still so perfect... You rescued me and your hair..." She was fixated on his hair, even reaching up to touch it. Placing her head back on the pillow. "You're like my knight in shining whatever."

"I'll never know how you say things so eloquently." He replied squeezing her hand.

"And Mark! You're still a whore." She was fixated on his whoreish behaviour, and he acted shocked by what she was saying, "but you're my favourite dirty mistress."

Derek and Mark just laughed and the room soon fell silent. Mark was playing a game of solitare again, whilst Meredith and Derek leant back on her bed and she began to doze. She awoke abruptly, waking Derek from his dream-like state.

"What is it Mer? Do you feel sick?" She looked over at him, tears in her eyes,

"Derek! I've never ridden a camel in my life! I can't die without having ridden a camel." Mark nearly chocked with laughter and Derek nearly fell off the bed in a mixture of shock and amusement.

"You won't die, Mer." Derek reassured her. "As your knight-in-shining-whatever, I won't let you die without having ridden a camel."

"I think I'm starting to fall for you." She stated quietly, leaning back into him. Mark looked up over his phone to catch Derek's eye, raising an eyebrow. Derek looked surprised about her honesty, but her words warmed his heart. Uninhibited Meredith was professing her honest feelings; no doubts or reservations. Deep down she trusted he'd never hurt her.

"I'll be sure to catch you then." He smiled.

"You two make me want to be sick. I need coffee. Shep?" Mark stood, heading towards the door.

"Please."

"Sorry Grey, I can't get you food or anything... Icechips?"

"Icechips!" She nodded.

Two hours later Meredith was being wheeled out of the room towards the OR,; Mark and Derek having spent this time talking to a very chatty Meredith and trying to keep her away from their phones. Before leaving the room, she had introduced Mark and Derek to the new nurse, whom she had never met before. She introduced them as her " boyfriends", Mark being quick to establish that his title only referred to his gender and their friendship. Derek just laughed with the nurse at them both. Meredith continued on to explain their relationship, as Mark cringed with embarrassment for her. They had said their goodbyes, Meredith playing with Derek's fingers. He kissed her on the forehead before she was wheeled away. She continued laughing with one of the nurses about the painting on the wall that had caught her eye, unphased by her changing scenery. She had commented on how it was an odd scene to be depicted and asked as to what relevance it had to the hospital. The nurse didn't know, but was willing to engage in Meredith's joyful morphine-fuelled banter. Mark and Derek stood in her room, listening to her throaty laugh travel further off into the distance. A final doctor entered the room just after Meredith had left to review a few details. He was quite tall, nervous, with brown hair.

"So, Meredith Grey is having an appendectomy this morning. It shouldn't be too serious, it's a fairly routine procedure. I'll be sure to let you know when she is out and you can come and see your sister then."

Mark scoffed a laugh. "Ha! You obviously weren't here before…" The doctor just looked confused. "Boyfriend and boyfriend's sort of brother/room mate. She lives with us at college, and they're dating." Signalling to Derek.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I suppose it's still some sort of family, hey?"

"Family, yeah." Derek agreed nodding.

"Now, her insurance is all covered, allergies and past medical history is filled in. Do you know if she is on any medication?"

"No, she's not." Derek remember back to a conversation they'd had about supplementary vitamins only days earlier.

"And the last time she ate?"

"About 7pm last night. She's been sick a few times since then." The doctor nodded, scribbling down a few notes.

"And has she had any major or minor surgery in the past three months?"

"No."

"And is there any chance she could be pregnant?"
Mark let out a loud laugh, nudging Derek.

"Sorry about him. Um, no. We haven't... Uh, well... You're a doctor, you know." Derek laughed awkwardly.

"That's fine." The doctor looked up from his clipboard and smiled reassuringly.

"That's all I really need to know, do you have any questions?"

"I know I shouldn't worry and it's silly, but she'll get through this, right?"

"Doctor Bailey is a fantastic surgeon. She's in good hands. Now, you're more than welcome to stay in her room here, it might be more comfortable than the waiting room." The doctor nodded to them, closing the medical notes and walking off down the hall in the direction Meredith had headed moments earlier.

"I'm sure she'll be just fine, Shep. Just think of this as an excuse to lay in bed together for a week or two while she recovers."

"What if she wants to go home?" Derek asked with caution.

"When has she ever not wanted you around?" Mark asked Derek slapping his arm around his shoulder. "She'll be fine, and I'll go back go having childish fun teasing you both. We've got a lot on her after the stuff she's said today."