Hey, all! I know it's been a million years, but I do finish everything I start, so I'm going to finish these three fics this summer, okay? Thanks so much for the continued poking. It's really nice to see that you're still interested, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The interns were indeed not subtle, as half the hospital (it seemed) had their ears shamelessly pressed up against the door. Idle conversation soon broke out.
"Who do you think it is?"
"My money's on Montgomery and Sloan. I don't think I've ever seen them in a room together and not look like they want to rip each others' clothes off."
"That's disgusting."
"That's a fact. So why don't you shut up before Bailey comes and gets us?"
"Hey," Derek whispered to Meredith. "What's going on?"
Meredith wheeled around, surprised, but when she spoke, she was as composed as ever. "You're back."
"Yeah, I'm back," said Derek. "I heard that I was back from one of the nurses in the elevator. Then she realized who I was. That…was an awkward three floors."
"Apparently, two people are in the on-call room—one of you four and someone else, and they're dying to see who it is."
A familiar twinkle lit Derek's eye. "No kidding."
"Yeah," said Meredith, trying to figure out what he was up to. "Well, I've got to go…I've got…"
"Surgery," said Derek. "Right. Um…page me when you're out, okay?"
Meredith smiled, in spite of herself. "Alright." Just then, Bailey showed up.
"Grey, you should be halfway to the OR right now. Oh." She'd spotted Derek. "I see. And what part of…"
"Dr. Bailey," said Derek. He pointed to the on-call room.
"Oh, for cryin' out loud," snapped Bailey. "PEOPLE!"
"Shit—it's Bailey." The crowd scattered (somewhat reluctantly), except for a certain Nurse Debbie, who remained.
Bailey glared at her. "Don't you have something better to do?"
"Can't a girl sleep?" asked Debbie, settling herself onto one of the stretchers. Bailey rolled her eyes and walked away, muttering something about "that damn grapevine". Debbie merely stretched out and smiled, ready to lie in wait for whoever came out the door.
"Okay…okay," said Cristina, her ear pressed to the door of the on-call room. "I think they're gone."
"Good," said Burke. "I want to go home. I'm not working today."
"Well, I'm working today," said Cristina. "And I don't get paid if I'm the one in the on-call room. Derek and Meredith followed the plan perfectly."
"What plan?"
"They're not in on it, if that's what you mean," said Cristina. "I just had to put certain things in certain places…"
"Have you thought about our wedding at all?"
"Can I think about anything else? I've got patients…surgeries. And when I'm not trying to save someone's life, then yes, I think about the wedding."
"Cristina…"
"We're good," said Cristina, looking up at him. "So stop worrying. And quit running off to the mountains. It's freaking me out. I can't be married to a mountain man. That just goes up against everything I believe in."
"You're insane," Burke told her. Then he grinned and looked down. "Deal."
"So if they're not in there, where's Montgomery?" one of the nurses asked Debbie.
"Beats me," said Debbie. "You should have seen me and Bailey though. I'm telling you…"
"Not that it's any of your business," said Callie, who'd come by to drop off her paperwork, "but Dr. Montgomery has the day off. She's resting at home. And really, don't you have anything better to do?" She walked away, and the nurses chattered again.
"How does she know that and no one else does?"
"I think there's something going on there."
"I'll investigate."
"I'll get pizza for lunch." They parted ways.
Mark and Izzie were waiting right outside the scrub room when Meredith and Bailey came out.
"Are we still on for tonight?" asked Izzie.
"Unless something comes up," replied Meredith (which was as good as a yes because…well, they were surgical interns). "Are you going to bring the stuff?"
"Yup," said Mark. "We're going to get this done." They walked away. Meredith looked at Bailey uneasily.
"Don't even try," she told her. "I don't care."