CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: OLD MEMORIES
"Hmm this is nice" Meredith sighed as she snuggled into Mark on the couch almost a week after their reconciliation. They had been keeping it to themselves with good reason; they wanted a chance to rediscover each other before revealing their advancement. They had put Matilda to bed and now snuggled up on the couch to watch a movie.
"This, I have definitely missed this" Mark agreed breathing in his wife's hair, his arms protectively wrapped around her stomach that had now formed a small bump. It was only really noticeable when she wore tight clothing.
"What time do you have to be at the hospital tomorrow?" she asked tiredly thinking it was time for her to be in bed.
"Don't have a surgery until 11" he replied simply.
"I have to be there at 6 for pre rounds so I should probably head to bed, so you should get going" Meredith said resting her head on his chest with a sigh. It felt so right being back in his arms but she wasn't completely ready to go back to the way they were so Mark was still living at the hotel.
"Yeah so I will see you tomorrow" he said getting up pulling Meredith's body up against his.
"Definitely" Meredith replied as Mark leant down and kissed her lips softly. "Love you" she whispered. She watched him leave before heading upstairs and snuggling down into bed. It still felt so different to sleep alone.
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Ellis Grey stood and looked at the OR board. It was a quiet board. And everyone knew that a quiet board generally meant trouble. Especially being so close to the holiday season. Thanksgiving was only a week away and then 6 weeks after that was Christmas. The thought reminded Ellis that she was yet to ask Meredith her plans for Christmas. She had heard that she was invited to New York to the Shepherd's but hadn't heard whether she had made her decision.
"Quiet board" Richard noted coming to stand beside his wife snapping her from her thoughts.
"Yeah it is, but it will be fine" Ellis told her husband, unsure of whether she was convincing him or herself.
"Are you alright?" he asked concerned noting the look on her face.
"Yeah I was just thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone is coming for Thanksgiving I'm just not sure what Meredith is doing for Christmas, it used to be easy to know what her plans would be" she said sadly still upset by the way her daughter's marriage had ended up.
"It will be fine, Meredith is a strong woman, she can handle this" Richard assured his wife, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "I have to get going I have a meeting to get to, I will see you later" he said before heading off. Ellis watched as he walked off almost colliding with a fast moving blonde woman that she recognised immediately.
"Meredith what on earth are you doing?" Ellis exclaimed at her daughter. She was still wearing her street clothes and had Matilda perched on her hip as she hurried.
"God I am so late, I have to get Tilly to day care and get changed" Meredith rambled at her mother.
"Here give me my granddaughter, I will make sure she gets to day care, you go and change. Why are you so late?" Ellis asked taking note of the time, it wasn't like Meredith to be running late.
"Morning sickness" Meredith replied simply. It seemed to be getting worse as the pregnancy progressed. "But thank you, I will see you later" she said before taking off again.
"Looks like it just me and you kiddo" Ellis sighed to her small granddaughter who still seemed to be half asleep.
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"Dr Grey care to explain why you are so damn late" Bailey boomed as Meredith ran into the locker room and began stripping off to change into her scrubs.
"Damn morning sickness, and Matilda wouldn't get up and it's just not a good morning" Meredith rambled at her boss.
"Well hurry up, rounds in 3 minutes" she barked at everyone.
Meredith sighed beginning to get the feeling it was going to be a long day.
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Ellis still stood in front of the board explaining all the different procedures to Matilda who listened so intently to what her grandmother was saying. Ellis knew that Matilda would follow in her family's footsteps she was already very intelligent.
"What's that one Nana?" Matilda asked pointing to a word on the board.
"That's an appendectomy" Ellis answered. "Your Mommy had one of those" Ellis told the inquisitive little girl.
"Does it hurt?" Matilda asked suddenly horrified.
"No Mommy is all better now" Ellis assured her forgetting how sensitive the young girl could be.
"This always was the one spot you could be found" a small male voice spoke to Ellis interrupting her from her explanation to Matilda.
"What are you doing here?" Ellis asked shocked, recognising this face of the small man immediately.
"My ah daughter Molly was admitted, she's pregnant" the man replied not making eye contact.
"Well I see you have priorities with at least one of your daughters Thatcher" Ellis snapped at her ex husband.
"I don't know what to say to you Ellis" Thatcher said looking down at his shoes. "This brings back memories, you standing in front of the OR board holding a little girl" Thatcher said with a small smile.
"Nana whose that?" the little girl whispered to her grandmother as she hid her face in her chest.
"It's okay Angel" Ellis whispered to her kissing her hair.
Thatcher's eyes widening in realisation. "That's Meredith's little girl" he gasped. "Last time I saw you; you said she was in New York, that she had a life there" Thatcher continued.
"Things change Thatcher, she has had a bad time but you would know that if you bothered to stick around long enough to be part of her life, but I guess you have your new family now" Ellis spat at the small man. She could never forgive him for the way he has treated Meredith, not only when she was a small child but also as she has grown into a woman.
"Ellis…" he began.
"I have to go, my granddaughter needs to get to day care and I have work to do" Ellis snapped turning to walk away from the one man who had hurt her and Meredith. She only hoped that he would have enough sense to stay away from Meredith, she was in a fragile state as it was.