Chapter 36 – Primal instinct

Despite the fact that she hadn't slept much, Meredith felt fresher than ever when she woke up in the morning. She found herself alone in bed, lying in the middle of it between the white sheets. With a smile on her face, she ran her hand over the sheet that covered Derek's side of bed, thinking how much she loved white sheets. As she started coming out of her dreaming and be more awake, Meredith felt the sweet flavor of the pancakes and the fresh coffee. Derek was cooking for her.

Though she was no longer sleepy, Meredith lingered in bed, with a pillow in her arms. Everything felt great that morning. Her thoughts swirled around her evening with Derek. That was the most romantic night she could remember. She was in love and high on the ninth cloud, but she still didn't lose her head completely.

She stood up from bed, taking a sheet and wrapping it around her, and walked in kitchen.

"Derek, what happened?" she asked him, calm.

Derek turned and looked at her, confused. "Good morning to you too."

Meredith just smiled at him.

Derek flipped the last pancake on the plate and turned the stove off. He wiped his hands and brought the plate to the table together with the coffee pot. "What are you talking about?" he asked her.

"What happened? Something happened," she let him know that a little she knew.

Derek walked up to her and slid a hand around her waist, bringing her into his arms. Meredith didn't oppose and that made Derek a little optimistic. "What I told you last night and what happened last night was what I felt like I had to share with you."

"Ok," Meredith answered, still with a calm smile.

"Ok."

"Are you going to tell me now?" she asked him again after he showed no intention of telling her what she wanted to know.

"How do you know that something happened?" Derek asked back, intrigued with the certainty she was showing.

"Because we've been married for 4 months and I got to know you a little. There's something in you that shouts guilty."

"I am not guilty!" Derek replied defensively.

Meredith lifted a brow, looking suspiciously at his reaction now. She pushed him away and folded her arms across her chest. "By the way you reacted you seem to be very guilty."

Derek let a long sigh out. "I am not guilty," he said, calmer this time.

Meredith calmed down too and motioned for him to go on.

Derek shook his head, disappointed. "I was at Joe's yesterday while I waited for you. I was with Mark and we were having a drink when a bunch of drunken nurses started hitting on us."

Meredith opened her mouth and didn't know if to protest or to gasp.

"I didn't do anything," Derek said in his defense.

Meredith started feel angry with the same line. "Did something happen or not?"

"Not," Derek answered.

Meredith narrowed her eyes and still could see in his eyes that he was guilty. She lifted a brow, indirectly telling him to go on.

"It happened that one of those nurses... she tried to kiss me."

"Tried or kissed?"

Derek took a deep breath and muttered, "Kissed"

Meredith sighed with relief and asked, calm, "Did you kiss her back?"

"Absolutely not."

Meredith stared at him for a moment and then started laughing. She propped her hands against his chest as she leaned to him, tilting her face to him. "You're lame. How can you feel guilty for such thing? Do you have any idea how you scared me?"

Derek couldn't understand her reaction. He knew that he should be grateful for not upseting Meredith, but he didn't like very much her relief and lack of jealousy. He remembered the time when the same nurse, Rose, was bringing him coffee and Meredith was about to run over her with the car because of that. He was confused now.

In the meantime, Meredith walked in bedroom and let the sheet drop on bed as she took the bathrobe and wrapped herself in it. "I will be fast with the shower," she told Derek while opening the bathroom door.

Derek decided not to trust in Meredith's reaction to the news. He knew he had no reason to feel guilty about and was determined to make Meredith see that too.

Meredith walked out of the shower a few minutes later and, after she got dressed, she joined Derek for breakfast.

"How are we going to build the house?" Meredith asked him, pouring coffee in their mugs.

"We're not going to build it personally," Derek chuckled. Meredith looked up, confused. "Do you want to build it yourself?" he asked her, amused.

"No. I was just asking, because I never planned to build a house."

"We're going to hire a constructor and we'll ask for some house plans. We'll choose the one we like the most."

"I don't know any constructor," Meredith said, a little worried.

Derek smiled, finding cute her worry. "Me neither, but we can find one. I will take care of that. Don't worry."

Meredith smiled and nodded. "But I don't think it should be big."

"It will need a few rooms. We talked about 4 babies, remember?"

Meredith looked at him as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"We talked about babies. Many times," Derek added. "Fine. We might have a couple of babies. Do you want them to share rooms?"

"I don't think it would be a bad idea," she answered. "One of them might be afraid of darkness."

"Four bedrooms. How does this sound?"

"Reasonable," Meredith answered. "We should add a room downstairs too. You never know."

"Of course," Derek agreed. "Two bathrooms?"

"Make it three. If you want 4 children, then you might have a line at the bathroom door."

Derek laughed and nodded. "Swimming pool?"

Meredith lifted a brow as if that was a stupid question. "In Seattle?"

"Why not? It doesn't rain all the time."

"No. It rains most of the time."

"You're exaggerating, but ok. No swimming pool."

And so on they continued to make their own plan for their new home. That until they heard a car pulling on their land. Derek stood up from table and went to see who was visiting them at such early hour.

Mark walked in before Derek could look out the window. "Morning. Coffee would be great," he patted Derek on shoulder, grinning at him.

He walked in their kitchen area and kept grinning at Meredith. "No fire I see."

Derek took a cup out of the cupboard and poured coffee for Mark.

"Which of you is going to die today?" he asked Derek, whispering to him. "You or Rose?"

Meredith overheard that. She noisily put the mug down, glaring at Derek.

"The nurse was nurse Rose?" she asked, her eyes were shooting glares and her voice choked with anger.

That was the reaction Derek had expected earlier that morning, but now, having it, he didn't like and didn't want it anymore.

As Derek didn't answer, Meredith turned her glare to Mark. Mark shrugged innocently, sipping from his coffee.

Meredith didn't say anything more either. She composed herself and picked up her mug, but both Mark and Derek could see that she was pissed.

Mark tried to make conversation with Derek as they hoped that something else might catch her attention and distract her from Rose. But Meredith had other ideas. She stood up from table, taking her mug and plate, and put them in sink. She washed them, slow; dried them, also slow; and wiped her hands.

"We're going to be late for work," she told Derek.

"I am not hurrying this morning. You can go ahead."

Meredith replied dryly, "My car is out of gas."

Mark and Derek looked at each other –none of them noticing Meredith's sudden bad mood yet- and Derek said, "You can have mine. I will go with Mark."

Mark nodded. "I am taking him."

Meredith didn't answer, but kept staring at Derek. There was something in her stare that leave no place for comment from Derek's side. Her stare was mutually demanding him not to disagree with her. Same as Derek, Mark understood that too.

"Actually," Mark cut in, "I just remembered that I have a consult early in the morning."

There was a tint of appreciation in Meredith's smile as she nodded at Mark. She turned and looked at Derek, expecting.

"Let me get my stuff," he told Meredith. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and went to pick up his stuff from bedroom.

Meredith folded her arms across her chest, looking at Mark. "So?" she wanted to sound chatty and cheerful. "Did you have fun yesterday?"

Mark choked with his coffee at Meredith's question. He forced a smile and nodded his head. "I wouldn't call it fun. It was rather, relaxing. I had a beer, he had a scotch and we talked about old times."

"Hmm," Meredith muttered.

Mark quickly put the cup down and took advantage of Meredith's short break from her interrogation, already heading to the door and shouting, "I really have to get going now. See you guys at work later."

Meredith had no doubt that Derek had been honest when he told her that he loved her, but now she was questioning if he had said it exactly in that evening because the nurse kissed him. She decided to climb down from her ninth cloud and analyze the situation clearer. Besides that, Rose's constant hit towards Derek was stressing Meredith.

Derek was ready and so they left with Derek's car. The ride was quiet. Derek didn't dare to say anything, deciding to let her calm down, and Meredith was analyzing the situation.

When Derek pulled the car in the parking lot of the hospital, Meredith stirred as if she woke up for the second time that morning. She smiled at Derek and said, "This week is my turn in neuro."

Derek found even more confusing her attitude now and he started thinking that she had a plan. "That's great," he wanted to sound excited.

Meredith giggled and nodded her head.

Derek hoped that she had a good plan; a plan that he might like too.

Meredith got out of the car first and waited for Derek to pick up his things. As Derek shut the door and locked it, Meredith held her hand out to him, smiling.

Derek took a deep breath and decided not to worry. He had faith in Meredith's judgment and her ideas. He smiled and put his arm around her waist as they walked to the entrance.

He saw Meredith carefully looking around and that gave him an idea of what Meredith's plan was. She was going to make Rose jealous. He laughed to himself at that thought, satisfied with her plan. Besides that, Meredith proved to be still jealous of other women.

They didn't let go of each other's waist when they got to the elevators either. The elevator was a little crowded with doctors and nurses, but they stepped inside without hiding their embrace from anyone. They were aware of the stares, curious and disapproving, they were receiving from the others.

"I don't know what you think about this," Meredith started telling Derek, quietly, but still loud enough for the other passengers' ears. "But we have to find the right color for painting the house. I don't want it to be too bright or too dark."

Derek tried not to laugh. "I agree with you. We will choose something in between."

"Ok. We'll talk about the number of windows and the color of the curtains later," Meredith smiled. "Now I have to get ready for work."

Derek nodded and leaned in for a kiss, just then letting her go. "I will see you later."

As Meredith stepped out the elevator and the doors closed, Derek laughed at the other's curiosity. "Women. You can't live with them, but you can't live without them either."

Once the doors were closed and Meredith found herself alone on the hallway, her smile faded instantly. She wasn't in the mood for smiling. All she wanted was to find the best way to make that nurse understand that her husband was off the market now.

She was ready to walk in the locker room and complain to her friends about Rose's nerve, but as she walked in, all the eyes locked on her. Gossip had spread already.

Meredith decided to act normal, as nothing would have happened. Maybe smiling and giggling foolishly would make people think how gray their relationship had become.

She ignored the stares as she didn't care what people thought. Lexie and Cristina were getting ready for their day already.

Lexie stood up quickly when she saw Meredith coming and went to her, looking sympathetically. Meredith groaned as she saw that. "You found out too."

"About Rose? Do you know about it?" Lexie asked surprised.

"I do. Derek mentioned something about it this morning," she tried to sound as if that was like any other uninteresting news. "I am so tired," she sighed, dropping her back in her locker. "We talked about the plan for our new house."

Cristina chuckled and replied, "As if you had a house before."

Meredith smiled, rolling her eyes. "The trailer is a fine house. For casual sleep-over."

"You're really moving in together?" Lexie beamed, excited for her cousin. "I mean do you really want to buy a real house? That's great."

"Yes. We decided it was time to move into something more comfortable. I would have other news to share with you, but they're a little too intimate to share in public," Meredith said. As she glanced around her, she saw the other interns peaking at her from the corner of their eyes.

I gossip like this couldn't pass unnoticed. She was an intern and he was her attending, therefore their relationship was always in the spotlight. Besides this, they might have heard the circumstances they got married.

"What news? What did I miss?" Izzie asked, rushing to her locker. She swung the door open, stuffed her things inside and turned to look at her friends while taking her street clothes off. "I heard something though," she said, slowly and cautiously, looking at Meredith.

"She knows," Lexie told her. "And there's no drama going on, but apparently she has some other stuff to share with us," she added with smirk. "Something intimate."

Izzie gasped, her face lightening with a smile. "You're pregnant!"

Silence filled the room in that moment and everyone, without any embarrassment or intention to hide their curiosity this time, was looking at her.

Meredith couldn't help but giggle. She turned to everyone and said loud and clear, "I am not pregnant!"

Right in that moment, Dr. Bailey walked in to come and give her interns their assignments. She stopped in the middle of them, looking at Meredith. "Are you going to announce every single event of your life from now on?"

Meredith smiled embarrassed. "Izzie presumed and everyone waited a confirmation or a negation."

"Does everyone care?" Bailey asked her.

Meredith nodded and motioned to look around her. Everyone turned their stares from Meredith and Dr. Bailey in that moment. Dr. Bailey didn't say anything more about that.

"O'Malley," she called for George and tried to spot him. "Where is George?"

"He was on call last night," Lexie answered.

Bailey nodded and turned to Izzie then, "Stevens, you are in cardio today; Yang, you cover the pit with Karev and Grey, you're with me and Dr. Shepherd."

Meredith hurried to put the scrubs on and sprinted to catch with Dr. Bailey.

Bailey peaked at her from the corner of her eyes. Meredith saw that.

"If you want to hear details about the kissing, I am sorry to disappoint you but there is no detail. A nurse got drunk and apparently she has great hots for my husband."

"I didn't say anything," Bailey said in her defense. After a short pause she added, "You should not let something like this ruin the harmony in your marriage. Talk to him and give him some credit."

"But I talked to him and he has all my credit. Why is everyone making such a big drama out of this?"

"Because you're not like any other couple," Bailey replied knowingly.

"We're fine. We're great. That nurse got drunk and tried to hit on him. He pushed her away."

Bailey shrugged, not wishing for more details.

Meredith needed a little talk about that though. "Why do you think he kept apologizing all morning? It was just a kiss, right? Maybe he kissed her back too, but he didn't enjoy it." Meredith stopped then and gasped as a thought struck her. "Do you think he enjoyed it?"

Bailey sighed and pulled Meredith into a private corner. "How did you find out about it?"

"He told me."

"He wouldn't have confessed it to you if he had enjoyed it."

"Then why did he keep apologizing?"

"Are you a jealous person?" Bailey asked her.

Meredith hesitated a little before she answered, "No. A little."

"There you go," Bailey shrugged and picked up the pace. "You'd better not argue over this with him in the OR."

Meredith ran to catch up with her. "I won't. Derek and I are doing great, despite the fact that he might have kissed her back. I have a personal problem with that nurse though."

Bailey shrugged and answered, "As you said, it's personal. Solve it yourself."

Meredith nodded. They walked together in silence, for a moment only. "How would you solve a situation like this?" she asked Bailey.

Bailey stopped suddenly, put her hands on her hips and looked at Meredith. "I am a little too young and you're a little too old to be your mother. You're a woman. Follow your primal female instinct."

"My primal female instinct?" Meredith asked, confused.

Dr. Bailey nodded her head and started walking again.

"And that would be?" Meredith asked.

"If this is what you're going to think about all day, then please go and join the group in the pit."

Meredith pulled an imaginary zipper over her lips and followed Dr. Bailey in silence.

Her primal female instinct? Did she have any primal instinct? Meredith kept asking herself. She'd better discover a phenomenal primal instinct; something to blow Rose's head.