Author's Note: I just wanted to say a quick thank you to those who read and reviewed the last chapter. The end of last week's episode surprised me a little bit..but if you haven't noticed, Lexie isn't in this story. I can try and work her in if people actually want me to, but seeing as how I started this fic before the Grey's crew even wrote her into the story, I don't see a huge need to. Anyway, here is the next update...hope it's to your liking. Let me know..review!:)
Derek walked toward the nurses station the following morning tightly holding two cups of coffee; one for Meredith, and one for himself. "You aren't too busy, are you?"He asked, smiling.
Meredith set her pen down on the counter before looking over at him. "I can make time."She replied, gratefully taking a cup from him. "So-"She said after taking a sip and placing the cup on the counter. "-you left early this morning."
He nodded, feeling bad about it already. "I know, and for that I'm sorry. One of my patients needed an emergency surgery, I'm sorry that I didn't wake you."
"That's okay. You should have seen Elizabeth, though. Izzie made cinnamon buns...she had icing everywhere."Meredith laughed. "Let's just say it was really sticky."
"I bet it was."Derek replied. "So, what's on the schedule for today? I thought I saw your name on the surgical board."
"You should have,"Meredith replied, somewhat amused. "because it was next to yours."
"Really?"Derek asked, feigning surprise. "What do you know..."He mused, looking up to see Mark walking their way. "Mark at twelve o'clock.."He mused before hiding behind his coffee cup.
"I don't think that thing is big enough for you to hide behind, Shepherd."Mark laughed as he slipped a file into its correct spot. "Any good gossip?"
"You never give up, do you?"Derek asked.
"You can't blame me, can you?"Mark asked. "It's part of what makes me Mark Sloan. I save lives..I...gossip. I enjoy good movies. But i'm not a chick"He said, quickly asserting himself.
"Oh, of course not."Meredith replied, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. She turned to Derek who looked as if he were fighting back the urge to laugh. "Mark isn't a chick."
"What are you three doing?"Addison asked as she walked up to the group.
"Questioning Mark's masculinity."Derek quipped before taking another sip from his coffee.
Addison laughed as she closed a patient's file. "Can I join in?"She asked, sending an apolegetic smile Mark's direction. "I'm kidding."
Pretending to be hurt, Mark frowned. "I believe that."
"Well, as entertaining as this is...I have a patient to check up on."Derek said, kissing Meredith on the cheek before turning to walk away.
Mark darted his eyes between Addison and Meredith, suddenly feeling like an outsider. He knew that he had no reason to, and he found it refreshing that his wife and Meredith could get along. Offering a smile, he held up a hand as a sign of defeat. "So I guess that's my cue to exit...I'll catch you later at lunch?"
Addison flashed a smile in his direction after offering a nod. "Table by the window."
"Table by the window?"Meredith asked after Mark left. "What's that about?"
Addison sighed, knowing that the idea probably sounded odd to anyone else, but still decided to tell her. "It's kind of a tradition Mark and I have now. When we first started...seeing each other, it was the place where we'd go and sit. Coffee, pie...those stale breaded tuna sandwiches."She offered with a shrug. Moving her hair back behind her ear, Addison shrugged again. "Go ahead, laugh."
"Laugh at what?"Meredith asked, finding their procdure kind of endearing. "It's kind of sweet."
"Yeah, well, we don't get to do it often. Between my surgeries, and his-"Addison sighed, leaning her face against her hands as she propped an elbow on the counter. "-well, you get the point."
Meredith nodded, realizing that she still had the coffee Derek brought her. He'd intended to have a brief coffee break, but in the end ran to check on a patient. "Yeah, I know."She replied with a sigh. She knew it was the weight of her father still being there, and she knew it was ridiculous, but Meredith couldn't help but miss Derek at the same time. "Addison?"She chimed, hoping to further the conversation momentarily.
"Yes?"She asked, sensing a little fear behind her tone.
"I just-"Meredith averted her gaze to the cold, greyish tiles of the hospital floor before looking back at the woman whose hair was a complate contrast. "-if you aren't busy..."
"Of course."Addison replied, motioning for them to head toward a hallway that at the moment was vacant. "Is something wrong?"She asked.
Meredith bit her lip as she struggled to piece together the correct words. "I would ask Cristina, or Izzie even. Minus the fact that Izzie is currently in surgery, not to mention the fact that Cristina would probably tell me to suck it up and get on with it, it would work. I'm not trying to make it seem like you weren't the first person, or..."
Addison held up her hands, insisting that Meredith just ask whatever it was she wanted to ask.
"We didn't exactly get off on the right foot. A lot of our time was either spent hating each other, or at least acting like we did. Somewhere along the way, it just stopped. You know that my father is here, and without making too big of a deal about it, I told him about Elizabeth yesterday. After not seeing him for over two years, I somehow find the time to tell him that he has a graddaughter in the process of a five minute conversation."Meredith said before bringing her coffee to her lips. She sighed, bringing her cup down. "I guess what i'm trying to ask is, can you get past everything that has happened between two people? Just...everything. The history, the harsh words...do you really think it's possible?"
Drawing a deep breath, Addison nodded slowly. "It takes time."She said simply. "Time, and effort. You have to want something to happen in order for it to actually work. Does that make sense?"
Hearing her pager beeping, Meredith looked down to see what it was before looking back up at her. "I think it does. Thank you."
Derek glanced across the operating table at Meredith, who at the moment was explaining the procedure to one of the interns. It was a relatively simple procedure, but as he was well aware, she was the kind of person who liked to talk about things; explaining what was happening even to someone who already knew wasn't something he was used to seeing Meredith do, but at the same time, it was a role he decided seemed to really fit her.
He thought about everything that was going on in her life, and felt his heart swell silently inside of his chest. The old Meredith would have distanced herself from everything. She would have all but ignored Thatcher and his close proximity, she would have cooly pushed him away. As far as Derek was concerned, even he himself would have been shunned. Not one to dwell on the past for too long, Derek took the Meredith that was before him, and knew that she was who he wanted to be with. He'd known all along-he'd always known, in a way, he did from the beginning.
None the less, as Derek watched Meredith, he realized that he'd never loved her more. The way that she was pushing through everything-between the wedding, the house, and her father being hospitilzed (and consequently reentering her life)-Derek saw strength that at the moment he wasn't even sure that he could muster.
"Dr.Grey."He said, clearing his throat. Derek directed his stare across the table, his blue eyes shining with such admiration, that it didn't matter in the moment whether or not anyone saw. He was proud of the woman he loved, and if no one accepted that, it was their choice. "Would you like to close?"
"So, here-"Meredith said, pointing to a picture she brought to Thatcher's room with her. Sometime through the process of that day, she had decided it was better to see him that day then to make the paranoia of wondering what he'd say become even worse. "-she's wearing a new pair of shoes. I know it's kind of weird, but she just seemed to enjoy them so much. Oh, and here...Derek brought home a scrub cap, and she kind of found it."Meredith added with a laugh as she recalled the moment a few weeks before. Overall, she had never been much of a picture person, but when it came to her daughter, she always had a camera ready.
"Looks like you have a future doctor on your hands."Thatcher mused, amazed by the little girl in the pictures.
Meredith shrugged as she offered a slight laugh. "I guess so."She replied as she took the pictures back, calmly placing them back into an envelope. "So, is there anything I can do?"
"You just did, Meredith."He replied, hoping she'd catch the sentiment.
Knowing what he meant, she began to fidget a little. "I told you I'd bring them."
"Well, thank you either way. For the longest time you never thought twice about excluding me from your life. I know that I'm not exactly a candidate for father of the year, but i'd like to think that maybe we could start over."Thatcher said, knowing he was approaching a touchy subject. He knew that if he was ever going to say it, he might as well come out with it because otherwise she might see it as an excuse to not keep contact. "It doesn't have to be right away, just little things."
Meredith felt a combination of emotions dwelling inside of her, all of which screaming at her in voiced she knew all too well. She could run out the door and act like they'd never had the conversation. She could go back to pretending like she didn't know him, ignoring the fact that he even existed. On the other hand, she couldn't help but feel like maybe it would be for the better if she did stay and hear him out. "Slowly."
"Slowly."Thatcher replied after mulling it over for a minute. It wasn't much, but she was making an attempt to reach out to him. "Meredith?"He called as she reached to door. "Could you bring cards or something the next time you come?...It just gets kind of quiet around here. I'll only be in here for a day or two, but when the nurses aren't checking in, it can get kind of dull."
Making a mental note, Meredith gave a quick nod before closing the door.
Derek pulled back the blanket as he and Meredith settled in to bed that night. "So, I was thinking..."
"That's a good thing?"Meredith teased, watching as Derek feigned hurt.
"That's bad, really. I was merely trying to talk to you, and you insult me."Derek joked, holding a hand to his chest. "I was really trying to talk to you."
Meredith offered a smile before curling up next to him. "Yeah, you don't do offended very well."
"Well, Mark seems to think so."He offered, before placing an arm around her shoulder.
"What were you saying?"Meredith asked, knowing Derek obviously wanted to talk about something.
"I know you're busy."He said. "I know that you have things to do here, work and everything."Derek continued before drawing a deep breath. "But what do you think about Christmas in New York?"
The question caught her off guard, but as Meredith looked Derek in the eye, it was evident that he'd put a lot of thought and effort into thinking of the idea. "Christmas is still a little while away."
Derek nodded in understanding. "I know. But can you picture it...Elizabeth bundled up in some big, fluffy jacket..making angels in the snow. The smell of apple pie wafting out through the window..."Derek trailed off, feeling giddy at the mere idea.
"That sounds like something out of a painting."Meredith replied, her hand firm against his chest. Watching the look of adoration in Derek's eyes, Meredith knew there was no turning him down at that point. "But I like it."
"So?"Derek asked, fishing for an answer.
Meredith grinned, leaning in to kiss him. She let her hand come up to Derek's neck, carefully caressing the stubbled skin there. Pulling back, she saw more than just that man that she loved, or the father of her child. Talking about their future, knowing thoughts of Christmases from the past, Meredith knew that she saw him for who he was. "Yeah, let's go."