Ch. 43: Cupcakes, News, and More Surprises

Burke, Bailey, and Christina were waiting in Burke's office for Meredith and Derek to come in. In his office, Burke sat behind his desk with his hands folded, watching Christina pace back and forth in front of him. He looked away, unable to watch her any longer, and his eyes landed on Bailey, sitting on the couch, arms folded in her usual manner, her eyes watching the door like a hawk.

"They're late." Christina mumbled, looking up at the clock.

"They'll be here." Burke responded patiently. Christina stopped in mid pace and gave him a death glare.

"Yes, but they're late. Derek is never late for anything, and Meredith is well…Meredith!"

"Who is pregnant." Burke replied, still very calm. Christina rolled her eyes and began to pace again as the room was quite once again.
"They were supposed to be here 5 minutes ago." Bailey finally said, after a few minutes.

"SEE! I'm not the only one who's freaked out about this!" Christina exclaimed.

Burke closed his eyes and sighed.

"They'll be here. Derek knows how important this is. Plus, it's the day after the funeral. Let them take some time to get back into they're routine and-"

"Sorry we're late."
Everyone's head turned to see Derek and Meredith walk into the room.

"You're late." Christina hissed as she sat down next to Bailey. Meredith gave her a glare as she attempted to sit down on the chairs across from the cough.

"I think we've established that." Burke said coolly as he gave a quick glance over to Christina's direction.

"Sorry it was my fault. It's hard to get out of bed and get dressed and do normal things when you're lugging around a baby." Meredith said, trying to add some humor.

"We've done it before, we know." Replied Bailey, as her eyes didn't leave Meredith. Meredith looked up at Derek who gave her a weak smile and grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Yes, but the important thing is that you're here." Burke quickly, giving both Christina and Bailey a look before turning his attention on Meredith and Derek.

"Meredith, I'm sure you're wondering what you're doing here, since you're supposed to be on maternity leave." Burke said as his eyes turned soft, and his voice even came down an octave.

"Well…ya." Meredith said, looking around. As her eyes passed Christina and Bailey, they're faces automatically softened.

"Everyone's starting to creep me out."

Burke sighed and took a deep breath.

"Mer, when Emily died, we found out that there was more to her than just the leukemia." Burke started.

Meredith's eyes went immediately to Derek, as he squeezed her hand.

"Mer, Emily was…" But Burke couldn't finish his sentence. The room went quite again, and Meredith became even more scared.

"Burke, I swear if you don't tell me I'll-"

"She was abused!" Christina blurted out, interrupting Meredith.

The room went dead quite as all eyes were on Christina. Meredith's eyes darted back and forth between Derek and Christina, trying to figure out if this was all a prank that they were all playing on her. After a few minutes, and no one popping out and saying "FOOLED YOU!" Meredith finally spoke.

"Wh-What do you mean…abused?"

Christina attempted to say something, but was jabbed in the ribs by Bailey. Christina gave her a 'What-the-hell" look, but understood, when she looked at Burke. His head was in his hands, and for the first time, he looked like he was about to cry.

"Meredith…there-there's no easy way to say this…but…her husband…physically, and maybe sexually abused her." He said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. Once again Meredith was speechless. Derek attempted to squeeze her hand again, but she pulled it away from him.

"You're-you're kidding right? I mean…she was the picture of health when she came in. There's no way that she was…"

"Meredith…" Derek spoke, but he was soon cut off.

"No…NO! WHY ARE YOU WAITING TO TELL ME THIS NOW? WHY NOT YESTERDAY OR OR…WHEN SHE DIED? LET ME GUESS! YOU THOUGHT YOU'D PROTECT POOR OLD MEREDITH FROM SOME PAIN WHEN SHE'S PREGNANT! WHAT ELSE ARE YOU HIDING FROM ME? WAIT, LET ME GUESS, HER "HUSBAND" WAS ALSO ABUSING HER TWO CHILDERN? THEY REALLY DIDN'T DIE IN A CAR ACCIDENT?"

The room remained quiet, as Meredith's voice continued to echo after she stopped yelling. After a few minutes, of receiving no answer from her last question, she started bellowing again.

"OH YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU'D LIKE TO TELL ME?"

Finally, Derek got up the nerve to speak up.

"Meredith, if you just calm down maybe we can-"

"You know what, no! I've heard enough."

Meredith turned and headed for the door, but Bailey jumped up and put her arms out, refusing to let Meredith leave.

"Let me out." She said sternly.

"Sit down Shepherd." She gritted through her teeth. But Meredith didn't move.

"Let-Me-Out!'" She said, raising her voice.

"Meredith if you just sit down…"

"NO DEREK I WLL NOT SIT DOWN!" She shouted again, before turning her attention to Bailey for the last time. "Miranda, if you don't let me out of this room this minute-"

"Let her out Miranda." Burke said quietly.

Everyone's head turned towards Burke surprised by what he said.

"Excuse me?" Bailey questioned, raising one eyebrow.

"Let her out. Christina, drive her home."

Meredith crossed her arms, and glared at Burke.

"What makes you think that I want to go home? And besides, I can drive myself!"

Christina rose from her seat and headed towards the door, trying to drag Meredith with her. After a few minutes of tugging, Meredith gave in, but not quietly. She slammed the door behind her and stopped her way down the hallway. Everyone in the hospital stared at the two of them, as the entered the unoccupied elevator. After a few minutes of the listening to the elevator move, Christina attempted to speak.

"Meredith-"

"Don't talk. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not talking to you. You will drive me to Izzie's hose then come back here where you will continue to share secrets behind my back." She said coolly.

"Meredith…"

But before Cristina could continue, the elevator doors opened, and Meredith stepped out, heading for the front door as quickly as she could. Christina sighed as she attempted to catch up with her friend, hoping that she wasn't going to stay mad for long.

----

Izzie was in her kitchen backing cupcakes (for no apparent reason) with Addison and Callie sitting at the island, licking spoons, and eating the "bad' cupcakes.

"Honestly Izzie, these are…oooooooooooh…good." Addison said, with her mouth full of cupcake, with crumbs spilling out of her mouth.

"But there is still something…I GOT IT!"

Izzie hurried to the cupboard and pulled out the coconut.

"How could I be so stupid?" She muttered as she started to whip up a new batch. At the exact moment, the doorbell rang. Being, too absorbed in her cooking, Callie got up from the chair and wobbled over to the door, answering it instead of Izzie.

"Shep-Meredith?"

To say Callie was surprised was a bit of an understatement. She knew that Meredith had gone to talk with Burke (why she didn't know), then she thought she was going home to relax and pack. She was even more surprised to see Christina standing behind her.

"She made me take her here." Christina explained, as Callie stepped aside, letting the two women in.

"HEY ADDIE! PULL UP 2 MORE STOOLS!" Callie called, as she led them to the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm not staying, I was just instructed to drive her here and then leave…"

"Now." Meredith hissed.

Callie furrowed her eyebrows, obviously confused. Christina gave her a 'you-don't-want-to-know' look, as she grabbed a cupcake, and left. After the door shut, Callie turned her attention to Meredith, who was sitting on the stool, ripping off the tissue surrounding the cupcake.

"Ummm Mer, I know that your angry, but will killing the awesome cupcake really solve things?" Asked Addison, as she watched the cupcake get pulverized. Izzie turned around to see her cupcake be smashed into hundreds of crumbs.

"Whoa, whoa WHOA! Meredith, what happened to you?"

Meredith looked up to see everyone was looking at her.

"What?" Meredith asked defensively.

Izzie turned back to the oven, scared to look Meredith in the eyes, and hoping that her cupcakes weren't burned.

"Ok, Mer…let the cupcake live, and tell us what's wrong." Addison said, trying to pull the cupcake away from Meredith.

"Did you know that Emily was abused. Abused by her so-called husband. Oh and did you know that her kids died because they were also abused by their 'dad'. Ya, all of this crucial information was kept from me, HER DAMN SISTER, from the people who I thought were my family. Oh, and one of those people, is my freakin husband." Meredith exclaimed, grabbing another cupcake. This time, no one stopped her as she began to bang it again.

"Oook, umm Mer, listen to me. I know that you're mad. I would be too. I mean, why they would keep this from you, I don't know. But, here's what you do. You leave tomorrow for your vacation. Just…I don't know. Let it go maybe till you get back? This stress isn't good for the baby. When you get back you can yell all you want." Addison said, trying to sooth Meredith. Meredith looked up and stared at her.

"Let it go? Addison, my sister was abused! Why wasn't this brought to my attention? Why they didn't take her for a CT I don't know? I mean, that would be the first thing right? There should be evidence that she was abused shouldn't there? Addison, she could have been…saved maybe, but I don't know. Just…"

By this time, Meredith started to calm down, and tears were starting to form.

"Oh Mer." This time, Callie came and embraced Meredith as she cried into her shoulder. Not sure what to do, she began to rub circles in her back. After a few minutes, the tears had subsided to sniffles as she lifted her head from Callie's soaking wet shirt.

"I'm sorry." She muttered, wiping away the last of the tears.

"No, no it's ok. I'll just…have it dry cleaned." She said quietly trying to dry the shirt as best as she could. After a few unsuccessful attempts, she gave up, deciding that it wasn't worth it.

"Mer, her husband died what 2 months before she was admitted. If there was evidence, it would of healed by now. If she didn't disclose the information about being abused, there's no way they could of known. A CT isn't routine for a leukemia patent, and you know that." Addison said, softly, rubbing Meredith's back, as Callie tended to her shirt.

"Maybe your right." Meredith said after a few minutes. Everyone looked at her, wondering what she was talking about.

"Right about what? Taking time off? Or them not doing the CT" Izzie asked, turning around with a tin of cupcakes in her hands.

"About, letting it go. Maybe I over reacted."

Izzie set down the tin and wiped her hands.

"Meredith, you had every right to react the way you did. They had no right to keep that from you. If I were you, I'd go on the trip, but not let Derek have as much fun as he wants."

Meredith stopped in mid chew of the cupcake that she was about to eat.

"What do you mean not letting him have as much fun as he wants?" She said, confused.

Izzie just smiled, and took a bite of her cupcake. Meredith looked around to see Addison and Callie, both just as confused as Meredith was.

"IZZ! TELL ME!" She shouted, but with a smile.

Izzie just winked as she bit into another cupcake, laughing as her plan continued to formulate in her mind, leaving Meredith hurt by the lack of information, and very confused.

-----

By the time Christina got back to Burke's office, Bailey was already gone but Derek was still sitting in his chair with his head in his hands. Burke had his back to the room, as he looked out to the hospital below him.

"Where's Bailey?" she asked, looking away from Derek.

"She had a surgery." Burke said, still not turning around.

Christina sighed as she made her way to the couch and flopped down.

"Well, she's obviously pissed, but I dropped her off at Izzie's. Addison, Callie, and her will hopefully calm Mer down." She reported, rubbing her temples.

An uncomfortable silence followed this thought. Everyone knew Meredith was not always the easiest person to calm so they were all hoping Izzie, Callie, and Addie could do it.

No one wanted to be the one to break that silence. What could they say? They all knew they'd handled the situation badly, but what other choice did they have?

Finally, Derek dared to break the silence.

"Why did we keep this from her?" Derek asked from behind his hands. Christina looked up and gave him a glare.

"Derek, we had no choice." Burke said as calmly as possible, with his back still turned. Derek lifted his head from his hands. His perfect hair was all askew, and his eyes were puffy.

"What do you mean we had no choice? We could have told her the day after Emily died. Sure she would have been furious, but keeping this kind of news from her for this long is just…unethical."

The room went quiet. After a few minutes, Christina stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Burke asked, finally turning around his chair. From a quick glance, he looked fine, but if you got closer, you could see his eyes were unemotional and his body was tense. Christina turned and looked into Burke's eyes.

"I'm not going to just sit here and mope around about the decision you made. There's something I have to do. What-I don't know. I'll find a surgery to do. Or an intern to terrorize, but I'm not going to sit here and mope around." She said coolly, as she wrenched open the door, and let is slam behind her. Derek looked from the door to Burke then sighed.

"I better go too. Pick her up from Izzie's, if she'll let me, and then-"

The shrill ring of Derek's phone cut him off. Pulling it out, his body froze as he looked at the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Burke asked, though he already knew who it was. Derek stayed frozen for a couple more seconds, before getting up the nerve to flip open his phone.

"Hello?" he answered hoarsely.

"Hey." Came Meredith's voice on the other line.

For a second, Derek was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure what to say. Was she still mad? Of course she was, she wasn't one to forget things that easily.

"Derek? Hello?"

"S-Sorry. I'm here." He said, but his voice was barely above a whisper.

"Ok good."

Derek tried to read Meredith over the phone, but it was kinda hard since he couldn't see her face. Once again, the line went silent.

"Derek?"

"Sorry. It's just…you just left so abruptly and with so much anger. NOT that I blame you or anything. If I were you I'd be-"

"Derek, you're starting to ramble." Meredith laughed.

Hearing her laugh, made Derek crack a smile.

"So, what's up?" He said, trying to loosen up.

"I need you to come and pick me up. Seeing we're all pregnant, and Addie doesn't advise me to drive, I need a ride home. Plus, we still have to pack, help the kids pack, and get them over to Burke's because of the early flight."

Derek sighed, but with a smile one his face.

"Ok I'll be by in a couple of minutes."

"Ok, thanks hon."

"No problem. Oh and Mer?"

"Yes?"
"Thanks for not…you know…holding a grudge over this."

"Anything for you dear."

Derek smiled and hung up the phone.

"I gotta go. I'll be by your house in about 3 hours."

Burke nodded, as Derek headed for the door.

"So Derek, everything's ok?" Burke asked, before Derek could leave. Derek smiled.

"Everything's just fine." He said, before giving Burke a quick wink and leaving the office.

But little did Derek know, Meredith was sitting at Izzie's island, smiling an evil smile with Izzie, Callie, and Addison next to her laughing uncontrollably.

A/N: Ok, so i know i told you guys, that i would write friday and saturday, but that sadly, never happened, and i feel AWFUL about it. I meant to get this up monday, but now a week later, it's up. I personally don't lk this chapter. I just don't lk how i wrote it. But, nxt chapter will be mer and derek the lake. Ummm, so not much to say. The Emily thing was Derek's secret fyi. Now, a little surprise. What is Izzie planning? Hmmmmmm you'll have to c. I'll try to write friday, since tomorrow is a grey's nite. I WILL have this done b4 the 27th though. I told myself i would have this done b4 school starts, so yes. 3-4 more chapters left.

5 reviews a chaper DEFINATLEY on sunday...and a little surprise in ur PM...