Chapter 35: Battle of the Two Doctors
Meredith quickly ate her crackers and drank a small glass of Sprite. Oh, how she hated this. Every morning. Vomiting over and over again. She was just praying it would stop soon. She vomited before she even had a chance to pee. She just kept telling herself it was worth it. It wasn't the baby's fault. Now on to another fun day at the hospital. A day of gossip and praying no one knew her secret.
"Hey." Derek said as he climbed out of his car.
"Hey." Meredith replied as she shut the door of her Jeep.
"You got a new car..." He said as he pointed to the dark green Jeep.
"I did." She said with a nod.
"It's nice." He said with a smile. "I like it." He told her as they walked into the hospital.
"Thanks." She said nervously. Her hand grazed her abdomen. Inside there was his child.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked as they stepped on the elevator.
"I am. I really am." She said with a nod.
"I was going to stop over last night, but I didn't want to impose." He said softly as he listened to the ding of each floor.
"You can come over, Derek. You're Mark's friend. You're my friend." She explained.
"What about Adrien?" Derek asked as he looked over at her.
"What about Adrien?" She said as the doors opened, and she stepped off onto her floor.
Derek stood there in shock. What did that mean? What did she mean? He looked up, realizing that he had missed his floor. He knew it was the same floor as hers, but he was so distracted, he had forgotten to get off. He quickly hit the button again. When the doors opened, he was face to face with Adrien. Adrien stepped on with a smile on his face.
"Dr. Shepherd..." He said with a grin. "I'm just off to the coffee cart..." He said as the doors closed.
It hit Derek. The coffee cart. He was getting Meredith coffee. Derek looked over at the stairwell and ran down, taking two stairs at a time. As he reached the floor, he looked up to see the elevator hadn't come down yet. Most likely, people were getting on and off at every floor.
"Mocha latte and a double chocolate, chocolate chip muffin." Derek said with a smile. The guy handed him his coffee, and he quickly walked to the stairs, seeing the elevator doors opening. He smiled when he opened the door and saw Meredith standing there talking to her interns.
"Dr. Grey." Derek said as he walked up.
"Go! Get to work!" She yelled and watched her interns scatter.
"For you." He said as he handed her the coffee and muffin.
"Oh! Thank you..." She said as she accepted it. "But I'm actually not drinking coffee anymore. The caffeine is making me shaky." She lied.
"Oh. Well..." Derek said with disappointment.
"But the muffin... I love chocolate muffins." She said with a faint smile.
"Mer..." Adrien said as he walked up with a frown and kissed her on the cheek.
"Adrien." She muttered.
"I brought you a mocha latte and a cinnamon muffin." Adrien told her as he handed it to her. "I know you like chocolate, but with the coffee, I figured it would be too much."
"Well, if you knew Meredith, you'd know that she can never have too much chocolate. And besides, she's not drinking coffee anymore." Derek said smartly.
"Oh." Adrien said as he looked down.
"So, it looks like you brought a bum breakfast." Derek muttered.
"Perhaps you would like some milk?" Adrien suggested.
"Oh... Well... You don't need to." Meredith said softly.
"Nonsense." Adrien said as he marched off. Derek looked at him and quickly walked after him. Both men shoved each other as they stumbled around, rushing into the elevator.
"You are pathetic." Derek said as he shook his head.
"Me? I'm her boyfriend. You... I'm not sure what you are. A night of meaningless sex?" He asked as the doors opened.
Derek sprinted out the door as soon as it opened. As he made his way down the corridor. Seeing that he was gaining speed, he pushed a cart into Adrien's path and laughed heartily as he heard him crash. He looked around from the mild as he rushed in. He quickly grabbed a small chocolate milk and ran to the register. Adrien fumbled with cash as Derek slid his card and took off.
"Keep the change!" Adrien spat as he tossed down a twenty-dollar bill.
"But Doctor!" The woman yelled.
"Keep it!" He said as he looked at the elevator and finally opted for the stairs. He saw Derek one floor ahead of him and rushed quicker, taking two stairs at a time.
"In your dreams, asshole!" Derek spat as he kicked backward, hitting Adrien in the shin. He fell hard.
"You rat bastard!" Adrien shouted as he grabbed Derek's foot, causing him to fall down. He quickly climbed over Derek and kept on. Derek jumped up and rushed forward. Adrien pushed the door, and they both fell as it opened. Everyone looked at the two doctors, laying on the floor. They both jumped up and jogged down the hallway, milk in hand.
"Here you go!" They both said as they handed her the milk.
"Oh! Thanks." Meredith said in shock as she looked at the two sweaty men. Her pager beeped and she looked down. "Gotta go!" She said as she smiled at both of them. She began to walk away but stopped in her tracks. She swiped up the chocolate milk and chocolate muffing before running off. Before she left, she sighed and grabbed Adrien's too.
"You are pathetic." Derek said as he shook his head.
"I'd say that's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black." Adrien said as he looked up.
"You may have a point there... But I'll never admit to it." Derek said as he walked off with a smirk on his face.
"So, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner tonight?" Adrien asked as he looked across the table at Meredith.
"Actually, Mark and I are going to hang out." Meredith said quickly as she worked on the patient. She could feel Adrien's eyes staring at her intently. It wasn't that she didn't want to go. She was confused. She didn't want to send out mixed signals. And she honestly had no idea what her next step would be.
"Oh. You and Mark?" Adrien asked with the slightest bit of jealousy in his voice.
"Yes. Mark and I are friends." Meredith explained as she continued to look down at her patient.
"I know that. You live with him. You see him every day." Adrien pointed out. "I just figured you'd like a nice dinner."
"True, I do live with him. But we don't get to spend much time together." Meredith told him.
Meredith ignored what he was saying. She couldn't be entirely sure that he was speaking at all. Her mind was elsewhere. Her mind was on when she was going to tell Derek about the baby. She needed a little more time. She was definitely not going to hide it from him. She wanted to make sure that things were solid before she took that step. She wanted to make sure it wouldn't change things for the worse. She furrowed her brow as she thought about what Derek had said. "Lying bastard." That's what he had called Adrien. And now she wanted to confront him.
"There is something I've been meaning to ask you." Meredith said as she started stitching.
"Yes?" Adrien asked with a smile as he looked down.
"Well, you said that Derek came in with that woman. But he didn't." Meredith said coldly as she glanced up.
"I thought you and Derek were over. I thought it was a mistake." Adrien asked smartly, trying to turn the tables on her.
"I was just wondering why you would lie? Do you feel threatened?" She asked as she continued.
"Should I feel threatened?" Adrien asked as he looked down at her work. She didn't answer. Nothing. Not a sigh. Not a nod. Nothing. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, I've been meaning to ask you something. I'd just like to know how my girlfriend ended up in bed with her best friend's husband. And how he ended up being my competition, when as far as I knew, there wasn't competition because you were mine."
"I just don't like that you lied to me. You shouldn't have lied." Meredith said, ignoring his line of questioning.
"Who said I lied? Maybe he's lying. He didn't look like he was desperately trying to flee her. And I only reported what I saw, Meredith. Think of it this way, a man who loves you wouldn't flirt with a woman in your sight. It's all a game. And if that's how you want it... If there is a race... I'm in. Because you are worth it. And I don't think it will take you long to figure out who the better guy is." Adrien said as he looked up at her.
"Okay... I think we're done here." Meredith said as she walked away from the table and quickly went into the scrub room.
"What the hell is going on here? As far as I knew, we were fine. I didn't expect to come home and find you half naked." Adrien said sadly. She dropped her head in shame. "And I forgave you. And I do forgive you. I thought it was over. A one time thing. But apparently, it's not. I'd just like to know what I'm up against."
"Derek and I-" She started. "It's a long story." He looked into her eyes. He was worried. Concerned. He didn't know what she was going to tell him. He didn't think he wanted to hear it.
"You know what... Some things are better left unsaid and unknown." He told her as he scrubbed his hands. "I'm sorry..."
"I have to go." She said as she rushed out of the room. She was feeling as if she was going to suffocate. The walls were closing in. Her stress was drowning her.
"How are you feeling, Dr. Grey?" Dina asked as she walked up.
"I'm fine, Dr. Eastman." Meredith said nicely. Meredith's stomach growled loudly.
"I think you're hungry. I'll do your post-op notes. You better head to the cafeteria." Dina suggested.
"Good idea." Meredith said with a nod as she walked away. A nice, quiet lunch. Or not.
"Here." Derek said as he walked up. She had barely stepped foot in the cafeteria, and here he was.
"What's this?" She asked as she looked down at the container.
"Lunch. I got it from the deli down the street." He said as he walked over to the table with her.
"Oh. Thank you." She said as she opened up the container full of chicken salad, garden salad and oreo fluff. "It looks great. But Derek, you don't have to do this." She said with a frown.
"I wanted to. I was hungry. I just picked something up for you when I was out." He explained.
"It's good." She moaned as she took a bite of the oreo fluff before anything else.
"So, how is your day going?" Derek asked with a smile.
"Fine. Long, but every day is long when you never leave the OR." She muttered as she continued eating her food.
"Cardio is like that. The way Americans eat, you will never be out of a job." He laughed. "Why did you do it?" He finally asked.
"Do what?" Meredith answered as she looked up at him.
"Well, cardio. I never even knew you had an interest in it." Derek pointed out.
"Well... I just- I like it." She said with a shrug. She took a few more bites and then looked up at him. "And I thought that- Well, since I lost you... I could hold on to that. Something you loved." She said as her eyes watered up.
"Mer..." He said as he placed his hand on hers. She sucked it up and looked at him.
"Why did you switch to neurology? You were cardio all the way. That was all we ever studied." She pointed out.
"Why do you think?" He asked softly. He looked into her eyes. "Because of you. Because they couldn't save you. I needed to know. I needed to have a focus. I wanted to be able to help people. I wanted to be able to tell patients and their families that I did everything I could and know that I did. I changed for you." He said as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I knew you were still in there."
"I know you did." She said as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "You read to me, you talked. You were there." She said as her voice cracked.
"You remember?" He asked.
"I do." She said softly. "Crap." She muttered as she looked up, seeing Adrien coming their way.
"Apparently we had the same idea, once again." Adrien said as he sat the container of soup down in front of her.
"Apparently." Derek grumbled.
"It's vegetable." Adrien said happily.
"Oh... I need a spoon." She said aloud. They both jumped up. "I can get my own damn spoon." She said as she stood up.
"A salad... Nicely played." Adrien said.
"She likes salad. But vegetable soup...come on!" Derek said with a chuckle. "Meredith doesn't even like vegetable soup."
"Yes, she does." Adrien argued. "And don't even bother trying to get her to go to dinner. She's hanging out with Sloan tonight."
"Oh. Thanks for the heads up. At least she picked a good excuse." Derek snorted.
"I don't like you." Adrien said frankly.
"I'd say the feeling is mutual." Derek said smartly.
"You are just lucky that I am a decent man." Adrien pointed out.
"Oh? Why is that?" Derek asked.
"Well, I could clue your wife in on your little extra marital activities." Adrien threatened as he sipped his coffee.
"Well, seeing that we are getting a divorce, that wouldn't much matter." Derek said with a shrug.
"True. But yet, it is not final. Wouldn't it be horrible to lose everything you have worked so hard for?" Adrien asked.
"Yes. But it would be worth it." Derek said with an evil grin. "Not to mention, I don't think you would want to hurt Meredith. Seeing how, she is Lexie's best friend." Derek told him.
"You have me there. But then again, I have you. That will be your downfall. Lexie will find out. You won't be able to hide it forever. That is, unless you end it. I think you know what you need to do." Adrien said as he smiled at Meredith, who was walking back up.
"So, what did you two talk about?" Meredith asked as she sat down in front of them.
"The weather." Adrien said with a smile.
"Actually, we were talking about battle moves." Derek said quickly. "I always was good at battleship... I like to sink a battleship deep into the abyss." He said as he winked at Meredith. Adrien watched as her face turned beet red.
"Personally, I like to plunge in and out. I tend to get better results." He said as he glanced at Meredith.
"Well, nothing is better than when you get swallowed whole." Derek grinned.
"Well... Only if the object is small enough to be swallowed whole." Adrien said with an evil chuckle.
"You would know." Derek pointed out.
"Actually, I was just pointing out what I've heard. Something about fantastic four." Adrien said with a hearty laugh.
"I wouldn't believe everything you hear. Usually people make up nasty rumors when they feel inferior. I suppose you would know something about that." Derek nodded.
"Well, we should ask Meredith..." Adrien pointed out. He looked at the look on her face as she dropped her fork.
"You are an asshole!" She shouted as she threw his lukewarm soup at his face. He watched as she grabbed her salad and rushed off.
"Wow... If you give someone enough rope..." Derek said as he shook his head and stood up from the table. He could chase after her, but he decided not to. He decided that Adrien's words had to sink it. It was a war. And it seemed he was definitely winning more battles than his opponent.