Chapter 33: Strawberries and Thankful

Meredith strolled along the shelves of the store wondering what else she was going to need for the afternoon. Strawberries… definitely… she'd have to remember to put whipped cream into the cart.

Meredith Grey was doing something she had never envisioned herself doing, caring for a boy. Since she confessed the whole truth, he was nothing short of attentive and warm, taking care of her every possible way he could even if she completely recovered from her unfortunate encounter with her mother. Derek, though, believed that the knowledge of his father's new family weighed heavily on her mind, and so pampered her every wish and dream.

Meredith though was in a much better disposition than her secret boyfriend supposed. True, sometimes she fought the urge to put Ellis's honesty to test and see if her father really replaced her with two new perfect daughters. Though every time her hand reached for the yellow pages to find his number, she jerked it away in apprehension and brushed it off from her thoughts. It wasn't that difficult; Thatcher was now only a distant figure in her memory, a man she probably wouldn't recognize if she passed him on the street. Instead she threw herself heart and soul in the whirlwind of her work and her romance with Derek, not necessarily of that order of importance.

Every day convinced her a little bit more about the significance of his presence in her life. She realized with both awe and fear that without him everything would seem trivial and colorless. Normally, such an illumination would make her run for the hills. But Derek was patient and lenient and gave her time. They were making baby steps, no sudden moves. Meredith appreciated that Derek agreed to go according to her pace and today she wanted to do something in return…

"Meredith!"

She turned towards the owner of the somehow surprised voice and saw her antecedent at the position of the chief, Richard Webber.

"Meredith," he smiled widely and came closer. "How have you been?"

"I…" she chuckled. So much happened in her life. "Good, really great."

"I'm sure," commented Richard pensively. "You look positively radiant."

"Thank you," she smiled. "And you? We haven't heard from you like you promised in ages." Come to think about it, she didn't see him since their meeting at Joe's all those months ago when she came to inquire about his motives for supporting her nomination. She thought that the retirement wasn't kind for the older surgeon. He didn't look rested and relaxed at all, and she was sure there were some new wrinkles she hadn't seen before.

Richard cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Yes, well… to tell you the truth, I've just got divorced."

"Divorced?" Meredith's jaw hit the floor in shock. "I'm… I'm sorry. That's really not my business."

"Don't be," Richard calmed her down. "We tried to work out the things but it was too late. Our marriage was dead for years."

Meredith was engulfed by somber thoughts. She only met his wife Adele once but she thought the Webbers were one of those strong marriages. They must have been together for years. Adele seemed so supportive the day that Richard retired. She was always on his side.

"Is is… is it really impossible?" asked Meredith gravely. "To have both a career and a relationship?"

Richard studied her hardened face and brilliant eyes. "You're seeing someone," he stated more than asked making her blush furiously and nod with reluctance.

He looked at her quickly and scanned the contents of her cart. "That's why you're here and not at work like I always was."

She flushed even more under his scrutiny and gripped the cart tightly.

"Is he a good man?" sighed Richard.

"Yes…" frowned Meredith, not exactly sure where he was headed.

"Is he married?"

"No!" she shot indignantly. "What kind of question is that?"

"It's something serious?" continued Richard relentlessly.

Meredith shrugged trying to appear indifferent, "It feels so."

Richard pondered a couple of seconds in silence staring somewhere above her shoulder. "It is possible," he confessed heavily. "With the right person, anything is possible."

An awkward silence fell upon them until a sudden idea crossed Meredith's mind.

"Did you… I wonder if you knew my father," she said pushing a stray hair off her face.

"Why do you ask?" Richard turned to her giving her a sharp look.

"You knew my mother, you were friends, so I thought…" she trailed off. "I don't have much contact with my father… none actually… and my mother was here last month-"

"Ellis was here?" asked Richard excitedly.

"Yeah," nodded Meredith flinching at the memory. "For a consult."

"Oh, right," he stared at his hands. "Can you call me? When she's in town next time, I mean?"

"Sure, sure," agreed Meredith with raised eyebrows. So not happening, she cringed inwardly. She'd move heaven and earth to stop her mother from coming to Seattle again.

The conversation ran dry and they soon parted, both of them thinking about someone close to their hearts.

"Mom," sighed Derek into his cell phone trying unsuccessfully to interrupt his mother. Balancing the phone between his cheek and shoulder, he pulled up in his driveway and replaced the air-conditioned interior of his car with the sweltering afternoon heat. He smiled seeing Meredith's silver Porsche parked in the shade of a tree. Earlier on, he received a note that they were going to celebrate the first day of summer on his land and since then he was dead curious what she had planned. Knowing Meredith, it was something he would extremely appreciate. But first, he needed to gently finish the conversation with his mother.

"Derek, are you still here?" she sighed. "Are you even listening?"

"Yes, Ma," he answered meekly entering the trailer. He unfastened a couple of buttons on his shirt and glanced around. Meredith must be somewhere out.

"Derek, I know exactly what you are thinking right now," took up his mother. "You wish that this old lady would stop ranting in your ear. So, it happens that this lady is your mother and has every right to rant and ask how her only son has been!"

"Mom, I told you," said quickly Derek to appease her. "Everything's good. Great even." He moved towards the bed and spotted a couple of strawberries. There was a piece of paper stuck underneath the saucer.

"Great?" asked Carolyn.

"Never better," he breathed out reading Meredith's note. Follow the strawberries…

He bit one of the ripe fruits tasting the moist sweetness. He was sure there was only a matter of time before he tasted something even better and… not something he wanted to think about while conversing with his mother. He was half afraid Carolyn was able to read his dirty mind from the other side of the continent.

"What about New York?" insisted Carolyn.

"What about it?" asked Derek absentmindedly as he felt the hot air again and searched the environs for red berries. There was one glistening in the sun on the trail that led up to the lake.

"Sweetheart, you were thinking about coming back home a couple of months ago," she reminded. "Have you made up your mind yet? I think it's time."

"A couple of months ago…" he muttered going forward searching for strawberries in the tall grass. A couple of months ago he didn't have a clue what to do with his life but now, now he had a pretty clear idea. Moving anywhere out of Seattle was out of the question. Not without Meredith. "Mom, I'm staying in Seattle."

"You're staying," she repeated slowly. She was not altogether surprised with his choice but with the decisiveness and energy in his voice. "Can you tell me why?"

"I… my life is here now, Mom," he replied. He turned left and away from the way to the lake. Instead, he circled around a wild clamp of bushes, picking up another strawberry.

"But what about your work?" inquired Carolyn. "What about your ambitions? You're consenting to work under that woman?"

Derek felt his skin heat up, and not just because of the blazing sun. He was more than willing to work under that woman… or wherever she wanted him really…

"Derek?"

"It's… it's really fine, Mom," he took a deep breath and went out of the bushes. "Holly mother…" the words escaped his lips as he took in the sight before him. Meredith was sprawled on her stomach on a blanket underneath a tall tree… smiling up at him seductively… completely naked…

His pants tightened instantaneously, as she reached one of her hands, she was propped on to take one of the red fruits between her full lips, uncovering her breasts that were grazing the blanket. He slowly made his way towards her.

"What did you say? Derek?"

He completely forgot that his mother was still on the line.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I have to go, I'll call you another time," he muttered and flipped his cell closed.

"Don't mind me," said Meredith sweetly and rolled onto her back looking at him upside down. "Finish your conversation, Mama's boy."

He narrowed his eyes at her and stood near the edge of the blanket trying to keep a cool head in spite of the utterly bare curves of his girlfriend.

"Mer," he swallowed with difficulty. "You're naked… in the middle of my land…"

"A very astute observation, Dr. Shepherd," she whispered and sat up on her legs, her hair flying wildly down her chest.

"You walked up here from the trailer… naked?" he gulped. "Someone might see you."

"Like who?" she shrugged. "You said yourself it would have to be an escaped convict. But… if you'd rather have me clothed…" She got to her feet to wrap the blanket around her, but he stopped her. "That's what I thought…" she breathed into his neck.

"So, what are we celebrating? The beginning of the summer?" he asked caressing her sides.

"Among other things," she replied coyly. "But you're not quite ready."

"How am I not ready?" he quipped and ground his middle against her, making sure there was no mistake about his desire for her.

She giggled sweetly occupying her fingers with the buttons of his shirt, "There's this one rule about celebrating… hot… summer…" she pronounced every word and pushed the material off his shoulders. "You have to be naked…"

"That can be arranged," he breathed and pulled down his trousers and boxers. He stumbled onto the blanket almost tripping while taking off his socks and shoes.

She chuckled at his eagerness and eased him onto his back. She straddled him and brought a strawberry dipped in the cream to his mouth. He lifted his head, but Meredith jerked her hand away playfully.

"I want my strawberry," he pouted.

"Oh, really," she smiled and swallowed the fruit herself only to bring her lips on his.

"But I guess this is better…" he moaned into her mouth. She kissed him soundly and trailed her hot mouth over his stubbly jaw, the pulse point on his neck, his hard chest and his swollen hardness. She teased him mercilessly with her lips and tongue.

Derek gripped the blanket tightly in his hands as Meredith worked him up closer and closer towards his release. God, he loved her, he loved her so much. He bit his lip so as not to vocalize his feelings. Those moments when he was on the brink of confessing his love to her happened incredibly often, but he always managed to stifle his words. Every time seemed not to be the right time.

He focused his attention on Meredith's ministrations and braced himself for the wild release he felt approaching in every cell of his body but… she pulled her head away and crept up to his eye level.

He groaned in protests, but she put a finger on his lips.

"Shh," she made him the sign to be quiet. "I wanted to thank you."

He blinked at her, "For what?"

"For making me feel… special," she smiled at him caressing his temples, pushing his soft hair away. "Like I was the only woman in the world, like I was wanted."

"You are," he whispered and lifted his palms to rub her forearms delicately. "You are, wanted, needed, and certainly the only woman I notice."

Her heart beat so fast it could crack her ribs and jump out of her chest.

"God, Derek," she breathed. "I can't wait…" She moved down his body once again, only this time she lowered her wet core onto his hardness instead of her mouth. She felt that she could say things to him, words that not a single person in her life heard from her lips. But she was way too unprepared to say them so the best way to show Derek how she felt was sex. That was one of the things she was really good at.