With current goings on in the first two episodes of season 18 I needed a little motivation. After watching a couple MerHayes compilations on YouTube and re-reading this story I am ready to go! Hope you enjoy, this is a little more light-hearted after the last few chapters.
"I am so glad you had such a great field trip ZoZo! Mhm, wow! That is incredible. I can't wait to hear all about the rest of the exhibits when I get home! You have homework about the heart display? I'm sure Aunty Maggie would love to look at that with you. I love you Zozo, I will be home as soon as I am done. Bye" Meredith says hanging up, Cormac smiles from where he stands at the entrance to the corridor.
"Now, are you ready to explain why you made me meet you all the way down here in the dungeons when we have two perfectly good offices with comfortable couches upstairs?" he asks as he moves to sit next to her on the gurney.
"Patience! Did you bring the goods?" Meredith asks, turning and tucking her legs up as she faces Cormac.
"One bottle of 'whatever alcohol you can find' as ordered" he says, pulling out a bottle of whiskey with a flourish and a bemused look on his face.
"Perfect" Meredith says, putting two cups on the gurney between them and pouring two generous servings of the amber liquid. "This is where we would spend time when we were burnt out as interns, we would collapse down here, that vending machine" she says pointing across the corridor, "it is broken, but if you hit it in just the right place it will give you a bag of chips. Alex was the god of it, he could get you anything you wanted, I can just manage the chips" she says shrugging. "It was a busy day, running from surgery to surgery, reminded me of the unspoken tradition in out residence to come down here and relax after a crazy shift."
"So this is the secret intern haunt?" Cormac laughs, "what did you do to get it all to ourselves? If it is such a hiding place why aren't the interns here? Or are you spinning tales?"
"There is a reason for my nickname you know, and the interns remember it better so one look in these eyes and they scattered" Meredith says, grinning as she takes a sip from the cup in her hand.
"Nickname? How is it I have been here two years and I have yet to hear any nicknames besides Mer and Twisted Sister?" He says, mock hurt on his face.
"Hmm" Meredith says with an exaggerated thoughtful look, "do I know you well enough to tell you the nickname? Ok, you get the abbreviated version for now, it will take a few more dates like the one last night to get the rest" she says with a gleeful smirk.
"Thank you for the honour, Grey" Cormac says in an overly serious tone. "well?" he adds, moving towards her on the gurney and looking up expectantly.
"Simplified version, the first few months I was an attending were very difficult me and the hospital, we were grieving and trying to recover from the crash and Cristina was in Minnesota. I may have become a little intense? They called me Medusa, you can ask Jo if you want more information, she was an intern that year, wouldn't be surprised if she was the one who perpetuated the name with current interns."
"Medusa? A mythical monster" he says with a laugh "I guess I can see it, if I was an intern instead of a chief on my first day, I would have been terrified. But now, I'm not so sure, you have made the unfortunate mistake of showing me your soft side" he says teasingly.
"How unfortunate, I guess I will have to stop seeing you outside of work hours, who knows what would happen if you weren't quaking in fear whenever you see me. This stare needs to be effective" she says, shifting so she is sitting right beside him and laying her head on his shoulder.
"I think I have been immune from the start" he says quietly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and resting his head on top of hers.
"You headed home too?" Amelia asks Maggie, walking into the attendings lounge.
"Yep, I will be right behind you, I just need to drop these files in my office before I head out" Maggie replies, pointing at a stack of files on the desk as she puts on her coat, slipping her bag onto her shoulder.
Maggie quickly stores the files in her drawer, walking quickly out of the hospital, scrolling through her phone to find the recent playlist that Winston sent.
"Sorry!" she says, as she runs into someone. "No need to apologise" he replies, and Maggie's head whips up, "Winston, is that you? Are you really here in person?" she says, reaching to pinch his arm.
"Ouch, yes, it is me" he says, laughing as he pulls her into a hug.
"I thought I was going to come out to Boston on Saturday, what are you doing here? Not that I don't want to see you, I am overjoyed!" she says, leaning into his embrace.
"I couldn't wait to see you, I know you are working tomorrow but am here until Sunday, I have some research to do so as long as you have a comfortable chair in your office, and I get a kiss between surgeries, I will be more than happy" he replies.
"I think we can manage that" she says, grinning as she takes his hand and leads him to the carpark. "I could have picked you up from the airport you know" she says.
"But then it wouldn't have been a surprise!" he says, indignantly.
"Thank you" she says, turning to give him a quick kiss before opening the car and helping him put his bags in.
"I think I need to get my own apartment if you are going to be visiting here, I'm not sure my nieces and nephews should be hearing our reunion" she says with a laugh. "As they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder"
"Already thought of it" he replies, "I booked us a nice hotel room, with a good restaurant around the corner. We are staying there tonight then I thought maybe we could go to your tomorrow?"
"What did I do to deserve you" she says, leaning across the console to give him a kiss before starting the car, "that sounds perfect."
There it is! I had so much fun writing this chapter and plans for many more. Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading. xx