Chapter 36: Talking to Richard

Meredith could feel Derek's warm breath on her skin, his lips gently kissing her neck. The sleepy fog quickly cleared from her brain when his strong hands slipped under her tee shirt and grazed across her stomach and up to gently cup and caress her breasts. Meredith felt her husband's erection against her butt, and she pressed closer to him.

"You're awake," he whispers huskily into her ear.

"Mission accomplished." she giggles and reaches behind her to run her fingers up his warm, nicely muscled and naked thigh.

Derek groans and rolls Meredith over to kiss her properly. They continue to hungrily touch, kiss and taste one another awake. They love each other thoroughly and gratefully and then hold one another tightly while they doze a little longer. When their alarm clock rings Derek says, "You shower - I'll start some breakfast."

"Okay." Meredith sighs but doesn't move.

"We have to get up." Derek chuckles.

"I know." she answers, hugging him tighter.

Derek kisses her head and says," It'll be all right, babe."

"Today's the day we go talk to the Chief."

"As I said, it'll be all right."

"Then why does it feel like a trip to the Principal's office in junior high?"

"Go shower," Derek states with a laugh. Once she's in the bathroom he lets out a huge sigh of his own. The truth is - he's as nervous as his beautiful wife. He's just trying to be very nonchalant about it for her sake.

Derek gets up to go make some breakfast for them. After they eat, he'll take his shower and get ready to go to Seattle Grace with Meredith.


"You just had to do things your way, didn't you?" Richard stated.

"Nice way to start the conversation, Richard," laughs Derek, resisting the urge to reach over and grab Meredith's hand. He can feel the nerves humming off of her skin.

"Of course, we did," answers Meredith. She's forcing herself to be calm, cool and collected - even though she feels completely the opposite.

"Derek, you could have saved yourself - and Meredith - all the scrutiny and speculation of the board by just taking the job when I offered it to you a year ago," states Richard, slightly frustrated.

"I wasn't ready a year ago," Derek answers bluntly.

"I know," Richard sighs.

"Besides," Derek grins, "I would've fallen in love with Meredith anyway. Then there would've been all sorts of complicated crap about ethics and whether or not I was favoring her because I was sleeping with her."

"That's assuming I would've given you the time of day." Meredith grins. "You know, under those circumstances."

"You're disgusting," Richard says with a laugh, "The pair of you. The board is going to be very speculative as to whether or not you'll work well together. You're ready for that, right?"

"Yes," Derek and Meredith answer together.

"I would imagine the meeting will be a simple formality. There are plenty of instances where married doctors work together."

"True," concedes Richard, "but there are special circumstances in this case."

"Me being blind," Derek states.

"Whether or not he can effectively teach," Meredith adds.

"Yes," Richard answers with a sigh. "It stinks and technically they can't legally turn you down for having a disability. They will ask a lot of questions, though."

"They're overly conservative assholes." Derek says angrily.

"They are." Richard agrees. "You both have my support. I want you teaching here Derek, but I do have a question."

"What?"

"When was the last time you had one of your headaches?"

"Right before Maui - when I had the last round of testing done."

"Will that matter," Meredith asks.

"It may," Richard answers, "But on a personal level, I'm glad to hear there haven't been any more headaches."

"Thanks." Derek mumbles.

They talk for a while longer. Before Meredith and Derek leave Richard's office, he promises them his support again.

"I'm glad I have the day off," Meredith says as they drive away from Seattle Grace.

"Yeah," Derek grumbles.

Reaching over to grab and squeeze Derek's hand, Meredith says, "It'll be all right."

He laughs humorlessly, "Now you're trying to reassure me."

"Of course, you helped me this morning."

"I'm pissed," Derek admits.

"I know," Meredith answers. "You're a brilliant surgeon and the damn board shouldn't be able to keep you from teaching medicine if you want to."

"That," he nods, "Plus they have no right to delve into our personal life as Richard suggested they might do."

"They were willing to approve me a teaching position a year ago. Now that you and I are married they may sing a different tune. It's bullshit and it pisses me off!"

"I'm sorry," Meredith whispers as a knot of dread coils in her stomach.

"What?" Derek whips his head toward Meredith, hearing her tone of voice. "I'm not sorry - not one bit! I wouldn't change what we have for the world. I love you Meredith."

"I love you too," she replies, squeezing his hand again. "What if the board…"

"One step at a time," Derek interrupts.

"If they turn us down, we'll go somewhere else - like we said before."

"One step at a time,' Derek says again.

They're quiet for the rest of the drive. Each lost in their own thoughts.


Derek was brooding and it was making Meredith feel vaguely uneasy. Of course, she understood that he was upset about the pending meeting with the board, but she wasn't used to him being in a crappy mood. Even though she knew his mood had nothing to do with her - she still felt shut out. He was listening to a book-on-CD with headphones on.

She looks at her watch and realizes he's been shut-off for over two hours. Meredith pulled fresh vegetables from the fridge to make a salad to go with the fish she had baking. When dinner was ready, she was going to pull him out of his cave. She was even prepared for a fight if necessary. As Meredith set the food on the table, she heard her husband walk into the room.

"Hi," he says clearly and wraps his arms around her waist in a tight hug. "Something smells good."

"Hi," she answers into his chest as she squeezes him back. "It's baked trout, garlic bread and salad."

"Thank you for cooking," Derek says as he sits down at the table with her. "You didn't have to - especially considering my crappy mood the past couple of hours."

"Yeah well," she giggles, "I was about to come and haul your cranky ass out here. So, don't think I was going to put up with it for much longer."

Derek starts laughing really hard and Meredith smiles in relief as she puts food on both of their plates.

"I love you, Mer."

"I know and lucky for you the feeling is mutual."

They start eating and Derek compliments her on the food. Once they're done eating and have cleared the table, he asks her if she wants to have wine with him on the back patio. They go outside and sit together - quietly and peacefully enjoying the rare, clear night.

"I think Lexie may be falling for the guy she's dating."

"Really? I know you said she really likes him but what's changed to make you think it's more serious on her part?"

"It's a feeling more than anything else."

"Sisters intuition?" Derek asks as he threads his fingers with Meredith's, wanting to touch her. Needing the contact.

"Maybe," she answers and squeezes his hand in hers. "I'll call Molly tomorrow and see what she thinks about it."

Derek laughs and Meredith asks, "What?"

"Nothing," he answers and pulls her hand to his mouth to kiss. "Thank you for keeping things normal. I promise not to be too grouchy while we wait to talk to the board."

"Be as pissy as you want," Meredith shrugs. "Just try to do it while I'm at work."

Derek laughs again - completely at peace with his wonderful wife.