Help is Around the Corner
Addison and Derek's trailer catches fire, and Meredith offers them a place to stay for a while.
"Hey, do you know any hot people I could flirt with to make Addison jealous?" Meredith asks Izzie out of context, in the hallway.
"Umm-" Izzie almost confesses her own plot of pretending to flirt with Addison to make her jealous, but she sees Cristina gesturing 'no,' at her, so she doesn't. "Umm, not really-" says Izzie, evading the question. "I'll let you know…" she says vaguely.
"It has to be someone hot. Someone, she'll think I've moved on with," says Meredith.
"And this plan works better than just asking her out because…?" says Izzie.
"She's married, and I don't know if she'd like me that way, y'know? So Cristina thought I should see if she likes me by seeing if she gets jealous over me," says Meredith.
"This is… Cristina's idea!?" says Izzie, slightly horrified.
"Yeah, it's brilliant, right?" says Meredith.
"Yeah, just genius," says Izzie, shooting a glare over Meredith's shoulder at Cristina.
"It is!" says Meredith. "I've just got to find the right target…"
"Well, good luck with that," says Izzie, before she darts away from Meredith.
"Thanks," says Meredith, as she plots this in her head.
She finds the perfect target right after lunch.
"He's perfect-" says Meredith.
"Umm-" says George.
"For my plan!" says Meredith.
"Your… What?" says George.
"I have this plan. See, I'm going to first with that man right there. And it's gonna make Addison so jealous that she's gonna get mad and break up with Derek. And then I'm gonna tell her how much I l-... I like her. And then she's gonna date me. And then-"
Meredith rambles for a little while longer while George stares at her slack-jawed.
"I'm going in there, wish me luck," says Meredith to George.
Meredith saunters over to the nurse's station in the most flirtatious way that she can.
"Hi," says Meredith, while twirling her hand in the air.
"Hi," says the very chiseled-jaw man in the black leather jacket, who starts smirking at her.
Meredith gulps, as she steels herself to continue.
"So, how are you liking it… Here?" says Meredith, in a way that she hopes is convincing.
"Confounded by the rain and it's only my first day in town," says the man.
"You get used to it…" says Meredith.
"It makes me want to stay in bed all day?" says the man.
"We just met, and already you're talking about bed. You're not very subtle, y'know," says Meredith.
"Subtle was never my strong suit…" says the man that Meredith is fake-hitting-on. "So, do you ever go out with co-workers?" says the guy.
"I umm-" Meredith doesn't say anything else, she just blushes.
"Because I could work here, or I could not, and either way we could get to know each other," says the guy. He's taller than Derek, but more built. Actually, he kind of reminds Meredith of Derek, and she has no idea why…
"Are you hitting on me? In a hospital?" Meredith smiles exaggeratedly.
"Would that be wrong?" says the tall man.
"Meredith-" Meredith holds her hand out to him.
She doesn't shake his hand though, because before she knows it, the man is on the ground bleeding.
"What was that!?" says Meredith, as she takes in the carnage.
"That was Mark," two voices say simultaneously.
"Huh?" says Meredith.
"Addison cheated on him with me," says Derek.
"Wha- oh! That Mark!" says Meredith. "So that explains why you're hitting him, but why are YOU hitting him?" says Meredith to Addison.
"He deserved it," says Addison, before she walks away without explanation.
Meredith stands there dumbfounded before she snaps out of it, and figures she might as well continue her plan now that she's in it.
"So, what brings you here?" says Meredith.
"Are you Derek's lusty intern?" says Mark.
"I am," says Meredith. "And you must be the man who was sleeping with Addison," says Meredith.
"I was," says Mark.
"You know, I kinda want to punch you out myself, just for that," says Meredith.
"I know, I hurt you precious Derek, I deserve it, all that," says Mark. "I'm wide open, go ahead," he offers.
"Nah," says Meredith. "It would be cheap. Plus, I need your help with a plan…" says Meredith.
"A plan?" says Mark.
"I'm trying to make Addison jealous," Meredith blurts out.
"You mean you're trying to make Derek jealous so he'll break up with Addison, right?" says Mark.
"No, I said it right the first time. I want to make Addison jealous so she'll break up with Derek," says Meredith.
"Why?" says Mark.
"So I can ask Addison out," says Meredith.
"Why?" says Mark.
"What do you mean why!? You flew across the country to see her, you can't say anything here," says Meredith.
"I like you. You have good taste in women, you know. Derek has good taste in women. So do I. We should form a club. We're the Addison-admirers," says Mark.
"I suppose we are," says Meredith. "So will you help me?" says Meredith.
"Deal. But if she picks me, then I'm going with it," says Mark.
"Not gonna happen," says Meredith.
"You never know, we're both dirty mistresses. Maybe life will come down on the side of the dirty mistresses for once?" says Mark.
"It can't be both of us. And it can't be you. It's gonna be me. Now hold still," says Meredith. "And you can at least pretend that I'm suturing your face back up. You can even live at my house if you want. Everyone does anyway. Oh, and I'm nicknaming you McSteamy."
So far Meredith and Addison's closeness has not bothered Derek, but Mark's mere existence in Seattle drives Derek up the wall.
"Why are you here!?" says Derek.
"Easy, I'm here to see you," says Mark.
"You're here for Addison," says Derek.
"And that too," says Mark. "And I came out here to meet Meredith. She's cute, by the way," says Mark.
"Stay away from them!" says Derek.
"Feisty," says Mark.
"I mean it!" says Derek.
"Good luck with that," Mark winks at him, before he walks around the hospital scouting for patients.
Meredith tries to find Addison again, and when she finally does, Addison seems a bit angry with her.
"Mark!?" says Addison.
"I didn't know who he was at the time," Meredith shrugs.
"Seriously!? Mark Everett Sloan," says Addison.
"What, we have the same type?" Meredith shrugs and tries to smile-charm her way back into Addison's good graces.
"Potentially," says Addison. "Though I never thought you'd go for him," says Addison.
"Why?" says Meredith.
"I don't know, just a feeling," Addison shrugs.
"Hey, I never asked him to marry me or anything. And we can still go out to dinner tonight. I never canceled that-" says Meredith.
"Okay!" Addison's face lights up when she says this.
"Okay!" says Meredith, thinking 'what the hell,' and leaping into Addison's arms in excitement.
Addison catches her, and spins her around in the air before putting her down again.
"So we're going to have so much fun. And we'll walk Doc, and then maybe we can go see a movie afterwards, or we could go to the arcade. Or maybe we could go golfing, is night-golfing a thing…" Meredith rambles happily, and Addison chats with her.
Addison wraps her arms around Meredith, and Meredith wraps her arms around the redhead, and they talk and talk until one of them has to go into surgery.
"I'll see you later," Meredith smiles at Addison.
"Yeah, I'll see you later," says Meredith. "Oh, and by the way… I told Mark that he could stay at our house…" says Meredith.
"Okay, but he is not coming into our bed," says Addison.
"Never!" Meredith laughs, and Addison breathes a sigh of relief.
"Good, it's already full enough with three of us," says Addison.
"Three of us?" says Meredith.
"Doc!" They both laugh at the same time.
And they feel better again.
***** END OF CHAPTER 19