"What were you thinking?" Bailey asked, reaching up and slapping the back of Derek Shepherd's head. Attending or not the man was stupid.

"Good morning to you too, Dr Bailey" Derek sighed closing his file.

"I know what you were thinking, you weren't thinking that's what you were thinking" Bailey scolded. "Really kissing her. You picked Addison, you picked your wife and said you will make it work with her. What were you thinking?"

"It just happened."

"It didn't just happen, rain. That's what happens, you kissing my intern doesn't just happen. You made it happen, going on walks with her. What is wrong with you?"

"Bailey-"

"Don't you Bailey me. You don't get to Bailey me while you string along two beautiful, highly intelligent women. Your wife and Meredith walking around here looking all sad and mopey because of you, people talking about them like they are the newest hit tv show and you stand here Bailey-ing me."

"It there a point to this?"

"Yes, be better." Bailey demanded, "Do better cause I'll be watching you."

"Understood."

"See you say that and you still go ahead and have secret meetings with Meredith."

"They weren't secret meetings; we were just walking the dog."

"You do know I have to get you back for breaking my intern's heart and hurting your own wife. I would apologise, but you don't deserve my apologies."

"Morning Bailey, Derek" Mark greeted walking up to the nurses' station.

"It's Dr Shepherd to you." Derek snapped, wondering why Mark was still in town. Maybe he was here for Addison trying to and win her back according to the latest gossip the two of them were having coffee and holding hands.

"Dr Sloan." Miranda greeted.

"Hey Bailey, Stevens said you needed a consult," Addison stated, walking up to the resident she didn't know why Mark and Derek were in the same place and frankly she didn't care, she came to work to get away from her crappy situation, she didn't need the crappy situation to be thrown into her face.

"Yes I have a walk-in, physically she's fine but mentally… she just kept on asking to go to the maternity ward."

"Great, let's go" Addison ordered not wanting to spend another second standing next to Mark or Derek, the only thing stopping her from losing her mind was the neat little fact that Meredith Grey was avoiding her.

They both been using the same bathroom earlier, and when Grey came out of the stall to find Addison washing her hands, the girl had walked back in locking the door.

It would have been funny if it wasn't so sad and infuriating; Addison hadn't said or done anything to have the girl cowering away like that.

"Are you seriously going to ignore me?" Derek asked, apart from their arguments and their counsellor's office Addison hadn't spoken a single word to him for nearly five days now.

"It's what we do, we ignore each other. If you want someone to pay attention, go to the twelve-year-old."

"Morning Addison" Mark greeted handing over her espresso shot deciding to switch her drink.

"I'm ignoring you too. In fact, unless either of you needs me for a consult don't even talk to me." Addison snarled grabbing both coffees from Mark, his morning coffees were always a black coffee, she just had to deal with the stupid amount of sugar he added.

"Hey, what did I do?" Mark question, the pout coming out in full effect. He was like a kicked puppy when he did that, but Addison resolve remained unchanged.

"I'm your husband," Derek stated, feeling the need to remind her and not wanting to be lumped into the same group as Mark.

"Glad you remember that, but right now I don't care. Dr Bailey with me."

"Okay, I get why you are punishing him but why me?"

"Mark, look at me, study my face, does it look like I want complicated or to talk about what's fair in life."

"You look like-"

"If your next word is some type of sexual innuendo I will hog-tie you, cut your dick off and shove it down your throat," Addison hissed.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, then again you live in a trailer, so it's not like you have a right si-"

Addison slammed her hand over Sloan's mouth before he could keep talking, he was worse than Karev.

"One more word and I spread the two thousand and nine Christmas video so you either walk away or I will press send, and the entire hospital will have someone else to gossip about, go tell the man who calls himself my husband that I will release the thanksgiving video of him."

x.x.x.x


Addison only had to look into the room for one brief nano-second to know what she was dealing with, just looking through the glass as they made their way over was enough.

Even from this distance without being in the room, she could tell, it was coming off the woman in waves.

Depression.

Post-partum depression.

"Thank you, Dr Bailey, I have it from here."

"Excuse me."

"I have it from here, I am sure that there are plenty of patients in the ward who could use your help."

"But she's my patient."

"And you asked me to be here, so she's mine now."

"You haven't even seen her charts or examine her."

"I am about to as soon as you walk away, I am sure that there are plenty of other patients who could use your help."

"No, she's my patient, and I am not leaving."

"It wasn't a request Dr Bailey she is no longer your patient. LEAVE!" Addison ordered shutting and locking the door before closing all the blinds. "Hi I'm Dr Shepherd, and you are?"

"Mindy."

"Hi Mindy, before I sit down I am going to need you to tell me the baby is safe," Addison ordered. Depression, especially post-partum depression, created thoughts on depression and suicide.

"He's fine. Thomas is fine…. I just, I want to see other babies. Better babies."

x.x.

"She's been in there for over an hour." Christina gossiped peaking into the room with Izzie and George

"Heard she kicked Bailey off the case and went in."

"Bailey is pissed and so is the chief."

"What is up with her lately, she punches a kid, scrubs in on Burke's surgery and kicks Bailey off her cases. You two morons were the one who started the whole 'is Addison okay' thing, so what do you know."

"Nothing" Izzie denied sharing a look with George before refocusing on Christina, "Nothing."

"If you don't tell me I am going to make your life a living hell."

"There nothing to tell."

"George?"

"Izzy's right there's nothing to tell."

"I will break into the house wait till you fall asleep and shave your head, now tell me what's going on."

"We don't want to say anything. You are 'her' person, and you will tell her."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, you will. You two don't keep secrets from each other" Izzie pointed out.

"Just tell me."

"We found her crying in a supply closet last week. We just… it was awful."

"Addison, crying?" Yang questioning looking into the room, the woman didn't look like she had ever cried a day in her life.

"Unlike you, she is human, with feelings."

"And her husband is cheating on her with Meredith."

"It's not cheating; it's one kiss." Yang defended automatically.

x.x

"They are staring" Mindy stated, and sure enough when Addison turned around, she saw the Chief and Derek standing outside looking in.

"Not at you."

"They are-"

"That one" Addison began pointing to Derek, "He's my husband, we are kind of in the middle of a fight and the other one he's my mentor and friend."

"My husband and I are fighting, as well."

"About the baby?"

"He says I don't take care of him enough."

"And what do you say."

"I'm tired of fighting with him."

"I'm tired of fighting with my husband too, but what is your fight about."

"I leave the baby alone a lot."

"You do?" Addison asked innocently, "Where? At home or with the sitter?"

"My mum takes care of him a lot. I don't want to talk about him anymore can we talk about my bakery again."

"Sure Mindy, you were telling me how you make croissants."

x.x.x

"Heard the patient had post-partum."

"She does" Addison admitted, she was sticking to ginger ale tonight. If she drunk every time she had a bad day at work, she wouldn't have a functioning liver.

"You can't discriminate against me because I am a mother."

"Yes, I can." Addison admitted, "I would do it again because you didn't need to be there."

"I am a doctor. I've dealt with these cases before."

"That was before you gave birth before you became a mother to one of the most beautiful baby boy I've seen in a long time, and he's going to need you there. If you'd been in that room with me, if you heard half the things I heard…. Go home and hold the boy and never let go."

"Thank you" Miranda smiled, appreciating that Addison had been looking out for her.

"You're welcome."

"But the next time we have a patient together, and you throw me off the case I'll throw you out the window."

"Go home Miranda. I don't plan on kicking you off cases, I'm just trying to protect you from the horrors that some new mothers have to deal with."

"Well that's me done, who should I send over, we have Derek who's finally pulled his head out his ass, the chief also standing by the door looking for you, Sloan has been flirting with one of the nurses for about an hour but he keeps looking over here and Preston is with Yang and the interns."

"Preston or the chief. The other two don't get to talk to me."

"Thought you might say that," Miranda grinned sliding off the stool and saying goodbye to Joe.

Addison didn't know who Miranda would choose, and she didn't care she just wanted to put this week behind her; first Kasey now Mindy; she wasn't even Mindy's doctor the woman just happened to walk into the hospital, Addison got attached too quickly.

Richard said it, Mark said it, and so had everyone she ever knew; Addison Shepherd 'the woman who gets attached.'

"So you and Bailey made up," Burke stated taking the unoccupied bar stool.

"We never really had a falling out. She's just became a new mother, and the patient had-"

"Post-partum. I heard, but how did you even know without examining her."

"I'm just that good" Addison grinned, praising herself. "You get to spot the signs of a woman on edge pretty quickly with my job."

Burke studied Addison's profile under the dim light of Joe's bar, and he could see it' 'a woman on edge' he didn't know a lot about Montgomery-Shepherd apart from the fact that she cheated on Derek and had moved across the country trying to make it up to him.

She was new to town and out of the three people she knew one did his best to avoid her (Derek), the other was her boss (Richard), and the last was her ex-lover (Sloan). She was a bit like him; the hospital was the only thing she had, but it wasn't actually through choice, and at least he had Yang, "I'm going to a baseball match on Saturday, Yang can't make it if you want to come."

"Baseball?"

"The Mariners are not Yankee, but they put on an excellent game."

"It is one of the things on my 'Best of Seattle' checklist." Addison accepted the olive branch for what it was, feeling a small smile on her face.

"What time do they play, I have this volunteering thing I do."

"You volunteer."

Addison had to laugh at the shocked looked on Burke's face, she could admit that she wasn't really the type to give up her weekends helping others, but Nancy had recommended that she find something to do apart from going through 'The best of Seattle' checklist.

"Seattle's women shelter. My sister recommended it said I should stop going to the museum" Addison informed rolling her eyes, Nance was as big of a snob as Addison, but she was right volunteering did help her feel less restless. "So why can't the girlfriend make it?"

"Interns." Burke provided and that was answer enough.

"I didn't take you to be one of those guys that come to Joe's."

"I didn't take you to be one of those people that volunteer" Burke shot back.

"Touché"

"You should talk to him."

"Who?" Addison questioned finishing the last of her ginger ale. There were multiple 'him' that wanted to talk to her tonight; Derek, Richard, Mark.

"Derek, he's been walking around all day like a kicked puppy even saw him sneaking into your galley to check on you," Burke revealed.

It took everything Addison had not to spin around and find Derek in the crowded bar instead she just forced herself to shrug her shoulders and ordered another ginger ale breaking Dr Snedal rule 'don't expect him to come to you'. "Fine, I'll go talk to-"

"Preston, can I have a word with Addison?" Derek asked, walking over.

"Go ahead, I was just heading back. Good luck."

Addison didn't which one of them Burke had wished luck, probably her. She felt like she needed all the luck she could get.

"Heard you had a rough day at work."

"It wasn't too bad, nothing I couldn't work through."

"What happened to coming to and talking to me about your problems?" Derek questioned his voice didn't sound accusatory.

"Nothing I was going to wait till we get home, we have enough people talking about us. What?" Addison questioned wondering why Derek seemed so surprised.

"You just called it home, the trailer. You called it home" Derek grinned, Addison found herself smiling back seeing Derek actually being happy about something she'd done.

"Don't get used to it, it's still a sardine can…. But it is our sardine can, and I use the term 'home' in the loosest of sense."

"You still called it home."

"Well, I live there with Doc."

"You were outstanding in theatre today."

"Said the peeping Tom, but thank you." Addison felt her heart thud against her chest seeing the way Derek was staring at her, like she hanged the moon. He was in awe and she was in love and this moment should just stay like this for eternity.

"Want to get out of here and grab some Chinese on the way to our sardine can?" Derek asked, a part of Addison wanted to say no out of pettiness; however, Derek even offering this was an improvement on the state of their relationship.

"I would love to get some food. Let's get out of- Shit."

"What is it?"

"I'm on call tonight."

"I don't see your name on the list."

"I swapped at the last minute Christian needed the night off…. We can have dinner at the restaurant instead of doing a take out." Addison compromised

"Sure, let's do that."

"Okay."

"I'm not in until tomorrow afternoon if you want to sit down and make up some rules for us," Derek suggested helping Addison into her jacket.

The pub watched as the Shepherd left together, not quite arm in arm but closer than they'd been in months. A few patrons also noticed how Derek guided her out of the pub with his hands placed on her lower back until they'd reached the door.

x.x.x.x


"He kissed me," Meredith repeated for the thousandth time.

"Yes, I heard you." Christian moaned, she should have gone home with Burke instead of coming to Meredith's to listen to her drunken ramblings.

"He kissed me, and now he's back in the trailer with her."

"The 'her 'is his wife" Izzie piped up walking past.

"I know that."

"Just thought you might need reminding since you've been kissing him."

"What is your problem, she made you stay up all night to look after a dead baby." Meredith didn't get why Izzie was taking up for Addison for weeks she refused to even say the woman's name unless there was a derogatory statement attached to it and now she kept coming to her defence.

"And she made you hide in the bathroom like a scared little girl your point being?" Izzie mocked, "You know what Meredith, Addison may be a bitch and I may hate her for what she did with the Quints, but at least she isn't chasing after a man whose already someone else's husband."

"I'm not chasing after him."

"Keep telling yourself that. You do know he's on a date with Addison, while you are obsessing over a single kiss he is out there eating dinner in a restaurant with his wife and he's not even thinking about you."

"Izzie enough," George chided pulling Izzie out of the room and back to his room


Writer's thought:

Derek has taken a step forward during the day checking on his wife and taking her to dinner so we will see how long this will last.