Chapter 6: Drama at the Bar

A few nights later, Meredith found herself getting ready for a quiet dinner with Derek, just the two of them. He was taking her to some overly expensive restaurant, she was sure, and George and Callie were coming to watch Carwyn.

Meredith finished brushing out her hair and glanced one last time in the mirror, before hurrying downstairs. Derek was in the living room, leaning against the wall smiling, as he watched Carwyn fire endless questions at a baffled George and Callie. Meredith slid an arm around Derek's waist, and he kissed her forehead, before they turned their attention back to Carwyn.

"Why did the baby kick you? Is she mad?" Carwyn furrowed her brows, staring intently at Callie's large baby bump.

"No, she or he is not mad. It just doesn't have much room to move, it's all squished and getting ready to come out very soon." George assured Carwyn.

Carwyn's head shot up excitedly. "The baby's going to come out soon?!" Then her face fell serious again. "How?"

Callie exchanged a nervous glance to George who raised his eyebrows to her parents who watched silently amused.

"Um, Carwyn, how about you go get your jammies on for Uncle George and Aunt Callie." Meredith suggested calmly, hoping her daughter would drop her unanswered question.

"Okay Mama, but at least tell me how the baby got in there?" Carwyn stood and crossed the room. She stopped in front of her parents and looked up determined, both hands on her hips.

"Not now Carwyn. We'll talk about it later." Meredith tried to give Carwyn a stern look that portrayed she meant business, but inside Meredith felt foolish. She was a doctor for crying out loud, why couldn't she just rationally explain the miracle of birth to her four-year-old?

Carwyn nodded defeated and turned for the stairs, but suddenly stopped and turned with excitement in her eyes. " Can I be your helper when the baby comes out Aunt Callie? I could even change the diapers; I've been practicing on my dolls!"

"Sure Carwyn, I promise that whenever I need someone to help me change a diaper, you'll be the first one I call." Callie smiled reassuringly to a now bouncing Carwyn.

The small child hurried up the stairs letting out an enthused, "Whoopeee!" as she disappeared into her room.

The adults let out a small chuckle and Derek turned to Meredith. "You ready to go?"

Meredith nodded, gathering up her purse, keys, and shrugging into jacket. She turned to the babysitters of the night. "Thanks, you two. I really appreciate it. I'll have my cell if there are any problems."

George and Callie reassured her everything would be fine as Derek pushed her out the door before she could start reminding them of Carwyn's bedtime, what her favorite book was, or how she liked the ballerina night light to be left on.

He led her to his car and opened the passenger side door for her. As she lowered herself in, Derek's phone began to ring. Meredith sighed and looked up at him as he checked the flashing screen.

"It's the hospital, I have to answer it." Derek tried an apologetic smile before flipping it open and holding it to his ear.

Meredith watched on, inevitable disappointment settling in.

"Shepherd here. Uh hu….. Okay….I understand. Yes sir, Mr. Luckabee, I'll be right there." Derek slowly closed his phone and returned it to the pocket in his black slacks, before meeting Meredith's eyes.

"I'm sorry Mer…." Derek's voice pleaded.

"It's fine Derek." Meredith grabbed her purse and stood from the car. She tried to avoid Derek's begging eyes, but he grabbed her and turned her to face him.

"I know this is hard. Mr. Luckabee needs to go over some urgent matter." Derek ran his hand through his hair when Meredith didn't answer.

"God Mer. Just try to understand! This is my chance. I have to prove that I can do this. For the past five years, I was only a shell of a man. I was dark and depressed and didn't give a shit about what was going on around me. Now, I have a chance to make up for that. To prove to everyone that I am indeed that doctor the medical journals wrote about and that I have what it takes to not only be chief, but a great one. Is that too hard to understand?"

Meredith's hands shook and she forced her lip to not tremble. Tears stung her eyes, but she fought those too.

"Well, I am so sorry Derek." She spat sarcastically. "I didn't know you had it so bad these last five years. You poor man. Don't let me get in the way of you and your destiny." Meredith gave him a cold look before turning and hurrying to her old blue jeep that was parked on the street.

"Meredith! That's not what I meant. Please Mer!" Derek didn't know what snapped in him. She didn't deserve to be talked to like that; he was just so stressed out lately. Everyone seemed to want a piece of him, and it was so frustrating. He was beginning to think that maybe he didn't have what it took to be chief, and that scared him. He only took out his frustrations on her. He slammed the passenger door shut hard. He felt like such an ass.

Meredith ignored Derek's pleas as she searched for her keys in her purse and climbed in her vehicle. It took her a minute to start the rusty engine, but soon it complied, and she drove away. The tears finally fell as Meredith stared out at the dark road. She didn't know where she was going, but she needed to get away. She needed to clear her head.

Derek watched the disappearing jeep before slowly getting in his car. He robotically threw it in reverse and headed to the hospital. A drive that he could do in his sleep and required absolutely no thought. His thoughts remained on Meredith. He wanted to apologize. He needed to. Instead, here he was heading back to work, to some mysterious urgent matter his new boss had just informed him about.

Meredith sat in her jeep outside the familiar brick building, the neon sign reflecting off her windshield. After driving around aimlessly for a few hours, she ended up here. The clear small glasses and dark fiery liquid inside, were calling her name. Whispering of their numbing effects and temporary sanctuary. Meredith sighed defeated and climbed out of her jeep.

Meredith walked slowly to the bar, noticing more than a few familiar sets of eyes on her. She sat carefully on an empty stool and spoke to the bartenders back. "Tequila. And keep it coming."

Joe turned slowly at the familiar voice, a grin splitting his face from ear to ear. "Straight tequila, huh? You'll be sorry in the morning."

"Hi Joe." Even in Meredith's foul mood, she couldn't help but return the smile to her dear old friend.

Joe took in Meredith's slouched posture and red rimmed eyes, before signaling to a waitress to take over for him behind the bar. He hurried around and took the empty stool next to Meredith. He tossed his rag on the counter and rubbed his hands together eagerly, before finally turning back to her.

Meredith watched him cautiously. "Wh..What are you doing?"

"I'm going to help you. Walter and I have been taking some couple relations classes at the community college… you know... to strengthen our relationship. I've learned a lot. Tell me what McDreamy did this time, and I'll help you."

Meredith looked at him incredulously. "What makes you think this is about Derek? I could have just had a bad day at work."

Joe shook his head immediately. "No, you have bad days at work all the time. Trust me, everyone talks about you here. Especially Yang. She loves sharing her newest way of torturing you. Anyways, your face has McDreamy's a bastard written all over it. So spill."

Meredith had to laugh. She played with the shot glass that was still full of her poison of choice, before finally turning back to Joe. "You heard Derek's the new chief right?"

Joe sat back and nodded; she didn't even have to continue. He remembered a few years ago when Burke had been appointed chief. The endless bottles of alcohol Cristina drained while they each got used to the change.

"Don't sweat it, Meredith. You two will figure things out. It's always hard at first. Plus throwing in all that you've been through… it's seems like the rest of your life should just be paved in gold, no more road blocks, no more stumbling stones. But it's never that easy. For any of us Meredith."

Meredith looked back at the bar tender surprised. She chuckled, "You sure are getting your money's worth from those classes."

Joe laughed and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder when the small bell on the door chimed. Joe glanced up and stood from the stool. "I better get back to work. Hang in there, Grey. Things will work out."

Meredith nodded her thanks, but inside she wasn't so sure. She stared back down at the dark liquid and debated whether it would be worth it. She hadn't been drunk in years. It wasn't only about her sorry life anymore; she now had Carwyn to think of. She held the small glass in between her thumb and first finger as she swirled the tempting liquid around.

She wasn't left to ponder her decision alone for very long, as a shadow loomed over her glass.

"I'll just take a beer." The man rapped on the counter as he gave Joe his order.

Meredith looked up into Mr. Luckabee's deep brown eyes. She repressed a sigh as she tried to smile politely.

"Ah, Meredith. How are you?"

"I'm fine thank you Mr. Luckabee." Meredith avoided his stare; he seemed to be watching her a little too closely for her comfort.

"Please call me Jon." He studied her before pulling his eyes away and swept them around the room. "Should I be concerned that half of my staff is here?"

Meredith finally turned to look at him and saw he was attempting a joke. She couldn't help but laugh. "I wouldn't worry too much. It's just a nice place to hang out. Wind down from a stressful day."

Mr. Luckabee took the empty stool next to Meredith that Joe vacated, and accepted his mug of beer, nodding a quick thanks.

"So, are you here alone? Seems like a beautiful woman like yourself could find better things to do then sit alone at a bar, drowning her sorrows in tequila." He gestured towards her full shot glass.

Something about his statement rubbed her the wrong way and so she took the defense. "Actually, I was headed off to dinner with my boyfriend when he got called into work."

Mr. Luckabee watched her with dark eyes before adding slowly. "Well, that's his loss."

Meredith shuttered as his eyes appraised her once again and told herself she was making things up. He was only trying to be friendly. He was her boss.

When Mr. Luckabee saw that she wasn't going to say anymore, he continued. "You know I'm afraid I'm new in town. I'm still getting used to all the rain. Maybe you could show me around some time… that is if your boyfriend doesn't mind?"

His friendly tone had a hidden challenge in it and Meredith shifted uneasily. "Um…well... actually, I spend all my time at the hospital. I wouldn't be the best tour guide to tell you the truth." She tried a casual smile as she turned back to the tequila and downed it in one burning motion. She signaled to Joe for another one as the hot liquid settled in her stomach.

For some reason this amused Mr. Luckabee and he leaned closer. "Tell me about this boyfriend who chose work over your stunning beauty?"

Meredith stared straight ahead, incredibly uncomfortable. She would've passed the inappropriateness off as the alcohol speaking, if it wasn't for the fact that he barely managed to take two sips of his beer.

Two approaching forms grabbed Meredith's attention and she quickly recognized them as Dr. Harris and Dr. Ware, her gossipy fellow interns.

"Shannon! Allen!" Meredith called out, praying she had their first names correct.

They stared at her skeptically, but joined her, nonetheless.

"Dr. Grey." Allen greeted cautiously.

"Please, call me Meredith. We're friends. It's hard being an intern, we need to stick together." Meredith felt the beginning effects of the three shots she had thrown back in the matter of seconds.

The two younger doctors laughed, exchanging glances. They could tell their new "friend" was a little tipsy.

Meredith smiled back at them, then turned around to Mr. Luckabee. "I'm sorry. If you'll excuse me." She turned her back to her boss hoping.

Mr. Luckabee let out a low chuckle and nodded knowingly. He paid for his beer then stood, turning to Meredith.

"It was nice seeing you again Meredith." He nodded to the other two interns before adding quietly so only Meredith could hear. "I can't be blown off that easily sweetheart."

Meredith looked back with wide eyes as he flashed his million dollar smile and waltzed out the door. Meredith tried to still her hands and shake off her uneasy feeling as she turned to her topped off shot glass and lifted it.

She noticed the incredulous stares from Shannon and Allen and shrugged, tilting her head back to repeat what she was so good at.

"So, we're friends." The ditzy blond said lightly, taking a sip of the green martini in her hand.

Allen took a long drink of his own alcohol, before speaking. "So… Meredith… since we're friends now, tell us something about yourself."

The two interns leaned close, eager to find out something, any little juicy bit about the mysterious intern who everyone seemed to know.

Meredith sighed. She was going to need more tequila. This would be a long night.

"Shall I call you a cab, Meredith?" Joe asked concerned, resting his hand on her back.

Meredith brought her head up from where it rested on the hard wooden counter. She rubbed her forehead where the skin had stuck to the surface and offered a small smile.

"That's okay Joe. I'm fine."

"You might not be that drunk, but you're also not fine. I can't let you drive home." Joe collected her small pyramid of empty glasses into the large plastic bin he was carrying. He knew she hadn't drunk nearly as much as she wanted to. Years ago, she would have tripled what she had consumed that night, but he knew she wasn't that same girl. She had a daughter to take care of.

"Just… can I have a few more minutes of self-pity?"

Joe laughed. "Sure." He walked away and started clearing off some the deserted tables behind her.

Meredith looked around and realized the evening was coming to an end. Her two new friends had quickly lost interest in her when they realized they weren't going to be getting anything juicy. She expertly side stepped each question until they grew tired of her and decided to try a round of darts. She watched them, still trying to master the art of getting one of the sharp darts to plunge the corkboard. Only a few other patrons still lingered, keeping to themselves in private booths. Meredith recognized them from the hospital.

She turned back to the bar and caught Joe's attention. "One more Joe…. then I'll let you call that cab."

Joe nodded reluctantly and placed a fresh shot in front of her as the bell on the door softly chimed once more.

Meredith didn't bother looking up. She was lost in her own thoughts, lost in the dark liquid staring up at her that didn't seem to have the same comforting effect it offered long ago. She emptied it and decided one more wasn't enough and signaled to Joe.

For the second time that night, a shadow crossed over her. Before she could look up, the deep familiar voice pierced the blissful silence that surrounded her.

"No. No more Mer. You've had enough."

She didn't turn. Instead, she stared straight ahead and gave Joe an impatient look. "This glass isn't going to fill itself Joe." She held the tiny glass up and shook it, as if to demonstrate its emptiness.

"Let's go Mer." Derek put a hand under her arm and tried to help her up.

Meredith jerked out from his touch and started growing angrier. "I said one more Joe!" She slapped the counter with her bare hand, causing everyone to turn her way. Especially two wide eyed interns.

Derek glanced at the audience they had and lowered his voice. "Meredith… please don't do this. Come home with me."

Meredith finally turned so she was facing him. His eyes were pleading and hers were flashing with anger. She kept her voice low but heavy with irritation. "No, Derek. I am not coming home with you. Just leave me alone."

Derek ran a hand through his hair frustrated, something he did repeatedly that night. The urgent matter Mr. Luckabee insisted he come in for ended up being a minor error in some paperwork that could have easily been dealt with in the morning.

"Mer. Listen to me. We can do this one of two ways. We can agree to discuss this like two mature grownups, and you can walk out with me to my car, willingly. Or B, I can pick you up, drag you kicking, screaming, and force you in my car. It's up to you. Personally, I would suggest the first option, it would leave a lot less to be discussed by the entire hospital tomorrow."

Meredith turned away from him. She was still angry. The last shot of tequila gave her the little bit of strength to fight against Derek that she usually lacked. "Piss off." She said quietly under her breath.

"What?" Derek honestly didn't hear what she mumbled.

Meredith turned with determined eyes. She raised her voice so Derek, along with everyone watching could hear. "I SAID PISS OFF!"

Derek reared back at her sudden outburst. He couldn't help to find her stubbornness cute, but he was growing impatient.

Derek shrugged and turned as if he was going to leave. "You leave me no choice Meredith."

He turned back, and in one swift movement swept Meredith off the stool and into his arms. One arm was secure behind her back, the other under her knees. She gasped in surprise and started struggling to get free.

"Derek! Put me down!" She didn't find this at all amusing as their small audience started chuckling. She wiggled and pushed away from his chest, but his strong arms kept her secure against him. He turned at the door and called back to Joe. "Sorry Joe! Just send me the bill."

Joe laughed and shook his head as Derek backed out the door, Meredith still trying to get free.

Derek managed to place Meredith in his passenger seat and secure her seat belt. She hadn't stopped fighting against him and even called him a few names he didn't know existed in her vocabulary. He hurried around and took his place behind the steering wheel, finally turning back to Meredith. She sat furious, her arms crossed tightly in front of her, her chest rising and falling in quick, livid successions.

"Look Mer. I know you're mad, angry, you want to scream, and yell. and I don't blame you. I was a jackass. I took out all my fears and frustrations on you and that isn't fair. I am so sorry. I…." Derek's voice trailed off as he stared straight ahead.

The pounding in Meredith's head faded a little bit as she saw for the first time the hint of uncertainty in Derek's features. Her face softened a little, but she kept her arms crossed.

Derek sighed and started the car. "We should get out of here. There's already going to be a lot of talk about the two of us tomorrow." His voice was flat and dejected, as he pulled out of the parking lot and headed towards Meredith's house.

Meredith only nodded, resolute to remain quiet for the short drive home. She glanced in the side mirror and could have sworn she saw Mr. Luckabee, standing in the shadows of Joe's bar, watching them drive away.