Chapter 11: Watching You

Derek walked cautiously through the front door. The house was eerily quiet, and he wondered where everyone was. A pleasant aroma from the kitchen caught his attention, and his empty stomach lurched in delight. He followed the scent and stopped in alarm. Something was different. Something wasn't right. Something was very wrong. Meredith was cooking.

She stood in front of the stove with a green apron tied carefully over her t-shirt and jeans, stirring something in a saucepan with one hand, digging through the spice cabinet overhead with the other, all the while cradling her cell to her ear with her shoulder.

It took every ounce of his inner strength to not bust out in laughter, but Derek knew he was on thin ice with Meredith, if not already ten feet under. He remained quiet and leaned against the door frame, content to watch the scene unfold in silent amusement.

"Izzie! I don't know…. what the hell does simmer mean?!... Uh hu. Yes I did… No! I don't know why! I did that!... Stop yelling at me! …. I'm not yelling you are…Okay I'm sorry, how's this?... NO, it's not bubbling at all…. I tried that… What the hell does rolling mean?!... Okay, okay, I'm sorry Iz, Shit! This is a disaster, what was I thinking! …. I am breathing!...What!? NO! Can't they wait… tell them to wait…. Yes, I do know what an emergency means!... Fine, fine, go save a life… I'll see you later… Thanks, Iz. Bye."

Meredith snapped her cell phone shut and frustratingly tossed it on the counter. She continued stirring the contents of the saucepan with her right hand, as she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed the bridge of her nose with her free hand, dangerously close to breaking down.

"Do you need any help?" Derek's deep voice caused Meredith to jump in surprise, but she didn't turn around. She remained silent as she concentrated intently on the red sauce before her.

"I'm pretty good in the kitchen. I can help if you need it Mer." Derek finally crossed the room and stood beside her.

He was close; she could smell him. The smell that sent shivers up and down her body and caused her to crave his touch. This only infuriated her more.

"No… I do not need help…. Especially yours Derek. I can manage on my own." Derek didn't know that what she said went way beyond dinner.

"Come on Mer. I know you're mad. I'm sorry. I should have told…." Derek was cut off by Meredith's irate eyes as they flashed up at him, and he let his sentence evaporate in the quiet kitchen.

"I don't care that you're sorry. I don't care that you forgot to mention the tiny detail that you have a girlfriend… who you say means the world to you… and a daughter… to your mother. I don't care anymore Derek!"

Derek opened his mouth to speak but immediately chose to remain quiet by the heated look Meredith threw at him.

"What I do care about…. Now, I must pretend that I know how to cook… because your mother is amazing and wonderful…. and I invited her to dinner….I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. That is the bigger issue here Derek!" Meredith gestured around with the wooden spoon she still held in her resulting in large drops of red sauce splattering across the front of Derek's white dress shirt.

Meredith looked at the deep stains that were already soaking in and bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. "My bad." She shrugged and turned her back to him to hide the delight that spread through her face.

Derek sighed and shook his head. It was a good thing she was so cute, and he loved her so much because she could be absolutely maddening.

He decided he didn't care about his shirt and rolled up his sleeves to help his clueless girlfriend, even though she had loudly declared it wasn't needed.

"This smells delicious Mer, what is it?" Derek immediately stepped back as Meredith whipped around, the anger back in her eyes. He apparently had just said something wrong.

"What is it?" She asked slowly. She then repeated the same question, a bit louder and rather laced with rage. "What is it! If you have to ask, I'm obviously doing it wrong! Screw this!" She through the spoon on the stove with a loud clunk and turned from the stove. "I'm ordering Chinese."

She moved across the room towards the phone books, but Derek grabbed her arm to stop her and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her. She didn't return the embrace, but she let herself relax against his comforting chest.

"I'm sorry Mer." He traced circles on her small back, choosing his words carefully before continuing. "You are doing a fantastic job in here. It would be a waste to quit now when you're almost done. If you'll let me help you, we can finish in no time."

He felt Meredith nod against his chest, and he breathed a sigh of relief. They pulled apart slightly to survey the small mess Meredith had created and both had to laugh at the sight.

"Now, in no way do I mean this as an insult or am I suggesting anything negative when I ask this. But I need to know, so I can help. What are you making?" Derek braced himself, wary of another outburst.

Meredith rolled her eyes and giggled. "Spaghetti."

Derek nodded. That would be easy. He could do spaghetti. "Okay, then it looks like the hard part is over. Let's just turn the heat up a bit on this…. and put a lid on this… and why don't you find out if we have anything for a salad in the fridge?"

Meredith turned and obeyed immediately. She would never admit it to him at the moment, but she couldn't be more thankful he was there.

"So, where exactly is Carwyn and my mother, it's pretty quiet?" Derek asked over his shoulder as he added a few more spices to the sauce.

"They're upstairs in Carwyn's room. She wanted to show her new Nana her toys." Meredith answered in a light tone, knowing Derek would understand the magnitude of what it meant that Carwyn opened up to his mother.

Derek and Meredith exchanged smiles, their first of the day, as they went back to their task at hand.


The three adults and small child sat around the kitchen table, admiring the delicious looking food that sat before them. The spaghetti was simmered to perfection, the pasta boiled al dente, salad tossed, French bread sliced, buttered, garliced, and toasted, and the lemonade was mixed. Even Meredith couldn't help but admire how perfect everything had turned out. This was definitely a day of firsts for her.

"This looks absolutely amazing Meredith. I didn't realize you could cook, too." Derek's mom marveled the flawless meal before her, as Derek began serving the pasta on everyone's plates.

Meredith opened her mouth to refute the compliment, but Derek jumped in before she had a chance.

"Meredith is the most amazing woman I have ever met Mom. She's full of surprises." He winked at his blushing girlfriend, who returned her stare to the plate in front of her.

The small family eagerly ate their food, tossing out a comment here.

When everyone was full, and not another bite could be eaten, Carwyn disappeared to another room to play alone, while the adults sat and continued their small talk around the table.

"How long are you staying in Seattle?" Meredith asked, not at all in the way she would have imagined herself asking Derek's mother. She quickly came to like Carolyn and was enjoying her company. She hoped she would be hanging around town for a while.

"Unfortunately, my flight leaves tomorrow evening." Carolyn frowned showing her disappointment. "This has just been too much fun. I'll definitely be coming back in the future. That is if you both wouldn't mind."

Meredith and Derek nodded in unison, both glad that she was having a good time.

"Actually, I was wondering if…. um, and you can feel free to say no Meredith, after all you just met me, but since you both have to work tomorrow… and it seems Carwyn and I are getting along so well…. I'd love to spend the day with her. We could just stay around here even. I completely understand if you're uncomfortable with the idea." Derek's mom finished quickly and waited, a little nervous, for Meredith's reaction.

Meredith smiled and answered, not the least bit hesitant. "Of course! I think Carwyn would really enjoy that. I feel bad for all the time she spends at the day care center. This would be special for her. If you're sure… that would be great."

Carolyn Shepherd's face lit up and she clasped her hands in excitement. "Well then, it's settled. Tomorrow will be a special Grandmother Granddaughter bonding day. I can't wait."

Derek's eyes were glossy as he watched the interaction between the two women before him. Never before had he seen Meredith open up so quickly to someone, and never before had he seen his mother take to another female so fast. It took his mother years to finally accept Addison as one of the family, and in a matter of hours, Meredith was already in.


The next day was slow and unexciting at Seattle Grace. Meredith already checked on the two cardio patients she'd been assigned, three times in the last hour. She now sat alone at a nurse's station, leisurely filling out some charts. The buzzing of her vibrating phone in her lab coat pocket, brought her attention from the medical jargon she was effortlessly filling in, and she retrieved the phone and glanced at the screen.

She frowned when she didn't recognize the number, but flipped it open anyways, remembering Carwyn was spending the day with her grandmother and it might be them.

"Hello?" Meredith was met by silence. She checked her phone quickly, and it read Connected, so she tried again. "Hello?... Can you hear me?...Mrs. Shepherd?... Carwyn?"

When still no one answered, Meredith shrugged and was about to snap the phone shut, when she heard a deep, slow laugh, just barely audible. Meredith froze, questioning if she had heard right. Then she heard it again. A little louder this time, but still deep and slow, an unsettling sound.

The hairs on Meredith's arms stood straight up, and fear gripped her chest. She snapped the phone shut and tossed it on the desk in front of her, as if the man was inside the small device. She stared ahead, focusing on calming her breathing. Wrong number, wrong number, she repeated over and over to herself. Maybe if she said it enough times, it would actually be true.

Meredith didn't know how long she sat like that, staring ahead, not blinking. She didn't even realize someone had joined her at the station until his voice cut through her thoughts.

"Hey space case."

Meredith blinked and looked up startled. An honest smile stole across her face as she greeted her old friend. "Hey Mark. When did you guys get back?" She forced the phone call out of her head and focused on the man in front of her.

"Late last night." He answered yawning. He searched through a stack of files before finding the chart he was looking for and opened it in front of him on the counter.

"Did you have a nice vacation?"

"Vacation?" Mark scoffed. "I was there on business Meredith. Addison was accompanying me as my assistant." Mark explained slowly, not convincing her any more than he had Derek.

"Oh, right. Business in Hawaii. Must be nice." Meredith rolled her eyes and giggled causing a fake look of hurt to overtake Mark's handsome features.

"Well, I'm sure you and Derek will take lots of business trips together when you finally finish your internship. Gee, Mer, are you going for a record?" Mark teased causing Meredith to drop her jaw in offense.

"Hey! It's not my fault…" Meredith stopped when she saw he was playing with her. She crossed her arms across her chest and tried to give him a dirty look.

This only caused Mark to laugh even harder, as he gathered a few charts in his hands and waved as he hurried away, still chuckling to himself.

Meredith smiled and looked down at her forgotten charts, thankful for the temporary distraction from the disturbing phone call. Again, she repeated wrong number, wrong number, as she picked up her pen and continued with the charts, hoping to drown herself in medical technology once again.


It wasn't until later in the day that she finally ran into Derek. She hadn't completely forgiven him for his omission, but she was working on it. She recognized him from behind as soon as she rounded the corner and quickly joined him in front of the OR board. He was on his cell, talking quietly and ended the call immediately when he saw her approach.

"Hey." He smiled, and wished he could kiss her, but there were too many nurses and doctors around, and Meredith was still insisting on discreetness.

"Hey." She echoed, curious to the phone call he had ended abruptly. "Who was that?" She gestured towards the phone he had replaced in his pocket.

"Hmm? Oh, that? Oh, just chief stuff." He shrugged and turned his face back to the large white board that hung in front of him, but not before Meredith saw something flash through his eyes. Guilt? Secrecy? Deceit?

Meredith studied the side of his face a moment more before letting it drop. Her own call from earlier was making her a little jumpy, a bit on edge. She probably just imagined it.

"Well, I'm off in thirty minutes. Any chance you'll be able to get home early again today?" Meredith asked hopefully, already knowing the disappointing answer.

Derek sighed and turned back to face her, sadness evident in his blue eyes. "I'm sorry Mer. I have a meeting at seven with the big boys from upstairs, and Mr. Luckabee asked if I could finish transferring the old books to the new system. I'll probably be late."

Meredith could read the regret clearly on his face, so she didn't push it. He was sorry and already felt bad enough.

"Okay, no problem. I'll drop your mother off at the airport tonight. I'm glad I had a chance to meet her."

"Me too." Derek smiled. "Thanks Mer. I'll try to get home as soon as I can, but don't wait up." He glanced up and down the hall and stole a quick peck on her cheek, before turning and hurrying away.

Meredith watched his retreating form until he turned the corner and disappeared from view, before turning herself and heading in the opposite direction.


Meredith waved one last time as she pulled away from the drop off curb of Seattle's Tacoma International Airport.

Carwyn's sweet voice called out her open window for the tenth time. "Goodbye Nana! Goodbye! Come back soon!"

Meredith smiled at how her young daughter immediately developed a strong bond with her Grandmother. She was glad they had spent the day together; they both seemed to have had a real good time.

Meredith pulled on to the highway as Carwyn finally nodded off. She turned the radio on low and got lost in the music, welcoming the numbing effect it had on her thoughts. As she neared her turn off, she noticed bright headlights in her rearview mirror, closing in on her. Meredith frowned annoyed, and moved to the right lane, hoping whoever it was would pass on her left.

The car seemed to back off, and again Meredith got lost in the music, until the lights were back, right behind her. Meredith sped up, and the lights sped right up with her, she slowed, and so did the lights. She tried to brush it off as just an inattentive driver, but that fear that seemed to always accompany her lately, was taking hold.

She took her exit and pleaded with herself to remain calm. The car followed, but Meredith justified that her exit was a busy one, in the heart of the city; lots of cars shared the exit. She forced her eyes away from the rearview mirror and focused in front of her. She focused on the stop lights and the street signs, on the small white lines that laid in front of her in stark contrast to the streets dark asphalt. As she pulled into the neighborhood where her mother's old house stood, her eyes disobediently moved back up to the rearview mirror and her heart picked up its pace as the eerie two headlights stared back. She made the familiar turns unhurriedly, hoping she would soon part ways with the headlights, but they only seemed to grow closer. She pulled onto her street and debated whether or not she should stop at her house. Did she really want this pursuer to know where she lived?

She kept her car in drive as her house came and went. She figured she'd circle the block a few times, and whoever was following would eventually lose interest.

The fifth time Meredith's house came and went out the passenger window, Meredith started panicking. Only Izzie's car was in the driveway. Alex was probably still at the hospital, and she knew it would still be hours before Derek arrived home. She would have to go for it. She gripped her phone in one hand as she finally turned into her driveway. The dark car stopped a few houses down from her and Meredith watched it a second, debating if she'd be able to get Carwyn out from the back seat and into the house before whoever was in the car could reach her. Meredith took a few breaths, gathering strength, and as she grabbed her car door handle, the dark car slowly moved forward until it picked up speed and peeled away. She watched it disappear around a dark street corner and listened as the screeching tires faded into the black night.

Meredith cursed out loud. The car had taken off too fast to get the license plate number and the windows was too dark to see inside. Assured that the car was gone, for now at least, Meredith hurried out of the driver side and scooped Carwyn from the booster seat she slept oblivious in. She pushed the doors shut with her foot and hurried to the front door, her hands shaking as she desperately tried to unlock the door.

Once safe inside, she slammed the door closed and locked both the bottom lock and the dead bolt, one that they rarely used. Izzie stepped out of the kitchen, cradling a steaming mug in her hand, and watched Meredith quizzically.

"Are you alright?" Izzie appraised Meredith's pale face and shaking hands as they clung to her daughter, holding her small body tightly against her own.

"Is… Is Alex here?" Meredith prayed that he was. She desperately hoped they had ridden home together and left his car at the hospital.

Izzie furrowed her brows, but answered. "He's still in surgery. There were complications, he'll probably be there for a few more hours. Why?"

Meredith avoided Izzie's gaze as she stared out the front window to the empty street in front of the house.

"No reason. Just…just make sure he locks the door behind him when he gets home." Meredith didn't wait for Izzie to respond. She hurried up the stairs, eager to put Carwyn to bed and soak in a hot bath. Maybe she could wash all the scary events of the day from her memory.