Chapter 30: Putting On A Show
Meredith sat in front of the computer screen. She was supposed to be researching Neuroendocrine tumors, but had just read the same sentence five times and still had no idea what it said. She couldn't concentrate, her hands were shaking, and the nausea was beginning to rise. She glanced at the clock for the fifteenth time in the last two minutes and let out an edgy sigh. After a few more seconds of useless computer staring, Mer reached for her phone, but was stopped by her breathless fiancé, rounding the corner, and rushing into the small office.
"I'm … sorry… so…. long…" Derek gasped, desperately trying to fill his tired lungs with oxygen.
He held out the small brown paper sack and Meredith snatched it from him with out a word.
"They didn't have the jumbo… only the mini's."
"That's fine.."She replied quickly, her shaky hands ripping open the bag and concentrating all her attention on getting the tight lid off the glass jar.
Derek reached out to offer to open her gift, but was met with a death glare, signaling he wasn't to touch her prize. He stepped back and watched on amused as the small pop the jar made when the lid was finally liberated, changed her frustrated expression into one of pure delight.
His dark eyebrow's shot up in surprise when Meredith reached in the small opening with her slender fingers and captured a handful of the small green olives filled with red pimiento's and stuffed them all into her mouth at once. She chewed quickly while wiping her wet hands on the light blue of her scrub pants. Her lips formed a slight frown when the sour cuisine was swallowed.
Her head tilted a moment in silent deliberation before lifting the jar once more, and this time instead of reaching in for the small olives to calm her craving, she lifted the jar completely to her lips and tilted it back, taking three long satisfying swallows of the potent juice.
Derek's jaw dropped and he suppressed the gasp of disgust that tried to escape his lips. He knew better than to say anything, so he watched silently as Meredith sat back content in her chair, her eyelids halfway closed as she breathed out a long happy sigh.
He shook his head but couldn't help smiling. He took a step closer, so he was standing directly behind her and leaned forward to rest his chin on top of her head.
"Better?" He asked softly into her hair, moving his lips to kiss her gently on her head.
"Much." She answered, her voice full of satisfaction.
"How bad was it today?"
Meredith tilted her head and thought about it a moment. "Seven…maybe six."
"That bad huh?" Derek chuckled and straightened, pulling a chair from across the small room to join her at the computer desk.
Meredith watched curiously as he settled himself next to her then reached and pulled one of her feet to his lap. He gently removed her slip on Uggs, a 'Congratulations you're pregnant' gift from Addison, and began rubbing her small, socked foot with his large strong hands.
"Mmm," Meredith moaned. "Yaaa…right there…"
"Quit it." Derek laughed, knowing she was making the suggestive noises on purpose.
"Hey, it's your fault. Your foot rubs are better than sex."
"Oh, thanks a lot!"
Meredith giggled and turned her head to look at him with a wide smile. "I'm just kidding, but speaking off sex…"
She moved her foot that was on his lap slightly to nudge his crotch, producing a dark lustful spark in his eye immediately.
She teasingly moved her foot and toes, feeling him grow hard underneath, while his flushed skin peaked from under the collar of his shirt.
Derek shifted a little on his chair, knowing this was not the place for this but completely unable to stop Meredith's surprisingly talented toes.
As her movements came faster and deeper, Derek's pager blared through the room, causing them both to jump.
Meredith giggled and moved her foot back down to the floor and back into the soft lining of her shoe, as Derek frowned and glanced at the small screen. He sighed defeated, knowing he couldn't ignore the page and stood.
She looked up at him and smiled innocently. "You gotta go?"
He shook his head slowly, finally smiling as he lowered once more to kiss her firmly on the lips. "We will finish this later."
He turned and headed towards the door, stopping only when Meredith called out. "Thanks for the olives!"
He turned and gave her a quick wink, before walking painfully away.
Meredith was tired and her back ached from the long shift she was finishing. She couldn't wait to get home and soak in the hot tub before crawling into bed and being treated to an amazing foot rub from Derek. There was also the matter of unfinished business between them that she was more than happy to complete.
She shook her head and sighed. This was not the place to be thinking about sex with Derek. Not in this patient's room and most definitely not with this doctor.
"I'm sorry, am I keeping you from something?" The unpleasant voice of the woman next to her demanded.
"Huh? Oh..uh…No, sorry." Meredith apologized, desperately trying to focus on the films in front of them.
She waited all day for the neuro consult from Dr. Zeta, and now all she needed was for her to agree that there was nothing in the obviously clear scans and give the go ahead for discharge. But for some reason the leggy dark-haired woman was stalling, and it was making Meredith uncomfortable.
Meredith tried a discreet glance at her watch once more but was caught by the steely eyes of the woman next to her.
"Don't let me make you late for the slutty sex you have with your boss." She spat out, pursing her lips together when she was done, and giving Meredith a disapproving once over with her judgmental eyes.
Meredith took a step back, hit with the snarky comment completely off guard. She stared back in disbelief and opened her mouth to counter, but no sound came out.
"You know… as a much wiser…much more mature woman…I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Men like Derek, don't fall for messy little interns. Not seriously anyway. Sure, right now you're probably scratching an itch for him…and I don't doubt you're very experienced and have your little tricks in bed perfected enough to fool him into calling you his girlfriend. But he'll grow bored… tired of messing around with girls… and realize he wants the real thing. A real woman."
Meredith's eyes went wide and her face paled. She wondered if she pulled hard enough would Dr. Zeta's hair fall out in chunks or strands? She imagined how good it might feel, flat palm against smooth cheek. Or better yet, tight knuckles against perfectly sculpted lashes and eye shadow.
As all the tempting thoughts swirled through Meredith's angry mind, she was brought back to the present with a cold metal patient chart being shoved roughly into her arms.
"Don't just stand there. Discharge the patient. Nothing's wrong with him."
With that, Meredith was left in the room, focusing on breathing in and out. Focusing on not calling Cristina to get the number for her earlier mentioned contact.
"Come on Princess. Why don't we find Mama and then we can head home." Derek walked easily down the hall, Carwyn's small hand pressed securely into his, eager to find his fiancée and get home.
They rounded the corner of the surgery floor, knowing Meredith would be around there somewhere and were immediately met with a tall dark-haired woman wearing a skirt that was too short to be considered professional.
As much as Derek wanted to keep walking past the cat-like woman, he knew it wiser to be courteous and offer a greeting.
He nodded. "Have a good evening, Dr. Zeta."
He hoped it was obvious enough that the fact that he kept walking meant he wasn't interested in a conversation, but he wasn't so lucky.
"Hello there Derek. And who might this be?" She said in a rather annoying chipper voice.
Derek stopped walking and turned to face the fellow Neurosurgeon. Carwyn immediately assumed her position behind Derek, pressing her face securely into a pant leg of his slacks.
"This is my daughter Carwyn. She's a little shy." He offered a lopsided grin while he stroked Carwyn's dark curls comfortingly. "Can you say hi Carwyn?" He tried out of polite obligation.
The young girl peaked around his leg, showing her blue eyes only a second before returning to her hiding spot.
"Oh Derek! She's gorgeous! I'm absolutely smitten! She looks just like you."
Derek offered an awkward smile. "Uh…thank you. She might have my curls and eyes, but she definitely gets her beauty from her mother."
Dr. Zeta didn't have time to question further because Carwyn peaked out again, and this time something down the hall caught her attention, bringing her completely out from behind her dad.
"Mama!" She shouted and took off towards Meredith. Her mother scooped her up with the free arm that didn't carry a chart and hugged her tight, leaving kisses all over her small face as she made her way to the two neurosurgeons talking in the hall; one smiling, one standing stunned with her mouth open.
"You ready to go babe?" Derek asked as he kissed his fiancée softly on her lips.
She smiled and nodded, then all three turned back to the suddenly quiet woman.
Derek finally spoke. "Dr. Zeta, have you heard the good news?"
The woman shook her head and answered slowly. "No."
"Dr. Grey has agreed to marry me." He elbowed Meredith. "Show her the rock babe." He turned back to Dr. Zeta and shook his head. "She's so modest."
Meredith looked at Derek with large eyes before finally smiling and nodding. She held out her left hand and offered the large engagement ring that was the topic of conversation all over the hospital since their engagement.
Dr. Zeta looked down and smiled painfully. "It's..uh… beautiful. Congratulations." Her voice was forced.
Derek looked down into Meredith's face and they shared a look. "Here, let me take Carwyn. You're not supposed to be picking her up anymore remember?"
Derek easily took his four-year-old daughter from Meredith and looked back at the confused expression on Dr. Zeta's face.
"I guess since you didn't hear about our engagement… you probably didn't hear about our other bit of good news."
Again, the doctor shook her head, almost afraid to ask.
Derek turned back to Meredith and tilted his head proudly. He slipped his free hand under her scrub shirt, causing Meredith to bite back a giggle, as he rubbed her bare stomach lovingly.
"This amazing woman is giving me another baby. I don't know how I got so lucky."
Meredith completely forgot the infuriating woman they were putting on the show for and looked up into Derek's face full of love.
"Really?" She asked softly.
Derek looked down surprised. "Of course."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Derek closed the gap between him and Meredith and captured her lips with his. He deepened the kiss and forgot where they were until he heard Carwyn giggle in his arms.
He pulled back embarrassed and looked back at an extremely awkward Dr. Zeta.
"Umm..well… we better get going. I need to get my girls home. I'll see you around Doctor."
Meredith smiled a smug grin and took a step towards the still unmoving woman. "Patient has been discharged ma'am."
With that Meredith pushed the chart just as roughly as it was given to her, back into the unexpecting arms of Dr. Zeta, nearly making the woman fall over.
Meredith smiled triumphantly before taking Derek's outstretched hand and turned to leave. Carwyn stared over her daddy's back at the speechless woman before finally speaking.
"Hey lady! You have something green in your teeth!"
Derek and Meredith exchanged wide eyed looks and hurried their pace to the elevator, waiting for the doors to close before erupting into hysteric laughter.