Author's Note: Enjoy and Review!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Meredith takes a bite out of her cold pizza and then sets it down back in the grease-lined box. Mark moves on the other side of the kitchen making himself some toast.
"So I figure I get in, finish the few cases I have left, and then sneak out."
Today is Meredith last day at Seattle Grace. She had already told the chief about her decision to transfer. At first he was adamant about not letting her go, but ultimately he had no choice but to give in.
"Yeah, I'm trying to do the same thing," Mark says as grabs his toast out of the toaster and sets it on a plate across from Meredith. "Are you nervous?"
"I think that would be an understatement," Meredith says as she takes another bite of pizza. "You know it's not too late to you know back out… I mean you are supposed to be in Seattle another month and a half."
Mark shakes his head. "No, no don't worry about it. I need to get the hell out of this place. I miss New York."
Meredith gives him a sad smile. She decided to go back to New York with Mark. She had already been accepted to a residency program in New York, and had shipped the majority of her stuff to New York. She was in the process of creating this new life for herself, all that was left what the physical move to New York.
Mark and Meredith have kept their plans a secret. They couldn't deal with Addison and Derek's reactions along with the rest of the staff of Seattle Grace Hospital. Meredith told her friends because they needed to know. Izzie started to cry and immediately left the house. George seemed unmoved, and Cristina seemed, well shocked. None of them tried to talk her out of her decision, but it was more than obvious that they were less than thrilled. Cristina had refused to talk about anything that had to deal with her moving to New York.
Meredith looks down at her watch. "I better get going. I should be able to get back here before one and finish up my last minute packing."
"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up and help you with your bags?" Mark moves toward the sink and places his plate in it.
Meredith shakes her head no. "I'll just take a cab to the airport." Meredith puts on her coat. "So I'll see you tonight." Meredith moves towards him and kisses him.
"Bye Meredith," Mark says as she closes the front door behind her. Meredith takes a deep breath of the cool morning air, gets in her Jeep, and drives to work for the last time.
gagagagagagagagagaga
Mark sloppily scribbles his signature at the bottom of the chart, closes it, and puts it back in its place. He picks up another one and begins to skim over it.
"Dr. Sloan."
Mark's head snaps up from his reading, and is surprised to see Derek standing in front of him. He hadn't spoken to Derek since their fight in the exam room.
"Dr. Shepherd?" Mark closes the chart and rests it on the nurses' station.
"I was looking for you to do a consult on a patient that I have coming in tomorrow, but you aren't on the schedule, and I noticed that you aren't on the schedule for the next few weeks."
Should I tell him? I mean he's bound to find sometime.
"Derek I'm going back to New York."
Derek looks puzzled. "So does that mean…" Derek says trying to not sound hopeful.
"No, Meredith is coming back to New York with me. She wants a fresh start."
Derek eyes immediately shift down to the floor. He begins to look for his patient's chart.
Mark continues, "She, we just can't be here anymore. It's just too much."
Derek nods and grabs the chart he was looking for. He's visibly shaken. "Alright, Dr. Sloan, I guess I'll just go talk to Dr. Marsh about this case. Have a safe flight."
Meredith watches Derek walk away from Mark from across the hall.
I guess he told him.
She catches Mark's eye. "I'm leaving now," she mouths to him. She rather not create a scene with her departure. Mark waves back at her. Meredith gives him a half-smile and takes the stairs down to the hospital lobby. She walks through the doors of Seattle Grace for the last time. She is relieved that she hadn't seen Derek this morning. She hadn't spoken to him since the parking lot of Joe's, and finally felt ready to attempt to move on.
She pulls out of the parking lot of the hospital.
Here goes nothing…
gagagagagagagagagaga
Mark is putting the last of his stuff into a small box on his desk when he hears a faint knock on his door.
"Come in."
The wooden door slowly opens.
"Addison." Mark is surprised to see her. He hasn't spoken to Addison since that night in front of the board.
Derek must have told her.
"I heard your going back to New York," Addison closes the door behind herself.
"Yeah, today is my last day."
Addison doesn't say anything for a few moments. She finally speaks again. "She's going with you isn't she?"
Mark swallows and repeats the same words he had told Derek, "Yeah, she is. We need a fresh start."
Addison nods, fighting back the tears. "Do you ever think of what would have happened if I didn't come here? If I stayed in New York… with you?"
"Addie, I think about it all the time…" Mark sits down in the chair behind his desk.
"What do you think would have happened? Do you think we would have made it?"
"I would have made you incredibly happy, and I would have loved you the way you deserved to be loved."
"Yeah, I think so too," Addison says tears now steaming down her face. "But I mean I came here. I had to fight for my marriage. I never though any of this would happen. I don't know what I'm doing anymore, but I know I miss you. Sometimes I think I miss you more than I can even bear."
Mark attempts to avoid her eyes. He can't stand to see her like this.
"Addie…"
"No, please don't say anything. You have the right to move on. You have the right to pursue a life, a love, that makes you happy. I hope she makes you happy. I just came down here to, to say goodbye, and I'm sorry."
Mark leans back in his chair, and watches the woman he still loves cry.