Chapter 5: Wipeout!

Meredith was furious. Slightly concerned, but still furious. She had left work, immediately after getting a phone call from Dr. Shepherd at Seattle Grace Hospital. He assured her that Dawsyn was fine. His excuse was that Dawsyn had gone to the restroom and missed the bus. She knew better. She knew Dawsyn and she knew how much she wanted to be a doctor. She wanted to be a doctor more and she knew that Dawsyn would pull something like that.

Meredith should've kept her home with Izzie who had the day off, so she wouldn't have to leave work. Now, she was furious and still concerned. Just because she was concerned, didn't mean that Dawsyn wasn't going to be punished. She would be, insanely punished if she was okay.

She was there six and a half hours when she got the call from the doctor. At first, she was concerned until she heard the familiar giggle in the background. Dawsyn was like this. Stubborn, completely independent, and too smart for her own good. She could only imagine what she had told the doctor or even what her daughter convinced him to do. When she had gotten lost at the zoo, she talked one of the guides into getting her cotton candy and taking her to the petting zoo. So again, Dawsyn would be punished, and Meredith would spend the night trying to figure out how her daughter had become so clever. So smart.

Izzie told her it must be genetic. Meredith didn't remember being like this as a child. Mostly because her Nannies and her overworking and cold Surgeon of a mother would never let her get away with this. So, her daughter must have been what she would have been like as a child without all of the restrictions.

As she ran into the hospital, she stood at the floor directory, trying to figure out where she needed to go. Something about turning down a hallway and turning left through some doors but Meredith had been too baffled and upset to remember. Needless to say, no matter how frazzled she was or concerned she felt deep down, Dawsyn was in trouble. Meredith was going to have to explain this to her teacher again, make up some excuse and not to mention Dawsyn wasted the time of a surgeon. It was ridiculous.

She followed the hallway, just as the directory indicated. She carefully tried not to slam open the doors at the end of the hallway, just because her daughter had pulled something huge.

Then, there she was, her daughter, walking down a hall with another man, a familiar man but she just couldn't place. She recognized his smile immediately, but was thrown off as a gurney came quickly around the corner, knocking her off her footing and suddenly everything went black.

"Meredith...Meredith. Can you hear me?" Derek said softly, as he pushed her hair off her face.

"Mmm..." Meredith mumbled; her tone was groggy.

"You're okay..." He whispered, stroking her cheek with his thumb, slowly trying to wake her up.

"Ouch..."

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

"Eyes..." She winced, feeling a sudden wave of pain as her eyes opened slightly. Her vision was blurry, but the image of a man, with what looked like a large blob of hair seemed to fill her sight.

"Hey."

"Hurts...my head..."

"Ten stitches."

"What?"

"You hit your head on a gurney." He told her.

"I...how?"

"You were running and slipped and...now you have ten stitches."

"Crap." Meredith whispered, wincing again.

"Can you follow my fingers?" Derek asked, holding them in front of her eyes and passing them back and forth.

"I think I'm following them..." Meredith whispered, her eyes trailing his finger.

"Good." Derek chuckled.

"Hmm..."

"Are you nauseas...dizzy?"

"Slightly nauseas."

"Would it help if I told you that your daughter is fine?"

"Crap..." Meredith sat up quickly, suddenly feeling dizzy.

"Careful." Derek breathed, steadying her.

"Where is she?"

"In the waiting room."

"I...you said ten stitches?"

"Ten."

"Did I really need them? We can't take them out or anything?"

"You had a pretty big gash."

"Okay." Meredith frowned, looking down at her watch.

"Does anything else hurt?" Derek asked.

"No offense Dr...I don't remember your name right now but I can't afford for you to put anything else in me or on me."

"Not even pain killers?" He laughed.

"No." Meredith swallowed. "I should get back to work."

"You're not working for a few days." Derek said.

"That's not funny." Meredith replied, a hand moving over her stomach.

"Not a joke."

"What?" Meredith frowned, her body falling weakly against the exam table as she waited for his answer.

"She told me about you having insurance...and that you're very stubborn. And you call her Dawsyn bug." Derek laughed.

"It's still expensive."

"I could have let you bleed to death."

"It would have been cheaper." Meredith groaned, her stomach rumbling as the room began to spin.

"But then I wouldn't have gotten to do this." Derek smiled as he helped her lay back down.

"Oh..." Meredith whispered, realizing he was the guy from the bookstore. "I didn't see you come back."

"I didn't." He replied, his smile widening at the fact that she remembered him.

'You're not as blurry...I recognize the hair."

"That's good."

"Everything's moving."

"Just close your eyes." He whispered, his thumb gently stroking her cheek.

"Uh..."

"Better?"

"Yeah..."

"If it makes you feel any better, you fell very gracefully."

"Oh God..."

"No really. Best fall I've ever seen."

"You're just being an ass now." Meredith laughed weakly.

"I'm trying to be charming." Derek chuckled.

"I have ten stitches on my face...you have no reason to be charming."

"Maybe I do."

"No."

"Mmm..."

"I'm sorry my daughter distracted you." Meredith whispered, letting him run his thumb across her cheek.

"She was delightful." Derek smiled.

"She comes across that way but after ten hours of labor and eleven years, you catch on."

"She's a really great kid."

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"She knew better."

"They always do."

"Hmm..." Meredith blinked tiredly.

"She looks just like you." Derek whispered.

"I know."

"Beautiful."

"What?" Meredith whispered, her eyes opening slowly.

"She's beautiful." Derek smiled.

"Oh...thank you."

"Like her mother."

"Oh." She frowned. "You're trying to be charming again."

"Is it working?" He laughed.

"I don't know yet."

"Hmm...Well, let me know when you find out."

'You realize you're flirting with a single mom who wiped out on the floor right?"

"Very aware of that."

"Then, why are you still doing it?"

"Because I want to."

"You say that now."

"And when I was in the book store."

"What?" Meredith frowned.

"I flirted with you in the bookstore." Derek smiled.

"Oh..." Meredith whispered, still weak as a light smile came across her face.

"Today, I got to stitch you up."

"Because I'm far too clumsy."

"It's cute."

"I..." Meredith suddenly felt hot, unaware of whether it was from hitting her head or blushing. "Don't say that..."

"Why not?" Derek laughed.

"I just...that's...I'm not cute." She replied, wincing again.

"I disagree."

"Derek..."

"You remember my name."

"Yeah." Meredith whispered.

"That's um...That's a good sign."

"No I have to get Dawsyn home and I need to get to work."

"Just for another hour...make sure everything is okay."

"I told my manager I would be back."

"That's not going to happen."

"Mmm..."

"Try to rest..." He whispered.

"I just need to get Dawsyn and to leave." Meredith replied, sitting up quickly.

"Woah...Careful." Derek laughed.

"I'm fine." Meredith swallowed, the room suddenly shaking in her eyes as she tried to stand suddenly feeling her legs struggle to stay standing. "I just..."

"Careful." He repeated, holding her steady.

"Oh God."

"Reconsidering standing up?"

"I just...I have to get to work and take Dawsyn..."

"No work. Doctor's orders."

"Single Mom...Life's orders."

"You can't go back tonight, Meredith."

"I have to."

"You just hit your head and needed stitches. Work isn't happening."

"Fine." Meredith whispered, as he held her up. "Just...where are my keys?"

"In your purse...which is with Dawsyn." Derek answered.

"Okay." Meredith whispered.

"She's very popular with the nurses."

"Great."

"How's the dizziness?"

"Ugh..."

"I would tell you to lie down. But...Dawsyn said you're stubborn so I don't know..."

"I need to take her home."

"You can't drive."

"Derek."

"Meredith." He laughed.

"Please." She looked at him, their eyes meeting as he helped her lean against the exam table.

"I um...How about I take you two home?" He whispered.

"No..." She whispered, her breath deepening.

"Then you'll have to stay here...Because you're in no shape to drive."

"I'll determine that." She whispered, the room still moving as he helped her back up on the table.

"You can barely stand." He breathed.

"I'm just a little wobbly."

"Let me take you home..."

"What if you're a crazy killer?" Meredith whispered, as he sat next to her.

"Then they probably wouldn't have let me become a surgeon." Derek chuckled.

"Hmm...you could have kept it a secret."

"I promise. I'm not a crazy killer."

"That's what they all say." She whispered, looking into his deep blue eyes.

"Come on...Let me give you a ride home."

"After the room stops spinning." She finally gave in.

"It's a deal."

"Okay."

"Okay." He chuckled, pushing her hair off of her face.

"You're laughing at me."

"No...I'm not...I just..."

"Just what?"

"Nothing."

"Oh." She frowned.

"I should probably get your chart."

"Okay..." She whispered, their eyes still matched up.

"I'll um...I'll be back...in a few minutes. To take you home." He breathed.

"Okay..."

"Yeah." He nodded, before standing up.

"And you'll tell Dawsyn..."

"That you're okay and we're...you're going home soon."

"Okay." She whispered.

"I'll be back."

"I'll just be...here."

"Don't sneak off. I already had one Grey do that today." He smiled.

'"I can imagine."

"Yeah..." He breathed, smiling at her. "I'll um...See you in a few."

"Yeah." Meredith winced, still slightly unsure of anything that happened since she showed up at the hospital. All she knew was her daughter separated herself from her class, she wiped out in front of the dreamy neurosurgeon and now she had ten expensive stitches, and she needed to get back to work.