---RESURFACING THE WOUNDS--- (PART XI)

The ultrasound scanner moved back and forth over the abdomen of the patient, lying on the bed her eyes flickering towards the screen in hope that the surgery went through successfully. Previously, they had found that the twins in her womb are suffering from heart failure, and have to be operated on immediately.
"And, my babies?" the patient asked.
"Your babies are doing very well." Addison reassured her with a smile. "And Dr. Grey will be back to check on you a little bit later." she finished off, standing up from the edge of the bed.
"Actually--I'll prefer it if Dr. Grey were taken off the case." the patient requested, catching Addison's attention. She looked up. "Why? Is there a problem?" she asked, looking to Meredith briefly.
"She just remind me of someone I don't like very much." the patient said, shifting slightly in her bed as she eyed Meredith. "But someone my husband would like very much. Particularly in lingerie. You understand." she said, her gaze fell onto Addison. "No--no, I don't understand." Addison frowned. "Well, she's sleeping with your husband, right?" The patient reconfirmed, recalling the conversation she overheard before her surgery. Then it was when Addison understood what was going on. Rumours, they do spread quicker than disease.
"Mrs. Philips," she started. "I like Dr. Grey's class and patience so let me set the record straight. My husband didn't cheat on me, I cheated on him. So the wronged woman here, Dr. Grey. So, I think you owe her one hell of an apology." she said firmly, then without another word, Addison walked out of the room, leaving Meredith stunned by what she heard.

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Meredith pulled her car in front of Derek's trailer, spotting him sitting by the pouch, drinking. She climbed out of her vehicle and leaned against it, folding her arms across her chest. "So, she's the one who cheated." she said as-a-matter-of-factly. Derek looked up grimly at her. The expression on Meredith's face wasn't a sympathetic one, but one that demanded an explanation.

"One night, I parked my car, go inside my house, and something's different." Derek started, looking up to Meredith. She unfolded her arms and shoved her hands into her coat pockets, waiting for Derek to go on. "Nothing's different. Everything's the same, but yet--something's different." he paused, but Meredith nodded, encouraging him to go on. "And I stand there for awhile, and then I know." he said, nodding to himself this time. "See there are moments for me, usually when I'm in the OR, when I just know what's going to happen next." he explained, taking a swig from the green glass bottle in his hands. Meredith sighed and headed towards Derek, settling down on the steps next to him. "So when I walk up to the hall, preparing myself for what I'm going to see when I go into my bedroom, I step into a man's jacket that doesn't belong to me." he said, handing another bottle to Meredith. She took it, but did not drink it. "And everything I think I know, just shifts. And what I know now is that when I go into my bedroom, I'm not just going to see that my wife is cheating on me. I'm going to see my wife is cheating on me, with Mark. Who happen to be with my best friend." Derek lifted up the bottle in his hands and took another gulp. "This is just so pedestrain. And cruel. Mostly just cruel. I left and came out here."

Meredith just stared at him. "And you met me." she said. "And I met you." Meredith shook her head and headed back to her car, but stopped halfway and turned around to face him. "Well what was I to you?" she asked. "The girl you screwed to get over being screwed?"

"You were like coming out from fresh air. It's like I was drowning and you saved me." he explained with a shrug. "That's all I know." Meredith's gaze fell down to the ground for a moment before she lifted her eyes to meet Derek's. "It's not enough." she replied flatly.

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"Stop." Meredith said, spotting Derek behind the pillar. Derek frowned. "What?" he asked, falling behind Meredith as she started walking away from him and towards the hospital's entrance. "You're stalking me. Stop it!" she said. Derek shook his head in disbelief. "Didn't we not communicate last night? Did you hear what I was saying?" he asked.

"Yes, your wife screwed your best friend." Meredith said, not bothering to slow down or turn back to look at Derek.
"And then, from that point on she no longer existed to me anymore." he said, picking up his speed as he chased after her.
"C'mon, I bared my soul to you last night." he said.
"It's not enough." she insisted.
"How can that be not enough?" he asked, still confused, unwilling to back down. Meredith stopped in front of the hospital entrance, finally turning aroudn to face Derek.
"When you waited 2 months to tell me, and I had to find out by her showing up all leggy and fabulous and telling me herself--you pulled the plug. I'm a sink with an open drain. Anything you say runs right out. There is no enough!" she yelled, then turned and walked through the entrance without waiting for Derek to respond.

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Addison walked by the hall, a chart in her hands. She looked up, spotting Meredith Grey down the hallway. "Dr. Grey, may I speak with you for a moment?" she asked, continue walking away, then stopped and turn around when she notice that Meredith wasn't following. Meredith turned to her resident expectedly, but Miranda simply raise an eyebrow. "Don't look at me for help." she shrugged. Meredith sighed and made her way towards Addison as the two started walking casually down the hallway.

"I assumed he told you why he left me?" Addison asked, neither of them was willing to meet each other's eyes. Meredith sighed, walking around Addison and stopped in front of her. "Dr. Shepherd, with all due respect, this has nothing to do with me." she said, then started walking away. But Addison followed, wanting more information.

"Really?" she asked. "So you didn't take him back. Good girl." Meredith casted a glance towards Addison. "And in future, I'd appreciate it if we could keep our relationship strictly professional." Once again, she started walking away. "Meredith." Addison called out, stopping the intern in her tracks. Meredith turned around, allowing Addison to continue. "Sometimes people do desperate things to get some other's attention." iSeriously/i Meredith thought, shaking her head and started walking away. "There are two sides to every story!" Addison called after her.

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The elevator door opened, the passengers got off, leaving Derek alone inside as Addison entered.

"Just when the day was improving." Derek grumbled. Addison ignored his comment and went on with her own concerns.
"You told Meredith what happened?" she asked, trying to contain her disbelief. "I did? What did you tell her"
"Sometimes people do desperate things to attract attention"
"What! Wow, what is the meaning of this? Did I not pay you enough attention?" he said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Is that why you were thinking of getting naked with my best friend?"

Addison sighed, leaning forward and pressed a button on the lift. "No, Derek. At that point I wasn't thinking at all. At that point I was just scratching an itch. We got so successful, you and me. We got busy and we got lazy. We didn't even bother to fight anymore, Derek. And Mark was there, and I missed you. But now I'm sorry, I'm more sorry than I could even imagine but at least I"m talking to you about it!" she said. Derek simply gave her an uninterpretable look as the lift door opens, he started walking out. "I'm a sink with an open drain, Hunny." he replied, giving a tight smile to his wife before walking away.