Thank you to my reviewers: Candice, Belle1220, EvilMistress007, and Rachel.

!#$&

Chapter 2 - Missing

Richard was flipping through paperwork at his desk when Patricia walked in.

"Chief, we have a problem."

He looked up with a look of incredulous annoyance.

"Does it have to be my problem, or could it be your problem?"

She rolled her eyes at him.

"You're gonna want to personally handle this problem. One of your surgeons has yet to arrive to work. We, and I mean you, have some unhappy patients to do deal with."

"Who isn't here," he asked, shocked and concerned.

"Dr. Sheppard, Addison."

!#$&

"So why the hell did I walk in on McDreamy in the bathroom this morning?"

Izzie slammed her charts onto the counter and glared at Meredith.

"Because you don't know how to knock," Meredith smirked back at her.

"Meredith-"

"No Izzie," Meredith interrupted, "this isn't your business."

"He's married Meredith. Addison works here. Above us, might I add. What are you doing?"

"Nothing happened Izzie. He needed a friend. I was there for him. This conversation ends now."

"Meredith –"

Izzie didn't get the chance to finish before Meredith was out of earshot.

!#$&

"Derek."

"Chief, what can I do for you this morning," Derek raised his head, slightly acknowledging Richard's presence.

"You could tell me where your wife is," Richard demanded.

Derek paused and turned to face him.

"I'm not Addison's keeper. Try calling her," he started to walk away.

"We tried that," Richard moved to block his path, "she's not answering at the trailer and her cell phone is turned off."

"She must not have wanted to talk, or she's out of range," he tried to move past Richard.

"Not powered off Derek, shut off. As in 'number no longer in service.' What the hell happened!"

"Addison is an adulterous bitch, Richard. That's what happened."

Derek pushed past Richard and flew down the hallway.

!#$&

"Izzie won't get off my back," Meredith pouted on the bench next to Cristina.

"Maybe cause she thinks Derek's on yours," Cristina remarked.

"It's none of her business," Meredith commented defiantly, ignoring Cristina's wit.

"Then why do you care?"

"I don't know. I just don't want Izzie mad at me."

"What did happen with you and McDreamy," Cristina asked pointedly.

"Seriously," Meredith turned to Cristina.

Cristina just smiled.

"Seriously."

"We just talked," Meredith looked away, "we're friends. Friends talk."

"Yeah, I know I'm prone to talking with my exes when they show up in the middle of the night."

"It wasn't the middle of the night. He was there when I got back from the bar. Where, just to make things really strange, I was drinking with Mark."

"Did anything happen with McSteamy."

"Cristina! NO!"

"McDreamy?"

"I'm leaving now."

!#$&

Izzie was standing at the nurses' station, going over charts for patients. Addison's patients.

"Alright Stevens," Bailey started, "with Dr. Sheppard out today, we get to pick up the slack. Who's first on the list?"

"McQuaid, Lorelai. She was admitted 2 days ago and put on bed rest until Dr. Sheppard could get all of her test results back. She's 7 months pregnant and her body is overwhelmingly stressed by the pregnancy. Dr. Sheppard was considering an early cesarean."

"Your well briefed," Bailey gave her a rare look of approval.

"Yeah, Dr. Sheppard had me pretty involved. Where is she?"

Bailey looked at Izzie, debating.

"This doesn't leave this conversation," Bailey's voice lowered.

Izzie nodded.

"She's MIA. Literally. The Chief went to Derek, who didn't know and didn't seem to care. She's not answering at the trailer and her cell has been disconnected."

"That's not like her," Izzie voice was filled with worry, "she wouldn't abandon her patients."

"That's what I thought," Bailey shrugged, "but that's what seems to have happened."

"Well," Izzie scoffed, "that explains one thing."

"What's that," Bailey raised her eyebrows.

"I shouldn't say."

"I shared, you share. That's an order."

"Derek showed up at the house last night. And left this morning with us."

Bailey's eyes closed for just a moment.

"Well, I guess Dr. McDreamy might know more than he let on. Come on, Stevens. Let's let Mrs. McQuaid know there'll be a slight delay."

!#$&

"So he's back."

"George," Meredith pleaded, "don't do this now. Please"

"No, of course I won't. Cause I don't have a right to know if you're picking up your affair in 'our' house," he railed at her.

"Wow," Meredith's mouthed dropped in shocked, "well, it isn't 'your' house and I'm not having an affair with Derek. Not that it is any of your concern."

"He has a wife. Who's one of our bosses. In case you'd forgotten."

"NO! I haven't forgotten that she works here. And I haven't forgotten she's his wife. I also haven't done anything to make anyone think any different," Meredith wanted to cry.

"Right, cause you not sleeping with him is so believable," he shot back.

She slapped him.

"How dare you!"

Before he could say anything, she was gone.

!#$&

Smack

Derek felt a chart collide with the back of his head and whipped around to exact revenge.

"What the hell-"

"Yeah, that's about where we are right now," Bailey's powerful presence was enough to back him down.

"Dr. Bailey –"

"Don't 'Dr. Bailey' me McDreamy. I've got patients. Actually, I've got my patients and I've got your wife's. My patients were more than enough. I don't need hers. But somebody had to get stuck with them. You know why? Because your wife is missing. Why? That's what you need to tell me."

"Miranda, if I knew where Addison was, I'd have told the Chief. I didn't because I don't. And, frankly, I don't care. Someone should check Mark's hotel. Or New York."

Bailey leaned back and eyed him up.

"Just because you ran back to your mistress isn't reason for me to believe she did."

His mouth gaped.

"I did not run to Meredith, who is not my mistress."

"You're a damn fool. You think messing with nurses gets bad. Wait to see how I treat people who lie to me."

"I'm not lying," he yelling, "and I outrank you so maybe you should rethink your tone."

"You can't do anything to me Dr. Sheppard. I'm too busy picking up after your missing wife. And I know your ass is lying. You maybe a good liar but you pissed off half my interns. I got people get slapped and not talking to each other. That affects my day. So what you can do is find your damn wife!"

Before he could get another word in, she walked off.

"And one more thing…"

He reluctantly looked up at her, a defeated expression on his face.

"What makes you think either of you is enough to keep her from her patients?"

She turned and walked away, leaving him to ponder, for the first time, where Addison really was.

"Now what do I do?"

Well, I feel bad for the way I ended the last chapter. But apparently not bad enough.

I'll try to get another chapter up in the next 24 hours. (I put this one up at 10:11pm est)