Meredith sighed. She was due to return to work (the lion's den) tomorrow before rounds. Cristina's day off had come and gone, the cardio resident had been a nice sounding board for the day but the Stanford graduate was eager to return to work and wasn't willing to call out to spend a day she could be learning to be with Meredith.
While she wasn't looking forward to spending time at the hospital at least she wouldn't be fighting off this excruciating boredom. Meredith had never had much free time and rarely knew what to do with herself when tasked with being still for more than a day. Except when I was in London, but again, I wasn't really doing anything with just myself was I?
Ever since the red-headed doctor had touched her face while she had been laid up in the cot, brushed the back of her fingers over Meredith's cheeks, the intern hadn't been able to think clearly. Sure, talking to Cristina had helped her remember the pain she had suffered at the hands of the older woman, but the way those green eyes had pierced into her soul…. Meredith knew she was in trouble. On top of reliving the painful leaving (as well as having the time to process she had never known her lover's name? What the fuck?) she had also relived the pleasurable parts. She didn't share all those details with Cristina though, they were friends but they'd also only known each other for a few weeks.
Spending the day watching trashy tv had seemed like a good idea, but the concussion she had sustained made itself known with a vengeance as a headache ripped through her skull. It was around 3pm but Meredith shut her eyes as tightly as she could until sleep took her.
Meredith wakes, startled from rest by the feeling of being watched. She had apparently fallen asleep on the couch, since she was still in her living room. She snuggled further into the woven sweater thrown across her chest, the smell of the fabric putting her at ease. The clink of a glass from the kitchen distracts her from her mission "Get 15 hours of sleep." Why is that setting her on edge?
Crap. Someone's in the house.
Meredith's heart jumped in her throat before calming. She had two roommates, obviously other people would be in the house. Meredith reached down blindly, feeling for her phone on the floor. The numbers "3:38" glow at her from her lockscreen. The brightness is blinding but isn't piercing into her brain like it had the past few days.
Maybe today work won't be so bad then. Though 8 hours of fluorescent bulbs probably doesn't feel great to anyone, recent head injury or not.
Meredith can hear footsteps wandering towards her and quickly closes her eyes, feigning sleep. She doesn't know who is checking on her at this ungodly hour but she doesn't want to have a confrontation right now if it's George being creepy.
I probably need to have a talk with him since the whole hospital is now aware that I am in some power game between the Dr. Shepherds.
A soft hand presses over her hair, smoothing it down, before turning to stroke along her cheek. The hand is warm and feels nonthreatening, so Meredith settles back into the pillows, resting peacefully. She drifts off, her exhausted brain finally recognizing whose scent was all over the sweater laid on top of her.
Addison's POV:
Addison was tired. Granted, it was her own fault. She hadn't heard a report on Merry's condition since she had first been released and Dr. Bailey was keeping tight-lipped on the situation in case Meredith Grey didn't want Addison (or Derek) to be in the loop on her life.
Addison sighed, bringing her coffee up to her red lips. She shouldn't have broken into the intern's house last night. And she definitely shouldn't have coerced Izzy into giving her the address in return for being in on the next non-emergency cesarean surgery she performed. But the little sleep she had gotten had been better than any in the last couple days since she could see that Meredith was alright. Plus she had left her sweater there for Merry as a gift.
Addison sipped her coffee again, wondering how their lives would have been different if she had given Meredith a chance all those years ago.
How could she have been in med school 10 years ago and just now be an intern? I need to speak with Merry and clear some of this up.
Addison looked up to see who was interrupting her solitary morning.
Speak of the Devil, or in my case, Satan.
The unlucky intern who happened to have walked into the same break room was none other than Meredith. The blonde hadn't realized she wasn't alone yet, having her eyes angled down towards the ground, in an attempt to shield her brain from the white lighting overhead.
"Hello Merr-edith."
Addison quietly cursed herself for almost calling her their old nickname. Or maybe for being a coward and changing to Meredith's full name partway through.
The blonde looked up at Addison, her eyes wide before calming slightly.
"Good morning Adrianne- Addison? Maybe we should reintroduce ourselves professionally."
Meredith pulled Addison's folded sweater out from her elbow where it had been tucked for transporting purposes.
"And I should return this to you. I don't know why you were at my house last night but I would appreciate it if you didn't do that again. My name is Meredith Grey, first year intern at Seattle Grace. And you are?"
Addison smirked at the blonde who was putting up a good front of not caring. The redhead reached for her hand, pulling her into a hug.
"Now Merry, it's fine for colleagues to be closer. My name is Addison Adrianne Montgomery Shepherd. And that sweater was a gift to you. I know I've got a polaroid of you somewhere, dressed only in this wool knit jumper. It was your favorite of mine right? While we were in London?"
Addison almost felt bad about how aggressively she was coming on to the blonde, but quickly pushed the guilt aside. She had been lied to and hurt by their not continuing the relationship as well, and now they were in a better position to pick back up again than ever before and she wasn't going to pretend they didn't have a history. Especially when that history was the happiest month of her life.
Addison pressed a quick kiss to Meredith's shocked cheek, pushing the sweater back into her chest.
"How is your head doing Meredith? I've been worried about you."
Meredith turns and walks back out the door she came in, ignoring the surgeon and the desire for coffee which probably is what led her to the breakroom in the first place.
"Well that could have gone better. Fuck."
