A/N: I apologize for the severe lack of updates. Up until last Monday I seriously hadn't had the initiative to write, but thanks to these new drugs they've got me on, I'm more focused and ready to update. I might even finish all these stories before the weekend is over. Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback. It gives more drive to write when I know people are actually reading.
When Meredith woke the next morning, she couldn't help but wonder why she even bothered to show him his own room. They had once again ended up in hers and his body was spooned loosely around hers. She could hear him snoring softly against her neck and for a moment she realized that it was nice to not wake up by herself. She couldn't kick him out because he lived here now and that was oddly...reassuring.
Her cell phone rang loudly and she groaned. Reaching over to the nightstand she grabbed it before it had a chance to wake him. The display read the number for the nursing home her mother was in. She quickly flipped the phone open and pressed it to her ear, scooting away from Derek in the process. She heard him groan and then she was being pulled back against him.
" Ms. Grey , " the voice on the other line questioned.
" This is she , " Meredith answered, trying to speak as quietly as possible.
" I'm calling on behalf of your mother. She's been asking to speak with you , " The nurse continued on.
" Is she alright?"
" She's fine, having one of her better days. Would it be at all possible for you to stop in and see her today?"
"Um, yeah. I'll be there as soon as I can, " Meredith flipped her phone shut and sighed.
" What time is it, " Derek's voice startled her and she jumped slightly.
" Early. Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, " She wasn't sure what possessed her to apologize.
" Don't be. I need to get up anyways and take care of some things, " He answered her as he pressed a kiss against her shoulder before climbing out of the bed.
" Okay, well I'm going to jump in the shower and head out. Be sure to lock up when you leave okay?"
" Meredith, " She was almost to the door when his voice stopped her. She turned to look at him.
" Want to meet me for lunch later, " He asked casually.
" Uh, sure. My cell number is on the board downstairs, " She hurriedly replied as she scurried out of the room.
Derek chuckled to himself. She really didn't do the whole morning thing well.
Meredith wrung her hands nervously as she waited for her mother to join her in the sitting room. When the nursing home had called, she had been expecting the worst, but then found out that her mother was actually lucid enough to remember her. Forgetful Mother she could deal with. It was the mother who knew her that she didn't know how to handle. Her mother hadn't approved of her wanting to go to med school, saying that she didn't have what it took to be a doctor. Meredith had decided to prove her wrong.
Being a surgeon had been Ellis Grey's life and had left little room for anything else, including Meredith. Her father had bailed on them when she was young for reasons Meredith never understood. He never kept in touch with his daughter, even though Meredith was fully aware of where he was. She just simply wouldn't be bothered to rebuild a relationship with a man who had walked out on her without a second glance.
That's why Meredith didn't do relationships. Too much risk involved. Why take the chance of getting hurt by letting yourself get emotionally attached to someone? Which is why one night stands were the easiest answer for her. This thing with Derek...it was new and still very uncomplicated. He didn't press her for details, except for possibly her last name, which she still hadn't given up. Which was stupid because she had invited him to live with her.
Now they would be meeting for lunch. As in kind of a date. Meredith didn't go on dates. Dates led to relationships and she hated relationships. All the sharing and the getting to know one another stuff she wasn't good at. She was good at the speeches the next morning telling that last night had been fun, but it was just that. Now, here she was. Living and sleeping with a man. That went beyond relationship into scary territory that she wasn't prepared to analyze. Except being with Derek was comfortable , natural even. Silence wasn't awkward. It was just...nice.
Derek had rambled around the house for a while before finally getting out for the day. Since he had just started at the hospital, his caseload was light. So far he had no surgeries scheduled for the next couple of days, but he knew that could change at the drop of a hat. It felt good to be practicing medicine in a hospital again. He realized that in New York he had grown comfortable with his own practice and Seattle had provided him with a challenge.
He had grown comfortable with a lot of things in New York, Derek mused. Being here in Seattle was like breathing in fresh air, it was new and invigorating. Some of that he could attribute to being in a new city with a new job, but a lot of it he could attribute to a little tiny blonde named Meredith. It was odd, he thought. Less than a month ago he had found his wife in bed with his best friend. He'd been hurt and betrayed, but he had simply walked away. He didn't stick around to hear the excuses and Addison had wisely stopped calling after two days of not answering her calls.
He wanted the divorce over and done with, but his lawyer in New York had told him that in order to file for divorce, the couple had to be legally separated for six months. So he had filed for legal separation and was almost surprised when Addison had signed the papers. They had been faxed to him his first day in Seattle. Obviously, she had realized very quickly that they weren't going to work things out. Idly, he wondered if she was still with Mark and he found himself not caring.
The thought shook him. Addison had been his wife for eleven years and he had walked away without so much as a parting glance. Most men would have stayed and fought, at least punched the guy who was doing his wife, but Derek simply walked away. He might have been able to get past it had it not been Mark , his best friend, the guy who was his best man , whom he had done his internship with.
Derek wondered if they would have ever came clean with him had he not walked in on them. Apparently, they both thought he was stupid. The joke was on them though. The worst place to carry on an affair would be in the married spouse's home. It had been like a slap in the face from both of them that they had the audacity to do it in his bed. Those sheets had been a gift from his mother and he had promptly burned them upon returning to their home to collect his things.
Some part of his brain questioned how fast he was moving in getting over Addison, while the other part screamed at him that his wife, his supposed soulmate , had cheated on him. Not with a stranger but with the man he thought of as a brother. That part of his brain told him to suck it up and get on with his life. That was the part Derek chose to listen too. After all, he was a surgeon and surgeons never second guessed themselves.
Resolving not to think about the past any longer, Derek whipped out his cell phone and dialed Meredith's number.
Her phone rang right as she was pulling out of the parking lot and looked down at it to see an unfamiliar number. A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost lunch time and she knew it had to be Derek. She briefly considered ignoring the call, but then she remembered she had agreed to lunch.
" Hello , " She answered as casually as possible.
" Seattle has ferryboats, " Derek's voice came through cheerfully.
" Yes. Seattle's surrounded by water on three sides , " Meredith told him in a matter of fact kind of way.
" I didn't know that. Now, I have to like it here. I'm from New York, genetically engineered to dislike everywhere, except Manhattan , " He informed her.
Meredith laughed.
" So this incredibly beautiful woman agreed to have lunch with me today. Only thing is, I have no idea what kind of food she likes to eat. "
" Hmm. Did you make another lunch date with someone besides me? "
She heard him laugh.
" Okay, so you doesn't take compliments well. Seriously, what kind of food are you in the mood for? "
" I hate Chinese. "
" Alright then, Chinese is out. How do you feel about Italian?"
" Italian's good. Italian and I get along very well."
Meredith heard him chuckle again and she smiled in spite of herself.
" Well, I'm still kind of new to this area, so I leave the picking of the place up to you, " He said.
" I'm kind of tired. How about we meet at the house and order in ," She suggested, realizing that her visit with her mother had left her kind of drained.
" Sounds like a plan."
They said their goodbyes and hung up. The entire drive back to the house Meredith had one thought plaguing her mind.
What the hell was she getting herself into?
