Chapter 23: Thief in the Night
Contrary to what he had told Meredith quarter of an hour ago, Derek didn't go the grocery store right away but walked past a couple of gaps between buildings (he wasn't sure if they could be qualified as streets) and entered Cristina's inn. The town center was only beginning to wake up from the night's sleep even if it was already past 8 a.m.
"McDreamy," the snarky innkeeper greeted him at the reception desk. "Shouldn't you be back at the practice, attached to my person's hip as usual, or kneeling at her bedside?"
"How do you…?"
"I came over yesterday to see Mer," she rolled her eyes. "I don't think you heard me, I thought you wanted to wake her up staring at her."
"Well," he cleared his throat, only a bit embarrassed. "I was worried…"
"So was I. How is she?"
"Good, good. The worst patient in the world though," he chuckled.
"That's why you did a runner?" she raised one of her eyebrows.
"I did not do a runner," he replied, slightly offended. "I went shopping."
"Interesting. So you're here because…?"
Derek stepped from foot to foot nervously, glanced around and braced himself pose the question, "Should I be… should I be worried about Mitch?"
He could tell he hit the jackpot as Cristina choked and dropped the cloth with which she was wiping the counter.
She narrowed her eyes at him and hissed, "What did you just say?"
"I… I asked if I should be-"
"Shut up!" she silenced him. "How do you know about Mitch? She didn't tell you, I'm sure she didn't. Have you been trying to find something on her behind her back?"
"No!" he gasped, his voice raising an octave as he launched to explain. "Yesterday, she had a fever. I don't know if she was dreaming or what… She mumbled his name… repeatedly."
Cristina let out a deep heavy sigh pinching the bridge of her nose. "And you're going behind her back and asking me-"
"I don't want her to run," Derek argued insistently. "It's like I can't ask her about anything from her past because she starts to pull away. Just like yesterday, we had a fight just before she was… bitten by the snake."
"Well, it's not for me to tell," she said dismissively.
"I'm not asking you to tell me," desperation was clearly etched in his voice. "I'm not going to pry. It's not my curiosity but I need to know, should I be worried about this Mitch guy?"
"What do you mean by that?" she frowned in confusion.
"It's the guy she had been engaged to, isn't he?"
"And why would you of all people be worried about her ex?"
"I… I need to know if… if she thinks about him when she's with me or…" he combed his hair with his fingers, weary frustration washing over him.
"Huh." Her beady eyes fixed on him again. "Why do you care? You're just-"
"I know," he cut her midsentence, "I know. I'm here just for two months and we're just a summer fling. Well, somehow I care and I make no excuses for it."
She nodded and said after a while, "You don't need to worry about Mitch. If Mer said his name dreaming, it was a nightmare she was having."
"Does she… does she have feelings for him?"
"God, you're insecure," Cristina rolled her eyes. "You failed to make her come or what? Mitch is not going to suddenly appear in Rachel and sweep her off her feet, I can make that promise to you. Meredith doesn't love him, she hates him. And even if she did love him or wanted to get back to him, she wouldn't find him. And I think I've said enough," she stated with a finality in her voice.
"Thank you," he breathed out.
"Whatever. Just… I don't think we should advertise that we had this little chat. I practically told you nothing but Meredith won't see it that way. She'd make a mountain out of molehill. And honestly, I don't think you should mention Mitch to her… at all."
"I'll keep my mouth shut," he sighed, nodded at her and walked out.
"Good morning, Dr. Shepherd," a man Derek was pretty sure he had never met before greeted him walking past on the sidewalk.
"Er, good morning," he answered politely. He was almost sure it wasn't one of the few patients he had treated in Rachel. He could be at the barn raising yesterday though… Probably that was it.
"Morning, Dr. Shepherd!" a woman carrying a bag of groceries zoomed past him without a second glance.
He frowned. He couldn't remember ever meeting that woman either. He shrugged and resumed his walk to the store.
"Hello, Doc," another man nodded at him at the door.
"Morning, doctor, how're you doing?" a young woman smiled at him. "Hi, Dr. Shepherd!" piped her small daughter.
He went into the store in the state of dazed disbelief. He must have stepped into a parallel dimension. Everything around looked like Rachel but the people… They behaved towards him like they always behaved towards Meredith. Strange. What had changed overnight?
"Dr. Shepherd," a woman who looked quite familiar this time halted beside him in front of the shelf with rice.
"I… eh, hello," he stammered with an apologetic smile.
"I'm Audrey Lawson, very nice to meet you," she grinned at him and shook his hand before he even reached it out. "I popped in to the practice yesterday to see if Meredith needed anything but it seemed like you'd got everything covered."
"Oh, right," he nodded remembering yesterday's events. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me," she waved her hand dismissively. "We look after our girl. And how is she? We've been all worried!"
"She's good, just needs her rest now."
"But she'll be able to come on Friday, won't she?" a brief concern flickered on the lady's face.
"Come… where?" he asked.
"Oh, haven't you heard, Dr. Shepherd? The annual Rachel fair is this Friday, it's Rachel's birthday in fact. 196th anniversary of town foundation."
"Really? That's interesting."
"So there's a fair. Competitions, excellent food from our lovely ladies… and you don't have to worry about Chloe Bishop, of course, she didn't even volunteer this year," she whispered conspiratorially. "And after everything, there's a dance. You need to come with our Meredith!"
"Oh, I'd-"
"I can't imagine you not being there in fact!" she all but yelped. "You're one of the founders' descendants! In straight line too. The other families, well, expect one, are still represented, but by the mother's side."
"And that one family?" Derek asked curiously. He loved to hear stories about his family. It made him feel more rooted here. And it looked like the Shepherds were a kind of nobility here at some point.
"The Averys," Mrs. Lawson replied, beaming.
"Oh," his voice faltered somewhat.
"They seem to be going stronger than the Shepherds these days," she let out a sort of tut tut.
"Really?" he asked rather sourly.
"One of the biggest families in Rachel," she went on. "And you're here all alone… How old are you by the way, hon?"
"I… I'm thirty-five…" he cleared his throat.
"It's a perfect time for a man to start thinking about settling down, marrying, siring a couple of children…"
He swallowed hard when she winked at him. Surely, she wasn't hitting on him, right? he cringed. She must have known she was a bit… well, too old to have those couple of children.
"Anyway, I see you and Meredith at the fair if not sooner, right?" she smiled and left him standing there, bemused. He should better hurry up with his shopping. Maybe the cashier would be hit with temporary insanity too and wouldn't attempt to pretend the card terminal was broken.
"Meredith, what are you doing?" he frowned entering the kitchen to find her leaning into the fridge.
"What?"
"You're supposed to be in bed, resting," he reminded her sternly.
"You're obsessed," she grumbled and he knew she had just rolled her eyes on him even if she was turned back from him. She was clearly showered and already dressed.
"I am not obsessed. And you could show more understanding for my concern. You were unconscious for nine hours yesterday after being bitten by a highly venomous snake! You could have died!"
"Don't overdramatize," she shrugged off and eyed two full grocery bags he carried in. "Are you going to whip up some breakfast? There's nothing in the fridge."
"I am. On the condition that you get back to bed!" he admonished and shooed her away from the counter.
"I'm not going back to bed. I need to have my breakfast and go to work. Do my job."
"Oh no, you're not. You've not been cleared."
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes as thin as slits of that unfortunate rattlesnake. "I don't need a clearance."
"Yeah, you do. I'm your doctor," he smirked, a bit too smugly perhaps.
"Seriously? What do you know about snake bites?" she snorted. "Zero."
"You know, I'm not going to pick a fight with you," he said calmly leaving unpacking the shopping for a moment and turning to her.
"Good, glad we're on agreement-"
"We're not on agreement," it was his turn to snort as he walked up to her.
She backed half a step self-consciously. She did not like that expression of his, not a bit.
"I'm not going to argue with you because it's pointless," he chuckled. "You have a stubborn little head. I just need to be proactive."
"Wha-?"
She didn't even finish her word when he lunged at her and lifted her up in his arms effortlessly, a wicked grin on his face.
"Put me down, you brute!" she shrieked pounding on his back with her fists, the only thing achieved being her sore knuckles. She gasped in humiliation when she felt his palm slap her ass patronizingly. She was fuming when he finally put her down, straight into the bed in her loft. He immediately took of her shoes, pulled at her shorts dragging them off her legs and threw a blanket over her.
"Who do you think you are?" she bellowed and wondered if he was half deaf already. She tried to sit up but his hands pushed down at her arms steadily.
"You are staying in bed and resting today, Mer," he repeated slowly but clearly. "And I swear, if you don't stop fighting me, I'll get restraints. Not exactly how I wanted to tie you up but we'll make it work," he flashed her a grin.
"I hate you," she growled lowly and wrenched her hands out of his grip and tried to stop the mortifying pulsating feeling in her girl parts.
"You wish you did," he chuckled and leaned forward. "Though I'm not sure I dare kiss you right now. You might want to bite off my tongue."
"I can't spend another day in bed!" she tried to reason with him. "I have responsibilities, patients!"
"I'll take care of the practice," he assured her.
She let out a bog snort. "Yeah, right. I like this place, I like my job. I'm not gonna set you loose all by yourself!"
"And why not? Everybody loves me," he smirked.
She choked with laughter. "You meant everybody hates you?"
"No, they don't anymore," he smiled. "I went out and everyone I met was… nice to me. 'Hello, Dr. Shepherd. How do you do, Dr. Shepherd?' Feels good."
Her forehead frowned in confusion.
"Although I think Mrs. what's her name… Mrs. Lawson likes me a bit too much…" he scrunched his face. "She kept throwing in some comments about making babies."
Meredith clamped her jaws shut going slightly red on the face and praying Derek wouldn't notice. He clearly didn't cotton on what Mrs. Lawson was hinting at. Thank god! He was already much too clingy for their little arrangement.
"And she talked about some fair on Friday? Will you go to the dance with me?" he grinned at her.
"Huh?" she sighed blankly, her heart beating faster.
"Good," he smiled and quickly pressed a little kiss to her pouting lips. "I'll get on with that breakfast."
Her head began to pound as she watched him walk out. Why did he try so hard to get her used to his presence? He worried about her, cared about her, was at her side practically all the time. And now it seemed that for some reason the town had accepted him. Why was he trying to gain a permanent spot in her life? It would only make things harder when he was to leave. And he had to.
