Chapter 30: Surprise for Derek
Meredith tried to bring her breathing under control as she stood in front of the inn. This was the day; this was the moment. Today, her life would take a whole new direction. She wasted enough of it, she stalled and avoided enough. Today, she would become a whole new person, starting now.
"Morning, Doc, you coming in?" one of Cristina's cooks took Meredith out of her musings.
"Yeah, hey Mack," she smiled, opening the door for him.
She slowly made her way to the dining area. Cristina was doing some early cleaning, taking advantage of the very early hour.
"Hey," Meredith greeted her friend quietly. She was sure she had guilt written all over her face.
"Oh, look who's graced us with her presence," Cristina snorted nonchalantly, not taking her eyes off the framed picture on the wall she was polishing.
"I'm sorry," sighed Meredith. "I was-"
"Let me guess, you were busy," jeered Cristina. "It slipped your mind that I'm never too busy for you."
"You totally have the right to be mad at me, and I was not busy. I know that's a bullshit excuse," she said and sat down in the booth. "I was doing a full frontal avoidance."
Apparently, that was a reply to Cristina did not expect as she lowered her arms from her cleaning task and sat down opposite her, staring at her.
Meredith had her eyes fixed on the picture on the wall, wearing an expression that indicated she was intensively thinking about something.
"Meredith? Meredith! What the hell is wrong with you?" sighed Cristina. "You don't give a sign of life, then you finally show up to stare at the wall? This is seriously-"
"Derek said he loved me."
"-messed up- What?!" gasped Cristina. "Do you need me to kick his ass for you?"
"No," chuckled Meredith. "Not anymore."
"Not- Wait! What do you mean by not anymore?!"
Meredith cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders a little. "I've dealt with it already."
"You've dealt with it already," Cristina repeated hollowly. "The guy you've been in a no commitment relationship has suddenly told you he loved you and you're okay with this-? Oh crap, did you say it back?"
"No," Meredith gave out a small artificial chuckle.
"No- or not yet?" Cristina asked knowingly.
"I have a favor to ask you," said quickly Meredith, ignoring her friend's query.
"Say what?!"
"I know I'm in no position to ask you anything but- it's Derek's birthday-"
"You gotta be kidding me," snorted Cristina. "You've got the nerve!"
"I'd like to organize a little surprise party, but you know I'm a cooking disaster and I can't have Derek cook for his own birthday party he doesn't know about-"
"Stop! Stop with the ramble!" Cristina shook her head, narrowing her eyes at her. "I deserve something for the last days' zero contact. Is he staying in-"
"No," Meredith denied immediately.
"Then I'm missing something here! So, he claims he loves you but doesn't-"
"I wouldn't want him to stay!" Meredith looked at her pleadingly.
"But you're fall-"
"Don't say that! Please don't make me say that!"
Cristina gave her a long sharp look and sighed, "You're screwed."
"I know," Meredith propped her head with her elbow. "But- maybe it's a good thing, right? Healing or something?"
"Meredith, I don't want to see you-" Cristina trailed off noticing the hopeful or maybe desperate expression on her person's face. Even though she knew better, she said, "Yeah, maybe it's a good thing. Anyway, when do you want to throw that birthday party?"
"Uhm, today-?" Meredith bit her lip apologetically.
"Seriously? You couldn't give me a shorter notice, could you?"
"Please? Pretty please?"
"Fine, have it your way! But I don't even have any decorations at the moment, just kids' stuff-"
"That's more than enough, he'll love the spaceships and the aliens," giggled Meredith.
"I seriously want to kick your ass right now!" Cristina hissed menacingly. "And you owe me big time!"
"I know I do," Meredith sobered and reached her hand across the table to hold her hand. "How have you been?"
"Fine."
"And Owen?"
"He's an idiot," grumbled Cristina.
"Why is he an idiot?"
"He- wants to move in- I mean, there was nothing about him moving with me, he was just to move to Rachel!"
"Well, where did you expect him to move in? It's not like Rachel property market is very big-"
"Seriously, you're not helping!" bit Cristina.
"Okay, so- You can give him a room in the inn for now," proposed Meredith. "He'll have a roof over his head, and you will have your space."
"I don't think he's going to stay in his room for too long-" snickered Cristina, "but I can always send him there if he gets annoying-"
They looked at each other, smiling. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch-"
"It's fine," Cristina rolled her eyes. "Let's spare ourselves dramatic Oprah confessions. What time are you going to bring your McDreamy?"
"You'll get everything ready at six?"
"Sure."
"And-"
"What again?"
"How much would you take for that picture?" Meredith asked pointing at the framed photo Cristina had been polishing earlier.
Derek flinched, startled out of his sleep by his cell phone blaring off. He huffed with annoyance; his eyes pressed close as he waited for it to ring away. Someone was insistent, but Derek was way too groggy to care if it was a patient in dire need. It was much too early for him to be awake. He smiled blissfully when the phone went quiet. His relief was short-lived though as only minutes later the irritating sound resumed. This time he grabbed Meredith's pillow and threw it over his head to muffle the noise. Only when his cell phone became silent once again did he realize he was able to grab Meredith's pillow because she was no longer in bed with him.
He heaved himself up with displeasure, he hated waking up without Meredith at his side. The bed felt empty without her. It was amazing to start a new day with her tucked snuggly against him. He also couldn't deny it was convenient in regard to his morning wood. Meredith was always too keen to help him out with the problem. Not today, she wasn't. He sighed and turned onto his back tiredly, his hand disappearing under the cover to pump his erection. He should probably take it to the bathroom, they were running out of clean sheets, but he was way too grumpy to move.
However, before things could progress any further, the cell rang for the third time. He hit his head against the pillow with irritation and reached for the phone, his erection still tightly in his grip. He hoped it wasn't an emergency.
"Dr. Shepherd, how can I help you?" he husked into the receiver, hoping that someone chose the number by mistake.
His question was followed with a moment of silence and then-
"Dr. Shepherd? Dr. Shepherd, my ass!"
Derek sat up abruptly, his eyes wide awake, his penis instantly flaccid. This was no patient calling him. It was his youngest sister's dulcet tones screaming at him all the way down from New York. He felt like slapping himself, he should have got that call the first time around. Now Mia seemed angrier than the most venomous rattlesnake in Nevada.
"Is this for real?" Amelia's voice almost blasted his ear off. "You don't speak to your family for weeks, you don't answer our calls and when you finally do, you speak to me per Dr. Shepherd?"
Derek, closed his eyes, his brain on fast forward. "Mia, hi, I'm sorry. I- I've been busy, I grabbed the phone not even looking who was calling." He bit on his lip. He was such a liar- He was busy? Doing what? Jacking off while fantasizing about Meredith?
"You're such a liar!" Mia shrieked into his ear, echoing his thoughts. "You're busy? Doing what exactly?"
"I'm working, Mia. I was with a patient," he kept on lying.
"All the freaking time for the last month or so?" she shrieked.
"I'm- sorry?"
"Sorry, my ass! You're so lucky it's your birthday or I'd be yelling at you until your thick head burst!"
"My birthday?" he exclaimed suddenly. He jumped out of bed and opened Meredith's calendar. It was August 11th all could he have forgotten about his own birthday?
"Why are you so surprised?" Mia asked suspiciously. "Have you forgotten about your own birthday? Like I'm gonna believe that poor bullshit of an excuse…"
"It's not an excuse-" he breathed out. "I- it slipped my mind altogether-" Meredith blew his mind so effectively that he forgot about everything, his family, his career, even the fact that he was turning thirty-six today-
"I can't believe you forgot!" gasped Amelia. "Are you really that busy? It's still the United States of America for God's sake! Not a third world country! Didn't they have a doctor before?"
"They did, an excellent one," he sighed. "I'm sincerely sorry I've been such a crappy brother."
"And son," interrupted Mia
"And son," he agreed. "I just- there is really a lot going on in my life."
"Are you okay?" Amelia asked with palpable concern.
"I am," he smiled. "Better than I ever am."
"You're- weird," she clearly rolled her eyes on the other side of the line. "But I guess I can forgive you. You're not off the hook though!"
"I know," he chuckled. "Thank you."
"I guess I'll give you your present, which you don't deserve by the way, when you're back."
"When I'm- back-" he repeated, his voice faltering.
"I can't imagine how you could leave the OR behind for two whole months, voluntarily!" she now sounded close to scandalized. "I would have been like a druggie on withdrawal by now!"
"It's not that bad," he replied, surprised with himself. "You can live without surgery."
"What? Where the hell is my surgery junkie brother?" she yelled. "Have you joined a cult or something? Have you become a real junkie?"
"No!" he laughed out loud. "Just- There are other things in life- that- you know, come first-"
"You sound uncannily like our mother-"
"Take it back!" he feigned indignation. He jumped when the alarm clock on the bedside table blared off.
"Not going to- Wait! What was that?"
"Ugh-That's- that's the phone ringing in the practice," he muttered. "I need to go and take it."
"You're so full of it!" taunted him Amelia. "You're still in bed, you lazy ass!"
"I am not!" he laughed finally quieting the clock. He missed his sister, he missed his family, but- going back? It didn't look appealing at all, not one bit.
Hearing the front door to the practice open, Derek poured another cup of coffee. He knew it was Meredith coming back from wherever she had gone to. Izzie had arrived already, and it was too early for the patients.
"Guess what's today!" he asked eagerly, his face all smiles as he quickly made his way downstairs. He was horny, he wanted to have his morning quickie. And it was his birthday, so he was even more entitled to some favors, preferably of sexual kind. He would cook a special dinner tonight and they would have wild sex, lots of wild birthday sex. Meredith would certainly be game.
"Ugh, Saturday?" Meredith answered absent-mindedly to his question.
"That too but-"
"Derek, are you going to be okay here with Izzie if I go to Cristina for a couple of hours?" Meredith interrupted him quickly taking her coffee.
"What's wrong?" his enthusiastic face fell considerably.
"I- screwed it up with her- I went to see her, that's why I left so early. And it's- not so good between us. She's got a party to organize and she's a bit shorthanded- I figured I could help her out so maybe she'll start talking to me." Her conscience prickled a little, but all the lies were in good cause.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," he sighed, so much for his plans...
"It's going to be okay, I hope-" she feigned a sorrowful look. "I'll see a patient or two so I won't feel bad leaving you here alone."
"I'll manage," he assured her. "You know, my sister called-"
"Sorry Derek," she quickly shut him up with a kiss, "we'll talk about it later, ok? I need to get busy with these charts."
She disappeared into her office leaving him in the lobby, looking thoroughly nonplussed. Once she was sheltered from his view, she broke into quiet giggles. The poor guy looked so deflated as though he had just been told he would never be able to have sex again. That sad puppy face, she couldn't resist it. But she had to, she had plans for tonight.
Aww she cares for him!
