Chapter 53: Surprises!
"Wait!" Meredith grasped Cristina's arm before she closed up the trunk of her car.
"What now?" Cristina asked for the thousandth time.
"Don't you think I've packed too much?" Meredith glanced at her nervously.
"No, I don't," Cristina answered, deadpanned. "You don't even know when you'll be back. You'll probably stay naked most of the time but still, you'll need clothes eventually."
"Yeah, but-"
Cristina unceremoniously shut the trunk and walked around to the driver's seat, not listening to what Meredith was saying. "Come on, or we'll really be late."
"Coming, coming! Wait!" Meredith came to a halt rummaging in her pocket for her cell. "Morning, Der. What's up?" she asked trying to sound innocent. Had someone betrayed her surprise to him?
"Oh, for god's sake, just tell him!" Cristina rolled her eyes and climbed into the car.
"Is that Cristina?" Derek asked.
"Yeah, I've just had breakfast at the inn." That was not even a lie. She wasn't going to divulge though that now Cristina was just about to drive her off to the airport.
"So early?" Suspicion was obvious in his voice. "You're normally in bed at this hour…"
"I'm heading out of Rachel," she explained again, completely truthfully once more. "It's gonna be a long day. Anyway, what are you doing? Did you have a night shift and decide to wake me up so rudely?"
"I've actually just arrived at the hospital; I have an interview in half an hour."
"Oh, right, your next step to fame," she poked fun at him.
Derek decided not to correct her, though fame and prestige was the last thing on his mind right now. He was going to be interviewed, and its outcome was crucial for his plans. And he was plain nervous. "I'm seriously considering dropping my briefcase and running away."
"Come on," Meredith teased him mercilessly. "You propositioned sex to me within an hour after you first met me. Now you're being shy with a journalist?"
"Are you ever going to stop reminding me of that?" he asked grouchily, knowing full well her answer already.
"Nope, making fun of you is one of my favorite pastimes," she quipped back. "Don't fret, you are the star of this interview, not the journalist. Just be your usual cocky self."
Actually, he wanted to make someone else the star of the interview, but he chose not to share that piece of information with Meredith just yet. "Thanks, I'll call you when it's over?"
"Uhm, I'm not sure if you'll catch me, the day's going to be impossible…" she sighed. It was going to be impossible on so many levels. "We'll talk tonight though." She couldn't help but smile. Yes, they would talk tonight, amongst other things.
"I don't know how long this whole Harper-Avery gala will take but I'll call you," he promised.
"Derek? In case we don't have a chance beforehand, good luck. You really are in the running for the grant."
"I'm not getting my hopes up. I didn't conduct the trial to get a prize." That was only partially true. He was looking out for a prize, but one of a different kind.
"Still, they're really nice to get. I would know," she giggled. She got a glimpse of Cristina's grumpy face and quickly excused herself to Derek. "I gotta go, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye, love you," he murmured to her, and entered one of the conference rooms, readjusting his tie. The man from the medical journal that wanted to interview him was already inside. After a brief stage of introduction, they both sat down.
Before any question was posed, Derek spoke up, "I agreed to this interview under the condition that you would print my announcement along with the article, not changing a word if it…"
"Okay, so… remember to fasten your seatbelt during the take-off and landing," Cristina reminded Meredith as they both stood awkwardly, the latter about to join the queue for the gate.
"Right," Meredith smiled nervously.
"And don't let the dude next to you steal your armrest."
"I won't."
"And don't run out of the airport without a coat."
"Yeah," Meredith nodded. She was suddenly feeling very shaky, her legs were like jelly; all because she realized more clearly than ever before that she was about to board the plane that would take her straight to the place, she had run away from. "Cristina…"
"Mer?"
"I…"
"Stay as long as you need," Cristina looked deeply into her eyes, stressing every word. "As long as you need."
Meredith's head moved up and down in a nod again, her throat stinging just a bit. Unexpectedly to both of them she dropped her bag for a second and pulled her friend into a tight hug. "I love you, Cristina Yang."
"I love you too," she said back, without an ounce of sarcasm that was usually so typical for her.
When they pulled away from this very atypical for them display of affection, they both tried to make light of it.
"Too sappy, you think?" quipped Meredith.
"Yeah, don't ever do that again. "And Mer?" she called after her one last time making Meredith turn back to her. "Be happy, you deserve that."
"Cristina? Thanks, I couldn't do this without you."
"You're welcome. What are friends for if not for giving an encouraging kick in the butt every now and then?"
Heaving the bag over her shoulder, Meredith summoned all of her courage and strode towards the gate with defiance. She would be tough and get through everything, and later tonight all her efforts would be rewarded, her nerves soothed, in Derek's bed.
Derek exited the conference room with apparent relief. It had gone over well. He had said what he had wanted to, and it would turn up in print too. His musings were interrupted as he noticed Mark getting off the elevator and walking in his direction.
"Mark!"
He didn't stop.
"Mark, how long are you going to ignore me?" Derek sighed, having caught up with him.
"I don't know, probably long enough to see you leave."
"I can't leave with us not being on speaking terms," argued Derek.
"How touching. Don't act as if you have suddenly stopped being selfish."
"Selfish?" Derek repeated with surprise. "How am I being selfish?"
"You're abandoning Ma and the girls."
"I'm not abandoning them. Mom supports my decision wholeheartedly, and my sisters, everything they need for a home, they have here. I don't."
"Have a nice life, Derek," Mark cut the conversation short and stalked away.
"You are an ass, you know that?" He didn't escape too far when he was met with his girlfriend's stern look.
"That's a good one," he snorted. "Somehow, I'm the bad guy in all of this mess?"
"This mess?" Addie snorted disbelievingly. "It's your brother's attempts at happiness, and you're calling it a mess?"
"Don't try to make me feel guilty!"
"I'm not," she hissed. "But maybe you are feeling so anyway? It was painfully obvious to me that what he wants was miles away from him, in Nevada. That he couldn't wait to be able to see that woman again. You've known him practically all his life, and you want to tell me you didn't notice? I don't believe that. Cause if you didn't, you're as bad a friend to him as you claim him to be to you."
Mark didn't reply but the color spilled on his cheeks.
Addie continued in a much gentler tone, "Come to the gala tonight, he needs his friends tonight."
"I have better things to do," Mark plodded on stubbornly. "Why don't you go with him if you keep defending him so ardently?"
"You know what, I will!" she declared losing her patience with him. "Because he is a good friend of mine, and I will be there for him."
Before he could say anything, she whirled on her heels and walked away.
Snuggly tucked in her coat, Meredith walked out of the airport maneuvering between people hurrying in every direction, travelers, their families, valets in yellow jackets. She found a spot where she was in nobody's way and took in everything that surrounded her.
New York was greeting her with sun, everything was bathed in its rays. But Meredith always disliked winter sun. It was perverse, it was blinding and harsh, and tended to give a false feeling of warmth.
She moved along the curb, her boots cracking on the grayish snow, as she raised her arm to hail a taxi. Four years, she had been here for the last time four years ago, ages and a blink of an eye… She than had been a broken woman, now she was glued back together but… she only hoped the glue would endure whatever she might encounter on her way.
"Everything alright, Ma'am?" the driver shot her a worried look in the rear-view mirror.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thank you," she breathed out, opening her eyes. Buildings, streets, and parks flashed in a hazy blur outside as one of the famous yellow cabs was taking Meredith to her destination. She tried to calm herself, but it was a feat. Every now and then, she caught a glimpse of something, a familiar place, or a landmark, that brought back memories. Some of them were good, others she wanted to forget about.
She would love nothing more than to go to NY Pres and throw herself into Derek's reassuring arms, no matter how weak it would make her seem. She had decided to surprise him tonight at the gala, looking all fabulous and gorgeous. Most importantly, of all, she owed a visit to someone else first, her family. Thanks to a brief conversation with unsuspecting Lexie, she knew they were gathering for dinner this afternoon.
Meredith told the taxi driver to pull over a couple of blocks earlier and finished the remaining distance on foot. She didn't want to attract attention; this was supposed to be a surprise. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed two cars in the driveway. She recognized one belonging to her father and Susan, the other must have been Molly and Eric's. If Lexie wasn't on call, the whole family would be reunited for dinner. She walked up slowly, trying not to think about the last time she was here even though the images were already flashing in her brain.
Instead of ringing the doorbell, she pushed a flowerpot standing at the top of the steps that led up to the front door to retrieve a spare key. As quietly as possible, she unlocked the door and tiptoed through the hall towards the dining room from where several happy voices were radiating out.
She halted in the doorway. Everyone stood with their backs to her looking at a sofa.
"We definitely feel a little guilty," her father was saying animatedly. "It's not the cheapest out there… but you've got to pay for quality. We suffered from sore backs for years with our old one."
"It wasn't that bad," Meredith spoke up resolutely, revealing her presence. "Lexie kissed her first boyfriend on it."
