Chapter 60: Sitting in Jail
Meredith quickly rubbed her eyes in disbelief at what she had just written in Mrs. Marsh's patient history. She must have been hit with temporary insanity. What else could have happened to make her write she had given Mrs. Marsh a prostate exam? This level of distraction was inadmissible, it was unacceptable. It was all Derek's fault. Stinking bastard, he had some nerve showing up in Rachel with the red-head in tow. But what was he doing back here…?
Meredith paused her pen, her forehead marred with a deep frown as she tried to wrap her mind around it. She shook her head almost immediately. She didn't want to spend another minute thinking about Derek Shepherd. It was making her both angry and anguished and she did not want to go through the angst and broken heart stage again.
It was unlikely she would be left in peace, not when he was back in town stirring up trouble. Whatever his deal with the red head was, he was not intent on severing the ties with her either, their first meeting face to face after months of physical separation told her that.
He looked good. Whatever else could he look…? He might have been slightly thinner, easily explainable given all the hard work and effort he had put into the trial.
Meredith shook herself mentally once again for allowing her thoughts to freely drift off to Derek. She must have been a glutton for punishment. Luckily, she was spared more self-deprecating musings as she heard someone's energetic footsteps coming in the lobby and seconds later, Cristina barged into her office, looking as though she had been running all the way from the inn. One didn't need to be detective to deduce the reason behind her behavior. Still, Meredith chose to play it cool.
"What are you doing?" she frowned at her, one of her eyebrows quirked up.
"Coming to the rescue!" Cristina managed to spit out between large gasps.
"Oh, right," Meredith rolled her eyes. "Where's your cape?"
"Forgot to iron it," Cristina quipped back, closing the door behind her, and throwing herself onto the chair. "What do you think you're doing not calling me? I had to learn the news of the day from my cook."
"I don't work in the media, I'm a doctor," Meredith shrugged off.
"Oh, for god's sake! Do we really need to play out that classic I'm your friend, you can tell me everything because I'm here for you scene?"
"No, we don't. And what do you think you're doing storming into my office as though I was suicidal?" Meredith hissed at her, promptly closing Mrs. Marsh's file before Cristina had any chance of discovering the old lady's miracle prostate.
"Well, I thought I'd find you abusing voodoo dolls with the asshole's face plastered on them."
"Why would I be? It's not doing a damn thing to me," Meredith assured confidently.
"Where do you see 'dumb schmuck' written on my face?" Cristina asked curtly, slowly losing her patience. "You've thrown all your shopping at him not even an hour ago, so no, nobody is gonna believe it's not doing a damn thing to you."
"Can't you just back my play for once without asking all the irksome questions?" Meredith sighed, leaning back tiredly.
"Fine," Cristina relented. "What is your play then?"
"Ignoring him until he gets his ass out of here."
"Your play sucks. You don't- Okay, I'll be the BFF for a second. Let's assume you'll resist your killer instincts or the fatal attraction, you don't think he's gonna make it easy on you? I mean, you know this guy. You couldn't get rid of him the last time around. You shut the door; he enters through the window."
"There'll be no entering… of any kind," Meredith cleared her throat, lowering her eyes unable to meet Cristina's.
Before the latter could come up with any response, Meredith's phone went off. Cristina eyed it suspiciously. "That can't be Shepherd… He should be doing the perp walk right about now, shouldn't he?"
"It's not," Meredith let out a breath of relief as she picked up her cell. "I don't recognize the caller. Meredith Grey, how can I help you?"
"Hello, Dr. Grey," said a young feminine voice. "I wish I could call you Meredith, but I understand if you prefer to keep the distance for now. And… I'm like a huge fan so…"
"I'm sorry?" Meredith stared at the wall ahead. That would be one of the weirdest calls she received ever.
"I'm Mia, I'm Derek's sister."
"And who is Derek?" Meredith gritted her teeth.
"Oh, please, Dr. Grey. Who else would I be talking about if not my idiot brother Derek Shepherd? I saw the tomato show earlier by the way, it was priceless. I took pics and a vid."
"How cool, why don't you post it on YouTube?" Meredith asked sarcastically.
"I plan on it but that's not why I'm calling. I know you're hating my dear helpless brother right now, but that's a complete misunderstanding, I swear."
"You're his lawyer or what?"
"Just a concerned sister. He'll tell you everything himself, just give him a chance."
"I am not interested. If that's all, I'd like to resume my duties. It was not a pleasure to talk to you."
"Wait!" Mia shouted into her phone. "We're at the Sheriff's station. You see, Sheriff Rigsby arrested him just as you surely know by now. It was his car Derek climbed running away from the dog…"
Meredith didn't even try to hide her snicker from Derek's sister. Wasn't it just perfect? She seriously loved Wayne right now. "I'm sure that's a fascinating story-"
"Can you just come here and help get this undone?"
"I'm sure Sheriff Rigsby knows what he's doing. Goodbye." Meredith gloated as she put away her phone and glanced at Cristina. "So far so good."
"Yeah, 0:1 to you," Cristina admitted. "That was just an unnecessary piece of evidence that he's not going to leave you alone. He's got back-up."
"So, what did she say?" Derek asked from his cell where he was currently locked up. Sheriff Rigsby didn't procrastinate on the job. During the forty-five minutes since Derek was arrested, he got his own file with a photograph and his prints. It would all be quite comical if Derek wasn't sure Rigsby was entirely serious about proceeding with all the charges.
After he was handcuffed and whisked away in the Sheriff's car, Mark had taken his place behind the wheel and followed them to the station. Derek was never equally glad to see his family right with him, well maybe except Mark. For the first time since disembarking in Vegas, he was utterly elated. He was like a kid in a candy store watching when Derek had his jail photo and prints taken down. He stared at everything repeating in an awed voice, "Amazing! Like in a movie…"
Thankfully the rest of the family was more supportive. Mia turned to face everyone with an apologetic expression. "Well…"
"She laughed, didn't she? Both in the funny way and the evil way…" Derek sighed knowingly.
"Well, yes…"
"I didn't really expect a different result…" He leaned against the metal bars only to jump back immediately but the filthy crate already left dark smudges on his shirt and forearms. He didn't even dare to sit on the suspiciously greyish bench. And the stench in the little cell was impossible. "Ugh, don't you guys clean this place at least once a year?"
"It's not a motel," Rigsby answered shortly before checking his watch and walking out. "You should have thought about the consequences before breaking the law."
"Breaking the law?" Mia snorted audibly. "There is such a thing called law in this place?"
"Mia! Just… don't," Derek pleaded with her weakly. "Please."
"Der, you're behind bars! Which was highly amusing at one point, but now it's just grotesque!"
"Yeah, I'd like to leave this place before I grow old. Mom, Addie, I'm sorry for this… mess."
"Don't be silly," Carolyn sent him a reassuring smile from the office. "And don't worry, we're going to get you out of here."
"Are we thinking the same thing?" Mark looked over them excitedly.
"I doubt it," Addison answered skeptically, folding her arms over her chest.
"Prison break!" he whispered dramatically.
"Great idea," Derek snapped at him, "but let's just swap places first, okay?"
"Boys," Carolyn strongly broke up the argument, just like many times in the past when they were kids. "This is not the time."
Rigsby reentered the dingy office. He was followed by a dark-haired woman who sported a thoroughly unreadable expression on her distinctly Latino features. She took a seat behind one of the desks while the Sheriff led Derek out of the cell and motioned him to sit down across her.
"Buenas tardes."
"Uh, buenas?" Derek looked between her and the sheriff questioningly. "What's going on?"
"Me llamo Calliope Torres," she said rapidly. "Soy su abogada."
"Huh?" Derek frowned at Rigsby; his face completely blank in the light of recent events. "Who is she?"
"She's your lawyer."
"Oh, okay? Can she stop speaking Spanish? I don't understand Spanish."
"She's new," replied Wayne, deadpanned, and threw a furtive look of warning at Callie who was biting on her lip trying hard not to let her amusement show on her face.
Yes, she was new; she'd barely moved to Rachel two months ago, escaping the stuffy environment of her home. It was a substantial downsizing, but she didn't regret it for a second. It already felt like home. She made wonderful new friends. That was shy she didn't hesitate to play along when she learnt that the man responsible for Dr. Grey's broken heart was back in town. She liked Meredith, she liked and admired her. Her story was so like her own. She had seen how much Dr. Grey looked forward to seeing her man all the way back in New York. Then, she came back, subdued, and defeated. That was unforgivable, Callie decided as she eyed her client with open hostility.
"She's new?" Derek spluttered. "Coming from where?"
"Imbécil…" Calliope rolled her eyes, leaning over the documents. Seriously, this could just be the most gullible dude in the world, and she'd met some naïve specimen thanks to her profession.
"What did she just say?" Derek glared at Rigsby suspiciously.
"¿Puede contarme todo lo qué ha pasado?" Callie asked briskly, preventing all unnecessary discussion.
"I don't speak Spanish!" Derek repeated, summoning all the patience he possessed.
"Does any of your friends?" Rigsby asked, thoroughly unconcerned.
"Addie?"
"Nope, sorry," she shook her head apologetically and looked at the sheriff. "Can't you translate?"
"No, Ma'am. That's attorney-client confidentiality. I can't get involved."
"Course you can't," Derek muttered under his breath.
"Sheriff Rigsby," Carolyn addressed him for the first time as she got to her feet from one of the chairs against the wall she was occupying stoically. "I don't think we will need that lawyer."
"Ma'am-" Wayne began but one look of Carolyn's silenced him midsentence.
"I think that it's just a big misunderstanding. I can assure you that I raised my children well and none of them is a vandal."
"I'm not saying otherwise, Ma'am but-"
"But if you need to have it all on paper, then I think that you'll need to take our statements. We're all witnesses. Dr. Grey was there too, so you'll need her statement as well."
"Dr. Grey, I…" Rigsby hesitated, exchanged furtive looks with Callie Torres and admitted defeat. They were supposed to be helping Dr. Grey and making her a witness was obviously not going to cut it. "I'm going to turn a blind eye this time but don't expect to get off easy-"
"There won't a be next time," Carolyn smiled at him calmly. "Thank you, Sheriff Rigsby. Let's go, kids."
"Thanks, Mom," Derek said as they walked into the small car park outside the station. The sun was already going down over the horizon. "You could have spoken up sooner, for example when I was having my hands drowned in ink to get my fingerprints, like some common thug."
"It's all about the right timing," Carolyn brushed it off. "I wasn't sure it would even work. I thought I'd have to set him up on a date with Mia."
"Mom!"
"I agree on the timing," Mark cut in, looking pointedly away from Derek. "Right now, it's the time for shower."
"Oh, shut up-"
"Boys!"
