Chapter 65: Where's Meredith?

"Ugh, have you put on weight?" Cristina groaned when Owen entered their bedroom. She readjusted the cold compress on her forehead, an air of deep suffering about her. "You walk louder than an elephant."

"No, I haven't put on weight. You just decided to break the world's record of alcohol consumption yesterday," he chuckled.

"What kind of a boyfriend are you? Relishing in my misery…" She rolled her eyes, immediately regretting it as it brought a new wave of pain.

"I'm not relishing in your misery, more like… karmic justice."

Cristina moved her leg from the bed to kick him, but the change of position only increased her headache. "You should be supportive of me and all that crap," she moaned.

"Not when you do something I strongly disagree with. You were rude not only to Shepherd but also to his family. There were your customers."

"Meredith comes before customers, I thought that much was clear! He's got some balls to show himself in here!"

"You know an awful lot about his anatomy. Yesterday you announced he didn't have a penis," Owen quipped back. He couldn't deny he was immensely enjoying the exchange.

Cristina cracked her eyes open and looked at him with horror. "I did not…"

"I'm sorry." He was anything but.

"I most certainly did not…" she argued, her jaw set.

"You did."

"I couldn't because I know from a very reliable source that he's got equipment that is even bigger than yours."

Owen's satisfied expression faded instantly. Cristina started to laugh but it soon turned to a grunt of pain.

"Anyway!" Owen shook himself up after a moment in which he completely forgot he was on Derek's side. "If Meredith comes first to you, you should have a look at that," he said showing her the medical journal he brought with him.

Cristina glanced at the page he was showing her and then looked at him as if he had grown two heads.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" she growled, totally disregarding her killer headache. "Has someone dropped a ton of bricks on your head? How could you possibly think I'd want to read this total malarkey?"

"Because you care about Meredith as much as you care about yourself," Owen replied gently.

"You bet I do, this is why-"

"Do you trust me?" he interrupted her, kneeling down beside the head of the bed.

"Owen, this is not the time for this old discussion!"

"Cristina," he implored. "Can you trust me?"

"Why?" she sighed reluctantly.

"Meredith is not fine. I know it, you know it, everybody does. If you want her to be fine, you'll listen to me when I read it to you."

"Owen-"

"And I know you will. Because you care about her."

"Fine!" she conceded. "Read it, let's see what the asshole wants to say. Just stop going all Oprah Winfrey on me or I'm gonna barf."


"Meredith! Meredith!"

Cristina threw the door of the practice wide open and ran inside, shouting her best friend's name. It was after hours so she wasn't risking disturbing patients attending for treatment; and even if she was to, it wouldn't cause her any grief at all.

What she was not prepared for, however, was coming face to face with the person who was the reason why she'd just appeared at the practice acting like a madwoman.

"Shepherd…" She skidded to a halt, watching him warily. "What are you doing here?"

Derek silently revised his options. He'd spent hours waiting for Meredith to show up. The patients came and went, Owen left to go home, but Derek stayed. What else would he be doing anyway? His professional plans were temporarily on hold. He didn't want to put them in motion until he and Meredith explained every misunderstanding between them.

He thought he would just have that chance when he heard footsteps outside, but his hopes were turned to dust as Cristina Yang stormed inside, looking all breathless and anxious. He seriously considered escaping through the back door but the manhandled paper she was holding in her fist and which he recognized instantly as the medical journal with his interview prevented him from doing that.

"The same as you, apparently. Waiting to talk to Meredith."

"She's not here…" Cristina said slowly.

"Obviously."

"Then… do you know where she is?"

"Do you think I'd be here if I did?" snorted Derek.

"What, have suddenly grown a pair?" Cristina snickered but immediately sobered up when she remembered her previous conversation with Owen. "Okay, I rescind that comment."

They sized each other up in silence, like two Cobra snakes, until Derek spoke up, his tone snarky, "Are you waiting for a formal invitation to sit down?"

She ignored his jab and showed him the journal. "I've read that. Actually, Owen read it to me."

Derek gave her a simple nod, waiting for her to proceed.

"Did you mean it?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"Cause if you're lying-"

"Oh, yeah, sure. I just said a bunch of lies in one of the most prestigious medical journals!" he snorted impatiently. "I'm a master conman."

"Cause if you're lying or if you ever hurt her…"

"I know," he stated solemnly. "Neither is my intention. I think I've already proven that. Besides, how could I even have a chance to hurt her? I can't as much as get close to her!"

"Well, that can be arranged," she shrugged.

"Oh, really? You're almighty."

"No, I'm just me. Who do you think expedited her to New York?"

"You… got Meredith to go to New York?" he asked incredulously.

"Did you think she'd ever decide to go there by herself?" She rolled her eyes.

"I didn't think she would go there at all," he admitted.

"I don't know if she should have. What happened that night, Shepherd?"

"I don't know," he shook his head with resignation. "I have no idea. I didn't even see her."

"And what about the red head?" Cristina asked innocently.

"I am going to tell you the truth. I spent the evening with her, and my sister Amelia. They accompanied me to the gala."

"Owen said she's dating that manwhore-looking guy."

"She's dating Mark. He wasn't at the gala because he was mad at me that I kept my moving to Rachel a secret."

"Touching."

"I've told you everything!" Derek hissed, losing his patience. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"I hope this is not another mistake of mine…" she sighed and pulled her phone out of the back pocket of her jeans.

"Oh, she's not gonna answer," he snorted.

"Bitch! Were are you!" Cristina yelled as soon as Meredith picked up. "I need to talk to you! Where? Fine. I won't. Okay. Call me."

The whole conversation didn't even last a full minute.

"Where is she?" he demanded frantically.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?!"

"She's okay, geez, calm down. She went out of Rachel to get some peace and quiet."

"Out or Rachel? Everywhere in the fucking world is out of Rachel!"

"You're lucky your mommy ain't here," Cristina smirked.

"What else did Mer say to you?"

"She bitched at me because I woke her up. She's sleeping through her hangover, something I should be doing right now instead of trying to patch up your love life." She took a pause and then continued, "Shepherd, go home. It's no use hanging around here. Do as I say! Go home and wait for my instructions."

"Fine."

"You wouldn't mind… if someone else read it too?" She gave him a thoughtful look.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind, I got it published," he shrugged and threw her a suspicious look. "Someone else like who?"

"The townsfolk. You want to have a life here, it's not only Meredith's mind you have to change."

"Guess what, you're preaching to the choir."

"I think a simple thank you would be in order here," Cristina said sassily, folding her arms over her chest.

"More like an I'm sorry would be in order," he answered back, mimicking her pose.

"I can get you a free lunch instead," she said after pretending to think about it.

"Meredith was right you would never say sorry," he finally laughed.

"Well, then let's leave it like that."