Chapter 23: I Love You

"Hey," Derek walked up to Meredith and kissed her on the cheek

"Hey yourself," she answered. She was sitting outside in the courtyard by herself, eating lunch and looking over some labs. All her other friends were busy with surgeries or interns or patients.

"Long day?" Derek asked as he sat down next to her, smiling and staring at her. Meredith didn't even look up

"Well, I saved 3 patient's lives, I helped my half-sister with what could be a career ending case. Um, George yelled at me this morning, but we made up, and Alex tried hitting on me, so Izzy is kinda thin ice around me and to tell you the truth I really don't care. It's amazing what you can do before noon huh?" Meredith was still looking over her labs.

"Meredith,"

"What?"

"Look at me,"

"Derek, I got to look over this. It's unbelievable!"

"Meredith," this time Derek said it a little sterner

"What?" Meredith slammed down her chart "What Derek? Look I'm busy, that's why I didn't page you. Look I love you and all, but give me some freakin space! I got a baby that I'm lugging around and this lady here is dying unless I do emergency surgery on her NOW!" Meredith closed her eyes and took a big breath of air. She opened her eyes to see Derek looking at her, concerned. Meredith smiled, "I'm sorry. I just got to go. Look Izzy, Emily and I are having a 'girls-night-out,' how about tomorrow we go out? My treat?"

Derek smiled

"I'd like that,"

Meredith got up and smiled then walked away leaving Derek looking at her

"Women," he said, looking at Meredith's half eaten lunch hungrily.

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Izzy came home and slammed her bag down.
"GOD I CAN'T BELIVE HIM!" she yelled to the empty house. Izzy went straight for the kitchen and started to make some cupcakes. She knew that she wasn't going to eat them, but just baking them would make her feel better. Right when Izzy put the first batch in the oven the phone rang,

"Hello?" answered Izzy,

"Izz?"

"Meredith?"

"Ya, it's me. I just got out of surgery,"

"Oh how did it go,"

"Not so good. She flat-lined on me right when we were closing up,"

"Oh I'm sorry,"

"Thanks. Hey, you remember Emily right?"

"Ya, you're half sister, kinda quiet, Christina's intern,"

"Ya that's her. Well, I found her in the on-call room this morning. So I invited her over tonight for a 'girls-night-out' with you and me,"

"OH MER THAT'S PERFECT!"

Meredith laughed "Thanks. So can you get ready? I probably won't get out of her for another 2 hours. I was thinking some of your famous cupcakes, um some movies, and alcohol. LOTS of alcohol!"

"Cupcakes, movies, alcohol…got it Mer. This is going to be so much FUN!"

"Glad you think so Izz. Hey I got to go…Thanks again and I'll see ya tonight,"

"Hey Mer?"

"Izzy I GOT TO GO,"

"What time is she coming over?"

Izzy didn't get an answer, but a dial tone. "Okay, well, I guess I better get started then," Izzy's sudden rage about Alex disappeared as she started to get ready for that night's party.

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Meredith ran into the ER. Her pager said 9-1-1 and Derek sent it; it was an emergency. She saw Derek and rushed over to him

"What happened?" then her eye's fell on the patient. It was Finn.

"He was trampled by a horse," Derek said quietly

"How much damage?"

"Brain and Heart"

"Well what are we waiting for? I'll get him a CT scan,"

Meredith took the gurney and wheeled him out of the OR
"Meredith?"

Meredith didn't even look back at her husband. She cheated on this guy. He was perfect for her and he had plans. The least she could do was save his life.

--

"Well?"

"Can't you see it Derek? I mean seriously! He's got massive bleeding to the head and in the heart cavity. He needs surgery NOW!" Meredith started to head for the door

"Meredith why are you so worked up about him?"

Meredith stood there in her place and spun around facing Derek, her eyes flaming

"WHY? WHY AM I SO WORKED UP ABOUT HIM DEREK? I CHEATED ON HIM AT PROM. HE HAD PLANS BUT NO I CHOSE YOU. THE LEAST I CAN DO FOR HIM IS SAVE HIS LIFE. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT THEN I'LL PREFORM THE SURGERY AND YOU CAN JUST WATCH!" Meredith jerked open the door and slammed it shut. Derek was appalled. Outside in the hallway Meredith sunk down and sobbed into her knees. What the hell did I just do?. Suddenly the door opened
"Meredith?"

She didn't even look up. Derek kneeled next to her

"I'll do the surgery, but I'll need your help. Can you help me? Not as my wife but as a fellow surgeon helping the guy who helped us with Doc,"

Meredith looked up at Derek. He had his concerned face on. She nodded

"Okay, I sent Dr. Ronga to reserve the OR,"

Meredith got up and wiped her tears away

"I'm sorry," she whispered

Derek pulled her into a deep hug

"I know. I know,"

------

"Mer-Meredith?"

"Hey,"

Finn had just woken up from his surgery. Luckily it was a success. Meredith smiled down upon her ex-boyfriend,

"What-What are you doing here?"

"Well Finn, you were trampled pretty badly by a horse. Luckily we got you into surgery as quickly as we could and stopped the bleeding. I'm sure you'll make a full recovery,"

"Thank you,"

"It was the least I could do,"

Finn's grabbed hold of Meredith's hand. It was his way of a hug. He looked down to see two rings on her finger

"You're married,"

Meredith's eyes started to get tears in them. She nodded.

"And pregnant," she whispered

"Derek?"

Meredith nodded

"At least your happy,"

Meredith looked at Finn. Surprisingly he was smiling

"How can you be smiling? I left you at prom!"

"Because, even though we liked each other very much, you loved him. Meredith, I know what happened at prom. When Derek left behind you, I knew it was over. I stayed to make sure you were okay,"

"But I cheated on you! You had plans and I crushed them! How can you stand to talk to me now?"

"Because Mer, you loved him. We could have been happy together, but I wanted better for you. Mer, I love you, but not as much as you love Derek,"

"I love you too Finn, but just as a friend,"

"That's all I ask,"

Meredith bent down and kissed him on the cheek,
"Thank you for saving my life," he whispered

"Thank you for understanding," Meredith whispered back.

She turned towards the door

"I'll check up on you later," she said then she left.

Finn watched the woman he dreamed of leave. Next to his wife, she was the best thing that ever happened to him. Now she was happy with Derek. He was glad she was happy. He wanted her to be happy, but he wanted her to be happy with him. Finn laid back into his pillows.

"Damn Derek," he muttered as he fell asleep.

----

"Meredith what was that?"

"What was what Derek?" Meredith had just walked out of Finn's room and looking through his charts

"The 'I love you too Finn, but just as a friend,'"

Meredith looked away from the chart and into Derek's eyes, they weren't angry, just curious

"Derek, didn't you hear the whole speech?"

Derek nodded

"Then I don't see a reason to explain anything and you don't have a reason to be mad. sigh Derek I married you, not him. I chose you not him. You picked me and loved me. I picked you and loved you. But if it was you in that bed, I would have said the exact same thing to you. But you're not. I'm not looking over your charts. I'm looking you square in the eye and telling you that I love you! Now I'm already late and Izzy is going to kill me. Here is his chart. I'm officially off my shift in 30 seconds. I'll see you at home Derek,"

"Okay, I'm sorry Mer,"

Meredith kissed him on the cheek and gave him the chart. She started to walk down the hall but then turned around "Oh and Derek,"

"Yes Meredith?"

"Promise me you won't kill him please!" Meredith said this with a smile

"Only because you asked so nicely,"

"DEREK!"

"Okay I promise!"

Meredith smiled one last time and left SGH feeling positive everything was going to be all right.

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"So are you going to get the Porkchop? I hear it's excellent,"

"Burke, I'm freakin Jewish remember!"

"Oh right, sorry,"

Christina could tell that Burke was nervous and to tell the truth so was she. The last time that they went out for dinner, they ended up at the hospital because some lady choked on her food.

"Burke?"

"Mmm?"

"Never mind,"

Christina went back to her menu.

"Are you ready to order?" Thank god! I though I was going to have to stick this fork in my thigh because of the silence

"Um, I think I'll have the Chicken Parmesan salad, Vinaigrette dressing and can I have more White Wine?"

"Yes ma'am and you sir?"

"Um the steak please and the same on the wine,"

"Your food will be right out,"

Christina drank her wine, trying to avoid Burke's gaze

"Christina?"

Christina forced herself to look at Burke

"Yes Burke?"

"You look stunning tonight,"

"Burke, it's just a dress,"

"Christina we're getting married in a week,"

"I know Burke,"

"So I was thinking, well you can't call me Burke forever,"

Christina thought she was going to spit her wine out everywhere

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking that you could try 'Preston,'"

"Preston?"

"Yes, my name,"

"Oh, ok Bur-Preston,"

Burke smiled and drank his wine. Christina rolled her eyes and took a drink from her wine too. God this is going to be a looooong night.

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"MEREDTH GREY-SHEPHERD YOU ARE LATE!"

Meredith heard Izzy yell her name, but it was in a 'nice' way

"SORRY IZZ!"

Izzy and Emily step out each holding a cupcake half-eaten

"So what's your excuse this time Meredith? A surgery?" This time Emily spoke up

"Em! I've never heard you talk like that, I take it the meeting went well?"

Emily nodded "Like you said, Dr. Yang saved my ass,"

Izzy looked at Emily like she was crazy "Okay first, we don't refer to her as 'Dr. Yang' around here," said Izzy, trying to be serious "It's Christina, even if you are her intern. Second, are you saying she was being compassionate?"

"Ya! I know scary right?"

All three girls laughed as Meredith walked into the kitchen grabbing a bottle of water and a cupcake God I hate being pregnant, I can't drink

"She's actually kinda nice sometimes too," said Meredith stepping back into the living room

"Ya, when she's drunk!" answered Izzy "So Mer, where were you?"

Meredith sat down in the recliner across from Izzy and Emily. She took a swing ofher water and a bite of a cupcake
"Well, I was about to leave, then Derek paged a 9-1-1. I run in and there is Finn on the gurney," Izzy gasps.

"Finn?" questions Emily

"My old boyfriend, he's a vet…McVet. He put down Derek's dog and mine at prom. You know about prom," Emily nodded "Okay, anyway…apparently he was trampled by a horse. So of course emergency surgery, I do the chest cavity while Derek does the brain. I get out, Finn wakes up, we talk about what happened. I make this speech about how I love Derek, and him, but I only love him, Finn, as a friend,"

Both girls 'awwww' and Meredith rolls her eyes

"Then Derek confronts about 'why did you tell him you loved him?' Then I explain how I love him, Derek, and yada yada yada and that's why I'm late," Meredith takes another bite and a drink

"Wow!" whispers Emily

Izzy has tears running down her face

"Izz?"

"It's just so sweet!" All three girls laugh. The rest of the night they drank (except Meredith of course) and talk about their problems, until they're too drunk (or tired in Meredith's case) to talk. Around midnight, Derek walks in. He sees all the girls asleep with empty bottles of alcohol and water in their hands sprawled around the living room.

Now why am I not surprised I see a resident and an inter in her drunk? Oh ya because it's Meredith's house! Derek chuckles to him self as he walks over, kisses Meredith's for-once-not-drunken head goodnight, and climbs up the stairs laughing at the sight that he can't get out of his mind.

A/N: I kinda like this chapter…especially the part with Finn in it...I did have some mistakes in here b4 but I just changed them….let me know what you think and if I have any more mistakes (besides grammtical) PLZ!