Disclaimer: Don't own any of Grey's Anatomy.

A/N: Happy 4th of July, everyone! Hope you have a good holiday and I'll try to post again soon.

Chapter 3: Normal Day?

After running around (because, after all, interns shouldn't just walk- that wouldn't be nearly fast enough) chasing down lab reports and uncooperative nurses and ignoring Dr. Shepherd's looks and his dazzling smile, Meredith Grey arrived back where she had started the day. Izzie and George were sitting at the station, doing some research, while Meredith stood there completing some paperwork. She glanced at her watch to check the date, only to remember the date function had broken. "Hey, Iz, what's today's date?" she asked, annoyed at her watch and at herself.

"Seriously, Mer? I mean, I know you're not always with it, but…. seriously?"

Meredith glared at her. "It was a long night with the bypass and the crazy guy on the fourth floor. Cut me a break here. Besides, my watch got screwed up."

"Today happens to be May 15th."

Meredith paused at the mention of that date, as if it held some significance for her. She took a deep breath, then penned her name and date on the form. But she couldn't stop looking at the 5/15/2006. Wondering how it had gotten to be here without her even noticing. She hadn't, but she certainly did now. Wordlessly she gathered up her things and headed off.

"Mer..?" Izzie called after her, puzzled by Meredith's reaction to the day. She turned to George, "Do you know what the hell that was all about? Like is there something about this day? Her mom's birthday or something?"

George shrugged, totally unaware, as was everyone else at Seattle Grace. "Who knows? It's Meredith, it could be anything," he said flippantly.

"True," she replied. "Still…"

"Izzie! Leave it be. If she wants to tell us, she will, otherwise, just let it go. Maybe it's nothing."

"Okay then." But Isobel Stevens couldn't help but wonder what was going on Meredith, especially since her roommate had been just fine that morning.

Meredith walked down the hall, clutching her labs closely, willing herself to breathe. She knew Izzie and George were probably talking about her reaction now, which is why she had tried her best not to react. She failed, obviously, but considering what she was feeling inside right now, a brief pause was pretty good for her. Making sure no one was around, particularly Bailey, she quietly slipped into the interns' locker room and headed over to her locker. She closed her eyes and just put her head against the locker, wishing she had never found out what day it was. She would have been fine. Ignorance really is bliss. Too late now, she knew and wouldn't be able to get it out of her head for the rest of the day. "C'mon, Mer, you can do this. Just keep going." Right. Like that would be easy with all the memories flooding her. Basically, she was screwed. The best she could do would be to try to keep it all inside, as usual, and fake being okay. Because no one could know what was going on in her mind. Nobody. No one could or would possibly understand, and truthfully, she didn't feel like sharing. Not this. This was too painful, too personal, too deep to let anybody know. Even Derek. Maybe even especially Derek, because she could only imagine what his reaction to what she was keeping, and had kept, would be. Actually, she didn't want to do that. In this moment, she just wanted to be left in her cocoon of misery, pain, and memories she could never possibly erase. Not that she wanted to erase the memories so much, but the unending pain, that she could do without. It was like there was no stop-gap for it; no matter what she did, it all came rushing back to her. She sighed, knowing she really should be used to it already. In a way, she was. Meredith was at the point where she no longer needed tequila or pictures or staying in bed or long phone conversations to cope, but coping with it better didn't mean she didn't have to deal with it all. The intern knew this was something that would not just go away and it wouldn't have been right if it had. Or at least not to her way of thinking. Besides, at least she had the memories, right? They meant something, or more exactly, they meant everything to her, and she appreciated them, especially in moments like this. Just something to make her smile to get her through the grueling hours of her internship. So for one moment, she let herself fall back into the warmth of familiar memories and moments that she kept locked away, only to bring up when she really needed them. That was the best time of my life. She mused briefly, smiling at some of the thoughts which crossed her mind. At least I have this. And truth be told, Meredith Grey was grateful for all of what she held, especially on this day. So while it could no longer be a 'normal day' (as much as interns could have normal days, at any rate), it wasn't necessarily a bad one. Just a thought-filled one, that's all. Her thoughts collected and her heart at ease once again, she took a breath, smiled and headed out of the locker room.