Chapter 11

Part 1: Caught

Meredith had been on call all night. It was now five thirty in the morning and she finally had some minutes of peace. The patient she had been taking care of was in a more than critical condition and there wasn't a minute were her eyes were not on him. She was too tired to drive home so she decided to take a vacant on call room to sleep there.

Meredith slowly opened the door ready to fall asleep when she notice two shadows moving on one of the bed. One of them giggled.

"Oh my God!" Meredith screamed closing the door in a hurry.

"Meredith!" Izzy said behind the door.

"I…I didn't see anything." stuttered a furiously blushing Meredith.

"We weren't doing anything. Yet anyway."

At this she heard a man laugh rather loudly.

"Shut up, Alex!" said Izzy and she probably hit him because Alex suddenly stopped laughing.

"Ouch! No need to be so brutal Stevens. There'll be enough of me for both of you."

"You can be such an idiot!" answered Izzy opening the door.

"And yet, you keep asking for more." Alex leaned down to kiss a smiling Izzy when Meredith said, "Okay, well I should probably go."

"I am so sorry Meredith you had to see that." apologized Izzy as Alex kissed her neck.

"That's alright. I'll see you both tomorrow. Eh… bye." said Meredith embarrassed.

"Goodbye Meredith. Alex people can see us." giggled Izzy.

After this Meredith was no longer tired. Not too tired to drive home anyway.

Part 2: Messages

The next morning, Meredith woke up still feeling tired, but she had the suspicion that that wouldn't go away until she and Mark discussed their issues. She'd just have to bear it as long as she wasn't ready.

Meredith walked down the stairs. Everything was quite that day which was unusual. Izzie had probably slept at Alex's and George was most likely still sleeping. She looked inside their cupboard to find them empty of any breakfast food. She opened the fridge in the hope of finding some rest of dessert Izzy would have made, but only came up with some left over pasta.

While her food was cooking inside the microwave Meredith made a note of going grocery shopping on the list they left next to the phone. It's then that she noticed that someone had left a message on her answering machine. She pushed play and Derek's strong voice filled the room.

"Meredith, I saw you were on call last night, but you must be back by now. Meredith if you're there answer please… Meredith! Meredith please pick up the phone." He waited for her to answer him for a minute, but then gave up. " I guess you're asleep or you don't want to talk to me. I need to talk to you Meredith. Please call me back."

This was followed by the tone and a robotic voice that said "This message was recorded, Wednesday May fourteen at six o'clock thirty-seven AM."

Meredith had not had the time to sight that another message began playing.

"Meredith, it's me again. I know you're there. I'm at the end of the street and I can see your car in front of your house. Pick up please. I really need to talk to you. Meredith please answer…You must be awake by now. Meredith! Meredith please call me back or I won't stop calling until you do. I guess you're still asleep. I'll…"

The tone cut his last sentence and the same robotic voice said "This message was recorded, Wednesday May fourteen at twelve o'clock seven PM."

Meredith had left the voicemail on mute because the only call they ever got were of drunken men calling in the middle of the night or wrong numbers. But even if she had known he had called she would never have picked up or called him back. Why couldn't he just leave her alone now that everything was over between them?

"Hey, Meredith! You made some coffee?" asked George drying his hair with a towel.

"No. I just got up."

"That's alright. I'll make us some."

"Thanks George."

"No problem, Meredith" George gave her a goofy smile and started on the coffee. While he did, that Meredith erased Derek's messages. She was not about to let anyone know about them. Her plan was to forget them altogether. As she started eating her left over pasta, Meredith had no idea that Derek was in his trailer right now planning on following her all day if he had to, but he was not leaving the hospital before he talked to her.

Part 3: What could be

Meredith had just fished changing into her scrub. She was trying to tie up her hair while walking toward the reception to look at a chart before she went to visit a new patient.

"Meredith, hey!" Meredith heard a male voice say. She knew very well who that voice belonged too. She turned around feeling all the muscle tense in her body. She tried her best to smile at the man who had called her, to act casual so as not to start a fight before she had had at least three more cups of coffee in her body. Her smile was so tensed though that it looked more like a disgusted grimace.

"Hi!" said she, "How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. Here's your coffee! Be careful. It's hot."

"Thanks, Mark"

A more than awkward silence followed, where they just stood there looking at each other, not knowing what to say. They had both so much to say since their fight, but neither of them knew how to bring it up. There was something so comforting in denial. As if as long as they ignore it, it wouldn't exist. Everything could become what they wanted them to be. They could fall in love with each other and forget all about Derek and Addison. They could move on together and be happy. No one would get hurt. If only they could continue denying everything that they felt long enough, it could be.

"Well, I have work to do. Goodbye Meredith."

"Yes. I do too. I'll see you… eh… I…." They hadn't made plan for a date. It only now occurred to her.

"Yeah, I'll see you Meredith." he finished for her, saving him them for now.

Part 4: Mirror of the soul

Derek checked once more his cell phone to see if he had any messages from Meredith. He knew she wouldn't call him back, but he still hoped she would. Her shift would start soon and he would surprise her there.

He had asked Bailey what rooms she was assigned to that day. She had answered him suspiciously. She knew Addison and him were divorce and she probably knew that his reasons for wanting to see Meredith were not at all professional, but he was her boss and she had to answer him.

Derek waited half an hour in the hallway next to the rooms she was suppose to check on her shift and there was still no sign of Meredith anywhere. He was about to go ask Bailey if she had called sick when he saw her walk toward him, her head down looking at her cup of coffee in deep thoughts. She still hadn't notice him and Derek was grateful for that or she might have run away again.

Meredith was about to walk through the door of the first room she was checking when she noticed that Derek was standing next to it. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Derek! Eh…I mean Dr Shepard can I do anything for you? Work related I mean." She greeted him.

"Did you get my messages?"

She was silent, a look of pure annoyance on her face.

"So, you did. You didn't call me back." This was a statement not a question.

"Dr. Shepard, is…"

"Why won't you talk to me?" He said looking for an answer in her eyes.

Meredith sighed in defeat. She was tired of fighting. She was on the breaking point. She just didn't want to hurt anymore. Could he understand that?

"What do you need to tell me, Derek?"

In her eyes, he saw all the raw pain he had inflicted her. Like a fresh wound that she had tried to heal, but had only hidden a little deeper. She would know he was sorry, she would know he wish he could take it back and she wouldn't hurt anymore. He would take care of that.

"Not here." He answered her. Meredith looked at him suspiciously. This seemed too familiar to her.

"It's not about Mark. I promise." He reassured her. She nodded her approval and they both walk toward a more private room.

AN: I suppose I do make a lot of mistakes. English is not my language you see. I speak French. I do my best to correct myself, but I don't see everything. I am very sorry for that. I know it can be very painful to read a story full of mistakes. I don't really know what a beta reader is or where to find one so could you explain it to me? Well thank you for the very useful criticism and thanks to all the other who review. I love to read your comments so much.