Meredith pulled her Dartmouth shirt over her head and threw the wet top on top of the pile of wet clothes already mounted at the bottom of the bed. Izzie was standing at the doorway, watching as Meredith ran the comb through her hair. The water fell onto the floor, splashing her bare feet.

'You want to talk?'

'Not really?'

'You want to be alone?'

'Not really…but I am,' Meredith whispered the last three words when she felt Izzie hands turn her round and pull her into a hug. Meredith started crying; the short sharp breaths she was trying to grasp made her body shake. George walked in with three bottles of beers, smiling, but the smile fell suddenly.

'Mere…' George put the bottle of the bedside table and walked over, taking over from Izzie. Meredith grabbed onto the arms of his grey jumper and started to slip to the floor.

'He was leaving me,' Meredith choked out between sobs.

'What?' Meredith shook her head as George lifted her legs, carrying her through to his bed. Izzie was over by the window, looking down onto the street. Turning when George entered the room, she tilted her head to Meredith, the stray pieces of hair falling to the side of her face.

'He was leaving her,' George grinded his teeth in anger.

'Son of a bitch,' Meredith held on tightly to George's jumper as she lay on the bed next to him. As she began to fall asleep, she touched her left hand gently, feeling the gap the ring had left. But it wasn't just in her finger; it was also in her heart. Meredith was fast asleep within minutes of lying on the bed. George and Izzie lay facing each other, not knowing what to say or do. They had seen Meredith upset by Derek before, but she had never been in this mess before.

'Where are we?' Meredith dropped Derek's hand and pulled out her band. Pulling her hair up she smiled as he pushed the door to the hospital roof open, some where she had never been before. Guiding her over to the edge, Derek went behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

'This is my place that I come when I feel upset or annoyed by anything, big or small. But it's also the place where I think about you… and how perfect you are,' Meredith's face went red.

'No, seriously, this is where I think about you when I can't see you for a long time, or hear your voice, or smell you hair… I wanted to share it with you,' Meredith took a deep breath in, the wind blowing the sides of her hair everywhere. She had been in the middle of a forty eight hour shift when he had pulled her away. Leaning down he whispered gently in her ear.

'Marry me Mere,' Meredith turned to face Derek who was standing, holding a small lavender coloured box in his hands.

'Yes...but on one condition,'

'Anything,' Meredith went on her tip toes to reach his ear.

'Let me take advantage of you,' Derek wrapped his arms around Meredith, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist. She embraced his face in her hands and started kissing him.

'I…love…you…so…much,'

Meredith opened her eyes slowly, the sun hitting her face. Looking at her silver watch she noticed the time.

'Seven thirty,' her voice was croaky. George and Izzie were laying either side of her, their hands round her protectively. Slipping off the bed, she crept out the room; avoiding the floorboards she knew were creaky from when she was a teenager. George and Izzie didn't even stir as she closed the door. Meredith knew exactly what she was going to do and where she was going to go. Pulling her yellow jumper and sweat pants on, she put her hair up in a bun. Stepping down the stairs to the kitchen, she lifted a pen and scribbled Izzie and George a note.

'Thank you for last night. Didn't want to wake you. I've gone out, won't be long Mere xox,' Meredith pulled a carton of fruit juice out the fridge and took a drink out the bottle. Putting it back in she cursed herself.

'Stupid habits, stupid Derek,' Meredith lifted a single house key from the drawer in the hall and unlocked the door. The streets were empty, the roads quiet with no cars on them. She started running, and didn't want to the stop. The sun was letting off a gentle heat. She ran and ran until she realised where she ended up.

'Stupid trailer,' Meredith stopped in front of the trailer and put her hands on her hips. Taking deep breaths in, she tried to slow her breathing down. It was no use. She had to keep going, where ever it took her. Running again thoughts of the letter ran through her head.

'Can't wait to work with you again,' Meredith shook her head and felt her neck stiffen. Her legs sore from running, her heart about to stop from the shock. But she couldn't, she had to keep going. If she kept going then so would the pain. As least that's what she hoped. He had broken her heart. She couldn't accept it. No, he had broken her heart. Meredith couldn't feel the tears running down her cheeks as she headed over to the harbour. Slowing down she collapsed onto one of the benches. But it wasn't just any bench, it was their bench.

'Stupid Ferry boats, stupid bench, stupid Derek,' Meredith tightened her hair back up and sat for five minutes, allowing her body to slow down, even if it wasn't for long. She went to fiddle with the ring on her finger, but realised that she had given it back, not thinking of what she was doing. No she did. He was leaving her, going to New York. Starting a new life without her. He deserved everything her got. As the sun began rising in the sky, she started running again, but she was going home, for a hot shower. As she opened the door, she could hear Izzie and George talking in the kitchen.

'She's never been so bad,'

'She said he was leaving her. I don't know why, but that was all she said,'

'I swear to go Izzie; I will personally kill him,'

'George, it won't do any good. What she needs is for us to be there for her. Its all we can do,' Meredith smiled at how supportive her friends were. She couldn't have gotten through everything she had gone through without them.

'Hey,' Meredith wiped her head with the back of her sleeve, the sweat still pouring down her face.

'You ok?' George shook his head to Izzie.

'Yeah…no…I don't know. I'm guessing you guys are wondering what happened,'

'Kind of yeah,' George watched as Meredith lifted the box of muesli down, looked at the box and without taking any, put it in the bin.

'He got an offer to work in New York. He took it. He's gone,'

'For how long?'

'I don't know. He left this morning. I gave him the ring back,'

'We kind of guessed it was something big since Joe called,'

'Joe called?'

'He said that Derek want to make sure you got home ok,'

'He's all heart,' Meredith scoffed at the thought.

'Yeah, so much heart that he left me,' Meredith pulled a bottle of water out the fridge and headed up the stairs.

'Going for a shower,' Meredith peeled the clothes off her body and stepped into the shower. As she washed her hair she smelt the lavender wafting off her body and hair.

'Stupid lavender,' the roasting hot water felt like it was scolding her. She moved the dial round when she realised he had set it. He had made the water that warm.

'Stupid shower,' Meredith climbed out the bath and looked at the clock. Twelve thirty. Wrapping a towel around herself she looked in the mirror. It was a ghost looking back. She was so pale, ill almost. Drying her hair she sensed Izzie was watching her.

'Are you ok?'

'Nope,' Meredith pulled her hair behind her and slipped her Dartmouth top back on, along with her jeans.

'I'm going to the hospital,'

'Mere, it's your day off,'

'If I stay here, I'll think of him. I can't sit around all day and do that,'

'Ok, but not for long. We need to pick your corset up for the prom on Monday.' Meredith groaned. Prom.

'I'm not going,'

'Why?'

'Not to the prom,'

'You don't want to sit around and think about him so you are going to the prom, wither you want to or not,' Meredith smiled and lifted her bag. Her pager had three messages, all from Derek. Clearing them she let a single tear fall before wiping it away furiously. She wasn't going to cry over him. She refused to. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't let the fact that she loved him go and inside it was killing her.