Chapter 7: A Sense of Normalcy

Since Meredith blew Derek off in the waiting room a few days ago, he hadn't seen her again. He assumed that she had just been there waiting for Lexie and he hoped that she had found something to do with her time. She hadn't exactly been friendly to him but after losing her husband, he hadn't expected her to be the most warm and welcoming person. Ever since he had run into her, he was thinking of ways that could make this easier for her and he just wanted to see her again.

He barely knew her so calling her was pretty off limits and really his only choice was to speak with Mark and Lexie. He hoped that she had started eating better and with some sleep that maybe the next time he saw her she wouldn't look so exhausted.

"Your boyfriend is a flake." Derek sat down at the cafeteria table with Mark and Lexie.

"Aw...why?" Lexie giggled, patting Mark's arm.

"Fishing." Derek reminded his friend.

"I've been busy." Mark argued.

"Yeah." Derek rolled his eyes, unwrapping his sandwich.

"I told him he should go...he's been so busy with surgery and helping me brainstorm about Mer." Lexie laughed.

"See...you should listen to your girlfriend more often."

"Yeah yeah..." Mark rolled his eyes.

"Since you spent your time brainstorming...did you come up with anything?"

"Get her drunk." Mark shrugged.

"That's your answer to everything...a girl won't sleep with you...get her drunk."

"I don't want to sleep with her." Mark rolled his eyes as he took a bite of his pasta. "She's sad...alcohol might help."

"She also hasn't eaten anything." Lexie groaned.

"So I guess she's not doing any better." Derek sighed.

"She's so tired Derek...last night she dropped a glass because she was shaking...then tried to help me clean it up and cut her finger." Lexie said, sounding horribly worried. "I don't know what else to do."

"It looked like a small crime scene." Mark sighed.

"It wasn't that bad." Lexie rolled her eyes.

"Meredith was shaking like a leaf."

"Derek tell him getting her drunk is a bad idea." Lexie groaned, taking a bite of her chicken noodle soup.

"I don't know about the drunk part...but maybe you should take her out to the bar." Derek suggested. "Do something...normal."

"It's better than coffee." Mark shrugged.

"Just take her to do something that you would normally do. Go to the bar...go out to eat. Let her be normal for a night."

"All I was saying!" Mark clapped. "We all meet at Joes...play some pool...shoot darts...you girls talk..."

"I don't think it's a bad idea." Derek looked at Lexie.

"She's been here almost two months." Lexie bit her lip in the same way her sister did. "I guess...maybe we could try it."

"The worst thing that could happen is she wants to go home." Derek told her.

"True." Lexie nodded, biting at her nails nervously. "It's just that she lost her husband, her dog, and her home in a week."

"She has to start somewhere."

"We'll talk to Yang and Hunt...we'll go out and she'll feel a little better." Mark shrugged.

"It's going to be a miracle cure but it might help." Derek nodded.

"And she keeps asking to look for her own place." Lexie put her head in her hands. "She wants to but god...she doesn't even have a job...she's not ready for it."

"She doesn't have a job because you and Yang convince her she's not ready...what the hell is wrong with you guys?" Mark groaned.

"Because she's not ready." Lexie argued.

"You have to let her decide that." Derek interrupted.

"Derek, you haven't noticed because you barely know her but her clothes don't fit...when I wake up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water she's in the bathroom sick to her stomach because her body is so fucked up right now...she goes for walks and it's like she's in another world. My sister...doesn't do this ever...not even at her worst...she's not okay. She's not stable." Lexie explained.

"She lost someone she loved." He breathed. "It's hard."

"She won't cry!"

"I didn't cry."

"What?" Lexie looked at him confused.

"When my dad died...I didn't cry...not at first."

"I even cried man." Mark frowned.

"I wanted to be strong for my family...she's just trying to be strong."

"Meredith doesn't have anyone to be strong for." Lexie replied.

"Yes she does." Derek replied. "Herself."

"You think she's doing this, so she won't break down?" Mark asked, reaching for his broccoli.

"Yeah.:

"It's not healthy." Lexie sighed.

"No, it's not but it's the only thing she know how to do right now."

"I guess getting her to the bar is a good thing...to get her out." Lexie reached for her phone.

"I told you." Mark grinned.

"I'll text her...then I'll run home and change after work." Lexie began typing away on her phone. "I'll let Owen and Cristina know too...Derek are you coming?"

"Sure."

"Great." Lexie smiled weakly.

"I don't think she likes me very much though." Derek chuckled.

"Don't take the way she acts towards people right now personally." Lexie laughed.

"She likes me." Mark smiled proudly.

"Yeah." Derek rolled his eyes.

"He just...oh." Lexie stood quickly as her phone went off. "It's Meredith...I better take it."

"Go ahead."

"So...Mom told me you were thinking of getting a dog." Mark turned back to Derek as Lexie left the cafeteria. "Going this weekend?"

"I think so." Derek nodded.

"Get a manly dog."

"I was thinking of a poodle." He rolled his eyes.

"I never know with you."

"Don't worry."

"Hey uh...I know you're single...I know you're looking for the one and I'm not one to give advice but don't mess with Meredith right now."

"What are you talking about?"

"I made a joke to Lexie about Meredith needing to get laid and Lexie was really uh...bothered by it." Mark shrugged. "I was told to warn Avery and Karev...and I might as well warn you too."

"She acts like I have the plague...I don't think you have to worry." Derek sighed.

"Lexie's worried about her."

"I know."

"But I'm sure she needs friends that aren't Lexie and Cristina."

"One step at a time, Mark."

"I'm just saying..."

"Let's just...make sure she gets through tonight first."

"Right." Mark nodded, drinking his water as Derek's pager went off. "Gotta run?"

"Consult in the ER." Derek stood up.

"Hopefully you'll get a surgery out of it."

"Yeah."

"See you at Joes later..."

"See ya then." Derek nodded, tossing the trash from his lunch into the trash can and walking out of the cafeteria and he couldn't help but think about Meredith. He knew the pain of losing someone so close to him and he wanted her to know that someone understood. But the other reason that he was so invested in her, he couldn't put a finger on. Going to the bar and getting some sense of normalcy would be a good thing for her.