Cormac gets home after his date and sends his boys to bed. He decides to pour himself a whiskey and sit and watch the late night show. He keeps his whiskey under lock in his room. It isn't that he doesn't trust his boys, but his whiskey is all from Ireland and some of it's quite difficult to get locally. He has started getting some of the newer whiskeys from Dingle and other newer distilleries. He also has a selection of Kilbeggan, West Cork and Teeling Whiskeys.
Thinking back to the last week in Switzerland he remembered sharing the last of his Whiskey with the staff at the Klausman Institute. They had a whiskey tasting event and most of the surgical staff and researchers tasted the various Irish blends. Many of them stopped after the first few not wanting to overindulge. Cristina matched him trying all the varieties he had to offer and she could definitely hold her own.
Thinking of Cristina makes him think of his evening with Meredith and the enjoyable time they had at the Irish Pub. She really is great to talk to. Much easier than Cristina, but he could definitely see why they were friends.
As he finishes his drink, he heads to get ready for bed and as he lays down he notices the family photo he has beside the bed. Abbigail. Abby. His love. He misses her. But he thinks he's ready to move on. He wishes he could have had longer with Abby. But life isn't always fair. Look at Meredith and all her loss. He doesn't know all the details, but he knows she has lost her mom, her dad, her sister, her husband, his best friend. He's heard a little through the rumour mill at the hospital about the plane crash that renamed the hospital to Grey-Sloan as well as a few drunken comments from Cristina about how she hates to fly. He knows the two of them were the least injured while stranded and kept the others alive until their rescue. He couldn't imagine.
His thoughts are jumbled as he drifts off. He wakes from his dream early and is feeling unsettled so he decides to head out for a run hoping the morning air will clear his mind. Slipping on his running tights, tank top and rain jacket. He leaves a note on the whiteboard in the kitchen letting his boys know where he was. It is a Saturday morning so he doubts they'll be up before he returns, but he's following the house rules that he set. He takes his full water bottle from the fridge, sets up his watch to track his run and slips the phone into his jacket pocket, turning on his running music. His running music will lead him through a 60min run, he likes using it as it reminds him to do a warm up and cool down and since he's started back running he hasn't injured himself. Most days he could run 10 miles in his hour workout.
It is great to get out. It is a typical drizzly morning so he's glad he chose the tights over shorts, his legs would be freezing if he'd just worn his shorts. He heads towards the Cheshiahud Lake Union Lake trail figuring he'll be early enough to miss most of the others out for a run. The run is a 6 mile route around Lake Union and with his run to and from the lake he can usually complete his goal of 10 miles. The traffic on the roads is light and there are only a few waiting on buses as he runs to the trail. The trail has a few early morning joggers and cyclists, he likes to get out early avoiding those that are socializing. It's great when he has time to run early, but on days he runs at other times he'll often take other routes so he can just focus on his running. He doesn't get out as often as he'd like, so when he gets out he likes to be able to run and not get distracted.
Austin is up when he gets home and says, "You ran in that?"
"Yes Austin. It was just running."
"But tights only?"
"I wasn't out for a fashion show." Cormac could hear his youngest groan as he went to make his coffee.
"Dad, can you make scones?"
"After my shower, but only if you sit and work on your history homework while I'm baking."
"Thanks Dad. We need lots for soccer today."
"Aye. Are we on snacks for the game?"
"Yes. Scones and oranges please?" Cormac nodded and took his coffee and headed to his room to get ready for the day.
Meredith sees Cormac waiting by his car on Monday morning. He'd seen her drive in so is waiting. "How was US History homework?" she inquires.
"Glad it's not me. I wouldn't pass," Cormac says grinning. Yesterday, he'd sent her a message trying to figure out time for a date this week but it had come up empty.
"Sorry it looks like we are on complete opposite schedules," Meredith says.
"What about breakfast? Next Monday you are off and I start late," he says.
"Oh, that might work. Let me check if Amelia or Link can watch Ellie," she replies.
"If they can't, what about taking her to the park?" he suggests knowing he wants to spend time with her outside of work, even if that means hanging out at the park.
"Sounds good," she says smiling that they'd come up with a plan as they walk to the coffee cart. They each order their morning coffee and head into the hospital together.
Dating is hard. But dating as a doctor is harder. Dating is hard as a single parent. Add to that both of them are doctors and both have kids. It's really hard to find time. They aren't ready to share their relationship at work. So far it is just friends. But Meredith feels there is definitely a spark there, something to pursue. She's already done the hospital gossip mill three times; she doesn't want to do that again, especially since it hasn't been all that long since she and DeLuca were a couple. She really needed to talk to Andrew, but that would have to wait until after he was out of treatment and back home.
The week passes in a blur. Meredith and Cormac pass one another in the hallways, in the ER and ORs, but they didn't even have consults together. Meredith finally gets up the nerve to ask Amelia if she can watch Ellis on Monday.
"Sorry Mer. Got an appointment with Carina and the pediatrician for Scout, then lunch with Link's parents," Amelia replies.
"Guess you don't want a four year old with you for all that," Meredith comments.
"So why are you trying to get rid of Ellie on your day off?"
"Nothing Amy," Meredith said, turning away so Amelia can't read her face.
"Something is up Mer. You have a date?" Amelia asks, knowing this was the one area Meredith wasn't wanting to talk to her about. "Details, please. You still haven't told me about your last date."
"It was a date. Do I have to tell you?"
"Have to? No. But I'm curious. You seem happy. Happier than you've been in a while. Happier than you've been since Alex left."
"Alex and I have been on Skype once a week."
"Glad to hear Alex is talking to you. But what about Hayes?"
"He's a friend."
"So how was your date?"
"Fine... Nice... Good…," she finally answered.
"Did he kiss you?"
"Amy! Do I have to kiss someone on the first date?"
"Well, you did with Derek!" she said.
"Umm, he picked me up in a bar! We started with the one night stand. So did you and Link."
"True. So no kissing."
"Amy, he lost his wife. I'm waiting for him to make the first move. You know what it's like in your first relationship after losing your love."
"Ya. And even the second. The third is better so far. I'm happy with Link," she says thinking back to James and Owen. "I'm glad you are happy with Link. You two are good together."
"Speaking of Link, here he comes," Amelia says, ending their discussion. Link and Scout arrive at the kitchen door after Link's run.
"Hey Link, have a good run?" Meredith says kissing Scout on the head as she takes him from his daddy's arms. "How's my nephew?"
"Great run, now I need to shower," he says leaning in for a kiss from Amelia.
"Go. I was trying to get details from Mer about her date. But she won't share," Amelia says to Link.
"Let her be. She'll share when she's ready," Link says winking at Meredith.
"I like him. He's a keeper," Meredith says.
Monday morning Meredith has a lazy morning since the first drop off is school. So although getting three kids out of the house in time for school wouldn't be considered lazy for some, she found it a nice pace. She wasn't up by 6am, she wasn't racing out the door by 7 in time to do drop offs and get into surgery by 8. She wasn't at the hospital for 6, hoping the nanny or her sisters wouldn't have any issues getting the kids to school. The days they all had to be at the hospital for 6 was the worst as she had to get Ellis ready and bring her with her at 5:30. When Ellis was younger it wasn't so bad, but now at 4 it was no fun getting her up so early. She couldn't believe that next year all 3 of her kids would be at the same school. It would definitely make mornings easier. Although she would miss having her kids in the hospital daycare, she could always have lunch with Scout.
"No daycare today?" Zola asks.
"No, I'm off today. We'll just go in time for class."
"Cool! Will you read with my class today?" Zola asks.
"Yes, I can read if your teacher needs my help and is fine with Ellie being there."
"Last week Maggie and Ellie read with my group."
"I like school. When do I get to go?" Ellis says.
"In September."
"You'll be in Kindergarten!" Zola says.
"Yay!" answers Ellis. Being the youngest she wants to join her big sister and brother at the school.
"Ellie, we will go to the park after reading, so make sure you have long leggings on. It's still a little cool this morning. Bay are you nearly ready to go? ZoZo?" The next few minutes is a scramble getting books into backpacks, lunches, socks, shoes and jackets before they finally head out the door.
Meredith and Ellis sit on the floor in the classroom reading with Zola's reading group reading George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl. Meredith loved the little bit of the story that she got to read, it reminding her of O'Malley.
"Mommy, you look sad," Zola says as they are discussing the story.
"I had a friend George who was a wonderful doctor. I haven't thought of him in a while," she says to the group. One of Zola's friends asks her about being a doctor and they talk a bit about being a doctor.
As she goes to leave, the teacher Mrs Long says "Dr Grey, thanks for coming. You were really good talking to the kids about being doctors. Would you be interested in presenting at our careers day?"
"I could do that. Send me the details, and I'll see what I can do with my schedule."
"Thanks Dr Grey. Zola loves it when you and any of her aunts or uncles can come into school. Bye Ellis," Mrs Long says.
"Thanks. See you after school," Meredith answers. "Bye Mrs Long," Ellis says.
"Sorry we're late," I say to Cormac as we arrive at the park about 5 minutes late.
"No worries. I haven't been here long. There was a line at Starbucks. Ellie, do you want your Hot Cocoa?"
"Mommy, can I play first?" she asks Meredith.
"Go ahead. Just stay in the playground," Meredith answers, taking the latte from Cormac and sitting on the bench.
"Busy morning?" he asks.
"Not too bad. Zo's teacher asked me if I'd present at their careers day."
"I've done a few of those in my day," he said. They continue chatting and talking about kids while Ellis plays on the slide. They move over to the swing to push Ellis when she asks. Meredith states, "Well, only one kid out of five. Guess that's not too bad".
"True. We need to find time for another meal out just the two of us," he says thinking how he'd like to hold her hand, or put his arm around her. And he isn't brave enough to do that with Ellis here.
"Maybe we need to sit down as department heads and rearrange the oncall schedule," she says.
"That would help. Then we'd have one less obstacle. Just kids schedules to worry about," he says.
"Sounds like a plan. Maybe tomorrow at the end of the shift we could look at the schedules?" she says.
"As long as there are no emergency pages, sounds like a plan. What was Amelia doing today?"
"She had a doctor's appointment with Carina, and a pediatrician's appointment, then lunch with Link's parents."
"I could have done the baby checkup!"
"True. But Scout doesn't need a surgeon," she replies.
"Glad they finally chose a name. But I would have done a house call, payment could have been watching Ellis."
"I'll tell her you said that! She's been bugging me about where our relationship is going. She doesn't like the 'we're dating' statement and wants more info."
"Then she needs to step up to the childminding. What is his full name?" he teases.
"Scout Derek Shepherd-Lincoln."
"So she did name him after Derek," he said.
"Yes. But I'm so glad it's his second name. Now I only have to hear it when Bailey or Scout get in trouble and we use their full name."
Over the next month they spend more time together in the OR than outside of the hospital. Their schedules didn't match, but they should be better the following month as they had adjusted their evening schedules. One of his surgeons is out sick and he ends up covering some extra shits and Meredith is dragged into a few Emergency surgeries. Although Link and Amelia being off shouldn't have meant extra work for her given their specialties, Bailey keeps handing her the extra surgeries as she knows Meredith's kids were at home safe with family instead of with a babysitter.
Cormac and Meredith often grab a quick coffee mid-shift or if their evening shifts finish near the same time, a whiskey in his office while they write their post-op notes. He had started paging her directly, not the General Surgery team if he needs a general surgeon to join him in the OR. "Bailey's getting suspicious," Meredith says.
"Oh?"
"Of why I'm doing all the peds consults."
"Really? She's noticed?"
"Not much gets past her. She knows everything," Meredith says thinking back over her relationship with Miranda Bailey.
"No wonder she's chief," he says.
"Yes. She worked well with Richard, she was his favourite student. He almost had a fit when she considered doing a Peds fellowship."
"Why didn't she do that fellowship?"
"Her son. Her husband left her during her 5th year. She was single parenting it half time and decided the General Surgery fellowship with Richard would be easier to complete as a single parent.
"I'll give her that! Peds is sometimes tough when you have your own kids. But its great being able to go home and hug your healthy kids."
"So true. Speaking of kids, if I leave now I can read them goodnight stories."
"Then you should go. I'll head out shortly and play drop in football with mine at the YMCA," he says.
"Soccer?" she asks.
"I've always called it football… I've played since I was a tot," he replies, his Irish accent coming out stronger than usual. She's noticed his Irish accent is stronger when he talked about his childhood.
"Enjoy. See you tomorrow," she says as she leaves his office.
