Thank You Love

Miranda woke up stretching. She yawned, opening her mouth widely. It was still a little dark as she picked up her phone. The bright light shined in her eyes. She yawned again. There were two messages from Ben: Goed morning sweetheart. Another one was sent a minute later: I meant good. but you knew that.

She smiled at the phone and typed out a message to him: And here I thought Id found a smart guy.

So you got jokes?

Maybe. Good morning to you too.

Just getting up?

You could just call.

I didnt want to wake you up

Wake me up

Miranda got out of bed and walked to her son's bedroom. "Tuck," she called out. She watched him rustle out of his sleep and start to wake up. She gave him his five minutes to really wake up. Walking back into her room, she picked out clothes to wear for the day. While in her closet, she heard her phone going off. It was Ben. She picked it up. "Hello?"

"Good morning," Ben said. Hearing his voice put a semi-permanent smile on her face.

"Hey, you." Ben started to speak. "Hold on for a second." She walked to her son's room. "Get up, William George. It is time to get up and it's time to get ready for school." He nodded and slinked out of bed. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem. Tell LT I said 'hey'."

"Tuck! Ben says 'hey'."

"Hey, Ben!" Tuck said. He smiled as he closed the bathroom door.

"My son says 'hey' back." Ben told her to tell Tuck to have a good day. "This sounds like a conversation that you two need to have."

"Okay, well, put him on the phone," Ben answered.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Well, he just walked into the bathroom. So, when he comes out and get dressed and whatnot, I will hand over the phone. But until then…" Her voice trailed off.

"I'm stuck with you?" Ben chuckled. And Miranda laughed. They were quiet for a minute. "What are you doing today?"

"First, I'm going to take Tuck to school." She went to her dresser and pulled out some underwear. Today she would go with a black bra and a pair of black panties with a purple lace waistband. For some reason, she was feeling sexy. She looked to the door to make sure her son wasn't there and lowered her voice: "And, at some point, I will be taking a nice, warm bath."

"Ooo, are you, uh, trying to get me to come over?" He asked her and every hair on her body stood up.

"Well, I—"

"Mommy!" Tuck shouted. Miranda's eyes widened and she ran to her son who was in the bathroom. He stood in front of the sink, with his toothbrush in his hand. Saliva with traces of blood dripped from his mouth. She looked in the sink and saw a tooth near the drain.

She exhaled. "Do not scare me like that, William George."

"Sorry. My tooth just fell out!" He exclaimed happily. Miranda smiled and nodded. She heard Ben calling her name on the phone.

"Hold on, baby. Tuck's tooth just fell out."

"Cool. Are you still going to put him on the phone?" Ben asked.

"Y-yeah. Sure. Just give him a second to wash his mouth."

Miranda put the tooth in his bathroom cabinet and helped Tuck gurgle and he took the phone from her. "Hello?" He said softly.

Miranda leaned in so that she could hear both sides of the conversation. "Hey, LT. How's it going?"

"Fine."

"Congratulations on the tooth."

"Thanks! It doesn't even hurt."

"So, the tooth fairy is going to leave you a couple of dollars, hunh?"

"Ben, the tooth fairy's not real. But my mommy still gives me money though."

"Cool. Maybe I can take you for ice cream after school?" Ben said. Miranda rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly.

"I think she's shaking her head." She shook her head more fiercely. Realizing that she was sending mixed signals, Miranda began to nod. Tuck asked her: "Are you saying no or are you saying yes?"

"I'm not saying anything," she whispered.

"Can I go?" She nodded. "She said I can go. Are you going to pick me up during after school?"

"Sure, buddy. Of course. I'll be there."

"Okay! Don't forget the password. Bye, Ben!" Tuck said and shoved the phone back into Miranda's hand.

"Hurry up, Tuck! We need to leave in 10 minutes or you will be walking to school. And you need to be dressed and having breakfast when I come downstairs." He said okay.

She walked back into her room and closed the door before speaking: "Sorry for the wait."

"Sweetheart, it's not problem. At all."

"Are you going in today?"

"Yeah, I am. I have surgery at 11 and one at 7."

"Nice. That sounds like so much fun."

"I hope so. Hold on one second," he said to her and she heard the TV loudly in the background and then it was quiet. "So, uh, it's cool if I take Tuck for ice cream, right? I mean, you don't mind, do you?"

"Oh, so now you ask me?" Miranda smiled as Ben started to protest. "I'm kidding. Of course! Of course! But, Ben Warren, if you tell him you're going to pick him, you have to pick him up, alright? I mean… i-if you say you're going to take him for ice cream, you have to take him for ice cream. You have to be there, okay? Do not leave him waiting."

"Miranda, I got it. I'll be there."

"Okay," she responded softly. "But, I'll talk to you later. We need to get going."

"Alright, call me when you get a chance. Preferably before my first surgery."

"Bye, Ben," she said laughing and ending the call.

Miranda pulled up to Brookden Middle School. She watched in the rearview mirror as her son scrambled out of his booster seat and out of the car. Realizing that he didn't give her a kiss, he climbed back into the car and hugged her neck. This was love, she thought. When she was sure that he was safely inside of the school, she left. She didn't have much to do, maybe a little cleaning and definitely some research. She drove back home. In her room, she saw the clothes and underwear that she'd pulled out earlier. This made her think of Ben. She called him. "Hello, gorgeous."

"Hey, handsome," she said blushing.

"Now, I know that you have a bath on your schedule, but what else?" He asked. She informed him about her the cleaning and research. "Well, I have some research, too. We can research together."

"Like study buddies?"

"Yep!" He said popping the 'p'. "I do have some things to catch up on."

"I know what your game plan really is Dr. Warren. You and your ice cream and your research."

"Whatever do you mean?" He asked feigning innocence terribly.

"I wasn't born yesterday. You just want a reason to see me."

"You're my girlfriend. Is it so bad that I want to see you?" She shook her head as if he were in her presence. "I thought so."

"M-maybe you could stay a little bit when you bring Tuck home from school. You know, before your later surgery?" She hoped he would accept her offer. Her palms were starting to get sweaty. She wasn't in junior high, why did he make her feel this way?

"Oh, most definitely. If I have the time." She didn't say anything else. "So, uh, tell me more about this bath, Miranda Bailey." A slight chill hit her when he said her name.

That sexy feeling was coming back to her and she smiled. "Well, I think I'll just run the water now, making sure it's not too hot." She turned it on and fingered it to get the right temperature. "That… feels good." Ben cleared his throat. "And maybe I'll just put some bubbles in it to keep me company." He cleared his throat again. "You're okay over there?" She asked giggling silently.

Ben spoke slowly and in a deep voice. "Funny, Dr. Bailey. But I'll ask again. Are you trying to get me to come over? Because it's certainly working."

"No, of course not. I'm a lady."

"Well, stop trying to verbally seduce me, woman." This time Miranda laughed outright. "What's so funny?"

"You."

"I'm thinking we should change the subject because I am going to explode if you keep talking about this bath." Miranda's heart skipped a beat. He was right. She would, too. She was trying to turn him on and at the same time, she was turning herself on. It was driving her crazy. "Uhh, do you want to come with us to get ice cream?"

"Oh! I figured it was a bonding thing. You know? With you and my son. I…I didn't know. I just assumed that I wasn't invited."

Ben made a noise. "Well, when you put it like that, I guess you're not. I suppose LT and I could spend some time getting to know each other a bit more. It'll be fun."

She nodded. "Are you, um, excited for your surgeries?" She thought she could hear him smile and he rattled off the details of the first surgery. It was a craniotomy on a 14-year old who'd been experiencing seizures. There was so much passion for his craft in Ben's voice. Miranda couldn't help but feel a little jealous. He was so excited and it made her excited for him.

"Then, Shepherd is going to leave the skull flap open and then we'll… I mean, he'll go in again tomorrow." She smiled widely. Tucker couldn't understand, neither could Eli even though he was a medical professional. The joy that was oozing through the phone from Ben was why she loved her career. And why she couldn't wait until she felt great enough to go to Grey Sloan. Maybe I'm overreacting about this, she thought. He didn't rape me. No permanent physical damage. And I miss it so much. If I miss it this much, maybe I'm ready to go back. She still heard his voice in the background of her loudly wandering mind. "Baby, open the door. I'm outside."

"What?! Why? Seriously?!"

"Woah, I thought that might bring you back. I'm only kidding." he said chuckling. "Are… you alright?"

"Yeah," she said absentmindedly.

"Talk to me. I'm listening."

"No, no, no, I'm listening to you. You sound so excited." He sighed. "Seriously, just keep going. Skull flaps and anesthetics."

"Oh, I was finished a long time ago." He laughed. "I was just quiet. Then, I realized that you hadn't responded to anything I said, so I just sang to you, quietly. When that didn't work, I just said that I was outside."

"Wait. Y-you sang to me?" Miranda shut her eyes tightly. Had she heard him correctly? A man… singing to her!? Dr. Miranda Bailey formerly known as The Nazi. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, but it definitely made her smile. She really wished that she'd been paying attention.

"Maybe. But you'll never know. Tell me what's on your mind?" She sighed and told him what she'd been thinking. "You want my opinion?" She said that she did. "I don't think you're not overreacting. Trust me. You'll go back when you're ready and right now, you're just not ready yet."

She nodded. "Alright," she said reluctantly.

"Alright," he said finalizing the conversation. "Baby, you know I hate to do this, but I need to go. I need to get ready. And you have a very sexy and very relaxing bath to take." Miranda smiled. "I'll text you. And I'll see you when I bring Tuck home." She said okay and listened as the phone beeped off.

The two inches of water in the bathtub had now gotten cold. Miranda emptied it and started over, peeled off her clothes and sat in the tub while the water rose around her. When she'd finished soaking, she got out of the water and stared at herself in the mirror. It wasn't often that she looked at her naked body, but the times that she did, she admired it, never hating what she saw. Grabbing her robe, she went down to the kitchen for some breakfast. She vacuumed the living room and swept the kitchen floor. Upstairs, she straightened her room as well as her son's and took the dirty clothes down to the laundry room. Miranda knew she needed to do some research, but she couldn't do it in the house; she couldn't concentrate there. It was too quiet and if she turned on music, it would just be noise and would distract. That was one of the reasons why she couldn't be a stay-at-home mom, she'd go absolutely insane.

Miranda got dressed and locked up her house. In her car, she debated her destination. She turned the engine over and started to drive. 10 minutes later, she was pulling into the crowded parking lot of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. She grabbed her purse and her bag full of paperwork and a few textbooks. She showed her ID at the door and slipped downstairs to the research library without anyone seeing her. For three hours, she poured over new information and mimicked a new technique; she wished that she could get into the skills labs without someone noticing her. During the fourth hour, she went searching for a book in the back of the library and didn't hear her phone ringing. "There is a phone is going off!" Someone said in an irritated voice. "This is a library."

Hearing her ringtone, Miranda rushed to her phone. "Shit," she said to herself as she picked up the phone.

"That's an interesting greeting," the person said to her. She looked at the screen and saw Ben's picture and laughed quietly.

She spoke softly: "Shut up. I'm in the library and your call just embarrassed me in front of all three of these people." It was Ben's turn to laugh. She went back to the stacks. "I'm busy, Benjamin Warren."

"I'll bet. But, no, I, uh, I was on my way to get some non-hospital food for lunch and I thought I saw your car in the parking lot. Are you here?"

She thought about lying. "I am," she said slowly.

"Well, do you want to grab lunch with your boyfriend?" He asked making her smile.

"Y-yeah. But, don't tell people. I don't want anyone to know I'm here."

"Sure thing. About how long until you're finished?" They made plans to meet at a restaurant that she knew of, but had never been to. She took twenty minutes to finish her research and inconspicuously walked out of the hospital and to her car.

Miranda thought that she was early when she walked into "Xips". It was a dark restaurant with dim lighting. "Welcome to Xips," the hostess said pronouncing the name with a 'Z' sound.

"Thank you. I'm looking for someone." Miranda did a quick search through the restaurant. "I don't see them, although I can't see much of anything. But I may be a little early, so they may not be here yet. Is there anywhere where I can wait for them? Maybe the bar. You know, until they show up."

"Of course, ma'am. I can help you with that. Who are you looking for today?"

"Um, Warren—"

"Benjamin Warren?"

"Yes," Miranda said. "Is he here?"

"He's actually right over here, ma'am," the hostess said telling Miranda to follow her. Getting to the table, Ben looked up into Miranda's face and stood up, beaming. He hugged her and kissed her quickly on the lips before he helped her sit down, pushing in her chair.

"Thank you," they said to the hostess at the same time. She slipped away silently.

"This is a very dark place. Nice, but dark," Miranda commented. Ben was holding her hand and flipping through the menu.

"It is, but the food is really good. And I like the atmosphere," he told her. The waitress came by with a fake smile plastered to her face and introduced herself as Jessie. Ben and Miranda introduced themselves as well. They ordered drinks and an appetizer. "I'm glad that I get to take you out for lunch."

"And I thank you. It felt good to be at the hospital. I didn't want to stay inside of the house all day and get cabin fever. So, I hit the library. It was nice getting wrapped up in the books." Ben nodded. "I wished that I had dressed more appropriately for a place like this." Miranda fidgeted with pink t-shirt from Wal-Mart and glanced at her blue jeans. Ben was wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans, classic and sexy.

Ben glanced up from his menu. "I'm not dressed up either."

"But you still look good."

"As do you." Ben winked at her.

She smiled. "How was your surgery?"

The drinks came back. Miranda had ordered a beer and Ben just had a Sprite. "I think it went really well. Shepherd does some amazing things in there."

Miranda squealed and used her hands to express herself. "He does! I love watching him work. He's so meticulous."

Ben took a sip of his soda. "I totally agree. Reminds me a lot of you, actually."

She blushed. "Thanks, Ben. But I just do the best I can."

"Well, you do a damn fine job, Miranda. I've watched you work."

She scratched her eyebrow and asked: "So did you ever want to become a surgeon? Or think about it at least?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah, I did. I do actually. I still think about it. I think it's an admirable profession."

"Maybe you should go for it," Miranda said putting her beer bottle to her lips. "I think you'd make a great surgeon." He raised his glass. She smiled and lightly hit it with her bottle.

"Thanks. Maybe one day," he said shrugging.

The appetizers came and they ate and talked freely. "Excuse me while I go to the restroom. I'll be back."

She stood up and Ben stood up as well. "Don't take too long."

"I'll try not to keep you waiting," she told him walking away and strutting a little bit because she knew Ben would be watching her.

While she used the restroom, she heard the door open and heard people come inside. They were talking. She thought she recognized both voices. One voice sounded like the hostess, Miranda didn't catch her name. And the other voice was Jessie's, the waitress. Her annoyingly high-pitched voice was unmistakable. "Cam, girl, can you believe who he's with?"

"Jess! Ahh, OMG! I know. When I seated him and he said he was waiting for someone, I thought the woman was gonna be stunner because well… look at him. But then she shows up and she's all nervous and just look at how she's dressed." Miranda looked down at her clothes. She hadn't planned on coming this; she'd only planned on being bogged down in the library all day. "Ooo, maybe it's like a blind date."

Jessie answered: "If it is, that relationship won't go far. They'll end up 'just friends'." Miranda imagined the girl using finger quotes. She moved closer to the stall door and peeked at the girls who were primping in the mirror. As if anyone could see them in the dark restaurant.

"It's like beauty and the beast," Cam said. There was more lighting in the bathroom than in the restaurant, so the doctor could see that Cam was thin White girl with long, blonde hair that nearly came to her waist.

"And we know which one is beauty don't we!?" Jessie whistled. They both cackled. Jessie flipped her red hair back and forth. Miranda had to admit that it looked really good against her light brown skin. Some people couldn't pull off the color, but Jessie wasn't one of those people. It looked great. And she would have complimented the girl if she hadn't been badmouthing her.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, she's okay, but Benjamin, that's his name, is freakin' gorgeous. Like… like…" Cam looked around the room, searching for the right word.

"A Greek god!" Jessie shouted.

"Yes! Zeus or some shit like that," the other girl answered. Her voice wasn't nearly as annoying.

"I will be putting my phone number on the check because I know he's picking it up. He looks like one of those gentlemen types." Jessie said wistfully. "He needs to be with someone like me, not her."

Miranda was going to wait until they left the bathroom before she stepped out of the stall, but she decided to confront them. She flushed the toilet and emerged from the bathroom. Seeing her in the mirror, they stopped talking and stared straight ahead. Miranda could tell that they wanted to leave, but they didn't know how. "Hello, ladies," she said. They smiled and nodded. "You two have an awful lot of say." No response. "Well, that guy out there, he's my boyfriend. And believe it or not, he loves me." Miranda saw the red-haired girl stiffen up. She continued: "And tell me why, ladies, would he want a waitress or a hostess, or whatever else you two moonlight as, when he can have me, a doctor?" She looked at them in the mirror and smirked. The girls stared at Miranda in shock. She washed her hands and walked around them to the towel dispenser. "Beauty and the Beast, hunh? I've always liked that story. A prince falls in love with a beautiful girl, marries her and makes her a princess. And they live happily ever after. Bonus! I guess you two are onto something." She tossed her paper towel into the garbage and walked out and back to the table. Ben stood up as she neared. "Hey, can we go?"

"What? Hunh? Is everything okay? We haven't even ordered yet."

She leaned down a little and looked into his eyes so that he would get that she was serious. "I want to leave. I would explain further, but I do not want to make a scene in this place. Especially since it's so dark that no one would see my wild hand gestures. So please. I'm saying please now. Please. Let's go." Ben nodded. He threw a couple of dollars on the table to pay for the appetizers and drinks and then they were gone.

He followed her home. Sitting in her driveway in her car, Miranda looked at the clock. Tuck was out of school and probably doing homework in his after school program. Ben knocked on her window and got in the car. "So, are you going to tell me what happened or do you want me to guess or do you want me to ask questions?" Miranda looked at him out of the corners of her eyes. She just shook her head. "What does that mean?"

She turned to face him fully and wondered. She wondered: Did they really not look like they belonged together? Usually, she wouldn't care about the idle words of jealous girls because they were just girls, young and naïve. They didn't know what they wanted to do with their lives and they were petty, but there was always a part of her that was waiting. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for Ben to announce that it was all just a joke or mistake. Waiting for her heart to get broken… again. She ran her tongue over her teeth before she spoke. "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

"Is that a real question?" He asked laughing.

She didn't crack a smile. "Ben, I'm being serious. Do you… do you think I'm beautiful? Are you attracted to me? I mean, physically?" Miranda stared into his eyes to see if she saw any lying indicators. Maybe, he'd blink or take a deep breath, fidget in his seat or look up before he spoke, hesitate in some way. Then it would all be over and she could move on to someone else who truly loved her.

Ben did none of that. "Yes, Miranda. I think you're perfect." She looked away. He reached out and grabbed her chin gently and made her face him again. He made perfect eye contact and said: "To me, you're beautiful and gorgeous and pretty and stunning and I'm very, very, very attracted to you." He pulled her chin towards him and they kissed. Ben touched his forehead with hers. "What about me?"

"What about you?" She asked smiling.

"Are you attracted to me?" He asked.

"Yeah, like you haven't been told a hundred times over that you're gorgeous."

"That's not the point. I want to know what you think."

She gasped. "I—I… well, I find you very… um, you know you're a good-looking, handsome man." Ben raised an eyebrow. She sighed. "You're sexy and irresistible and I am attracted to you." He smiled and kissed her again.

"Mmm, those lips though," he said and she laughed. "Hold on, one more before I go," he said kissing her between each syllable.

"Ben Warren, get out of my car. And go and get my son," she said pushing him out of her car. She went in her house and watched him pull away.

Miranda put on some comfortable clothes and sat on her bed, one leg pulled into her body and the other stretched out. She studied for a long while, soaking in every bit of information that she could. When she decided to return to work, she wanted to be sharp. Her notes from the library were scattered over the bed, a few sheets had fallen on the floor. She heard honking outside. She picked up her phone and hurried down the stairs expecting her son and her boyfriend. Looking out of the window, she saw a car that she did not recognize. Although her heart started to race, she did not panic. Miranda held her phone tightly. Ready to use it in case she needed to. Something she wished she could have done the night Damon stopped by. She stayed behind the door, her back pressed against it. There was a hard knock on the door, vibrating her body. She stood on her toes and looked out of the peephole. On the other side of the door was a tall, dark-skinned man with short, gray hair. And he had a smile that she saw every time she looked into a mirror. It was her father.

"Mandy! Open the door, I know you're in there," her father called out. Hearing her father's voice, she threw open the door with a shocked grin on her face.

Standing next to her father was her mother. She hugged her mother first, kissing her cheek and then grabbed on to her father. She was so happy to see them. "Are you going to let us in?" Her mother asked. Miranda nodded and moved out of the way and allowed them to step inside. Elena made a beeline for the kitchen and William settled on the sofa. Miranda sat next to him.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Girl, sometimes I wonder how they let you out of college… twice. Why else would we be here? To see you and our grandchild." Miranda laughed. "How are you?"

"I'm good, dad. How are you doing? Have you been following the doctor's orders?" William nodded. "Good."

"I'm going to the bathroom," her father announced getting up slowly. Miranda stood up as well and went in the kitchen to see what her mother was up to. The stove was on and so was the oven. Miranda smiled widely. She was about to eat well for the next couple of days or however long they were staying. Her mother was a great cook. They talked and Elena explained they came out to Seattle to check up on their daughter and to get a change of scenery. Then, they heard talking outside of her front door. They heard the doorknob jiggle and in walked Tuck and Ben. "Hey, Tuck!" She exclaimed walking out of the kitchen. She hugged him. "Look who's here," she said leading him into the kitchen.

"The Chief?" Tuck asked. Miranda shook her head and stepped to the side. "Grandma!" He yelled and ran to her, throwing his arms around her.

Miranda smiled and got a little teary. She didn't notice that Ben had followed them into the kitchen. He put his arm on her waist and kissed the top of her head. "Hey, baby," he said so that only she could hear. In her stomach, she felt something stronger than butterflies… elephants. They marched around in her stomach. So many good things were happening to her in these last few moments. He kissed her cheek and released her from his grasp. "Elena, how are you? Still looking good," Ben said charming her mother and making her blush. Miranda rolled her eyes as her father came into the kitchen.

"What's going on here? Ben, are you moving in on my wife?" He asked. Miranda and Elena laughed as Tuck ran to him and hugged him timidly. The adults could see that he didn't want to hurt his grandfather. Miranda started to say something, but her father beat her to it. "Is that how you hug your grandpa, young man?" The small boy's eyes widened and he gave the tall man another hug, squeezing him. "Ooph! Now that's a hug!" Everyone laughed.

"I didn't know you were coming," Tuck said still holding onto William.

"If you did…," William started.

"It wouldn't have been a surprise," Elena said smiling at Tuck and winking at Ben.

Ben stepped towards William. "Hello, sir," he said holding out his hand for the older gentleman. Miranda quickly compared them. William was thicker and Ben was slightly shorter, but they both had dimples and they were almost the same shade of brown skin.

"I think you can call me 'William'," her father said. For some reason, Tuck giggled maniacally.

"Yes, of course, William. How are you?" Ben asked smiling.

"I'm fine. How are you? Are you treating my grandson and daughter the way you promised me you would?" William said. They were still holding hands. William stared right at Ben.

"Yes, sir," he said matching her father's glare. William nodded and let go of Ben's hand. Ben turned and walked back next to Miranda, silently exhaling. Miranda laughed. "So, how long are you two in town for?" Ben's hand was back around her waist.

"A few days. We have a room at the Marriott right off of Exit 12."

"Oh, absolutely not!" Miranda exclaimed. "I'm going to fix up my guestroom and you guys will stay here." She looked from her mother to her father. "You'll stay here for your trip and that's that. Cancel the room."

"You just want my good cooking," Elena said.

"You know me so well," she responded, cheesing and pointing a finger in her mother's direction.

The five of them chatted for a bit before Ben announced that he had to get back to the hospital. Miranda watched William's face for a hint of dissatisfaction, but William just turned his attention to his wife who was making magic at the stove. Tuck walked with Miranda and Ben to the door. "Bye, Ben! Thanks for the ice cream." The young boy gave Ben a hug and Miranda saw that Ben was a little surprised, but he hugged the boy back. Miranda smiled. Tuck dashed up the stairs waving.

"So, I take it you guys had fun?" She asked him crossing her arms across her chest.

"Yeah. Yeah, we did," Ben said putting his hands in his pocket. "He's so cool. I wish I could have hung out with him when I was a kid."

"Right?"

"He's that cool kid that we all wished we'd hung out with."

"Yeah, he is level-headed—"

"And smart. So intelligent. And chill, just like his mother." Ben winked at her.

"Yeah, well, if you knew me, you'd know that I am not chill," Miranda said laughing while uncrossing her arms. She reached over and checked Ben's watch. "You really need to be going."

"Okay. Okay. I get it. You want me to get out so your parents don't grill us," he said taking a big step towards his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"They're going to do that anyway," she told him settling her arms around his neck. Ben held her tightly as he leaned down to kiss her. Miranda closed her eyes and kissed him back. She let out a soft moan.

"Well, with that, I'm going to go to work. Can I come back later?"

"Yes, please," she responded. "I'd love that." He gave her one last kiss and then he was gone.

The evening went smoothly. Elena cooked from the time she arrived until she turned off the stove and they put the food on the table. William and Miranda wandered in out of the kitchen in between basketball games on television. Then, Tuck, William, Elena and Miranda sat around the table. There was plenty of food. William said a prayer and they dug in. When they were finished, Miranda offered to wash the dishes and put the food away while her parents went upstairs to rest. It was nearly time for Tuck to go to bed. Elena reassured Miranda that Tuck would get to bed on time. "Mandy! Your phone is ringing!" Her father called out. She dried her hands and walked up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her. She looked at her phone. It was The Chief. She made a face and answered the phone.

"Hey, Chief," she said cheerfully.

"Bailey. How are you?" Richard asked. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

"I'm okay. My parents came into town today, so I'm happy about—"

"Yeah, that's nice," he said cutting her off. Miranda smiled. "When are you coming back? I need you. This hospital needs you." Miranda laughed at his urgency. "It's not funny."

"Sir, I should be back at the end of the week, can you make sure the hospital doesn't burn down until then?"

"Fine. Fine. Give my best to William and Elena."

"Oh, actually. I was planning on inviting you to dinner while my parents are here in Seattle," Miranda said lying to her mentor.

"Ahh, that sounds nice. And what about…?" He stopped talking.

"Well, the dinner with my parents will be here, at my place. And that little gathering will be at Ben's house, neutral, well-semi neutral territory. And I will let you know when. I'm still trying to sort out the details and all that."

"Okay. Okay. Sounds great. I'm excited. I'll be there tomorrow. Adele, too."

"Of course. And will she be coming to the other thing?"

"No. No. No. No. No. I haven't told her yet. I was waiting to see how the dinner thing would go." Miranda nodded. "So, dinner tomorrow at 6:30?"

"Yes, sir. See you then." They hung up. Miranda debated going back downstairs to finish the dishes. She decided against it. She walked to her son's room and heard her mother reading him a story. She smiled and went to her guestroom. Her father was lying on his back, watching TV. She knocked on the door to get his attention.

"Hey, baby, come on in," he said turning slightly. Miranda sat on the bed and lie down next to her father. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just seeing about you." William nodded. "I'm really glad you guys are here."

"You know we had to check up on our baby girl. You're the only one we have."

"Yeah. I know." They were quiet for a while watching the news. Elena walked in silently. "Alright, well, goodnight. See you guys in the morning."

"I thought it would be nice if we were to take Tuck to school in the morning," her mother said. Miranda smiled, nodded and went back into her room.

Her phone was ringing again. She expected to see Callie's name on her phone. She hadn't been in touch with her best friend in a while, so she was surprised to see that it was her boyfriend. She smiled and flopped down on her bed and accepted the call. "Hello, Ben Warren."

"Miranda Bailey," he said.

"Finished surgery?"

"Yeah." She heard him sigh softly. There was a lot behind that sigh.

"And how did it go?" Miranda asked already knowing the answer.

"We lost him."

"Aww, baby, I'm sorry," she said turning on her back.

"Yeah," he said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. She knew all too well the feeling of losing a patient.

"Ah, I don't know. I'm actually in your driveway. I don't know if I should come in. It's kind of late and I don't want to disrespect your parents."

"I think I'm old enough to have boys in my room," she said laughing. "I'll come and open the door." She opened the door to find him already there. He looked exhausted. "You look terrible."

"Thanks, baby. You look good, too." His tone was sharp. He kissed her cheek and walked past her.

"Sorry," she said.

"No, it's my bad. I apologize."

"I know why. And it's okay," she told him. Miranda grabbed his hand and led him up the stairs. Her mother was coming out of the bathroom.

"Hi, Elena," Ben said waving half-heartedly.

"Hello, Ben," Elena said raising an eyebrow. Miranda shook her head. "And goodnight."

They went into Miranda's room. Ben closed the door. He kicked off his shoes and climbed into the bed. "I honestly don't know why I'm taking this so hard. I mean, I've lost patients before, obviously." Miranda crawled into bed next to him. He laid his head on her chest. She rubbed his hair. "But, this one is hitting me hard."

"So, tell me about him," Miranda said. She stroked his head while he talked.

From what she gathered, the patient was an older guy about 50, who'd had a heart attack while Callie performed surgery. "He j-just started coding. It… was intense."

"Why do you think you're taking it so hard?"

"I said I don't know why, Miranda!" Ben snapped.

"Well, I think you're lying," she said bluntly, not getting fazed. They were silent as she continued to caress his head.

"That feels good."

"I know."

"My father."

"What?"

"The patient, Mr. Dawson reminds me a lot of my dad. That's how he died. A heart attack during a routine surgery. And I know, I know. There's no such thing as a routine surgery. Same age and everything. I'm just processing it now or whatever, but, yeah. That's how my dad died. I get pissed sometimes because he never knew that I became a doctor, you know. He didn't get to see Jaz grow up and become awesome. And he'll never know my kids or Curt's or Ange's if she decides to have more. And Mr. Dawson has two sons and he'll never see what they'll become. It's so fu—freakin' sad." He was quiet. "I miss him so much. Baby, you would have loved him. He was so funny and smart, you could ask him anything and he would know at least something about the subject." Miranda smiled. "I don't think I've ever told you any of that." She shook her head. They were quiet again. "Sorry for snapping at you, Miranda."

"It's okay. I've done some snapping myself."

"Yeah, you have." They laughed.

"So, are you hungry?" He shook his head. "Tired?" He nodded. "Then, let's go to sleep."

"Just sleep?" Ben asked winking.

"Well, you did say you were tired."

He wiggled his eyebrows, making Miranda smile. "But I'm always up for a little adult activity."

"Not with my son in the next room and my parents down the hall," she whispered frantically waving her arms.

"Oh shoot, I forgot." Miranda rolled her eyes as they settled on their backs. Miranda closed her eyes. "You never told me what happened while we were at Xips."

She sighed. "It doesn't matter," she responded. She smiled to herself remembering how she'd set those girls straight. "On a brighter note, I did talk to The Chief today. I'm going back to work at the end of the week. You're still okay with me having that thing at your house, right? I want to do it next week, actually, I wanted to do it this week, but my folks are in town and I wanna spend time with them."

Ben sat up excitedly. He rolled on top of her and kissed her passionately. "Baby! You're going back. That's awesome." She agreed. Miranda played with the band of Ben's pants. He exhaled. "I'm proud of you."

"You did know that I was going back at some point, didn't you?"

"I did, but I'm just excited." Miranda nodded. "And it's still cool if you have the get together at my place. Who's going to be there?" She told him her guest list and why those particular people were 'invited'. "Wow. Oh wow. Just… wow." He kissed her again.

"I know, right?" She said slowly looking up at Ben. She felt him getting hard and it turned her on. He balanced his body over her with one hand while the other searched for her skin under t-shirt.

"Let me make love to you. I swear I'll be quiet," he breathed in her ear.

She swallowed and shook her head. "Nope. No. Unh-uh."

"Why not?" He groaned.

"Because I can't promise that I will." They laughed, shaking the bed a little. "And if it was just my parents… well, I might consider it. But my child… absolutely not." She said pushing his chest. He moved from on top of her.

"You're teasing me, baby" he whined and he kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry if you feel that way." She turned on her side and he rolled against her, his chest on her back.

"I do feel that way, but I love you anyway," he said yawning.

"I love you, too," she said smiling and going to sleep.