"Meredith," said Aimee. Meredith had just finished her shift at the hospital, and she and Derek were just about to leave when Aimee appeared from the parking lot.
"Aimee, what are you doing here?"
"I got a call," she said. "Exactly when were you going to tell me that the Dragon was in a home?"
"Uh… what?"
"The Dragon… your mother in a home... Alzheimer's… does any of this ring a bell?" shouted Aimee.
"What do you mean, you got a call?"
"The Dragon found a lump, the home is bringing her in," said Aimee, still glaring at Meredith.
"A lump?" asked Meredith, worry evident in her voice.
"They suspect breast cancer," said Aimee, softer than before.
"Breast cancer? But… she…"
"Oh don't act all shocked, you didn't even tell me that she was ill, never mind in a home… I thought she was still alright, I had no idea it had gotten this bad," said Aimee, then she said angrily. "You should have told me!"
"She wouldn't let me," said Meredith desperately, trying to make Aimee understand.
"Yeah Mummy loves secrets!" shouted Aimee.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Maybe we should take this inside," said Derek, aware that they were causing a scene.
"No, you take it inside!" shouted Aimee. "I told you she was coming in! I'm done!"
"Aimee, don't be ridiculous. Come inside and at least see her, she still has some good days," said Meredith, feeling overwhelmingly guilty.
"The Dragon has never had good days where I'm concerned," snapped Aimee. "And you couldn't even tell me."
"I'm sorry," said Meredith. "She wouldn't let me."
"Whatever! I'm out of here, I'll see you in another three years Mere," said Aimee, getting into her rental car.
"Aimee, come back! You have to see her!" Meredith called, but Aimee had driven off.
"Come inside," said Derek, putting his arm around Meredith. "She'll calm down and come back."
"Poor Meredith," said Addison. She and Mark had seen the whole thing.
"Hmmmm," said Mark, not really interested. "So how about dinner and then…"
"God," groaned Addison. "Because I say two words to you, you think I'm going to jump into bed with you!"
"Always worked before," Mark retorted.
"Ugh, never again," said Addison, wrinkling her face in disgust.
-----------------------------------------------
"You look like a girl with a story."
"Oh, the old guy from the hospital," said Aimee, barely looking up from her drink. Aimee had gone back to the house and grabbed some clothes. She couldn't bring herself to leave Seattle, so she had checked into a hotel, coincidently the same one as Mark.
"The kid that knocked Derek out," said Mark, realising she wasn't just a drunk woman sitting at the hotel bar.
"Why are you sitting down?" said Aimee rudely.
"To order a drink," said Mark, signaling to the bartender to bring him a Scotch. "So…"
"Oh God, are you seriously going to try and pick me up?" groaned Aimee, downing another shot of tequila.
"Well that depends. Would I have a shot?"
"Not enough Tequila in the world," said Aimee, slurring her words slightly.
"I can be very persuasive."
"How old are you?" said Aimee bluntly. "Forty? Forty-five?"
"Somewhere in that region," said Mark, not appreciating her bringing up his age again.
"I just turned twenty-one," said Aimee. "And I have enough Daddy issues without sleeping with someone old enough to be my father."
"Alright, I am officially not attracted to you in the slightest," said Mark. He hadn't realised she was so young, she looked so much like Meredith that he had assumed that there was only a year or so between them.
"Good, now go and pick up a Grandma and leave me the hell alone," said Aimee, definitely slurring her words more and more.
"Yeah… there really isn't anyone in tonight," said Mark, looking round. "I thought you were staying with Meredith?"
"Well now I'm not, I have to pretend to be indignant and mad," said Aimee. "You know McDreamy pretty well right? You slept with his wife and he got pissed and moved here… so you must know him."
"I know Derek better than anyone," said Mark.
"Is he an asshole? Is he a good guy?"
"Derek is a mother's dream for their daughter," said Mark. "I was always the rough and ready bad boy and Derek was the good guy."
"Rough and ready," giggled Aimee. "Aren't you an arrogant ass? I bet you even had the black motorbike."
"So… why are you pretending to be mad and indignant?" said Mark, rather than admit that he did have a black motorbike.
"Because Mommy is a bitch," said Aimee, too drunk to realise that he was changing the subject.
"Ah, wasn't Ellis Grey admitted for a biopsy tonight?"
"Yeah and I had to pretend I didn't know she had Alzheimer's and then lay a guilt trip on Meredith," said Aimee, downing even more Tequila.
"How many of those have you had?"
"Not enough," said Aimee in a tone that clearly said that it was none of his business.
"Alright," said Mark. "So you had to pretend to not know that Ellis Grey has lost her marbles?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Oh… I can't tell you that," said Aimee drunkenly.
"Why not?"
"I just can't."
"I'm a doctor," said Mark.
"You aren't very bright, are you?"
"I just meant you can tell me, call it Doctor/Patient confidentiality."
"Why would you care?"
"Curiosity," shrugged Mark. "Plus I don't want it on my conscience if you lose it and shoot up a deli."
"Fine," groaned Aimee. "The Dragon told me about the Alzheimer's when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor."
"A brain tumor."
"Yeah… pretty big too," said Aimee. "Anyways the Dragon paid me to keep it quiet…"
"Why would she do that?"
"Because the only family Meredith had was me and the Dragon, and she couldn't handle the Dragon going insane and me having a tumor. The Dragon said I could be helped by hiring people but she was losing her mind and needed Meredith… so she gave me the names and numbers of some surgeons and four hundred thousand dollars."
"You got stiffed, surgery alone costs about half a million," grunted Mark.
"You know, that's the funny thing," laughed Aimee bitterly. "I actually had insurance… she never thought I would do something that responsible. The whole sorry thing only cost me five thousand dollars for a decent hair piece."
"Wow… you could never tell," said Mark, staring at her hair.
"That was three years ago, dumb ass," said Aimee. "This is my natural hair."
"Oh right, sorry," he mumbled.
"So Meredith thinks I hate her and the Dragon has cancer," Aimee concluded.
"Tough one."
"And if you repeat a single word of this I will castrate you with a rusty scalpel," said Aimee. "I have one too, you know. Stole it from Boston General when I was fourteen, much more effective than a pocket (it) knife."
"Even if the Dragon has cancer, shouldn't you go and see her?" said Mark. "Even if it is just to let her have it?"
"Maybe."