Pleasant Surprises

Chapter 6

This chapter will have one of my favorite songs from Lifehouse. It's called Everything…I think it's very appropriate to use it here.

I want to thank everyone again for their wonderful reviews and their thoughts. Many of you have written long reviews, which I love and appreciate and you all are completely honest with me about what your thoughts are on my writing style – again thank you. A lot of you were not happy with me because I made Derek be a little harsh with Addison…believe me Derek will have his moments where you guys will turn and tell me that Derek got beat up pretty badly…last chapter it was Addison's turn. In another chapter she just might shine! The goal for me is for you guys to keep reading the story…keeping it interesting and keep those fabulous reviews coming.

As for this chapter – word of warning – you guys just might get a tad bit more upset with me…but hey you love me right? Please let me know what you guys think!

GA…GA…GA…GA…

Derek looked out the window of his trailer and watched the sun come up on the Seattle horizon. It was beautiful – a damn shame that he could not enjoy it with Meredith. What had happened last night? It was a blur to him. He had never been a drinking man but last night had been one of the worst nights of his life. He had found out that his wife had lived with her lover – and his best friend – for months before she came seeking him out. He found out that him being a good guy really got him nowhere because not only did he not love his wife back then – or now – he had lost the woman he truly loved for a lie. For a marriage that had been a sham since both of them agreed to make it work. So he had gotten drunk as soon as he had walked in the trailer. He had drunk until he could drink no more and had not slept at all last night.

He was startled into reality when he heard his alarm clock ring to the radio. He made no move to go and shut it off. He didn't feel like doing anything today – not even go into the hospital. He was devastated. He was lost. He was confused. He was sad. He was depressed He was a failure. A damn failure and now he didn't even have the woman that he loved to comfort him.

find me here
and speak to me
I want to feel you
I need to hear you
you are the light
that's leading me
to the place
where I find peace again

How very appropriate – to wake up to a song that hit to the very core of his being. He had done nothing but think about Meredith since he got into his truck and drove to his trailer. He replayed for a couple of seconds the conversation he had with Addison but only to be reminded that because of their marriage the outcome of his demise with Meredith came to the forefront. He had managed to find peace with Meredith in Seattle and really tried to pretend that his life in New York had not existed. He recalled Meredith asking him specifics about his life and he had been so adamant to not tell her anything. Why had he not told her that he was married then? She had opened the door for that and he had not walked through it. He would regret that for the rest of his life. He would regret that the fear of losing her overwhelmed him yet he has lost her anyway.

you are the strength
that keeps me walking
you are the hope
that keeps me trusting
you are the life
to my soul
you are my purpose
you're everything

He decided to tell her half-truths. How many sisters he had, nieces and nephews but nothing about Addison and how he had left her behind because his marriage had been plagued by infidelity and by neglect. She represented his fresh beginning but he should have known that lies kill a relationship that was not built on a strong foundation. They had started as a one night stand and he had not come clean after managing to pursue her and win. He had gone to the point of almost stalking her and she had finally fallen. He smiled slightly as he remembered her attack in the elevator and that's when he knew – he knew that he wanted to be with her not only as a sex partner but as someone that he wanted to get to know.

and how can I
stand here with you
and not be moved by you
would you tell me
how could it be
any better than this…yeah

Pick me, choose me, love me... Why didn't he choose her when he had the opportunity? That thought had plagued him for almost a year and he had asked himself that question about 30 times a day – a day! What was wrong with him? He had never second guessed anything that he had done until that night when he walked away from Addison. He had felt that he owed her a chance and now to come and realize that his guilt was misplaced…well it killed him! The one who he should have felt guilty about leaving was Meredith. He had felt guilty about her but he felt more guilt towards Addison. Of course – she was his wife, the woman who he had spent countless years trying to make their marriage, their careers and their hopes for a family merge into one dream. He owed her! He owed her more than he owed Meredith and now to come and find out that he had placed all his guilt on the wrong woman. It made him sick to his stomach.

you calm the storms
and you give me rest
you hold me in your hands
you won't let me fall
you still my heart
and you take my breath away
would you take me in
take me deeper now

And now she had Finn. Even if Addison had been right and Meredith still loved him he didn't know if he had it in him to go to her and tell her that he was sorry – so sorry for fucking up so badly. What would happen if he went to her and she in turn told him that his neglect had driven her to choose another man – a man that would be able to put her first; a man that would not make her promises he couldn't keep; a man who was not afraid to risk and lose.

and how can I
stand here with you
and not be moved by you
would you tell me
how could it be
any better than this

He finally got up from his chair and made his way to the phone. "Chief?" he said and immediately proceeded. "I need some time off. I know it's short notice but I can't go into work for a while – at least three weeks. I am taking off." He had decided right then and there that a change of scenery was what he needed to get some perspective. "I will call a good friend of mine from New York to come and take my place."

"Derek. This is a really bad time for you to be leaving. I'm not just saying it's a bad time because of the hospital. I mean because of your impending divorce, Meredith in the hospital recuperating from surgery. Are you sure?" The Chief questioned. For the past couple of weeks he had noticed Derek slipping on a downward spiral. Apparently he had not been wrong.

"I'm sure." He stated. "Do me a favor. I can't tell Meredith over the phone but I can't go to the hospital either. I need to get away – the sooner the better. Tell her that I heard everything she said to me yesterday and she's right. I need to think things through and that is what I am going to do. Tell her that I will call her."

"Derek this is a big mistake. Don't make it seem like you're walking out on her." Richard emphasized. He couldn't help it. He saw himself in Derek – a much younger version of him stood right before him.

"Walking out on who Richard – Meredith or Addison? Make up your mind Chief, who do you want me to fight for? Because if I remember correctly just yesterday you told me that I should not be with Meredith." He reminded him.

"Don't choose my words for me Derek and please don't twist them to your sick and twisted way. I told you what I did to benefit me and Ellis. You and Meredith – although in similar situations – are different people and maybe you can overcome difficulties and obstacles but you do not benefit yourself or her by running away from your problems."

"Chief just tell her that I will see her soon and that I will call her." Derek said and hung up. He didn't want to talk to anyone. He needed to be alone with his thoughts. He needed to figure this out on his own.

GA…GA…GA…GA…

Meredith woke up to a dull headache. She was tired of the hospital bed and was understanding why sometimes her patients were not happy or in a bad mood whenever she had to do her rounds. She turned her head towards the door and smiled slightly at seeing the Chief. They had not seen eye to eye for a while – not since she came clean to him and told him that she knew about the affair he had with her mom. "I'm going to wager a guess and say that I'm a special patient because not everyone gets a visit from the Chief of the hospital."

Richard smiled and came to stand by her bed. "Do consider yourself lucky. Your surgery went well and you will be up and running doing your rounds in about a week and a half – at the most two weeks."

"Oh come on. I just need two days and then should be fine." Meredith argued. She would go crazy if she had to stay at home for two weeks and just lay around and do nothing.

"This is not up for debate." Richard said and then looked at her: "You will rest for fourteen days. I didn't come here to just talk to you about your health though." He said, as his demeanor changed and he walked to the window of her hospital room. "Derek called me a few hours ago and told me that he needed some time off." Richard started.

Meredith suddenly became very alert as to what Richard was telling her – Derek needed time off – for what? Where was he going? Was he staying here, leaving? How long was he gone for? All these questions played in Meredith's head. "How long?" were the only two words that came out of her mouth.

"At least three weeks, maybe more." Richard started. "He is calling another neurosurgeon to come and substitute for him."

Meredith's eyes opened a bit and she felt her breath catch in her chest. What was happening to Derek? Why had he changed so much? What happened to the man that she fell in love with?

"He told me to tell you goodbye and that he would call you. He just needed to get out of Seattle for a bit."

"Thanks." Meredith responded automatically. She did not want to break down in front of the Chief and she would not have him console her. Derek had left and somehow she felt that part – if not all of the blame – was on her and she knew those thoughts were wrong. Derek had left that was all there was to it and whatever the reason she would just have to wait until he came back or called her to find out.

She turned to the nightstand next to her bed and saw the envelope there that contained the letter that was addressed to him. Now he would not even have the chance to see it or read it before he came to any conclusions. She felt horrible about that. Now his thoughts, his guilt and his insecurities were what were going to accompany him in his journey and most importantly he would still think that Finn was in the mix.

Richard turned to look at her and nodded his head. She wanted to be alone and he would leave her with them. "Let me know if you need anything." He stated as he opened the door and headed out.

Meredith finally let the tears fall. How did her life get so complicated? All she had wanted since she realized that she had fallen in love with Derek was to be happy with him – with no Addison and no baggage. Now he was gone.

GA…GA…GA…GA…

Mark walked through the doors of Seattle Grace and squinted his eyes. The fluorescent lights were making his head pound ten times worse than when he woke up this morning. He walked towards his office and almost made it in. "Dr. Sloan."

He scrunched up his forehead and masked his headache as he turned to the Chief: "Dr. Webber."

"I'll let you settle in and have a cup of coffee." He said, as he looked over his ragged features. "However, when you get a moment I would like you to assist me in a consult. Also I would like to talk to you about Dr. Matteson."

Mark looked up from the floor, "Dr. Andrew Matteson?" he questioned. Tom was an excellent neurosurgeon from New York and had been a good friend of Derek's and himself. "What about him?"

"He'll be substituting at Seattle Grace." Richard said, as he nodded his head and started walking towards his desk.

What? What about Derek? Was there an overflow of neurosurgeries? But he said, substituting? Where the hell was Derek? Besides it wasn't like Derek was the only neurosurgeon at Seattle Grace – he was the head of neurosurgery, surely if he was sick Seattle Grace would not stop functioning for one or two days. He was getting a bigger headache than the one he had started off this morning with.

He unlocked his office and sat down on his chair. What the hell? Then he froze. What if he decided to take Meredith away after her surgery to recuperate? Nah! That didn't sound right. Did it? Besides Meredith needed to stay at least another day or two at the hospital to make sure that there were no complications – so had he left alone; with Addison? "Fuck this." He said, as he grabbed his white lab coat and headed to the Chief's office.

"Karev bring me a coffee black." He said, as he turned right towards the Chief's office. "If you want to scrub in on one of my surgeries – or several -- I want that coffee on my desk by the time I come back." Karev seemed like a good intern but he had to be brought down a notch or two. Karev reminded him of himself when he was an intern and he had learned the hard way. He knew he picked on him and probably would continue to do so because he could but he would show him a lot more than any other plastic surgeon could so if that meant that he got him his coffee on days that he was hung over and in a bad mood – well then that's what it meant.

He knocked on the Chief's door and came in. "What's going on Dr. Webber? Why did you ask me about Matteson?"

"Derek has requested some time off and he said he would find his replacement. Dr. Matteson will be here in a few hours and I just wanted to see if you knew him so I can be prepared as to what to expect."

Mark looked at him speechless. "Time off? Is everything okay?" he questioned as he sat on one of the plush sofa chairs. Suddenly he felt a bit disoriented – probably because of the news he had just received and the other being the hang over that he was trying to nurse but couldn't.

"That is none of your business Dr. Sloan." He stated, leaving no room for argument. "So tell me Dr. Matteson…"

"Great neurosurgeon…comparable to Derek, Derek is the best, Matteson is the second best. He has taken a sabbatical because he wanted time to relax. I guess he is coming to Seattle for Derek. You have the best in the nation with the two of them. He will be a great asset."

"Great. I know he's the best. His name is nationally known. I was just wondering why he had the time to come and replace Derek temporarily. Now I know."

"You said you had a consult?" Mark said, already wanting to leave. He needed coffee and he needed to find someone that could tell him why the hell Derek had left.

"Yes. Room 412…Patient was severely burned in an office fire. Half of his face is only scarred tissue. Has never wanted to have plastic surgery but now is weighing his options. Wants to know if with one operation you will be able to make him look like he did before…"

"Impossible." Mark said immediately. "Reconstructive surgery takes time especially with facial tissue."

"Talk to him then." Richard stated. "I would like for him to undergo as many procedures as he has to. This man is the father of one of my wife's best friend. He's an older man so he doesn't believe that he needs cosmetic surgery since he feels that he is old and has lived his life but this accident has made him bitter and depressed and they believe that if he has his face back to some normalcy he will feel better and want to live."

Mark closed his eyes. That was something that he had never learned to master. In the field of plastic surgery most of your patients were young and vain. They wanted plastic surgery because they wanted to accentuate their beauty. He could do that and he knew how to talk to people that sought him out for that. He had always had trouble connecting to individuals but it wasn't up till now that he was worried about it. Seattle was a town of warm people, much warmer than from New York. He had to actually talk to patients and that – if he confessed to himself – was something that he did not do well.

"Will do." Mark said, as he got up from his chair. His coffee better be on his desk as soon as he walked in the door because if it wasn't he was going to be committing murder before the clock hit 10 am.

GA…GA…GA…

Okay guys I realize that you are all feigning for Mark/Mer and some of you are wondering what the hell is going on with Derek. I needed these two chapters to try to transition the story from Derek to Mark. I couldn't think of another way but to make Derek leave – at least for a little while and leave without saying goodbye. Horrible of me I know but this story is a little angsty. And don't worry he will be out of town but not absent in my story…so yay!

Don't hate me. I have been feeling the need to write angst – and the need to fulfill a personal objective…to write a piece of non Meredith/Derek fic. It's been a little harder than I anticipated and am hoping that I can do it some justice.

Okay guys time for reviews!

Thanks!