Cristina's words echoed inside Meredith's head. "Meet your sister…"
The barstool floozy was her sister? Thatcher's daughter?
"You can't be serious?"
Cristina studied the glass in her hand. "As a heart attack."
Izzie looked from Cristina to Meredith. "Do we want to go over there?"
They turned their attention back to the dartboard area. Derek, Alex and George didn't seem aware of their audience. Beer in hand, Lexie stood off to the side, next to a small cluster of nurses also watching the game of dartboard and admiring the players.
"Yeah Mer, do we want to go over there?"
Meredith sat back in her chair. Did she want to go over there and meet the sister she didn't know existed until recently? The daughter Thatcher was crazy proud of. The daughter Thatcher fiercely protected. The daughter that mattered to Thatcher. The daughter that was currently watching her boyfriend in his great ass-enhancing stonewashed denim jeans throw darts?
She probably should, to make sure she stops watching Derek. But not really.
Meredith's avoidance banner was unfurled and flying high.
George assigned himself the role of scorekeeper for Derek and Alex, scratching tic marks on a semi-dry cardboard coaster. Currently, the game was even. Alex's last toss managed to hit the bullseye, and now it was Derek's turn.
"Mind if I ask you a question, Dr. Shepard?" Alex watched as Derek lined up his shot.
"Not at all, Dr. Karev." Derek had a feeling what Karev wanted to talk about.
"Are you feeding Meredith a bunch of bullshit?"
"No."
"She seems to think you're telling her the truth about last night."
"I am."
"She seems to think you've never lied to her before."
That caught Derek's attention. He turned, dart in hand. "Are you calling me a liar, Dr. Karev?"
"I have one word for you."
"And that is?"
"Addison."
"And I have a word for you. A couple, actually."
"Oh yeah?"
Telling Karev to "fuck off" was on the tip of Derek's tongue. Strangely enough, he appreciated what the younger man was doing. "Thank you."
George looked up from his scoring task. Dr. Shepard and Alex were in the middle of a conversation. He couldn't make out the words, or read lips, but he could see the tension. Neither man cracked a smile.
"Dr. O'Malley."
George turned to see Lexie Grey standing next to his stool. Closing his eyes, George sighed deeply, wondering what he did to deserve this. He opened them to look at the young intern, hoping she was a figment of his tipsy imagination. But she was still standing there. George didn't see any resemblance between Meredith and Lexie. If anyone asked him, he thought Meredith kicked her ass in the looks department.
"Do you think Dr. Shepard would talk to me?"
George drained his beer glass. What in the hell did he do to deserve this?