Chapter 4: Who will save your soul?

Recap: It looks like Derek and Meredith can finally be together, but at whose expense? Meredith is starting to take a look at her life.

"What have I done?" Meredith said aloud as she read the note from George. She ran upstairs to talk to Izzie, who was in her room reading. "Izzie, George is gone."

"I know that. He left an hour ago," she looked down, and resumed reading her book. It was obvious that she was pissed with Meredith, but Meredith didn't care.

"Did you even try to stop him!" She asked exasperated.

"Don't you use that tone with me! I'm not the one who used him. Of course I tried to stop him, but it was his decision...he is a grown man you know," she fumed. Meredith tried one more time.

"Do you at least know where he went? You have to tell me."

"He picked up an extra shift over at Grace, and then I think he's going to his parent's."

"Mer? Where are you?" Derek called out from the entry way.

"Hold on! I'm coming." She ran downstairs to meet him. He kissed her passionately. The stubble on his face tickled her smooth complexion. The moment drew her in, but she pulled away. "George," she said.

"Okay, that was...what was that?"

"George...he left. He found out about us, and he left."

"Okay, this is fixable. Do you know where he is?"

"Izzie thinks he's at the hospital, but I don't know. Derek, maybe this was a bad idea. I need George. If he won't be my friend because of this, I don't know what to do."

"Don't even think that. I can fix this. Let me go talk to him. I'm sure I can straighten things out."

"Do you really think so? He's one of my best friends...I can't lose him. Especially when it's my fault," she cried into his shoulder. Derek stroked her hair, while he told her that it would be okay.

-AT THE HOSPITAL-

When Derek arrived at the hospital he knew that he had to do this right, or he could lose Meredith again. Thoughts of what he should say to George ruminated in his mind while he searched for him. Filling out paper work, George sat at the desk in the nurses station.

"O'Malley," Derek called out.

"What do you want Dr. Shepard?" George looked up at Derek with obvious pain in his eyes.

"Do you think we could talk?"

"I'm busy."

"We need to talk."

"Still busy."

"George. Please. It's very important."

"Fine." They went into the locker room. Derek looked George up and down, and decided that he should be blunt. It wasn't worth it to pussy foot around the conversation.
"It's plain and simple. Meredith feels horrible about this."

"I'm sure you can soothe her."

"Actually, she doesn't want to be with me."

"What?"

"She is so distraught about all of this, that she thinks you'll come back, if I'm not in the picture. So here I am, pretty much at your mercy. She's the love of my life man. I can't help it, and I know she can't help it."

"What is it that you want me to do?"

"I need you to be able to go back to things the way they were."

"That's asking a hell of a lot Dr. Shepard."

"I understand that. I don't know what else to do. I need her, and she needs you. You know that she loves you. Deep in your heart, you know that she would never purposefully hurt you."

"I can't just go back to the way things were before."

"Do you love her?"

"I don't know how to answer that anymore."

"Well, I think that you do love her. I think that you want what's best for her, and I think that you will go back to the house, tell her that you've had a change in heart, and that you still want to be her friend."

"I don't know if I can do that. I don't know if I can be her friend after this."

"What if I made the deal sweeter?"

Back at Meredith's House

George unlocked the front door with his key. He breathed in deeply. He couldn't believe that he was doing this.

"Meredith?" He yelled out loudly. He saw her poke her head out from behind the wall upstairs

"George? What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk." Meredith rushed down the stairs until they were standing face to face.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked hesitantly, fearing his reply.

"I know that you didn't mean to hurt me and I know that you feel bad about what happened."

"George, I am so sorry!"

"Let me finish...please. I also know that I don't want things to be awkward between us. So I'm willing to pretend that it never happened if you are." He was caught off guard when Meredith threw herself into his arms.

"I'm so sorry George. Thank you so much. I love you so much," she withdrew with tears in her eyes. George brought in his stuff, and Meredith helped him move back into the house. After he had gone to sleep, Meredith got a text message asking her to meet Derek at his place. She quickly hopped into her car, and sped over to his house.

"Hey, I got your text mess..." before she had a chance to get the words out of her mouth, he started kissing her neck, and then slowly moved up to her lips.

"My god, I've missed these lips. And this neck. I've missed this neck," he murmured into her while smothering her with deep kisses.

"How did you convince George to move back in?"

Flashback—

"What if I made the deal sweeter?"

"What do you mean?" George asked Derek cautiously

"Think about it. Living with Meredith benefits you economically and socially."

"So what?"

"Okay, so what if you had the chance to get in on some of my best surgeries?"

"What?"

"Well what do you think?"

"This is wrong in so many ways."

"Okay, well what would it take?"

"I'll take the surgeries."

"Perfect. You won't regret this," he said shaking hands with George.

End Flashback—

"Umm, I just applied to his senses I guess."

"Yay for you McDreamy."

"I love you so much baby."

The Next Week at the Hospital

Cristina presented a case of a man who had a pole shoved through his brain. All the interns stood around this man, staring at him, secretly wanting in on this surgery.

"Thank you very much Dr. Yang, for that very thorough presentation. O'Malley, finish the work up and then scrub in," Derek said firmly. Everyone knew that if anyone should be in on that surgery it should be Cristina.

"I beg your pardon, Dr. Shepard, but I've been on this case from the start."

"Yes and good job. O'Malley? I don't have all day." They all watched as Cristina stormed out of the room. Derek finished going over the surgery with the patient and then went to start the paperwork. Meredith followed him.

"What was that? You know that should have been Cristina's surgery."

"I'm not going to discuss my decisions with you Meredith," he avoided her eyes, but gave it all away.

"Oh my God. You didn't."

"What are you talking about Meredith?"

"Tell me that you didn't give George that surgery because he moved back in."

"I didn't give Dr. O'Malley that surgery BECAUSE he moved back in."

"What aren't you telling me? You know better than to lie to me."

"Meredith, let's not discuss this here."

"Derek!"

"Fine, you know what? I told him that I would give him some opportunities if he moved back in with you. Is that so wrong?"

"Yes! Yes it is! God how could you be so selfish! I don't want George to be my friend because my boyfriend bribed him! You are a Neurosurgeon! How do you not see that?" At that moment Meredith's cell phone went off. Flipping it open, she barked into the receiver, "What!" Derek looked over at her pleading with his eyes. "Oh my God. No," Meredith whispered into the phone. People had now started to look over at them because the heated argument had quieted. "No! God no!" Meredith hung up the phone and ran to the locker room.

"Meredith!" Derek yelled, running after her. He found her kneeling over the toilet. Rushing towards her, he held her hair back while she vomited into the toilet bowl. "Mer, baby...what's wrong?"

Meredith looked up at him, but couldn't for the words. She couldn't believe what was happening.

"It's my mom. She's dead."