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Aftermath

Chapter 11: Satisfied

Cristina sat back, for once at a loss for words. She'd never had anyone speak to her that way before. Her mind was racing as she saw the older woman reach for the door.

"Wait." Cristina muttered, giving into the fact that this woman had her fledgling medical career in her hands.

Erica exhaled, glad that she didn't have to go as far as she'd threatened. It wasn't in her nature to be that way, but she did what she had to do to get the job done. She let go of the door and calmly returned to the other side of the desk, settling back into her chair.

"All I can remember thinking is that I was seconds away from losing my entire world. When I first decided to be a doctor, I vowed to myself that nothing would stand in my way. And for a long time, nothing did. I did well in school, got the internship I wanted, I figured things couldn't get better. Then, I meet Burke and it all goes to Hell. He made me human." She finished lamely.

Erica smiled softly as the young woman finished her monologue. She could relate. The discovery of one's humanity was always a humbling experience. The old saying really was true. The higher you are, the harder the fall.

"Meredith?" Erica prodded, knowing the young woman's angst ridden ranting wasn't quite over yet.

"I never had friends like her when I was younger. Hell, I never had friends. But she accepted me. Totally and completely. She took me for who I was, no questions asked. My own mother can't even do that. The idea of losing her and him made me realize that if they did leave me, I'd have to go back to being the old Cristina, and 6 months ago, I'd have killed for that. Now, I'd kill if anyone took all this away." Cristina finished quietly.

Erica listened, nodding only from time to time. Finally, after 5 minutes of silence and note taking, she looked up. "You need to continue counseling. I'm recommending at least 5 more sessions with me, and then at least 3 months of continued counseling with in house psychologists. You will be cleared for duty starting today. I expect to see you back in surgeries very soon. If not, then I will reconsider my diagnosis." Erica said, a small smile on her face.

Cristina looked as though someone had just lifted a huge weight off her shoulders. A grin tried to peek its way through, but she squashed it, replacing it with her 'game' face as she stuck her hand out to the psychologist. "Thank you." She said quietly.

"You're welcome." Erica said, returning the young intern's firm handshake. She watched as the younger woman stood and quickly exited the room.

"Man, she's good." Cristina muttered as she strode down the hallway to the locker rooms, still in disbelief at the session she'd just gone through.

Erica finished her notations and decided to grab Preston Burke next, leaving Derek and Meredith for last. She glanced at her watch. 4:45. Looks like Burke would have to wait until tomorrow. She turned to her laptop, typing a quick email to Dr. Burke informing him of his appointment the next day. Then she placed a quick call to Richard, letting him know that Cristina was cleared for surgery. "If she's not in a surgery with the week, I'm pulling her off duty and sticking her in daily counseling." She warned Richard.

"Fair enough. I do trust your judgement Erica. Always have, you don't need to justify your reasoning with threats." Richard said lightly.

She smiled in spite of herself. "Point taken. I'll see you tomorrow Richard." She told him and hung up. She sat back in her chair and exhaled. This was by far one of her more exhausting cases. She'd never treated this many people for this sort of thing before. She shut her computer down, grabbed her coat, purse and briefcase and headed out.

She strode towards the parking lot, pulling her cell phone out as she moved through the hospital. She scrolled through her phone book, hitting 'send' when it came to rest on Derek's name.

"Addison, I do not have time for this right now. I'm exhausted and very busy." He told his wife, who'd cornered him in a scrub room after surgery.

"I had dinner with Mark." Addison spit, hoping to get a reaction from her husband.

"I know." He told her quietly. His knowledge of the situation surprised her. His lack of a reaction surprised her even more.

"How did you….?" She asked, her voice laced with confusion. To her shock, he rolled his eyes.

"Are you actually asking me that question? My ex-wife and ex-girlfriend were there. Did you honestly expect it to be kept quiet? They care about me Addison. Quite the concept huh?" He snapped.

She was about to open her mouth when Derek's phone went off. He grabbed it off his belt before Addison got a good look at the caller ID. Too late. Her eyes narrowed, challenging him to answer the call. Unfortunately for her, she married a man who thrived on challenges.

"Dr. Wakefield." He greeted with a soft smile as he turned from his wife.

"We need to talk. There's still the issue of some unsigned papers." Erica's voice rang out over the phone.

"I know, I know. I'm off in an hour. I'll call you." He told her with a sigh before snapping the phone shut and turning to his wife, her hands on her hips, her mouth slightly agape in shock.

"Date with your ex-wife?" She asked incredulously. He raised his eyebrows at his red haired wife.

"Should free up your evening. Why don't you call Mark?" He suggested sarcastically as he shoved the door open, storming out of the room, ending the conversation, leaving his wife alone, and in shock.

Meredith was gathering her stuff, her shift having ended at 5. She tossed her bag over her shoulder, preparing to leave the locker room when Derek came waltzing in.

"Hey." She greeted him quietly. They hadn't spoken much over the past week, they'd worked opposing shifts and well, she'd been avoiding him.

He'd been so lost in his own world that he hadn't even noticed Meredith until she spoke up. "Hey." He returned, his mind still preoccupied with his previous thoughts.

Meredith studied him for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Something wasn't right… "Are you OK?" She asked tentatively.

Her concern cut through him like a knife. He knew how much she'd been through. He couldn't imagine what all of this had done to her, having his ex-wife and current wife working under one roof.

He looked up, meeting her eyes, and for the first time that day, gave her a genuine smile. "Been better, but I'll get through it." He said as he washed his hands.

"What are your plans for the evening?" She asked, desperate for a lighter subject, hoping for a simpler conversation.

"I'm supposed to call Erica back. Her and I need to talk…" He trailed off as he dried his hands, his eyes going vacant again.

Meredith couldn't help the twinge of jealousy that ran through her. It's not fair… She seems him whenever she damn well wants to…. I can't even call him! She nodded, forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Talk? Sounds serious." Meredith choked out as she wrapped her arms a little tighter around herself.

"Unfortunately it is. But then, it's usually always serious with her." He replied, his voice distant.

He was silent, deep in thought as he responded to Meredith's subtle nosiness. It wasn't until after he responded that he processed what he'd said. He looked down at her, snapping himself out of his trance. She was practically tied in knots of nervousness. Way to scare the hell out of her Derek! He silently berated himself.

"Hey, didn't I tell you this would all work out?" He questioned as she started to leave the room, her hand on the door handle. He took a step closer to her, hoping to reassure her in whatever way possible.

"Yes. But what you didn't tell me was how that statement is supposed to make me feel better." She replied quietly before quickly exiting the room, leaving HIM alone.

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