I do not own Grey's Anatomy. I sure wish I did.
Meredith heard the alarm go off. She had been awake for hours. She couldn't quit thinking about what was going to happen. Chase had made her feel better, but who knows. Anything could happen. Things can change at a moments notice. She rolled out of bed and threw on some clothes. Now she had to go down and face her friends. She didn't want to. She didn't want to tell them what was going on, and she didn't want to lie either. She slowly made her way down the stairs and walked in the kitchen. George and Izzie both looked at her. She walked over and filled her cup with coffee.
"We better go before we're late." Meredith said nonchalantly, as she walked towards the door. She opened the door and walked out into the cold rain. Izzie and George climbed into the Jeep.
"Seriously. What happened yesterday?" Izzie said, looking over at Meredith.
"Yeah, you totally freaked out!" George said happily. He took a big bite of one of Izzie's homemade muffins.
"I'm fine. It was just a thing. Sorry I freaked out." She said simply.
"Oh...okay..." Izzie said, looking over at her. "Maybe we'll get in on an awesome surgery!"
"Oh." Meredith said, realizing that she couldn't. She had a meeting to go to. She stared at the car in front of them. No one talked for ten minutes.
"So, McDreamy was worried about you yesterday." Izzie said, looking at Meredith.
"Well, there was nothing to worry about." Meredith said sharply. They pulled into the parking lot and Meredith breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't wait to get out of the car. She grabbed her bag full of stuff from her locker and walked directly to the elevator. When the doors opened, it revealed Chase and a very rough looking Holly. Meredith squeezed in. Izzie and George ran up and joined her. She looked at Chase, who looked at ease. Holly looked at Meredith in fear. Meredith didn't say anything. She didn't want to.
"So, your face looks better." Izzie stated, driving the stake into Holly's chest just a little farther. Holly just glared at her.
"I expect both you and Dr. Grey will stay away from each other." Chase said out of necessity. They both nodded. The doors opened and the interns all rushed out and toward the locker room. Cristina looked over at Meredith. She gave her a nod, meaning it was okay. Meredith looked in her now empty locker and shoved her bag in. She pulled off her jeans and slid on her scrub pants. She heard the talking on the other side of the locker room. It immediately caught her attention.
"Yeah, she heard it. I guess she was right outside his door. Whoever it was is so screwed. They are going to boot her out of this hospital so fast." Said one intern to another. Meredith immediately felt sick to her stomach.
"So who is it?" The intern said.
"I guess it's an intern. She didn't see who it was. The Chief of Staff literally caught them in the act. How stupid is that?" The intern laughed. Cristina heard them talking. She walked around the corner.
"Are you guys brewing lies again?" Cristina said nastily to the interns.
"Hey, we can't help what's happening around here..." The intern said. "Why? Is it you, Yang?"
"Oh yeah, it's me." Cristina said, rolling her eyes.
"No, it's not her. They said it was a super skinny blonde." Said the other intern.
"Don't believe everything you hear..." Cristina snapped.
"Come on people!" Bailey yelled. Cristina ran back over to the other side of the room. "Grey, have you settled whatever catastrophe you had yesterday?" Meredith nodded. "Good. Okay, Yang-Montgomery, Karev-Burke, O'Malley and Stevens-Sloan, and Grey you are with Shepherd. Go!" She yelled.
Meredith scurried out of the locker room. Now she was with Derek. Just who she didn't want to be with. He was going to be all nice and worried. He was going to ask her questions. She did not want to explain anything. What was she going to do when he asked her to scrub in? She saw him at the end of the hallway. He was leaning against the wall, reading a chart. She had to smile. There was something about him that made her smile. She walked up to him. He glanced up and took a double take.
"Dr. Grey, are you my intern?" He asked as if he didn't know. He did know, he had requested her.
"Yes, I am." She said with a smile. Her insides were twisting and turning. She looked at her watch, in four hours her fate would be known. The thought caused her to be nauseous. She grabbed her stomach.
"Are you okay?" He said with concern. She looked in his eyes. She almost felt like he was reading her. She looked away. Another wave of nausea rushed over her. She ran to the nearest trash can. She vomited in the can. He walked right over to her an touched her back. She straightened up.
"I'm fine." She said with a smile. "So, what are we doing today?" She asked.
"Well, I have a carpal tunnel surgery scheduled." He said with a slight smile. He knew she was keeping something to herself.
"I have a meeting, at ten." She said quickly. "So, I don't know if you want another intern..." She trailed off.
"A meeting...are you in trouble?" He joked. Her face didn't change. "Are you in trouble?" He asked again, but this time seriously.
"I have a meeting..." She said slowly.
"Well, um- okay then." He stammered. "You can scrub in, and if we aren't done, you can leave when you need to." He said. She sighed a sigh of relief.
"Okay." She replied, grabbing her neck and rubbing it.
"I need you to run some tests for me." He told her. She nodded and he handed her the chart, sending her off.
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Chase Carter never got nervous. He was one of the most confident people in the world. He was not concerned about this meeting. He knew it would all be panned out and things would go back to the way they were. He would be with Meredith, it would be somewhat known about their relationship and everything would be fine. He walked up to the Chief of Staff's office. Dylan Jackson's assistant let him know he was there. Chase was immediately sent in. Dylan stood up, Chase walked over and shook his hand.
"Dr. Carter. Thank you for coming. Please, sit down." He motioned to the chair before him. Chase sat. "I had time to sit and think about this situation last night. I spoke to the rest of the board, and they have left this in my lap. I had made my decision before I even came in this morning." He said in a monotone voice. Chase nodded his head. "First off, let me say that we are very happy with what you have done with our surgical program. We are pleased with your work. We do not regret our decision of hiring you." He sighed. "It is one thing to have a relationship with an intern, on you own time. But for you to be caught having sex on your desk is... This morning I was prepared to forgive and forget. I was going to give you both a slap on the wrist... But." He paused.
"But?" Chase asked with surprise.
"That was until I got in the elevator. Because when I got in the elevator this morning, I walked into five people on our staff talking about the fact that my Chief of Surgery is sleeping with an intern!" He yelled.
"My relationship with Dr. Grey started when I was still employed at Seattle Presbyterian." Chase defended. "She did not know that I was going to be her Chief."
"Did you know?" Dylan asked.
"Yes, I did." Chase informed him.
"Well, I have no way of knowing that is fact. If you had said something from the beginning, this would have been different." He said sternly. "We run a teaching hospital here. We teach. So how do you think it looks when my Chief of Surgery is sleeping with, in essence, a student? What about the other interns who are trying. Dr. Grey is very talented. I hear she is one of our top interns. Her mother is legendary. I understand that she is exceptional. No matter how exceptional she is, everyone is always going to wonder if she made it because she was sleeping with her boss. I know interns have relationships with their residents, and occasionally their attendings, but Chief, that is not even an option. So, I have decided that one of you must go..." He stopped and looked at a very shocked Chase.
"What are you saying?" Chase asked, looking him in the eye.
"I am saying that you can either resign, or she can be asked to leave the program. I will not have anyone make a mockery of my hospital. So, it now lies in your hands..." Dylan explained. His face didn't soften, his anger was apparent.
"Well, I will resign and return to my job at Seattle Presbyterian." Chase stated simply. He wanted to be Chief. He had always wanted it, but Meredith was more important to him.
"That is not an option." Mr. Jackson snapped.
"Why?" Chase said angrily and boldly.
"Do you honestly think that I would allow my Chief of Surgery to resign and return to his former employer. Not to mention it is in the same city? That would not make Seattle Grace look very good." Dylan stated matter-of-factly.
"What if I quit, and go back anyway?" Chase asked.
"I don't think that Seattle Presbyterian would hire someone back with a bad recommendation..." Dylan Jackson threatened.
"So--" Chase trailed off in disbelief.
"Essentially it is either you or Dr. Grey. Of course, you are more than welcome to stay here and remain in your current position. We would like you to stay. But, if I must, I will recommend you for the Chief of Surgery position at Boston General. The Chief is retiring, and he is an old friend. This way you could say you needed to relocate. The decision is entirely up to you..." Dylan said with a smile.
"What about Dr. Grey?" Chase asked with concern on his face.
"I haven't spoken to her yet. This is your decision. I will be talking to her after you leave. If you decide to stay, she will be asked to leave. So what will it be?" He asked.
"Now?" He said in shock. "You need to know now?"
"Yes. Now." He said, leaning back in his chair. "So what will it be?"
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Meredith didn't speak to Derek about her meeting. They talked about things related to surgery and medicine. She wanted to crawl under the operating table and hide. Now everyone would know. The only thing that spreads faster than disease in a hospital is gossip. They didn't know it was her, but they would probably find out. There weren't many "super skinny" blonde interns floating around Seattle Grace. She had to think about how confident Chase was. Maybe everything would be okay. Her hands were getting sweaty in her surgical gloves. It was stress. She watched the clock. Derek began closing the patient up. She watched intently. Finally, they walked into the scrub room. She peeled off her gloves, which were soaked.
"That was a good surgery." Derek said with a smile.
"Yeah." She said distractedly.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, looking over at her. She didn't answer. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, I'm fine." She said simply, drying her hands.
"It's the meeting, isn't it?" He asked. "Who is this meeting with?"
"That's none of your business." She snapped. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap."
"Yes you did." He said with a big smile. "I shouldn't have asked. I'm sure whatever it is, it will be fine." He said, trying to reassure her.
"Well, I hope so, because that is where I'm heading." She said quickly, and walked out. She was scared to death. If her friends knew where she was headed... No one ever got called to the Chief of Staff's office. The assistant buzzed Mr. Jackson, and Meredith found her way into his office.
"Ah, Dr. Grey, thank you for coming." He said politely. "Please, sit down." Meredith sat. The truth is, if she hadn't sat, she would have been on the floor in a matter of seconds. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it was going to beat out of her chest. "I have made my decision..." He said smoothly. Meredith tried to read him, she couldn't. "You will remain on staff here at Seattle Grace."
"Oh, thank you." Meredith said with a sigh of relief.
"I would also like to say that I have never been so disappointed in a person in my life. Your mother is one of the finest surgeons in the world. I expect that you will follow very nicely in her footsteps. I have to say I expected better of you. You do not need to sleep your way to the top." He said bluntly.
"I did not sleep my way to the top!" Meredith retorted sternly. "I am in a relationship with Dr. Carter."
"Well, nonetheless, the decision has been made. You will take a week long leave of absence for personal reasons." Dylan said quickly, looking down at a paper.
"A week?" Meredith said, looking at him.
"You are lucky that a week away from this hospital is your only punishment." He said, looking up at her. "I do not want to see you in this hospital at all. I don't even want you in the parking lot, during this transitional phase. Your resident will be informed of your leave. Do you understand?" He said looking at her.
"Yes, I do." She nodded.
"You may go." He said, looking back at the paperwork. She gets up and walks to the door. A light bulb flips on her head, and she turns around.
"Sir, what did you mean by "transitional phase"?" She asked.
"That is none of your concern. Have a good day." He smiled, and she walked out.
Meredith was somewhat relieved. She wasn't getting fired. She still had a job. They could have fired her. They could have sent her packing with a bad recommendation. She could have lost everything that she had ever worked for. But she didn't. She was coming back in a week. She didn't know what she was going to tell everyone as to why she would be gone. She walked through the hallways and to the locker room where she grabbed her things and headed home.
Meredith spent the day cleaning the house. Izzie had been keeping it pretty clean, but Meredith knew she had to pull her own weight. She threw a load of laundry into the washer and started mopping floors. What Mr. Jackson said kept looming in her head. What did he mean by transitional phase? She shrugged it off and continued working. She wanted to call Chase, but she knew that they were both on thin ice. A few hours went by and Izzie came home. Meredith emerged downstairs and walked into the kitchen.
"So why are you on leave?" Izzie asked nosily.
"I have things I need to get done." She said simply, leaving it up in the air. "Are you making dinner?"
"I can. How about chicken?" She asked. Meredith nodded her head yes. "George is on-call. Do you care if Alex eats with us? He is coming over in a while." She said as she pulled the package of chicken out of the refrigerator.
"Iz, it is as much your house as mine. Alex can come over whenever you want him to..." Meredith trailed off. "I think I am going to go take a bath."
"Okay. I will yell when it's done." Izzie said happily as she began chopping vegetables. "Oh, by the way, the house looks great!" Meredith just smiled.
Izzie continued cooking the food. Meredith took a long bath and changed into Chase's Stanford tee shirt and sleep pants. She liked wearing them. They were comfortable. She laid down on her bed for a minute. Everything had been going wrong, and now, they seemed to be looking up. She grabbed her phone. She hadn't missed any calls. She was surprised that she hadn't heard from Chase. She closed her eyes enjoying the silence.
Izzie was stirring food in the frying pan when she heard a key in the door. Alex didn't have a key, and he had called and said that he wouldn't be there for a few hours. He was lucky enough to get pulled into an emergency surgery. George was on call. She knew it wasn't him. Unless for some reason he was sent home. She heard the door open. She turned the heat down on the stove and walked to the doorway. She was shocked at who she saw.
"Um, Chief Carter, um can I--" She stammered nervously. She had no idea why and how he was in their home.
"Is Meredith here?" He asked softly. Izzie furrowed her brow. He looked sad. He looked as if everything he had, had just been ripped out from under him.
"Yeah, um." She said quickly. "Mer, um, there is someone here for you!" She yelled up the stairway. Chase just stood there with his arms to his sides. Izzie had no idea what to say. They heard Meredith walk down the stairs. She looked into his eyes. At that moment she knew something was wrong. Chase looked at her. She looked perfect in his clothes. She looked like how he imagined she would. He had imagined they would spend the rest of their lives together.
"Chase..." She trailed off. She walked up to him and stopped. She looked into his sad eyes. She could swear they were a little red. He pulled her into a deep kiss. Izzie stood there in shock.
"I um, I will be in the kitchen." Izzie said, pointing to the kitchen. She walked away with a wide-eyed look on her face. It came to her. Meredith was the intern. Chase pulled back from Meredith. Izzie watched from the kitchen.
"Chase, what's wrong?" Meredith choked out.
"Meredith. I love you. You know that, right?" He said sadly.
"Of course. What's going on?" She pressed.
"I'm leaving. I have to go." He said, his voice crackling.
"Leaving?" Her face dropped. "What do you mean, leaving?"
"You are talented. You are special. The minute I saw you in the coffee shop, I knew that there was something amazing about you. You took my breath away. I pursued you. I was the one that insisted on our relationship. You were innocent. I knew better. I pushed it to the limits, and I am sorry. I am sorry that I put you in such a horrible position." He said, she tried to speak. "Wait! They gave me the option, either you or me. I could stay on as Chief and you would be asked to leave. Or I could leave and you could stay. There were no other options on the table. You have had so many bad things happen to you. You have persevered. You have succeeded. You worked hard. I would not let that be thrown away. I would not be the reason you lost your job. So...I am leaving." He said, his throat dry, his voice weak.
"No. You can't leave." She pleaded, grabbing his arm.
"It's the only way, Mer." He explained.
"I said I love you. I don't say that. I don't risk being hurt. I love you, Chase! Don't leave me!" She cried out.
"I love you too. That is why I'm doing it. I love you more than anything!" He said, trying to push his words out.
"I will quit, and you can stay. I will quit the program!" She said loudly, pleading to him.
"No, Meredith. You were meant to be a surgeon. You will be world-class. I don't want to be the reason you don't make it. I don't want to crush your dream. Didn't you say that to me once? Meredith, I love you so much. This is tearing me up inside." He placed his hand on her cheek. "Please, try to be happy. I know you can. Just know that everything between us was real. It was genuine. Just know that I really do love you." He ran his hand from the top of her head and down her face. "I do--" He started to tear up. "I do love you. Goodbye, Meredith." He leaned in and gave her one last soft kiss before walking to the door. He opened it.
"No, Chase! I love you. Please don't leave, please!" She cried out, tears streaming down her face. He couldn't look back. He couldn't look at her one last time. He was crushed. He felt like someone was running him over with a steamroller. Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he walked away from the only woman he had truly loved. Meredith watched as he walked out the door and disappeared off of the porch. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed on the floor in a puddle of her own tears.
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Wow. Mer is now broken. I did it. I broke her. I think the next chapter will talk about Nate... Who also broke Mer. Poor Meredith Grey...