Chapter Sixteen: The Morning After
Meredith frantically searched the exam room for her discarded clothing whilst flattening her messy hair, trying to make herself look presentable before rejoining the party.
"Mark! I had panties on, black lacy ones where are they?" Meredith hissed at Mark as she moved towards him to fix his tie, he had always been hopeless at doing it himself.
"You look better without them on" he whispered into her ear, her body shivered at the contact of his breath on her skin.
"Mark I'm serious, I wanted this…I do want this but I have to speak to Derek before this goes any further, I won't feel right until I do" she told him looking into his grey eyes that were laced with desire.
"Okay" he whispered. "But this means we are trying to make this work" he asked with anticipation.
"Yes I want to try Mark" she told him softly. "But I have to go back out there now, Derek will be wondering where I am" she gave him a quick soft kiss on the lips before leaving the room.
Mark watched as Meredith made her way to Derek. He was standing talking to Alex, Izzie and Cristina.
"Hey are you okay?" Derek asked giving Meredith a kiss on the cheek noticing she was flushed, Mark boiled with jealousy especially after what he had just shared with his wife.
"Yeah I'm fine" Meredith replied slightly shaky.
"Are you sure? Did you have another fight with Mark?" he asked concerned about her behaviour.
"No everything is fine, I think I'm ready to head home though, I feel tired and I have an early start in the morning with Mom being discharged" Meredith rambled.
"Okay well I will drive you home" Derek said still slightly worried to what was going on, he laced his hand into hers and made their way to the exit. Meredith's eyes locked with Mark's, giving him a small reassuring smile.
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Meredith woke up the next morning only to hear giggling coming from the kitchen, she got up threw some clothes on before making her way down the stairs. As she approached the kitchen she saw Izzie perched on Alex's lap as he fed her a muffin.
"Morning Guys" she greeted them as she reached for a mug to get herself some coffee.
"Oh hey Mer, sorry did we wake you?" Izzie asked getting off Alex's lap and pouring another mug of coffee for herself.
"No, I was awake" Meredith replied softly.
"Is everything okay?" Izzie asked concerned. "Derek didn't stay last night" she observed.
"Uh no he didn't" Meredith clarified. "I just have something on my mind, it's nothing to worry about" she said not very convincingly.
Izzie gave Alex a look as to make him leave.
"I'm ah going to jump in the shower" he excused giving Izzie a quick peck on the lips before making his way up the stairs, leaving the two girls alone to talk.
"Where is George?" asked Meredith trying to divert the conversation away from herself.
"He didn't come home last night, must have stayed at Callie's" Izzie muttered.
"Seriously! George and Torres" Meredith exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh you didn't know" was Izzie's response. "I guess you've been caught up with your own stuff" Izzie continued.
"Yeah I guess so, sorry if I've seemed distant, I don't mean anything by it" Meredith said sadly.
"Meredith it's okay, we understand, your husband suddenly appears and all your old feelings that you were trying to forget were all stirred up, it has to be hard" Izzie stated sympathetically.
"I slept with Mark last night" Meredith blurted out, unsure of what she was thinking.
"You what, where, when!" Izzie shot at her.
"At prom, in an exam room" Meredith said sheepishly. "One minute we were fighting and the next we were kissing" Meredith continued.
"So what does this mean?" Izzie asked confused.
"We agreed we are going to give it a shot, I love him Izz, and no-one will ever replace the part he has in my heart. I just don't know how to tell Derek, I don't want to hurt him" she confessed.
"Oh Mer, that is so sweet. You need to think about yourself not Derek, if being with Mark is what is going to make you happy then go for it, I'm sure Derek will understand" Izzie convinced.
"Yeah I guess, well I have to go pick Mom up and take her back to the home, catch you later" Meredith said as she picked up her purse and keys and headed out the door.
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"Okay Mom ready to go" Meredith asked reappearing in her mother's room after handing the discharge papers to the nurse's station.
"I have a surgery Meredith, I can't go anywhere with you, I'm sorry but I can't go dress shopping with you today" Ellis told her daughter softly.
Meredith let out a sigh; her mother was remembering just before her wedding to Mark, at least she knew who she was. "No, its okay Mom I cleared it with the chief, he has someone covering you" Meredith told her mother.
"Oh well as long as everything is covered" Ellis said getting up off the hospital bed and grabbing her bag.
Meredith smiled at Cristina who had given Ellis her examination before she could leave. "Talk to you later" Meredith spoke to her as the left.
Just as they were about to leave the hospital Meredith heard Derek calling her name.
"Hey" she said softly, turning her face as he leant in to kiss him.
"Is everything okay?" he asked confused.
"Not really, what time do you finish?" she asked.
"2, why?" he asked getting increasingly more concerned.
"We need to talk, I need to talk to you, come by the house when you are done, I will be there, I'm off today" she said to him before turning and rejoining Ellis in the position she was waiting before proceeding to the parking lot to return her mother to her home.