Chapter 10
Present time
The patient is prepared, there is a police outside the OR and hospital security is keeping the journalists away.
"I am Dr Meredith Grey. Let's save this man."
Meredith starts procedure and asks for a ten blade with her hand outstretched, her focus is on the patient. Derek is standing back just admiring her and her work. He moves his focus to the scrub nurse at Meredith's side. It is Rose and she is not happy. He can see her angry eyes looking at Meredith but her work is as a textbook procedure. The shooter's spleen and kidney is removed and his bowl repaired along with some smaller cuts.
Meredith only uses a handful of all the assessable equipment. She is using unfamiliar methods that are different but as good as any he has ever seen. It triggers his curiosity and he steps up to the table and starts asking questions.
"Are you questioning my skills?"
"No just admiring new techniques. It would be interesting to teach our residents them. Where did you study?"
"Geneva for the first six month, and then at different sites around the world with surgeons from all over the world."
"You travel a lot?" Rose asks.
Meredith looks surprised at her. "Yes I do."
Rose seems content with that answer but sees a chance to show Meredith who Derek belongs to.
"Derek, we should go abroad on our vacation." She says with a smile under her mask. Derek stares at her, he doesn't like the insinuation she is giving. He decides using his old lie.
"You know that I am going fishing with Dr Sloan."
"You know that Dr Montgomery Sloan won't let him fish for two weeks. We can go after."
Derek can see that Meredith feels uncomfortably with this topic and he tries to change it back to the MSF.
"Where are you stationed right now, Meredith?"
"Darfur" is her short answer.
Meredith didn't like were Rose took the topic. She didn't like her cutting into the conversation at all.
"Please close for me" she asks her assisting resident. "I need a break until the patient is turned."
She steps away from the table and tries to work out some tension in her neck.
"How long do I have until the patient is turned?" she asks the head nurse.
"About 15 minutes, Dr Grey."
"I'll be back" she says and heads for the door to the scrub room.
The first part of the surgery has taken two and a half hour and it is at least three hours left. While dropping her gloves and gown she asks for the number to the pit. An intern dials for her and she asks for Dr Hunt. While waiting for him she starts to scrub out. The intern is holding the phone. When Owen answers she asks the intern to tell Dr Hunt to meet her outside the scrub room ASAP. She needs him.
Derek has been following her doings and is not happy when she asks for Dr Hunt. Derek can't leave with her since there has to be an attending surgeon in the room when the patient is in such a bad condition. He wonders what Dr Hunt can do for her, what she needs of him. When the patient is being turned he has a chance to speak with Rose without embarrassing her in front of the others.
"Rose, can I speak with you please" he motions to her to follow him into a far back corner.
"What is it Derek?"
"What are you insinuating about vacations?" he whispers to her. "We are having a pause in our relationship."
"This pause will not last until vacation." Rose says with a smirk. "Dr Grey will be long gone by then."
Derek stares at her.
"This pause has nothing to do with Dr Grey. It has everything to do with us."
Owen hurries up to the surgical floor and finds Meredith stretching her arms and legs.
"How are you doing?" he asks a little worried by her call.
"I'm fine and little bit mad because of the scrub nurse, but it is nothing I can't handle. I need you to give me your famous five minutes backrub. I don't have more time before I have to go back for part two."
He smiles brightly at her and starts rubbing her back while she is laying on a gurney. She moans when he hits her knots. Some nurses and residents with interns walk by and they give them curious looks that Owen intercepts.
"We are going to be the gossip for the day."
"Good"
"Your five minutes is up, Mer" Owen says after a while.
"Please don't stop, I'll pay you with sexual favours if you continue."
Just then a nurse looks out from the scrub room.
"The patient is ready in five minutes, Dr Grey."
"Have to go, thank you" she smiles and kisses his cheek before running back into the scrub room.
Owen decides to watch the surgery for a while. It is time for a break anyhow. He finds a seat in the front row and sits down and studies the room. Dr Shepherd is having an intense conversation with a nurse in a far back corner. When Meredith enters the room and gets a new gown and gloves he leaves the nurse behind and walks up to the table.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, just needed a backrub."
The nurses are talking behind them. The scrub nurse takes the position between the two surgeons. The procedure continues but Meredith doesn't start until Derek is finished with the drill. No movement is allowed when she starts with the spine or when Derek is working with the neck. After a while Derek sees a movement in the gallery. It is Dr Hunt leaving. He can't help himself but asks.
"Have you been working long with Dr Hunt?"
"It is two and a half year now. We belong to the same team and he is kind of our chief."
"What's the biggest difference between surgeries here at the hospital and one at your site?"
"There are many differences. We have less equipment which means we do more with what we have. Our lightning sucks, sometimes we work in the light from flashlights and some surgeries are preformed in French."
"Why did you and Cristina transfer?"
"We didn't see any future for us, here at Seattle Grace, in our field of interest" she answers with a look into his eyes. His eyes look shocked, angry and sad all at the same time.
"You didn't?"
She doesn't answer him. They work in silence in their own thoughts. A nurse leans into Rose and whispers rather loud.
"Dr Grey offered De Hunt sexual favours in the hall during her break."
Both surgeons hear her. Derek glares at Meredith and she can hardly keep herself from laughing out loud. They really are on the top of the gossip to today.
There is a commotion in the gallery. The hospital security appears and tries to throw a cameraman out. A lot of people are yelling and everyone in the OR stops and looks up.
"Intercom please" Derek orders "what are you doing? You are disturbing the surgery."
"The cameraman from gallery 1 is trying to take some pictures, Sir."
"Bring them to your place and ask my assistant for a hospital lawyer. I'll be down there when this is finished."
They finish the surgery and leave their residents to close up.
"Thank you everyone for your help today" Meredith says before she leaves the room.
When they are scrubbing out Derek turns to her and says.
"I would really like to talk to you. Would you like to have dinner with me today or tomorrow?"
Meredith looks at him for a long minute and takes a deep breath.
"What would Rose say about that? Or will she be joining us?"
"She has nothing to say about it. We are having a pause since as yesterday."
"Why"
"Because she can't understand me, she wants a lot of stuff that I don't want" he is looking at his hands and suddenly he lifts his head and looks her in the eyes "at least not with her" he continues. She looks deep into his eyes and tries to read them.
"Let's try tonight. You can pick me up at my house."
He smiles a McDreamy smile at her and her knees goes weak.
"I'll do the post-op on the patient if you need to go to security."
"Thank you and I'll see you at 8.30" He leaves the room with a long lost spring in his step. Meredith leaves as well. Neither of them has noticed that Rose has overheard their conversation.