Chapter 19

Meredith opens the envelope she got. It is a printed invitation to Derek's and Rose's engagement party upcoming Friday. She leaves some bills on the counter and leaves the bar without saying anything to her friends.

Derek is getting tired of waiting in the apartment when the time passes 10 pm so he leaves for his trailer. Meredith's friends pay their tabs and heads home wondering where she is.

"Joe, do you know where Meredith is?"

"No, she got a letter and took off the next minute."

Her friends decide to go home and look for her since she doesn't answer her cell phone. The evening had been eventful and they all wanted to go home.

Cristina had revealed her pregnancy for them all and Owen had proposed and the two of them had decided to accept the job offer from SGH. Before they could start their new job they needed to fulfill their contracts with the MSF and they have to return for two times four weeks and can start in Seattle in 10 weeks. Cristina would be five months pregnant at the time. She wanted to discuss with Meredith and make her decide to accept her offer as well.

The friends arrived back home, Alex remembered to collect their mail and everyone goes inside. Cristina runs upstairs to see if Meredith is still awake. She needs to tell her about the decision to stay in Seattle. When she comes up she opens Meredith's bedroom and walks into the brightly light but empty room. She walks back out but on her way she realizes that something is wrong and takes another look around the room. Going by her gut feeling she slowly opens the wardrobe and then the drawers. All are empty and there is no bag under her bed. She runs downstairs; no jacket is by the door. Looking into the kitchen she sees Meredith's blackberry charging on the countertop. Strange!
"Hey you guys" Cristina shouted, "Can you all come to the kitchen please?" They all arrived.

"What's up, why are you not having girl-talk with Meredith? Is she asleep?"

"No" Cristina almost yells. "Meredith's room is empty."
"So she is with Shepherd"
"No!!!" Cristina yells again

"Cole it down, girl" Alex says.

"Meredith's stuff is gone, everything except her blackberry that is charging over there" she points at the counter.
"What do you mean gone?" George asks as he hugs Lexie.
"Gone, gone, not here gone."

"But Meredith wouldn't just leave. We have tickets for Friday" Owen says.

Alex is sorting their mail during their conversation.

"Look, we all got some mail" he says and throws some letters in front of each of them. George only gets one letter and rips it open. He reads it and turns pale.

"I got an invitation to the Shepherd engagement party this coming Friday."

"You got what?"

"You have similar letters, look" he says and points at one letter each of Alex and Izzy. They look at their letters and opens the specific ones and it is invitations as well.

"Where is Meredith?"

They all look at each other.

"I'll call Shepherd" Alex says and pulls his phone out.

"No, let me" Cristina says. "He sat at his desk today and offered us contracts and giving Meredith puppy-eyes all while he was placing Meredith in the same old situation she was in five years ago by planning this engagement party with the nurse. I can't believe he is that bastard again."

"There was a rumor about the nurse being pregnant" Lexie says.

"Alex, give me the phone." Cristina reaches for Alex ringing phone.

Derek phone rings when he is still at the ferryboat. He looks at it wishing it to be Meredith dreading it to be Rose. The second one he wants to yell at the first he wants to make love to. Instead he sees that it is Alex Karev.

"Hello Dr Karev" he answers. The person in the other end is not Alex and the person is screaming and he pulls the phone away from his ear and looks again at the caller id.

"Who is this?"

"McBastard" he hears and sighs. "Yes Cristina, what did I do now?"

"How can you this to Meredith again? Why do you always need to screw with her mind?"

"I haven't done anything." He defends himself before realizing. The party on Friday.

"Have you also got the invitations?"

"No, but Izzy, Alex and George got them and now Meredith is gone, as well."

"What do you mean gone?"

"She is not here and her stuff is not here."

"Have you tried to call her?"

"No, her phone is charging in the kitchen. She left Joe's after getting a letter Joe told us. She was still trying to make a decision but you seem to have made the decision for her. No way, that she is staying here if you are marrying that nurse."

"Cristina, I am not getting engaged to Rose. I have not proposed to her. I have not seen Meredith since my office. I left for my apartment and emptied it of all my stuff and I have also been trying to cancel this party that Rose has planned without my knowledge."

Derek decides to go back to Seattle and Meredith's house. He really needs to talk to her and make sure she doesn't believe any rumors. When he arrives to the house it is close to midnight but the friends are still sitting in the kitchen arguing about where Meredith can be. They all turn and stare at him. He holds his hands up and says.

"I am not getting engaged to Rose. The only one I want to marry is Meredith. The Webbers told me tonight, after I had the meeting with you guys, about the party. Rose is not pregnant and I have already broken up with her. Now I want to know where Meredith is!"

Meanwhile Meredith has asked a cab to bring her out to Derek's trailer. She needs to hear his explanation before making her final decision. He has not, during theses last three days, given her any sign of lying to her. He has instead told her everything that's been going on with Rose and now this invitation. If she believes he is lying to her she will leave on the next flight and never look back. She is leaning against the rail of the ferryboat. At the moment she can start to think. The only thing on her mind was how Derek could fool her again. He had at their lunch told her that he had broken up with Rose. Still there was this huge party on Friday. Meredith can't wrap her mind around all of this and she wants to speak with him

Her friends at the house are trying to figure out were Meredith can be. They have a couple of options. She can be at the airport going abroad or to New York. Second guess is that she is at the Webbers or in a hotel in Seattle. Third option could be that she's gone to the trailer to talk to Derek. After a heated discussion it is decided that Derek was to go to the trailer to sleep. In the morning Derek is to call the Webbers. Alex and Lizzie are to check on phone numbers to hotel in Seattle and start calling them in the morning. Cristina and Owen are to call their apartment in Geneva and their housekeeper to see if she arrived there. None of the friends sleeps well that night. Derek is paged 911 by the hospital and will have to go there before going to his trailer.