Wow, it has been forever since I updated! Between Hurricane Irma knocking out my power for a week, my professors deciding to give me so much work, my birthday, I haven't had time to write! Fortunately, during that week without power, I had plenty of time to think about ideas for this story, and I don't plan on ending it anytime soon :)
We stood there for several minutes, in each other's arms. I only moved to place a soft kiss on her hairline, taking in her intoxicating scent. "Meredith, I'm so sorry."
"Nathan, really, it's not your fault." She whispers, but I can feel her tears soaking up my scrub top where she is resting her head.
"Shhhh, just let the tears out." I try to soothe her. I gently move us over to the bottom bunk. She sits next to me, and rests her head on my shoulder. I loosely wrap my arm around her, not wanting to push her.
"Well I guess I still have a hostile uterus." She says, breaking the silence.
"Uh what?" I ask, and pull away so I can see her face.
"A hostile uterus. I thought I have told you about it before." She says softly, and from the look on her face it's obvious that it brings up painful memories.
"Hostile? What is that supposed to mean?" I ask, just trying to understand.
"I, uh, have had a miscarriage before. Derek and I went to the OB, and she told us that my uterus was hostile, and it made it not only harder to get pregnant but more likely to miscarry. After I had Bailey and Ellis, I just assumed the hostileness went away." She bit her lip but didn't look away from me.
"Hostileness? I don't think that's a word Mer." I'm not able to hold in the laughter.
"Shut up!" She starts to laugh along with me, and I just enjoy the moment between us before we have to go back to reality.
A piece of her hair falls in her face, and I gently push it behind her ear. "Seriously though Mer. Is there anything you need or anything I can help with?"
"I'm fine." She assures me for like the tenth time.
"Okay, if there is anything you need, just let me know."
She smiles for a moment, but it quickly fades. "Um, so..." She trails off.
"So, what?"
"What do you want to do about the hospital?" She asks.
"The hospital?"
"Yeah, all the rumors going around about us. I say we just ignore them, because I'm used to it but I don't know about you."
I scoff and smile at her. "You don't think I can handle a few rumors?"
"Let's see how that goes. You won't last very long."
"Really? I survived all the rumors when I first got here, remember those?"
She didn't answer right away. "Whatever. I still don't think you'll last five minutes."
"Wanna bet?"
"Sure."
"If I win, I want to go out to eat at an actual restaurant, just as friends." I smiled, knowing I was going to win.
"Well we aren't going out to eat as "friends", seeing as you won't win." She puts emphasis on the friend's part, and gets up to leave.
"I will too win."
"Will not!" She said before disappearing out the door.
I let out a sigh, glad she is back to her normal self. I reach for my lab coat and put it on before heading to the nurse's station.
I grab a tablet, and just start looking over one of my patient's chart to see if anything has changed since I had last checked. With everything the same, I just put it back and see Owen coming my way, looking pretty upset.
"Riggs, can I have a word with you?" He didn't sound to happy.
"Yeah sure mate." Is all I respond before following him a little down the hall so the nurses weren't listening in. "What's up?"
"What's up?" Now he sounded even more pissed.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"I heard what you did to Meredith."
"Oh. That's what this is about." Meredith did say there were rumors going around, but did he know the truth or hear the rumor?
"Yeah." He huffs.
"So..." I trail off.
"I thought I warned you not to hurt her, and that she has been through way too much for you to pull your crap on her. And what do you think Megan will think when she hears about what you did to her, huh?" Owen fires off.
"Mate, I didn't hurt her-" Owen quickly cut me off.
"Really? I heard that you yelled at her about her getting rid of the baby. That's her choice, you should respect it, not make her feel worse about an already hard decision!"
"Owen- "
"I don't want to hear it. I heard how upset she was after you stormed away. She really has fallen for you, and you are going to go and blow it all away over something that probably was an impossible decision for her?" He raised his voice, and I could feel many eyes on us.
"Owen, listen to me."
"No! Stay away from my sister and Meredith. I will kill you if I find out you are near either of them."
I decided in that moment to argue like a child, yet did I know that I would come to regret it. "You can't tell me what to do."
Next thing I know there is a fist coming at my face, then I'm on the ground bleeding.
"What happened?" I can barely hear Meredith ask a few moments later.
I feel her hand on my face, and a light shining in my eye.
"I was defending you because he hurt you!" I hear Owen yell.
"Seriously Owen?" I blink several times since my vision had black spots and was blurry. "Nathan, are you okay?" She asks softly, touching my already swollen eye.
"You were right. I didn't last five minutes." I got a smile out of her before she helped me into an empty room and in a chair.
Owen brings ice, and immediately put it on my face. He stands the awkwardly and looks sorry.
"Owen." I say, getting his attention, but Mer stops me before I say anything more.
"I think what Nathan was going to tell you is that you heard a rumor about us, and it's not true. So, you better apologize for giving him a black eye." She said in her stern, attending voice.
"Riggs, I'm sorry. Well what did happen then?" Owen replied, looking between us.
"I was pregnant, he found out, and I told him I was no longer pregnant. He assumed, and started yelling at me. That's what happened." She said, biting her bottom lip. I couldn't help but stare at her and wonder how she was still standing. I've just heard stories of what she's been through, and seen the many, many different scars.
"You miscarried?" Owen whispered.
She just nodded her head, and you could see the pity in his face. "I'm sorry Mer, you could have told me."
"I'm fine." Her typical response, that I'm starting to believe isn't true.
"Riggs, sorry about your eye. Feeling any better?" Owen asked me.
"I'm good mate. I understand where you were coming from, but next time could you get the full story before going around punching people?" I got a laugh out of both Owen and Mer.
"I will. I gotta run, bye guys." Owen said before leaving.
Mer came up to my side and removed the ice from my face to recheck my eye. "You don't have to check it a thousand times, it's just a black eye."
"I'd rather be safe than sorry." She got the light out and checked my pupils yet again.
"The more I get to know you, the darker you seem."
"I'm dark and twisty."
"I'm not going to ask."
"Good, because I'm not going to tell." She could be so stubborn at times. "Does it hurt at all?"
"A little, but if you kissed it, it would make it better." I said jokingly. I didn't expect her soft lips to brush my cheek, just below my swollen eye. Sending shivers down my spine.
"Better?" She mocked.
"Much better." I smirked, getting a smile out of her before she turned to leave. I put the ice back on my face until I felt like it should be fine.
It had been awhile with the ice pack on, and my face was beginning to feel numb. I walked to attending's lounge to get me some well-deserved coffee. I hear two people enter the room, talking and laughing.
"Hey Riggs." Arizona says as she comes to my side. I turn to face her, and she jumps back a little, now seeing my black eye. "Whoah, what happened?"
"Who did that?" I hear Keps say from the couch.
"It's a long story."
"Do tell." Arizona says, now checking my eye.
"It's not important." I insist.
"Was it Owen again?" Keps asked, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.
"It was Owen!" Arizona squeals. "Tell us details. Did you get a punch in or did you let him beat you up again?"
"Okay, he didn't beat me up. It was one punch, because of that stupid rumor going around the hospital. He was protecting his sister and Meredith."
"Ohhhh." They both say in unison.
"Yeah. It's all good now, and I just want to go home."
"Then go, you should just go relax. Sounds like you had a rough day." Arizona says quietly.
I grab my stuff, and say bye to them, who seemed to have gone back to their previous conversation. I pull my keys out of my bag, ready to go home to my apartment. I walk past the nurse's station, and get many questioning glances from the nurses sitting there. I take a deep breath and just keep walking, until I run into Owen on the elevator.
I can see the pity on his face the minute I enter the elevator. "Seriously, it's okay. I know you hadn't heard the right things, and I understand why you did it."
"I know, but I just feel bad. I'm sorry." Owen quips.
"It's fine, really."
"Amelia and I were thinking about having dinners to introduce Megan to all of our friends, so she can start to fit in more. Obviously you can come to everyone to help share stories and stuff. We wanted to do one friend at a time, so we don't overwhelm her. This might be awkward but we were thinking to start with Meredith since she is Amelia's sister, and my friend for almost 10 years now. What do you think?" He said all in one breath.
"Of course I would come. Anything to make Megan feel normal."
"Good. I'm going to invite Meredith whenever I see her. Hopefully we can have the dinner tomorrow." Owen said, sounding relieved that I had agreed to them.
"Can I invite Meredith? It will give me an excuse to talk to her without feeling like an idiot." I ask, just really wanting to talk to Meredith again, and to make sure if she would even be okay with me being there.
"Uh sure, just don't forget. Tomorrow night at 8." Owen said as he exited the elevator.
As I'm getting off the elevator, I run into Meredith. Literally.
"Uh sorry." She quips as she picks up the paper she dropped. "Oh, hey Nathan. You heading home?"
"Yeah, it's been a long day."
"Can you see out of that eye? 'Cause I can drive you if you can't." She asked.
"Well, I can somewhat see. Better safe than sorry, right?" I say.
"Yeah. I was just about to head home."
"I'll have to show you the way to my apartment, it's not too far." I follow her out to her car, and get in the passenger seat.
"It's uh, nice to actually use your car for the right reasons this time." I joke, glancing back into the back seat.
"Shut up." Is all she says as we pull out of the hospital parking lot.
It's not until we are in my apartment parking lot that I decide to bring up dinner. "So, Owen and Amelia are having a dinner for Megan to start meeting their friends, so she can start fit in more with everyone. I'm going to be there. They want to do it one friend at a time so we don't overwhelm her, and they want to start off with you since you are Amelia's sister and Owens friend for so long. I-I don't have to be there if you think it will be awkward."
"Of course I will go. When is it?" She smiles with that smile that makes my heart melt.
"Tomorrow at 8."
"I'll be there."
"Bye Meredith."
"Bye Nathan."
Who is ready for another awkward dinner? No promises for it to be a normal dinner!
The season 14 premiere was so good, if you haven't watched it, you should. I am still so shocked by the ending! Ugh I can't wait for next weeks episode!