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Long time no update ;)
Thank you all for waiting patiently while I finished up with classes and finals. Your reviews and knowing there are people out there reading keeps me writing!
Hopefully this chapter is to your liking.
Enjoy!
Chapter 16
Meredith loved being Derek Shepherd's girlfriend.
There.
She said it.
Because being Derek Shepherd's girlfriend meant he was usually always waiting for her after her rounds with a fresh cup of coffee and some form a quick breakfast if he hadn't thought she'd had time to grab something.
It also meant he had allowed her full access to his office which served as a great place to hide away from the prying eyes in the cafeteria during lunch when Cristina was in surgery and couldn't be her shield from the steady stream of gossip. The company that came along with said office was pretty spectacular as well.
On top of all of that, being the girlfriend of Derek Shepherd also meant that she was automatically granted use of one more extra body to help unload and unpack everything from her car and into her new apartment.
As luck would have it, the tenants a couple doors down from Cristina's apartment had moved out in search of something that could better accommodate their growing family. Something Cristina was personally very thankful for.
"Do you know how loud a three year old is, Mer? The sounds that could come out of such small person would astound you."
She merely left her new neighbor one warning after setting down the last of the boxes she had carried.
"Just don't let McDreamy impregnate you with his spawn. I swear, I'll get a petition started to get you evicted."
With that and a casual wave goodbye, she left Meredith standing slightly confused amongst her small sea of boxes.
The sound of a struggled grunt and shuffling behind the door forced her away from her focus on the boxes that surrounded her. A slightly rumpled and tired looking Derek emerged through her doorway, managing to balance a particularly cumbersome box and a small table lamp as he eased them over the threshold.
"This is the last of it," he sighed heavily after lowering the contents in his arms to the ground. He cracked his back and stretched his shoulders as he righted himself and Meredith had a difficult time keeping herself from staring shamelessly. Despite the light amount of sweat he'd worked up from hauling boxes all morning, Meredith couldn't help but admire the way the material of his gray t-shirt clung to the well-defined muscles of his upper body. Or the way the bottom of it slid upwards in his stretching, revealing a particularly delicious view of his lower abdomen between the rising t-shirt and the top of his dark wash jeans.
Just another thing to add to the ever growing "Reasons I Love Being Derek Shepherd's Girlfriend" list.
"Thank God you have an elevator or that would have taken at least 3 times as long," he continued talking, oblivious to her ogling.
"Mer?"
Or maybe not so oblivious.
"Sorry," she replied quickly, shaking the inappropriate thoughts from her head. "I think I'm just a little light headed or something from all the moving."
"I'll get you some water," Derek immediately decided, quickly heading over to the small cooler he'd brought just for that purpose. "Did Cristina leave already?"
"Yeah, she has shift that starts in a couple hours. She wanted to grab a quick nap and a shower so I told her she could head out. Nothing left to do but unpack and, I'll be honest, I've seen her apartment and I don't know how she finds anything in that place. It's probably better she didn't help with this part."
"Well I have the entire day off to help you, so feel free to put me to work doing whatever you like."
"Whatever I like?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in obvious flirtation and swaying her hips over to where he was seated on the couch.
Derek didn't waste any time in grabbing for her taunting hips and pulling her down on his lap. "I was thinking something along the lines of unpacking spoons or plates, but I think I like where this is going a little better."
"That so?"
"Mhmmm." Their lips barely had the chance to graze one another before Meredith's stomach rudely interrupted. The sound of the low rumble caused her to drop her head to his shoulder in slight embarrassment as Derek laughed out loud.
"On second thought, I think I should feed you first." Dropping a quick kiss to the side of her cheek, Derek rose in search of food.
"I don't know what you're expecting to find. The only food I have at the moment is the water you brought. If you hand me my phone, I have the number of a great pizza place."
Thankfully, all the large furniture, including her couch and bed, had been delivered the day before. She was also currently thankful for the fact that she had little transfer from her parents' house aside from clothes, personal items, and other basic necessities she anticipated needing (such as the plates and eating utensils they had managed to uncover while waiting for the pizza to arrive).
Meredith and Derek were both working their way through their second slice each when Derek spoke. "So I was thinking..."
"This can't be good," she grinned around her bit of pizza.
"I'll have you know, I happen to be a very important neurosurgeon."
"Is that, so? You could have a career as a mover should this neurosurgeon thing not pan out for you. I'll even be a reference," Meredith continued to tease, adding a sly wink for good measure.
"Very generous of you. In all seriousness, I've been thinking a lot about that clinical trial your dad brought up a few weeks ago. Between that and your mother jumping down my throat at every turn, I thought that maybe now would be a good time to start looking into that again."
Meredith's eyes darkened ever so slightly. "My mom's been bothering you? Why? Is she punishing you for being with me?"
"No, no! She's mad that Addison is leaving and taking it out on me, I guess."
Meredith merely nodded in response. It took less than a day for the whole hospital to hear about both the Shepherd's divorce and the 'Good Shepherd' giving her notice. In compromise for wanting to break her contract, Ellis managed to get her to stay until they could find a replacement. A task she knew her mother was finding less than enjoyable.
"So you're just doing this for my mother?" she questioned with some confusion.
"No, no. I had started researching for one a couple years ago but I'm not sure if I have the…passion for that particular topic anymore. Honestly I couldn't tell you exactly what it was now, which only proves my point. I'd be lying though, if I said getting your mother off my back about 'innovating' or 'generating' wasn't a plus."
She laughed out loud at his obvious use of her mother's words. "Well, that's great, Derek! What's the trial going to be for?"
"That's the thing. I don't have a thesis yet. I really only started thinking about a couple weeks ago. I'm still waiting to be inspired." He smiled at the word, looking deeply into her eyes. "But I wanted to bring it up to you now because, what ever it turns out being for, I'd like you to be a part of it."
"Really?"
"Of course." Putting down his half eaten slice of pizza, Derek began inching closer towards his girlfriend. "I happen to find you very inspiring."
"Is that a fact?" He'd never get used to the way her eyes lit up when she teased him.
"Of course. I have supporting evidence and everything," Derek murmured into her neck before assaulting her skin with kisses. Her giggles increased as his lips tickled her neck causing her to playfully shove him away when it got to be too much.
"In all seriousness, Meredith, I want to be inspired by my work again. I used to absolutely love what I do and, don't get me wrong, deep down I know I still do, but something isn't the same. The magic is gone. But ever since I started teaching you and working with you, I can feel it coming back. All I have to do is look over at the pure excitement I see in your eyes every time we're in the OR and I remember why I chose this specialty in the first place. You're my magic."
She almost hated herself for the tears welling behind her eyes, but his words genuinely moved her. "Okay, I'm going to forgive you for being incredibly sappy because that was also really sweet." Meredith moved the hand resting on his shoulder to caress Derek's cheek. His stubble scraped against her fingertips with each even stroke. She was still taken by surprise every now and again by how much she liked the feeling.
"I was going for romantic, but I'll take sweet."
"I'd be honored to work with you, Dr. Shepherd."
"The pleasure will be all mine, Dr. Webber."
A week later, Derek trudged into the hospital in much need of caffeine and wishing he had been allotted a couple more hours of sleep. He despised being the bearer of bad news and he especially hated when there was nothing that he could do.
The following evening, Meredith had successfully diagnosed a bear attack victim with a malignant glioma. However, despite the fact that the tumor was inoperable, he couldn't help but be pleased that Meredith had been the one to catch it. It was a difficult diagnose. One very easily overlooked in this particular case where adrenaline and shock could easily explain many symptoms. He'd be lying if he claimed not to be ridiculously proud of her.
After grabbing a very large, very black coffee, Derek went in search of his girlfriend. He didn't have to search long before they very nearly ran into each other while rounding a corner, causing Meredith to drop some of the files she had been balancing on top of one another.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry," Meredith immediately apologized while dropping down to gather the scattered papers, not taking notice to who she had actually run into.
Kneeling to help her, Derek set down his cup to gather up the folder near his foot. "Not a problem, Dr. Webber. Let me help you with these."
Meredith's head shot up in response to the familiar voice. "Derek!"
He offered her a smile and a soft kiss on the cheek in lieu of a greeting before handing her the previously fallen folders. "What's all this?"
Meredith bit her lip in a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "I think….I think I found a way to save lives."
Thank you all for reading!
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