(Many, many thanks for the comments! And as usual, I don't own GA. If I did, I wouldn't be biting my nails over 4.12.)
The nursing staff sighed quietly amongst themselves as Derek leaned against their counter while he waited for Rose. At the end of a long workday, this was one perk they enjoyed thanks to Rose – taking in 'The Lean' up close and almost personal. They didn't care that Dr. McDreamy was full of impatience as he raked his hand through 'The Hair' for the third time in five minutes. He still looked good.
Derek decided to give her one more minute. He lost the day to multiple surgeries, and was due to meet Mark at Joe's at the end of his shift. Instinctively preferring a large glass of scotch to the woman he's been dating for the last month was a sign this should have ended sooner. Hell, he realized it never should have begun. But he had to see it through. And it was. Through.
"Derek!" Rose hurried toward him, scrub-clad and carrying an insulted lunch bag. His reaction was slight, but Derek cringed as she loudly called out his name. Looking around, he sees her call out attracted some attention, including smiles from the other nurses. Damn it.
"What's this?" Perplexed, accepted the bag she shoved into his hands and kiss on his cheek.
"Dinner from last night. Well, it was lunch for you, but since it's late dinner has come full circle." Rose laughed at her own joke. "Meatloaf sandwich. I meant to get this to you in time for lunch, but it's been a busy day." She wasn't sure if she should point out that after his first surgery she ran home and packaged the lunch for him.
Her laughter fell flat with Derek as he held the lunch bag in his hands. Feeling the eyes and ears of the nurses' station staff upon them, he wanted to move their conversation to more private territory. Rose was a nice woman and didn't deserve a public dumping. The little voice piped up, asking how Meredith deserved it. But before Derek could open his mouth, Rose threw herself against him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Moving your surgery was the most romantic thing ever to happen to me." She sighed into the side of his neck, brushing her lips against the line of his jaw.
Derek pulled Rose's arms from around his neck, feeling the urge to wipe away the sticky residue left by her lips on his skin. "Thank you, for the sandwich."
"So, what are we doing tonight?" Rose leaned against counter, enjoying the show she and Derek were putting on for her co-workers. She heard their snickers when they started dating, and the pools. They all said it wouldn't last. It's been four weeks and 48 surgeries later. And how could they doubt him, after this morning? She reached for his hand, and linked their fingers together. Well, she'd show them.
Earlier Rose had vented to Olivia her disappointment over Derek canceling their date, but stressing how busy the neurosurgeon was, his early morning surgery case in point. When Olivia commented she'd heard that surgery had been moved up, and how nice of Dr. McDreamy to move it to make room their makeup date, Rose practically swooned. Of course! He must have missed her as much as she missed him. Rose ignored the hint of sarcasm in Olivia's voice, of course. She knew Olivia was jealous because Dr. McDreamy dropped Dr. Grey like a hot potato to go out with her. After all, he kissed her in the scrub room while he was still having sex with the good doctor. Like anyone would want to go out with the Syph Nurse. Well, maybe Dr. Sloan. Anyway, she realized Dr. McDreamy was living up to his well-deserved name. She smiled at Derek as they stood in front of the nurses' station, her free hand strayed to the engagement ring she still wore around her neck. Her fingers toyed with the small diamond while she thought about the beautiful children she and Derek would have together. She'd been having such happy thoughts since she watched Derek operate early this morning.
"About tonight, Rose."
"Are we going back to your trailer?" Rose squeezed his hand and hesitated, making sure her co-workers heard the word 'trailer.' "I can meet you there, and you can show me the rest of those amazing house plans."
A coughing noise caused Derek's shocked attention to turn around. He wasn't sure if the distressed figure of Dr. O'Malley doubled over, clutching the counter like a lifeline, was hallucination, or part of the really bad dream he was trapped in. One look at George's watery eyes and red, stunned face knew he couldn't be lucky enough for this to be a bad dream.
Her pager beep ticked Rose off. She was enjoying the attention her co-workers were giving her moment with Derek. From a few envious glances she noticed, Rose realized no one had ever seen Derek touch her while they were at work. It was time to show them she wasn't a rebound girl but a future neurosurgeon's wife. Ignoring Dr. O'Malley, she grasped Derek's chin and moved his face back to her. Rising up on tiptoe, Rose pressed a kiss against his mouth. "I gotta run. I'll see you at your trailer in a few hours." Waving to the audience behind the counter, Rose jogged down the hall.
"Is she talking about," George gasped. "The same plans you showed Meredith?" His breaths weren't coming easy.
Derek stood still as George slowly uprighted himself. He couldn't bring himself to say a word. Everything moved surreally slow around him. "George, don't say anything to Meredith."
The bright rosy hue faded from George's face. "You did! You showed her the same plans!"
"Not...intentionally." Derek shoved both hands through his hair. How could he be so cursed as to have O'Malley within listening distance once again. Feeling guilty when he shouldn't, Derek went on the defensive. "Don't you have anything better to do than listen in on my private conversations?"
"It's not my fault, Dr. Sheperd, that you stood here, in front of the nurses' station with your girlfriend, while I'm responding to a page." George's frosty reply raised the eyebrows of the few nurses brave enough to observe. "You should be more careful in covering up your tracks."
"I'm not covering up any tracks, Dr. O'Malley." Derek heard the nasty words coming out of his mouth, but he couldn't stop the verbal diarrhea. His hate for this man and the hell he's caused was intense. "And you need to grow up and stop running to Meredith with everything you overhear."
George froze. The nurses' interest in his reaction was sharp. They reminded him of a bunch of hungry sharks waiting for a chunk of bloody meat. He was damned if it was coming from his hide. "Have a good evening, Dr. Sheperd."
Derek watched George disappear into the patient's room across from the nurses' station. Before he could give his action any thought, Derek followed George, stopping inside the doorway. He only knew he had to do something. "Dr. O'Malley, could I see you for a moment?" Without waiting to see George's reaction, Derek stepped back out into the hallway.
Nodding to his patient, George trailed Derek out of the room. He stood rigidly before the older man. "I hope this is work related, Dr. Sheperd."
"Look," Derek spoke low and insistently. "She was in my car the same time those plans were. She saw them and looked." He didn't add that as soon as Rose unrolled the plans, Derek reclaimed them, tossing them into his back seat where she found them. He had to make George understand that Rose really didn't see the plans. "That's all there was to it."
"What ever you say Dr. Sheperd."
The blank look on George's face made the bottom fall out of his world. He didn't believe Derek and didn't want to call his boss a liar. At least to his face.
George disappeared back into his patient's room. Derek wanted to drag George back out by the collar of his lab coat, toss him into the nearest empty closet, and beat the hell out of him. Instead, he managed to find his way to his office and the bottle of scotch waiting for him in his bottom desk drawer. Mark wouldn't care if he stood him up. But he needed a shot of alcohol before heading home to his trailer. Hell or high water, he would finish his conversation with Rose.