A/N: This came a bit later…but its here nonetheless. Thanks for those who regularly review, I love you guys. Welcome to the new readers, love to hear from you guys!

Chapter 5

Despite his determination not to think about Meredith, for the past week he was unconsciously constantly look for the green eyes and dirty blond hair around the halls of SGH. She must be somewhere in around the hospital, they had become experts in avoiding each other.

He was called to the ER for a consult, a guy who fell on his head while trying to propose to his girlfriend upside down just like in the Spiderman movie. Guys and their big gestures, he thought shaking his head. He was never one for big gestures, he proposed to Addison on a five star restaurant in New York, simple. With Meredith, well they never had a chance to do something worth calling a big gesture, with her not being ready and all that.

"Dr. Carmichael. Patient's status?"

Meredith's intern, looked up at Derek, stunned, he was never asked to present to an attending without his resident present; the head of Neurosurgery, no less. "James Lively, 33, white male, fell from the roof of head first. His girlfriend said he was trying to recreate the Spiderman movie, she said it was the movie they watched when they first met."

Derek frowned, "I did not ask why he fell, Dr. Carmichael, I asked about his status."

"Oh, he is in and out of consciousness. With blurred vision and he said his head hurts. Also shows obvious signs of concussion."

Derek nodded, "Ok get him into CT. Then ask Dr. Grey to scrub in with us, I am almost sure he has subdural hematoma from the blood coming from his nose."

Dr. Ian Carmichael perked up, "Sorry sir, my resident is now Dr. Yang, do you still want me to tell her to scrub in?"

It was Derek's turn to be stunned, "No, no, go get the CT; I'll be the one who talk to Yang."

Derek went back to the surgical floor; he did not know who to talk to first Richard or Christina. He was sure that Christina would not let him go a foot near her, much less answer all his questions about Meredith. So he just stood in his favorite spot in the hospital, sorting out his questions and thoughts. Why was Carmichael transferred to Yang? Was Meredith gone? Is that why he did not see her around the past week? Why did he care if she's gone? He's with starting to have a mature relationship with Rose right?

He glimpsed the chief in his office from the bridge; he started to step in that direction, but thought better about it. Its over. He should not care, he does not have right to know. Not anymore.

He redirected himself, turning instead towards the nurses' station, intending to confirm his plans with Rose that night.

Meredith was smiling; she just realized it as she sipped her club soda on the bar, never thinking that just after a week of feeling helpless and lost, she would be smiling in L.A., with the help of her ex-boyfriend's, ex-wife.

She was half-listening to Cooper who was once again groaning to Sam and Pete about another internet chick he met, who left him the night before. They were waiting for Addison to finish checking her patient who just gave birth that morning.

Meredith had surprised even herself, adjusting to life in LA, her work in Cedars was challenging, having gotten her own set of interns just the day before. No one knew of her past in Seattle or that she was in-bred. All they knew that she was the resident transfer from a Seattle Hospital, that about it. Apparently, nurse gossip is not as rabid as it was in Seattle Grace.

She had outright declared her intent in neurosurgery to the chief of Cedars, Dr. Camden. He was supportive enough to introduced her to his world-famous head of neurosurgery, Dr. Gia Castillo. Dr. Castillo was surprisingly open to taking her under her wing, but she is strict and sometimes full of herself, she was a brain surgeon after all. Meredith took it all in stride, scrubbing in on the surgeries and learning, being able to focus on her chosen specialty, so unlike in SGH.

Everything in L.A. was uncomplicated, her work and her social life was exactly where it should be, peaceful and uncomplicated. The path to bright and shiny Meredith is on track.

"You look like you are thinking of happy thoughts."

Meredith looked up at Pete Wilder, the alternative doctor in Oceanside, "I was just savoring my uncomplicated life here."

Pete nodded, "L.A. suits you, and you are glowing."

"I never heard anyone tell me that before."

He smiled, "Well you are. Someday you can tell me why you are surprised to find life here uncomplicated."

Meredith nodded, "And one day you can tell me why your smile does not reach your eyes."

Pete cocked his head to the side, "You are the first person to notice that."

"It's easy to notice, when I see it in the mirror everyday."

Pete was silent, looking at Meredith; they both knew that they had found a person of their kind, one who was hurt, rejected, and alone; but not at that moment, not anymore.