Can't Be Messing Around

Miranda Bailey was in such a great mood. She blasted her music with the windows down, singing loudly, from her house to the hospital. Every song seemed to be a love song. And every one reminded her of Ben. She grabbed her pocketbook from the backseat before she walked into the hospital. With some pep in her step, she headed towards the elevator. The universe felt her bliss and she reached the elevator just in time for the doors to open back up to let her on. "Hello," she said stepping on, looking into the faces of two of her colleagues, Dr. Derek Shepherd, Head of Neurology and Dr. Mark Sloan, Head of Plastic Surgery. The three surgeons were silent as the doors closed. "And I'll hold you tight," she sang softly. The music in her heart flowed out of her. "Mmmm…"

She didn't see them exchange confused glances. "What song is that? I know that song?" Shepherd asked. He was so nosy.

Miranda was glad that they couldn't see the smile that she was unable to hide. She was usually known for being a serious professional, especially at the hospital. "Oh, just… a little… something… stuck in my head. You know how it is." She most certainly wasn't going to tell them that the Boyz II Men song she was singing held every essence of her recent nights with Ben. Thinking about him, warmed her heart. The elevator bell sounded and the doors opened. "You both have a great day," she told them and headed towards the locker room.

At her locker in Seattle Grace Hospital, the same song was still on her mind. She couldn't get it out of her head. "Baby all through the night," she sang under her breath.

"Oh, I know that song!" Callie said coming up behind Miranda, making her jump. "Someone got some last night." Callie put up her hand for a high-five. Miranda rolled her eyes and started to walk past her friend. She stopped and slapped her hand against Callie's. The two women made eye contact and laughed hysterically. "So you and Ben are doing… alright?" Miranda shook her head with a smile. "I'm taking that as a 'yes'."

"You can take it however you want," Miranda answered.

"Just tell me—is it good?"

"No. I mean, not 'no,' but," Miranda huffed. "Yes, okay? And that's all you're getting." She waved off the orthopedic surgeon.

"Fine, but just one more thing," Callie asked clasping her hands together.

"What is it?"

"Did he go south of the, uh, Border?"

Miranda face flushed, hard. She grinned. "Unh-uh! I am not telling you that!"

"You just did," Callie said. Her beeper went off and she rushed off giggling.

Miranda put on her lab coat on her way to see Michael Shelley. He'd finally decided to have the gastrectomy, so he was being prepped. She stopped at the Nurses' Station and came across Bokhee who was sitting behind a computer. "Ready for surgery, Dr. Bailey?" Bokhee asked.

Miranda nodded. "I'm glad we were able to convince Michael to have the surgery."

"Yeah, that's so tough. All of them having that gene."

Miranda nodded again. "Hopefully, this will help."

"I'm sure it will."

"Alright, let me get to the OR, I'll see you later." Bokhee waved and Miranda walked off. She went over the surgery in her head as she scrubbed in. She thought of questions to ask her residents. In surgery, Karev stood on the opposite side of the table and suctioned, answering every question correctly. He would be alright. "Good job," she told him as she watched him close.

"Thank you, Dr. Bailey." They scrubbed out and Miranda walked to the Attending lounge. She needed a small snack before she continued her day. Miranda smiled when she looked through the window on the door and saw that it was nearly empty. One person was sitting alone at a table looking at their phone. Ben. Her heart skipped a beat and suddenly she felt so giddy. She couldn't stop smiling. It had only been a couple hours since he'd left her house after their night tonight. Miranda felt her own phone vibrate and picked it up. "Hello," she said bubbly. Miranda put her hand on the knob and looked through the window again. As it turned out, Ben wasn't alone. He was having a lively conversation with a woman. Miranda was sure that she recognized the woman. Her navy blue scrubs signified that she was an Attending, but Miranda couldn't remember which department. And why was she sitting so close to her boyfriend? Miranda twisted her lips to the side. The woman was thin and light-skinned. She had short black hair that was exquisitely cut. She looked vaguely like Halle Berry. She was pretty. Pretty. There was a time when Miranda felt inferior to other girls and women. Then she'd found her confidence and slight cockiness which boosted her self-esteem. She'd also realized that she was just as attractive as the girls she secretly hated for being, what everyone else called, pretty. Plus, her parents had always told her that she was beautiful. Tucker had always found her alluring. And it was no secret that Ben was fascinated with all of her physical features. So, it had been a long time since Miranda had felt less beautiful than the next woman. It was overwhelming.

"Miranda?" Someone was calling her. She turned around and saw no one. "Miranda Bailey?"

"Yes!" She said, aggravated to the person on the phone. Her eyes were plastered to the glass, staring at the scene unfolding in the lounge. Ben was chuckling and the woman—Aaliyah! The name popped into her head. Dr. Aaliyah Simpson, Cardiology. She tried to listen to the voice on the other end, but the voice was getting muted by the sound of the thoughts going through her head. "I'll… I'll have to call you back later." Miranda watched as the cardiologist touched Ben's arm. His gaze followed her touch. He smiled and looked at Dr. Simpson briefly. Miranda saw his mouth move, but she couldn't really hear what he was saying. She closed her eyes to heighten her hearing.

"How is that possible?" Ben was asking.

"I don't know," Simpson said. "I guess I spend so much time giving my patients new starts that I haven't had a chance to get one of my own."

"I am sure that there is someone out there for you." Simpson laughed, it was high and pitchy. Suited her perfectly. "He's probably right under your nose." Miranda opened her eyes and looked through the window, both doctors were smiling.

"Dr. Simpson, Cardiology to the Nurses' Station!" The intercom blared. "Dr. Simpson, Cardiology to the Nurses' Station!"

Miranda moved to the side, her back flat on the wall. And just in time, too. The door opened and Dr. Simpson strolled out of the door. The woman smiled at Miranda. Miranda gave a weak smile of her own and started to walk past the open door.

"Miranda?" Ben's voice called out. She heard a chair move across the floor. "Miranda!"

She kept walking, ignoring his voice. Something that she found very hard to do. She was glad when she bumped into her mentor. "Please tell me that you have something for me to do."

"Excuse me?" Richard pulled off his glasses.

"I'm free. I have nothing to at this moment, so do you have something for me or not?" Miranda heard the ice in her voice and quickly added: "Please."

"Sure. Um, Reginald Brown. Liver lac. OR 2. All prepped and ready to go." Miranda nodded and slipped her scrub cap on her head. "Er, is everything okay, Bailey?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm going to save a person's life. Everything is just perfect," she told him purposely pronouncing the 't'.

"Bailey."

"I am fine, Dr. Webber. If anyone asks for me, I'd like for you to keep my location a secret. Thank you." Miranda walked off before Richard could say anything else. After she scrubbed in, she stood over the open body cavity of Mr. Reginald Brown. She took a deep breath: "Scalpel." One thing about being in the OR and doing a surgery that she'd done plenty of times was the serenity and the certainty that everything would go as planned. Miranda worked quietly and diligently. Her surgical team must have sensed her mood because it was near silent except for the beeping of the monitor. Although so many thoughts about Ben and Dr. Simpson, were going through her head, she had to push them to the side to focus on patient. "Nice," Miranda said as she threw the last stitch. Her scrub nurse agreed. The surgeon went to the scrub room and jumped when she saw a shadowy figure lurking in the corner.

"We need to talk," the shadow said emerging from the darkness and revealing itself to be Ben.

"I don't have anything to say." Ben opened his mouth to respond. "I guess making love to someone is no longer an act of exclusivity." Ben scoffed. "But I understand. You want to be free. So go. Be free. And help Simpson find the perfect guy for her."

"Aaliyah is one of my good friends from college." Miranda rolled her eyes and turned on the water. "She's just having a rough time finding someone. And what kind of friend would I be if I rubbed my absolute happiness in her face?" Miranda ran her tongue along the top row of her teeth to keep from smiling. "Aaliyah knows I'm dating someone."

"Have you two ever dated?"

Ben shook his head. "No."

"Why not? She's really pretty."

"She is," Ben agreed.

Miranda's heart dropped. "Oh."

"But I can't stand the sound she makes when she eats cereal," Ben said softly. He handed Miranda a towel. She laughed and tossed the towel back at him. "We thought about it, but that boundary between friend and friendlier wasn't one that we were willing to cross. And now even if she wanted to, I'm taken. There are no underlying feelings between the two of us."

Miranda nodded. Sometimes she wondered if she and Tucker had done the right thing by advancing their friendship and turning it to a relationship. One that was good when it was great. "I understand."

"Miranda, listen. I may smile at her and at other women; I'm just a smiley, happy person. That's all. It doesn't mean that I want to sleep with every woman I smile at, okay?" Miranda thought about what he'd just said. "You're the only woman I want to be with. You are my woman and I love you. Okay?" He asked again. "I mean it." She was listening and still hadn't responded. "Are you hearing me, Miranda? I mean it."

"I have a child and a full-time job." Ben straightened his posture. "And I'm going through a sad, exhausting, stressful, time-consuming divorce. I don't have time for games." He took a deep breath. "I mean, you understand that, right?"

"I do, baby." Her heart fluttered. "I do and I'm not—I'm not playing games. I'm in this for real." He put a hand around her waist. "Okay?"

"Okay," she said and watched for a split second as he moved in to kiss her. A small smile escaped her lips as she felt his lips on hers. She touched his back, rubbing his body slowly. Miranda's pager went off, making them separate. "Uh, I have to go."

"Can I come over later tonight?"

"Um, I don't think that's wise. I have Tuck tonight, so…" Miranda started toward the door.

Ben pulled her back. "So what?"

"So we can't do the things that we do when my son is not around."

"Miranda, I can control myself. I'm not a sex-starved animal." She shook her head a little. "Unless you want me to be."

Miranda gasped softly. "Fine," she responded. She headed for the door again. Swiftly, he moved toward her and kissed her, pushing her against the wall. She secretly hoped that there were no cameras in this scrub room. Ben's hands ran up her shirt, touching her stomach. Her body was hot and all she wanted was him. Her pager went off again. "I really have to go," she said kissing his lips, gently caressing his cheek. She slid from underneath him and left.