A.N. Hey all! So this is my first time writing fanfiction in over a decade (I know, right?) so please bear with me. I love Meredith/Alex both as a friendship or romance, so had an idea to write a whole bunch of Merlex one-shots. They should be done in a format that means they can be read as continuous or alone, I'll specify in summaries if romance is involved or if it can be read as purely friendship for those who aren't fans of them as a relationship. For now I'll call this series 'The Person Anthologies', STC. They'll take place based from episodes, although likely won't be every episode, just ones I felt I could pull inspiration from. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
"Hey, you've reached Mia. Sorry, I can't answer the phone right now..."
Meredith zoned out as the answerphone message of her college friend trailed on, only jumping back in to say "Call me, you ass" after the beep. Her first couple of days as an intern at Seattle Grace had been eventful, to say the least, and although she wasn't particularly close to Mia they had always been a solid sounding board for one another. There was plenty to discuss from beyond the hospital walls, and so she prayed that Mia would soon be putting down the bottle of tequila she no doubt held to call her back. She could stick it out, she definitely could, she didn't need any reassurance there. However, it had to be said that Seattle Grace had been a bitch to her so far.
Wearing scrubs and a lab coat didn't feel as great as she had thought it would. Especially not when they had to be changed several times a day due to vomit, blood, or god knows what else that found itself covering them. Meredith had never fully considered the impact the looks she received would have, simply for the colour of her scrubs. She knew it would happen, interns were the bottom of the barrel, but she hadn't realised it would affect her so much. Did she not deserve at least a little respect? Patients had treated her with such, not knowing the difference - well, all except one. The lightweight fabric felt otherwise while it held the weight of others expectations.
Then, of course, there was the 'male gaze'. Why did it always have to be one extreme or another? She would certainly go for the condescending tone in comparison to the male superiors or patients who brushed their hand over her ass 'by accident'. Still, having her ever judgement questioned due to the inconvenience of her vagina ownership made her wonder how her mother never took an unwarranted scalpel to someone's testicles, because to be a female surgeon in an earlier time when this behaviour was even more accepted surely made Ellis Grey a warrior.
There had been a few pleasant patients, who took her hand or offered her a pained smile in gratitude, they had kept her feet on the ground and reminded her of her desire to help. If anyone had tested that choice, it was Katie Bryce. While Meredith had ultimately found the answers and she knew that those suffering weren't always in the best frame of mind, that girl was exceptionally talented at making anyone helping her want to stick their head through a wall. If she had to get lost zooming someone around a giant new building, she would not have chosen Katie Bryce.
Katie wasn't the only person who had left an impression on her. Trust Meredith to start a new job and find that the waif she had brought into her bed only the night before happened to be her superior. Derek Shepherd was many things - handsome being just one of them - but 'in charge of her' was not a thing that she felt comfortable with. She couldn't undo what had already been done, so clearly the only logical move here was to make sure it never happened again, and hope they could move past it. Somehow though, she didn't think that would be the action that would be taken.
She had also met George and Izzie. They both seemed sweet, even though Meredith knew with very little guilt that they were unlikely to be as paved for success as she was. However, it would serve her well to have some friends on side, as everyone knew the early years in medicine were a killer. How close friends they would become, that remained to be seen, but them providing her with little competition worked in her favour. The same could not be said for Cristina, who seemed highly skilled and competitive, and yet she felt her bond with her would become even stronger. She could picture her time with Cristina as locked doors, calming down and putting the world to rights. Pulling all-nighters plotting revenge and certainly erasing boredom. It seemed premature to say she had found a true friend, but the pull towards Cristina seemed undeniable.
But why, why did she also feel that way towards another? Cristina treated her as an equal - at least, as much as she possibly could within her own capabilities, Meredith assumed. So, it made sense that she would be drawn to her. Why did she envisage those same interactions with someone who had called her a nurse? There was nothing wrong with being a nurse, but he meant it to be insulting. Alex Karev resorted to an insult because he was told he might be wrong. She should be bitching about him to Cristina in these imagined scenarios, not hoping he would be a part of them too. His just desserts should be emasculating, not welcoming. Finding him intriguing could not possibly bode well for her future at this hospital, she had a funny feeling he was going to bring trouble. So what was she smirking to herself?
God, she needed Mia to pick up the phone.