It was confirmed, Carolyn Shepherd adored her new granddaughter, it was a connection she never felt so strongly with her other grandchildren. The intern mixer was tomorrow night and she had spent the week getting to know Ellyse once she was better.
She was currently walking through the bus streets of New York with Meredith on their way to get Ellyse from kindergarten, Meredith was telling her everything about the small girl from the moment she was born to every second until she arrived and she loved it. The last week she had grown closer to Meredith, more than she had expected to but she just felt the need to help hold up since she didn't have Ellis around.
"Derek told me you had an emergency c-section when you went into labour?"
"Yeah, I had pre-eclampsia, I don't really remember much of it other than waking up and seeing my little girl." Meredith smiled.
"That must have been scary for you." She nodded.
"It was but I had Alex and he helped me through it, Ellyse adores him."
"I know she talks to me about him all the time." Carolyn laughed.
"That doesn't surprise me, sometimes I think she loves him more than she loves me." She laughed.
"You've done a wonderful job on your own though Meredith, I salute you, it isn't an easy job to do." She rubbed her back as they walked.
"Thank you Carolyn, I really do appreciate that. I always think about my mother and how she should be here too but I can't face her after the way I left, I feel too guilty." She confided in Carolyn.
"Have you spoken to your mother at all Meredith?"
"No, not since the day I left, we had a huge falling out."
"You should call her Meredith, she had a hard time when you left, she really misses you."
"I think she might just put the phone down." She joked, half being serious.
"I doubt that dear."
The next day, Alex was round at Meredith's apartment with Jo who was helping Meredith get ready.
"What are you wearing Mer?" Jo asked as she looked in her wardrobe.
Meredith pointed to a grey office dress that was hanging on the door, it had a small black belt around the waist.
"You can't wear that!" Jo giggled.
"What why not?" She asked offended.
"Because that's an office dress." She rolled her eyes.
"Yeah? It's a work thing, what else would I wear?" Meredith looked confused.
"You need something... This!" She said as she pulled out a strappy black dress.
"What! No! I can't wear that, that's my tequila dress." Meredith laughed.
"Exactly." Jo nodded.
"There will be no tequila tonight, this is a work thing." Meredith refused.
"That doesn't mean you can't go to the bar across the street once your done." She smirked.
"No, I have to get back to Ellyse." Meredith shook her head.
"Relax Mer shes with Derek's mom and Alex and I can always have her after the mixer."
"No, I'm not pawning my child off so I can go and drink tequila... absolutely not." she muttered.
"Come on mer, live a little." Jo giggled.
"I did live a little and look where it got me... pregnant when I was 18." She rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"How about me and you go out afterwards? Girls night, Alex can watch Ell." Jo offered.
Meredith looked at her whilst biting the inside of her mouth, she couldn't believe she was actually considering this but after all she had had a stressful week and she really did deserve this.
"Fine." Meredith sighed.
Jo jumped up and down, "yay."
"But I'm not going out with you unless you wear that black dress." She smirked.
"Jo I can't wear that dress in front of my colleagues and my bosses, they'll think I live on the street corner or something." She rubbed her head.
"It'll be fine, take a jacket." She suggested.
"I can't believe I'm doing this. Your a bad influence." Meredith laughed.
"Sure am." Jo agreed laughing as she threw the dress on Meredith's bed, grabbing a pair of black heels.
2 hours later the girls were ready and we're about to leave, Meredith was tagging along with Jo and Alex and Carolyn had just arrived and was getting settled in with Ellyse.
"Okay Carolyn, if you need anything, anything at all please call me, okay." Meredith smiled as she hugged her.
"We will be fine dear, go and have a good night, you deserve it." She hugged her back.
"Thank you." She blushed before crouching to Ellyse, "be good for grandma okay baby, I will see you tomorrow. Uncle Alex will pick you up later." She kissed her head.
"You look so pwetty mommy." She hugged her mom.
"Thanks my girl, I love you."
"Love you too! Lots and lots!"
"Like jelly tots." Meredith finished watching as her daughter giggled.
She got up and left, hopping into the cab with her plus 2's.
She couldn't imagine being in a more boring place, this mixer was hell. Everything was terrible ranging from the music to the company, the daycare probably hosted better parties and Meredith found herself now jealous of pre-schoolers. She scoffed.
"Well aren't you in a good mood tonight?" She heard from behind her. She turned around.
"Have you seen this place." She looked around.
"Yeah, it's pretty dull." Derek laughed.
"I'd rather be working the night shift." She laughed.
"That bad?" Derek asked.
"The worst." She giggled.
"I'm so looking forward to them." He answered sarcastically making Meredith smile.
"So, how's the other interns?" She asked breaking the awkward tension that was filling the space between them.
"Uh their okay I guess, I mean I have Mark here too so it's not all bad."
"What about Addison?" Meredith frowned.
"Oh, yeah, we broke up." He avoided her eyes.
"You what?! When?" Her eyes widened.
"A few nights okay, she asked me to chose between you & Ellyse and her, I picked you and our daughter." He said proudly.
"Derek you didn't have to do that." She blushed.
"What else was I going to do Meredith, she means nothing to me compared to the two of you." He smiled.
"You mean compared to Ellyse." She corrected.
"No I mean what I said, the two of you." He said watching as she blushed further.
"Your cute when your flustered." He laughed and she hit his shoulder.
"You, Derek Shepherd are drunk." She giggled.
"I'm not." He laughed.
"Ugh, fine." She rolled her eyes.
"So, wanna get out of here?" He smirked.
Meredith looked at him, her eyebrows raising quickly in shock.
"No, I mean go to a bar or something." He corrected.
"Oh, duh of course you did, what else would you mean. I knew that." She scoffed, he waited for a response.
"Yeah, let's go because I can't stay here any longer." She sighed mixed with a laugh.
"Good, me either." He put his hand on the small of her back and they walked out.
"Where shall we go?" Meredith asked as they stepped outside.
It was quite a cold night considering it was summer and Derek wasn't surprised to see Meredith shivering as they walked down the street. Her took his black blazer off quickly and hung it over her shoulders. She looked up at him.
"You don't need to do that, your gonna get told." She said as she handed it back.
"I'm fine, take it." He told her, she hesitantly accepted.
Meredith was afraid of him getting too close again, and she didn't want him to think that this changed anything. They had hurt each other, badly and she wasn't sure that she could suffer that again.
"Hey, that bar looks okay, shall we go there?"
"Sure." Meredith said as they quickly crossed the road and headed to the bar.
"Come on Derek, one more!" Meredith chanted watching his wince as the amber liquid that was tequila burnt his throat.
"No, sorry Mer." He laughed.
"Do it for me. Do it for Ellyse." She smiled widely.
"So not fair." He shook his head laughing.
"Around round Kev!" She shouted to the bar man.
Tequila had always been Meredith's choice of poison but Derek was a scotch man, tonight however he had been slowly wrapped under Meredith's tequila persuading spell and was currently feeling the wrath he would wake up to tomorrow. Two more tequila shots quickly arrived and he watched as she picked it up quickly, he slowly picked his up, they clinked the glasses together and tipped the liquid back. She took it like a pro and he took his like a bitch, Meredith found it hilarious.