97. Chapter 97

AN: This chapter starts at the beginning of episode 4.2 'Love/Addiction.' Some parts are short, but I kind of wanted to show the differences between that universe and this one (like Derek not getting kicked out of bed...lol). There's also this really great line, that didn't have a reason to be in this story, but I wanted to mention. A patient asks Mark if he has any kids and he says "not that I know of." he he. That made me laugh.

Lying on her back next to her husband of all of six days, Meredith yawned. It was very late – so late that it was actually very early morning – and they would have to get up for work in a few short hours. Even so, she wasn't willing to fall asleep just yet. Her body still tingled from the after affects of the way he made her feel and the workout he'd just put her body through.

Derek shifted, and his hand found her abdomen and rubbed her through the thin sheet that was draped haphazardly over them both. "Mmm," he mumbled without saying anything more.

She turned her head so that she could see him. His eyelids were heavy, but still open, revealing the deep blue gaze he always had when they were intimate. He smiled softly at her. She smiled back.

"We have to get up soon," she whispered.

"Yeah," he murmured, pulling himself closer to her so that they were now sharing her pillow and his face as pressed into the side of her head. She could feel his lips against her neck. He obviously wasn't any more worried about the late hour than she was. Her left hand found his hair and she threaded the fingers of her right hand through his, so that their digits rested together above her abdomen.

"Exactly how long does the newlywed sex phase last?"

He chuckled against her. "As long as we want."

"Sounds good," she said with a sigh that turned into a yawn.

He kissed her neck and then rolled away abruptly. And like a switch was thrown, she went from warm to cold.

"What are you doing?"

Derek turned off the lamp on his nightstand, dropping them into darkness. He then rolled back to her, draping his arm across her. Warm again. "Sleeping," he responded.

"Sleeping is good," she murmured, snuggling against him. He was always so warm. So safe.

"Just not as good as sex."

She giggled. "You have a one track mind."

He chuckled. "I seem to remember you being an enthusiastic participant at the time."

This time she laughed out loud, and he joined her. "So we both have a one track mind sometimes."

Derek kissed her cheek. "Mmm, but we need some sleep now so we can continue where we left off tomorrow."

She turned her head so she could kiss him. "Agreed."

He kissed her back, hard, and then tightened his embrace around her and settled against her, draping a leg over hers. "Night."

"Night," she echoed, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. Derek was warm and solid beside her. His presence made her feel like nothing could touch her. "I'm glad you're here," she found herself mumbling as sleep pulled at her consciousness.

"'s nowhere else I'd rather be," be practically breathed against her.

Meredith felt her lips curl into a soft smile, and then she lost her awareness as sleep overtook her.

When the alarm went off only a short time later, Meredith groaned and buried her face into her pillow. Derek's arm tightened around her as he, too, groaned at the intrusion.

"No," she whined, trying to block the obnoxious noise by pressing her hand to her ear. But it was useless.

Derek's lips found the spot on her back right between her shoulder blades. "Ignoring the alarm doesn't mean it's not time to get up," he whispered.

"Make it stop."

He chuckled and kissed her back again, before trailing kisses along her spine to her neck.

Meredith groaned. "I mean it, Derek; make it stop."

Now laughing, Derek pulled away and reached over her to turn off the alarm.

Silence.

Meredith sighed, prepared to close her eyes and go back to sleep. Derek, however, wasn't about to let her. He returned to his position beside her, but pulled at her shoulder so she was lying on her back. She let him move her, but used the arm that had been attempting to block out the alarm to drape across her eyes, blocking the sun that was starting to shine through the window.

"We have to leave in forty-five minutes," he announced.

"Shut up," she whined.

Derek manoeuvred himself over her. She could feel his hot breath against her cheek, and try as she might to ignore him, her skin started to tingle. When his lips found hers, she couldn't help but kiss him back. "You can lay here and sulk," he mumbled between kisses, "Or you can join me in the shower..."

Meredith removed her arm from her face so that she could see him. His blue eyes sparkled and couldn't help the words that came out of her mouth, "On one condition."

He smirked. "What's that?"

"That you do the bendy thing."

He kissed her hard. "Agreed."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his lips back to hers. If she was going to be up this early, she was sure as hell going to make the best of it. His hands started to roam along her bare skin, and she was breathless when he rolled off of her, and tugged at her hand.

She stood, donning her robe in case Alex or Izzy were in the hall. Derek did the same, and she followed him across the hall to the bathroom. Both robes were tossed unceremoniously onto the floor, and Derek was right behind her when she stepped into the shower. His hand shoved at the shower door so hard that it rolled shut and bounced partly open, but neither noticed.

The spray of the water, along with Derek's hands dancing across her skin, woke her up better than any alarm. Adrenaline surged within her. She moaned into his mouth as his hands found her chest. Her own hands wandered across every inch of slick, wet skin she could reach.

He pressed her back into the wall, and his lips left hers, kissing and sucking their way down her neck and across her chest to her breasts. His mouth found a nipple, and her fingers lost their purchase on him at the rush of pleasure.

"Derek," she hissed.

He pressed his knee between her thighs, and she saw stars.

Losing her ability to focus on much more than the things he was doing to her body, Meredith buried her fingers into his sleek, wet hair. She was so focused on their private little bubble inside the shower, that she didn't hear the bathroom door open. Derek was obviously as oblivious to the outside world as she was, as he was just as surprised when they were interrupted.

"Meredith, would you tell Alex that he had to wait until I'm finished in the bathroom in the morn- Whoa!" Izzy exclaimed as stormed into the bathroom, Alex on her heels, and realized Meredith wasn't alone in the shower at the exact moment Meredith and Derek realized the shower door was partially open, revealing them naked and pressed up against the wall right beside the door.

"Izzy!" Meredith screeched.

"Nice," Alex called as he appeared beside Izzy, right in time for Derek to react. His hand reached for the door and slammed it shut, giving them at least some semblance of privacy through the foggy glass. Derek groaned and leaned his forehead against the wall beside her head, his larger body draping hers. His chest heaved against hers as he fought to catch his breath.

On the other side of the door, Alex laughed. "See, Mer obviously doesn't mind sharing the bathroom. Take a page from her book."

"Alexander Michael Karev, if you ever step foot in the shower with me, I will cut off your nads," Izzy hissed back.

All thoughts of continuing the shower she had been enjoying with her husband destroyed, Meredith sighed as the wanting and the needing bled away. Derek was still breathing hard against her. She ran her hands along his back. There was no movement in the room. No words.

"Iz?" She called.

"Uh, yeah?" Izzy said uncertainly.

"Get out. And take Alex with you."

"But-"

"Out. Now."

There was shuffling, and then the bathroom door was pulled shut.

For several moments neither of them said anything, and then Meredith kissed Derek's shoulder. "Well, that was..."

He pushed himself away from the wall and met her eyes. "Yeah."

She released a laughing breath. "I guess we were stupid for not remembering they're on the same schedule as me this week..."

"Not stupid. Just distracted." He kissed her.

She kissed him back, but they were both resigned to the fact that nothing more would be happening. At least not right now.

With a last peck on the lips, Derek released her from her captivity between himself and the wall. "We really need to find our own place."

Meredith ignored Alex's leering stare when she walked into the residents' lounge with just enough time to change into her scrubs and still be on time to meet her interns for rounds. When she and Derek had retreated from the communal bathroom, Alex had already left for the hospital and Izzy had shot them a look that was equal parts angry and sheepish as she passed them, toothbrush in hand.

Cristina was sitting along the bench by the cubbies, absorbed in a textbook on cardiovascular techniques. She barely glanced up as Meredith snatched her scrubs from her cubby and glared at Alex as she disappeared around the corner to change.

"What's the matter, Grey?" Alex called after her, "After this morning I wouldn't think you'd feel the need to keep anything from me." He was caught off guard when she chucked a shoe at him, but managed to avoid taking the second one in the face.

"What's Evil Spawn yammering about?" Cristina asked, looking up from her book as Meredith returned, barefoot, and exchanged her street clothes for her sneakers.

Meredith groaned. "Alex and Izzy walked in on me and Derek in the shower this morning."

Cristina shrugged and went back to her book.

Meredith pulled on her shoes and put one foot onto the bench to tie her laces.

Alex wandered over and dropped the shoes she had worn in that morning – and subsequently used as projectiles – on the bench by her feet. "Next time I'm keeping them."

"They may be a little small," Cristina snarked, without so much as looking up from her book, "But if pretty, blue flats are your cup of tea, more power to you. We all have our fetishes."

Meredith giggled as Alex huffed. She shifted to tie her other lace.

The door opened, and Izzy rushed into the room. "I'm late," she announced, glaring at Meredith, "Because someone was hogging the shower."

Meredith stood upright and reached for her lab coat. "My shower, Iz. In my bathroom, that will have a lock installed tonight."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "How was I supposed to know he was in there with you?"

"You could have knocked."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Aren't you even a little sorry? It's bad enough that we have to listen to it at night..."

"Why would I be sorry? I was trying to enjoy some time my husband in my shower. You're the one who should be sorry." She shoved her street shoes into her cubby and pulled her stethoscope off its hook.

Cristina shut her book with a thud, laughed and turned to Izzy. "Mer gets cranky when her needs aren't met."

It was Meredith's turn to roll her eyes. "That is not true."

Cristina stood and shoved her book into her cubby. "So, you two finished after being interrupted by peeping-Izzy and the walking hormone?"

Meredith didn't have a chance to respond, as both Alex and Izzy verbally rejected Cristina's new nicknames. She headed for the door, where Cristina caught up to her. "You could always do what everyone else does."

"And that is?"

"Make a booty page."

Trying to ignore the probable merit of Cristina's suggestion, Meredith went about her day. However, rounds were uneventful and, other than Cristina trying to trade wedding gifts for surgeries, there wasn't much to distract her.

After losing out on a trauma to her friends – when there are four patients and five residents are paged, it's important not to arrive fifth – Meredith groaned and ran her hand through her hair. She really needed something to distract herself today. Her body – used to having Derek practically at arm's length after their vacation – had been thrumming since their failed attempt at shower sex that morning.

"What are we going to do now, Dr. Grey?" Dr Green, the intern with all the questions, asked.

Meredith took a breath, willing herself to have more patience. "Post ops," she eventually declared. That would distract her interns and leave Meredith with some peace. She turned for the elevators, expecting her interns to follow. She did not, however, expect Dr. Green to fall into step beside her.

"Dr. Grey, is it true that you're married to Dr. Shepherd?"

Meredith hesitated, before responding with a curt, "Yes." It wasn't like it was a secret.

"I heard from the nurses that you got married in the Bahamas last week."

Meredith chose not to respond, not having heard an actual question in her intern's words. They reached the elevators and Meredith slammed her hand against the call button, willing the elevator car to arrive instantaneously.

"I heard half the hospital staff call him Doctor McDreamy," Dr. Green continued.

Still, no actual question, so Meredith ignored the comment. The elevator doors opened, and she marched on, immediately poking at the button for the surgical floor. She stood near the doors, facing away from her interns as the doors shut.

"Are we going to work with him at all this week? I've heard he's really good, and it must be so much fun to work with your husband. I'd really like to scrub in on one of his surgeries."

"We'll work where we're assigned," she replied shortly, hoping Dr. Green would get the hint.

She didn't.

"Are you going to change your name? It's kind of cool if you don't. You know, Dr. Grey, Dr. Green." She laughed. "What are the odds of me being assigned to you?"

Meredith slammed her hand against the emergency stop button and spun to face her chatty intern. "Dr. Green, let me make something perfectly clear. I am your resident, not your sorority sister. I am here to teach you. You are here to learn from me. That means you need to learn to shut up about anything not directly related to medicine. My personal life is none of your business. Am I being clear?"

Dr. Green blinked and then nodded. "Of-of course, Dr. Grey, I'm sorry..."

The other two interns stood in the corner, their eyes raised to the ceiling, pretending not to be listening.

"Good," Meredith declared, turning back around and restarting the elevator. She instantly felt bad for her rant, but at the same time she knew Bailey would never have allowed any personal conversation, so she kept her stance solid and told herself it was the only way her intern would learn.

The elevator came to a stop and the moment the doors opened, Meredith stepped out, heading immediately for the Nurses' Station. She divvied out some charts to her interns, with strict orders to monitor and page her if anything was unusual.

Once free of her interns, Meredith ran a hand through her hair and sucked in a breath. She reached for her cell phone and sighed, debating about whether she should page Derek.

It was then that she felt eyes on her.

Turning away from the Nurses' Station, she faced the waiting area and immediately recognized the mother of the man who broke her best friend. As if her day couldn't get any worse.

"Mrs. Burke," she greeted, approaching the older woman. "What a surprise to see you here. Are you visiting someone?" She asked, knowing the most likely reason the woman was here, but needing to confirm it so she could warn her best friend.

"Miss Grey," Mama Burke greeted with a nod. "You're the maid of honour."

"Would have been," Meredith agreed.

After taking a moment to absorb Meredith's response, Mama Burke cleared her throat. "I'm here to see Dr. Yang. I was told she was with a patient."

"She's probably in surgery. Could be hours. I can have her call you or something if you don't want to wait..."

"I'll wait."

"Okay. Is there a...message you want me to get to her?"

"Just that I'm waiting for her."

Meredith took a breath.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Mama Burke prompted, "About my son and his relationship with your friend?"

Meredith took another breath. "No, I think your son said more than enough for everyone."

"He never meant to hurt her."

Had Meredith not been so entirely on her best friend's side, she made have softened at Mrs. Burke's tone. Instead, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, he did. She never wanted that stupid wedding in the first place. But she was willing to do it. For him."

"Have you ever thought that maybe he needed her to want the wedding?"

"If he thought Cristina would ever want some big, flashy wedding, he never took the time to get to know her."

"You encouraged her."

"Excuse me?"

"You and your friends. You encouraged her to resist. A wedding is important, and you made it a joke."

"I'm not exactly an expert, but I'm pretty sure it's the marriage that's important. The wedding is one day. The marriage is the forever part."

Mama Burke paused.

Meredith smirked, knowing she had made a good point. "We love Cristina for who she is. And that's what she deserves."

"My son did what he did because he knew she deserved better. He's an honourable man."

Meredith scoffed. "He's not an honourable man. He's a-" She cut herself off as too many terms came to mind.

"I'm sorry he hurt your friend, Miss Grey, but he-"

"It's missus," Meredith cut her off, before stammering, "Well, okay, actually it's doctor. Doctor, or missus. Not miss." She glared, even though Mama Burke had no way of knowing. She was simply irritated that Burke had apparently sent his mother to smooth things over and make him look like the good guy.

"I wasn't aware you were married. I assume it's too the best man?"

Meredith nodded. "Yes. We had a wedding we both wanted. And now we have a marriage. Because my husband is an honourable man."

"So, is my son," Mama Burke insisted.

"Not in this hospital. Not anymore."

"You'll understand one day, why he did what he did."

Meredith took another deep breath. "And maybe you'll understand one day why I don't believe you." She exhaled. "I'll let Cristina know you're here."

Storming down the hallway, Meredith reached for her pager, hoping she had somehow missed a page. Nothing scrolled across the screen. She growled something incoherent to the, thankfully empty, hallway, and pulled out her cell phone. Reaching an equally empty corner, she paused, debating whether to send Cristina a warning text. If she wasn't already alerted to Mama Burke's presence, word would spread quickly in the hospital.

Mama Burke in surgical waiting room, she finally tapped out, steer clear.

She would explain more when Cristina responded.

Footsteps echoed from around the corner, and Meredith barely had a chance to look up when her former resident appeared. "Grey."

"Dr. Bailey," she greeted. "I have my interns monitoring post-ops. I was just about to-"

"Grey," Bailey said again.

"Yes."

"Grey."

"Yes," Meredith echoed her earlier words, dreading what Bailey was building to.

"Okay, I need you to work in the clinic today."

The clinic would not serve much of a distraction against any of the things she needing distracting for. "But-"

Bailey cut her off. "Before you open your mouth and tell me all the reasons why you can't, just let me say this; I need this. Because I have idiots – do you understand me, Grey? Idiot interns are in my clinic. A clinic dripping with my blood, sweat and tears. And I am not at all convinced that they won't burn it down with their ineptitude!"

Meredith felt a smile pulling at her lips as she realized this obviously meant she wasn't inept in Bailey's eyes anymore.

"I'm not telling," Bailey continued, "Because I understand that I do not have the authority to tell. Not anymore." She hesitated. "So, I'm asking. Nicely."

Meredith allowed the corners of her lips to be tugged upwards.

"I'm just saying; if I ever did anything for you... Like save your life-"

Meredith felt her smile disappear.

"-If you ever felt you owed me a debt of thanks; now is when I'd like to collect." She stared Meredith down for a long moment, before adding a, "Please," though they both knew it was superfluous. Meredith couldn't say no, and they both knew it.

"Fine," Meredith grumbled, taking a small stack of charts from Bailey. She took the stairs to delay her arrival in the clinic, but even with the added time, her brain never stopped to consider just which interns she would be supervising.

The moment she pushed open the door, Lexie approached her excitedly. "Oh no," she mumbled.

"Oh, are you working down here today?"

"Uh, I, uh," she stammered, trying to come up with some way out of supervising her exuberant half-sister for the remainder of her shift.

"Great," Lexie responded, seemingly ignorant of the fact that Meredith never actually confirmed anything. "We have no idea what we're doing. Plus, I was really hoping we'd get a chance to talk, so yay."

"Yay," Meredith forced herself to echo, with as much effort as she could muster, which unfortunately wasn't all that much. Great, she muttered silently to herself, Now my day is freaking perfect.

"What should we do first?"

"Have you assessed any patients?"

"No, not yet. Dr. Bailey said not to do anything unless we were supervised."

This was going to be a very long day. "Okay, well, grab a chart and get started on initial exams, but come to me before you give any advice or make any decisions."

"Great," Lexie said excitedly. "And maybe after we could talk? I know you didn't want to before, but it was a bad day and-"

"Let's just focus on the patients for now."

AN: For sake of seeing what kind of opinions are out there, I was wondering what you think of Mer's impeding decision about changing her name?