So I know I have been MIA for a bit but I have a good excuse I promise- I have been really ill with a bug that has been going around and also I have been in a lot of pain with my back so I have been a cripple in bed and with a broken laptop there is not much writing I can get done. But, I managed to go for a small walk today and decided that while I was actually out of bed I would sit on the computer for a few and get some writing done.
Onto the next thing, yes this is another story but I just needed to get this down because the idea has been bugging me for ages and with 9 months coming to a close I needed anther project to run along side 3 years and so I thought I would publish this and see where it goes.
Okay so this is very AU and also maybe touchy for some but you will all realise why as it goes on so be warned it is not for the light hearted. Also, anyone who possibly liked Finn at all when he and Mere were dating should just leave now because this story is not on his side at all. Like not even slightly.
Anything else? Nope I think that is it. I don't actually know where this is going to go so bare with me and PM me if you want to see anything.
Meredith took a sip of her coffee slowly and carefree, sitting on the floor of the locker room. She was hiding from the world, knowing that is he caught her she would be in a lot of trouble. Coffee was forbidden, it had to much sugar in. Anything with sugar was out of bounds.
"You don't need to get any fatter babe" he would say.
She was so deep in her daydream she didn't hear the door opening, jumping out o her skin when someone tapped her shoulder.
"Damnit" She whispered harshly when the remains of her coffee cup spilt on the floor. She turned to shout at whoever had scared her, softening her face when Derek looked at her confused and regretful.
"Sorry Derek" She said slightly, standing from the small corner she had concealed herself in, shaking off the small coffee residue on her scrub pants, binning the empty cup sadly.
"I'm sorry. Do you want me to buy you another?" He offered, Meredith shaking her head quickly, a small smile on her face.
"No it's fine. Did you need something?" She thought to change the subject, the two heading out of the locker room together.
"I was wondering if you wanted to scrub in on a tumour remove with me. Nothing high tech but it is a 9 hour surgery"
"That would be great" She said, Derek nodding with a grin.
"Are you sure you don't want another coffee before we go in?"
"No I'm not allowed to drink coffee, that was why I was hiding" It come out before she even thought about it, inwardly scolding herself for the slip up. Before he could speak she jumped in her step, changing the subject yet again.
"Let's go remove a tumour" Her excitement was not what she had anticipated but he never said anything after that so it seemed to shut him up, but still, he was looking after her in utter confusion, wondering where her head was at. The 9 hours went by fast, Meredith clicking her wrists thoughtfully while Derek followed her out of the OR.
"You did amazing in there" He said with utter sincerity, Meredith turning to him.
"We lost him though Derek. He died in the last hour, we were almost done"
"He was 68 and had high risk of heart failure. Burke did all he could but it was a risk Thomas was willing to take" Meredith just nodded, yawning suddenly.
"You should go home, get some rest" She just nodded, turning on her heel walking away. Derek knew it was hitting her harder that it should but he just shook it off as tiredness for now, willing to try again with her tomorrow. Meredith looked around her cautiously, making sure nobody was around as she pressed the digits on the vending machine, almost drooling with anticipation as the chocolate bar fell from the holder, crashing to the bottom where she eagerly grabbed it. She would eat it on the way out, making sure to dispose of the wrapper before getting to her house where he was waiting for her. As she got her things out her locker, she opened the chocolate slowly, the smell making her knees shake. She never even got the first bite when she heard his voice, her eyes widening.
"You never answered your phone" She turned suddenly, the bar dropping to her side, though he never spotted it, looking at her with loving eyes.
"Sorry Finn, I was in a 9 hour surgery and my phone died. I was just heading home to you" She smiled, Finn grinning, glad he had caught her so they could head back home together. Then he noticed the chocolate. His facial expression changed suddenly, his eyes red with anger.
"I thought we had a rule" He said bluntly, all the emotion void from his voice.
"Oh this? It wasn't mine. I got given it by Derek because he told me I looked tired after the surgery" She lied on the spot, it believable enough for him to just take it out her hand, no further action needed as he threw it in the bin.
"A simple no would have gone done nice Meredith" He mumbled, grabbing her hand, guiding her out the room. Meredith never bothered to pull her hand away, looking back slightly as the locker room door shut over, as if mourning the loss of her only sugar in months. A girl can only go so long, but she was just going to have to accept the fact she was not having sugar ever again. He was everywhere! He would come and meet her for lunch, meet her after surgeries, or just randomly show up if she never answered her phone. She couldn't get away. She never spotted Derek standing by the reception where they were heading out, watching the couple walk out. He could sense Meredith's discomfort from the distance he was at, wondering why she was so tense. He shook away his thoughts when he saw Addison approaching, her face covered with a frown.
"I heard you had a surgery with Meredith before" She stated, Derek nodding, wondering if he was about to get another rant off her about the woman, but it was the complete opposite, shocking him.
"Did she seem distracted at all during the surgery?"
"Not during the surgery, but she seems distracted overall. Why do you ask?"
"She was observing me, and I thought she wasn't concentrating but she was, perfectly actually and remembered every detail she needed to but she looked so zoned out. And I also found her not long after the surgery pacing the vending machines like she was in the middle of a debate with them! Weird right?" She questioned, knowing that during the year she had been with the hospital she had gotten to know the interns well but not well enough to question their behaviour. Derek on the other, whether due to his relationship with Meredith or not, was closer with the interns and knew them a lot better.
"Yes actually. I found her in the locker room before our surgery drinking a cup of coffee on the floor. She told me she wasn't allowed it" Addison raised her eyebrow, knowing that the sudden habit was not new.
"Well I think we should kick some sense into her. No surgeon is going to get far without their coffee" She laughed, Derek smiling slightly, knowing she was right. But still, the joke couldn't shake the confusion bubbling beneath him at how weird Meredith's behaviour had been. Whether they were together or not, they were friends and she was even holding a good relationship with Addison, so as her friends they had to find out what was bugging her.
The next day
Meredith slowly closed her locker door, the chatter behind her from her friends pounding beneath her skull. She knew a coffee and aspirin would easily heal her pounding headache but she was not prepared to get caught like yesterday. It was not worth it. Cristina came up behind her, tapping her shoulder causing her to jump. She cursed herself at how jumpy she was, turning around with a pained smile on her face.
"Everything okay Mere?" She asked, frowning slightly.
"Yeah everything is great" She muttered, Cristina nodding slightly, following George and Alex out the room to find Bailey. Meredith never noticed Izzie getting changed on the other side of the lockers, thinking the ghost was clear as she approached the mirror, sighing heavily. Izzie come around slightly, catching Meredith out of the corner of her eye who was lifting her scrub top up slightly, Izzie trying to cover her mouth as she spotted a huge bruise beginning to from around Meredith's hip. She knocked a locker, making Meredith jump. She turned around, Izzie hiding back behind the lockers, Meredith grabbing her phone and pager, running out the room. Izzie watched her go, her mouth wide in shock as the image of the bruise penetrated her vision, wondering where the hell she could get such a bruise from. She ran out the room, catching up with everyone, glad Bailey didn't notice her running up late.
"Okay Grey you are with Montgomery-Shepard. Stevens with Shepard. Yang with me. Karev you are with Burke and O'Mailey you are on scut" Bailey ordered out, Meredith running off before Izzie could corner her. The day went by painfully slowly, everyone gathering in the tunnels for their lunch. Izzie came around the corner, spotting Meredith who was standing awkwardly, stretching against the wall. Cristina were in the middle of a heated argument, George trying to pick a side as they ranted at each other, so Izzie sat by where Meredith watch stretching, smiling at her but Meredith barely noticed her.
"Hey Mere, so how is it working with Addison? You have been on her service for almost a week" She asked breaking Meredith out of her trance, Mere smiling.
"She is lovely, and she teaches which some of the attending's do not do so it's good" She said, Izzie nodding along.
"Does she talk about Derek a lot?"
"Not really, I think she kinda respects the boundaries but I don't really mind now. Me and Derek are friends"
"How are things with Finn?" Meredith cringed, Izzie pretending she never noticed, Meredith covering it up with a stretch.
"Great" She almost sighed out loud when her pager went off, Izzie noticing the relief on her face.
"That's Addison. See you at home" She ran off, stopping shortly at the end of the corridor, Izzie noticing her grab her side slightly as she hastily continued to walk. Something was not right at all.
"Hey guys! Do you think Mere is acting weird lately?" Everyone stopped and looked at her, Cristina shrugging slightly.
"She is a little jumpy"
"And she hasn't drank coffee in almost 3 months. For anyone that is weird" Alex added, George nodding.
"Yeah, she looks at all coffee like it's poison" He said, Izzie just nodding, sitting back slightly against the wall deep in thought.
"Weird" She mumbled, getting up and walking away, leaving her salad abandoned on the gurney. When the end of the day come, she noticed Meredith wasn't in the locker room, wanting to corner her about the bruises she saw but the woman was hard to pin down. She left the room and headed to the reception slowly, spotting Meredith by the door. Unfortunately, Finn was with her, his hand wrapped around her wrist as she dragged her out the hospital, Izzie seeing the discomfort on her face from the distance she was at.
"Stevens!" Bailey shouted Izzie, snapping her out of her daydream, jumping out of the way quick enough not the be knocked down by someone pushing a crash cart past.
"Are you okay?" Bailey asked, knowing that she must have been zoned right out to not notice the man running at her. Izzie turned to her slightly, cringing at how sudden her sentence come out.
"Figuratively speaking, what do I do if I suspect someone is being abused?" Bailey was taken back by the sudden reply, pulling the woman aside to an examination room.
"Tell me everything" Izzie felt cornered, not prepared to talk ill of her friend unless she was sure.
"I suspect someone is being abused. That is all"
"Who?" Izzie shook her head slightly, Bailey sighing.
"Okay well, what evidence do you have?"
"None actually, well, speculation. I think I saw something but it could have been a mistake" She never properly saw the bruises, fall all she knew Meredith could have fell down the stairs or tripped while out or dropped a box on herself. And as for the interaction with Finn, they could have been arguing and were still in the middle of it when leaving. She didn't actually know anything.
"Well you need evidence, and you need the victim on your side. You can't speculate without having them accusing also" Izzie nodded, knowing she was either being stupid or needed to investigate.
"Stevens if you believe someone is at risk you need to tell me" Izzie opened the door, frowning slightly.
"I- give me time. Thank you" She ran off, knowing she needed someone to help with this and was not about to go speculating anything on her own. She was either digging her nose somewhere where it didn't belong or was about to uncover something bigger than anticipated.
Okay so I think that is an okay ending to chapter one. So, this is a bit of a mess really but I don't know, I think it could have a lot of different outcomes. I am going to try and update my other two stories tonight or tomorrow so stay tuned and also review!