Extraordinary

Chapter 4

The auditorium was buzzing with conversation as most of the hospital staff took their seats. There was a betting pool started on what possible announcement Webber could be making and several people had placed money on a new high-profile hire. The new interns sat together in a group, all unused to the hospital staff and unsure of what they were expected to do.

Derek sat next to Bailey, the resident fondly (or not) known as the Nazi. She had just been complaining about her new interns and their stupidity when Derek chose to glance around the room. He looked at a familiar red headed woman accompanied by a tall man and was shocked to see them there.

"Mark? Addison? What are you guys doing here?" Stuttered Derek as they made their way over to him, having spotted him among the crowd.

"Didn't you miss us Der?" Laughed Addison as she settled herself in the seat next to Derek. "We realised we just couldn't live in New York without you."

"Really?" Was Derek's amused response.

"No, you idiot." This time it was Mark who answered giving him a friendly shove "Richard called us. He thought having one of us here would help lure the others. He also mentioned surprising the hospital with an old friend and I just couldn't miss that revelation." He added cryptically.

"Surprise? Would that have anything to do with why we're sitting here placing bets like schoolchildren?" Bailey suddenly butted into their conversation.

"Well, probably... I mean I guess yeah." Was Mark's hesitant response as he looked at Bailey. "Hi I'm Mark Sloan, future head of plastics and you are?" He said extending a hand and shooting her a winning smirk.

Bailey just turned and scowled at him. Derek almost snorted in laughter at the short resident's behaviour. She was entertaining and scary and took a while to get used to. It was obvious that this meeting wasn't about any new attending he had hired because both Addie and Mark were here without any fanfare. He was still reeling from seeing his two best friends born and bred for New York in Seattle but was intrigued by Mark's relative silence on the subject of the surprise, so he turned to Addison instead.

"Addie, would you happen to know anything about Mark's more than usually insufferable behaviour?" He asked her with a dramatic roll of his eyes.

"Nope. But he's had that shit eating grin on his face since Richard called him with his offer." She responded smoothly "which reminds me, wasn't this supposed to have started already? And here we thought we were late."

Just as Addie was finishing, there was a lull in the conversation in the room and Richard walked up to the stage. He began speaking about the more general topics, praising the treatment protocols and evaluating staff performances. It didn't take long for people to realise he hadn't reached the main subject of his speech.

Suddenly, a movement in the back of the auditorium caught Derek's eye. He turned around to see what the source of the disturbance was and was met with the sight of ...Meredith? Yep, it was her. Derek was suddenly very confused. She was dressed semi-formally in black slacks and a blue blouse and he was suddenly hit with the idea. She was probably an intern who had been late or something.

He couldn't begin to consider the odds of his one night stand being his direct subordinate and he groaned inside and sunk a little in his chair. Addie, always the observant one, noticed his action and sent him a questioning glance, but he was too busy staring at Meredith and coming to terms with his complete fascination for her to notice.

In fact he was so lost in thought that he barely noticed as Mark, sitting just a seat away, seemed to be frantically waving in the same direction he was staring. It was only when Meredith turned to their direction and gave a small wave as a broad smile broke across her face that he realised that it was Mark's gesture she was returning.

Unlike Derek, most other people hadn't been as oblivious to Mark's enthusiastic action and were staring in Meredith's direction curiously. She did look like an intern, however, so most turned back. But those that had listened to his conversation about the chief's surprise still continued to stare until Derek's question brought all attention back to Mark.

"Who is she?"

000

Bailey's interns sat together and listened attentively to the chief as he droned on about hospital proceedings. They were fresh out of med school, eager interns with no knowledge of hospital workings. As they were sitting closest to the door, they all heard Meredith enter the auditorium and turned to look at the interruption.

"Bet you fifty she's an intern who was late today." Said Cristina.

"I would not want to be in her shoes if she is." was Izzie's response as she thought back to her resident, Bailey.

"Tha-that's Meredith" stuttered George "She was at the intern mixer last night, in the black dress with the strappy shoes..now you think I'm gay."

"No Georgie, we think someone has a crush" deadpanned Cristina.

"She looks a little lost doesn't she? Should we call her here?" said Izzie as she took a proper look at meredith.

"Leave it Barbie. No need to help the competition."

000

Suddenly, the Chief, in his speech, said something which caused everyone's attention to snap back to him. Derek, who had just asked his question, now turned to stare at the Chief instead.

"I have one more announcement to make, and it is after much consideration, that I've decided to step down as chief of surgery."

Immediately people broke out into whispered conversations around the room. Derek felt a sort of nervous apprehension as he imagined Richrd may be offering him the position of the chief and he saw his hopeful expression reflected back from Preston Burke's face across the auditorium. But before Derek could contemplate further, Richard continued.

"I will be staying on as the head of General surgery and I can personally vouch for my replacement in saying that she is the best possible candidate for this position."

When they heard 'she', both Derek and Burke visibly deflated. Mark, on the other hand, seemed to be squirming like a preschooler on his seat.

"It is with great pleasure that I welcome our new chief of surgery, Meredith Grey."

The whispers that hadn't subsided since Richard first announced he was stepping down now seemed to double in volume. People couldn't believe Meredith Grey, two time Harper Avery winner, was actually coming to Seattle Grace. Bailey looked uncharacteristically excited at the thought of her surgical idol and Mark seemed to be grinning.

Derek's attention was once again brought back to Meredith as he saw her climb the steps to the podium. Why was she going on the podium, wasn't she an intern? And then suddenly the blood drained from his face when he made the connection. Meredith from that morning was Meredith Grey, his new boss. He sank further into his chair.

000

The interns broke out in excited whispers when the Chief announced his successor. They were all rendered speechless as their fellow 'intern' turned out to be none other than Meredith Grey.

A/N I'm not going to have MAGIC intern group as main characters because that won't make sense in this story but they'll be mentioned now and again.