What She Needs

43. Bad Behaviour

Bad Behaviour - Mabel 

Little ED trigger warning xx

Addison Montgomery

Today is my day off. Dr Bailey has told Meredith to stay home too after her run in with a flying explosive. She's not suspended, after all, if she hadn't of thrown the bomb out the door, the perpetrator would've died, and the patients closest would've had some nasty lacs. Bailey just thinks Meredith is being a little bit reckless at work recently. She wants her to take the day to calm down.

I agree. 

She needs wrapping up in cotton wool and placing somewhere she can't get herself in trouble. I'd put her on toddler reins if I could. 

 I took Mer up to see Dr Sloan, and the lingering adrenaline meant the stitches were fairly painless. The cut is in an annoying place though, right in the centre of her palm. I wrapped her hand because she kept picking at it, opening and closing her hand to stretch the wound. 

She was insufferable last night though. Derek came home to his girlfriend starting an argument about what we wanted to watch on TV. I said she can watch what she wants, and then Mer got mad that I wasn't arguing with her. She wanted to fight me, to let off some of that steam. I chose to leave it until dinner, where she threw her steamed carrots on the floor in defiance. I told her to go straight to bed, and again, she was longing for me to shout at her. I didn't give in though. With Meredith out the room, Derek came and gave me a hug, pulling my frustrated hands out of my hair. We snuggled together on the sofa for a while, with our girl upstairs, and for a second I felt married to him again, like Meredith was our rebellious adopted child. I forced myself to stop those thoughts and sent him upstairs to Meredith, while I gave Arizona a call.

The blonde said she'd seen some of the day's calamity from the big window in the left wing of peds, and I reiterated how grateful I was that the kids are on the other side of the hospital. It was then I allowed myself to break down a little, the events and fear catching up with me. The single scream. The harrowing silence. The ear-piercing breathing. 

"Oh Ari!" I blubbered down the phone on the front porch.

"I know Ads. You're safe now though. And no one got hurt."

"Mer got cut." I butt in.

"That's because she caught the bomb, right?"

"Oh God!" I recall the moment I realised the beautiful girl who came to our rescue was my sister risking her life. Again. 

"Addison! Addison! Listen to me! She's okay. I know it must've been terrifying and I know this could've been so much worse. But Ads, she's upstairs, in bed with Derek, with only a minor laceration. Be mad she was so reckless tomorrow. For now, just breathe and remind yourself that it's over. Like Meredith says: it's over, it's over, it's over."

"It's over." I repeat, more to myself than anything. 

Nobody got blown up. No children were in the room. The patient I was treating is receiving support. The perpetrator is in custody. Meredith Grey is not dead. 

Amelia calls Derek for a consult in the middle of the night, which probably means it's a pretty big surgery since neither of them get on particularly well in a work scenario. Amelia likes to work alone, and Derek still sees her as his little 12 year old. Not the best combination for an operating room. Derek will probably be out most of the day with Amy's surgery. 

I wake Meredith up at 9am.

"Morning sweetheart!" I just poke my head around her door, wanting to respect her privacy.