Whatever It Takes

Chapter 37

I live in a cemetery, full of good will and integrity.
I have no specialty, here's your warning... I'll give you click click boom!
--Good Charlotte




He sat at a small cafeteria table out on the patio swirling fat free dressing about his salad not paying as much attention to it as he was to the table of flirty nurses sitting across the way.

He flashed them a grin watching them giggle and cover their faces to whisper a comment...

He smiled as he started to set his fork down and rise on cue to walk over to the table and get a few after work drink dates when suddenly his vision was blocked by a sea of powder blue.

He stopped mid air rising his eyes following the slender figure noticing crossed arms and a stern face. She was clearly not happy.

"What?" he asked innocently...

"Sit down." She said through clenched teeth.

"What?" he frowned "You're kind of interrupting something."

"Whatever it is, its not like you have a problem catching up where you left off later." She grumbled as she took the seat across from him.. he set back in his seat and let out a hefty sigh...

"You know if you have anything in common with Derek anymore its that you both ruin my game."

"Right." She said rolling her eyes "Onto the subject.. what is he doing here?"

"Last I heard he sold his portion of the practice and is moving out here."

"Why are you letting him Mark, I mean what were you thinking."

"I was thinking that Derek is a 38 year old grown man and can make decisions for himself... am I wrong in any of that?"

"Whatever." She muttered rolling her eyes "You're his partner.. you could at least have put up a fight or something... maybe even said are you kidding me you know what it will do to Meredith."

"Oh my why didn't I think of that." He frowned before raising his brow "I know! Because when has Derek listened to anyone!?"

"Yeah, yeah minor detail." She grumbled waving her hand like it was nothing, "You have to stop him, somehow.. talk some sense into him.. I cant work with him here."

"Why." He grinned sheepishly, "You afraid you cant keep your legs closed long enough to do surgery with him around."

"Seriously." She said narrowing her eyes "Is that all you can think about?"

"Well I mean you and Derek.. alone in the hospital, its only a matter of time."

He grinned as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms behind his head... Meredith narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to retort when something popped in her head and her eyes widened..

"That's it!" she gasped... he looked at her confused as he furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side...

"What's it?" he asked nervously.. almost afraid to know the answer...

"You!" she gasped, "You will stay too... and you can help me with the Derek thing."

"Uhh... let me think about that for just a minute." He replied putting his finger to his lips "No!"

"Yes." She replied calmly "You will sell your share of the practice and move here too. Richard wouldn't turn you down.. he'd probably even offer you head of plastics."

She smirked at her new brilliant plan picked up his fork and stabbed it into his salad before plunging the lettuce into her mouth and chewing.. he looked at her following her actions with an open mouthed frown..

"Hey... I was going to eat that and still... no."

"Yes."

"No.. no means no."

"Yes you will.. you will because you love me and because you owe me."

"How do I owe you?"

"You didn't warn me before hand that Derek was here."

"Whoa, whoa.. this is hitting major levels here. For starters I didn't even know you were here until I saw you and when I did you were the one running off to surgery."

"Minor detail." She shrugged..

"Meredith I cant just-" he started again when she stabbed the fork deep and forcefully into his salad in front of him and looked at him fiercely cleching her jaw so tightly he could swear he heard her teeth grinding..

"I will hurt you." She growled "I have been through a lot and with the pressure of Derek being here... I can at any moment have a mental meltdown and snap and kill someone and they will let me off due to temporary insanity and the first thing I will do is come and pee on your grave like its my personal litterbox!"

Mark looked at her with a dropped jaw.. a nervous smile played on his face while he was trying to come up with a come back.. some way to let her down easily.

But a part of him, a large part of him that was growing by the second the longer he started into the serious... dead serious look on her face... he knew that she was serious.

His smile faded and he sucked in the breath he'd been holding and straightened up in his chair and let out a sigh...

"So I guess I better be a little more careful with the nursing staff around here eh?"

Meredith smirked and raised a brow as she muttered under her breath...

"It would be the second smartest thing you did."