Whatever It Takes

Chapter 56

Sometimes solutions aren't so simple
Sometimes goodbye's the only way
--Linkin Park



Meredith finally got out of her last surgery and quickly changed back into her jeans and lavender cashmere sweater with a swoop neck.. she brushed her wavy hair and dabbed on a touch of lip gloss..

She quickly rushed out of her office locking it and then to the elevator.. she got to the ER and just focused on the door trying to avoid all the possible surgeries that were calling her name..

But no, she wanted this thanksgiving.. she needed this thanksgiving... she was halfway through the room not paying attention to her surroundings when she bumped into someone...

She stumbled back feeling a pair of arms reach out and catch her and her eyes suddenly clashed with a pair of deep blue ones...

"Sorry." She mumbled as she caught her breath..

"Finally heading home huh?" he asked reluctantly letting go of her...

"Yeah." She breathed out she looked around and then back at him "Look I know things are still kind of weird between us but if you want to come to dinner... you're... you're a friend.. you can come and I.. I'd want you there."

Derek felt a warm smile brush his lips as he looked into her sparkling green eyes that were so full of stress earlier... A part of him really wanted to go, but a part of him couldn't sit there and watch her be happy with another man... friend or not...

"Thank you." He smiled "But I've got a lot of work here... so I think I'm stuck for a while... but I hope you have a good time."

"Ok." She nodded.. "Well if you change your mind you're more than welcome."

He smiled and nodded as he watched her walk off towards the door... she got to it as it opened... a woman came walking in about 20 years old and stumbled in blood running down her head and falling...

Meredith gasped and reached out catching her in her arms... Derek rushed over before Meredith fell over and picked the woman up walking her over to a gurney..

Meredith quickly tossed her things down and noticed the woman had several large chest lacerations as well as head injuries.. Meredith pressed her lips together and looked across the bed at Derek and sighed...

"There goes my first Thanksgiving."

He looked across at her feeling sadness and a little guilt knowing how disappointed she was... however they turned to the patient focusing on her as they stabilized her and then wheeled her off to the OR...

**

It was after 11 when Meredith finally got out of the OR... she had already called Finn as she was heading into surgery telling him that she was sorry and she would meet him after work tomorrow but as for a Thanksgiving dinner it wasn't going to happen...

Her shoulders hung low as she scuffled up to the nurses station to grab the chart and make her post op notes before checking on the patient... Derek already offered in the OR to do the follow up since it was his patient as well but she said it was already too late and she might as well stay.

She heard her pager go off and rolled her eyes as she looked at it seeing that it was the ER.. she pressed her lips together and put her pager back and shook her head as she headed to the elevator and mumbled..

"What now."

She stepped off the elevator and headed towards the waiting room desk while looking around at the nearly empty ER and furrowed her brow wondering why she was called down there... she stepped up to the desk looking down at the night shift nurse with curiosity..

"You paged me?" she asked...

The nurse just smirked and pointed behind her... she frowned and turned around and gasped as she saw Finn standing there with a large paper back and a smile.. she felt a smile play on the corner of her mouth as she walked towards him..

"What are you doing here?"

"Well." He smiled as he held up the large paper bag, "You couldn't make it to Thanksgiving so I thought I would bring Thanksgiving to you."

"Finn." She said shaking her head "You really didn't have to."

"I know." He replied "And I wasn't going to, I was a little upset about missing out on Thanksgiving with you after our plans but then Derek called me and told me you were really upset about not making it too and I felt bad."

"What?" she gasped as her eyes widened a little "Derek called you?"

"Yeah, he seems like a good friend and was really concerned about you."

Meredith felt a lump rise in her throat and fought to swallow it down feeling her eyes mist... she took in a deep breath and smiled at Finn...

"Why don't you take this to the cafeteria and I will be there in 5 minutes, I promise!"

"I'll hold you to it." He smiled as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek...

She giggled and watched him walk off towards the hallway leading to the cafeteria...

She felt her face fall and turned on her heels heading back to the elevator and took it back to the surgical floor... she stepped off the elevator walking quickly down the corridor towards her target standing at the nurses station...

He turned to go back into his patients room not paying attention when he looked up and felt her arms wrap around his shoulders...

He almost didn't want to believe it but felt the chart in his hands drop to the floor as his own arms wrapped around her waist pulling her in for a tight hug...

He could feel her heart beating and her chest shaking slightly almost as if she were about to cry but he couldn't bring himself to remove his face from its spot in her hair and check for tears...

Feeling her arms wrapping tightly around him not wanting to let god his right hand instinctively started running soft circles of comfort on her back as he inhaled her sweet scent he heard her whisper in a shaky voice...

"Thank you."

He felt a smile play on his lips feeling the happiness and bliss in that moment and wanting it to never end, it had been so long since he'd felt that kind of warmth in his chest...

He wanted to keep her in his arms, like this.. forever... he closed his eyes and leaned his lips softly against her hair and whispered back...

"Thank you."