Extraordinary

Chapter 14

Derek was standing near Richard's room updating a chart when he saw Meredith walk down the hall towards him. They had both decided to crash in on-call rooms the previous night after Richard's surgery since they wanted to be back in by the time he woke up.

"Hey." Derek greeted her as usual, keeping professional distance.

"The surgery went well, you were good." She said reassuringly, giving him a small smile, sensing his anxiety. "I'm sure Richard will be back to glaring at you in no time." she added in a lighter tone.

"He has no reason to glare at me." He said with a haughty sniff. "You on the other hand..."

"Me?" She said half indignantly "Why would he glare at me?"

"Well you've taken his baby and made it yours." He answered cheekily, doubts vanishing momentarily about the success of the surgery. "All these radical changes we keep hearing about...Chief." He tutted.

"I'll have you know-" Meredith began defensively, before the shrill sound of her phone interrupted. She looked down and saw the call from the nursing home. "Um, give me a minute I have to take this." She said, moving away a little.

"Meredith," He sighed. He'd tiptoed around the mysterious phone calls, but she knew his questions clearly.

Meredith seemed to say a few mumbled sentences to whoever was on the other side of the call before cutting the call and turning back to him, in a decidedly more stormy mood than before.

"Want to talk about it?" Derek hesitantly asked, not sure how much he wanted to push his luck.

"No, uh." Meredith began stuttering, before she suddenly squared her shoulder and stared into his eyes. "You know what, I'm sick of keeping the secrets. That call was from Roseridge Home for Extended Care."

"Why would-" Derek began to ask a little puzzled, before Meredith continued. "It's my mom. She has Early Onset Alzheimer's and apparently she's refusing to take her medicines." She finished a little defeatedly.

Derek was initially taken aback by her admission, before he saw the vulnerable expression on her face. In that moment, he didn't care that they were in the middle of the hospital, and simply pulled her into a hug.

"Hey, hey." He softly muttered "It'll be fine." He assured the usually strong headed girl, stroking her cheek as she leaned into his touch.

It was fortunate that at the moment no nurses seemed to be around to witness the moment between the two surgeons. However, an older man recovering from surgery nearby, had quite a clear view and understanding of the scene in front of him.

000

Meredith entered Richard's room, softly closing the door behind her. She'd been told he'd woken up just a few minutes ago, and from preliminary checks seemed to have his full eyesight.

She walked up to the bed and gently squeezed his hand, taking a seat on the chair beside his bed as he stirred from his sleep again.

"So Derek huh?" He said, startling her.

She looked at him, her eyes widening in surprise and embarrassment. "De-Der-Derek?" She managed to stammer out.

Richard gave her a smile, eyes twinkling. "Oh don't pretend, Meredith."

Slightly reassured by his open expression she decided to just say it. "Um yeah, me and Derek." She said a little awkwardly "how did you know?" She didn't want it to become common knowledge just yet, their arrangement was still precarious despite the first night at the trailer.

"You'd be surprised to know just how much a person can learn when he's confined to a hospital bed." He said with a slight wink and Meredith couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "You are sure, though?" He still asked.