Derek held Meredith's hand loosely as they walked into work that morning, heading to his office. He didn't hold her hand tight because at any moment he expected her to take off running because she was late however she wasn't doing it.
Derek had finally got Meredith to work that morning and only a few minutes late. She stalled getting dressed not knowing what to wear. She stalled eating and pouring coffee in their thermos cups. She stalled putting on her shoes and getting into the car. She tried spending the most time in her house as she possibly could that morning.
Derek broke the speed limits but made it there only a few minutes late but he knew Dr. Bailey would still not be happy about it. Meredith didn't seem that phased as Derek looked over at her slowly reaching his office.
"Meredith…" Derek looked over at her with a raised eyebrow as she took off her coat and grabbed her scrubs.
"Hmmm." She smiled as she turned to look at him, she was glowing. He tried to figure out if it was the pregnancy or the house or a combination of both.
"Are you trying to be sent home by being late?" he laughed thinking he finally figured out her turtle pace plot.
"No, of course not. I'm here to work, work at being a doctor. Pregnant intern doctor who has to make up OR time before I stay home for a long time. So no I don't want to go home. Why would I want to do that?" she rambled and Derek knew she was caught especially when her eyes lit up at her ramble at being home for a long time.
"Dr. Bailey's going to be mad and instead of sending you home she may make you stay longer." Derek told her with a sly tone watching as her eyes went wide at that thought.
Instantly she started moving faster throwing off her sweater and having it land on Derek's couch, shimming her jeans down her legs and pulling up scrub pants up and tying the string. Derek moved himself out of the line of fire of her flying clothing and chuckled at how fast she now moved.
"Got to go, love you." She rapidly sped out as she leaned up, kissed him fast on the cheek and was out the door before he could react.
Meredith rushed herself to the intern locker room and caught up with her group as Bailey was heading out to round their second patient. She tried to blend in and hang at the back, but it was obviously not working since Bailey had caught her and was staring her down.
"Late night Shepherd…" Dr. Bailey asked in an unapproving tone.
"No, no sorry Dr. Bailey. Decaf hasn't kicked in yet and doesn't really work at all since its decaf. Not even sure what the point of me drinking it is. " She rambled on again before Dr. Bailey interrupted her.
"I'd send you to the pit but considering how you run that department that would be a reward to them and you, so it's Dr. Burke for you." Dr. Bailey informed her as Meredith's perma smile she'd had since they got the house the day prior faltered slightly turning into more of a frown. Cristina's face also faltered at the loss of being able herself to work on cardio today.
"Problem Shepherd?"
"No, no problem Dr. Bailey, at all. I have Dr. Burke as my attending today, Cardiothoracic Dr. Burke got it." Meredith rambled as they reached the patients room and all filed in. Her smile getting bigger as she realized there hasn't been a time she worked with Dr. Burke that he hadn't let her go early.
"Good and since you were late you didn't hear that there's a mandatory staff meeting tomorrow morning in the auditorium. Chief called it." Bailey told her.
"Ok." Meredith nodded making a mental note to tell Derek, although she figured he got the memo himself since he's a fancy important neurosurgeon. She also figured him being a department head probably knew what the meeting was about so if it was pointless they could sleep in and skip in. Staying home in their bed just a little while longer where she silently wished she could still be.