"I'm trying to save Bambi's life and my interns think I'm a loser," Izzy announced as she pushed through the door of the procedure room Meredith was working in, preparing her patient's severed arm to be reattached. "Ooh, severed arm."
Meredith looked up. "I heard a nurse say something about a deer?"
"Yup. I have my own personal Bambi. Poor thing got hit by a car. The guy who found the arm brought it here. He wants to eat it. And I cannot sit back and let it die with his kid staring at me with those pleading eyes."
"No offense, Iz, but that might be why your interns think you're a loser."
"Whatever. How's the arm?"
"Good. Sloan said he could reattach it. I'm just cleaning it up."
"Great. Want to help me with Bambi after?"
"Nope. I'll be in surgery."
Izzy sighed, as if she hadn't expected support, and the door opened again before she could complain.
"Callie's a bitch," Alex announced as he entered the room. "She won't let me off my patient even though there's nothing wrong with him other than he's a nut job." He strode up to Meredith and Izzy. "Huh, severed arm."
"Want to help me with my deer?" Izzy asked.
Alex sent her a look that said everything.
Izzy glared back at him before turning to Meredith. "And how are you? Feeling better?"
Meredith sighed. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. Both of you," she corrected, glancing at Alex too.
"When was this?" Alex asked.
Izzy huffed at him. "In the tunnels this morning. Catch up."
Alex shrugged. "I just assumed it was some chick crap. I try not to get involved."
Meredith had to laugh. "There's nothing to be involved in. I just wanted to say something."
"Like I said; if I listen, then I'm involved and-"
"It's nothing bad," Meredith said, cutting him off with a laughing huff, knowing Alex was pushing her buttons on purpose. "Why would you automatically assume what I had to say was bad?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Because it's you."
She glared at him. "Whatever. I've been there for all of you when you've needed someone to talk to you."
This made him smile. "Fine, Mer, what's your news?"
Meredith glanced at Alex and Izzy, who both seemed genuinely interested. Maybe this was her opportunity. "Derek and I-"
The door slammed open. "You got married?" Cristina exclaimed, standing in the doorway.
Meredith sighed. This was what she had been afraid might happen.
"You what?" Izzy cried.
"We got married," Meredith confirmed.
"Will you tell me why I had to find out through your sister?" Cristina demanded.
"She's not my sister."
"Derek seems to think she is. She was even calling him her brother-in-law."
"What? Why would she-"
"Back up," Izzy cut her off. "You got married? And what sister?"
Meredith sighed. "Apparently my half-sister is Cristina's intern."
"Who I had to hear the news from," Cristina cut in.
"And whose fault is that?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Meredith seethed. "What do you think I've been trying to tell you all freaking day?"
The door opened again and George stepped in. "Sloan is ready for the arm," he stated, and then narrowed his eyes at the scene before him. "Okay, what did I miss?"
"Nothing," Meredith muttered, wrapping the arm in sterilized drapes. She was exhausted and completely thrown off by Lexie's presence in her hospital. Was it really too much to ask that her friends could offer her some gesture of being happy for her? A hug. A smile. A congratulations. Anything. "Absolutely freaking nothing." Carrying her patient's arm, she left the room.
George, who was also working on her patient, hurried after her as she headed down the hall to the OR, where her interns were already waiting. She passed them the arm with instructions to unwrap it carefully.
"Are you ready, Nancy?" She asked her patient, who was scared and trembling on the table. The fear wouldn't help her or her baby get through the surgery.
She shook her head. "No. I'm scared. I can't do this."
"It's just like going to sleep," Meredith tried to soothe.
"I don't want to be alone anymore," Nancy cried, clutching to Meredith's arm. "I don't want to do any of this alone."
"I know." She squeezed her patient's arm.
"I'm scared, Meredith."
"I know," she repeated. "But I think it's very brave; what you're doing." Nancy had told her earlier that she had decided to stop waiting for the right man and have a baby on her own, despite her family's views on those things. "You decided to stop waiting for life to happen to you and did something that you really wanted. You're going to be an excellent mother. Let us take care of your arm. And the rest..." She offered Nancy a warm smile. "Good things happen when you least expect them."
Nancy nodded and seemed to calm at Meredith's words.
Meredith nodded to the anaesthesiologist, who put the patient under.
With a sigh, Meredith glanced at her interns, who were staring at the severed arm in awe, and then headed into the scrub room to sterilize for the surgery.
George was already there, scrubbing his hands. He offered her a concerned look. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm having a bad day."
"Okay."
She grabbed a pick and started scraping the undersides of her nails. "My half-sister is Cristina's intern, and I had no idea until today that she was coming here. And now Cristina is mad at me for something that's not my fault. And Izzy and Alex may be too."
"What did you do to them?" He asked jokingly.
She mock glared at him. "I didn't do anything to them. I did something that makes me happy, and Cristina wouldn't let me tell her, and now she's mad because she found out through...well, Lexie."
"That's the half-sister?"
Meredith nodded.
"Is this the thing you were trying to tell us earlier?"
She nodded again, sending him a look.
He laughed. "Hey, can I remind you that I was listening both times. Neither were my fault."
She laughed too. He was absolutely right. The first time only Cristina and Alex had ignored her. She would have been able to tell Izzy and George had Callie not interrupted them. And the second time George had been the only one not to cut her off. "You're right. Sorry."
"You can tell me now, especially since everyone else apparently already knows..."
She threw her pick into the garbage and turned to him. "Okay. But you have to promise to at least pretend to be happy for me, because I really need a pick-me-up."
"Cross my heart," he said easily, turning away from the sink and holding his dripping arms in front of him.
"Derek and I got married in the Bahamas."
George stared at her, obviously taken by surprise.
"We didn't want to wait," she explained. "And we were there and we saw this wedding on the beach that looked perfect. And we looked into it, and the resort said they'd take care of all the details; we just needed to get the marriage license. And we did. And...we got married on the beach at sunset on Thursday. And we're happy." She paused. "And now you have to pretend to be happy for me, because you promised."
George smiled and stepped forward, and before she knew it he was hugging her. "Congratulations, Meredith."
She hugged him back, surprised to feel her eyes stinging. "Thank you. But when I said you had to pretend to be happy I didn't mean you had to de-sterilize your hands. You're going to have to rescrub."
"I'm not pretending," he stated, hugging her tighter and then releasing her. "And I don't care about having to scrub in again. It's worth it." He offered her a smile as they both turned to the sink to scrub in now. "It is good news. Very good. I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, George," she repeated, grateful that someone could be happy for her.
"Was Izzy pissed you didn't let her pick you out a dress?"
She smiled and shook her head. "I have no idea. Cristina found out and yelled at me in front of Izzy and Alex. And then you came in. And if she's mad at me then I'll just tell her Derek and I got the idea for eloping from you and Callie. Then she can be mad at you, or at least you and me."
He laughed and said sarcastically, "Thanks a lot."
"We thought about planning a wedding there and inviting people, but finding a time where everyone could get off work for long enough to fly there would take too long. We didn't want to wait."
"I get it," he stated. "I'm sure everyone will be happy for you once they've had time to think about it. What about Shepherd's family? Have you told them?"
"Not yet. Derek said he'd call them tonight. But I think they'll be okay with it. Derek promised me it would be okay. They're kind of awesome. And they liked me. And Derek said there had already been enough weddings. And his sister is getting married in a few months. So, they shouldn't mind. Plus, it's our wedding. Aren't we supposed to get married the way we want?"
"I'm not arguing with you. I did the same thing as you."
She sighed. "I know. I feel like having you agree with me somehow vindicates me or something."
"Your wedding is your choice," he stated. "Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for it."
Her patient's surgery went as well as could be expected, other than George delivering the baby half-way through. But the arm was reattached and the baby was healthy. Meredith was grateful for that. The woman deserved good things in her life. She hadn't been lying when she told her patient that she would be an excellent mother.
"The-the baby," the patient mumbled, pulling Meredith from her thoughts. She had been sitting at the patient's bedside for an hour monitoring her post op stats.
"Hey, welcome back," Meredith said quietly, standing so the patient could see her better. "The surgery went very well."
"The baby," she repeated, reaching towards her abdomen with her good arm.
"You were having contractions during surgery," Meredith explained, "So we had to deliver the baby. But he's doing great."
"He's okay?"
"He's okay," she assured. "I'll have someone from OB bring him up to meet his mom in a few hours, okay?"
She nodded. "Thank you."
Meredith reached for her free hand and gave it a squeeze. "You're going to be okay. Your son is healthy and your arm will be good as new after some physiotherapy."
"I'm going to be okay," Nancy echoed in a whisper as she fell back to sleep.
Sitting back down, Meredith reached for the chart and made some notes. She was half-way through them when she felt someone staring at her. She lifted her head.
Izzy was staring at her from the doorway.
With a glance at her patient, Meredith stood and joined her friend in the hall.
"How could you possibly think I wouldn't be happy for you?" Izzy asked, arms crossed.
"You talked to George, didn't you?"
Izzy shrugged. "He may have said some things to me."
"Okay."
"So, you're married."
"Yes."
"Are you happy?"
"Yes."
Izzy smiled and held out her arms, stepping forward. "Congratulations, Meredith."
Meredith stepped into the hug. "Thanks, Iz."
"I'm sorry we didn't give you the chance to tell us earlier."
"It's okay."
"It's not. You're right. You've been here every time I've needed someone to talk to. You deserved your moment."
Meredith smiled. "Thanks."
Izzy smiled back, excited. "I'm really happy for you. Was it amazing?"
"Yeah, it kind of was." She had worn the purple dress she had bought in New York and Derek had worn slacks and a white button down. They had said their vows barefoot on the edge of the beach at sunset. Derek's eyes had sparkled as he said I do and there hadn't been a doubt in her mind when she had said it back.
"Do you have pictures?"
"Not yet. The resort took care of all the details. They're sending them."
"Do you have rings?"
Meredith nodded, pulling the chain that hung around her neck out from under her scrub top. It didn't just carry her engagement ring anymore. The resort had referred them to a jewellery shop in the area and had purchased wedding bands there. Simple, platinum bands. No stones or extra designs.
Izzy took a look at the new addition. "Why aren't you wearing it?"
Meredith shrugged. "I'd have to move it back and forth every time I put gloves on. It's just easier. Plus, I wanted to be able to tell you guys before you saw anything."
"Are you going to change your name?"
"I...don't know," she admitted. "Part of me thinks it's old-fashioned and a sign of dependence. And yet there's this other part of me that wants to, you know? Like, why would I keep the name I got from the man who abandoned me and hates me, and not take the name of the man who loves me?"
Izzy nodded. "Makes sense. I don't think anyone will see you as not being independent if you change your name."
"Yeah..." Meredith sighed. "I have to think about it."
"What does Derek say?"
Meredith rolled her eyes. "He's annoyingly unhelpful. Says he doesn't want to give an opinion so he doesn't bias me. Says he'll support whatever decision I make."
Izzy laughed. "At least you know he means that. He's a good man and he wants you to be happy. He loves you."
Meredith smiled. "Sometimes I seriously wonder how I got so lucky."
"You deserve happiness, Mer. And you make him happy too. That's obvious to everyone."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks, Iz. For everything."
"Like I said, you're there for me too."
Meredith nodded. "I am. You're family."
"Okay, now I have to hug you again," Izzy said, hugging her, "You're all mushy today."
Meredith laughed and hugged her back. "I know. Blame Derek."
Izzy joined her in laughing. "You're my family too, Mer. And try not to worry about the rest of us. George is obviously happy for you. Alex is...Alex. And Cristina will be fine once she calms down. She's dealing with the Burke thing, and that makes her more self-absorbed than usual."
"I know. And she doesn't have to be happy for me. Not right now. If things had been the other way around; if she had gotten married and Derek took off..." She shook her head. "I would have been heartbroken and self-absorbed. And I don't know if I would have been able to be happy for her. But I wouldn't have been mad at her. So, she doesn't get to be mad at me."
"That's fair."
Meredith's pager went off. She pulled it off her waist band and smiled. "It's Derek."
Izzy smirked. "You mean your husband?"
Meredith couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. That's...so weird. But good weird."
The door to Derek's office was ajar when Meredith arrived. She pushed it open without pausing.
Derek was at his desk, dressed in street clothes. He looked up when the door opened, and smiled as he met her gaze.
"Hey," she offered.
"Hey," he echoed, standing a moving toward her. "How...are you?"
Meredith snaked her arms around his waist, and sighed when she was tucked up against his chest. "I'm sorry I took off earlier. I was having a bad day."
He chuckled. "So, I hear." He hugged her loosely, running his hand up and down her spine. "I didn't know Cristina didn't know. I thought you would have had a chance to tell her by the time I talked to her."
"Ah, so you spilled the beans," she said lightly, her way of telling him she wasn't mad. "I tried to tell her. She wouldn't let me. If she's mad that's on her."
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and released her. "I heard about Burke."
"Yeah." She shook her head. "She won't talk about it. And now she's mad she didn't find out we got married from me, even though she wouldn't listen to anything I had to say all morning."
"She'll come around."
Meredith made a face. "This is one of those times where your optimism is annoying."
He laughed and pecked her lips. "Sorry. Do you want me to tell you she won't come around?"
"No." She sighed. "I just want to be happy without feeling guilty."
He kissed her again. "You can be happy. You have my permission."
She giggled. "I am happy."
"Mmm, me too."
"Cristina will come around," she stated, echoing his earlier words. "Izzy and George are happy."
"That's good."
"Yeah..." She smiled at him, before sighing. "Now, despite all the happy, I might have a bone to pick with you..."
His eyes flickered. "What did I do now?"
"Cristina, in her ranting at me, said Lexie was calling you her brother in law?"
He nodded. "Well, half brother in law."
She rolled her eyes. "Not the point."
"Then what's the point?"
"She shouldn't be calling you her brother in law. And you shouldn't be allowing her to."
He pursed his lips. "Technically-"
"No," she cut him off. "There is no technically. You're not her brother in law. She's not my sister. I'm an only child."
"But she is your sister."
"Derek."
"It's not her fault," he whispered, referring to everything that had happened with Thatcher. "She told me that she hadn't even known you existed until a couple months ago."
She sighed. Lexie's presence had knocked the wind out of her. And though rationally she knew Derek's words were true, she couldn't deal with it now. She already had a family, and trying to include people she was related to had only ended in disaster and heartache. "Derek, please. I just... Please."
Derek met her eyes for a long moment, before nodding. "Okay."
"Thank you." She sniffed, and his arms were around her in a heartbeat.
"I love you," he whispered. "And I will always love you, Meredith. Forever. That's the deal."
"I love you too," she whispered back, clutching at the fabric of his top. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me today."
He pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're exhausted."
She nodded, and then cocked her head. "You wouldn't happen to want to switch with me? You take my interns tonight so I can go home and sleep?"
Derek chuckled. "Nice try."
She huffed, pretending to be disappointed.
He pecked her lips. "Try and get some sleep tonight, get through tomorrow, and then you can go home and sleep for as long as you need."
"Okay." She smiled at him. "You know, even though the flight home completely screwed me over, I don't regret anything about our trip."
She was rewarded with a full fledged McDreamy smile. "Me neither."
She bit her lip and then spoke. "I can't believe we're married."
"Pretty unbelievable, huh?"
She nodded. "It's strange being back here and being married."
"Strange?"
"Good strange," she clarified.
"Good."
"Did you call your mom yet?"
He shook his head. "I tried her earlier, but she wasn't home. I'll call her tonight." He offered her a comforting smile in response to the expression in her face. "She's going to be thrilled."
"You're absolutely sure?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
He kissed her again, and groaned when her pager went off.
With a groan of her own, Meredith pulled the pager off her waist band and then sighed. "One of my interns. Probably needs to know how to find a pulse or something..."
He chuckled. "I should get going anyway. I just paged you to say goodbye."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "So, let me get this straight, you paged me to come to your office so you could gloat that you get to go home and I have to stay here for another day? Really? That doesn't sound very husbandly to me."
Prepared for him to backtrack, Meredith was surprised when Derek simply smirked and turned away from her. "Actually, I paged you to say goodnight and to give you these," he explained, turning around with a large cup and a small paper bag.
"Coffee," he said, pressing the cup into her hands, "And a chocolate Danish," he said, pressing the bag into her other hand.
"You really do love me," she said lightly.
He nodded and kissed her one more time. "I'm sorry you don't get to come home tonight. But I thought these would help a little."
"Thank you."
He raised an eyebrow. "Is that husbandly enough for you?"
Meredith giggled and nodded. "Yes. So far, you're the perfect husband, even if it's only been four days..."
He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Go save you interns. Or, rather, go save your patients from your interns."
"I'll see you tomorrow morning?"
"Bright and early. I'll even bring more coffee."