A/N: Hi everyone, I just want to say that I really appreciate all the support this story has received.
To be honest I didn't like my writing from the last chapter, but I hope it gets better. Also from now on I'm gonna try to make things more intense because I wanna drive Tara to the edge, which I'm very excited about, and I hope you are too...
3rd POV
Gratitude, appreciation, giving thanks. No matter what words you use, it all means the same thing. Happy.
Meredith tries to sneak out of the house without being noticed by Izzy, unfortunately that didn't work out so well...
We're supposed to be happy. Grateful for friends, family, happy just to be alive...
"Hey." Izzy greeted her. "What do you think you're doing?"
Whether we like it or not.
Just at that moment the doorbell rang. "Uh ... answering the door." Meredith said.
"You're going to the hospital?"
"Yes but after ..." before Meredith could complete her sentence Tara walked down the stairs casually.
"Where are you going?" Izzy asked again, this time to Tara.
"The hospital." She answered simply.
"Nooo, you have to help me cook."
"Why?" Tara asked, she wasn't being rude (at first), it was a genuine question. It's not like thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated everywhere.
"Because it's thanksgiving!" Izzy said half stressed half excited.
"Your point is?" Tara questioned.
"I need help cooking for tonight's dinner."
"I'm British, you wanker. We don't celebrate thanksgiving." And with that Tara left the house leaving an offended Izzy and a laughing Meredith behind, apparently Izzy was not aware that thanksgiving was solely an American holiday.
*
Tara's day at the hospital started wonderfully (note the sarcasm), everyone kept asking why she wasn't at home for thanksgiving. Do people really don't know that it is only celebrated in America? And to make things even better, she overheard Addison and Derek talking about having sex, which was exactly what she wanted to hear from the love of her life. She relaxed a little when she convinced herself that being away from Derek was the best for him. Of course when she remembered why she had to stay away, her stress levels went right back up.
Tara and Dr. Bailey were looking for the new doctor, who was in for the holidays. Dr. Kent was standing in the middle of the hallway looking over some patient files.
"Dr. Kent?" Bailey asked. However the man starts walking away.
Asshole
"Yes?" He said.
"Uh I'm the surgical resident assisting you today. I know you're subbing in from Mercy West so if there's anything I can do to help—" Bailey started saying but was cut off by the jackass doctor.
"Look, I'm here for one day. I don't need my ass kissed. All I need is to tell you what to do and you do it. And I don't like mistakes."
"I don't make mistakes." Bailey told him.
"Whatever. There's only one resident I want in my OR. Guy they call the nazi. Do you know him?" Tara fought the urge to laugh as she shared a glance with Bailey.
"The, the nazi?" Bailey asked faking confusion
"He gets great word of mouth. Stellar rep. balls the size of Texas?" Kent explained. This time Tara couldn't contain her laugh, but managed to cover it with a cough.
"That big? Sounds like an impressively talented man this nazi." Tara said.
"Do you know him or not?" The asshole asked.
"Never heard of him. But I'll be sure to keep an eye out." Bailey told him.
"For now you can work on smaller cases. A guy just came into curtain 3. Page me if you get confused." He ordered and without waiting for a response he left.
"I'll be sure to do that." Bailey called out. "Oh, the stupidity of the human race."
*
After having to deal with Dr. Kent for most of the day, Tara decided to have lunch with Alex in the empty hallway where he was always studying. "I hate men." She said.
"Thanks." Alex responded sarcastically.
"They suck the life out of you. I hate them."
"Okay, what is the matter with you?" He finally asked after listening to her ramble about how she hated men for 20 minutes.
"Nothing." Alex gave her an unconvinced look. "Fine. I just haven't had the best experience with guys. They all have turned out to be idiots, or psychos or liars and I'm just done. But you know what? it doesn't even matter, I should be helping you study. You are the only guy I tolerate."
"Thanks? You are helping me study, it's okay if you need to vent. To be honest this is the longest I've heard you speak." Tara punched his arm playfully. However, Alex could see she was struggling, he didn't know about what, he suspected it was about Derek but it somehow seemed much deeper. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Yeah, I ate... something." Truthfully she hadn't. Lately she barely ate, barely slept, but she thought no one had noticed. Which was not true. Alex wasn't satisfied with her response but didn't insist. "Let's just study."
*
"Cristina what are you doing here?" Tara asked her friend. "Aren't you supposed to be at Meredith's?"
"I had to leave that nightmare, Preston is helping Izzy cook." She said making emphasis on 'Preston'.
"Preston? Since when do you call Burke that."
"I don't but apparently that's what his friends call him."
"What friends?"
"That's what I said."
"And you left Izzy alone with 'Preston'?"
"Yep."
"You're awesome." Cristina's pager beeped leaving Tara alone signing charts at the nurses' station when Derek approached her. "Hey" he said.
"Hey." She said. "What are you doing here? I thought you loved Thanksgiving."
"I did, but I don't feel like this year I have a lot to be thankful for." He explained. Tara nodded, neither did she.
"Yeah I get it." They stared at each other, for a moment they forgot about everything. Derek forgot that he was trying to fix a marriage he didn't want to fix and Tara forgot her past was hunting her and slowly driving her to insanity. Because just for a second only the two of them existed and nothing else mattered.
*
The day ended, the time to return home had come, time to face friends. Tara entered the house and found Cristina, Meredith, George, Alex, Burke and Izzy having dinner. "Hey." She greeted.
"Hey, did you change your mind about dinner?" Asked Meredith.
"No, I just came to tell you that I'm moving out."
"What?!"
"I told you when I moved in it will only be temporary until I found my own place. And I just bought a flat, so..."
"So you're leaving."
"Yep. I'll move my things in the morning. Good night."