The Seventh Sense is Love

Planning to Propose

A few months later...

"Mark, are you absolutely certain Meredith is in surgery?"

"Yes," Mark sighs, slightly frustrated. "You already asked me that. And before you ask again, Lexie will be here in ten minutes. And yes, she knows not to tell her sister that she's meeting us for lunch."

"Okay."

"How the hell are you going to actually propose to Meredith? I mean, if you're this nervous just asking Lexie if she knows what kind of ring her sister might like..."

"I just don't want Meredith to find out. I want it to be a surprise."

"It will be - stop worrying about it. You'll get to ask while you two are on Maui. At sunset on the beach - or whatever lame ass thing you have planned."

"Shut up. And for your information - I don't have anything planned."

A few minutes later Lexie joins Derek and Mark. "Okay Derek," she says, "when are you planning to propose to my sister?"

"I thought you didn't say anything," Derek snaps to Mark.

"I didn't," Mark defends himself.

Lexie laughs and says, "He really didn't. I was just assuming but let me say that I am so glad I'm right. And don't worry, I promise not to say anything to Meredith."

"Okay," Derek grumbles. "I was hoping you could give me an idea of what Meredith might like for her engagement ring."

"Oh," Lexie sighs and then grins. "Are you going to ask her on Maui? By the way, how did you manage to convince her to take a vacation?"

"It wasn't easy," Derek answers. "I finally convinced her that she should have a vacation before her Fellowship begins next month."

"Were you part of her concern about going?" Lexie asks

"The ring, Lexie. What do you think she'll like?" Derek evades her question.

"You know she's very protective of you," she insists.

"The ring," Derek says again, looking a little embarrassed.

"Fine," she sighs. "Do you mind if I call Molly and get her opinion?"

"Do you have to?" Derek asks.

"Well no, but she's Mer's sister, too. And I don't want her to feel left out."

"Fine," Derek sighs, "but make sure she knows not to say anything to Meredith."

"Duh," Lexie says sarcastically. "You really need to relax."

Derek fights the urge to grind his teeth while Lexie fills Molly in and giggles and laughs on the phone.

Mark sees his friends annoyance and can't resist saying, "You're the one that wanted to get her sister's opinion. Since mine wasn't good enough for you - we're both sitting here in giggly female hell."

"You're an ass," Derek says. "Besides, what the hell do you know about engagement rings?"

"I'm going with you to buy it, aren't I?"

"Yes, but do you know the difference between princess cut diamonds and emerald cut diamonds? And do you know about settings? And what about metal - should we get platinum, yellow gold or white gold?"

"What the fuck?" Mark grumbles.

"Exactly," Derek laughs. "Kathleen started yammering away about all kinds of crap like that and I thought my head was going to explode. So I figured if I had no clue what she was talking about, neither would you."

"Well, you're right about that," Mark admits.

Finally Lexie gets off the phone and says, "All right - Molly and I have narrowed down what we think Meredith would like the best."

"Thank God," Derek says. "What?"

"When are you going to buy the ring?"

"After lunch," Derek answers.

"Good," Lexie states. "I have the rest of the day off. I'll go with you to make sure you two get Mer the best ring."

Derek just laughs. Mark gives a huge sigh of relief and says, "That's great. Now I can go back to work. Shep, you freaked me out with all that crap about metals and cuts and whatever."

"The four C's," Lexie states.

"What?" Derek and Mark ask simultaneously.

"This is exactly why I'm going," Lexie says. "The four C's: color, cut, clarity and carat."

"Yeah, have fun with that," Mark mumbles and Derek laughs.

After lunch Mark does indeed return to work. Derek and Lexie go shopping for Meredith's engagement ring.
*

Meredith is missing Derek. She's been at the hospital for twenty-two hours. She's tired and all she wants to do is climb in bed with him, wrap her arms around him and sleep until they go on vacation. Instead, she goes to her apartment and crawls into her rarely used, cold and too big bed. Partly because she's too tired to drive any further at the moment and partly because she has to be back at the hospital in eight hours.

Meredith lays in bed and thinks again about the fact that she's hardly ever at her apartment. Her lease is up in six weeks and she really doesn't want to renew it. She basically lives with Derek already but they'd never really talked about making it official. She decides to bring up the subject next week while they're on Maui.

The thought of Maui made her smile as she was falling asleep. She was looking so forward to this vacation with Derek. And to think she'd fought going because she was worried about Derek and how he'd handle being out of his environment. He finally convinced her that he needed and wanted to go as much as she did. Now she couldn't wait to leave in five days and was practically counting the minutes.
*
"I'm on my way back to the hospital for another ten hour shift," Meredith is talking to Derek on the phone.

"I know," he grumbles, causing her to laugh.

"It's going to be the same if not worse during my Fellowship."

"I know," he sighs again. "It's only one year though, and we'll get through it."

"Yeah, we will," Meredith answers with a smile. It made her feel good to hear him say things like that - encompassing their future. "We get to go to Maui before my Fellowship starts, though."

"Yes," he says and she can hear him smiling. "Two full weeks without interruption."

"I wish we were leaving now," she sighs.

"Me too," he agrees, thinking of the ring he has hidden away for her.

"Five days - we can make it through five days. Right?"

"It'll be easier to get through if you come home tonight."

That comment made her smile, too. "I'll see you tonight."

"Love you, Mer."

"Love you too," she says and is smiling as she walks into the hospital.