Outside of Fear

Chapter Four

"You know, I never thought I'd be this unhappy in a place where there's no immediate threat on my life."

Derek laughs at Meredith's sarcastic comment as he enters her hospital room, chart in hand. In the past week since her surgeries, she'd been moved from ICU to a top priority room instead.

"I also never thought I'd wish for the radios we used to entertain ourselves overseas back. Anything is better than the shitty channels you get on the TVs here."

"Time passes ten times slower when you're confined to a bed, huh?"

"If I don't die from my blast injuries I'm going to die of boredom."

Derek laughs again as he goes over her stats. "Don't you think you're being just the slightest bit overdramatic?"

"Not at all." She replies indignantly. "I literally can't move. Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to sit in the exact same spot for days?"

"You've got me there." He shrugs, now turning to face her. "I need to check your incisions."

Meredith makes eye contact with her surgeon as she moves the blankets covering her midsection down and pulls up the gown, exposing her scarred abdomen.

Not only is there a nasty gash across her whole stomach from the shrapnel, but there's also a stapled, smoother-looking cut from her midline incision to repair her organ damage.

Derek has to force his gaze away from her mesmerizing green one and tenderly palpates the wounds. She bites her lip, doing her best to stifle the groans from searing pain shooting through her body as he presses

"Your temp is high and there's some unusual swelling around your incisions. Are you feeling nauseous or dizzy?"

She shrugs. "Not really. You're thinking post-op infection?"

"I'll increase your IV antibiotic dosage and see how it goes." He nods, then moves to check her neuro reflexes.

"When can I get up?" She asks as he writes in her chart.

"At least another week, I'm afraid. You can't move at all right now, can you?"

She makes an effort to sit up on her own, but instantly falls back with a gasp. "Apparently not."

"Give your spine a little more time to recover." He nods and she rolls her eyes.

"Will you come and entertain me at least?" She raises an eyebrow. Derek Shepherd is much hotter in person than in the pictures she'd seen of him in medical journals. Those bright blue eyes sparkle when he talks to her and she finds it incredibly dreamy. Also, every time she'd been awake when he came in to check on her, she'd flirted, and he'd flirted back.

He stops, leaning against the side of her bed and crossing his arms over his chest. "Is this your idea of a date?"

"It's the best I can do from this bed. C'mon, share your cases or something with me. It'll be fun."

"You're my patient. I'm your doctor." He says, reminding himself more than her at this point.

"Who said I was going to jump you? It's just a fun hangout. As friends. Friends?" Meredith thinks that if he's seen the inside of her body, saved her life, and flirting with her shamelessly, they deserve to at least be called friends.

"As friends." He confirms, a smile creeping onto his face.

Meredith raises an eyebrow. Yes, she has been in the military for the past seven years, surrounded by mostly men. Tall, strong, sweaty, smart, hot men, which does have its perks. But she's a colonel, she can't go around getting into relationships with soldiers and subordinates.