Illicit Affairs

Chapter 3

Monday, October 26th 2020.

Thankful she'd had Sunday off to recover from her night with Cristina on Saturday, Meredith walked through the halls of Seattle Grace hospital, having already changed into her scrubs in the residents' lounge. As she approached the neurology wing, she found Richard stood with the new Head of Neurosurgery.

She sipped at the takeaway coffee cup in her hand as she walked over to them, "Morning."

"Oh, Meredith," Richard turned to her, "Good morning. I was just giving Dr Shepherd a quick run down of the hospital. I'm glad you're here, I have to get going."

She nodded in response, sipping at her coffee again as she grabbed a chart from the nurses' station. She started to flip through it, feeling eyes on her but not quite ready to face that just yet. It was too early.

"Your mother tried to call you yesterday, try and call her back today," Richard said, slightly chastising.

"I knew I'd forgotten something," she muttered slightly but looked up, giving him a reassuring smile, "I will, I'll find time."

"I'll leave you to it, then," he smiled as he bid farewell to the two doctors and went on his way.

Derek turned to Meredith now, and she was dubious about the charming smile he wore as he spoke, "Dr Grey, I take it you'll be helping me find my way today then?"

"I'll definitely do my best," she gave him a small grin before looking back at the chart, her brow furrowing as she read through the information of her post-op from Saturday morning, her surgery with Dr Nelson.

"Everything okay?" he asked, moving closer to her as she held the chart to him.

"I need to go and check on this patient, his stats are dropping since his tumour resection on Saturday morning and Nelson is on leave... not that he would be of any use anyway," she muttered the last part, rolling her eyes.

"Come on, then, lead the way," he passed the chart back to her and she nodded, leading him through to the post-op ward.

****

She walked out of the OR with him, pulling off the gown, mask, and gloves, throwing them in the waste bin before scrubbing out, stood beside him as he did the same.

"Good work in there, Dr Grey, Webber wasn't wrong when he said you were the best," Derek commented, turning his head to smile at her.

"I never said he was wrong, I said he was biased," she pointed out, laughing softly, "and you're not so bad yourself."

"I should hope so, otherwise I'd be in the wrong job," he joked back, drying off his hands.

She laughed softly again as they walked out the scrub room and she pulled out her phone as it chimed with a new page, "I'm wanted for a consult in the pit."

"I'll join you, don't want to get myself lost without you to guide me now," he teased, smirking at her.

"I'm sure the patient will be happy to know they have the head of neurosurgery coming to see them, they'd be honoured," she teased back, finding the banter between them easy as they headed to the ER.

As they entered the ER, Dr Hunt spotted Meredith straight away, calling her over to trauma room one. She pulled on a yellow trauma gown and a pair of gloves, indicating for Derek to follow suit before they went in.

"What's happening, Dr Hunt?" She asked as she walked over to the patient.

"12-year old girl, fell off her bike and hit her head on the pavement, additional broken femur being seen to by Torres, who's this with you?" he asked as Meredith started her evaluation of the patient, doing the routine neurological checks.