peace

Chapter 7

"Dr. Stevens you are on my service today." Derek said quickly avoiding anyone's eye contact.

"Guess I am." Dr. Stevens mumbled.

He looked up from his chart to see the young intern glaring at him. He remembered saying something terrible to her a few months back but he had had her on his service since then without the glaring. Derek tried to remember what he had done to piss her off but nothing came to mind.

"Dr. Stevens, do we have a problem?" He asked. He immediately cringed at his own words. Any problem Dr. Stevens had with him was surely his own fault.

"No problem." She said quietly and angrily. Then she continued under her breath "Bastard."

"Dr. Stevens!" He exclaimed. She had a right to be angry for whatever he did but she couldn't go around calling him a bastard at work. He was her boss. "I am not entirely sure what I have done lately to anger you, but I am your boss and this is unacceptable."

"You know what else is unacceptable? Calling someone a blond bimbo piece of trailer trash!"

He took a deep breath as the self-hatred sunk in. "I am sorry about that. You are right, that was unacceptable."

"Oh and you know what else is unacceptable?" She asked with contempt in her voice.

He looked at her awaiting her response.

"Impregnating my friend. Who also happens to be your intern. Bastard." She huffed.

"Ok I am going to stop you right there Dr. Stevens." He said as anger flashed in his eyes. "What me and Meredith did is absolutely none of your business. And it was not a boss taking advantage of an employee, so don't even suggest that.

"I-" Izzie tried to interrupt him.

"And for my child. I absolutely will never apologize for that. That is my child. I don't care what you say or think but I love that child. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that child is loved and cherished, so if you say another word on the subject. You will be off my service, indefinitely."

Izzie stared at him for a few seconds with a puzzled look on her face. "I am sorry Dr. Shepherd." She said quietly, "and congratulations." She added.

"Thank you." A small smile crept to his face as he thought about the child that he will meet in eight months. His life was no longer empty. Maybe it was wrong to be relying on a child to fix his life but he didn't care. This child was his sole purpose. It was what made him wake up this morning with a smile on his face. He felt more joy about this child than he has for anything else in his life.