Untouchable face

68.

Something was off. Derek had no idea what it was but something was off and had been for the last week. Derek could actually pin point exactly when the change had happened, it was the night after their first fight. Not the night it happened, she had been much more like herself after some food and make up sex but the next evening he had come over and something had shifted.

Meredith was...different. She was still gorgeous, still told him she loved him, but there was something very different. A week ago, they had been inseparable. The second she got off work, she usually called him and told him to come right over. But this week, he had barely seen his girlfriend. He knew she had a demanding job. He had been well aware of that when they started dating but this week it had seemed like she was there constantly and for no specific reason, just that it ran late. He could
probably look over that though if it wasn't for the fact when she was home, she wasn't really there. Her books were always out, medical journals were so thumbed through the pages were almost falling out, and his girlfriend always had her nose in them with the look of a spooked deer in her eyes. He didn't understand and it was starting to piss him off. She just seemed so...gone.

It wasn't like she was studying for something or anything, she was just buried in work. He knew she was intense but up until this week she always left that at work. She came home and relaxed and giggled and was fun to be around. For the last week he felt like he was dating a girl who lived for her job. Something was clearly up.

Cristina had clearly said something to her last week but he had learned years ago to not get involved with best friend drama. Except now it was affecting his relationship. It wasn't okay. They had been so happy, so really happy. And while he hadn't expected it to last forever, he hadn't been expecting this. Meredith was an amazing surgeon, and always intense at work, but this wasn't her at all. He had no idea where his girlfriend had gone.

"Okay," she breathed, staring at her books. "To get past scar tissue...no...there shouldn't be any. Simple craniotimy."

"What are you studying for?" he asked, even though he was sure she wasn't studying for anything specific.

"We have four craniotomies lined up tomorrow," Meredith mumbled.

"Busy day."

"Hmmmm," she nodded. "Is my phone over there?"

"Oh.." he breathed, looking at the bedside table. "Yeah, it's here."

"Lexie will remember what book this was in."

"Okay," he sighed, handing her her phone.

"I mean...the Klaussen method is highly advanced and I won't be asked to perform it until my fellowship but...Cris says it impresses them if you know."

"So...you don't even need to know this?" Derek frowned.

"Probably not. I've never actually seen it performed...it's so new."

"Than you don't need to learn it tonight."

"I might," she sighed. "Lexie's not answering."

"So let it go for the night," he suggested gently.

"Derek! It's the Klaussen method!"

"I have no idea what that even means."

"I know you don't," she rolled her eyes. "You're a contractor."

"Thanks, Mer," he sighed. "But...are you doing whatever it is tomorrow?"

"The chances of me needing it tomorrow are slim to none."

"Next week?"

"Slim to none but..."

"But?"

"But...you never know."