Let It Go

37.

Derek was thinking. He stood just aside from the coffee cart, thinking. Did he want to get Meredith a coffee? That was the question. Coffee could be neutral. It could be seen as a friend buying another friend a cup of coffee to start their morning. But it could be more then neutral too. It could be seen as Derek still trying to win his way back into her good graces after treating her like crap. Or it could be seen as him trying to advance his relationship with her which was exactly what he was trying to do. He just wasn't sure if he wanted her to know that just yet.

"Dr. Shepherd," a voice greeted. Derek looked to his right. "Morning Dr. Bailey," he greeted before looking back at the coffee cart and slipping back into his coffee debate. Bailey stared at him. "What?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the coffee cart's menu board. "You're staring at the coffee cart like a damn fool. People are having to around you because you're standing there, staring at the coffee cart and not paying a bit of attention to anything else. I always knew you were a fool," she said in her no nonsense manner.

"I'm not a fool," Derek defended himself. Bailey snorted. "Not a fool my left foot. You're the biggest fool there is. Except for maybe Sloan. He's just a damn idiot, walking around this place like he's God's gift to every living, breathing woman on the face of this earth." Derek chuckled.

"We need to get you pissed off at him again. That was fun," he said, remembering a particularly busy day when Mark had insisted on fixing a patient's broken nose during an emergency surgery of Bailey's. Bailey may have been half Mark's size but by the time she'd been done raking his ego through the coals, Mark had walked away, tail tucked between his legs.
"Is it true that your tried to bribe the security guards to sell you the surveillance tape of that?" Bailey asked. Derek chuckled again. "Yep," he answered. "I was going to YouTube it, call it 'World Class Plastic Surgeon Cut Down By Woman Half His Side'." Bailey shook her head. "A damn fool. You and Sloan both," she muttered. She moved towards the coffee cart. A thought hit Derek.

"Dr. Bailey, you're a woman," he stated. "Oh you're a smart one," Bailey stated. Derek decided to let that slide. "If your husband yelled at you - before he was your husband - and said some pretty crappy things..." "Then I wouldn't have married the man because no man yells at me," Bailey interrupted. "Not the answer I'm looking for," Derek said. Bailey put her hands on her hips and cocked her head sideways, waiting for him to stop wasting her time.

"Now, say he yelled. And then, later, he apologizes. You accept his apology - sort of - but you're still hurt or whatever. You go to his family's cookout - long story as to why - and he kisses you. You freak out and leave. But your husband who's not your husband, he's been falling for you. So your husband decides he's going to get you back or however you want to put it. He brings you a coffee two days after the two of you kiss. What's your reaction?" Derek finished. Bailey looked at him, a knowing look on her face.

"So you kissed Dr. Grey, did you?" Bailey asked. Confusion donned Derek's face. "How do you know that?" he asked. "Because I'm Dr. Bailey. Dr. Bailey knows everything," she said in a manner that didn't make Derek doubt it. "Tell me Dr. Shepherd, are you that bad of a kisser?" Bailey continued. Derek sighed. "Why does everyone keep saying that?" he muttered. "Because Dr. Shepherd, the girl ran. Girls run after being kissed for two reasons. The guy they kissed is a bad kisser or he's an asshole," Bailey told him in her no nonsense manner. Derek sighed again.

"I guess I would fall into the asshole category," he admitted. "You damn right you do!" Bailey exclaimed. "Telling that girl off for saving your nephew's life... All the coffee in the world won't make up for that." She saw Derek's face fall. "Besides, you did the coffee thing a few days ago and that didn't work out too well for you." Derek looked at her. "You really do know everything," he said, not recalling seeing Miranda Bailey anywhere around when he had bought Meredith coffee. "I'm Dr. Bailey," she reminded him.