Let It Go

38.

"I miss Izzie," Meredith declared, sliding onto a barstool next to George at Joe's Bar. "Me too," George agreed. Meredith looked at George. "Say seriously," she ordered. "What?" George asked, confused. "Say seriously," she said again. "Seriously?" George repeated. "Seriously!" George raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, what are you doing?" he asked Meredith. "I miss Izzie," Meredith said again. George took a swig of his beer. "I miss her too," he confessed. "But she'll be home day after tomorrow." "Unless she's in jail for murdering a pack of hillbillies," Meredith said, giggling slightly. "That would actually be kind of funny," George mused. Meredith giggled again. "It would be," she agreed, signaling for Joe.

"What'll it be tonight Mer? Tequila?" Joe asked. "Um, how about a gin and tonic tonight?" Meredith asked. Joe raised an eyebrow. "No tequila?" he asked. Meredith shook her head. "Not tonight. I need a change. And trust me, it's been a big day for me. So no tequila on a day that was big for me is big for me," she told Joe. Joe walked away without attempting to decipher what Meredith had meant. She had quickly become one of his favorite regulars, but she had a way of confusing the hell out of him.

"Today was big? Why was today big?" George asked. Meredith smirked at him. "This is why I miss Izzie," she said. "You miss Izzie because it was a big day?" George questioned. "No. I miss Izzie because I want to tell Izzie about the big day. She'll be proud of me," Meredith told him. "I can pretend to be Izzie and you can tell me all about the big day," George propsed. Meredith shook her head. "You're not Izzie. I like you and Cristina and even Alex just fine but this is an Izzie thing. Sorry George, not happening. Though I'm sure you'll find out soon enough," she said. George gave her a knowing look. "It has to do with McDreamy," he accused. Meredith merely smiled. Joe brought her her gin and tonic and hurried over to a set of new customers who had arrived father down the bar. George finished off his bottleneck and slid off his stool, leaving money to cover his bill and a tip on the counter for Joe.

"I hate to drink and run, but I've got to get home. Callie is ovulating and... "Stop right there," Meredith said, holding up her hand. "I'm just saying..." "George!" "Alright, alright, I get it - no discussing George's sex life," George said, slightly amused. "And no discussing Callie's eggs or whatever," Meredith added. "You'd think Cristina was here," George said wryly. Meredith glared at him. She liked George just fine but she was with Cristina - there was no need to know too many deals about George's sex life. It was just too - weird. She told George goodbye and went back to nursing her drink. It wasn't tequila but it wasn't bad either.

"This seat taken?" came a voice from behind her. Meredith smirked before spinning on her barstool to face Derek. "It is if you want to occupy it," Meredith said, using the same line Derek had used on her the night she'd walked up beside him at Joe's and asked him the same question. She could tell by the smile on Derek's face that he had noticed. He slid onto the barstool George had vacated minutes earlier and waved to Joe who automatically reached for a bottle of Derek's favorite scotch. Derek turned his full attention to Meredith. He held his hand out to her.

"Derek Shepherd," he said with a smile. Meredith's eyes sparkled as she took his hand in hers. "Meredith Grey," she replied. Derek squeezed her hand gently before releasing it. Joe brought him his scotch, noticing the sparks flying as his two customers smiled at one another. It was hard not to notice the sparks Drs. Grey and Shepherd were emitting. He noticed Dr. Sloan and Dr. Hahn sit down at the opposite end of the bar, Mark full on spying on his best friend on the very night he'd finally managed to convince Dr. Hahn to join him for a nightcap. Joe went to join them, curious about what was going on between his newest favorite customer and an a old faithful.

"It's nice to meet you Derek Shepherd," Meredith said with a playful smile. Derek returned her smile with his McDreamy one. "Like wise Meredith Grey," he said. "So Derek, tell me, what do you do for a living?" she asked, leaning in slightly. Derek smiled bigger. "I'm a neurosurgeon at the medical center - head of the department actually," he told her. A giggle escaped Meredith. She was amused at how literal they had taken Derek's starting over idea.

"So you're a doctor," Meredith mused. "I am," Derek agreed, deciding the sound of Meredith's giggle had to be the most beautiful music he had ever heard. "What about you Meredith? What do you do for a living?" "I'm actually a neurosurgeon as well," she answered. "I'm new in the area," she added for good measure. Derek smiled, glancing towards Mark who quickly turned his head back to Joe and Erica. "Maybe I can show you around the town sometime," Derek offered. Meredith nodded. "I'd like that, she said. She polished off her drink and slid from the barstool.

"It was nice to meet you Derek, but I have an early surgery for tomorrow. Being a surgeon yourself, I'm sure you'll understand why I should be heading home for some rest," she said. Derek nodded. "I do," he said. "One of the best surgeons on my staff has a surgery scheduled for just after the crak of dawn tomorrow mornng." Meredith blushed, knowing he was talking about her. So far, she was the only OR booked for six in the morning, booking the lengthy surgery for an early time so she would have time to grab a bite to eat before her second surgery of the day. She reached into her purse for money to cover her tab. Derek's hand covered hers.

"I have it," he said, nodding towards her empty drink glass with a smile still on her face. Meredith returned his smile. His eyes were dancing as they watched her. "Thank you," she said, slipping her purse over her shoulder. "I'll be waiting for you to show me around town sometimes," she said, moving away from Derek.

"Meredith?" he called out. She stopped and turned back to face him. He gave her the McDreamy look again, head tilt and all. "If I'm going to show you around town, I'll need your phone number so I can get in touch with you," he told her. It had dawned on him that he didn't have her personal phone number. He could easily look it up in the hospital's files, but this way was so much better. Meredith giggled again and stepped toward Derek again. He reached for his wallet, pulled out one of his business cards, and handed it to her. She produced a pen from her purse and scratched her number down on the back of it before handing it back to him.

"Call me," she said flirtatiously. She walked out the bar, feeling lighter and happier then she had in a long time. Her cell phone rang out as she reached the sidewalk. She dug it out of her purse as she walked towards her car. "Hello?" she answered, not recognizing the number. "Good night Meredith," came Derek's voice. She giggled. "Good night Derek," she replied. She ended the call and added her cell back to her purse, this time pulling out her car keys. She unclocked her jeep and slid behind the wheel. She thought she just might like this starting over thing.