Let It Go

44.

"Is it weird that we're eating while watching a surgery?" Izzie asked, unwrapping one of the subs Alex had gone on a food run for. "Probably," Meredith answered. She bit into her own sub. "It is kind of distrubing," George stated. "I mean, Sloan, Shepherd, Bailey, and Burke have a woman wide open - chest, head, all of it exposed. Bailey is operating on her intestines for crying out loud! These subs that we're eating right now? That's where they're going, into those things Bailey has in her hand." Meredith and Izzie leaned forward for a closer look, both steadily eating their sandwiches.

"You realize that's like, the surgical dream team down there, right?" Cristina asked from the row behind them. She had opted to go for her chips first. Alex snorted from his seat next to Izzie. "Are you kidding? The nurses are in heaven. McDreamy and McSteamy in the same room? Throw Burke into the mess and it's one big orgie down there," he said. "The nurses have a club. They don't care if McSteamy is in there," Izzie said. "They have a club not to sleep with him. They can look all they want to. Look but not touch. I mean, have you seen the guy? I'd look too," George said. Alex, Meredith, Izzie, and Cristina all looked at him. "What?" George asked. "Dude!" Alex said before turning back to the surgery.

By some sheer stroke of luck, all five of them had managed to have a few spare minutes to watch the massive surgery going on below them. The patient had been brutally beaten by her ex-husband and the damange was extensive. Whether te patient could be saved had yet to be determined but she had the best surgeons in the hospital working on her. Drs. Bailey, Burke, Sloan, and Shepherd were her best chance.

Meredith sat back in her chair, eating her lunch as she focused on Derek's portion of the surgery. He was work was mesmorizing. He operated with skill and accuracy and was quick, efficent. He was every bit as good as he joked that he was. He liked to tell people he was the best, but Meredith knew - and he knew - that he really was the best. She smiled as she watched him. He glanced up and saw her. She couldn't see it but she knew he'd flashed her a smile behind his mask before putting his attention back on his work. It was the eye thing that gave him away. She tore her own eyes away from Derek to check out the work of the other surgeons. Watching Mark carefully reconstuct a cheekbone, she caught a nurse eyeing Derek, her eyes hungry. Meredth felt a wave of jealousy wash over her.

"Mark isn't the only surgeon down there they can look at but not touch," she stated. "Ah yes, you and McDreamy," Cristina said. Meredith didn't have to turn to face her to know she had rolled her eyes. "Looks like that nurse is checking McDreamy out," she continued. George straightend up to see better. "Yeah. Yeah she is!" He looked at Meredith then at Cristina. "Fifty on Meredith," George said. "Seventy-five says the nurse can take her," Cristina countered. Meredith's jaw dropped. "I'll take that action," Alex chimed in. "Alex!" Izzie said, smacking him. "What?" Alex asked, rubbing his arm. "That nurse is butch. I see her working out in the gym. She's got muscles in places women wouldn't dream of. Pixie Stixs over there doesn't stand a chance." Meredith scoffed. A page went off. Instinctively, all of them, including the other interns and doctors in the gallery, reached for their's.

"It's mine," Cristina said, reading her page. "Dammit!" She stood to leave. "Why do people have to go and try to die during an awesome surgery?" she grumbled. "You bet against me. Now you're getting called out of watching a cool surgery. Karma," Meredith stated. Cristina huffed as she left the gallery. "I could take her," Meredith said, watching as the nurse again checked out Derek. Alex snorted again. "I could," Meredith insisted. "I'm scrappy." "Scrappy... Like Scooby Doo's cousin or broher or whatever he was?" George asked. Izze frowned. "Don't compare Meredith to an annoying dog George!" she chided. "Yeah!" Meredith added. Alex rolled his eyes and focused on Mark's work, taking mental notes. George checked his watch and stood up.

"I should get going," he said. "Callie needs a consult...," he added, his face blushing. "There goes lunch," Alex said, making a face at the thought of Callie and George getting it on in an on call room. He missed the days when George was complaining about not getting any. At least then there were no details. Mark said something to a nurse and she left the room. Meredith's eyes were on the nurse eyeing Derek like he was a piece of meat. She decided right then she didn't like her. "I could definitely take her," Meredith said again.