Love Don't Cost A Thing

37.

Meredith groaned. She still hadn't opened her eyes. Where was she? What happened? The pounding in her head was to great, it hurt so much. How long had she been out? Meredith turned on her back and rubbed her hands over her face as she groaned again. Her head hurt so much. She just wanted to die.

"Meredith?" She heard from somewhere upward. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. She slowly opened her eyes and then groaned. The light, it hurt her eyes and her eyelids felt heavy. Meredith closed her eyes again and groaned.

"Meredith." She heard again and the voice sounded more familiar this time. Meredith opened her eyes even more slowly then she had before, letting her eyes adjust to the light. Her head pounded and her vision blurred as she looked around. She blinked a couple times before everything became clear.

There stood Derek, holding he tequila bottle in his hands and behind him stood Cristina, Izzie and Mark, all of them had sad looks on their faces.

Crap. Crap. Crap. Meredith sat up in the bed, holding her head as she groaned.

"Where did you get this?" Derek whispered, holding the bottle up. He couldn't believe it. He leaves for school and comes back to her passed out and an empty alcohol bottle on the floor. It broke his heard.

Meredith cleared her throat and looked at her boyfriend and friends...

"Mer..." Izzie said sadly.

Meredith didn't say anything, she didn't move. She didn't want to move and feel the pain in her head.

Meredith looked at the clock on the bedside table. It read 3:45...had she really been out that long?

Meredith looked back at them with a guilty face.

"You're not even legal, Mer..." Derek sighed. "Did Ellis have it lying around." Derek practically growled as he tightened his hold on the bottle, looking at it with disgust.

Meredith avoiding eye contact and they knew, Ellis did leave it lying around.

"Where is the alcohol?" Derek asked Meredith.

Meredith shrugged. She did know, she did, but she needed it. It numbed the pain for a little while and relief felt good, even if it was only for a little while.

"You know where it is." Derek crossed his arms.

"No more drinking." Cristina said as she took the bottle from Derek and left the room, probably to throw the bottle away.

Meredith cleared her throat and looked up at the shyly. "So Derek...how was your first day back?" Meredith said hoarsely.

"Don't avoid Meredith." Derek sighed as he moved to the bed.

Izzie and Mark stayed back, looking at the two.

"I'm not." Meredith whispered, looking down at the sheets.

"You are. Stop lying." Derek said.

Meredith said nothing.

Derek sighed and looked at Mark and Izzie. "Talk." Mark said loudly. She shouldn't be drinking her problems away, it was wrong.

"No." She whispered, turning her head away from them and laying it in the palm of her hand as her arm rest on her knees.

Derek looked at Meredith. "When was the last time you drank?" Derek asked.

"A while." Meredith shrugged.

"When?" Derek pressed.

Meredith just shrugged again and laid back down, bringing the covers over her head.