Bright and Shiny

Chapter 80

"Dr. Bailey..." Meredith apprehensively approached her resident as she comes across her at the nurses' desk.

"Dr. Shepherd, I see you've changed into your working clothes. Are you ready to work? " She asked as she glanced Meredith up and down at her attire. "Your fellow interns have all congregated around your mother. However, I have the feeling they'll be screaming and running for mercy soon." She stated as Meredith stifled a laugh.

"Go to the pit, you will be in charge." She told Meredith as Meredith looked at her in surprise.

"In charge?" Meredith asked in a confused tone.

"Yes, any incoming traumas you run them. Delegate and it's your pit. Understand Shepherd?"

"Yes, yes I do." Meredith smiled as she took off to the pit.

Meredith was shocked, being in charge was not something she was expecting. Dr. Bailey was probably just trying to keep her busy and run interference between her and her mother. However, running the pit and just sending her down there to work for her entire shift was different. Dr. Bailey trusted her to run things on her own, to handle things like a resident would. Which was big and crazy Meredith rambled in her head as she reached her destination and noticed that it was calm. No huge casualties or anything that would be out of her strengths to handle.

"Dr. Bailey. I will need a new intern." Ellis stated as she located Dr. Bailey where she had left her at the main floor nurses station.
"Why is that Dr. Grey?"Bailey asked not surprised at all without even glancing up from her paper work.

"Because the ones I have are fools, fumbling on questions."

"Dr. Karev is off shift and has gone home and Dr. Shepherd is running the pit. So sorry, I have none to spare, you have 3 it's up to you to mold them since they're yours for the day Dr. Grey." Bailey told her as she finished signing her charts and moved to walk away from the visiting attending.

"Dr. Shepherd is running the pit?" Ellis let out in surprise. Dr. Bailey smirked as she slowly turned around, knowing that piece of information was probably going to register with the doctor.

"Yes, she's in charge of casualties there for the day."

"You just let first year interns do that?" Ellis criticized with narrowing eyes.

"We do when they're the best and brightest, when they're the only intern to be able to handle treatment, cases and diagnoses all on your own. Your daughter may be an intern, but she has the knowledge of an attending."

Ellis was shocked at the praise coming from the resident towards her daughter. She knew Meredith was smart, but she figured with all the love and marriage hoopla she had lost her focus to strive to be great. The second Derek Shepherd came into Meredith's life her world brightened and her marks improved. Which was why Ellis had no problems with the marriage as long as she continued her education, if she wanted to throw her life away at least she would get schooling at the same time.

Ellis felt ashamed that she thought of Meredith marrying Derek was more relieving to having her out of her hair and her being Derek's problem now at least until the marriage failed which she believed wouldn't last. Instead it looked like she lost sight of watching the wonderful woman her daughter has become. Ellis saw Derek made a name for himself and as he became more and more world renowned she figured Meredith was just going to glide in as Dr. Derek Shepherd's wife and not try her hardest. Just be the woman behind the man. Instead she found out that not only was she striving to be the best, she was. A strong intern, good respected doctor and a lasting marriage. She has balance, something Ellis realized she herself never had. Something she was jealous over.

"You should be very proud, the other interns are all trying to compete with her, yet can't. I'm presuming she had such a head start because of you and because of the other Dr. Shepherd."

"No, no, not because of me." Ellis said quietly. "This is her husband's doing. Not mine. His pushing her and belief in her that she could do this, not allowing her to give up but encourage her. I had nothing to do with her success today. She wouldn't even take my money for med-school, saying she was a married woman and that she and Derek would pay for the expenses."

"Your daughter is a fine woman. I'd be proud." Dr. Bailey said as a parting shot, as she left Ellis there in thought of all the things she's learned about Meredith in just an hour.