Easy Silence

15.

"If I get fired for this I expect you to pay for my living expenses for the rest of my life."

"That doesn't seem very fair."

"I'm putting my ass on the line to get you out of here," Meredith sighed. "I think making you pay for any consequences is entirely and perfectly fair. Now put on the hat so we can at least attempt to make it out of here."

"I don't think you can loose your job for springing a perfectly healthy patient from the hospital."

"Except I wouldn't have to spring you if you were actually perfectly healthy," she rolled her eyes. "Now hat."

"I don't want to wear a hat."

"Hat, Derek."

"I don't see why I have to wear a hat."

"Because according to the nurses and basically every other female in this hospital over the last week your hair is very dreamy. So I'm assuming others feel this way and will notice you from a mile away if you don't have a hat on. Put the hat on. The hat, shades and beard should disguise you nicely."

"I need to shave."

"You can shave after this excursion," Meredith sighed. "Hat."

"You're bossy," he grinned.

"Yes, I'm bossy," she sighed. "Are you going to put the hat on? Or are we going to stand here all day having this argument?"

"I'll put the hat on," he groaned, pulling it on his head. "How do I look?"

"You...you look like Derek," Meredith sighed, chewing on her bottom lip as she studied him carefully. "You look like Derek with a hat and sunglasses on and in bad need of a shave but still...Derek."

"Sorry," he shrugged.

"I think it's the nose."

"I can't hide that, Mer," he pointed out. "It's only late October. A little too early to pull off wearing a scarf."

"I know," she sighed. "If only your nose wasn't so...your nose."

"It's from my one and only hockey fight," he smiled proudly.

"One? I thought...I know nothing about hockey but I thought hockey had a lot of fights and stuff. How did you only have one hockey fight?"

"I'm not a fighter," he sighed. "That's more Mark's thing. Don't want to mess up this pretty face."

"Of course," she rolled her eyes. "I guess it will have to do."

"Don't sound so excited."

"I'm about to lose my job, Derek. What is there to be excited about?"

"You get to spend the morning with me."

"That's...that's...entirely beside the point," Meredith sighed, grabbing his crutches from beside his bed. "And it's not the morning. It's one time around the block and stopping for a coffee somewhere. That's all. That is not the morning. It's just...some time. Not the morning."

"It could be the morning."

"You can last an entire morning on these things?"

"Good point."

"And you're sure they already rounded on you?"

"Yes, Mer," he laughed. "I'm still recovering from a concussion but I clearly remember a doctor coming in here and asking me question while checking things out. Apparently I look good."

"Good," she nodded slowly. "But nurses...nurses come in here constantly."

"Mark is guarding the door. He claims he can distract them all."