We've Got To Stop Meeting Like This

Stupid

Meredith sat on the shoreline, looking out on the ocean as she thought about the past year of her life. So much had changed, yet everything was still the same. Intern year had been... exhausting. Which was an understatement. Long hours, a hectic schedule, being the bottom of the surgical food chain. She'd be thankful to never be put on scut again in her life. The time that passed felt like a lifetime, rather than just a single year in her residency lifetime.

As suspected, everyone knew who her mother was, but the only special treatment she felt like she was getting was from her Chief of Surgery, Dr Richard Webber, although she couldn't figure out why. The most that she knew, they'd done their residency together up until Ellis moved Meredith with her to the other side of the state to Boston. Her resident, Dr Miranda Bailey, made sure to never give her any special treatment.

She heard from her mother on the odd occasion throughout the year, although hadn't seen her. Her mother had called after the bomb incident. Apparently, it had been featured on the news, and Ellis had called Richard, as a fellow chief of surgery, to ask about her daughter's safety. When Ellis realised just how involved Meredith had been in the situation, it was safe to say she wasn't happy with her daughter. She almost threatened to come all the way out to Seattle, or drag her daughter to New York, but she had managed to assuage her mother's fears and neither event had happened. Both Greys had spent the holidays working, as was usual for Ellis, so Meredith figured she'd do the same, much to the dismay of Izzie Stevens, a fellow surgical intern. A friend, maybe? I guess she could squeeze Izzie into that category. She felt like the only person who actually understood her was Cristina Yang. They were each other's person.

Cristina was the reason she had even taken a holiday abroad during their two weeks off before they officially became residents. Cristina had become involved with the Head of Cardiothoracic surgery, insisting initially that it was purely to fulfil her sexual needs, but by the end of the year they were engaged to be married. Until he left her at the altar anyway. Hence, the reason they were in Hawaii, might as well not waste the honeymoon that had been booked and paid for. Cristina spent most of the time drunk, however, and was currently hungover back in her hotel room as Meredith, who only suffered from a slight headache, roamed the beaches, until deciding to sit facing out at the ocean, where she was now.

They were due to head back to Seattle the night after next, and both were itching to get back to surgery and the fast pace of the hospital. If Meredith had ever doubted wanting to follow her mother into a career of surgery, she definitely didn't now. Her focus, however, was still on neurosurgery, unlike her mother's career choice of general surgery, much to Ellis' constant disapproval. The only thing her mother seemed to approve of was that she had come out top of her class in the surgical intern exam – not quite 100% but 98.5% was still acceptable. As she thought about that conversation with her mother, her eyes rolled.

A strange sensation began to creep over Meredith, a chill on the bare parts of her skin, despite the scorching hot sun that she bathed in. A feeling like she was being watched, although the beach had appeared pretty empty when she arrived. It was probably around midday now, as she noticed more people were making their way down to the beach, so she figured that must be it. She kept her gaze out at the ocean, anyhow, currently debating as to whether or not wade into the water for a moment before heading back to the hotel and getting Cristina up for lunch.

Just as she was about to stand up from the sand, a hand rested on her shoulder, causing her to physically jump, and she heard his low voice, laced with surprise, "Funny seeing you here."

****

He couldn't believe he'd let Mark drag him out here for the last week of their two-week break before the real residency race began back in New York. True, he welcomed the break, but he'd spent most of the vacation on his own, roaming the small town and the beaches, while Mark was off with a new girl each day, each night even. He couldn't deny though, it was peaceful, and that particular late morning he was drawn to taking a stroll along a stretch of quiet beach he hadn't yet explored.