Turned Upside Down - Grey's Anatomy

Chapter 17 - Labor and Delivery

Hello and welcome back my lovely people. I hope you enjoy!

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Derek craved coffee. His serious caffeine habit had started back in med school and had only aggravated during neurosurgery residency, to the point that now he couldn't go a single day without at least four cups of coffee. He was aware that he had a problem. Additionally, to the effect of keeping him awake and a pleasant human being, coffee had become his main stress-coping mechanism. While others reached for the bottle, smoked, misused substances, or ran an insane amount of mileage to digest the events of the day at the hospital, he drank coffee. One of his new year's goals was to find other healthier mechanisms to cope with the stress of running a major neurosurgery department that didn't leave him wired at the end of the day. He wasn't willing to give up coffee, for that coffee - as a beverage - was too ingrained into his daily routine and life. He had only recently noticed how much he gravitated towards the beverage whenever he felt he had too much on his plate, things got stressful, he was overworked or overwhelmed. It happened more often since he had taken on more responsibility and tougher cases.

Right now, he craved coffee for the sake of coffee – the sweet boost of energy coupled with the bitter taste. Since the merger, his coffee consumption had skyrocketed, partly due to the added stress and partly because the coffee quality in the doctors' lounges had significantly increased. Both reasons tested his resolve to cut back on the daily. Every floor had been equipped with a fancy fully automated coffee machine that almost offered every caffeinated coffee beverage on the planet. It made amazing double espressos which were one of Derek's greatest weaknesses.

Derek had just finished his Monday morning department Jour Fix and team rounds. Now he was facing a long but rewarding day in the neurosurgical outpatient clinic. He was in a good mood. For the first time in weeks, there was no hospital-wide meeting on his schedule, all due department paperwork was signed on his secretary's desk, and he had finally found time to schedule the overdue team meeting. Today he could finally concentrate on his job, on seeing both new and follow-up patients.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee lured him into the surgical attendings' lounge. He hadn't had any today and his patients would thank him if he caffeinated before he went to see them in Clinic. The only other person in the lounge was Addison, who was sitting at the table deeply engaged in something on her tablet.

"Good morning Addison," Derek greeted cheerfully walking to the coffee machine.

"I know that you are happy but there is no need for you to rub it in," Addison muttered without looking up.

"What should I be rubbing in?" Derek asked wrinkling his forehead. He grabbed a paper cup from the stack and placed it under the machine. He pressed the button and watched the brown liquid drip into the cup.

"Did you check your email?" Addison inquired, looking up at him her reading glasses in her hand.

"No," he turned around to face her. "Did I miss something?"

"The divorce was finalized by the judge this morning. You should have an email from your lawyer," she informed him.

"Oh," Derek replied not knowing what else to reply. He had been waiting for this day for months. Now that it was here, he didn't know what to say or how to feel. He picked up his coffee from under the machine and dumped a packet of sugar in.

"Uhm, you really didn't know. Officially, we're no longer married," she stated looking down at the embroidered name on her white coat and continued: "I should probably get that changed."

Derek observed her, she looked sad. To a certain degree, he could understand the sentiment. They had shared over a decade worth of memories and experiences. They had had their ups and downs. He had already gone through the grieving process. He had grieved the loss of their marriage, relationship, and the loss of his former best friends. He had reflected on the good and the bad and then he had begun to move on. Addison was lacking several steps behind in the process. He was incredibly relieved that he was finally able to close this chapter of his life. He was ready for what life had to offer next. He had a pretty good idea of what that could be.