Holiday in Handcuffs

Chapter 18

Meredith stood at the scrub sink, a smile softly tugging at the corners of her lips. The emergency surgery she had just assisted on was a complete success. The fifty-five year old man who was now being wheeled to recovery would be in pain tomorrow, but at least he would still be alive to spend Christmas with his family. That had to count for something.

"Nice work in there, Dr. Grey." Her attending announced as she dried her hands. "You should think about specializing in cardio."

"Thank you, Dr. Hahn." Meredith replied respectfully. "I'm not sure where I want to specialize just yet."

"Well, you're just starting out, really... so, you've got time." Dr. Hahn assured her with a nod as she pushed the scrub room door open for them both to exit. "Mr. Gibson will need a follow up exam in a few hours. Are you on call?"

"No, but Dr. Stevens is."

"Make sure she's well informed of Mr. Gibson's status before you leave." Dr. Hahn instructed firmly. "Have a good night, Grey. Merry Christmas."

"I will. And Merry Christmas to you, too." Meredith said as Dr. Hahn walked off.

Pleased, and smiling to herself, Meredith all but skipped to the elevators with Mr. Gibson's chart in her hands. As she waited for the elevator to arrive, she glanced out of the third floor window nearby and noticed that it had started to snow. Usually, she would be irritated at the fact that she would soon be commuting home in such nasty weather. But today's surgery and tonight's impending plans were enough to push her way past caring about a minor detail such as snow on the ground and ice on the pavements.

"Looks like someone has some Christmas spirrrriiit." A melodic voice suddenly sang from her right.

Not able to hide the fact that it was true, Meredith turned, smiling at Izzie who sidled up beside her. "Just the person I was looking for." She said, shoving Mr. Gibson's chart into Izzie's hands.

"Oh, is this the heart guy?" Izzie asked, excitement lighting her eyes.

"The one and only." Meredith nodded. "I jotted down a few post-op notes, so everything you need to know should be in the chart. Dr. Hahn said to page her if you need anything. I don't think she has any holiday plans until tomorrow, so she's free tonight, should you really need her."

Izzie smirked, eyeing Meredith closely, "You must have big plans. Look at you, all chipper and smiling." She giggled slightly. "What are you doing tonight?"

Meredith shrugged, but the smile couldn't be wiped away if she tried, "Nothing special. Just.... hanging out at home. Maybe drink some hot chocolate."

"You have plans with a boy." Izzie stated as she laughed.

Meredith opened her mouth to reply, but the elevator doors slid open, saving her from having to give any details. "Oh, look... my ride is here." She grinned. "Gotta go! Have fun with the heart guy, Iz!"

"That's not fair!" Izzie shouted out as Meredith stepped onto the elevator and turned around to face forward. She waved as she continued to grin at Izzie. "Meredith! I want details!"

"Merry Christmas!" Meredith replied, smirking as the doors began to close. She giggled when she heard Izzie's muffled voice yelling, "I expect a full report next time I see you!"

It was freezing outside when Meredith exited the hospital. She pulled at her scarf, wrapping it as tightly as she could around her neck without choking herself. The snow that had fallen while she had been inside crunched under her feet as she hurried across the parking lot to her car. She didn't even wait for the engine to run a little, or for her heater to start heating up. She immediately backed out of her parking space, her gloved hands gripping the steering wheel as she drove cautiously over the icy streets.