I Wanna Be Yours

"Chapter 10"

Meredith takes off her scrub cap, sighing as she sees her resident move to update the family and tell them that Mr. Higgs will live to see his grandson being born. She's emotionally drained, or she would have done it herself. She knows they will have too many questions, questions she's not ready to answer just now.

The surgery has been long and tricky at times, and she really needs something sugary to eat to feel human again. Piles of paperwork await her, she'll answer questions when she'll go check on Mr. Higgs later.

The coffee cart is a beacon of hope, and the bagels there look perfect, even if they are the healthy ones with all kinds of grains on top. If they have salmon bagels she might keel over and start weeping.

Yeah, her flare for the dramatic is pretty strong after a seven-hour surgery, but she blames her tired, overworked body.

She hasn't slept well in the past few days, since David Shepherd asked her to take him to school and she held his hand, the memories of how strong and soft his fingers felt into hers bringing her back to a dark place she thought she had gotten over, but yet she's still knee-deep into it. A dark place she doesn't want to revise anytime soon. All the same, she has no idea how to say away from David. The kid has wormed his way into her heart.

Meredith pays for the salmon bagel and sits on the closest bench she can find, relishing the tepid September sun in the cafeteria courtyard. She closes her eyes and moans at the first morsel, the taste and texture of the salmon exploding in her mouth, together with the cream cheese and the lettuce.

She hears a child-like giggle next to her that forces her eyes open. Her mouth gapes open.

"Hi, Meredith!" little David Shepherd says, waving his hand genuinely, his eyes sparkling, his smile bright and mischievous.

"Hi, David," she gulps, studying the boy, looking around to prepare herself for the arrival of Shepherd or his mother or someone else taking care of the boy.

"What are you eating?" he asks.

"Salmon bagel," she replies, looking down at her maimed bagel before taking another bite out of habit, still too stunned to process what she's doing.

"Salmon like the fish?" he prods.

"Yep," she says around her last bite. "Do you like it?"

"Dunno," David shrugs. "I never tasted it. Is it yummy?"

"Really yummy," she smiles. "Do you want to try a bite?"

David makes a face, tapping his chin with his index finger in a way that is both adorable and irresistible, before he says: "Dunno."

Meredith giggles. "Where is your dad? I think he already knows if you like salmon or not."

"He's working."

"And your Nana?"

"Home."

Meredith frowns. "Who's here with you?"

"Daddy gots to work for a little more and I'm waiting. I supposed to stay with Nurse Rose but she was eating licorice and she smelled funny."

"I see," she nods, understanding the situation. Of course the boy escaped from the care of a nurse. "Do you want to find your dad?"

"He's gotta work," he shrugs, though he's still eyeing the bagel in her hand with hunger. Meredith looks are her watch and notices that it's already dinner time.

"Are you hungry?"

"Kinda," he sighs, but she knows he's downplaying it.

"You know what? Try a bite of my bagel, I'll buy you another if you like it."