The First Time

2.

Tuesday evening Meredith was sitting at her desk trying to finish off an assignment that was due on Friday when her phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she smiled and then quickly answered.

"Hi. How are things going?"

Izzie's voice greeted her. "Not so good. They've scheduled a mastectomy for tomorrow and then after she recovers from that she will need a course of Chemotherapy." Izzie explained. "We're just trying to stay positive at the moment. She's going to beat this thing."

"I'm sure she will. With you on her side it's a certainty." Meredith replied. She knew that trying to stay positive was about all that they could do right now.

"Thanks. I'm really happy that I can be here for Mom right now. It just sucks that it took something like this for me to come back here" Izzie explained. "But I just wanted to touch base and see how things went at work last night?"

"Good." Meredith replied simply, not wanting to elaborate. She had spent too much of today already thinking back to her evening at the gym and more importantly a pair of blue eyes that she couldn't get out of her mind.

"Good? That's it?" Izzie asked.

"Yep." Meredith replied.

"There must be more to it than that? Did you use the opportunity to scope out potential candidates?" Izzie asked.

The silence at the other end of the line had her instantly intrigued.

"Come on? Fess up. I'm sure there was someone that passed through that would be able to do the job?" Izzie teased.

"Don't talk like that." Meredith replied. "It's not like that." she insisted.

"Yes it is." Izzie replied jokingly. She was trying to lighten the mood. The reason that Meredith was even in this situation was because she took everything much too seriously. If she could just loosen up a bit then Izzie was sure that she'd have the guys flocking around her.

"I don't want it to seem like that." Meredith explained. "That sounds so ...."
"Flippant? Crass?" Izzie suggested but Meredith didn't reply so she added. "Well it is a little, I guess." She admitted. "But isn't that all you want? You only have a few weeks until your 21st?"

"Don't you think that I know that?" Meredith replied.

"Well? ... If you are going to lose that cherry before then, all you need is some guy to pluck it." She said stating the obvious. "It's not like you have enough time to form a relationship with him before hand. Anyhow, remember how well it went when you tried that last time?" Izzie teased.

Meredith gulped and then said. "You don't have to remind me." She did indeed remember. She didn't think that she would ever forget the embarrassment.
"So you just have to promise me that you'll at least keep a look out?" Izzie asked.
"I really don't think that a gym is the place to find someone. I'm keeping a look out at the library." Meredith assured her.

"The library? Seriously? You check out the guys that are taking out the Karma Sutra and ask if they want someone to practice on? Come on Meredith. You need to get serious about this otherwise I swear I am going to give you a male hooker as a birthday present." Izzie threatened.

"Don't tempt me. That may be my last resort." Meredith assured her. She couldn't help but smile at Izzie's suggestion or maybe it was more of a threat. She knew her friend only wanted to help.

"So there was NO one that even tweaked your interest last night?" Izzie asked.
Again her question was met by a deathly silence that Izzie was sure meant something. She just didn't know what.

"Some guy Mark was looking for you." Meredith stated flatly trying to change the subject.

"Ha. Mark Sloan?" Izzie laughed. "I'm sure that he'd do it for you." She assured Meredith. "Although ... maybe not. I think that he and Derek are known as McSteamy and McDreamy so I'm guessing they probably go for the more experienced type. But hey ... you could always ask?"