Looking at you side ways

6

Meredith walks into the locker room for her next shift. She is rested and ready to go after sleeping almost the entire time off. Cristina is at her locker getting ready.

"Hi Cris."

"Hi Mer. I crashed after that shift. How about you?"

"Yeah, me too. I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I got home. My house is a wreck. I have boxes everywhere and I really need to get organized and clean."

"Where is your mom? Do you live with her?" Cristina asked cautiously.

"Um..It's her house, but she hasn't lived there in a long time. She is traveling a lot. Overseas mostly."

"Is she teaching?"

"Mostly traveling." Meredith lied uncomfortably.

"Really? I would have thought she would live for surgery."

Meredith had changed her clothes during this conversation and tied her hair back.

"Well, she didn't do anything else but surgery for decades." Meredith said angrily.

"Maybe she needs some time off to get her mojo back."

Meredith decided to change the subject.

"Cris, where do you live?"

"I have an apartment across the street. I wanted to be close. I can be here in less than two minutes. My mom has friends here and they found it for her. She was here last week and decorated the whole thing in a weekend. It looked like a designer showcase. But it won't last like that. I am a slob."

Meredith laughed at that.[i] Cris's locker was jammed packed with stuff. She could see it.[/i]

"I am going to put up a notice for roommates. I have three bedrooms in a large house so I guess I need two roommates. I was hoping you might need a place."

"Shit! I signed a one year lease. That would have been great."

Just then Mark and Derek came into the locker room.

Mark said, "I can't believe this place. A waiting list to get an apartment or a condo? That is ridiculous. The housing situation is worse here than in Boston or New York."

Derek was disappointed.[i] They had a line on a condo, but it had fallen through. The housing market in Seattle was bad. They needed something close to the hospital, but all the apartments and condos were full. There was some housing out in the suburbs, but that was too far away. They couldn't live at the Archfield Hotel forever.[/i]

Derek replied to Mark, "We may have to think about moving further out than we wanted. We can't stay at the hotel indefinitely."

Mer and Cris had heard their conversation and Cris inclined her head over to the guys and raised her eyebrows at Mer.

Mer shook her head no at her.[i] She couldn't live with guys! Especially those guys.[/i]

Burke hurried into the locker room. He was already in scrubs and started putting his lab coat on.

Derek asked, "Preston, where do you live?"

Burke replied, "I have a studio about three blocks from here."

Mark asked, "How did you find that?"

Burke muttered under his breath, "My mom found it on Craig's list."

Cris asked mockingly, "Your Momma found it for you?"

Meredith laughed at Cristina mocking Burke.[i] Her mother had found her apartment and decorated it too. But Meredith knew Cris would never tell Burke that.[/i]