Looking at you side ways

88

Miranda Bailey stood on the overlook and peered into the early light sky.[i] In her previous experience the ones who showed up first were ready and the ones who showed up on time or late were lacking. So she waited. She felt the presence beside her.[/i]

"Chief."

"Dr. Bailey,"

So.......test day."

"Yes. I think I have five out of six that will go on to the next round."

The Chief sighed and said, "So five out of six?"

"We've lucky at that. You get that they basically taught themselves the first few months?"

"Yes. But I hate failure."

Dr. Bailey said, "You inherited a mess from your predecessor as did I. We did the best we could with what we had. I am very proud of my interns. They are extraordinary. Except Montgomery. Have you made a decision yet on what we talked about?"

The Chief sighed and said, "Yes. I think you are right. Consider it done."

"Thank you."

"It's the right thing to do."

Dr. Bailey just nodded as they watched Sloan, Shepherd, and Grey get out of a car. They watched intrigued as they didn't come into the hospital. They were standing in the parking lot talking.

The Chief asked, "What are they doing?"

Dr. Bailey smiled and said, "They are testing each other with flash cards."

"Flash cards?"

She replied confidently, "They are ready. More than ready." They watched as Yang and Burke came from opposite directions to join their friends.

They saw Shepherd give Grey a quick kiss as they all started walking in.

The Chief asked, "So Shepherd and Grey?"

Dr. Bailey raised an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged his shoulders, "What? It's a gossipy place. He seems like an okay guy. Are they serious?"

[i]Miranda wasn't sure how to answer that. The Chief had never asked personal questions before about any of the interns.[/i]

The Chief sighed and said, "Not too many people around here know this but Ellis and I were interns together. I knew Meredith when she was a little girl. I don't know how much she remembers, but we all hung around together like their group does now."

"Oh."

"After Ellis got divorced and left town I always wondered what became of Meredith. I guess I felt.....fatherly towards her."

"What happened to her father?"

He clenched his jaw. "That ass walked away from her when she was five. According to Ellis, they haven't seen him since."

Miranda frowned. [i]As a parent that was unthinkable.[/i] She said honestly, "You've never shown her any favoritism."

He laughed and said, "She doesn't need it and I know she wouldn't accept it if she did. We don't have the easiest. I think she thinks I'm the villain in her life."

"So she grew up without a father and had Ellis Grey as a mother?"

"And she is still standing. I couldn't be more proud of her if she was my own daughter. There's more but it's in the past now. Suffice to say, she has had a lot of obstacles."

"Well, she and Shepherd appear to be very much in love. Definitely exclusive. And he is a good guy. And they have kept their relationship out of the hospital for the most part. I think they are the only damn interns I haven't caught in an on call room!"