Where You Belong

66

Meredith sighed as she pushed open the front door and stepped into her front hall.

Dinner had been exhausting, and she hadn't known how much more she would be able to deal with when Derek had been paged back to the hospital. Susan had immediately offered Meredith a lift home later so she could stay for dessert and coffee, but Meredith had declined, which she suspected had been anticipated by both parties.

They had quickly said their goodbyes, and Derek had detoured to their home to drop Meredith off before heading into the hospital. One of his old coworkers from New York had flown to Seattle for surgery, and though her procedure had been stressful, she had pulled through and was now waking up. And Derek wanted to be there.

Meredith shut the door behind her with a bang, trying to rid herself of the tension that had built up as the evening had worn on. Trying to get to know her father was a lot easier said than done.

Giggling from the living room pulled her from her train of thoughts.

With a furrowed brow, Meredith stepped towards the doorway, and smiled at the sight that greeted her.

Cristina was sprawled sideways in the chair, her back against one armrest and her knees over the other, with her ankles hooked together. Izzy was similarly placed on the couch, her long legs hooked over the back of the couch while she leaned against an arm rest. George was on the floor by the other chair, leaning against in for support. All had obviously been drinking.

"You were supposed to call me hours ago," Meredith called to Cristina as she strode across the room and collapsed onto the other side of Izzy's couch. Cristina had promised to call with an 'emergency' forty-five minutes into dinner.

Cristina made a face. "Crap. I forgot." It was as close to a sorry as Meredith would ever get. "I had a crisis."

"Yeah. Exactly. That was the plan." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"No, I mean I had a real crisis."

"What kind of crisis?"

"A 'my-ex-may-be-about-to-ruin-my-impending-marriage' crisis."

"I guess I can't be too mad at you then..."

Cristina made a face.

"Do you think you could be a little more specific?"

"Burke feels threatened by McGrope-y," Izzy piped up.

"He is not," Cristina retorted. "He just...he doesn't get it."

"What? He doesn't get that you shacked up with an old man for three years? I don't get that either."

Cristina glared at Izzy. "He's not that old. And it's not like he...does old people things. There were no early bird dinners or depends."

"He needed little blue old man pills," Izzy reminded.

Cristina continued to glared. "I liked him for his mind, not his..." She cut herself off. "I am not talking about this."

George laughed quietly to himself, the first noise he had made since Meredith walked in. From his position on the floor, his head back and eyes closed, Meredith had thought he was asleep. "Colin Marlow needs Viagra..."

"Shut up!"

George stopped laughing, but was still smiling. "It's just...you learn about these 'larger than life' doctors in med school and then you find out...well, he's not all that large at all on his own."

"I thought I told you to shut up!" Cristina called, throwing a cushion George's way, but missing by a good couple feet.

"Okay, but seriously," Meredith said when she had finally stopped laughing, "What's going on with Burke and Marlow?"