Where You Belong

71

Meredith suppressed a yawn as she pushed open the door that would take her back out onto the surgical floor from the stairs. Her morning had been busy, forcing her to ignore the fact that she had two and a half hours less sleep than she had expected. After Derek had been paged into the hospital early, Meredith had sat with Susan in the kitchen until she had suddenly noticed the time on the stove and had had to rush to get to work on time.

But despite the awkward beginning and the rush at the end, the middle had gone surprisingly well. Meredith was glad Susan had chosen that morning to show up unannounced. She was really nice, and seemed genuine; like maybe Meredith really could let her in. Not everyone left. It was a mantra she had to repeat in her head once in a while. Not everyone left. Not everyone left. Not everyone left.

Some days were better than others. Some people had more of her trust than others. And some of the people around her would leave, she knew. But the people who were the most important to her, the people she had let in the most, would not leave.

A second later a smile came unbidden to her lips as the biggest reminder of people she had let in – and who would not leave her – came into view.

"Hey," Derek greeted warmly, his tired eyes lighting up at the sight of her. He came to a stop, offering her a smile, and she did the same.

"Hey," she responded easily.

He tilted his head ever so slightly to the side and reached a hand out towards her, his thumb and forefinger brushing against her forearm. "How was the rest of your morning?"

She smiled at his concern. "It was good."

He raised an eyebrow and she laughed.

"Really," she insisted. "We talked. A lot. And it was...okay."

The corners of his lips twitched upwards. "Hmm, maybe it was a good thing I was paged."

She shrugged. "I guess. Just make sure it never happens when my father is around, because that I am not ready for."

This time he really did smile.

"What happened with your patient?"

"You mean patients," he corrected. "I've been in surgery all morning."

Meredith made a face. "Successfully, I hope."

He nodded. "Two will pull through for sure. One...well, I've got my fingers crossed. It's bad, but he's a fighter."

"Good."

"Yeah." He nodded again. "So, what did you and Susan talk about?"

"Stuff."

"Stuff? Could you be a little more specific?"

She laughed. "Well, after we got over the whole awkward 'what-the-hell-do-I-do-now-that-Derek-has-abandoned-me' part, it was okay."

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't abandon you."

Meredith laughed at his tone. "Anyway, it was awkward at first, but we managed to talk a bit about the past, and...and I think there's hope for us. She's really nice. And I think that we could maybe do this semi-related step thing."

Derek furrowed his brow and reached his hand out towards Meredith's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

She swatted at his hand. "Don't make fun of me! I know I don't sound like me, but I'm serious."

Glancing around quickly to ensure they had some privacy, Derek leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly against hers. "I'm glad. You deserve good people, Meredith."