The Fight for Chief

Chapter 2

Meet your new enemy

"Meredith! It's so good to see you!" Richard smiled as he pulled her into a hug. "Likewise" Meredith chuckled as she took a seat opposite his desk. "I'm glad you responded to the job advert, it was a pleasant surprise to see your application" Richard nodded at her.

"The position to be Chief of Surgery? I'd be stupid to turn it down" she laughed along with Webber.

He sat forward as if he wanted to say something, clearing his throat.

"About that," he said as he rested his weight on his elbows. Meredith frowned. "I've had two very promising applicants and it was impossible to make a decision. Both you and Dr Shepherd are superb surgeons and are perfect for this job. So I've devised a little contest for you both to decide who takes the job" Dr Webber explained.

Meredith scoffed.

"Webber, you promised me a job!" Meredith grew frustrated. "I left New York for this job because you said you wanted me!" Meredith exclaimed as she stood up. "I never promised you anything. I said the job could be yours after our meeting." Dr Webber replied quickly, growing frustrated at her tone.

Meredith sighed dramatically as she fell back into her chair "This isn't fair" she grumbled. "It is actually. This is the fairest way I could think of. As I say, you and Shepherd are equally talented, you both deserve the chance" Dr Webber tried to reason with her.

"Who is this Dr Shepherd anyway?! I've never heard of him so he can't be that great" she mumbled as she gathered her things to leave. Dr Webber laughed at her before realising she was serious.

"Dr Shepherd was the most published neuro-surgeon for the New England Journal of Medicine in 2013..." Webber said carefully, still unsure if she was being serious or not. "Oh..." Meredith grew quiet.

"But if you're so great and talented like you claim to be then I'd expect you to know that as a neurosurgeon" Webber warned her angrily. She just rolled her eyes. Now she remembers why she stayed away from Seattle.

"You are going to meet him and you will be nice to him. He's been my top resident and surgeon here for 15 years and I won't have you coming in and expecting you deserve more than him" He said as he stood up.

"You called me here, you sent me the application" Meredith reminded him as he walked to the door. "Oh trust me, I know. Don't make me regret it" he said as he opened up the door and someone walked in.

"You're Dr Shepherd?!" She exclaimed as she looked at Derek, who she'd only met an hour ago. "You're a neurosurgeon?" He looked at her dumbfounded.

"You two know each other?" Webber asked. "I-um- we met this morning" Meredith stuttered as Derek reached out and shook her hand once again. "Dr Grey" he nodded as he smirked at her. "Dr Shepherd" she shook his hand.

"See! Who doesn't love a bit of healthy competition?!" Webber cheered as he watched the two. They both stopped and looked at him, rolling their eyes. "I still don't think this is fair" Meredith remarked as they went to sit down.

"Yeah, I'm with her on this one" Derek added. Meredith smiled at him. "Look, you two both deserve the job. Why not challenge yourselves a little; fight for what you want?" Webber tried to instil some enthusiasm into the pair.

"Or you could just have some balls to pick someone" Derek mumbled under his breath. Meredith giggled as she looked at him, nodding in agreement. "You two! You're like children!" Webber snapped at them both. They only laughed harder.

"You two will compete for this job. I'll be observing your surgeries, setting admin tasks, and assessing your ability to adapt and change in a crisis. In 6 months, I'll make a decision" Webber explained as he handed them both a file with their upcoming tasks.

"Behave, and be nice to one another" Dr Webber warned as he stood up and walked towards the door. "Yes, Dad" Derek mumbled under his breath. Meredith laughed loudly as she leaned back in her seat. He watched her, she had the most beautiful laugh.

"Go on, leave me alone" Webber said as he pushed the two towards the door, both of them still laughing as the door slammed on them.

"What are your plans today, Meredith?" Derek asked, still trying to suppress a laugh. Meredith on the other hand couldn't stop laughing. Nothing about what he said was remotely this funny but Meredith was amused by his witty humour.

"I don't have any surgeries today, just consults ready for tomorrow" she smiled at him as they walked to the surgical floor. He grabbed the chart he needed from the nurse's station and clicked his pen open.

"I have a hemispherectomy on a 4-month-old baby at 10, you want to scrub in?" Derek said casually as he scribbled something down. Meredith blinked at him, unsure how to respond.

"You barely know me?" She said quietly as she watched him intently. She noticed he pursued his lips when he was focusing on something or the way a stray curl would fall across his forehead.

"So?" He looked at her suddenly, sensing her staring and catching her. He smirked at her before going back to his chart. "It's a rare surgery, and a long one. I could do it with another surgeon's hands. Webber tells me you're good, and no one wants to ignore a sick kid" he mumbled.

"Oh, the sick kid card? That's how you're selling this?" She set off laughing. He smiled at her. "Is it working?" He asked. She just shook her head before setting off back to the attending's lounge. "You're lucky you're charming, Derek" she smiled as they sat on the sofa. Derek showed her the chart; brushing shoulders and exchanging glances as they prepared a surgical plan.

"Does that sound good then?" He asked as he pulled together all the papers into the file. "I wouldn't say good. I hate operating on kids. It's too sad" she sighed as she stood up and began making them a coffee.

"She was 2 months premature. The outcome's possibly grim but the parents understand it's necessary. We're two nationally and internationally credited surgeons. We're the best shot this girl has" Derek shrugged. She handed him a coffee and he smiled. "Thanks" he said as they both sat back on the sofa.

"We're supposed to be in competition with each other" Meredith smirked at him as she nudged his shoulder. "Well, I'd hope you'd be able to set that aside for an important surgery." He looked at her with dazzling eyes.

As much as he didn't want to admit it to himself. He couldn't deny that she was gorgeous. That thought scared him. He couldn't fall for someone new. And besides, he'd just met her, and they were competition.

Their flirting was interrupted by some other attendings walking into the room. They all looked at Derek and Derek quickly turned his head, reminding him of exactly why he doesn't get close to people.

He cleared his throat. "Right Dr Grey, I'll see you in surgery then?" Derek asked with a serious tone as he stood up and grabbed his things. Meredith frowned, left speechless by his sudden departure. "I-" she stuttered. "Yeah, I'll see you in an hour" she said quickly before he left the room.

That was weird...

Sorry for the slow updates. I was just taking a little break after 7000 hours and it's hard to get into a new book but I hope you enjoy it. Remember that this is a slow burn but hopefully it'll be worth it for you all. Any suggestions for this book are all welcome!!