The Fight for Chief

Chapter 3

Nothing's wrong

"Hey," she said quietly as she walked into the scrub room where Derek was. He cleaned behind his nails with a Q-tip as he circled the room. He glanced at her quickly, giving her a small smile.

"Is the patient in there?" Meredith asked as she stepped further in and glanced through the small window. "They're just putting her to sleep" Derek mumbled as he threw his Q-tip in the trash. "Oh-okay" she replied quietly as she watched him avoid eye contact.

"Is everything alright?" she asked as they both began scrubbing in. "Yep," he replied coldly. She didn't know what was wrong, how he'd suddenly changed his tone with her. She thought maybe shed found a new friend, someone other than Izzie that she could lean on. And that didn't come about often: she didn't just befriend anyone. But Derek seemed nice, and a hell of a good surgeon, and for a moment she forgot that he was her competition. And that's why she was here, to get the job, not to make friends.

Things needed to be kept strictly professional.

"Okay, let's just do this" she mumbled as she turned off the sink and walked out of the scrub room. He sighed as he watched her greet his surgical team with a bright smile. He couldn't see her lips behind her mask, but her eyes lit up like iridescent stars as she introduced herself.

Oh no.

He walked into the OR with a confident stride. "Alright everybody, it's a beautiful day to save lives," he said as he took a centre position with Meredith. "You ready?" he asked as he turned to her. "Yeah. Let's do this" she smiled slightly at him as she took the scalpel.

He watched her make the first incision and accesses the brain before he too grabbed a scalpel and they got to work. They were like a dream team as the surgery progressed and was going successfully. After about 4 hours, their surgery was paused by the intercom coming from the gallery upstairs.

"Shepherd, I'm sending in Montgomery to observe your patient," Richard said as he watched the touch-and-go surgery. Derek sighed as he dropped his instruments to the side and stepped back from the table as he turned to look up at him. "It isn't necessary" Derek called as he rolled his eyes. "You've got a premature 4-month-old under your knife, you need a neo-natal surgeon in there with you. You should have run this past me." Richard said sternly.

Meredith watched the heated exchange and angry glares. Clearly, there was a history.

"A-actually I did my fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery. She's okay with us. I'm monitoring her" Meredith said quietly to Derek as she looked at the baby girl on the table. Derek looked at her and nodded before looking back to Richard. "Don't send Montgomery in. We're okay here" Derek grumbled before he walked back to the table.

"Thank you" he whispered as he nudged her gently. She smiled at him, "you're welcome". He nodded and they resumed the surgery.

After another hour, they began closing up. "I'm going to stay with her until she wakes up," Derek said as he closed the last suture and placed down his instruments. "Me too," Meredith said as they both walked into the scrub room.

"You're very talented, Dr Grey" Derek commented as he cleaned his hands. "Likewise, Dr Shepherd" she blushed as she removed her scrub cap and mask. He smiled nervously at her before turning to walk away but she gently grabbed his arm.