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"Why are you guys back here?" Blake questioned, her voice laced with a tired amusement as she saw George, Cristina, Izzie, and Meredith shuffle up to the nurses' station. She mentally sighed, handing a patient chart to a passing nurse before turning back to her friends. Her gaze snagged on Meredith first, taking in the girl's disheveled appearance—the smeared mascara, the slumped posture, the reek of tequila clinging to her like a shroud.
"Didn't you have a date with McDreamy?" Blake couldn't help but tease, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
George's muttered, "More like McMarried," sent a jolt through Blake.
"What?" Blake gasped, her eyes widening in shock. Married? Derek Shepherd was married? And here she was, witnessing the fallout of his secret life firsthand. A knot of anger tightened in Blake's stomach on Meredith's behalf.
"I came to check on Joe," Meredith clarified, but Blake barely heard her. Her mind was reeling from George's bombshell. How could Derek have led Meredith on like that?
"You think he's gonna be okay?" Izzie asked, worry laced in her voice.
"You think he's gonna need an operation?" Cristina questioned with a bit too much excitement in her voice than what was acceptable at the moment. The second Blake saw Derek out of the corner of her eye, a frown made its way onto her face.
"Operation, yes. Okay—hard to tell," Derek explained, his voice strained. He launched into a medical description of Joe's condition, but Blake barely registered the details. Her gaze darted between Derek and Meredith, who stood frozen, her body rigid with unspoken hurt. Meredith's eyes met Derek's for a fleeting moment, then flicked away like a startled deer.
