In A Faith Forgotten Land

6

Present time

Walking into the hospital the next morning everything felt vastly different but also the same. While Addison knows the entire hospital is sure to know about the divorce, no one but Cristina knows about her and Meredith, yet as the two veered off into separate directions the redhead felt like everyone was staring at them. Despite the fact that it would be next to impossible for the hospital to know about her relationship with the blonde intern, Addison found herself feeling paranoid that suddenly everyone knew. She wasn't worried about herself, she knew that she could handle any gossip, no she was worried about Meredith. The blonde intern may be strong and she is no stranger to having to listen to people talk badly about her, but Addison still couldn't help but worry. She absentmindedly walked to her office, rolling her eyes when she caught sight of Derek leaning against her office door. She unlocked the door and walked in, sitting down at her desk while Derek stood in the doorway watching her. "Are you going to come in, or do you plan on standing out there and staring at me all day?"

"So you can invite me into your office but not your hotel room?" Derek grumbled as he walked into the office and shut the door behind him.

"Yes because we are still co workers and you could be here for a work-related reason, but seeing as we are getting divorced there's no reason for you to be in my hotel room." Addison explained without looking up from her laptop. "Now, I have a surgery immediately after rounds that I would like to have some time to prepare for, so how can I help you?"

"I was just dropping off the signed divorce papers." Derek dropped a thick Manila envelope on Addison's desk. "I trust that you'll sign and send them off since you're the one who wants a divorce."

"Are you trying to tell me that you don't want a divorce?" Addison laughed. "You have a funny way of showing it." She shook her head with a snort. "You stopped putting an effort into our marriage a year into it while I still tried. I tried for years Derek, I tried until I couldn't do it anymore!"

"And then you slept with my best friend?" Derek asked coldly.

"Yes, and then I slept with your best friend." Addison sighed, her frustration clear. "After ten fucking years of being the only one to make an effort in our marriage, I cheated on you." She took the divorce papers out of their folder and picked up a pen, flipping through the document and signing before placing them back in the envelope. "I will send them out during my lunch break. Did you need anything else?"

"Yes actually." Derek nodded. "I saw that this is Meredith's week to rotate on neonatal, but I was hoping we could swap and that you would take O'Malley."

"I'm sorry, are you asking me to compromise patient care so you have an opportunity to ask Meredith out after she turned you down yesterday?" Addison laughed in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me?"

"O'Malley is not that bad." Derek argued. "It's not like you even like Meredith so what do you care?"

"You are aware that this is a hospital, correct? A hospital, as in a big building where sick people come and we help them." Addison explained slowly as if she was speaking to a child. "Do you really think I don't care who I work with? O'Malley is too nervous around babies." She rolled her eyes. "Whether I like Dr. Grey or not, she's a good doctor and she's amazing with the patients. I'll keep her and you keep O'Malley instead of letting your personal life dictate your work life. It's unprofessional, unbecoming, and frankly just tacky."

"Not as tacky as..." Derek started, but Addison cut him off.

"Not as tacky as sleeping with your husband's best friend. My god, find another line." Addison rolled her eyes. "You know I slept with Mark, I know I slept with Mark, the entire hospital knows I slept with Mark, with how much you talk about it the Queen of fucking England probably knows I slept with Mark! Don't act like you even cared enough about me at that point to care that I cheated on you!"