After The Storm | Grey's Anatomy

// IX. //

You know how sometimes you have nightmares, but then you wake up and realize that maybe it's some kind of sign from the universe. Or intuition. Or your deepest thoughts.

Well, Derek has made quite a few appearance for the past week. At first, it made me miss him. I my dream, he wasn't a top notch surgeon. He's not wearing scrub. He's just Derek Shepherd, period.

For some odd reason, this dream of mine always takes place in our dining room. I don't know if we're having breakfast, lunch or dinner. We are sitting across to each other, with him taking out two apples. One rotten, and the other fresh red. "So, this is our menu for today." He'd say.

"Apples." I say looking impressed everytime.

"Choose." Logically speaking, I'd choose the fresh one. However....this dream always ends up with me crying. Begging for him to make the decision for me. Or if I'm not crying, I'd be throwing plates on his way, getting angered because of the question. But eitherway, I never chose.

Thus explaining why I've been working myself a straight 30 hours shift. This is my last hour since us surgeon is prohibited to do shifts more than thirty at once. However, I feel fine. The urge of not wanting to sleep is bigger than my tired limbs.

I'm doing my second round of the day when Owen went up to me. "You can't fool me."

I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion and continued checking on my patient. His name is Kai. A wonderful man suffering from hemorrhoids. He surely doesn't deserve being woken up by Owen's nonsense talking. "Shut up, Hunt."

"Here's an advice...go home!"

"Here's an advice, shut up!"

When I walked out of the door, so did he. How does he even know about my shift hours? He just got here six hours ago. I looked at him suspiciously. "Please tell me you haven't been keeping tabs on me" I scoffed, moving on to the next patient.

Now this next patient, Amy, had Appendicitis. She's only 24 years old. Pretty girl, but very ignorant. "Hi, Amy. How are you doing?" She gave me a thumbs up before going back to her call. From what I caught, she's talking to her boyfriend.

"So what if I have?"

"I don't need a babysitter, Hunt." I whispered, afraid to bother Amy. Whose conversation is no longer PG-13. I decided to leave her boyfriend and rather graphic, and descriptive choice of words to herself.

"Yes you do. Cristina isn't here, and you haven't been talking to Avery. Don't you think I noticed?" Everyone has been walking on glass around me since the day my husband died. It's not helping. At all. How am I supposed to let it all go if they can't treat me the same?

I pulled Owen to the inventory room; "Hunt. I'm okay."

"I know you are. But I'm worried. You've overworked yourself. Go home, Mer."

***

I decided to listen to Owen Hunt. Imagine that? Owen Hunt, giving me advices? But I guess he's right. I can't escape this. But...I can stall. So I decided to go to Ventura and check out the place. After almost not stopping on two stop signs and running over not two, but three red lights, I arrived.

It's not as big as Grey Sloan Memorial. But it's nice nonetheless. Instead of blue and white covering the hospital's four walls, Ventura's color is apparently pale yellow like cheesecake. 

God, aren't I hungry.

When I stepped inside, I was welcomed with a calmer atmosphere. Everyone was smiling. Even the doctors strolling around me have the biggest grin plastered on their face. I decided to go up the stairs and make a few turns, trying to find the big clear glass overviewing the road that I passed by.

"Doctor Grey," someone sucked in their breathe, and looked at me like I'm some morbid hybrid of reptile.

I don't think I've ever seen him in my life. "Yes?" he looked extremely flabbergasted that it's making me worried.

"Good grace," he sighed to himself. "I'm Jay."

"I'm sorry I-" He looked at me expectantly. However, I still couldn't pin my finger on who this person might be. Although, the longer I look at him the more similar he looked to someone. But who?

"Im Jay," He grinned like a six years old boy in a candy store. "Jay Karev."