Back in town

Chapter 5

Meredith was standing in surgery with Addison and Amelia working on the 25-week pregnant patient.

They were catching up and chatting mindlessly until, "So Meredith, you and the new peds guy?" Addison asks.

"Cormac? We're just friends." Meredith says blushing slightly behind the mask.

"You called him Cormac." Amelia teases.

"Why wouldn't she call him his name?" Addison asked confused.

"Because she always calls him Hayes. They were always Grey and Hayes. But you just called him Cormac." she explains.

"He is my friend and nothing more," she says accusingly pointing the instrument in her hand at Amelia.

"Whatever you say." Amelia laughs.

They had worked almost silently chatting about odds and ends here and there until they were scrubbing out.

"Does anyone want to grab a drink at Joe's for old times sake after shift?" Addison asks the two.

"I can't. I'm on call." Meredith says.

"When has that ever stopped Meredith Grey?" Addison asked.

"Meredith rather be drinking Hayes' Irish whiskey tonight than be with us." Amelia laughed.

"What?" Addison laughed.

"When they're on call they always migrate into his office and they drink whiskey," Amelia explained.

"How do you know about that?" Meredith asked pointedly.

"Oh come on Meredith. Everyone knows he brings you coffee every morning in the lab and then you share whiskey at the end of your shift." Amelia retorts.

"Tea, " Meredith says.

"What?" Amelia asks.

"He brings me tea in the mornings." she reiterated.

"And you two aren't together?" Addison asked.

"No," Meredith says.

"Why not?" Addison asked.

"Because I'd be his first." Meredith smiles inwardly at their phrase for it.

"And that is?" Addison queried.

"Nothing, you wouldn't understand the reference." She laughed before walking out of the scrub room.

Truthfully, Meredith did like Cormac. His wit, his determination. He was also caring and understood her. He knew what it was like to lose the love of his life. And knew that no one could match that one true love. He also respected her.

She had just finished checking in on her last patient when she tripped over her shoelace and ran into someone. Picking up the chart she dropped, she came face to face with Cormac again. Their faces inches apart she could feel the tension building as they just stared into the eyes of each other. Shaking her head quickly and backing away, "Sorry, I um, tripped." she said.

"Look where you're going, Grey." He chuckles

"Sorry," She apologizes again.

"Meredith," he says just above a whisper moving closer to her. "Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She says just above a whisper.

Cormac grabbed her arm just below the elbow and dragged her to the nearest supply closet.

"What's really wrong?" He asked her again.

"I, uh nothing. Somebody's just in my head." She whispered.

Cormac just barely heard her.

"And would this have anything to do with everyone coming back to Grey Sloan today?" He asked.

She nodded silently,

"Do u want to talk about it?" He questioned.

She loved that Cormac wouldn't force her to do something she didn't want to. If she didn't want to talk about it, then she didn't have to. But she did any way.

"I am okay, Addison and Amelia just got into my head." she said. He raised his eyebrows.

"Im fine, really Cor"

He smiled at the nickname. "And who's Addison?" he asked.

She laughed. "Its a long story."

He raised his eyebrow. So she explained.

"She was married to my husband when I started my internship."

"Huh, so you are okay?" he asked.

She shook her head yes.

"Okay." he said before turning around to leave.

"Hey Cor?" she asked.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "Yeah Meredith?"

"Thanks, " she smiled.