Ambivalence

3

Meredith couldn't stop yawning. She spent the night trying to convince herself the man from her past returning wouldn't be the cause of her death. As much as she wanted to believe it, nothing was impossible when it came to Derek.

"God do you ever look up from that damn thing!" Meredith scolded when his body collided into hers for the second time that week.

"If you must know, I was confirming my plans for this afternoon," Derek snapped his blackberry shut and dropped into the pocket of his lab coat.

"I don't care about your plans," she yawned again, hating herself for letting out the gasp of air in front of him.

"Someone's tired. Late night? Let me guess, Cruella, you stayed up scrolling through the web looking at pictures of Dalmatians to turn into coats?"

"I'm running on the leftover sip of coffee that was in my kettle and three hours of sleep. I don't have the time nor energy to stand here and listen to you compare me to a Disney Villain," Meredith exhaled and glanced back and forth between his face and the fresh cup of coffee in his hands.

"Do you want some?" he offered.

"Thank you," Meredith reached for the cup excitedly.

"Well that sucks," before she could fully grasp it Derek pulled the cup away and brought it to his own lips. He didn't even attempt to disguise his amusement.

"You're a dick!" Meredith spat. When she turned around to get away from her arrogant ex boyfriend she was greeted with someone she needed more than a sip of coffee to face.

"Dr. Fox!" she adjusted her attitude and smoothed out her scrub top.

"I heard the mention of penises and I couldn't help but join in on the conversation," the studious surgeon intimidated both of them to lengths they would never admit.

"We weren't- that's not...it's not like that we're just," Meredith stuttered and shook her head defensively.

"Relax dear, I wasn't assuming anything of that sort," Catherine assured her but Meredith's reaction made it clear there was something out of the ordinary going on between her two most experienced candidates.

Derek only shook his head in embarrassment. Not for himself, but for the woman standing next to him who was thirty seconds into a conversation with the woman who would determine if she got the promotion and she was already making a fool of herself.

"I was just looking for both of you to let you know that I need you to work together on this case. They've been to several doctors before they came here and I want to be certain everything runs smoothly."

"Dr. Fox, I'd be happy to take over and let Dr. Grey here get some rest," Derek blocked Meredith's view of his mouth with his hand and whispered: "she looks a little tired, doesn't she?"

"I'm not tired!" Meredith refuted. "I'm...sorry I just- you can't, Der- Dr. Shepherd isn't. I'm excited to work on this case, Dr. Fox." Meredith rambled as she struggled to speak. Derek took it as his chance to step in and make himself seem like a better choice for the position.

"You're excited that a patient is dying?" he inquired. "That's a little tone deaf, don't you think Dr. Fox?"

"That's not what I meant. I would never say such a thing."

"But you did. Or, am I hearing things? Dr. Fox are you also hearing things or did Dr. Grey just say that she was excited that this poor patient is experiencing so much pain that they've been admitted to multiple hospitals that have failed to bring them any type of relief?" Derek's focus on her clenched jaw made him blind to the realization that Dr. Fox had already fled the scene, allowing them to bicker on their own time.