Under the Night Sky

Chapter 3: Bump In The Night

Meredith loved her life in Rachel. Not that she hated it before but in this little charming town of Nevada it took completely different colors. Who would have thought? She was a child of big cities. She was born in Seattle, grew up in Boston, her career skyrocketed in New York, where also she had her heart broken.

Many of her friends and colleagues didn't understand her decision when she quit Mount Sinai. Presumably, she had had everything. She had an amazing career. By many she was considered a medical genius. She was the youngest fellow ever, the youngest surgeon ever to be awarded Harper-Avery. Money was never an issue to afford the illustrious life she led since being widely recognized in the medical field. And she had this special someone with whom she was going to spend the rest of her life. Until she was stabbed in the back where it hurt the most, leaving her with practically zero trust in people and an unbearable hatred to what was her passion and profession.

After that, she just couldn't find herself, she couldn't redefine herself. Her half-sister convinced her to go on a wild trip to Vegas to cheer her up. Little she knew her older sibling would choose to stay in Nevada for good. No, not in Vegas. The city was spectacular in itself, without a doubt. But it was not what her heart started beating for once again. Lexie, a great enthusiast of tourist attractions, dragged her to Rachel, a well-known alien spot close to the mysterious Area 51 when Uncle Sam was rumored to hide extraterrestrial beings and their spacecrafts.

Meredith fell in love with the place at the first sight. Not necessarily with the alien hype, though it definitely added to its charm. She loved the serenity, slow pace with which the sun governed the life in this desert region. She loved the people. They were straightforward. Not in the way Derek claimed. They were real, no make believe. If they were flawed they were honest about it.

Lexie popped in to one of the souvenir shops, hunting for perfect alien memorabilia, whereas Meredith sat down on a bench and soaked everything in. She wanted to sit there forever, to stay there forever. She felt it in her heart, it was reborn, her strength of will, her spark. She was brand new. The vacancy in the local practice was what ultimately convinced her to act on her insane urge. She signed the contract with Dr. William Shepherd the exact same day buying off half of the practice that was threatened with financial ruin, to Lexie's utter horror. But no rationalizations, arguments, threats or tears made her change her mind.

It wasn't easy at the beginning. She was an outsider, and not falling into the category of tourists who were cherished as they came, spent their money and left without fuss. She was here to stay which aroused suspicions. She didn't let that discourage her. She thrived on it. She lived to overcome the impossible. It wasn't long until she warmed her way into the hearts of Rachel folk. Everyone noticed the coarse streak of hers that made her fit right in. Plus, she was an excellent doctor who never denied extending her care to anyone.

Did she ever miss her previous life? She didn't have much time for it. Even for a town of nearly two hundred inhabitants, situations regarding medical attention were numerous, especially in the tourist season. Sometimes, in moments of idleness, she missed the closeness to her half-sisters and the hustle of the big hospital. But every second of her new life was worth it, every second of the last three years she spent in Rachel.

Meredith smiled over a cup of coffee. She was completely relaxed now thanks to the last few hours she spent with her patients. Derek the asshole was slowly fading into the background. He had irked her, brought bad memories to the surface, reminded her of the people she was once surrounded by. He was persistent too, the way he wanted to get back at her... unsuccessfully.

What was he doing in Rachel? She pondered on that question curiously stirring the contents of her coffee cup. She knew he was a New Yorker and was here for a closer unspecified business activity. That was weird. Cristina's inn was practically the alien centre and he clearly didn't arrive for her. And he seemed somehow familiar with Rachel.