Bright and Shiny

Chapter 19

Once again it was a packed house. Her husband was such a rock star with wannabe groupies to boot, Meredith thought as she looked down to see Izzy standing behind Derek waiting to start the procedure. It seemed more full in the gallery than before, with even people staring from the halls and ready to pounce in someone's seat if they got paged or had to go to the bathroom.

Meredith laughed at herself after she wondered if she should be allowed reserved seating since it was her husband performing the surgery. Luckily she didn't have to when she saw the Chief sitting with an empty seat next to him, waving her over and telling her to come further in. Meredith snuck her way inside with her wad of charts for Dr. Burke and went to sit in the vacant seat next to the Chief.

"Charting, Dr. Shepherd?"

"Yes sir, I am on Dr. Burke's service today and just following up on his post ops from yesterday."

"How long have you been doing charts Meredith?" At the use of her real name and the tone change in his voice, she suspected he was not happy with her doing the post op charts.

"All morning." She responded knowing very well that Dr. Burke just went down a notch with the Chief. She really was smart, and Dr. Burke was a fool. He was going to rule the day he challenged her husband, because what the single Dr. Burke didn't bet on was a woman standing beside her man. They were the Shepherds, they were a team and if he challenged Derek, that meant he challenged her as well.

"Well that is a shame, especially with your potential and skill. You should be getting exposure to the fullest degree."

"It's alright sir, watching Derek from even up hear is learning enough." She honestly replied while staring down at him, thinking to herself that she sounded like a groupie too. But since she was his wife, she decided that was allowed.

Derek chose that moment to lift his ferry boat scrub hat wearing head up to glance into the gallery, seeing her sitting there in the front row. He gave her a wink and a smile through his mask, although she couldn't see it she knew it was there. She gave him a big smile back that was just full of all the love and support he needed in his worry to open the brain of this little child. Who's life and future was now in his hands.

Meredith grabbed a pen and her chart ready to do some work before they got down to the actual procedure but she couldn't tear her eyes from watching her husband and she couldn't help but be nervous for him and with him. Guessed it went with the team thing or whatever.

Derek always worried more when it was a child on his table, he loved children so much. He was the favorite uncle of all his tons of nieces and nephews. She couldn't wait to give him children one day. She knew the day she told him she was pregnant would be one of the happiest of his life.

The entire family would come out from New York and they'd descend on them like crazy with baby gifts and bottles and just help they knew she and Derek would need. If the Shepherds knew anything, it was how to have babies, she laughed to herself. As opposed to her mother, or the Ice Queen as Meredith nicknamed her years ago. Shaking herself from thoughts of her, Meredith once again looked down at her chart and pen and started to do the notes.

She glanced at Derek every now and then still doing incisions to get to the bleeding location. He relaxed and talked to those around him, and testing Izzy. He addressed Izzy and asked if she was prepared. She looked freaked out and kind of scared of him, Meredith made a mental note to ask why she looked so scared of him. He must of yelled or something. Knowing she wouldn't know the advanced questions. He didn't start her out with attending level questions, he started with the basics and she did well.

Meredith took a glance towards Chief who had a look of approval on his face at Derek applying himself or whatever the Chief thought he needed to do with Izzy.

"He's going to be one of the greats." He said to Meredith with pride while still looking on at Derek quizzing Izzy. "I like to think, that I had a little piece of his success." He added.

"You had more than a little piece, you were his resident. His mentor, he learned so much from you. You should be proud of yourself. He used to come home raving about things you did and taught him"

"He did?"

"He did."

"You should be proud too Meredith. You Meredith, you ground him. He was the best intern I had, he wasn't interested in just the money or sleeping around in on call rooms. He came in, did his job and learned to be the best and couldn't wait to go home to be with you. He knew what was work and he knew what was his life. You gave him balance."

"We give each other balance." She corrected with a smile, before grabbing another one of Burke's charts to finish while watching her husband be great.