Bright and Shiny

Chapter 77

Derek was buzzing after finishing up closing his and Alex's patient. His after emergency life surgery high was in full effect. They had saved the patient and had they not caught what they did in time, her life would have been taken in hours. Saving someone on the brink like that always made him realize what this job really was for him. That woman was now going to be able to live with her husband and family and he had a hand in that, in their future.
While Derek was buzzing and finishing scrubbing out he thought of taking Meredith to grab some dinner when Chief Webber came in with a guilty look on his face.

"You have a look I don't like." Derek acknowledged. "You're going to bring me off my surgery high aren't you?"

"I should have warned her. I should have made her talk to me earlier." He told Derek solemnly, with a look that made Derek's face fall. Quickly remembering Richard had been trying to talk to Meredith about something since yesterday.

"What did you have to tell Meredith?" Derek seriously asked, trying to keep calm.

"Calm down Derek, it's not that serious."

"Don't tell me to calm down when it involves my wife and you looking like that, plus saying you should have warned her. I will be the judge of what is serious or not." Derek angrily said as he threw the hand towel he was using to wipe his hands down into the scrub sink.

"Ellis is here." Richard blurted out as Derek looked on with wide eyes trying to process that information. He blinked once, twice, then turned his body to face the OR window. Resting his hands on the edges of the scrub sink and hunching over in a tired pose.

"Here? Here in Seattle here?" Derek stupidly hoped she was somewhere in a hotel.

"Here on the fourth floor working on VIP patient and then doing a lecture in the hall." Richard told him begrudgingly. Derek's head snapped up and looked at him in shock.

"You brought her here for case and a lecture and didn't think to tell Meredith or I don't know... ME about it?" He yelled enraged again.

"I thought I would get to speak to Meredith before Ellis showed up, but Ellis being well... Ellis arrived early and then Meredith had a late day today. Which had slipped my mind."

"And you didn't think to tell me? You had chance after chance to let me in on this. I would have warned her in time, I would have gotten to her before you. You know Meredith and Ellis love each other, but are not good at speaking to each other."

"I was trying to handle this without involving you. It's already enough that you're her husband the attending but using you as a go between when I have messages for an intern is not behavior I want to promote."

"She's my mother-in-law coming here to work on a case and give a lecture. Damn it Richard, I had a right to know this information just as much as Meredith. Where is Meredith now? Has she seen her?" Derek asked him his body still in anger pacing the little area of the scrub room with Richard looking on still guilty and realizing the error of his ways by not letting Derek know about Ellis incoming.

"She and Ellis met in the hall, in front of all the other interns." Derek hunched over again closing his eyes at hearing that, knowing full well that is the worst possible way Meredith would want her co-workers to find out who her mother was.

Richard continued on watching Derek's stance of pain for his wife. "They had a tense reunion, Meredith then went off to change for her shift. The other interns went with Ellis." Derek nodded at Richard, looking up and walking out of the scrub room without another word.

Knowing full well that if Meredith going to change clothes, it meant she was in his office. Probably hiding out for now.