Bright and Shiny

Chapter 85

To say this evening was tense was an understatement. Meredith wanted to chalk this day up from the likes of hell. She had no idea how a day could start so happy and domestic could turn into the day of shocks, doom and gloom.

She was now face to face alone with her mother eating in a restaurant while her husband was still stuck at work. Ellis never brought up her earlier declarations in the pit and Meredith had the belief that it will be one of those things that should never be spoken about again, just pretend it never happened.

She and Derek expected to meet in his office and then proceed as a united front to her mother in the lobby and they'd go to dinner from there. However her husbands' pager had different ideas. He still hadn't seen her mother and now it looked like he was going to get off Scot free without seeing her entirely this trip which Meredith deemed entirely unfair.

"So does he do this often?" Ellis asked coolly as Meredith hit behind her menu debating her dinner options when she just wanted her pizza. Her husband, his sweats and her pizza.

"Do what?" Meredith asked absentmindly debating on just looking at what could be ordered, made and eaten the fastest to get her out of here.

"Choose to stay at work instead of home with you. You used to not like it when I did it."

At the audacity of that sentence Meredith dramatically and angrily dropped the menu. "Seriously?" she yelled out in her mother, so loudly other patrons in the restaurant turned their heads while Ellis looked on embarrassed by her outburst.

Meredith had had enough, insulting her was one thing. Thinking lowly of her she was used to, but Meredith was not going to let her mother accuse Derek of being anything like her. She swiftly jumped out of her chair to stare her mother down, "you listen up…"

"Meredith!" she heard Derek's surprised tone from behind her.

Quickly turning back to face him she saw him standing there looking drop dead gorgeous in a blue sweater and white button down over his dark dress pants. Looking at him like that almost made her forget she was angry and that the restaurant patrons were all still eye balling her.

"We're going." She snapped while looking at him, never once glancing back at her mother. Grabbing her coat and Derek's hand trying to pull him away from the table but he wasn't moving.

"Mere, Mere" Derek whispered pulling her hand and with it her body into his arms. Leaning down to whisper in her ear while reassuringly rubbing her back. He calmed her tense body down before quietly speaking to her so nobody else could here. "She's trying to push your buttons, and you're not going to give her the satisfaction. OK?" he told her as he tilted her chin up so he could see her gorgeous green eyes. His heart hurt at the tears he saw in them and the hurt her mother inflicted on her again. "Ok" she whispered.

Derek pulled her chair out and she slowly sat back down. Still refusing to even look at her mother. "Ellis.." she heard Derek indifferently greet her mother as he sank down in the chair next to her, pulling it closer so he could wrap his arm around her back for comfort. Meredith knew Derek was pissed when he used the "I don't care" about you like tone.

"So what did you do to upset my wife this time?" Derek asked while picking up a menu to glance at it.

"I merely asked a question which she took offensively. Let's move on shall we, I read about your recent cases in the latest online medical journal. You've had quite an exciting start to your career here haven't you? Making quite the name for yourself. That takes dedication and time." Ellis noted while Meredith raised her head once again glaring her mother down.

"She thinks you're like her." She finally blurted out to Derek. Derek looked at Meredith like she had grown two heads before he burst out laughing at the absurdity of that statement. "She thinks I'm like her?" he laughed repeating it because it made no sense.

"No offense to you Ellis, but I'm nothing like you. I'm sorry I'm late. I had a 911 emergency for a post-op patient of mine. However, this isn't a type of behavior that we repeat often. Work is work, we have hours and we stick to it, unless it's unavoidable." He said smiling to Meredith, with still that laughter in his eyes at Ellis thinking he was like her.

"I'm not stupid, you two. For the name you have made yourself it is impossible for you to have done that without extra dedication and hours."

Meredith shook her head at her mothers' words. Feeling sorry for her, for not knowing what real love and a relationship was. All she knew was how to be a doctor and she poured her entire life into that thinking she couldn't have anything else because to be the best she had to be there twenty-four seven.

"I have hours, I stick to my hours. I do my work to the best of my ability. I research, I strive to be on top of my game. However, it's not my life and I don't devote my existence to it. Believe what you will, but we drive in together, we go home together, we eat dinner together, baring anyone being on call." He said winking to Meredith to remind her of the night a few days ago she was on call and he spent in the night in his office so he wouldn't have to sleep without her, before continuing "and I wouldn't have it any other way." He finished squeezing Meredith's hand and lacing his fingers around hers which had crept itself onto his thigh.

"Let's order." Meredith said wanting this evening over and done with quickly. They stuck to safer subjects after that, Meredith barely saying anything at all. Ellis discussing techniques and other medical advances with Derek as she tuned her out.

When Derek had finished signing the check, he stood pulling out her chair for her so she could stand as well. The dinner had finally come to end and Meredith couldn't be more relieved that her mother was heading back to Seattle Grace and she was going home with Derek.

"Goodbye Mother. Have a safe flight home" Meredith said to her as Ellis finished putting on her coat. "I take it that means you won't be attending my lecture?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. Meredith could tell she was disapproving already of the intern skipping the guest lecturer's appearance. "I have other plans." Meredith smiled looking up at Derek as he helped her put her coat on.

Derek and Ellis said their cordial goodbyes with Ellis telling him that she'd email all these new journal entries she's read which caused Meredith to just roll her eyes and with that she was finally gone.

"Come on, after your day I'll buy you 2 pizzas." He smirked as he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out of the restaurant as she leaned back wrapping her arms around his waist as they went home to their perfect evening they wanted all along. Pizzas, sweats and just them in each others arms.