We've Got To Stop Meeting Like This

Is It Just Me?

Her brow furrowed as she took in the scene in front of her. She stood on the catwalk, looking into Chief Webber's office, and if she wasn't mistaken, her mother was sat in there with him. That's the last thing she needed today.

All day her interns had been either causing problems or just being plain idiots. Not that it was different from any other day, but today she had a red wine induced hangover. Why did she agree to drink wine with Cristina last night? They never drank wine. She groaned softly and decided that hopefully, if she ignored her mother, she would go away. If she was lucky.

She turned on her heel and took the long way round to the OR floor, to avoid being noticed walking past the Chief's office. She had a solo surgery today, clipping her first aneurysm, and she wasn't going to let her mother ruin that for her.

As she approached the OR board, she noticed Cristina stood waiting to see her off into her surgery, just as Meredith had done for her the day before.

"We are never drinking red wine in so much excess ever again," she groaned to her friend as she stood beside her, eyes scanning the OR board to double check where she would be and at what time. She quickly checked her watch and realised she only had 15 minutes before the scheduled start.

"I'm going to have to agree with that one," Cristina mumbled back, her eyes still trained on the board in front of her as Meredith picked up the chart for her patient, giving it one last read through. After a moment, Cristina spoke up again, "Hey, I thought you just had one surgery today?"

Meredith's grow burrowed as she looked at her friend in confusion, "I do only have one surgery today, Cris." In response, Cristina merely gestured toward the board and Meredith followed her gaze, just now seeing what she was talking about.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," she released a huff of annoyance before turning back to give a questioning Cristina an explanation, "My mother is here. Showing off her new method. I thought I saw her just now in the Chief's office, but I didn't even put two and two together," she rolled her eyes and continued to look through her patient's chart. Her face dropped as a second realisation hit her, "Oh she's speaking at the fundraiser, I doubt she'll let me get out of that..." she muttered, mostly to herself as Cristina wasn't paying her attention anymore.

Something, or rather someone, caught Cristina's eye, and her hand touched Meredith's shoulder, gaining her a look of annoyance from Meredith at the contact. Meredith, however, couldn't see who was stood just down the hall behind her, "Mer, I think you should go scrub in. You'll be great," she gave her a small smile, "I'll be in the gallery."

Meredith quirked an eyebrow at her friend's odd behaviour but didn't think to question it as she gave her a shrug and closed the chart, "I'll see you after, I guess."

As Meredith walked through the doors into the restricted area of the OR corridor, she couldn't help but watch the gaze of the dark-haired male following her friend's retreating figure, a sadness in his eyes. She approached him and quirked an eyebrow at him, "Shepherd, what are you doing here?"

His attention turned to Cristina as she stood in front of him, hands across her chest as she waited for his response. "Dr Grey... Ellis. She asked me to accompany her. My father is here as well."

"Well, you need to leave her daughter alone. She's doing good, finally. She's already up the wall with the fact her mother is here, she doesn't need you messing things up as well," Cristina pointed out.

"I'm not here to mess things up, you don't need to worry about that."

Cristina narrowed her eyes at him a moment as she tried to decide whether to believe him or not. She shook her head, decidedly not believing his intentions, "Just stay away." Without another word, she turned and stalked up to the gallery overlooking the OR Meredith would be operating in. She had no doubt there was trouble brewing.