Never Leave Your Heart Alone

Chapter 17

Izzie walked in and checked on Meredith in the morning. She was sound asleep. Izzie was just hoping that she was at least happy in her dreams. She quietly shut the door and found her way to her car. Izzie didn't know what she was going to say to everyone. She didn't know whether she should tell her friends about what had happened. She was sure it would spread around the hospital like wildfire. She pulled into a parking spot and made her way to the locker room.

"So what the hell is wrong with Meredith?" Cristina said with an annoyed voice.

"Wha- What do you mean?" Izzie said nervously.

"I mean she hasn't called me back. I called her a dozen times." Cristina retorted, pulling her scrub pants on.

"She's got..." Izzie started. "It's nothing..." Bailey stormed in. Izzie rushed to put her clothes on.

"Okay people. We are going to be working extra hard with Grey being off for a week. You all can thank her when she comes back! Rounds, now!" She yelled, they all marched with her like little soldiers. They walked into a patient room. "Yang, you present."

"Carolyn Jeffries is in for an aortic repair. Her condition was stable last night..." Cristina continued.

"It's your case." She handed her the file and they walked out and into the next room. "Stevens, you present this case."

"Mr. Travis is in for a Cervical Laminectomy." Izzie started.

"And what is that?" Bailey asked her.

"It is where a portion of the bony lamina is removed to provide more room for the nerve and spinal cord that is compressed." Izzie explained.

"Good." Bailey said. "Shepherd, she is all yours." Bailey and the remainder of the interns walked out.

"Okay Stevens..." Derek said, walking out into the hallway. "I need you to to get and x-ray and an MRI." She started to walk away. "Izzie, how is she?"

"Excuse me, sir?" She said, surprised that he had called her by her first name.

"How is Meredith?" He said with concern. He noticed her increasing nervousness.

"Um. She is great...why do you ask?" Izzie said quietly.

"I know." He said simply

"Know what?" She said innocently.

"Cut the crap Stevens." He said getting irritated. He was worried about Meredith and he wanted to know how she was. "I know that she was in a relationship with Dr. Carter. I have known for a while. Now you and I both know what has happened. She almost lost her job and Dr. Carter is gone. How is she?" Derek spat out. Izzie was shocked at his frankness. He had intimidated her.

"Um. She is okay. I mean, she was when I left. She was sleeping." Izzie explained.

"Well, that's good. She needs to rest." Derek said quickly. "Go do those tests."

"Right away, Sir." Izzie said as she jetted off.

The surgery went well. Derek was right on the mark, and everything was successful. The whole time he thought about Meredith. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew she pretended she was tough, but it was a front. He knew how devastated she had to be. Earlier he had met up with Richard Webber in the elevator. He was coming back. Richard was returning at Seattle Grace as Chief. He was tight lipped about the situation, but he did say that Chase had gotten the Chief of Surgery position is Boston. Derek closed the patient up and walked into the scrub room.

"That was a great surgery, Dr. Shepherd." Izzie said gratefully.

"Have you decided what your specialty is going to be?" Derek asked her, glancing over.