Never Leave Your Heart Alone

Chapter 23

Meredith arrived home form New York late that night. She ended up taking a later flight. Even with the time change, she didn't walk into her house until eleven. The house was quiet. Both George and Izzie's cars were in the driveway. She stumbled up the stairs almost falling several times. She was happy to see her bed. She didn't even change her clothes. She collapsed on the bed. Her head hit an envelope and it crumpled under her hair. She switched the light on. She opened the envelope and read the enclosed letter.

Meredith-
Your hair is like gold,
Your skin is like silk,
I get lost in your eyes,
And I don't want to be found.
Meet me at Joe's Monday after work.
-Derek

She couldn't believe he wrote her a letter and placed it on her pillow. He was the perfect guy. She knew it. But she thought Nate was the perfect guy too. That didn't end so well. She ran her fingers over the handwritten letter and laid it on her night stand. She flipped the light off and closed her eyes. She had a huge smile on her face that would stay there until morning.

"So how was your weekend?" Izzie asked as Meredith sat down at the kitchen table.

"It was fine." Meredith returned with a smile.

"So what did you do?" George asked.

"What do you think we did, George?" Meredith answered with a chuckle.

"Oh, God." George answered.

"So, McDreamy was asking where you went..." Izzie stated.

"Oh?" Meredith said plainly.

"Yeah. Alex told him." George said nonchalantly.

"What!" Meredith said in shock.

"What's the big deal? I thought you were done with men..." Izzie stated.

"I am. I don't care." Meredith said, changing her tone.

"So did you stay at his place?" Izzie asked. "What was it like?"

"Nope. A hotel. I told you I don't want to get personal." Meredith answered. She started thinking about the note Derek left her. What kind of man leaves notes on a woman's pillow? The perfect man, that's who.

"Mer? Earth to Meredith!" Izzie shouted.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"Where the hell were you?" Izzie chuckled.

"Lost in a dream." Meredith answered.

Meredith got assigned to Derek. She was actually giddy. She found herself looking forward to seeing him today. They didn't have a chance to talk. He had her running labs and getting the patient ready. Finally, right before the surgery, they were alone in the scrub room.

"Did you have a good time in New York?" He asked her with a straight face.

"Oh. Yeah. I guess." She said slowly. She knew that he knew why she had went.

"So what did you do?" He said with a smile.

"Seriously?" She laughed. "Cut the crap. I went there to get laid." She snapped.

"You can't do that in Seattle?" He said bluntly.

"I can. But we have an understanding. It's just sex. No strings, no feelings. It works for us." Meredith said simply. "I'm sorry, Derek. This is me. This is the real Meredith Grey."

"No it's not." He stated boldly as he scrubbed his fingernails.

"You don't know. You don't know me. You don't know how I think. What I feel." She scorned. He walked over, grabbed the back of her head, and pulled her into a deep kiss. She kissed him back. She had to. Her mind and body made her.