The Ga on call room

Why isnt Lachlan answering

"I swear, you would not believe the day I have had. First off, some young hot shot surgeon attempted to bump my 7.30am surgery, and then I had to deal with a young boys parents who..." Derek said as he pulled up a chair, but soon enough he noticed the eerie silence that had washed over the table.

"What happened? What's wrong?" he asked immediately.

Derek didn't have to wait too long for an answer, because as he watched Mark's eyes do some extremely weird spasms towards the direction of Meredith, Derek quickly put two and two together.

'Mer, my god...what's wrong?" Derek breathed. The sight of her trembling lip and red rimmed eyes was enough for his heart to stop beating. When you loved someone, you felt their pain, and Derek was feeling Meredith's, but if only he knew what the cause of her tears were, maybe then he would only feel jealousy.

"He...fight...dead...Oh My God! What if something happened and they needed to call the next of kin? I'm not registered as his...that means I won't find out if something's wrong until I go back to London...what if..." Meredith cried.

Derek was near panic himself, because all he heard was the word 'dead', and he looked to any one at the table for some sort of clue as to what the hell was wrong.

"Stop!" Izzie ordered Meredith firmly. "Stop with the craziness right now! Lachlan is not dead , you need to take a deep breath and count to about one thousand, and then and only then will I allow you to talk."

All Meredith could do was nod at Izzie's words. Deep down in her heart she knew that Izzie was right. If anything was seriously wrong, Jessie would have called, or Lachlan's mother Helena would have contacted her. However, Meredith couldn't help but worry about him.

She worried that his beer can collection would start outgrowing the apartment again. She was terrified that he had decided to take off to Alaska without a word, so he could live alone in grief. She knew that Lachlan had seemed to be doing better in the weeks before she came back to Seattle, and maybe part of that was true, but she had a feeling that Lachlan had been putting on a front for her. Soon enough, Meredith was jerked out of her thoughts...

"I don't mean to repeat myself, but could someone please tell me what id going on?" Derek asked in exasperation. He was frustrated because he was being kept in the dark, but above all, he was frustrated because it was clear that Meredith was in distress and he had no idea how to help.

"Oh...um...Lachlan...Meredith hasn't heard from Lachlan in four days and she's just a bit worried that's all." George said as he filled Derek in

"Just a little worried? Where have you been the last...?" Cristina began, before she was cut off.

"What the hell is your problem today Lexie, you're being a total bitch." Cristina told her bluntly. Mark prevented a catfight by answering Derek.

"Look Derek.." he started, "Mer's just stressed because Lachlan hasn't been himself for the last couple of months and since the...Ouch! What?" Mark hissed as Izzie pinched him.

Izzie spoke so that only Mark could hear her, "Mer doesn't want Derek to know about Lachlan's been acting...she just...she would feel really awkward if he knew...seeing as how he's Mer's ex and all." Izzie whispered.

"You get that that makes no sense right?' Mark said quietly.

"It's what Mer wants."

"Fine."

Meredith mouthed a silent thank-you to Izzie, but Mark's statement was not easily forgotten.

"Since when? Is Lachlan alright Mer? Did something happen." Derek asked, concerned and slightly hurt that she didn't want to include him in her life.

"He's fine...just fine...he just, he lost a friend about five months ago...so ..." Meredith trailed off.

Derek nodded his head in understanding, but he knew that there was more to the story than a deceased friend. As Derek looked into Meredith's eyes, he saw something familiar. He saw that same look of helplessness, of loss that he had felt four years ago, when Meredith had pushed him away. It killed him to see her have that look of hopelessness, she deserved nothing but happiness.

"Mer is there's anything you want?...I can help...I can take you home..." Derek offered.

"Actually..." Lexie chimed in, " I was just about to do that. You ready Mer?" she smiled.

"Yeah...sure."

As Meredith and Lexie got up to leave, Derek was about to say something to her but Izzie stopped him.

"Derek, just let her be. She just needs to go home and rest, she'll be fine once she has a clear head."

"I just want to be there for her...to look out for her..." Derek whispered.

"That's not your job anymore, McDreamy." Cristina reminded him.

Derek shot Cristina a look of contempt, but was interrupted by a poke to his shoulder.

"Hey everybody! Why the long faces?" Rose innocently asked

"Jesus Christ... When it rains it pours." Alex muttered

"Alex!" George warned.

Rose looked around to see if anyone was going to answer her, and when it became clear that they weren't she tried again.

"I saw Meredith before, she looked upset, is she alright?"

"Like you care." Cristina said.

Izzie couldn't help but nod her head in agreement.

Derek answered without thinking. "Her boyfriend hasn't called in a few days, and she's worried, that's all."

Alex and Cristina shot Derek looks of disbelief, while Izzie scolded him.

"Derek! I really don't think that Mer would appreciate her private life being discussed with...." Izzie tried to think of an appropriate term for Rose that did not involve explicatives.

"What was wrong with what I said?" Derek wondered

"Who knows man? With women, everything is top secret." Mark replied as he rubbed the spot Izzie had pinched.

"Maybe he's cheating on her?" Rose suddenly offered. "I mean, she's been gone a few weeks, so maybe he decided to..."

"Do not even finish that sentence bitch...." Izzie warned.

If looks could kill, Rose would be six feet under, times fifty.