Can't Help Falling in Love

19

Meredith stormed into her house, throwing her bag onto the ground and tossing her jacket behind her as she stalked into the kitchen. Lexie and Izzie looked up from the table as Meredith headed straight to the cabinet next to the fridge and pulled her bottle of tequila off the shelf.

"Hey Mer," Izzie said hesitantly.

"Hey," Meredith said shortly as she took a pull straight from the bottle.

"Is everything okay?" Lexie asked.

"No," she snapped. "Because my mother, the woman who has wanted me to be miserable for as long as I can remember, is in town. And you know what's happened now that my mother is back in town?"

"You're...miserable and drinking out of a tequila bottle?" Izzie volunteered.

"I get suspended," Meredith snapped. "That's what happens. My mother has never been supportive of me teaching, and she shows up in town, and now I've been suspended from my job."

"You were suspended?" Lexie asked. "Why?"

"I have a meeting with the principle and the superintendent tomorrow morning," Meredith sighed as she collapsed onto a chair beside Lexie. "I'm a good teacher. What could I possibly have done wrong?"

"Do you think your mom paid them off?" Izzie asked.

"I don't know," Meredith sighed. "I think they may have found out about Derek. But it's not against the rules, and Derek's not even Meg's dad. I don't understand why it would be a big deal about that now, after four months."

"Are you going to have to break up with him?" Lexie asked.

"No," Meredith breathed. "I mean...that's the last thing in the world that I want. But I can't be unemployed. Especially after my mom tried to tell me that I need to marry Ryan because I can't live off of her forever. And that teaching won't let me provide for myself."

Izzie and Lexie stared at her for a long moment. "I can't even imagine you without Derek anymore," Izzie said softly. "Meredith, you deserve to be happy. You can't break up with Derek."

"I don't want to," Meredith whispered. "I really don't want to. But...how am I supposed to choose between being with the man I love and having a job and...money?"

Before either one of them could reply, the front door opened, and Derek appeared in the kitchen. "Hey guys," he said, planting a kiss to the top of Meredith's head as he moved towards the fridge and pulled out a beer. "What's going on?"

"I um...I need to go study," Lexie said, grabbing a textbook and walking out of the kitchen.

"I'll...help you!" Izzie nodded, following her quickly.

Derek frowned as he watched them scurry out of the room, turning to Meredith and taking in the bottle of tequila that sat in front of her. "Mer, what's going on? Is everything okay?" he asked.

She sighed as she turned to look at him. "I was suspended from work today," she whispered.

"What?" Derek breathed, feeling his blood run cold. If this was a result of his visit from Ellis, he'd never forgive himself.

"I have a meeting with my bosses tomorrow," Meredith sighed. "They didn't tell me why, but if they somehow found out about us...I think that might be what the problem is."

"Meredith," he said softly. "Are you...you can't lost your job because of me. If that's it, I'll step aside."

"No," Meredith shook her head. "Derek, I love you. And I don't want to break up with you."

"It's January, Mer," he said softly. "No schools are going to be hiring new teachers right now."

"I know," she sighed. "But I don't want to be without you."