Bright and Shiny

Chapter 100

Bailey was in a huff, stalking very angry down the hall because people were just standing around like spectators at a sporting event waiting to see what became of Derek's patient. "This is a hospital, lives need saving, sick people are here. Either you are here to work or not, if not. Then go to HR and turn in your badges." She yelled at the corridor watching as interns, nurses, orderlies and residents all quickly scattered. Muttering a "dumb fools" under her breath as she continued down the hall towards the pit.

She had been extremely impressed when Meredith showed up declaring herself done with Burke and needing a new assignment. She knew Meredith could have easily waited for her husband and not inform Bailey about her being done with Burke, except she hadn't. She came to her letting her know, which in Bailey's mind had the respect of the intern go up a few more notches. Bailey knew without a doubt now Meredith Shepherd wasn't feeling that well, however she was here to work, she was here to grow and be a great surgeon and she was going to prove it by her work ethic alone.

"Dr. Shepherd" Bailey called to her and smiled as she passed Meredith in the corridor escorting her latest patient of the day to X-ray. "Dr. Bailey," Meredith acknowledged and smiled back to her resident.

"Whoa what did you do to get her to smile at you?" Britney, the teenage cheerleader patient who got into a cat fight at school of Dr. Bailey's asked Meredith, "She's been bitchy all afternoon." She rolled her eyes in a teenage over dramatic fashion as Meredith laughed at her.

"I have no idea, but I hope it lasts." Meredith giggled to the patient as she continued down the hall.

"So you're her huh?" Britney smirked at Meredith with raising eyebrows.

"Her?" Meredith asked with a higher tone, confused.

"You know, the one all the nurses are all jealous of. Something about having the hot doc gazing lovingly at you." She rolled her eyes again. Meredith was shocked that this patient who had been here a grand total of two hours had already managed to here gossip about her and Derek.

"I wouldn't say I have...wait a minute where did you hear this from?"

"What can I say, I was bored and have good hearing. I was kind of eavesdropping at the nurse's desk.

"Well he's my husband, so it's only fitting he gazes lovingly at me."

"Husband, ooooh bagged the older hot doc, go Dr. Shep." She responded as Meredith just shook her head in amusement. Maneuvering the wheel chair out of the elevator as they reached the X-ray lab.

"It doesn't bother you? All those nurses wanting your man?" she asked quietly in deep thought.

"Is that what the fight was about? The other girl and you were fighting over a guy." Meredith asked her with compassion in her voice, resting a reassuring hand on Britney's shoulder.

"He's my boyfriend and she was throwing herself all over him. He says he loves me but she was…ugh I don't even want to remember it."

"I guess you could say I'm used to the nurses pining after my husband, it's been like this for many years. I can't say though that the first time it happened, I didn't react that well." Meredith giggled, remembering the first time she visited Derek at the hospital during his first week as an intern and before she started NYC.

"What was that?" she squeaked at Derek glancing back around to the nurse's desk as Derek greeted her with a kiss and led her towards the cafeteria.

"What was what?" he asked wrapping his arm around her, feeling her, breathing her in and just loving the fact that after 2 days stuck in the hospital on his first intern shift he was seeing his wife of just a few weeks again.

"Those! Nurses glaring at me and looking at you like I look at cheesecake. Why are they glaring at me? And why are they looking at you like I look at cheesecake" Meredith huffed out as they walked and got more looks.

Derek couldn't help but laugh at Meredith's freak out, he had noticed the attention he and Mark were both getting from the female staff at the hospital. However, while Mark has been encouraging it, Derek was shying away and wanted everyone to know he was very much taken.

"Apparently they smell fresh doctor meat, they're staring at Mark too." He reassured her, placing a gentle kiss to her temple trying to calm her tense body.

"Well, I don't like it." She pouted like a kid. "You are my husband, and I think I am going to inform them of that." She glared turning back around starting to march back to the nurse's station balling her little hands into fists. However, before she could reach her destination. Derek grabbed her waist to turn her back around to face him stilling her movements and both of them standing still together in the middle of the hospital lobby. Grabbing her head gently in between his hands, gazing at her with such love and adoration. "I love you." He whispered gently brushing his thumb against her cheek. "I don't care how they look at me, because the only person I see and the only person I want looking at me is you." He continued as he slowly captured her lips between his with a slow sensual kiss, one of longing, missing her these past few hours and complete love.

"Now..." he whispered pulling back slightly. "How about we ignore them and probably the worse looks we're both getting right now and you go have lunch with your husband who's been missing you terribly?"

"I'd like to have lunch with my husband, I've been missing terribly too." She whispered with tears in her eyes from his loving reassuring words. Taking his hand in hers and continuing their walk through the lobby towards the cafeteria not caring how anyone was looking at them, because they only had eyes for each other.

"That's pretty sappy Dr. Shep." Britney laughed at her as Meredith recalled her first and last experience with dealing with the nurses eyeing up Derek.

"Well, let's just say he's good with dishing it out but he wasn't as calm when it came to him dealing with college boys always wanting to talk to me or asking me out when I started school the following week." She laughed remembering his anger in jealousy.

"Irate and wanting to quit the hospital so he could follow me around campus was more like it." Meredith laughed before continuing "the moral of it Britney, is that if he loves you, then it doesn't matter what this other girl tries to do. Just as long as he only wants and loves you, let her be pathetic throwing herself at a taken guy. Be the bigger stronger person." Meredith nodded as they emerged from the x-ray lab heading back to the pit.

"And if she doesn't stop and keeps going after him again?"

"Put more weight in your punch next time, so you don't fracture your hand again." Meredith frowned while looking at her x-ray scans.

Then trying to stifle giggle, as they both gave up and started laughing out loud.