It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

72.

Meredith turned her head as the elevator doors open, looking to the front door and the fact that Mark was no longer in eyesight, she knew that if she ran for it, she could make it out of the hospital. She looked down at Richie, cooing away in his car seat and sighed. "Why am I such a chicken?" She whispered. "You're not afraid... you're not afraid of your mean old grandma... why am I so afraid of her?" Meredith whispered as she stepped into the elevator. She turned around and put the car seat on the ground for a moment as she pressed the button for the correct floor. "Your mommy is a big baby..." She mumbled as the doors closed. "No offense..." She muttered to Richie as she sighed loudly.

The elevator reached the correct floor and she grabbed the car seat and started walking down the hallway. The closer she came to her mother's office, the harder her heart was pounding. "Why do I let her do this to me?" She whispered. "Why do I let her affect me like this?" She mumbled. "I wonder if I could make it to the ground safely if I used a bed sheet as a parachute..." She muttered as she turned the corner to the outside office.

"Can I help... ohh... he's so precious!" The secretary exclaimed as she looked down at the baby as he fiddled with his blanket, his bright blue eyes sparkling as all attention was brought on him.

"I have an appointment..." Meredith said softly as she watched the secretary coo over the baby for a couple more seconds.

The secretary waved at Richie as she picked up the phone. "Doctor Grey, your one thirty is here..." She said softly into the line. She set the phone down and looked up at Meredith. "She'll see you now..." She smiled, waving at Richie as Meredith sighed as she stepped forward to her mother's office. She could feel her stomach knot as she turned the doorknob and stepped inside.

"You can close the door." Ellis said as she finished typing the memo that she had been working on.

Meredith closed the door and stepped inside, carrying the baby into the room, she set his car seat down and sat in the chair across from her mother.

Ellis put the finishing touches on what she was working on and looked up at Meredith for a moment, seeing her slouched in the chair as she stared at the front of her desk. "How many times did you think of turning around to leave before you made it up here?" Ellis asked as she watched Meredith's eyes raise to hers.

"Huh?" Meredith asked.

"Meredith."

"Two." She said as she glanced to the door. "Three..." Her eyes moved back to her mother.

"You didn't have to make an appointment, Meredith. You could have just come in."

"I don't want to disturb you." She said softly as she reached her hand down involuntarily to the baby, feeling his cool hands on her fingertips, she began to relax. Ellis gave Meredith an incredulous look as she stared at her.

"Don't act like I'm the bad guy here, Meredith. I asked Derek to have you come in to see me, that translates into the fact that I wanted you to come into see me."

"No." Meredith replied. "You asked Derek to have me bring Richie... you didn't ask about me."

"Oh, stop this 'poor me' business right this second. Why can't we be in a room for ten seconds without starting an argument?" Ellis replied.

"You're the one starting the argument." Meredith mumbled grumpily.

"Meredith... If you can't come in here with a decent attitude, then you're wasting my time."

"I'm sorry that I'm wasting your time!" Meredith exclaimed as she stood up and grabbed the car seat.

"Sit down now!" Ellis exclaimed, watching as Meredith stopped and stared at the door. "Sit... down... now..." Ellis said softly. "Please..." She said softly. Ellis watched as Meredith stood there, the car seat in one hand, the doorknob in the other. "Now you can leave and go home and expel all of the childhood angst and anxiety that I cause you on your fiancé and your son... or you can sit down right now... and have a civilized conversation with me. It's your choice Meredith... we can be friends, or we can be enemies... but we can't be both."