Chapter 3

"Okay people," Derek announced to his surgical team,"Its a beautiful day to save lives," light laughs were heard,"Let's have some fun."

Derek started up his drill. The vibration excited his body to cut open this person and poke around at his insides. To a 'normal' person that seems crude or disgusting, but for a surgeon its the best high in the world.

"I can't believe Meredith didn't do this surgery," George commented as he looked down from the galley.

"Its not even an exciting surgery O'Mally," Cristina scoffed.

All eyes turned to Izzie,"What?! I don't know anything! Why would I know anythin-"

"Usually now you would say, 'Any surgery is better than no surgery.' Or some crap like that," Cristina reached over George and started munching on his chips.

"Hey, those are mine!" George complained. Cristina just ignored him.

"I thikn Mer and Der are in a fight again," Alex gave a sly grin to Cristina,"Bet ya fifty."

"You're on!" Cristina continued to watch.

Izzie began to figit.

What if it slips out? Mer would kill me! Or-or I'll get kicked out of the house and have to be a loser and live in the hospital!

Iz grinned lightly, Oh wait. She thought, That tittle's taken byCallie O'Mally.

"Have you guys seen Mer?" George asked,"She's been acting weird all day."

"Tell me about it. She cleared to whole board of all her surgeries," Cristina snickered,"Who'd do that?"

"And she and Smitts' sister got in a fight. Yelling, screaming, and slammed doors," Alex laughed.

Izzie continued to play with her hands even more furious than before. She had the greatest urge to bake. She hated to keep secrets, well not all secrets like Hannah, but that's a different story. Cupcakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, even cornbread! Just to stir her troubles away. Her hand twiched for her wooden spoon and ceramic bowl.

"Izzie?" Alex put his hand on hers.

"Hmmm?" she looked up.

"Your hand was driving me crazy."

"Oh," she said slightly disapointed. So what if the past is a past? A girl still has a right to an ego.

Cristian raised her eyebrows at Izzie's tone,"Barbie hasn't got a good lay recently?"

"That has nothing to do with it!" Izzie protested.

"Oh, so Sloan's losing his touch?" Alex scoffed.

"No!" she tried to defend whatever dignity she has left.

"His heart rate is going down," a scrub nurse said.

"Oh come on Jake," Shepard said to no one in particular.

"Dr. Shepard, it's getting lower!" the nurse reminded him again.

He put down his scapule,"Lower him," he ordered. Derek walked over to the other side and started to cardio-resesitate Jake."Come one," he muttered.

Slowly Jake's heart rate started to rise again. Derek sighed in relief. He then proceded with the surgery.

---

Meredith sat on the gurny on their 'hide-away.' At the moment that's all she wanted to do, hide. She was too nervous to go see Jake, Carrie, or even ask Derek how the surgery went. It seems no matter what, life was out to get her.

Izzie sat down next to Meredith,"Mer..."

"Don't tell me."

"What?" Izzie looked at her friend in confusion.

Meredith slowly met her gaze,"I don't want to know about the surgery."

"Come on Meredith," Meredith got up and started to walk away,"Meredith!"

Mer got a sandwhich and chips from the cafeteria. She slowly chewed on the stale bread, turkey, lettuce, tomato, and cheese combination.

"Hey Mer," Alex, Cristina, and George sat next to her. " That was the most boring surgery ever."

"Better than babysitting," quipped Alex.

"Why didn't you do the surgery?" asked George for conversational purposes. He didn't realize how much that question would hurt her.

"I wasn't," Mer took a huge bite of her sandwhich.

Cristina looked at her person strangly,"And you gave it to McDreamy?"

Meredith just glared at Cristina while she ranted. She went on and on about how she could have done such a simple surgery. And the details of what happened. Like she wanted to hear about her baby cousin being poked and prodded.

"I've gotta," Meredith paused to think of some lame excuse,"I've gotta be somewhere else."

---

Meredith stared at Derek while he made pasta for dinner,"So, work. Was it good?"

He chuckled,"Mer, we work in the same hospital."

"I know that," she bit her lip."Its just that you know. I want to know what happened."

Like with my cousin's surgery that I was too much of a chicken to watch, let alone perform.

"Well, I almost lost a guy in surgery. But he's fine now. I think his name was Jake?" Derek's attention was towards the pasta not seeing Meredith freeze up.

"O-o-oh? R-really," her eyes were wide,"Is he - okay?"

"Yeah fine," Derek turned around to see the petrified Meredith,"Why?"

She shrugged it off,"Nothing."

Derek continued to stare at his girlfriend's blank expression,"Really, what."

She sighed and made eye contact with him,"Me and Jake have a past..."

And at with that it was Derek's time to freeze.