It had been a long day. A really long day. Meredith's feet hurt almost as much as her ankle. Tripping up the curb, she managed to regain her balance, along with what little of her pride remained, just as Natalie drew to a halt outside a hulking concrete structure. In the few hours since Natalie had left her hiding place, she'd taken her companions across Toronto and back again. To a restaurant. To her hairdresser's. To another restaurant. To the top of the CN Tower. To the shores of Lake Ontario. And now...
"Why are we stopping here?" asked Sharon, catching her breath. Meredith pointed to the sign, in block letters, at the front of the building. "The Coroner's, Natalie? You're not thinking of going back to work?"
Natalie turned to look at her two escorts. "Of course not." she answered stiffly, then, "I just want to check on everything. You know, see how they're getting along without me."
"But how are we getting inside? Everyone thinks you're on some kind of extended vacation. Even Captain Reese." Meredith wasn't really looking forward to seeing the inside of a morgue. One thing she did not have in common with Natalie was a strong stomach: the sight of blood made her sick.
Nat held up a ring of keys and jingled them, smiling faintly. "It's shift change. The night shift doesn't get here till at least seven. I should know: I'm usually on the night shift, remember? Come on," she ordered, walking briskly around the side of the building.
Sharon and Meredith both shook their heads, but followed grudgingly after her as she unlocked the back door and swept a coded card through the device on the alarm panel.
"Isn't there anyone guarding the entrance?" Meredith asked, surprised that police property would go unprotected.
Nat raised her eyebrows and shot her one of those patented, Natalie Lambert, I-don't-believe-I-have-to-explain-this looks. "Do you really think there's anyone trying to get in? Or out, for that matter?" As she spoke, she looked directly at Meredith. "I really wish you would stop asking me questions."
Meredith blinked once and a blank expression crossed her face, then replied "No more questions."
Natalie paused to turn on a light. "Get the door, will you?" she told Sharon. Obediently, Sharon swung the door open and held it as Meredith and Nat entered the morgue. Strangely, Sharon had been doing everything Natalie asked without complaint, all afternoon.
"Take a seat," Natalie told the twosome over her shoulder, "I just want to look over some of the recent cases." Sharon sat immediately, as if dropped by a weight. Meredith wandered around instead, looking at the assorted vials and test-tubes which cluttered the counters.
"She's just trying to find out what Nick's been up to." Sharon told Meredith quietly.
"I heard that! I am not!" Natalie retorted, turning, hands on her hips, to look at Meredith and Sharon. "Don't even mention Nick."
"Don't even mention, umm... who?" Sharon and Meredith responded in unison, looking slightly dazed. Meredith shook her head to clear it and rolled one of the lab chairs over to sit on. Unfortunately, she had to step up in order to sit. Her foot missed the step and she landed with her arm outstretched across the nearest counter. A variety of labelled test-tubes, all filled with blood samples, shattered on impact, spilling their contents onto the counter, the floor, and the front of Meredith's new jeans and white sweater. Cursing, Meredith tried to wipe the blood up with a paper towel, but cut her finger on the glass and smeared the spreading stains on the front of her sweater instead. Sharon, still immobilized by Natalie's previous "sit" command, could do nothing but look on in horror.
"All right," Natalie began, arriving at the scene of the disaster, "I can't take you anywhere that you won't wreak havoc! Don't touch anything else in here." Nat retrieved a pair of surgical gloves and a sponge.
"Don't touch anything here," Meredith repeated, her eyes glazing over. She stood still while Natalie washed the counter and floor. There wasn't much to be done about Meredith's clothing.
"Go get some clean scrubs." Nat told Sharon, "They're in the metal storage closet in the back." She motioned toward the other side of the room.
"Scrubs. My own Toronto Coroner's Office scrubs!" Meredith exclaimed, suddenly thrilled by the thought, even if it meant she'd had to wreck her new outfit in the process.
Almost half an hour later, Natalie pushed her hair out of her face and fanned herself with her hand. She was overdoing, just a little, she thought, for someone who had spent so long in recovery. Well, she knew just the "cure": new clothes, a gourmet meal in a pricey restaurant, and something really chocolate for dessert. It was nice to be out and about again, even if she couldn't keep up this pace forever.
'Forever,' Nat thought, the memory bringing remembered tears. 'So much for forever.' Then she inhaled deeply and said to her companions, "Come along, we're going shopping."
Meredith paused to look at herself in the mirror one more time before Nat flicked off the lights. The green of the scrubs really suited her pale British coloring. Then Sharon grabbed her by the elbow and they headed off, again, across Toronto.
Kelly stood at a phone booth in Eaton Centre and waited impatiently for her call to be answered. Every once in while she shot a glance back at the store where Natalie was trying on exquisite dresses, just to make sure that her prey was still in sight. Luckily she had been on her way to visit Nat when the doctor left the Natcave.
"Hellllllooo?" Amy answered.
"Amy!" Even drinking heavily, as she had been wont to do in the past few weeks, Amy managed to keep dibs on the phone. "Is Maureen there? I need to talk to her right away."
"Mo the formerly blonde?" Amy giggled. She paused for a moment, whether because she was looking for Maureen or trying to figure out how to form words in her inebriated mouth, Kelly was not sure, then continued, "No...I don't think she's here right now. Leave a message at the beep! Beeeeeeeep," she crooned into the phone.
Kelly hung up the phone with a sigh, then considered what to do. <This may be our only chance,> she thought desperately. <Who to call?> She picked up the receiver, and dialed again.
"Merc Headquarters, how may I direct your call?" a professional voice asked.
"I'd like to speak to the Merc Mommy General, please," Kelly responded.
"Just one moment," the voice answered.
"Chris!" Kelly exclaimed. "I need a huge favor...."
*******************
Meredith cleared her throat. She was really thirsty, having walked at least ten miles during the afternoon. Or at least, it felt like ten. Although they had often taken the train, each flight of stairs into and out of the stations had presented new difficulties. Now Sharon had ventured off to find some sodas, and Meredith was keeping her eyes fixed on the dressing room where Natalie was trying on dresses. At the same time, she was also trying to look unobtrusive wearing scrubs in a fancy clothing store.
"What do you think?" Nat asked, emerging from the changing area wearing a pink sequined gown. Meredith shook her head, "The color isn't quite right. And it's still a little big, Nat. You've lost a lot of weight."
"No wonder, with the stuff you've been feeding me." Nat scolded, letting the swinging doors fall closed behind her. Meredith simply couldn't argue. Five minutes later, Nat still hadn't appeared again. Either the zipper was stuck, or... There were three stairs between the place where she was waiting and the dressing rooms. As she took the first step up, she lost her balance and would have careened headlong into a nearby mannequin if it weren't for the hands which closed on her waist and steadied her.
"Thank you very much," she told her rescuer politely, turning to find a familiar face staring inquisitively at her. Her face was bright red from the embarrassment, even after taking so many spills in the last few days. 'Red and green,' she thought, 'Great, I must look like a Christmas tree.'
"You're very welcome." Jerry Tate replied, trying to smother a laugh. "You haven't been drinking, by any chance?" Then, reading the expression on her face, asked, "I don't know you, do I?"
"Well, no, um, I mean, well, that is..." Meredith tried to regain her mental, as well as her physical equilibrium. "I watched your show a few times, and once, when I was up here on vacation, I was even in the audience. I mean, you wouldn't remember me, but I was there with a Detective Tracy Vetter..." she trailed off, aware that she was babbling. She'd had a crush on Jerry Tate for as long as she could remember, and here he was with his hands still on her waist. She took an involuntary step backwards.
"Ah, Tracy. The detective my assistant almost killed. I thought your face looked familiar, though. Have I seen you somewhere else?" Jerry was dressed to the nines, looking every inch the television personality. His Armani suit and Italian leather shoes were spotless. Meredith realized that she was wearing scrubs. She also realized that Jerry had a rather filmy black negligee draped over one arm. Both of these observations made her face turn red again. "I don't think so." she answered.
Jerry followed her gaze to the nightwear he was carrying and began to turn red himself. "This," he answered, plucking the negligee gingerly off his arm, as if it were slimy, "Is the only thing I can think of to get my sister for her birthday."
"Yeah, right." Meredith returned. 'Sleaze,' she thought 'Who'd buy that kind of thing for his sister?'
"Do you have any better ideas?" he asked, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "She's an exotic dancer," he explained, "She doesn't wear a lot of expensive clothes, even when she's away from work. In fact, she doesn't wear a lot of clothes. Period."
Meredith found herself buying his story. She smiled. "Well, you could try getting her something besides clothes. Something for the kitchen. Or doesn't she cook?"
Jerry looked relieved and draped the garment over the arm of the nearest mannequin. "Great idea! Now, why didn't I think of that?"
'Either he doesn't cook much himself, or he has the brains of a flea.' Meredith thought, 'Oh well, at least he's gorgeous.'
Just then, Sharon returned, carrying three sodas in an unstable arrangement. "Help!" she exclaimed, almost tipping the drinks. Meredith grabbed two of the sodas and turned to look in the direction of the dressing room. To her horror, the lights were off and the attendant was just locking the door.
"You didn't happen to see a woman, oh, in her thirties, long brown hair, within the last few minutes?" Meredith asked. The attendant shook her head. "No, she left maybe fifteen minutes ago. Seemed in a real hurry."
"You lost Natalie!" Sharon glared at her fellow Natpacker, at a loss for words. "How could you do that?"
"Sharon," Meredith began, "I'd like you to meet Jerry Tate."
"Listen, I've got to buy a present a deliver it before eight," Jerry said, not thrilled with being in the middle of the quarrel between the two NatPackers.
"But, but...." Meredith stammered, looking between Jerry and Sharon.
"I think that I can solve this problem," Kelly said, appearing next to her fellow Pack members.
"Kelly! How did you get here?"
"I...uh, I was doing some shopping, and I caught sight of you guys with Nat." She hastened to reassure them that she did not blame them for Nat's escape. "I think that it's great that you offered to go shopping with Nat. But you've been on duty all day--why don't you let me take over baby-sitting her."
Sharon looked doubtful, but Kelly gave her an encouraging smile. "I think it would be o.k.," Meredith interjected, "After all, she was responsible for those awful concoctions in the blender that drove Nat out of hiding."
"True," Sharon acquiesced, "Still..." she trailed off, feeling guilty for shirking her duty.
"You're tired," Kelly continued, "and you're new at this. Nobody should have to spend all their time in Toronto without getting any rest. Go back to your room. Take a nap. And while you're at it, please call Jenny and let her know that I'm guarding Nat; she must be worried sick trying to figure out where the three of you wandered off to. She probably thinks the Mercs kidnapped Nat. Or that you're working for another faction."
"You're sure you don't mind?" Sharon asked. Kelly shook her head. Grateful, Sharon smiled and attempted to hide a yawn behind her open palm. "You're right. I will call Jenny. Just make sure you catch up with her!"
"Oh, I will." Kelly breathed a sigh of relief, and set off after Nat, disappearing into the crowds of Eaton Centre.
"I still can't believe you forgot to watch Natalie!" Sharon turned her attention back to Meredith.
"Sorry," Meredith grinned at Jerry, "I was distracted." Jerry grinned back, glad that the feud seemed to be drawing to a close.
"Oh, you're hopeless." Sharon told her companion, yawning again as exhaustion set in. It had been a very long afternoon. "I'm going to get some chocolate. Then I'm going to get some sleep."
As they watched Sharon head for the escalators, Jerry asked, "I'm not sure I want to know, but why were you guarding Natalie? Who's Natalie?"
"Well," Meredith began,"It's a long story. What do you say, I'll help you finish your shopping..."
Jerry interrupted, "Then I'll take you to dinner and you can tell me the whole story."
'At least the man knows how to fill in the blanks when they're presented to him.' Meredith thought, letting Jerry take her arm as they encountered another flight of stairs.
"By the way," he remarked, "I haven't even asked your name. Or what kind of food you like." He looked at her expectantly.
"Meredith Pickering, but you can call me Meri." she paused, "And right now, I'll eat anything that hasn't been made in a blender..."