Another Heart Calls
I Never Stopped Loving You
“You punched her?!” Meredith exclaimed as Charlotte told her what happened the previous night between her and Janelle.
“Of course I did,” Charlotte told her. “She was saying shit about you and me. I wasn’t going to let her get away with it, so I punched her in the face. Believe me, Mer, you would have been proud of me. Blood was pouring out of her nose,” she said with a smile. “But, then I screwed up,” she added.
“What do you mean?”
“I went off on Marty saying that he cheated on me,” Charlotte told her. “And, I might have been screaming it, and all the people in the U.C. were listening.”
“What?” Meredith asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, like I said, I screwed up.”
“What did Marty say?” Meredith asked.
“He told me he didn’t cheat on me, and I told him I didn’t believe him. But, then he told me that it was Joanna that picked up his phone that night. I went and found her, and she confirmed that it was her that answered his phone,” Charlotte explained.
“So, he didn’t cheat on you?”
“Don’t say it in that tone,” Charlotte told her.
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s like you’re trying to say ‘I told you so’ without actually saying it,” Charlotte said.
“Well…” Meredith said with a smile.
“Shut up!” Charlotte exclaimed.
Meredith was about to say something when her doorbell rang. She forgot about her conversation with Charlotte for the moment and walked over to answer the door. When she opened it, she wasn’t prepared for who she saw standing there.
“Hey,” Patrick said with his hands shoved into his pockets and a small smile on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Meredith asked curtly.
“I was hoping to talk to you,” Patrick admitted.
“Mer, I’m going to go,” Charlotte told her walking towards the door to where she and Patrick stood.
“Fine,” Meredith said, knowing that Charlotte’s leaving meant that she thought that she should talk to Patrick. “But, you should really go talk to Marty.”
“Yeah,” Charlotte said in a sarcastic tone that let Meredith know that she had absolutely no intention of doing so.
“Seriously, Char. You know I’m right,” Meredith said with a smile.
“Whatever, Meredith. I’ll see you later,” she said leaving Meredith’s apartment.
“Come on in,” Meredith told Patrick, who was still standing on the outside. He walked inside, going to sit on the couch. “So,” Meredith said, following him to the couch. “What did you want to talk about?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“I wanted to apologize again,” Patrick began.
Meredith sighed. “Patrick…”
“Please, just let me say what I need to say,” Patrick begged.
“Fine,” Meredith relented.
“Meredith, I love you,” Patrick told her. “I’ve always loved you. I’ve never stopped loving you, and I never will. I need you in my life, Mer.”
“You never stopped loving me?” Meredith questioned.” Oh, really? Did you love me when you were having sex with Janelle? Hmm?”
“Meredith, that was a mistake,” Patrick told her. “I never should have done that. I was angry that you had asked me to go on that date with her, and at the time, she made it seem like the right thing to do.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Meredith yelled. “Patrick, you had sex with Janelle! And now you’re trying to put the blame on me?”
“No, Meredith, I’m not blaming you. This is all my fault, and I know it. I fucked up,” he said. “And I’m sorry.”
“Patrick, an apology won’t make it better. It can’t change the past.”
“What do you want me to do? I want to make this all better,” Patrick told her. “I’ll do anything.”
“Patrick, I don’t know if there’s anything you can do. Janelle’s not going anywhere, and she’s going to remind me of what you two did every single chance that she gets.”
“Meredith, I love you and only you. I want to go back to the way we were. I want to go back to us loving each other.”
“Patrick, I still love you,” Meredith admitted quietly.
“So, can we try it again? Can we get back together?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Meredith apologized.
“Why not?” Patrick asked. “You said you love me. You know I love you. So, why can’t we go back to how we were?”
“I do love you, Patrick,” Meredith told him. “But, I don’t trust you anymore.”
“What can I do to get that trust back?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Meredith said sadly. “I don’t know.”
“Of course I did,” Charlotte told her. “She was saying shit about you and me. I wasn’t going to let her get away with it, so I punched her in the face. Believe me, Mer, you would have been proud of me. Blood was pouring out of her nose,” she said with a smile. “But, then I screwed up,” she added.
“What do you mean?”
“I went off on Marty saying that he cheated on me,” Charlotte told her. “And, I might have been screaming it, and all the people in the U.C. were listening.”
“What?” Meredith asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, like I said, I screwed up.”
“What did Marty say?” Meredith asked.
“He told me he didn’t cheat on me, and I told him I didn’t believe him. But, then he told me that it was Joanna that picked up his phone that night. I went and found her, and she confirmed that it was her that answered his phone,” Charlotte explained.
“So, he didn’t cheat on you?”
“Don’t say it in that tone,” Charlotte told her.
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s like you’re trying to say ‘I told you so’ without actually saying it,” Charlotte said.
“Well…” Meredith said with a smile.
“Shut up!” Charlotte exclaimed.
Meredith was about to say something when her doorbell rang. She forgot about her conversation with Charlotte for the moment and walked over to answer the door. When she opened it, she wasn’t prepared for who she saw standing there.
“Hey,” Patrick said with his hands shoved into his pockets and a small smile on his face.
“What are you doing here?” Meredith asked curtly.
“I was hoping to talk to you,” Patrick admitted.
“Mer, I’m going to go,” Charlotte told her walking towards the door to where she and Patrick stood.
“Fine,” Meredith said, knowing that Charlotte’s leaving meant that she thought that she should talk to Patrick. “But, you should really go talk to Marty.”
“Yeah,” Charlotte said in a sarcastic tone that let Meredith know that she had absolutely no intention of doing so.
“Seriously, Char. You know I’m right,” Meredith said with a smile.
“Whatever, Meredith. I’ll see you later,” she said leaving Meredith’s apartment.
“Come on in,” Meredith told Patrick, who was still standing on the outside. He walked inside, going to sit on the couch. “So,” Meredith said, following him to the couch. “What did you want to talk about?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“I wanted to apologize again,” Patrick began.
Meredith sighed. “Patrick…”
“Please, just let me say what I need to say,” Patrick begged.
“Fine,” Meredith relented.
“Meredith, I love you,” Patrick told her. “I’ve always loved you. I’ve never stopped loving you, and I never will. I need you in my life, Mer.”
“You never stopped loving me?” Meredith questioned.” Oh, really? Did you love me when you were having sex with Janelle? Hmm?”
“Meredith, that was a mistake,” Patrick told her. “I never should have done that. I was angry that you had asked me to go on that date with her, and at the time, she made it seem like the right thing to do.”
“Do you hear yourself?” Meredith yelled. “Patrick, you had sex with Janelle! And now you’re trying to put the blame on me?”
“No, Meredith, I’m not blaming you. This is all my fault, and I know it. I fucked up,” he said. “And I’m sorry.”
“Patrick, an apology won’t make it better. It can’t change the past.”
“What do you want me to do? I want to make this all better,” Patrick told her. “I’ll do anything.”
“Patrick, I don’t know if there’s anything you can do. Janelle’s not going anywhere, and she’s going to remind me of what you two did every single chance that she gets.”
“Meredith, I love you and only you. I want to go back to the way we were. I want to go back to us loving each other.”
“Patrick, I still love you,” Meredith admitted quietly.
“So, can we try it again? Can we get back together?”
“No, I’m sorry,” Meredith apologized.
“Why not?” Patrick asked. “You said you love me. You know I love you. So, why can’t we go back to how we were?”
“I do love you, Patrick,” Meredith told him. “But, I don’t trust you anymore.”
“What can I do to get that trust back?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Meredith said sadly. “I don’t know.”
♠ ♠ ♠
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