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DOROTHEA FIRST REALIZED SHE ABHORRED VIOLENCE WHEN SHE ACCIDENTALLY SHOT DENNY. TEN YEARS LATER, SHE REALIZED VIOLENCE WAS A NECESSARY EVIL. 

"Meredith kissed me," Derek relayed to Bailey as Dorothea ordered an old fashioned. "Addison kissed me. My wife and my girlfriend kissed me."

"Bailey's not going to kiss you," Dorothea pitched in, thanking Joe for the drink and taking a sip. "And I will need to be at least blackout drunk before I attempt."

"On the same day," Derek continued, sighing. "I'd have to be drunk too," he added to Dorothea. "Drunker than I was with Meredith. She was drunk when we met. I was drunk. We were mutually drunk. I'd have to be more drunk with you."

"Ditto."

"Joe," Bailey looked to their friend. "Do I look friendly to you?"

"Of course!" Dorothea exclaimed with a smile "Look at that adorable grin, Miranda."

"You're the exception to every rule, aren't you, Duquette?"

"Yes, ma'am," Dorothea took another sip of her drink. "Derek, you need more alcohol in you. Bailey will never get through this conversation if you're sober."

"Ain't that the truth," Bailey scoffed. "McDreamy, you're sitting by someone who cares, focus on that, not me."

Dorothea snorted. "McDreamy," she shook her head with a fond smile. "I will never get over how hilarious that name is. Think the McInterns will give me a cool name?"

"They already have," Bailey gossiped, sipping her water. "You don't want to hear it?"

"McAwesome?" Dorothea asked excitedly. "McFriendly? McDornalds?" She laughed. "Get it, like McDonalds and Dorothea." She tapped Derek's arm with a laugh. "I'm so funny."

Derek shook his head, sighing. "I need new friends."

"Derek," Dorothea pouted. "Give me a McName."

"McMakingMeMiserable," Derek quipped, rolling his eyes. "Drink your old fashioned." He eyed her drink, then her for a moment. "You're drinking a grandfather's choice, but you act like a teenager. You're insane."

"You love me."

"I'm still deciding."

"I'm going to McLeave," Bailey rolled her eyes. 

"Everything is going to be fine," Derek stated, looking to Dorothea hopefully. "Addison will go back to New York, Meredith and I will start over. Everything's going to be fine, right?"

"Drink up, buttercup," Dorothea smiled sympathetically. "Fine's the first stage in 'my life is over.'"

Bailey snorted, looking over Derek's face. "You're so damn stupid."

"Amen, Bailey," Dorothea held her drink up and drank the rest. "Woooo, I'm feeling it." She looked to Joe. "Mister Joe, can I pretty please have another?"

"Since you asked nicely," Joe smiled down at her, getting her another drink. 

"Keys, Thea," Derek held his hand out and Dorothea complied, leaning against him. "I'll take you home."

"Best, best, bestttt friend ever."

—

"Well, isn't this cozy," Addison commented, her arm looped through Dorothea's as the pair walked to the elevator, spotting Derek's hand cupping Meredith's face. "Can I join? Or, are you not into threesomes?"

"I am," Dorothea held her free hand up. "But I admit I'm a bit of a pillow princess."

"I believe that," Addison looked down at her with a soft smile. "Good thing I'm a giver."

"I have to go," Meredith smiled bitterly to Derek and walked off. 

"Bye, Meredith!" Dorothea waved cheerfully. "Derek, I will not have a threesome with you."

"That's the second time in twelve hours you've hinted at intercourse," he recalled. "Just admit you're in love with me."

"I'm in love with the idea of going deaf so I never have to hear your mention intercourse again," Dorothea retorted. "Only Addison can have me."

"I'd only leave Derek for you, honey," Addison squeezed Dorothea's arm as the elevator door opened. 

"You really are Satan," Derek deadpanned to Addison. "Ruining my relationship and now taking my best friend."

"I am won over by a pretty face and hot coffee," Dorothea held up her cup. "You've yet to be either, Derek Shepherd, so I bid you adieu," she unhooked her arm from Addison and pat Derek's arm as she passed. "See you in surgery, Derek."

"Traitor!" Derek called after her.

—

"She gave me divorce papers," Derek leaned against the wall next to Dorothea, handing her a coffee. "Mocha, four shots. You're going to be bouncing off walls."

"I need my sustenance," she took a sip. "Ah, delicious. We're officially best friends again."

"Oh, it's my birthday, all my dreams are coming true."

Dorothea gave him a look. 

"I have to read through them," he confessed, looking away. "There's nothing to think about."

"Okay," Dorothea nodded. "Then why aren't they signed?"

"I haven't had time," he defended, shifting on his feet. 

"Make time," Dorothea met his gaze. "Der, if this is what you want — do it. But don't make a decision until you've gone through options."

"Meredith's the only option."

"So, you're giving up on your marriage?" Dorothea asked objectively, taking another sip of her coffee. "Someone you've loved for years over an affair?"

"With my best friend."

"I understand," Dorothea nodded. "And I'll never defend cheating, but she's here now, trying to make amends. Or offering an out. And you haven't decided on either."

"I want her gone."

"Forever?" Dorothea asked softly. "That's an awfully long time to be without someone your heart belonged to," she reached her hand out and grabbed his hand gently. "They're both amazing women, in their own ways. You're leading them both on by not making a decision. So, find the time and make one."

Derek didn't reply for a moment, glancing around before he asked quietly. "What if I make the wrong one?"

"If you think either one could be the wrong one, you need to establish they're both good options." She squeezed his hands. "The only person's opinion that matters in this situation, truly, is yours. If you choose Addison, Meredith will move on. If you choose Meredith, Addison will move on. Which hurts more?"

Derek didn't respond and Dorothea gave him another look before walking off. 

—

"You understand we'll need to do a psych evaluation?" Derek asked their patient as Dorothea stood next to him, peeking over his shoulder to see the chart. 

It was an interesting case. Mr. Linden had shot himself in the face — in what he claims was an accident — and was still fully functioning, despite the bullet remaining in his brain. He was completely lucid, albeit a little strange, but Dorothea was eager to get him open and see what could become of it. 

"How many times do we have to tell you?" His wife asked. "He wasn't trying to kill himself. It was an accident."

"They're just trying to do their job, on," Linden calmed his wife. 

"No," his wife argued. "Their job is to make you better."

"Where were you when the gun went off?" Derek asked as Dorothea walked to Linden's other side, taking her hand in his. 

"I was in the next room, and I heard the shot, and it was awful."

"Squeeze this," Dorothea asked Linden softly, taking note of the strength, exchanging a look with Derek. 

"Why didn't you call 911?" Alex asked. 

"'Cause he was only unconscious for a moment, and then...then he was walking and talking and..."

"You're going to have to give a report to the police," Derek cut her off as Dorothea notated Linden's reactivity to her touch. 

"The police?" Linden asked. 

"What-what do we need to talk to the police about?" Mrs. Linden questioned nervously. 

"We have to report any gunshot wounds to the police," Alex informed them. "It's the law."

Mrs. Linden looked from Alex to her husband, then back again, before smiling softly at her husband. Dorothea followed Alex and Derek away from their bedside, a frown on her face. 

"Something's going on," Dorothea told Derek, walking with him to their next patient. "There's more to that story."

"I agree," Derek nodded. "But our job is to fix the patient."

"I know," Dorothea eyed him for a moment. "But I can speculate little, too. I could've been a detective."

A laugh left Derek. "I don't think so."

"No?"

"You're terrified of guns, Thea," he glanced down at her. "This whole case has you on edge."

"How do you know that?" Dorothea frowned. "I've been perfectly normal."

"You've gone through more coffee today than I've ever seen you drink," he took Linden's chart from her, handing it to the nurse's station as they passed. "And you're quiet with Linden. And jumpy. Don't think I didn't notice you shifting from Mrs. Linden when she was talking."

"Am I that obvious?" Dorothea pouted. 

"No," Derek smiled, ruffling her hair. "But I could actually be a detective."

—

Dorothea sat next to Derek, munching on a cheese stick, signing off on medications for some of her IM patients. 

"...do you understand that?"

Dorothea looked up to the Lindens, Alex and Derek doing the same. 

"Twenty-one years."

"Uh oh," Dorothea commented. 

"What's that all about?" Derek asked aloud. 

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?" Mr. Linden asked his wife.

Dorothea's eyebrows raised at the question. "Penny in the air."

"I haven't got a clue," Alex answered Derek. 

"I love you, okay," Mr. Linden put his hand on his wife's arm. "I forgive you."

She threw his arm off of her. "You cheated on me. You cheated on me, and you do not get to play the martyr here!" She exclaimed, leaning down to her husband. 

"I got a bullet in my head," Linden pointed to his head. 

"And that doesn't make us even," Mrs. Linden sneered. 

"You shot me!" Linden exclaimed. 

"Penny drops," Dorothea shook her head. 

"I think we need to get the police up here right now," Derek voiced, grabbing the phone and dialing emergency services. His free hand found Dorothea's and he squeezed once, offering comfort for the situation, before pulling his hand away. 

—

"This is one sick bastard," Alex commented as they performed surgery on Linden. "We should flip him over and give him a spine."

"Pull back on the retractor, Thea," Derek ignored him, then asked their scrub nurse for more suction. 

"Covering for his wife after she shot him," Alex continued. 

"He did cheat on her," Derek countered. 

"Yeah," Alex scoffed. "And that guilt's worth a bullet in the head?"

"Maybe," Dorothea spoke up finally. "Depends on the severity. My brother beat up my ex-boyfriend to the point of an assault charge for cheating on me," she explained, shifting her retractor for Derek again. Alex looked at her, eyes filled with surprise. "It still wasn't enough."

"Relationships are built on sacrifice," Derek added.

"Not that kind of sacrifice," Alex shook his head. 

"Sometimes, the bullet's worth it," Derek countered. 

—

Dorothea dropped her bag on the ground as she entered the apartment, finding Denny asleep on the sofa. A soft smile found her and she walked to the kitchen, grabbing the supplies for a turkey sandwich. 

Denny stirred awake, his snores jolting. "Dot?"

"Hey, Den," Dorothea smiled at him. "Want a sandwich?"

"No, I'm...good," he replied tiredly, stretching. "Work okay?"

"Yeah, it was good." She stopped spreading condiments on the bread and looked to him seriously. "Thank you for what you did."

"Huh?" Denny asked in confusion, blinking as he sat up. "What're you talking about?"

"With Owen," she clarified. "I never thanked you for that."

Denny's face softened and he leaned against the back of the sofa, watching her. "I'd do anything for you, Dottie. Anyone else ever treats you like that, let me know."

"Anyone ever treats you like that, I know how to dissect somebody."

"You're sick."

Dorothea grinned, placing the turkey on her sandwich. "Go back to sleep, Den."

"Yeah," Denny nodded, standing and waving her goodnight. "Go to bed, Dorothea, don't stay up all night."

"Okay, Dad!" She called after him with an eyeroll. 

Dorothea smiled down at her sandwich, heart full of love for the people in her life. Derek was quickly becoming one of the most important people to her, Denny was her brother, and Bailey and Callie were friends she didn't think she'd make again after her last hospital. 

Things were good.

—

not super happy with this but i love derek and also you guys are going to be so gutted when denny dies soz. hehehe did anyone else freak out about owen's name drop?? y'all he's crucial to the story and will be so much drama later on.