you know the first rule of combat?

"Of course," Meredith says. "This stays between us." She has to wonder which of the doctors it is Faye's worried about hearing all this secondhand. She's not without cause, when Meredith knows well how gossipy a hospital can be, but she isn't given to blabbing herself — not about patients, at least. With the heads up, she knows not to bring this up to others even with Faye's name left out of it (but then, that wasn't too difficult to figure out; it's hard to keep things confidential when the patient's case is so unusual). "Which leads into my next question pretty well. Are you currently sexually active?"