The Seventh Sense is Love

Beth and Jeremy's Recovery

The good news Derek had to share with Meredith was that Beth and Jeremy's tumors were shrinking. However, neither had woken up by the time he left the hospital.

Derek and Meredith had the following day off and spent it in a leisurely fashion with Ian. Ian wobbly stood to his feet a couple of times and took more steps but mostly he still wanted to crawl. Each time he walked they got quite excited for him - which made him giggle, clap his hands and immediately fall to his butt.

Meredith and Derek each took a turn calling the hospital to check on Beth and Jeremy - once in the morning and once in the evening. Each time - they were a little sad because neither had regained consciousness yet. That evening, after Ian's bath and bedtime, Meredith asked, "Do you think they're going to wake up?"

"I hope so," Derek replied carefully.

"I hope so too," she retorted, "but I'm asking you what you really believe right now. Did we save them or just prolong the agony in every way?"

He sat down on the couch beside his wife - after pouring them both a glass of white wine - and put his arm around her. He took a drink of his wine and thought about her question while gently rubbing her shoulder. Finally, he sighed softly and said, "I believe we saved them, Mer. Their tumors have shrunk, their vitals are steady. It's just a matter of time until they wake up. We can't give up on them now."

Meredith had some of her wine and pondered the words he'd just spoken. Then she lay her head on his shoulder and gave a soft sigh of her own. "You're right. I just want them both to make it, Derek. Not just because it would make our clinical trial a success either. I'm emotionally attached, and I really want to see Beth and Jeremy go on to live healthy and rewarding lives."

"I do too, and they will."

"I hope you're right."

"I'm always right," he said cockily and made her laugh, which is exactly what he'd intended. They finished their wine and then went to bed together. All thoughts of saving lives and other stresses were forgotten as they leisurely made love to one another.

A week after their surgeries - Beth and Jeremy still had not regained consciousness. Meredith walked into Derek's office and stated, "I put them in the same room together."

Looking up from his paperwork, he slightly grimaced at the look of determination and slight despair on his wife's face. His first inclination was to hold her and offer comfort. He didn't think that was what she wanted at the moment though, so he channeled that urge and simply asked, "Why?"

"When I was an intern there was a set of premature quints in the NICU. And God Derek," she said and gave in to a maternal shudder at the thought of sick babies. "You name the problem and those poor babies had it. After a while though, there were two that should have been getting better, but they weren't. Karev - he had Bailey for his Resident also - had the idea of putting the two babies into an incubator together to co-sleep. The improvement in both of them was astonishing and immediate."

"I've heard of babies of multiple births thriving while in close contact," Derek said with a nod. "Beth and Jeremy aren't twins though; hell, they aren't even related."

"I know," she sighed, but her tone was adamant, "but they love one another. And Derek," she said and reached for his hand, "you and I understand the power of love. Beth and Jeremy love one another, and they were in the support group together. Their tumors have shrunk to nearly nonexistent but still, they sleep. I truly believe they will thrive by being close to each other. If I'm wrong -"

"You're right," Derek interrupted and grinned at her.

"Of course, I am," Meredith replied and grinned back.

An hour later, Beth woke up. Her parents cried jubilant tears of relief. Meredith and Derek gave her a thorough check up and couldn't help but smile happily at her, especially when she showed them that she had regained mobility of her hand. "Jeremy?" she asked, glancing over at his still unconscious form.

"He's doing well," Derek said.

"All right," Beth nodded sleepily.

Meredith and Derek left the room and stepped into the nearest stairwell. They hugged one another tightly. "You're brilliant," he said and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her softly on the mouth.

"I am," she giggled when they pulled slightly apart, "but tell me again."

"You're brilliant," he said seriously. "And I love you more today than I did yesterday."

"Oh," she sighed, surprised that the sweet, honest words made her heart accelerate. "If you didn't have to go pick up Ian - I'd drag you to an on-call room now."

"Really?"

"Really," she nodded and leaned up to kiss him thoroughly. Derek wanted to crush her body to his and get her naked right there in the stairwell. Instead, he slid his hands under her shirt to her bare skin and continued kissing her. A few moments later, her pager went off and they reluctantly pulled apart. "Go get Ian," she said. "I'll see you both at home in a few hours."

"All right," he agreed and kissed her lightly once more. "I need a moment alone, though."

Meredith glanced down and giggled. "I think you need a cold shower, Dr. Shepherd."

"Funny," he chuckled, "very funny."

She gave a little wave and left her husband in the stairwell to answer her page. Derek took his minute alone and then went to change and get Ian from the hospital nursery. He wondered if it was too soon for a family trip to Maui and decided to talk to Meredith about it later.