Forbidden

Chapter 94: Everything Changes

⚠️TW: Talk of overdosing

It seemed like everyday was the same. Derek had actually thought he could do it. He thought he could accept her. He thought he could accept the addiction. He couldn't. Every time he looked at her, he saw David. And when he saw David, he saw red. David killed his father. He sucked the life from his mother. David was the enemy. But really, it was cocaine. Derek had deep-seated contempt for the drug that ruined lives.

Derek walked down the back stairs. Tony was gone with Thatcher out of town. It was nearly time for Sofia and Cristoforo to go home. That meant it would just be them. This time it would just be Meredith and Derek. The last time that had happened, it was hell. The last time it happened, she overdosed. Derek looked up at the little italian woman as he walked in the kitchen. They both felt the same way. Horrible.

"I know..." Sofia said with a nod as she looked up at him. She was in disgust. She was so angry with Meredith that she couldn't take it anymore.

"I can't... I just can't." Derek muttered as he looked away. They were having a hard time looking each other in the eyes it was so bad. Neither knew what to do.

"You have to help her, Derek. You are the only one that can help her. You need to." Sofia begged. She rushed over to Derek and grabbed him tightly. "Please, Derek... Please!" She cried out as she laid her head against him.

Derek wasn't powerful. He didn't hold weight in any way, shape or form. He couldn't stop her from doing anything. She was Meredith Grey and if she wanted something, she would get it no matter how she had to. He felt terrible as Sofia laid herself against him, expecting him to help Meredith. She was expecting him to step up and save the world. He didn't want to tell her that he couldn't. He didn't want to tell her that he was too weak to do anything.

"I... I don't know how, Sofia. I have no idea how to save her. She doesn't want to save herself. If she doesn't want it, I can't help her. No one can." Derek explained as he looked down at the woman. "I would love to make everything okay. If I could tell her to stop and she would, believe me, I would do that. I just can't do anything for her. I can't save her. I'm so sorry." Derek told her with a nod.

"That's fine, Derek. That is fine." Sofia snapped angrily. It was obvious that the woman didn't believe him. She was mad that he wasn't trying harder. She was mad that he had given up. "I'm leaving." She said as she tossed her towel down and rushed out

Derek stood there, dumbfounded. He didn't even know what to say to that. He didn't know how to explain to the woman that this was the way it worked. She hadn't been there, and he had been there. He knew what it was like to watch someone fade away. He didn't want to watch Meredith fade, but he wasn't sure how to prevent her from doing so. He was convinced that she was even more addicted than his brother had been. He was sure that she was more far gone than anyone could ever see. Derek needed to talk to someone. Someone who knew.

"Hello?" Mark answered quickly. Derek could tell that he was busy. He immediately felt guilty for calling to vent his problems to his friend.

"Hey, Mark." Derek said softly. He was now wondering of he shouldn't have even bothered calling. "Are you busy?"

"No... Nope, not at all. What is going on?" Mark asked quickly. He could tell his friend was in distress. He could tell that his friend was more than upset.

"I just- It's nothing... How are things with you?" Derek asked, trying to get the focus off of himself. It wouldn't work. Mark never fell for that.

"Oh no... Something is up with you. Spit it out." Mark said quickly as he drove down the road. "What's going on?"

"It's nothing, really... I was just thinking about David. I'm just... Fuck him. That asshole. Look at what he did to us." Derek growled as he stared off at the wall. He hated him brother and loved him all at the same time. He felt horrible speaking ill of the dead, but he was angry.