Untouchable face

60.

Aaron wasn't a stickler for much in his life. He believed people should take care of their bodies because he saw first hand what happened when the body broke down. And he believed in punctuality. He was a stickler for his schedule. So he appreciated when his patients got to their appointments on time because it was important they had the time they needed to do the work. And up until today, Derek had been a really good patient for getting there on time but today he was running late.

He was about ten minutes late which meant ten minutes less of work to do. Derek was on the cusp of walking without any assistance so they needed to do all the work they could. He genuinely liked Derek, he was a hard worker and a good guy, but the lateness wasn't okay.

He wasn't sure exactly who was bringing Derek in today but whoever it was, Aaron was hoping Derek had a good excuse for his lateness. He knew a lot was changing in Derek's life right now, but that didn't make an excuse to not show up on time. The time after a traumatic accident was always tough and full of changes. Aaron didn't have a single patient who wasn't going through a lot so it just wasn't an excuse. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, pausing when he heard a familiar giggle.

He might have not dated Meredith Grey very long but even if they hadn't managed to stay close friends, he would be willing to bet he wouldn't ever actually forget the exact sound of that giggle. And this time it made it very clear why his patient was late.

"Derek," she giggled as she came into view, Derek leaning on his cane.

"What?" Derek laughed.

"Hand."

"What hand?"

"The one not on your cane."

"What?" Derek laughed.

"The one on my ass," she giggled.

"Oh that hand," he grinned.

"Yes."

"But that hand is very happy where it is."

"I bet it is. But...therapy."

"I know," he sighed.

"So...hand," Meredith laughed. "Hey, Aaron."

"Hi Meredith. You sound...happy," Aaron nodded.

"I am."

"And sorry we're late," Derek smiled. "We meant to be on time but I was a little slower moving than we figured."

"He's depending a lot on the cane this morning," Meredith sighed. "He says the pain is only at a four though."

"It is, Meredith just worries too much," Derek nodded.

"Okay, we just talked about this in the car," Meredith groaned.

"And we didn't agree."

"Of course we didn't. Because you want to impede your progress and use the cane forever."

"Mer..."

"What?"

"Sometimes I hate you," he rolled his eyes, kissing her quickly.

"Because I'm right?"

"Because you're annoying."

"That's not what you said this morning."

"Meredith!" he laughed.

"What?" she giggled as she leaned in to kiss him.

"Aaron can hear us."

"I can," Aaron nodded. "And you're about to lose your second break, Derek."

"Oh...crap," Derek frowned. "Sorry."