Endless Summer Nights

28.

Derek pushes the cracked door open, inhaling deeply as he does so, preparing himself for what he is about to see.

He slowly glances around the room, nothing spectacular jumping out at him. There are clothes strewn across the floor. He can't help but chuckle as this state of disarray does not shock him. He takes a step into the bedroom, the draft from the poorly sealed window chilling him to the bone. He shivers slightly as he begins to run his forefinger along the edge of a banged up dresser which he assumes holds her clothing.

His eyes take in the cracked paint of the walls and the frayed carpet with its multitudinous stains. His eyes return to the dresser to examine the several portraits that decorate its top, the only hints of happiness he has seen thus far in the apartment. The first picture is of Meredith and her friends getting ready to board the cruise ship. He can't help but note the true smile on her face as she rolls her eyes at the absurdity of her friends.

His eyes trail away from that photograph and his heart flutters as the next image that he sees is one of him and Meredith. It was one that was taken by the photographer on board, but he didn't know that it had been taken. It was the day he was eating with Mark and Meredith had come over to him and sat down in his lap. The snapshot was the moment before they kissed and the intensity in both of their eyes is undeniable. He runs his finger over her framed face, wanting to get lost in the not-so-distant past but knowing that the present requires his attendance.

The third and last picture on the dresser takes him by surprise even more. It is just a picture of him, sleeping. There is a small smile on his face as his arm reaches across the bed towards the ghost of the woman who has left him in his slumber. He has no idea when this picture was taken, so he glances down at the date stamp, gasping as he reads the date of their last night together.

That is when he knows. That is when he knows that she really did care. That it wasn't just a fling to her. That is when he knows that there was something. A something in the past that might be able to supply him hope for the future.

"Derek, son? You almost ready?" his father calls from another room.

Derek clears his throat. "Uh...just give me a minute..." he responds as he reluctantly tears his eyes away from the photos and resumes his inspection of Meredith's bedroom.

He notices a black duffle bag out of the corner of his eye as well as a computer case. He picks these items up and places them on the bed as he prepares to gather some of her things together to take to her. As he is opening the duffle bag, his eyes land on something familiar, stopping his movements all together.

Lying on the bed amongst the covers is his favorite NYU sweater. He had wondered where it had gone and now he knows. Meredith took it. He reaches over and grabs the sweater, bringing it up to his nose the scent of lavender immediately overtakes him. A smile curves his lip as he carefully folds the sweater and it becomes the first item packed.

He continues gathering essential items for Meredith until the duffle bag is bulging and he has to fight with the zipper to close it.

He sighs as he looks around him, the desolation of the apartment filling him with an inexplicable sadness. Most of the items from her apartment have fit within the duffle bag. What happened to all of her things?

He shakes his head in disbelief as he packs up her laptop, the hinges of the old computer fighting with him as he forces it closed. He scans the room once more, wondering where her books are.

"Dad?" he calls.

"Yeah?" his father answers him as he appears in the doorway.

"Have you seen any of her books?" Derek asks as he continues to scan the room.

His dad clears his throat. "No, I haven't. I don't...I don't think she has them..." he says in a sad voice.

Derek turns his head to look at his dad. "How can she not have them?" he asks in disbelief.

Derek's dad shrugs sadly as he looks at his son. "I just know that I have never seen her with them. They keep them at the library for student to use, so I just assumed..."

Derek can't take it anymore. He sits down on the edge of the lumpy bed, his head falling in his hands. "I have to fix this," he says, his voice muffled by his hands.

His father sits down next to him, resting a hand on his son's slumped shoulders. "We will son, we will fix this."

Derek nods as a car alarm begins to sound in the street. He doesn't know exactly what to do, but he does know one thing. He does know that there is no way in hell his Meredith is ever spending a night in this apartment again.