Endless Summer Nights

32.

"Now, about that apartment..."

He can visibly see Meredith tense as he broaches a topic she knew would come up eventually. She didn't want to live there, but what was she supposed to do? Cost of living in New York is outrageous.

She stares at the wall behind him, afraid to see disappointment in his eyes, a disappointment that she has seen in every pair of eyes that she has loved.

"Mer, there is no way that you can keep living there..." he begins hesitatingly, knowing that no matter how he broaches the subject, it isn't going to be something she wants to hear.

She jerks her head in his direction, anger flashing in her eyes. "What was I supposed to do?" she practically yells at him. "My own mother, my darling bitch of a mother, cut me off because I refused to get rid of 'my little problem'" she says, making the air quotes around the last phase. "I have loans, but not enough. They don't even cover tuition. I have been working two jobs just to scrape by and I'm still behind two months, so, you tell me oh great Dr. Derek Shepherd, what the hell was I supposed to do?!" she finishes before falling back on the bed, her face now completely flushed as she folds her arms over her chest.

"Meredith," he begins softly as he runs his fingers through his unruly hair, "I...I'm not saying that you haven't done a great job on your own, what I'm saying, what I'm trying to say...is that you don't have to do it alone anymore. I'm here, Mer. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," he says as his mother finishes the stitches.

The tears have welled in Meredith's eyes as she listens to Derek's words, but she can't. She can't let him back in. She can't. It hurt too much last time.

Mrs. Shepherd stands up and smiles down at Meredith. "You're a part of this family now, Meredith. We are all here for you. I'm going to give you two some time alone, but I will be back in five minutes to check on you," she says as she pats Meredith gently on the knee.

Mrs. Shepherd walks out of the room, leaving them alone. They momentarily remain in silence, neither sure of how to once again broach the heavy topic.

"Look, Mer," he sighs as he pulls the chair closer to her bed before sitting down, "I know you're stubborn and I love that about you, but please, don't be stubborn on this. Think about the baby, our son. Think about you having to walk up all of those stairs. You can't walk up those stairs right now and I'm sure my mom is going to put you on restriction for the rest of your pregnancy. So, please, just give in on this," he begs her as he tries to reach for her hand. But she jerks away from him.

"I'm not moving in with you," she whispers as she turns to face the wall opposite him. She can't live with him. She is too weak. She just can't.

Derek sighs in frustration as he leans back in the chair. His mother taps on the door and walks into the room, checking the monitors before turning to her son and the young woman she already sees as a daughter.

"So, has my son convinced you to leave your apartment?" his mother asks with a smile as she looks at Meredith.

Meredith sighs as she looks into the eyes of the older woman.

"She doesn't want to move in with me," Derek answers for her.

Mrs. Shepherd chuckles as she looks at her son. "Of course she doesn't. She hasn't seen you for months, you can't expect her to just move right in with you. Plus, they are coming to renovate your townhouse and they said that it would take at least three weeks. Meredith will stay with us," she says. It is a statement and not a question.

Meredith opens her mouth to argue, but Mrs. Shepherd stops her. "You will not argue this, Meredith," she admonishes her briefly. "You are practically my daughter. You are carrying my grandson. You will come stay with us and you will let us help you. No arguments," Mrs. Shepherd says in her authoritative, motherly tone before walking out of the room, not giving Meredith a chance to respond.

Meredith stares after her, her mouth agape in shock. She turns to Derek. "Is she always like that?" she asks in disbelief.

Derek chuckles while nodding. "Yup."

"I think I like her," Meredith finally says after a moment.

Derek chuckles again before the room eases into silence. Several moments pass before Derek looks at Meredith, his McDreamy smile plastered on his face as he tilts his head to the side, working the full Shepherd charm.

"So, how about we get you out of that hospital gown?"