Since The Beginning// A MerDer FF//

Chapter 25

So we are going to fast forward two weeks. Mer can walk now just fine. Sometimes she runs out of breath but that will go away.

Mer was done with PT and now that she was better, that meant going back to school.

No one talked about it since the thought still scared her. She still was terrified of loud sounds, but her fear of the stairs went away only for the ones in her house.

"Mer, are you wanting to go back tomorrow?" Mark asked as he walked into her room. Their friends had gone home for the day.

She sighed before answering. "Yea. Yea, I will." She looked up to his big brother eyes.

"Ok. Well I was going to help you get everything ready. I'm not a chick so don't come at me."

She laughed and nodded as he went to her closet.

"I don't know where my backpack is. I think they brought it to the hospital but I could have sworn they would have brought it back."

"No, your backpack was put in your locker after..everything I think. So we just have to get you an outfit and collect your schoolwork."

"I have months of schoolwork. How will that be carried without a backpack?" She chuckled from her spot on the bed.

"Don't you have hands?" He smiled.

"Shut up. I'd like to see you carry all of that."
She pointed to the stacked of papers on her bookshelf. It was at least a foot tall.

"I can do it." Derek said as he walked in.
He walked to the stack and picked it up without problem.

"Let me try." Mark snatched the stack and started talking. "See, I did i-," the papers went flying everywhere.

"Mark!" Meredith laughed.

"Uhh sorry?" He scratched the back of his neck.

She laughed and leant down to pick it up.

She looked up at her boyfriend and brother before saying; "Get your asses down here or you can carry my things for the rest of the year."

The grinned and helped her pick it all up before putting them all on the couch in her room.

"Alright Mer. Love ya." Mark kissed the top of Mer's head and left the room.

Mer's head was facing Derek but her eyes were dimmed. They weren't sparkling and they were unfocused.

"What's going on in that pretty little head of yours." Derek asked as he sat down next to her.

"Hmm?"

"You were zoned out. What wrong."
His arm was wrapped around her shoulders and she leaned her head on his.

"Nothings wrong. Just thinking."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm tired. So I just want to sleep." She yawned.

"Ok."

They laid down and Derek made sure she was warm before pulling her to his chest.

He didn't go to sleep until she did. He kissed her and closed his own eyes.

——
It was 6:05 a.m. they didn't have to get up until 6:30. Derek had woken up to Mer having a nightmare and rolling around. After he held her and calmed her down, she went back to sleep but he didn't. He stayed up watching her chest rise and fall with each steady breath she took.

It terrified him. That one day, he could wake up and her chest didn't rise. He watched her relaxed features. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead before going to get a shower.

"Don't go." He heard her mumble in her sleep.

"Ok." He climbed back in with her and held her until it was time to get up.

———
The alarm. That was the only thing heard when Mer woke up. Once it turned off, she opened her eyes to Derek's blue ones.

"Good morning, love." He leaned down and kissed her dry lips and smiled.

"Mm good morning." She yawned.

"Are you ready for today?" He pushed the hair out of her face and smiled again.

"No. But....yea. I don't know. Maybe?"

He laughed and nodded his head.

She walked over to her closet and grabbed an outfit to wear.

She wore a blue and white tie-dyed tank with black ripped jeans.

She sighed as she walked into the bathroom with Derek and brushed her hair and teeth.

"I love you." He said through the mirror.

"I love you too." She tried her best to reply around the toothbrush in her mouth.

Once they had gotten ready, they headed downstairs for breakfast and then went to the bus stop. Once Derek and Mark got their license, they could drive to school. But all they have is their permit.

Meredith was ok. And deep down she knew that. But that doesn't solve the PTSD left by them.

She thought that it was stupid on how jumpy she was over a stupid sound, but no one else did. Which is why, when the bus' horn blasted, she jumped out of her skin and Derek walked her onto the bus.

As they turned around to walk down the aisle way, everyone looked at her.

Derek had gone to school every now and then since but she hadn't been at all.

"Can you guys stop staring." She mumbled, only leaving Mark and Derek to hear it.

"Mind your business, would ya?" Mark said and caused Mer to smile.

Once they were all seated, the bus roared to life again and the next stop was Cristina's.

Mer and Cris sat together for a while until the rest of their friends came. So they all sat in the back with Amelia and talked before getting to the middle school.

Meredith took a deep breath, thinking about calling Carolyn to come get her already, but decided against it.