Jump Then Fall

43.

Derek loved his days off. They were the days that he got everything done. He cleaned the house, did the kids laundry and got caught up on his hospital paperwork. And today was no different. He had eaten breakfast with Leighton and Trevor and then dropped them off at school. It had been a long time since he had seen both of his kids this happy at the same time and he loved it. It seemed like the perfect day. After he took them to school, he ran a few errands before heading home to see Meredith. She was getting a little bit better each day and was even able to get up and move around a little bit by herself now. Everything was going well and Derek didn't know what else he could ask for. He carried his things inside and put them away before heading up the stairs to check on Meredith who he assumed was back in the guest room.

Except when he actually got upstairs to her room, she wasn't there. The bed was made just like she had started to do every morning and her things were still out but she wasn't in the room. He called her name a few times and when he didn't hear anything he started to get worried. She had only been able to move around on her own for a few days and the first thing that went through Derek's head was that she had gotten somewhere in the house and fallen. "Meredith?!" Derek called, walking up and down the upstairs hallway.

"Bathroom!" He heard her shout from the other side of the house, where his bedroom was.

"Bathroom..." Derek breathed, quickly hurrying into his bedroom and then into the attached bathroom where Meredith was laying in his tub, completely covered in bubbles.

"Hi." She looked up, looking almost guilty as she smiled at him. "I wanted a bubble bath..."

"I...don't do that to me." Derek sighed.

"Do what?" She breathed, trying to lift her broken arm above the water.

"I didn't know where you were. I thought you...fell or..."

"I was taking a bath." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I see that now." He chuckled.

"Bubbles." She held a pile up in her hand before giggling. "See?

"Lots of bubbles." Derek sighed in relief.

"Uh huh..."

"And you're okay? You didn't hurt yourself?"

"Well I'll need help getting out because getting in here, I wasn't sure I could ever hurt this much but no...I don't think I actually hurt myself." She replied, placing bubbles on her hand and blowing them out at him before smiling.

"Thanks." Derek laughed. All he could do was smile.

"You're welcome." He loved the sparkle in her eyes when she was smiling.

"You look good in my bath tub."

"I've been in here before..."

"I've never seen it from this view." Derek laughed, sitting down next to the tub.

"Dirty.."

"Clean." He smirked.

"You hid my painkillers." She giggled.

"My kids get into everything."

"Good idea then..."

"Do you need one?"

"Please?"

"Okay." Derek kissed the top of her head before disappearing into his room for a moment and coming back with a pill and a bottle of water.

"I like your bath tub." She opened her mouth as he popped the pain pill in before she took a sip of water from the clear bottle.

"I put it in here just for you."