Runaway Train

Before You Go

First person to find the line from an important Grey's song in this chapter gets a sneak peak of the next upcoming Chapter.

Chapter Four

Before You Go

The first thing Derek is aware of is a voice and a small shove against his shoulder. He wants to tell whoever it is to go away, but they aren't shutting up.

"Dude get up, it's after 1pm! We slept all morning and ma's here... She's ready to blow a gasket about Amy, so you need to get up NOW." Mark whispered emphatically.

Derek yawned, turning his head to the side to find his pale and flushed sister still sleeping beside him. Her sweat soaked dark hair clung to her forehead, but at least she looked peaceful after the night she'd had. He was grateful she was able to get some rest.

He could hear his wife in the bathroom getting ready and he carefully slipped out of bed, heading in to join her.

"Mark wake you up too?" She asked, glancing at Derek in the mirror as she finished washing her face, watching as he nodded in response.

"I- Derek we need to talk." She starts gently, not really knowing how to start this conversation. "I can't allow Amy to go home with your mom. She's going to run away or start using again, and next time it won't be pretty. I don't know exactly what to do or how to do it, but I know that she can't go home right now. At least not this week. Maybe this will all be a bad idea but someone has to try something to get through to her." Addie sighs, running her hand through her hair.

He frowned, really hearing his wife for the first time.

"We're gonna have to give her back if Ma wants her back." He reminds her, pulling her in for a gentle hug. "I don't know what to do Addie. But we gotta talk to mom. We can't avoid her forever."

"I know, I just... I know your mom doesn't like me very much and I don't want to disturb the peace... but I don't have a good feeling about letting her take Amy back right now." Addison reasoned. "I stand by what I said this morning and I will fight for her if I have to. But it's not about proving your mom wrong and winning, it's just about finding the best place for Amy to feel safe and supported while she gets through this trying time in her life." Addison states, calm but firm in her resolve.

She leaves the bathroom and heads over to the bed, sitting beside a sleeping Amelia and pressing the back of her hand to the younger girl's forehead. Last night had been hard on them all. It broke Addison's heart that Amelia's crappy night had turned even crappier when she suddenly got hit with a flu bug in the early morning hours.

She knew deep down that she was probably being a bit overprotective, but she just wanted to scoop the teen up and protect her from all the bad things in the world.

"Come on Addie, let's get down there before mom comes up here and wakes Amy. Nobody needs that confrontation this morning." Derek prompted as he stepped out of the bathroom.

Pulling herself away from the teen reluctantly, Addison took his hand and followed him downstairs to where Mark and Carolyn Shepherd were waiting on them.

The four of them sat around the kitchen table talking. Carolyn was angry at first, demanding to see Amelia and refusing to believe that this wasn't just another drug-induced tantrum. After about ten uncomfortable minutes, Carolyn began to calm, and listened to what everyone was saying with an unreadable expression on her face.

"I think Amelia should stay here... with Derek and I." Addison blurts out.

"Before you say anything let me say this: I've thought about this and I don't know if this is the perfect solution, but I think we need to give it a shot." She runs her hands through her dark red hair nervously.