A Dream Or A Nightmare?

4

Just as Derek was about to speak, Bailey, Callie and Richard came out.

Bailey had tears in her eyes, as did Callie.

"Please tell me she's alive." Derek pleaded.

"Shes..." Bailey trailed off, trying to stop herself from sobbing.

"Please, Bailey. She can't be dead." Derek pleaded.

"She's not dead. She's alive. The surgery went well. It was tough for a while to stop the bleeding, but we did it." Richard stepped in.

Bailey was crying at how extensive her former interns injuries were and what happened to her.

Derek flooded with relief. "She's alive?" He whispered, trying to keep the tears at bay. "She is. I had to go in and stabilize her ribs with some plates and screws, but she's alive." Callie spoke up.

"Oh, thank you." Derek said, hugging all three of them tightly. "She's going to be in the ICU for a while, but she's okay." Bailey said, clearing her throat.

"Can I see her?" Derek asked hopefully. Richard nodded. "Let's go. Just you for now." He responded. Derek nodded and followed him.

"Derek, she's intubated and she will be until she wakes up. Her body's gone through a lot." Richard said, trying to prepare him.

Derek nodded and went into the room. His heart ached to see how small she was. The ventilator breathing for her. The bruises all over her.

Derek wondered what the hell happened to her. She was so tiny, he figured she must have lost at least 20 pounds, which on her already 110 figure, she couldn't afford to lose.

He took a seat beside her and sat down. "Hey Mer." He said, his voice cracking. "It's Derek. Your surgery went well. You're gonna be here for a while, but you're safe here, I promise. So when you're ready, open those eyes for me. I love you and you'll be alright." He said, grabbing her tiny hand gently.

"I've missed you so much, Mer. Zo just had her birthday party. The kids miss you so much. We haven't given up on you, I knew you were still out there. Once you wake up I'll catch you up on everything." Derek whispered.

"Derek." A voice said from the door. He turned around and saw his mother, staring at his unconscious wife. "What the hell?" Carolyn exclaimed.

"That poor girl." She said. "She's alive, mom. She'll be okay." Derek said, trying to reassure her and himself. "She's strong." Carolyn said, walking over to Derek. "She is." Derek agreed.

•••

Back at the house, Jo stayed with all the kids whos parents were with Meredith. Zola, Bailey, and Sofia.

"Auntie Jo, that was my mommy at the door!" Zola exclaimed happily. Jo hesitated for a moment. "Yes it was." She responded.

"Well why isn't she here? And where did my daddy go? They didn't both leave me, did they?" Zola gasped.

"No, they didn't. Um, your mommy was hurt, so she's at the hospital getting help. Your daddy went with her, so did auntie Callie." Jo explained.

"Mommy was hurt? What happened to her?" Zola asked in concern. "I don't know, Zola. I can call your dad and ask." Jo said. "Okay." Zola said.

Jo dialed dereks number and he picked up immediately. "Derek, hi." Jo said. "Hi Jo. What's wrong?" Derek asked quickly.

"Nothings wrong. Uh, how's Meredith?" She asked. "Shes...out of surgery. She's in the ICU." Derek explained. "That's good...that shes out. Um, Zola's asking questions." Jo said.

"Put her on the phone." Derek asked.

Jo handed Zola the phone. "Hi daddy! Where's my mama?" Zola asked first away. Derek sighed. "Mama's here. She was hurt, so she has surgery. The surgery went well and mamas resting now." Derek explained.

"Can I see mama?" Zola asked

Derek knew Meredith would not want the kids to see her in this state at all. "Zo, mama was hurt. She needs her rest. She has a tube down her throat to help her breath. Mama can't have any visitors other than me." Derek lied. He didn't know what to tell his 6 year old daughter.

"Oh. Mamas okay though, right? I can see her when she's better?" Zola asked. "You can, Zo. But right now I need you to be a good big sister and take care of Bailey." Derek said.

"I can do that, daddy!" Zola exclaimed, running off. "Thanks for watching them Jo. I should get back to Mer." Derek said. "No problem. Keep me updated." Jo said before ending the call.

•••

Meredith felt like she was floating. She could hear distorted voices around her. But she wasn't awake yet.

"Mer, take your time." Derek said, noting she was somewhat waking up. Bailey and Richard and Callie were all in the room.

Wake up!

Meredith tried to open her eyes, but failed.

Wake up now! You're home and you're safe.

Meredith slowly opened her eyes. And the first thing she felt being awake was pain and fear. "Welcome back." Derek said with a teary smile.

"How are you feeling, Meredith?" Bailey asked softly. Meredith looked at Derek. "You can talk whenever you want, Mer." He said reassuringly.

"H-hurts." She said quietly. "I can get you some morphine." Bailey said. Derek noticed her hand was shaking out of fear and looked at her. "Can I hold your hand?" He asked gently.

Meredith nodded. Derek grabbed her hand gently and held it. Once of merediths Machines went off, sending Meredith flying across her bed, closing to Derek .

"It's okay, it's okay. You're safe." Derek murmured. "Meredith, we're going to have to get the authorities involved at some point. We have to know what happened." Richard said gently.

Merediths fist reached out and grabbed dereks shirt in a tight ball. "N-no." She replied.

"We have to know, Mer." Derek said softly.

"H-have to?" She whispered. Derek nodded sadly.

"Okay." Meredith responded, shaking slightly.

Hey guys! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hope your all doing well. If you guys have any ideas feel free to let me know. Let me know if you liked this chapter.