fragments of my life [MERDER]

TWENTY-NINE

The second that Meredith realised the unknown number text was from Delaney she felt a wave of pain jolt through her body as she shuddered violently. That bastard had some nerve, Meredith thought. She wanted to cry and scream that the universe had decided to do this to her; to Noah, but she'd cried all the tears and screamed all the painful, blood curdling screams that she could in the past day or so.

Delaney had confirmed it; her son was alive, yes, but infinitely valuable time was passing. Noah was a very small, premature baby, so he was put on medicine to help mature his lungs and help him absorb nutrients better from milk when he was discharged from the hospital. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Noah had his last dose, and if he didn't get another soon – Meredith didn't even want to go there. The very thought of anything bad happening to her sweet, funny little boy sent Meredith into a hysterical frenzy, and Derek wasn't much better off.

"What did he say?" Detective Hudson inquired, sitting back down on the chair opposite Meredith's bed.

"Meredith?" Derek echoed.

"He said... um... Noah's safe, for now at least. They... um... they want me to go down there. They're at a warehouse... by the Sound, the ferryboats... they want me to go there tonight and exchange myself for my son, no police, no one else... and then they want five hundred thousand dollars... each... err... cash."

"Meredith... no."

"Derek."

"Meredith, no. This is insane."

"Meredith... I don't often agree with McDreamy, but he's right." Cristina chimed in, folding her arms as she looked at her best friend, her person.

Kieran suddenly burst into the room with Jade behind him.

"Oh my god... Mer. It was Delaney... and Whelan? And they kidnapped Noah?" Jade questioned, slack-jawed, breathing heavily.

"It was... it is. I'm going down to the Sound and I'm going to get my son back."

"Meredith, not in your condition..." Jade tried to reason with Meredith, but there was nothing stopping her from the train of thought she was on.

"I have to get my son back, guys. What part of that can't you understand?" Meredith yelled, scowling at everyone giving her looks of pity around her.

"No, Mer... what you have to do is stay right here, in this hospital bed, and recover from the physical and emotional torture you received at the hands of that deranged, psychopathic man. The cash is not the issue here; we could pay it, even though we shouldn't. You going back down to the man that hit you and thrust you against cabinets and walls, that nearly ended your life once today already... that's the issue." Derek repeated, getting up from his seat and sitting at the end of her bed, looking back at her.

"I know the cash isn't a problem, Derek. But calling him names isn't going to help anything here." Meredith sighed, attempting to disconnect herself from the monitors, using her one healthy hand to manoeuvre herself around and off the bed.

"You're not going anywhere, Meredith." Derek trailed off, glaring at her.

"What do you suggest we do then, Derek? Anyone? Anybody have any bright ideas?"

She growled, pushing the blanket covering her away and attempting to sit up, before feeling an electric shock of pain jolt through her abdomen, propelling her forward as she mumbled in pain. Jade, Kieran, and Cristina stared back at her with an 'I told you so' stare gracing their features.

"That's exactly why you can't go anywhere, Mer." Jade smiled sarcastically.

"I'll kill them, I'll kill them both for what they did to you, and to our son...I'll kill them both with my bare hands, Meredith I swear." Derek growled, forming a fist with his hands.