"Mi Manchi, Andrea." English | Merluca

Falling for you (2)

I finally finished this second part 💕

...

(3)

They were scrubbing out after a successful surgery, having a small grateful smile on their face. They could save their patient.

Everyone had already left, a nurse had just rolled out their patient back into her room, leaving them alone in the scrub room. And somehow, just for a moment they enjoyed each other's presence a moment longer.

"Thank you for helping me." Meredith started quietly, turning around so she could lean against the sink behind her, Andrew mirroring her.

He gave her a small nod, as he had a smile on his face before he turned to the wall in front of him for some moments, staring at it. She could almost see the thoughts in his mind starting to spin as he got quieter until he took a deep breath, slowly turning towards her.

"Yesterday... when I wasn't feeling well... I lost a patient and it brought back memories..." Andrew started hesitantly putting his sentence together as she gave him the time to figure out his thoughts. Before he continued, he turned away from her towards the wall in front of them again. "I... While you were in the coma... I visited you almost every day, because... I couldn't bear the thought of you not surviving this... I needed to see myself that you were still alive..." She could hear the emotion taking over in his voice as he was fighting some tears that had been forming in his eyes.

"I know..." She said quietly as she reached out to take his hand, in an attempt to hopefully give him some comfort. She saw him turning towards her at her words and touch "The people in my room, I could hear them... I could hear you." She explained calmly, as she was fighting her own emotions at thinking back to that time. "You were there for me when I needed you."

"I tried..." Andrew whispered, before a small smile appeared on his face "Even though I drove Bailey crazy..." He added now chuckling slightly, probably feeling just as overwhelmed as she did at these memories, wanting to lighten the mood a little.

Meredith looked up at him for a moment, having to giggle as well before she added with a small teasing smile.

"Well, it was against the protocol..."

"You care about protocols now?" Andrew added, obviously joking as he raised an eyebrow, making them chuckle.

"Andrew!" Meredith exclaimed, nudging his side slightly.

"What? I just had that memory of a certain someone always changing and bending the rules going through my mind..." He was smiling at her.

"I learned my lesson... I think." She answered with a big smile. It felt good to share these moments again; to be able to joke around again.

They stayed there a little longer, slowly getting quieter again.

"I would do it again. Breaking protocol for you." Andrew added after some moments, squeezing her hand slightly before he carefully let go.

"You do a lot for me..." Meredith looked up at him, meeting his gaze for a short moment before he turned away, looking at the ground "I'm glad you are there for me." She added.

"I- I couldn't lose you. I can't lose you... not like that." She saw him swallowing, and she was almost sure she knew what he meant. If she had died... he didn't know how to live with that.

"Do... Do you still..." She let her sentence fade away, hoping he knew what she meant without having to find the right words.

"My feelings for you never changed, Mer..." She heard his soft voice, as he turned towards her, this time she herself not able to keep his gaze. "If anything, I..." He stopped for a moment before he continued in Italian. Something she knew he did, when it was hard for him to put his feelings into words "Mi sembra di innamorarmi di nuovo di te ogni volta che ti sono vicino." (I feel like I'm falling in love with you all over again every time I'm around you.)

"Andrew..." Meredith whispered in a sigh.

"You will always have that special place in my heart." He kept looking at her for a moment, as she just kept staring at him, and then he slowly left the room.

"Andrew. Wait." She called after him just before he reached the door, making him stop, turning towards her.

And there she stood, not able to bring out a single word. He had that effect on her as well, to make her feel overwhelmed with everything he made her feel. They kept standing like this for a moment, in silence, until Andrew came a step closer, reaching out to her. He caressed with his hand over her cheek one time before he carefully leaned in to place a small kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a short moment. When he pulled away, he gave her the smallest of a smile and then left the room.

(4)

She took a moment for herself after Andrew had left before she went outside as well, walking towards the nurses' station. She filled out some patient files while asking one of the nurses if they had seen where Andrew had gone and then made her way to find him. Apparently, he had gone into an exam room. She wanted to clear this up.

Meredith slowly opened the door, carefully closing it behind her once she saw Andrew in it, leaning against it with her back. Once Andrew noticed her, he looked up at her, confused, almost questioningly or even worried.

"I feel the same." She stated as she felt the tension rising up inside her while at the same time feeling the weight being lifted by finally admitting to her feelings.

She kept looking at Andrew for a moment, who seemed to be only more confused by her words.

"I..." Meredith took a few steps closer towards the table, next to which Andrew was standing. "I feel the same." She stopped still a couple of steps away from him. "Come innamorarmi di nuovo." She found a small smile appearing on her lips at using his words. She couldn't help herself, especially when she saw his facial expression change into a big smile as well.

Now it was Andrew slowly getting closer to her, stopping just in front of her.

"I love hearing you speak Italian." He whispered, as he once again reached out to her, this time tenderly caressing through her hair.

"I know." She whispered back with a small smile, trying to keep his intense stare before she felt herself lean in just the slightest bit closer to him.

She closed her eyes, feeling how his lips slowly found hers, only carefully brushing them at first, as if too much would tear them apart again. She started to bring her arms up, letting them travel over his arms up to his shoulders to bring them around his neck, feeling how he caressed over her arms, before he brought his hands around her, letting them rest on her back, gently keeping her close while they deepened their kiss.

And only when they both needed to get some air again, they slightly pulled away, still standing in each other's embrace.

"We can still find our way back together, right?" Andrew whispered, trying to find her eyes.

"Yes." She whispered before she leaned in for another small kiss.

This was their new start.

.........

Thanks for reading 💗