Driving Sideways

22.

Richard and Derek arrived on the floor with the cafeteria and started to walk down the hallway. Derek stopped after a second. "I'll... be right there... I have to..."

"Call the wife back?" Richard nodded with a smirk.

"Yeah..." Derek nodded as he peeked into the cafeteria, seeing Ellis sitting at a table with Richie, he smiled a soft smile and flipped his phone in his hand. "I'll be right back..." He said as he turned and flipped the phone open as Richard walked into the cafeteria.

He waited for the phone to ring and after a moment, she picked up. "Hello?" Her voice was soft and sweet as she answered.

"Hi sweetheart..." Derek said with a smile when he heard her voice, immediately hearing the phone click as she hung up. He looked at the phone with a confused look for a moment as he dialed her number again.

"Hello?" She said again, a slight bit of satisfaction in her voice as she giggled.

"You think you're funny, don't you?"

"I was just wanted you to know how it felt..." She giggled at him.

"Oh... you're just hysterical..." He laughed as he leaned against a wall and listened to her voice. "I miss you."

"I miss you." She replied as she sighed into the line. "So what happened...?"

"What happened?" Derek asked, his voice confused as he shook his head.

"Why did you hang up on me?"

"Oh..." Derek paused for a moment as he tried to think of something quickly. "I...thought that I heard Ellis and Richie leaving... and I needed them to get something at the store..." He stammered as he swallowed hard.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"What... what?"

"What did they have to get at the store? Derek... there is something you're not telling me... and you're making me very frustrated and very nervous..." she sighed.

"Meri... stop worrying so much..." Derek said softly.

"Don't tell me not to worry so much, Derek." She said sternly. "You're across the damn country with my son... you're hanging up on me, and I can tell you're lying through your goddamned teeth... so either tell me what's going on... or I don't think I want to talk to you..." She said sternly.

"Meri... stop getting so upset... it's no big deal..."

"So you are lying to me?" She asked angrily.

"Meri..." he sighed.

Suddenly, Derek heard the angry voice of a man in the background. "Hang on a second..." Meredith said softly into the phone. Derek listened carefully and he could hear Meredith's voice as she spoke sternly at whoever was talking to her. The man's voice sounded angrier and Derek tried to hear exactly what they were saying, but Meredith had her hand over the receiver. He thought that he had heard. Meredith's voice was sounding more upset as she replied, and the man's response was curt and angry as Meredith replied. After another moment, she was on the phone again. "Listen... I have to go, Derek." She said softly into the phone, her tone completely changed as she swallowed hard.

"Who was that?" Derek asked, his concern instantly heightened as he listened to the sadness in her voice.

"I have to go..."

"Meri, who was that...? Meri?" He said again.

"I love you, sweetheart... whatever is going on over there... just be safe okay? Take care of them... I have to get back to work."