Driving Sideways

31.

Ellis woke to the sound of a hammer banging loudly downstairs and nearly fell off the bed as she got up and followed the sound down the hallway. "Derek?" She called, looking to the clock on the wall, she noted that it was four in the morning. "Derek?" She called again between banging. "Derek?"

"Yeah?" Derek's voice came from downstairs as the hammering stopped.

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing this door frame..." Derek replied.

"At four in the morning? Derek... Richie is trying to sleep... I am trying to sleep..."

"Oh." Derek said softly as he looked up the stairs at Ellis standing with her bathrobe draped around her. "Richie is sleeping with earplugs... I want to get this stuff done before you croak." He said with a smirk.

"Oh... you're hilarious..." She glowered at him. "And why is it so cold in here?" She asked as she shivered, feeling the cold air from the vent shooting through at full force.

"Oh... the air conditioning is on high..."

"Derek?"

"Are you going to be having the surgery?" He asked.

"No..." She said.

"Then we need it cold in here so your dead body doesn't stink up the place..." He said as he turned back to continue hammering.

"Derek!" She called down to him, only to hear the hammering becoming louder. "Derek, I'm serious!" She exclaimed as she stomped down the stairs. She swung around the corner and glared at Derek.

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Stop!" She exclaimed as she approached him, she wrenched the hammer from his hand. "No more hammering!"

Derek grinned as his phone rang on the table. "Oh! Phone call..." He smirked as he walked to the table and lifted it up, watching Ellis glare at him as she walked to the thermostat to turn down the air conditioning.

He lifted the phone to his ear. "Shepherd..."

"Derek..."

"Mark?" He said, glancing to Ellis as he walked into the kitchen.

"I know what you're thinking..."

"Yes... that you shouldn't be on the phone..." Derek said softly as he glanced back and stepped out onto the back porch.

"You're thinking that we should be boarding the airplane..."

"Yes... Where are you?"

"We are at your house... and... Meredith won't stop...um..."

"Meredith won't stop what? What's wrong with Meredith? Is she okay?"

"She won't stop puking..." Mark said into the phone.

"She won't stop puking? What's wrong? Is she sick? Mark?"

"We have to take a later flight..."

"A later flight? Mark... are you going to be able to get here tonight?"

"We'll be there at eight o'clock..."

"Eight..."

"Yes..."

"Because you have to take a later flight..."

"Yes." Mark paused. "We'll be leaving later... when... the morning sickness is lessened..." He said softly.

"Morning sickness?!" Derek exclaimed. "I'm going to kill you!" Derek exclaimed.

"What!? I didn't do this!" Mark exclaimed.