In My Dreams

Seven-Letter Word

Cool air conditioned air ruffled her surgical mask. Meredith was now in the OR, hovering with a scalpel over a body. She prepared to make a cut, but stopped. Who was she operating on?

"Hmm," Derek was sitting where the anesthesiologist would be, in his navy blue scrubs and ferryboat scrub cap. He had a crossword puzzle in his hands. "Seven-letter word for kiss and make up?"

"What?" Meredith was pulled out of her surgical reverie. She put her scalpel back down on the tray and looked at her husband in all his dreaminess. His hair was a little longer and curlier than she last remembered, and there was just the slightest dab of sweat over his brow. Oh how she missed him.

"Seven-letter word for-" He stopped when he saw the sad look in her eyes. "Meredith, what's wrong?"

She pulled the mask down and sighed deeply. "I miss you."

"Mm."

"Amelia reminds me of you. She has your eyes."

"Yeah," Derek agreed.

"Richard says I should forgive her." Meredith tapped her fingers on the tray.

"She's trying, you know..." Derek put down the crossword and stood up.

"I'm not good with sisters."

Derek pulled Meredith into a loving embrace. "Yes you are. You warmed up to Lexie, remember?"

"I was thinking about her yesterday... about the plane crash." Meredith rested her head on Derek's shoulder, "God, life is so freakin short!" She sniffed. "Lexie would know how to forgive. She forgave me for being a crappy sister."

"I'm sure she did," Derek smirked.

"She stormed into the bathroom with this big speech after I let Cristina mock her."

"That sounds like her."

Meredith pulled back. "Okay. So what were you asking about before?"

"Oh," Derek picked up the puzzle from the stool. "Seven-letter word for 'kiss and make up.'"

"I thought you cheated on crossword puzzles..."

"Mmm, we could do that," he tipped Meredith's head with his thumb and forefinger and leaned in for a kiss.

Their lips met tenderly, and Meredith's whole body was warmed. "I like the kissing part."

"We were always good at that," Derek replied, pulling her in again.

"And the making up part," Meredith mumbled softly as she breathed him in.

"Yeah that too," hummed Derek.

Suddenly Meredith pulled away. "Derek?" Her eyes were soft and pleading, "do you forgive me?"

Derek looked shocked at the request. "What?"

"I let you go... I told you to go... I-" She swallowed hard.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Meredith, there's nothing for me to forgive."

Meredith looked back at the patient on the table. The patient's face was draped. She looked back at her husband. "Derek, who's on the table?"

Derek put his hands on his hips and sighed sadly. "Mer..."

She had a feeling...

"Meredith," Derek's voice was thick. "What you said before...about you hating me? You meant it didn't you?" The words came out in a strangled sob.

She started to hyperventilate, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, "I..." Her chest heaved, "I don't mean to..."

"And you hate yourself..." He said softly, "For hating me."

Meredith couldn't answer... she twisted the surgical mask in her hands and looked away from him as her chest heaved.

"It's okay," Derek said. "You were hurt. It's part of the process."

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

He came to the head of the table and slowly pulled the drape off the patient. Meredith gasped. It was herself, unconscious with her hair pulled behind her in a surgical cap and an intubation tube in her mouth.

"Oh..."

Derek took her hand and kissed it. "Thirteen-letter phrase for forgive?"

"Huh?"

"Kiss and make up." He enveloped her into his strong arms and kissed her passionately. "We love each other... even when we hate each other."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Thanks so much for reading! Comment, vote and add this to your list!