Confide in Me

Chapter 21

Her whole body hurt. Her muscles protested as she tried to straighten out her limbs, coughing against the dryness in her throat. She moved toward Derek's warmth, his arms tightening slightly around her.

"Hey, are you okay?" His voice whispered. She looked up just as he set something down on the side table.

"Hmm," she shrugged, and rubbed her finger in the corner of her eye. "What are you doing?"

"I was just reading," he pressed a kiss to her forehead and pushed her hair back with a gentle touch. "Can I get you anything?"

"I think I want to go back to sleep," she hid her face down against the pillow, her arm wrapped around her middle with a groan.

"What's wrong?" He frowned. His hand moved to her shoulder with a gentle rub.

"It's... pain," she said through gritted teeth. "Really bad cramps."

"Stay here, I'll go grab something to help," he said, kissing her head again before climbing out of the bed and leaving the room.

It wasn't just the cramps that were hurting her. Everything hurt. Her limbs were aching, her brain pounded against her skull. Her heart still twisted in her chest.

She couldn't understand why Derek was still even here. It was like he had dropped everything to stay with her, and he didn't have to do that. He returned with a glass of water in one hand, a selection of medication in the other.

"Addie prescribed you some stronger pills, but it's up to you if you take them or just ibuprofen. They'll make you drowsy though, if you're okay with just sleeping," he explained, perching on the bed beside her.

She sat up against the pillows, her head supported by the headboard. She took the water form him and took a sip, not realising how dehydrated she was. "I think... the stronger ones. But just one time. I don't want... Just this once."

"Whatever you need, baby," he nodded, and passed over one of the prescription pills.

She swallowed them with a water and took a few more sips before passing the glass back to him. "How's Maddie?"

"She's still with my mom, she's okay," he said, setting the glass down. "Don't worry."

"What did you tell her? About what happened?" She asked, moving to lay down again.

"I just told her you were unwell," he said and lay with her, bringing the blankets around them.

"Okay," Meredith said with a yawn, curling up into his side again. "It's quiet without her here."

"I know," he chuckled a little, wrapping his arms around her. "Get some more sleep, baby. Don't worry about anything else."

The drowsiness of the drugs started to take over and soon her heavy eyelids were shut, her brain drifting off into unconsciousness. Derek murmured something soft to her, but she was asleep before she could even process his words.

****

He felt a slight movement beside him as he started to wake and he opened his eyes slightly just as Meredith went to sit up, a soft groan escaping her lips. He reached his hand over to find hers but settled on her thigh with a gentle squeeze.

"Where are you going?" he murmured, yawning slightly.

"I... bathroom," she mumbled, looking to him with the slightest smile, "What time is it?"