what i'm here for

Chapter 30: Family Ties

Derek took his large coffee gratefully and thanked the coffee cart attendant with an appreciative nod. He breathed in the comforting scent of hazelnut wafting from the small hole on the top of the lid as he turned to head back for the surgical floors, hoping to run into Meredith. He had just finished informing his patient's family on a slightly complicated, but nevertheless successful operation. He was tired, but held high hopes the coffee would be enough to kick start his energy level again. He and Meredith were both scheduled to be off relatively early that evening, and he was hopeful they could do something that night. With their hectic jobs, it wasn't often they had time to go out.

Humming quietly to himself, Derek was half way across the lobby on his way back to the elevators when he did a double take at a small group of family members seated across the waiting room. He stopped dead, staring, trying to convince himself that he was not looking at his mother, Anna and Natalie. He blinked. He blinked again. But there was no escaping it. There they were.

Shaking his head, Derek manoeuvred around the sections of chairs and approached his family, a small smile on his face, despite the surprise at recognizing them. His mother and Anna sat beside each other, both absorbed in a magazine, looking ever the mother-daughter pair with their matching wavy brown hair. Natalie, the only Shepherd child to inherit their father's sandy hair sat kitty corner, her nose buried in a novel.

Derek stopped before them and cleared his throat, causing all three heads to pop up.

"Derek!" Natalie exclaimed, dropping her book on the chair beside her to jump up. She threw her arms around Derek's neck and hugged him tightly. "How's my favourite little brother?"

"I'm your only little brother," Derek responded automatically; it had been their thing for as long as he could remember. Natalie was only eighteen months older than him, so they had practically grown up together, which made her the sister he was probably closest to.

Natalie pulled back, but left her hands on his shoulder to survey her brother. "You're looking pretty good, baby brother." Her voice was light and amused as she tilted her head at him.

Derek rolled his eyes, knowing from experience to simply not bother arguing with her choice of terms. "What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"We gave up waiting for you to visit us, so we came to see you," his mother cut in, practically shoving her middle child out of the way so she could hug her only son. Natalie was nice enough to take the coffee cup out of his hand so he could properly greet his mother. Her fine boned arms wrapped tightly around his frame, one arm over his shoulder and one tucked under his opposite arm. She hugged him close, and he responded warmly, closing his arms around his mother.

"We've missed you," his mother told him when she finally released her grip. She stretched herself up on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I missed you too, mom," he told her, knowing it was what she wanted to hear.

His mother smiled and rolled her eyes good naturedly at her son. "No, you didn't, but it's nice to hear anyway."

"Well, then, you've got me," he joked.

She shook her head, her blue eyes bright with laughter. "Your sister is right. You are looking good," she commented.

"Just because he moved across the country wouldn't mean he'd ever give up the diet," Anna, said.

Derek glared at his younger sister as she moved in between him and their mother to hug him. "I'm not on a diet. I choose to eat well. I'm a doctor."
She shrugged and pulled back. "So? I'm a doctor and I allow myself to eat food that actually has taste. And Nat's a doctor and she eats good food too." She waved a hand at their fair haired sister. "And Kathleen and Nancy-"