A Change Is Going To Come

Chapter 7

Two weeks later...

The light of dawn peeked through the blinds and woke Derek from his sleep. The neurosurgeon blinked open his eyes and groaned. It was too early in the morning. He sighed and slipped out of bed. Dr. Shepherd put a simple t-shirt and pants on before heading to the kitchen. He ran his fingers through his hair. White hair has grown a lot more apparent over the last month. Derek has started to brew coffee and suddenly, he head a thump from the second floor. He leaned against the kitchen counter with his eyes closed and waited for screaming little children to start roaming the house.

A door opened slowly. The hardwood floor squeaked a few times. The father poured himself a coffee and savoured for another few minutes. Still no giggling. Derek looked up at the blond-haired figure that walked passed the kitchen thinking it was Dr. Stevens who stayed over again.

Arizona?

The front door closed. The pediatric surgeon left without noticing him. Derek, still surprised, heard someone else walk down the stairs. 

"Good morning," said his wife. "Close that mouth, would you? Gonna catch a bug."

"Did you hear anything last night?" he snickered.

"What are you talking about?" she replied as she poured herself a fresh cup of coffee. 

He shook his head and laughed. "Never mind."

Meredith rolled her eyes and made her way to the stool at the island. "When are you coming back next week?"

"... I'm not going back."

The woman almost spit out her hot drink. "WHAT?" 

"I'm quitting. I want to stay here."

"We've had this conversation before. You're going to be miserable and blame it all on me again..." she started. "Don't do it for me. Do it for you."

Meredith's mind was a mess that day at work. She replayed the brief conversation she had had with her husband before rushing to work. She spent the majority of the day looking for Alex, when she wasn't busy operating on someone that is. She finally spotted him at the end of the hall, going over some charts at the nurses station. She walked over to him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into the closest on call room she could find.

"What the hell Mer I have charts to do." Alex said, more annoyed than angry.

"Derek wants to quit DC." Meredith blurted out feeling a wave of relief wash over her as she did.

"Already? Didn't he just start?"

"That's what I'm saying! I mean I'd love to have him here to help me with the kids and for other reason you probably know too well but I don't want him to come back and be miserable again I can't take that again."