Chapter 39: Leaving on a jet plane

953 15 0
                                        

Meredith pulled her suitcase behind her as she followed Derek across the busy drop off route along the front of the airport. They had opted to drive and leave the car parked for the weekend in the long term lot, and so had been wheeling their bags from the lot. Derek expertly manoeuvred through the throngs of travellers saying their goodbyes to friends and family. The large, sliding doors opened on their own accord and suddenly Meredith found herself inside the airport. This was it. This was real. She was going to New York. She was going to do the family thing. And there was nothing she could do about it now.

Derek had been annoying happy and upbeat for the past few days, obviously happy to be going home to see his family, but also ecstatic about bringing her along to meet the rest of them. It was like there wasn't a doubt in his mind that everything would go fine and Meredith would immediately be accepted as the shiny new daughter/sister/aunt to all involved. And theyd all live happily ever after. To say Meredith didn't exactly hold his beliefs was an understatement.

And it wasn't that he wasn't fully aware of that. He had been supportive and calm and encouraging and... dreamy... for every one of her near freak outs all of the past week. But his glass-is-half-full, enthusiastic reassurances that the world was a magical place, and she was his queen, and his family would adore her, and Thanksgiving would make up for all of her past Thanksgivings was getting a little old. And a little bit ineffective. She had never seen him so enthusiastic and happy for such an extended period before. It was driving her crazy. And it made her hesitant to fully trust his opinion.

He turned his head as they entered the building to make sure she was still behind him and smiled broadly when their eyes met. She rolled hers as he turned back around and made his way towards the check in. She knew he loved her. And she knew he loved his family, and that his family loved him. And she definitely knew that she loved him. And the short visit of his mother, Anna and Natalie had gone much better than she had expected. But, as much as he wanted her to believe it, that didn't mean everything was going to automatically be kosher in the Shepherd house. A lot could have happened in the months since she had made progress with any of them. A lot could have changed. Opinions could have drastically changed. The realization that their son/brother was actually serious about his dirty mistress could have set in. Plans could have been enacted. Interventions could be scheduled. Seriously. Interventions could be planned and laid out, just waiting for their arrival.

On a rational level, Meredith knew she was going overboard. She knew the worst that could happen was an awkward weekend where she just didn't fit in. And it wasn't like she had never fit in before. She knew that no matter when happened, she and Derek would still fly home together Sunday afternoon. She knew nothing would change between them. But the irrational side, which was gaining strength and decibels, was screaming that this was a bad idea.

Meredith would be completely out of her element. She didn't know how to do the family thing. She didn't know how to do the holiday thing. She didn't know how to do the kid thing. And she definitely didn't know how to do the cooking Thanksgiving dinner thing. Or the football thing. And, apparently, those were her only options. And she would be stuck. In the big house. With the big family. There would be no familiarity. There would be no home ground advantage. There would be no friends to bail her out, or hospitals to escape to. There would be no where to run. No where to hide.

She sighed as Derek dodged a family who had stopped in the middle of their path, and she followed suit. He turned his head again to check she was still there. And he smiled. Again. She shook her head. The man was far too happy about this. He slowed as the throngs of people began to lighten and waited for her to catch up, immediately reaching out for her hand. He smiled again, his eyes sparkling. And she couldn't help but smile back. His enthusiasm was contagious when he was in close proximity. And she hated him for it. He was cramping her anxious and stormy style.

what i'm here for Where stories live. Discover now