If that's what it takes

74

Derek walked briskly down the hallway, down the stairs to the psych floor where he walked quickly down the empty hall towards Meredith's room. He kicked into Meredith's room as Mark looked up, hooking the tubes and making sure the monitors were working properly.

WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IS GOING ON?

Meredith's eyes were wide, darting to the opening door as Derek stepped in, he immediately noticed her hand flexing slightly as he stepped inside, her eyes were wild with worry, and relaxed slightly as soon as Derek walked into the room. "Did anyone see you?" Derek asked.

"I don't think so." Mark replied. "Did you talk to Bailey?"

"I talked to her. She was just checking to make sure that things with Cristina and I were fine... she's been hearing the rumors that Cris wants her to hear." Derek replied.

"Zoey is coming... Izzie is bringing her. She had some nightmares." Mark said as Derek shook his head, a worried look across his face.

"Thank you. Thank you for calling her." Derek replied. He looked down at Meredith, whose eyes were directly on him as she blinked. He glanced to Mark and then back to Meredith as she passed along her message. "Izzie will bring her here." Derek whispered. "She'll be alright." He said softly.

"What is she saying?" Mark asked. "How do you know what she's saying? This is really freaky, and I..."

"Shut up for a second, Mark." Derek replied as Meredith blinked another message, Derek watched intently as his brow furrowed. "We haven't gotten the results from the scan, when we..." Derek watched as she blinked at him more fiercely.

You will not lie to me. You saw the scans.

"Meredith."

You will tell me what you saw. Am I dying?

"We don't know anything yet, Meredith." Derek replied as he looked to Mark. "She asked if she was dying."

"You're going to need surgery." Mark replied, Meredith's eyes flicking to his.

"Mark!" Derek exclaimed as he watched Meredith's eyes flash to him as she blinked. "She said thank you... to you." Derek mumbled.

"She should know the truth." Mark replied.

"She should... but in time."

"There isn't a lot of time." Mark exclaimed to Derek. "There isn't...Derek."

I'm dying?

"You're not dying." Derek replied, glaring at Mark. "But... there is a clot... and what probably started out as depression... is turning into something much more devastating."

I have a clot in my brain?

"Brainstem." Derek replied. "It's large enough... to where it has affected most all of your motor skills, obviously... including speech and most movement. Though... I'm worried that the fact that you have been able to communicate, is an indication of a change in the composition of the clot." Derek swallowed.

It could be bleeding?

"I don't know." Derek whispered as he glanced to Mark. "We don't know, unless we... Unless we go in." He whispered as the door opened. Meredith's eyes closed and the two men were standing above the bed as Cristina came barging inside.