Seven Thousand Hours

Epilogue

Hope you enjoy and gives *some of you* some closure. I hate this chapter because it's so rushed but I needed a happy ending. Please also read the message and comment your suggestions at the end!

"Sweetheart, are you ready to go?" Derek called from the kitchen as Meredith emerged from the bedroom. "Yeah. First day of the job and sitting my boards, and starting a complete new chapter of my life. Yeah, yeah, great, Der" she smiled nervously as she fumbled with her fingers. He walked over to her. "Just calm down" he whispered as he stroked her arm. "What if I fail again?" She looked to him worriedly. "You won't" Derek said before he kissed her.

They walked over to the hospital. "Best of luck, love you" Derek said as he kissed her goodbye. "Love you too" Meredith smiled before walking in the opposite direction. Derek had been instructed to meet in the Emergency Department whilst Meredith sat her boards, occupying some time to treat a few patients.

"Nice to meet you Dr Shepherd" a young male intern smiled at him as he shook his hand. "I've been asked to show you around here and give you a few cases to look over whilst we wait for your wife, is that okay?" He smiled. Derek nodded, his heart skipping a beat at the use of the term 'wife'. "Absolutely" Derek said as he took some of the files and him and the intern went to meet the patients. Most of the patients were pretty straight forward, just small head lacerations, but one case shook him, which didn't happen often.

"Dr Shepherd, this is Graham Bingly. He was in a car wreck and the oncoming vehicle crushed the drivers side, crushed all his leg and arm. The leg is broken in 2 areas but he's unable to feel any of it. We believe it may be a spinal issue." The intern said casually. Derek looked to him. "Well let's get him a CT now then. Stat!" He called as he helped wheel the bed to the elevator. He looked to the young intern who looked terrified. "With neuro, you don't get to be scared, and always ALWAYS get a CT if in doubt" Derek rambled off before the elevator came to a stop and they rushed down to the CT room.

"See there, he's got some swelling on his spine. He's going to be fine, he just needs rest" Derek confirmed as he stared at the scan. This case was too close to home for him. He sent the intern away to deal with the patient before making his own way downstairs. He could hear the faint alarm of the ambulances outside. It sent a chill down his spine, the sudden memory of the night of the accident springing to his mind. How Meredith was screaming his name to find him, the numbness and terror he felt when he couldn't feel his own leg, the dizziness in his eyes and the agony in his hand. He hadn't allowed himself to think too much about the accident recently. With the new job, the marriage and the start of their future, the trauma they both endured had become a lot easier to manage.

But not today.

He slipped out a fire exit which lead him to the back of the hospital. No one was out there and that was just what he needed. He sat against the wall as he took some deep breaths. Flashbacks weren't uncommon after the accident and it was certainly accurate to his PTSD diagnosis. One thing he hadn't quite mastered yet though was stopping them as they often came in the form of a nightmare. He was almost certain he could hear Meredith screaming as all his senses became heightened, driving him to curl into a ball.

After a few minutes, the adrenaline subsided and his body relaxed as he took a deep breath. He wanted to enjoy the silence but frowned when he did indeed hear screaming. There were two screams, someone was talking and the other was just screaming.

He jumped up and looked around. All he would see was dumpster bins and skips of rubble. It unnerved him, maybe he was still imagining it. "Hello?" He called out, only to be met with no reply. As the adrenaline began to dissipate entirely, it became clear to him that it wasn't a regular cry and he could finally hear what the other person was saying. "Take my baby! Take my baby!" He heard someone screaming before he saw a figure run out of the courtyard and into the city.