I Will Follow You Into the Dark

CHAPTER 41

The next morning, Derek woke up when Meredith was stirring. He propped on one elbow and watched her slowly wake up. When she did, she looked embarrassed. Blushing a bit, she kissed his cheek and said, "Morning," in a very sleepy voice.

"Morning," Derek said softly. He was much more the morning person than she was. He'd forgotten how hard it was for her to wake up and how adorable she was when she was sleepy.

"Thanks, Derek, for......well.........you know.......snuggling."

"What? I like snuggling. Why? Do you think you're irresistible or something?" he asked.

"I used to be," she said with a mischievous grin.

Derek reached out and gently tilted her head up toward his, "You still are. So you'd better leave before I forget that you're not available and break my promise."

Meredith smiled tenderly at him and got up, walking slowly across the room. "See you downstairs?" she asked in that still sleepy voice.

"Yeah," Derek said.

Picking up his phone, Derek noticed that he had a new text message. Lauren had left his bag on Meredith's mom's front porch. Grinning and sending her a quick thanks, Derek hurried downstairs to retrieve his things. He showered and dressed and wandered downstairs. He found Meredith cooking breakfast.

"This is new," he said in surprise.

"Oh. Yeah. Moms have to cook."

"Good. I'd hate for your kids to eat cold pizza for breakfast every day."

"Just on special occasions," she said with a genuine smile.

Pouring himself a glass of orange juice and grabbing one for her, too. Derek sat down on a barstool and watched Meredith cook.

"So.....where did you learn to cook?"

"Medical school. Steve taught me," she grimaced as she said those words. She'd just been talking about her spouse the way that most married people do, but it seemed cruel or something to bring him into their little private world. "Sorry.....," she muttered, focusing on making sure the eggs were not sticking to the pan.

"Mer, you're married. I know. It's OK. You get to tell me your story, too, remember?"

"Yeah," she said sadly.

They ate quickly. As they enjoyed the meal, they kept sneaking glances at each other.

"It's weird, huh?" Meredith finally said.

"A little," he responded. "But it's wonderful, too."

She smiled at him and took his hand in hers.

"Thank you, Mer. I.....I needed this time. I......"

"We both did," she said smiling. "Thank you, too."

They sat there gazing at each other over their mostly eaten meal. "We're a sap fest. It's ridiculous. Can we get out of here? Go somewhere?"

"Sure," he said. They grabbed their jackets, and Derek retrieved his keys to the rental car. Meredith grabbed a quilt, and they headed for the door. They drove to a nearby park. After a quick stroll on the walking trail, they ended up back at Derek's car. Meredith pulled out the quilt, and they found a spot to sit down.

They sat on the blanket in silence for a while. Derek kept sneaking glances at Meredith. She was fidgeting and lost in thought. Trying to give her time to unwind, he leaned back and lay on his back, watching the clouds go by.

When she didn't say anything, he decided to nudge her a bit and start with something simple. "So......what's your name?"

"What?"

"Your last name. Is it Grey? Or did you change it?"

"Oh. Yeah. It's Parker."

"Parker? Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Meredith Parker. That's weird. Sorry. It's just weird."

"It was for me too, at first. I got used to it."

"OK, Meredith Parker, what's your story?"

"Well......Hey? Can I censor my story like you did? I know that you left things out."

Derek glared at her and raised an eyebrow. "OK. Whatever," she said quickly, but then she was silent again.

"Well?"

Still nothing.

"Mer. You can tell me anything. It's OK. But you don't have to tell me if it's too hard."

"Thanks," she whispered as she stared at her toes. She got a distant expression on her face as she relived a painful part of her past. "I nearly died when you were kidnapped. It made me crazy. Drove me nuts. I worried and waited and prayed. I practically lived at your house with your mom and your sisters. I was there whenever I wasn't in class or sleeping. It was so hard when you didn't come home......I'm sorry......." she said as a few tears trickled down her cheek.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Derek began.

"I'm sorry. I......I should have waited longer. I feel so guilty......so horrible. You came back and I......had abandoned you."

"Mer, you didn't know. You couldn't have. You did the right thing."

"No, I didn't."

"Hey, I'll leave if you're just going to beat yourself up. I'm not upset with you, so you shouldn't be either."

"Not possible, but I'll try," she finally said.

"So your mom kicked you out......," he said looking at her intently, but she wouldn't look at him.

"Yeah. We had a big fight......I.......I got pregnant. Derek, I'm so sorry. I......"

Derek's heart fell. It hurt to know that Ellis hadn't lied. The kid wasn't his. He tried very hard to hide his disappointment. Taking a deep breath, he said, "You got pregnant."

"Yeah. I was so scared. Mom wanted me to abort it. I couldn't, so she kicked me out. But Steve was there for me. We moved to Chicago. Went to medical school. Had Trent. Steve asked me to marry him in December right before Trent was one. He had asked before, but that's when I gave in. But before I married him, I came back and I talked to Nancy about you."

"I know. I read your letter. It was kind of you to tell me."

"Well, we got married. It was hard having a baby in medical school, but we did it. Then I got pregnant with the twins six years ago. They're five now."

"Twins? I never imagined you with twins. That must have been crazy."

"Still is. It's nuts. But I love it," she said smiling in a way that truly warmed his heart.

"My kids are everything," she said lovingly.

"And Steve?" Derek asked, "he's good to you?"

"Yes. He loves me. He's always been there for me. He's a great husband. It's a good marriage."

"Good. You deserve that," Derek said, truly meaning it.