A Fight to Remember

Breakfast Pt. 1

A few days after last chapter:

Feburary 2038 Derek.

I woke again in the night, feeling cold. My skull ached, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was Meredith. Where was she? "Ugh," I sighed. I rolled over, my hand falling on her empty side of the bed. I scrubbed my face and sat up. Zola said this could happen. I just... didn't think it would be on my first night home from the hospital. Sighing, I checked the time, 2:28 am. "Meredith?" I called.

No answer.

Slowly I stood up and lurched out of bed. Where was she? "Meredith?" I called again. The hallway light was on, so she'd been through there. All the lights upstairs were motion activated now.

I saw a shadow at the end of the hallway, "Meredith?" I walked toward her figure. My wife stood at the top of the stairs in her pajamas, staring down the steep obstacle. "Hey," I called, but she didn't respond. "C'mon, let's get back to bed." Gently, I tugged her shirtsleeve, pulling her back down to our room. She followed wordlessly, reluctantly. I sat down with her on the mattress. "It's time for bed. Lie down," I prodded.

Meredith nodded and lay down, pulling the covers over her shoulders. I turned off the light and got in beside her, draping an arm over her waist like I used to. But there was no response to my presence. No sigh or touch or word.

Does she even know it's me? I wondered before my eyelids closed and I fell asleep.

There was a shift and again, I was woken from my dreamless sleep. The clock read 3:47 am, and was Meredith pacing beside the bed. She fidgeted, picking things up and putting them down. Moving things, opening and closing drawers. I watched her sleepily for a few moments, trying to understand. But I didn't. "Meredith," I patted the mattress, "Come to bed."

Her green eyes held a nervous gaze I hadn't seen since her intern days. She bit her lip, at war with herself.

"It's okay," I said, patting the bed. "It's me, I'm your husband, c'mon," I smiled, coaxing her.

It took a long time, but finally, she lay back down on, but as far away as possible from me.

Again, I was wakened. But it was Zola this time.

"Mom," she said to Meredith quietly, and I felt her weight on the bed. "Mom, it's morning."

I glanced at the clock. 6:55 am. I smiled at my daughter. "She was up all night," I said, "Maybe we should let her sleep."

"Best to keep her active, her schedule's been all mixed up lately. If she sleeps in now, she'll never sleep tonight." Zola said.

"Hmm", I nodded in understanding.

"C'mon," Zola shook Meredith's shoulder. I heard a sigh and a groan as she woke up. "Good morning mom," Zola smiled.

Meredith mumbled something incoherent and rolled over, facing me. When she saw my face, a panicked look crossed her features and she sat up immediately. "Wha- who?" She asked.

"Meredith, it's me, Derek." I said.

"Who?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm your husband."

"What?" she laughed, "that's silly."

"Mere-," I started.

But Zola shot me a look. "C'mon mom," she said, "You should go to the bathroom, you probably have to pee."

"Good idea," Meredith agreed, and I was left alone.

xxx

Pushing away my feelings of rejection, I got ready for the day. After a shower and shave, I dressed in a pair of my son's jeans and his green Dartmouth tee. It was funny that after all these years, we were the same size.