"Hey, is she waking up?" Addison walked inside, her hair tied together in a messy ponytail, wrapping her cadigan tighter around her body.
She just returned from a nap, everyone else was still with Meredith but she was in surgery all night for an emergency neonatal case
"Slowly. She twitched her fingers." Mark stood up, walking over to his wife and wrapping his arms around her. "Did you sleep well?" He asked and kissed her lips, Addison nods in return
"She's doing a great job. She's stable, her lungs sound clear. They have great hopes." Carolyn smiles at the redhead.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" Addison asks Derek, squeezing his shoulder softly
He kept his eyes close on Meredith, not wanting to miss out at all
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just need her to open her eyes." He sadly smiles, even if everything seemed to go okay, he couldn't ignore the worries inside of him
"She will. Give her a little extra time." Addison hugs her friend when they watched Meredith stirr a little
"Hi Meredith, hi sweetie. Take your time, open your eyes when you're ready." Derek immediately got up, holding her hand in his own, kissing it softly
Slowly Meredith started to wake up, she felt an insane amount of pain in her chest from the transplant, the tube in her mouth kept her from saying anything while all she wanted was to say something
Suddenly pain started to overwhelm her, some tears leaving her eyes
"Are you in pain, honey?" Christopher asks her, checking her stats
Meredith took some time but eventually managed to give a very small nod in return, her chest burning
"I'll page Teddy, she'll examine you and then you'll get some more meds." Mark wanted to assure his friend
Meredith heard Derek talking but it was hard to focus with the pain. She also felt very exhausted after the long and invasive surgery, almost drifting off when Teddy entered the room
"Hi Meredith, I'm very glad to see you awake. I'll examine you, but it will be painful. Can I start?" Teddy asks Meredith
With a small nod Meredith assures Teddy she can start. Derek held her hand in his own, caressing her cheek softly to make sure she'd get the comfort she deserves during this very painful examination
"She's hurting.." Addison spoke up as she saw her friend's tears increasing, now very visible in how much pain she was
"Okay Meredith, everything looks perfect. We'll keep you intubated, just to give your body some time, it will also lower the chances of your body rejecting the donor lungs. Do you want some more pain meds?" Teddy asks
Meredith immediately gives her a weak nod
"Everything will be okay, you're doing amazing." Derek tells his wife, the other family members saying similar things even if the pain was too overwhelming and Meredith barely even heard what they were saying, she felt safe knowing everyone was around, only her daughter and niece missing
"Alex is watching Charlie and Elise. We promise once you're extubated you'll see them." Addison tells Meredith
Meredith's expression softened a little, as if all her worries over Charlie disappeared when Teddy entered again and injected the meds, making meredith drift off again
"Night night, my love. Take all the rest and time you need, you won't be alone. We love you." Derek whispered in her ear as she finally drifted off, back into a painless and deep sleep
"So glad everything is okay." Carolyn breathed, her husband rubbing her back, everyone clearly very relieved to see Meredith was gonna be okay, at least for now
Suddenly Derek started to get anxious again
'What if her body would reject the lungs, what if she'd get sick with an infection, what if...'
So many what if situations spooked through this mind, unable to relax
"Derek, go take a nap. You heard Dr Altman, Meredith won't wake up in the next hours." Christopher spoke up, worried his son would break
"I can't leave her. What if something happens?" He looks up at his dad, tears pooling in his eyes
"Nothing will happen, and if something happens we can page you right away." Christopher spoke up again. "You will be of no use when you end up sick or exhausted. Go take some rest, mom or Mark can go with you." Christopher said again
"I'll go with you, come on." Carolyn gets up, taking his son out after he gave Meredith a last kiss on her forehead and whispered some things in her ear.
...
"Teddy, when can we finally extubate her?" Derek asks, holding his wife's hand. It's been 48 hours since her surgery, and he just wanted to talk to her, hear her voice
But it would also bring them a step closer to going home, to pick up their usual life, a new chance for Meredith healthwise
"Maybe now's the time. Are you ready, Meredith?" Teddy asks, paging Bailey
Meredith nods again, very scared for what was about to come but also very excited about a step forward in her treatment
"Hi Grey." Bailey smiled as she entered. "Dr Shepherd, Montgomery, Sloan and Carolyn.. would you mind waiting outside, please?" She asks them and they leave
"Okay Meredith. We'll extubate" Teddy smiles and got everything prepped
YOU ARE READING
2am (breathe)
FanfictionMeredith was born with cystic fibrosis. She's happy with Derek and their daughter but her lungs have been causing her lots of complications lately. Can she keep herself fit by doing her daily treatment or will she eventually end up in the hospital a...
