Delicate Hearts

Twelve

The night was dark and upon them, Derek and Mark were working a long night shift, it had been nothing less of exhausting.

They again hadn't had a chance for a break, but being 2am they knew Meredith's wasn't an option although Derek was certain he would welcome him with open arms. 

He had hated leaving her that evening but she needed real rest, without him as much as she insisted he stayed by her side. 

It had been two days and she was still slightly under the weather, Addison said she could barely keep anything down so they went to the doctor who confirmed it was exhaustion. Meredith had again worked too hard. 

She had been working out twice as much since meeting Derek, she was terrified her image would deter him from her. 

She hadn't told anyone how much she had been pushing herself at the gym or how strict she had been when it came to her diet.  She simply agreed she had been working more than usual which was the biggest lie.

But she was really into Derek, she really wanted  what they had to go somewhere she didn't want to scare him away, he had been nothing short of amazing to her.

He was the type of man that was hard to come by, a guy who wanted affection and love not just sex and physcial intimacy. 

Derek knew she was delicate, he knew that she was terrified of things going wrong, he knew she had been hurt as a child and it still affected her. 

He planned to treat her like a princess, to love and care for her, he wanted her to be and become his world. She had already become his reason to wake in the morning.

The shift was taking its toll on him, he wanted nothing more than to hold her close.  But waking her this hour wasn't something he would do. He kept fighting through his shift.

When it came to his work he had good days and bad days, today was a bad day. They had cracked down on a child trafficking ring, preventing the trade of 42 girls who were all no older than 13. He had spent his entire shift taking down other suspected buildings and people.

But seeing the same thing over and over took its toll, it was his job not to become invested or emotionally attached, but it was poor children involved. Girls who had been taken from their families to make filthy old men happy.

It disgusted him, it was the part of the job he struggled with.  He and Mark with a wider team had just gained access to yet another suspected pedophile ring. 

"I will go through the back, Sloan go down the stairs, Torres with me, in case we find anyone. Everyone else fan out. One female officer with each male.  Approach softly." Derek nodded. His team followed his instruction.

The smell was foul, human waste to be sure, Derek covered his nose as he kicked one of the doors open. Just like the place before he uncovered a group of girls, all had been clearly beaten. It broke his heart to see so many fragile faces.

"I need an all female team to the lower room please. Around 16 girls around ten to twelve in age"He felt the sickness arising in his stomach. He couldn't handle it anymore.

He pushed himself from the room and back through the doors to the evening  sky. He found himself gasping for air, he had to unbutton the top of his shirt. He didn't know what else to do. In a panic he called her, he called the person who would calm him down.

He wasn't sure she would answer, but not long after he pressed the button did he hear her sleepy voice.

"Derek, are you okay its 4am nearly"She spoke through a yawn.

"Mer...i ...I just needed to hear you. This case.. its hard and I just needed to hear you" He felt calm as she soothe him.

"Come to me"She whispered sleepily. More teams were rolling, he was exhausted and he had been working for 15 hours. 

"Go Derek, you came in your car and Ruby is at home already. Go get some rest you have done a good job"Mark patted his shoulder. Derek nodded and almost ran to his car.

"I am Mer"He responded, he could hear her light shuffles.

"I opened the door, knock then walk in. Drive safe Derek" She placed her phone down, she knew he would feel guilty for waking her, but she was glad he had. He didn't suffer he called his safety net.

Knowing how hard he worked she knew he wouldn't have eaten, she quickly threw together some pasta with ham, cucumber, tomatoes and spinach. She knew it was a favourite of his. 

She was wearing a pair of satin shorts and the matching purple vest, a grey blanket draped around her shoulders providing a warmth that he soon would.

She heard his car pull up, he had closed his door so quietly. The small knock followed by the door opening. 

"Hey there"Meredith greeted him with a hug, he looked exhausted. "You look so tired, you need rest. Go get dressed"She noticed his gym bag. He placed a kiss to her forehead and left to go to her room. He quickly returned in cotton grey shorts and a top.

"I know you want sleep but eat first please"Meredith handed him the bowl of food which he looked thankful for, he devoured it within seconds, now heas the one overworking.  

"I am sorry I have barely spoken. It was a pedophile ring. We saved around 80 girls tonight but there are still more to crack down on. Just hate it when its kids"He shook his head. Meredith pulled him closer.

"You are amazing Derek Shepherd. You are an amazing officer. Now lets get some air and get you into bed."Her voice was like a relaxant to him. He found himself calm within her prescence.

She led him outside, although it was dark and cold she knew he needed moments to unwind.

"What the hell in this world did I do to deserve you Mer"Derek shook his head pulling her closer to him. He was vulnerable, he had been used and cheated on. He wasn't used to being cared for.

"Come here"She gently pulled away so she could pull his head onto her lap, her fingers combed his hair.  "You are an amazing man Derek.  I am lucky to have met you. Did something happen"She spoke with such care in her voice, such warmth. 

"No. I just...my last girlfriend fucked me over. Cheated on me and all sorts. Made me feel like I was nothing. I just don't want to ruin us"He explained. She circled his hair around her finger.

"She didn't deserve you did she. We were both treated shit. Their losses our gains Derek. I won't do anything to hurt you" He pulled himself up from her lap. The moonlight beamed down on her face, he found himself leaning closer and closer until their lips united again.

It was more than a kiss, it was the two individuals connecting over mutual pain to create something new, something that would be so beautiful. They both poured emotion into the moment they were sharing.

"As much as i want to kiss you, you need to rest Derek. Come"She stood up and grabbed his hand, she locked the doors once they were inside. He of course double checked before following her path. He pulled of his shirt before laying down, once she settled in the bed she snuggled close to him, her head in its resting place on his chest. 

Her skin made his warmer as his made her feel safer.