Echoes of Resilience

37

Six Months Later

"Addie I promise, I will be okay. You can't stay out of work forever." Meredith squeezed Addison's hand, offering her a soft smile.

"I would still prefer to wait until after Burke's trial before going back." Addison sighed. "I don't like the idea of you alone with that circus going on, especially since we still don't know if they're going to call you to testify and reporters are storming us every time we even leave the house."

"I still don't understand why I would even have to testify. I never even met the man let alone talked to him. I have nothing to do with any of his crimes." Meredith groaned.

"Because he worked with Derek and you overheard the two of them on the phone where Derek specified that Burke enjoyed his last victim." Addison explained.

"I get that, but he never said Burke's name. I had absolutely no idea who he was talking to!" Meredith's breathing picked up as she started to scratch at her forehead.

"They checked the phone records and were able to prove that it was Burke he called that day, but you're the only one who can testify to what you heard. I'm sorry, I know it's not fair." Addison gently pulled her hand away from her forehead, but Meredith fought against her before getting up and running into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The redhead immediately ran after her, groaning quietly when she found the door locked. "Sweet girl, please open the door. Don't shut me out." She pleaded as she knocked on the door, her voice breaking. "Please."

"Go away!" Meredith screamed hoarsely before breaking down in sobs. "Everyone gives up on me eventually, so you might as well give up on me now before I get even more attached to you."

"Meredith, honey. I'm not going anywhere and I will never, ever give up on you. I love you." Addison slid down the door, trying and failing to blink back her tears. "I'm here whenever you're ready, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"That's what everyone says, but eventually they all leave. I've never been more messed up than I am now, eventually you're going to get tired of taking care of me and dealing with all my bullshit." Meredith said, her voice shaking. "The only one who didn't leave, was the one that I wanted to leave. Derek always came back just like he said he would and for the first time, I found myself wishing that someone would just abandon me. Even if I starved to death in that fucking torture chamber, it would have been better than being raped and beaten every fucking day."

"Sweet girl, please open the door and let me hold you. You shouldn't be alone with all this pain." Addison begged. Meredith wiped her tears, taking a deep breath before standing up and opening the door with shaky hands. Addison stood up and pulled Meredith into her arms, lifting her onto her hip and carrying her into her bedroom. She climbed into the bed, laying Meredith down so her head was on her chest in order for her to hear the redhead's heartbeat. "I'm not leaving you, I'm not giving up on you. I am so sorry for everything that you've gone through, but it's over. No one will ever hurt you like that again." She promised, pressing a soft kiss to Meredith's temple.

"You make me feel safe." Meredith murmured softly, snuggling closer to Addison. "From the moment I've met you, you have made me feel safe and I've always been just waiting for the other shoe to eventually drop, because in my experience safety doesn't last forever. You've changed my life, I don't know where I would be without you and I hate that I've had to depend on you so much the past eight months because I've become so attached to you. The thought of losing you makes it hard to breathe."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Addison whispered, smiling when Meredith nodded against her. "The thought of losing you makes it hard for me to breathe too. I've become just as attached to you as you have to me. This friendship isn't one sided sweet girl, you are precious to me. From the moment I found you, I've just felt drawn to you. I don't know how to explain it, but it felt like the world just shifted on its axis and all I've wanted since then was to make sure that you were safe."