How You Remind Me

Part 22

"Thanks for helping me out on the airplane Derek." I said as we grabbed our luggage.

"My pleasure." He said softly.

I sighed as I turned to him. I didn't know what to say, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to. Did I tell him what I'd been holding inside of me for so long, was I ready? Was he ready? Should I just offer to share a cab and pick up the fare?

"So I guess I'll see you at Ma's." he nodded.

I..um.. err.. yeah. Guess so." I mumbled.

We coincidentally walked together towards the exit. Both glancing at the other from the corners of our eyes out of awkwardness—I wanted to scream. How did we become this? And how did it happen so damn fast! Two and a half years ago we were this happy married couple, and now we were that weird divorced couple who can't even walk cordially through an airport together.

"Hey, not so fast!"

I stopped and gasped to myself at the voice. I saw Derek stop a moment after me. We looked at each other for a second before turning around to where the voice was coming from.

I saw a familiar red head smiling as she made her way towards us, a tall bearded man right behind her.

"Addie!" I squealed as she reached me.

"Mer!" she squealed back while wrapping her long arms around me.

"Oh my god!" I giggled at my long time friend "What the hell are you guys doing here."

"Carolyn let on to the fact that you two were coming home for Christmas." Addison smiled, and then went to hug Derek as Mark pulled me into a hug.

"She told us to come pick you guys up and hang out until dinner time."

"She told you?" Derek chuckled as they shook hands.

"Ok." Mark shrugged "She may have threatened bodily harm if we didn't comply."

"Uh huh." Derek nodded "She seems to be very persuasive these days."

Derek gave me a look of curiosity, I shrugged. I know nothing.

Addison looped her arm around mine and smiled as we made our way through the airport.

"So." She sung out "Where do you want to go until six."

"I am exhausted." I laughed as I laid my head against her shoulder "I just want to go to bed and sleep for a few days."

"Oh come on, you're a surgeon at a very busy hospital." She rolled her eyes "I'm sure you're used to be up for three to four days straight."

"It's the high of surgery that keeps me up though." I retorted "I don't have a mangled human body in front of me right now that I need to put back together... I'm tired."

"We can fix that if you want." Mark called from behind us. "Just point to which humpty dumpty you want to put back together."

"Thanks Mark." I laughed "But this is supposed to be vacation."

"Why don't you take Derek and do whatever you two do." Addison suggested "I'll take Meredith and do what we do best."

"Talk and spend money?" Mark raised his brow.

"Yep." She grinned. "We'll meet you back at Carolyn's house at six o'clock."

Mark nodded with a loud sigh. "Come on Der... there's a sports bar on eighty-eight avenue calling our name."

We giggled as they trudged off. Addie hailed us a cab and she helped me load my luggage in the back.

I gulped as we got in the back seat. I adored Addie; she was one of my closest friends. We'd all met during Derek's second year of residency. Her and Mark had just gotten married and we all liked to go out together. We hit it off easily and stayed close ever since.

As excited as I was to be with her, I dreaded it as well.

I knew it was only an inevitable amount of time before she asked me...

"So, how are you?"

"Um... fine." I tried to give her a convincing smile "I'm fine."

She looked unconvinced.

"Alright, you just got off the plane. Let's get back to that one later." She sighed "Where do you want to go?"

I sighed as I contemplated what in New York City there was that I possibly wanted to do.

"I have nine nieces and five nephews, four sisters in law and their husbands, and an amazing mother in law." I said, she nodded "None of which I have bought a single Christmas present for."

Her eyes widened just before a very large grin spread across her face.

"Driver! Take us to fifth avenue stat."