You can hear it in the silence,
You can feel it on the way home,
You can see it with the lights out.
It's been a hell of a day, Meredith thought to herself as she came home. She was glad to finally be home – she hoped that Nick had stayed and that they could spend the evening together. After everything they had been through, Nick had proven to be her rock. The one person she could always lean on, who's always there.
However, when she came home, she felt anything but calm. The first thing she spotted as she entered the hallway was a familiar bag. Nick's bag. She had seen him use it several times before. And, of course, her mind went to the worst-case scenario.
He's changed his mind. He's leaving. She quickly took off her coat and went to look for him. "So, you're leaving?" she let out as soon as she spotted him in the kitchen.
Nick looked up at her, scrunching his forehead. "What...? Why? No, I-..." he began, but Meredith didn't let him finish.
"Then why is your packed bag in the hallway?" she snapped at him. Deep down, she knew she was overreacting. The whole day, she had been in fight-or-flight mode. Now was no different. Except that it was – Nick didn't deserve this reaction. Deep down, she knew that too.
"Hey, hey... Mer, what's going on?" Nick asked her as he approached her. He could tell that something was off. Yes, the bag could be misunderstood, he'd have to give her that. But she was unusually snappy. So, something must've happened at work.
"Your bag is in the hallway. That's what's going on," Meredith bit back. She didn't know why she was acting like that, and the moment she threw it at him, she already regretted it. Everything that had been going on at the hospital wasn't his fault. In fact, he had nothing to do with it at all.
Finally, Nick stood right in front of her and carefully put his hands on her shoulders. "Mer... first of all: hello. The kids are already in bed," he explained to her. Sure, part of him was angry about her reaction, but he also knew there was no point in fighting about this right now. By the way Meredith's face had softened slightly, he could already tell she was somewhat aware of what she had done.
"That still doesn't explain the bag," Meredith let out, sounding much softer than before. It was unfair to be such a bitch towards him. God, she didn't even say hello properly, she realized. His hands on her shoulders helped her calm down; she immediately felt some of the tension that had built up throughout the day leave her body.
"I was getting there," Nick explained to her. "I didn't manage to bring it upstairs and unpack. I thought I could stay a while longer with you. That's why my packed bag is still in the hallway."
Nick's eyes met hers, and he knew she wasn't worried about the bag anymore. In fact, she never was truly worried about the bag. There was something else. "Now what's going on with you?" he asked, slightly tilting his head.
"Nothing, it's..." she began. It's not nothing. She was talking to Nick – why would she lie to him? She took a deep breath and just let the words flow out. "I-... it's Catherine. This day was just... I mean, at least I still have a job. So do Amelia, Owen, and Teddy... but..."
Meredith could feel Nick's hand pressing down on her shoulders a little. She didn't know whether it was intentional or not – but it felt a lot like he was trying to ground her, to calm her down a little. "Okay, I need the whole story here. But before you tell me, why don't you go upstairs and change into something comfortable? I'll heat up dinner in the meantime," he softly let out.
Nick could tell she needed calm, maybe even a sense of stability. And he wanted to give her that, more than anything. His hand went up to the back of her hair to loosen it and carefully take the claw clip that was holding it up out. He continued caressing her hair while looking at her. She became noticeably calmer the longer he continued his ministrations, and that's what he was looking for. He didn't want her to feel pressured or tense when she was at home with him.
