The Man Next Door

Chapter 15

One week later…

Meredith had been living in the hospital for a week. She was tired from lack of sleep. She was always hungry because she could barley force herself to eat the terrible hospital food and she was worried that Derek wasn't going to wake up. The day after he had been in hospital she called Finn to post-pone the wedding. She didn't want to cancel just yet, she needed to know that Derek was safe and could still follow through with their plan to be together. She had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that Derek wouldn't remember her and she didn't want to end up alone. She knew it was selfish, leading Finn along when she knew in her heart that she had no intentions of marrying him but she needed his comfort. If anything, he was a good friend in a crisis. He wasn't happy with her decision to push the wedding date back but her excessive crying and pleading over Derek as well as the media attention this was getting made him agree. He didn't want to look like the ass that didn't care about his fiancé's best friend. He never said anything but she knew he suspected something more than friendship between her and Derek, her broken hearted demeanor clearly gave it away. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to care. She needed Derek; he was her lifeline, the only person that made her truly happy.

Rose had lifted her rule of 'family only' soon after Derek's family arrived in LA from Maine. She had to keep up her friendly, wifely appearance in front of them. She didn't want them to suspect her insecurities within their marriage. So when Meredith turned up at his door while his family was inside, she had to grin and bare it. She immediately regretted her decision when Derek's mother accepted Meredith into her arms graciously complementing her on the amazing on screen chemistry she had with her son on the show. She was even more shocked when his mother invited Meredith to have lunch with them at the hospital while they waited for Derek and when Tallulah begged to join them instead of staying with her in Derek's room. Rose had been different to Tallulah ever since Derek was hospitalized. It was like she replaced her obsession with work beforehand to fixate over Derek, again leaving Tallulah alone in the dark. It was good that Rose was showing that she cared for her husband but it disgusted Meredith when it meant that she was neglecting her own daughter. This of course, left the role of looking after Tallulah to Meredith, something Rose hadn't noticed until Derek's family distracted her from staring at Derek all day. It was then that Rose realized that instead of sitting by her mother at Derek's bedside, she sat with Meredith and rather than asking her questions about her father she sought advice from Meredith. So when Tallulah jumped at the chance to have lunch with Derek's family and Meredith, Rose was fuming and for the first time in a week, she left Derek's bedside to try and win Tallulah as well as Derek's family back, pushing Meredith away for good.

"Dear, are you sure that you don't want to go to a restaurant or somewhere for lunch? You've been living off this hospital food for a week I'm sure it's probably leaving you more hungry than not," Carolyn Shepherd, Derek's mother, chuckled to Meredith as they entered the cafeteria in the hospital.

"I'm getting used to it. Besides I want to be close when Derek wakes up, if he wakes up…I've already asked the nurses to call me when…if…he does. But you guys can feel free to go somewhere, you don't need to stay with me," replied Meredith.

She was starting to lose hope but needed to show she was strong and as much as she wanted to hide it, she couldn't bare the thought of Derek's family leaving alone her yet. She enjoyed their company, his sisters were comforting and his mother was very protective and caring. Something she wasn't used to after having lost her own mother when she was a child.

"Nonsense! We couldn't leave you alone here dear. Plus, we want to be here for when he wakes up too. Which he will, he will wake up. I have faith in Derek, he's a fighter. He never gave up on landing an acting role and look at him now!" she said smiling, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. Meredith could see that she was so proud of her son's accomplishments yet even his mother had a seed of doubt planted in her eyes.