I told you I'd get bored.
So. Here is the deal. 7 chapters, we'll see how far into the summer that gets us (probably not far cause I'm already starting to work on chapter 3), but this section is ending in 7 chapters. I have it all outlined and I'm pretty damn excited about it. There is more Mark and Sydney in this one (I've been affectionately calling them Marksy) more Addex, Callie is getting her passive agressive bitch face on, MerDer are nesting, Geoffrey and Addison are quickly becoming an old married couple (but not married) and Addek are just ignoring all of the above. I LOVE IT. I don't think I have been this excited for a section since… the… fourth(?) one.
Anyone, I always feel just a little more stressed about posting the first chapter of a section, I feel that there is so much it needs to accomplish, but I've been poking at this and complaining about it to anyone that will listen for like a week now.
Oh, the title song for this are perfect. Just by Radiohead is the most perfect thing ever for this section, and Tracks of My Tears from the new Dolly Parton CD (Backwoods Barbie) for this chapter… FANTASTIC. And don't be surprised if more Dolly songs show up, I love her. But ya, you guys should go get those songs and listen to them. They are perfect I tell you.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Addison blinked quickly and fell silent as a soft knock came from the door. Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth to hold back her tears, she sat up from her huddled state on the floor.
There was another knock at the door.
She rose unsteadily to her feet and padded over to the door, peeking out before swinging it open and wrapping her arms around Alex's neck, she was to tired crying again.
"Addison," he circled his arms around her waist and backed her into the room and kicked the door closed behind him, "What happened?"
She sobbed once, her knees buckling slightly beneath her so he had to hold her tighter to keep her upright. He walked her over to the bed and sat her on the edge and knelt in front of her entangling her arms from around his neck and holding them in his hands.
"Add," he repeated, "What's wrong?"
She sniffled, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm herself.
Alex glanced around the room –– disheveled bed, clothes littering the floor, Addison's purse spilt all over the floor –– and began to get an idea of what was going on.
"Where's Derek?"
Her face crumpled and she stared up at the ceiling, alternating between holding her breath and panting heavily. "We were just talking and he said his chest hurt and…"
"Talking? Addison––"
She began crying anew.
Alex sighed and moved up to sit beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders while she cried.
"I called 911 and they took him away," she buried her face in his chest, "I didn't know what else to do."
"Where did they take him?"
"Mercy. I made them promise."
"Okay," he pulled away slightly, pushing her hair out of her face and rubbing his thumb over her cheek until she calmed down a bit.
"Does Meredith know?"
She shook her head, "I just called you."
"Okay," he said again, glancing around the room again, "I'll call Meredith."
She gripped his hand tightly and wouldn't let go, "Call Mark. Derek said to call Mark."
"Mark? Addison," he tilted her face up to face him, "You can't hide this anymore. Okay? It's over. People are going to know. Your in a hotel room Addison, people are going to figure it out."
"I promised Derek I'd call Mark," she said softly, her tears temporarily staunched.
"Fine," Alex agreed, "But, that's not going to change anything."
Addison nodded, bending at the waist to bury her face against her knees.
"Hey," he rubbed her back, "Why don't you shower while I make these phone calls. You'll feel better."
She nodded but didn't move.
He took her hand and led her into the bathroom, seating her on the edge of the small bench beside the shower, he turned the shower to a barely comfortable scalding hot and turned back to her, "Can you take it from here?"
She nodded and started automatically undoing buttons.
Alex gently kissed her forehead and pulled a few towels off the shelf over her head.
"Don't leave."
He bent down to look at her, she was trembling ever so slightly, "Yeah. Okay."
He turned his back politely as she undressed and stepped into the shower, then pulled out his phone.
"Sloan."
"It's Alex Karev. Listen –– Derek's been taken to Mercy West. Something to do with his heart."
"Shit," Mark swore, "What happened?"
"I don't know, I'm at a hotel downtown with Addison. She called 911 and me. And I'm calling you."
There was a long silence on Marks end of the line, "Syd's at the hospital with Meredith, I'll get her to track her down and I'll go get her. Shit. A hotel." There was another long pause, "I'm not covering for them this time."
"I don't think you can."
Mark was silent a long moment. "How's Addison?"
"She's freaking out. I calmed her down enough to get in the shower but––" he glanced at the shower, he could just barely make her out as she leaned against the tile with her hands over her face, "She's a mess."
"Let her raid the mini-bar. I'll call Mercy, Meredith and then call you back."
"Thanks," Alex said, but Mark had already hung up.
XXXX
"Sydney Heron-Sloan."
"Track down Meredith. Derek's in the hospital. I'll be there in 10 minutes," he paused, "Tell her we were playing racketball."
XXXX
"I need Grey."
"Well, you can't have her," Bailey replied shortly, "We're working on an 8 year-old here."
"Well, I thought you might say that, so, I brought Yang to take over."
"Yang is Cardio, I need neurology."
"But, Yang is an all-purpose surgeon. She's obsessive compulsive about knowing everything about everything. And, I really need Grey."
"No."
"Miranda," Sydney took a step into the OR, covering her mouth with a mask, "Do you really think that I would come in here and demand Grey, Grey of all people –– you know how well we get along –– if I didn't have a really good reason. And, I talked Yang into taking her place. Yang. Yang hates me. Can you imagine the groveling that that took? Because if you don't, I would be happy to stand here and tell you exactly what I said… "
"Grey, you can go."
"Thank you Miranda. That is very generous of you."
Sydney stepped out of the OR and leaned against the scrub sink to wait for Meredith.
"What's up," Meredith asked as she tossed her gloves in the bin.
"Not sure exactly," Sydney led her out of the scrub room and down the hall towards the locker room, "How are you doing today? Good?"
"Tired. This is my 37th hour and I've been on my feet a lot. Do you need a consult on something?"
"No, no. Nothing like that. I was just asking. Seeing how you were. What your day was like," she steered her towards the locker room, "Let's go in here for a moment."
"What's going on."
"Do you want to sit down? I'm going to sit down," she patted the bench beside her, "Sit. Sit."
"Sydney. What is going on."
"You know how Derek and Mark were going to play racquetball?"
"No…"
"Well, there was a bit of a mishap and Derek was taken to the hospital."
"What kind of 'mishap'?"
"I don't know," Sydney apologized, "But Mark is on his way over, he's going to pick you up and take you to him."
"He's not here?"
"No, I guess they took him somewhere else."
"But I…" Meredith sank down on the bench, "He's okay though right?
"I'm sure he is. You know those boys. Derek probably broke his nose and they are calling it a national emergency."
XXXX
"His heart."
Mark closed his eyes for a moment then refocused on the road, "Meredith, I know as much as you right now."
"But how did he look? Was he awake? Where you talking to him?"
"Ya, he was awake. They said he was going to be okay."
"They said that?"
"Ya," Mark lied, "Sure."
Meredith stared silently out the window, "He's not gonna…"
"No," Mark assured firmly her as they pulled into a parking space, "He's not."
XXXX
Derek stared at the flimsy curtain surrounding his bed.
He hated hospitals.
He loves being a doctor, he loves the OR. Helping people. But hospitals themselves –– the ER, the patient's rooms, waiting rooms –– he just doesn't like them.
He had his appendix out when he was 8 and he hasn't been a patient since. He doesn't like the beeping of the machines, he doesn't like watching the line that's tracing his heartbeat, he doesn't like the tug of tape on his hand every time he moves and pulls at the IV, he doesn't like the wheezing breathing of the person on the other side of the curtain, he hates the baby crying somewhere down the hall. He hates that he is alone.
The first time he was a patient he hadn't been alone. His parents were there, his mom never left. He had books and toys. Now all he has is the rattling of gurneys, the screeching laugh of a nurse and the rain pouring against the windows.
He wishes his mother was here now to talk to him. He wishes he hadn't moved so far away from his family.
When he was 11 and his dad was in and out of the hospital, Derek spent every day after school at the hospital –– that was when he decided that he wanted to be a doctor –– but the smell, the sickness, the weakness, the sadness. The helplessness.
He hates hospitals.
He hates the rain.
He hates Seattle.
"Derek!"
He glanced up as Meredith threw back the curtain.
"Hey––"
"Derek. What. I…" she crossed the room and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
He could feel her tears running down onto his skin.
"What… what happened?" she whimpered softly against his neck.
"It was nothing. I was just a bit short of breath."
She pulled back just enough to look at his face, "Mark said it was your heart. You collapsed playing racquetball."
"Yeah," Derek shrugged, "I skipped dinner, it was probably just low blood sugar," he lied lamely.
She forced herself to be stoic, knowing that he was lying but letting it go, "Ya, I'm sure that's it."
"Just," he brushed some tears out of her face, "Relax, okay? The doctor said I'm doing okay right now. They are figuring out what's going on and I'll be fine."
She nodded, gripping at the front of his gown, her hand trembling.
"Meredith, come on," he sighed, starting to get a little frustrated.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I just ––I love you and I don't want to loose you and I'm just –– I'm scared."
Derek sighed as she curled into his chest. "I'm not… I'm okay. Okay? I promise. I'm not going anywhere," he whispered softly against her hair.
She nodded against his chest, squeezing him tightly for a moment, "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
"Good news," a robust doctor entered through the curtain and gripped the bar at the end of the bed, "It wasn't a heart attack."
Derek breathed a sigh of relief.
"Still need to run some test, but, it looks like angina. Probably just a random attack, but, we are running some tests just to be sure. So, what that means for you, is, an over night stay up in cardiology, a week off work and some changes in lifestyle, diet and exercise."
"Okay," Derek nodded, gripped Meredith tighter and more confidently.
"That's not to say you should quit your job and start living life to the fullest, we are trying to eliminate stress from your life, so no major life changes –– at least for a few month. Just take it slow, get more sleep, cut back on the long hours at the hospital, join a gym; that sort of thing," he nodded briskly and gave Derek a quick smile, "And, cut way down on the red meat and the alcohol. Special occasions only. But, other then that, you are going to be just fine.
XXXX
Derek's eyes flickered open slowly. He wasn't sure exactly when he fell asleep, but if anything his mind was foggier then before.
"Hey."
Derek looked over to the chair at the end of his bed.
"Hi."
"What are you doing."
"Dying?"
"Come on Derek," Mark leaned forward on his chair, "What are you doing?"
"Do we really have to do this now?"
Mark remained silent.
"Where's Meredith?"
"She's on the phone with the chief. What are you doing?"
"Mark," Derek shook his head to himself, "You of all people should get it."
"Well, I don't." Mark leaned back sprawling out in the chair, "I get flings, I get one night stands, I get… I don't get how you keep…" Mark shook his head and looked away.
"She's––"
"I know. I've been there," Mark looked at him again, "Derek. I get that Addison is alluring –– she's damn near impossible to resist, I know, she's hot, she's funny, she's amazing, I get it. I get it. But you left her. You… you love Meredith. I know you do, you are with her… you've stayed with her for a reason."
"I love Meredith."
"I know. I know. Thats exactly what I don't get. I don't get it. If you couldn't get over Addison, why didn't you just stay with her? If you could get over me with her, why are you still with Meredith? I don't get it."
"Do you love Sydney?"
"She's my wife."
"Well then, there you go."
"No. NO. You do not get to compare us, Derek. You don't have an excuse for this. There is no excuse for this. You choose Meredith, you left Addison. You and Meredith are good together, your strong, you love each other. I don't get how you can jeopardize everything you have with her for something on the side."
"It's not… I didn't get over it. How can I get over that? I loved her more then anything. I didn't get over it. I loved her so much. If you love Sydney half as much as I loved Addison when I saw her with you, you would understand. Addison was the love of my life and I can't be with her because of you. I hate what you did to us. Every time I'm with her, every time I look at her I see her with you. She was my wife. So don't sit there and tell me that what we are doing is wrong. It is your fault that we are where we are. It's your fault that I am lying to the woman that I love."
"That's bullshit," Mark spat, "You are lying because you want to lie. You think because you can have both of them you should get both of them. You don't. You get Meredith. That's what you wanted, thats what you get."
Derek's face flushed and he clenched his jaw.
"I know you loved Addison. I was there, remember. But as much as you wanted to work you just didn't. You never did."
"We did," Derek replied almost sadly, "We worked. We loved each other."
"Yeah," Mark agreed, "You did, you were in love. But you were kids, it's over and you won't let it go, and it's literally killing you. You love Meredith, you're crazy about her. She's it, she's it for you. Forget about Addison. Or you are going to lose Meredith."
XXXX
"I want to see him."
"Addison…"
Addison lowered her eyes and stared at her hands, her fingers wringing tightly as she pulled at her engagement ring.
"You can't go see him tonight," Alex picked up her discarded blouse and folded it clumsily and placed it on the bed. Addison was wearing his gym pants and hoodie and she looked completely lost and forlorn. "Add, come on…"
"Please," her eyes started to well up again.
"Meredith is there."
"I don't care," the tears trickled down her face, "She wasn't here, Alex. She didn't see how scared he was. I was scared. I thought he was going to die, Alex. She wasn't here. She didn't have to sit here and hold the hand of a man that she has loved for the last 15 years of her life and not be able to do anything. She didn't see him fighting back tears because he thought that his heart could stop at any moment. She wasn't there for any of that. She doesn't get to just swoop in and pick up the pieces. I was here. I was right here with him every second. Don't tell me that I don't get to be with him now. I'm the only one that should be there with him."
XXXX
Mark squared his shoulders and crossed his arms a bit tighter over his chest, he stared hard at the blackness on the inside of his eyelids and listened to the annoyingly high pitched laugh of a nurse around the corner. He heard the soft shuffling of sneakers walking towards him, stopped in front of him with a sharp squeak.
"Heya Stud."
Mark smiled and slowly opened his eyes, "Hey."
"Hi," Sydney smiled at him and sat down on the hard plastic bench beside him.
"Where are the girls?"
"I got Barry to babysit"
"Who's Barry"
"The intern that you… you know that guy, you made him change Trix for like a month when she had that rash..."
"His name isn't Barry," Mark shook his head.
"It's something like Barry. Gary?"
"It's... I don't know. Not Barry."
She turned to look at his profile, "Maybe his last name's Barry."
He shook his head and turned to look at her too, "No. It's... I don't know. Not Barry. It's... Bartlett? Maybe?"
"Bartlett? Really?"
"Yeah. Andy. Bartlett."
"Oh..." Her brow furrowed.
"Yeah."
"Oh," she bit her lip.
"Kevin Jones," Mark spat out, nodding his head vigorously.
"Not Andy Bartlett? Or Barry?"
"No."
"Kevin Jones?" Her lip curled up in disgust and she scuffed the toe of her red and white Keds into the floor.
"Yeah"
"I left our kids with someone named Kevin Jones?"
"Yup"
"I liked him better as Barry."
Mark chuckled, then sighed and looked at her with a small smile, "I'm glad you came," he said sincerely.
"Hey, come on," she smiled and nudged him in the side, "I had an excuse to get a babysitter."
"He was with Addison."
Her eyes widened, "They probably weren't playing racquetball were they."
"At a hotel?"
"Oh. Scandal," she looked at him and reached over and picked up his tense hand and gave it a light squeeze before lifting it around her shoulders, "Here. Play with my hair."
Mark chuckled and dragged his hand through her hair.
"Does that help?"
"Yeah," he replied softly as she rested her head against his shoulder, "It does."
"Good," she moved a bit closer, "And if you ever sneak off to a hotel with Addison, you better pray for a heart attack."
"Hey," he chuckled, "We have a deal, remember. I would cost me way to much to sneak off to a hotel with anyone."
"Damn pre-nup," she teased.
He pulled her a bit closer, "There's that too."
"Well, this is interesting," Sydney muttered, pulling away and standing up. She walked across the waiting room towards Addison who was walking tentatively towards her. "Hey," she greeted her softly, hugging her tight, "We said he was playing racquetball."
"Addison," Mark warned, crossing the room too and glaring at Alex as he spoke "You shouldn't be here."
"She started to cry every time I told her no."
"Is he okay?" Addison asked Mark, her eyes wide and bloodshot.
"It wasn't a heart attack, but they're keeping him over night."
She breathed a shaky sigh of relief and closed her eyes.
"Mark," Sydney turned to her husband, "Why don't you go get Meredith and take her to the cafeteria for some coffee."
Mark hesitated.
"I think they'd like to see each other," Sydney continued insistently, "When you have your first coronary episode don't you want someone to sneak me in behind your forth wife's back?"
Mark smirked but placed a comforting arm around Addison's shoulders, "Give me 5 minutes."
XXXX
Derek's eyes drifted open to the sound of a hushed argument and scuffling sneakers outside the curtain around his bed. The curtain billowed softly and Derek's head dropped back in annoyance as he waited for, what he assumed to be interns, to barge in and clumsily try to be doctors.
The curtains parted slowly and Addison slipped in, carefully closed the curtains behind her, and turned to face him. Derek's brow furrowed in surprise, she looked horrible. Her skin was deathly pale except for splotches of bright red on her cheeks and nose, she had dark circles under her eyes and her hair was pulled into a messy damp ponytail.
"Don't ever do that too me ever again Derek."
"I'm okay," Derek reassured her.
She nodded and tucked some stray hair behind her ear, "I almost killed you," she smiled weakly, "It's some sort of sign."
"It would have happened no matter where I was," he motioned for her to come closer, "I could have been taking out the trash or cutting into someone's skull," he shifted as she sat down on the edge of the bed, "I could have been with Meredith not you," he teased, "Does that make you feel better?"
"No. I liked it better when I literally stopped your beating heart," she offered him another weak smile and reached for the print out from the heart monitor, "Derek…" she sighed.
"Don't look at that," he reached to take it out of her hand.
"No. What is this?" she pointed to a jump in the read out, "I thought you said you were fine."
"I am," he pulled the print-out out of her hand and tossed it to the floor, "That's from when you walked in."
She shot him a look, "Maybe we save the Dreamy comments for when you are not so pale and aren't wearing an ass-less gown."
He smiled, chuckling softly.
She crossed her legs under her, "Do you need anything? Water?"
He shook his head.
"Are you cold?"
"I just want to go home. I want real clothes," he smirked, "Pants would be nice."
"Here," she slipped out of her –– well, Alex's –– zip-up hoodie, "Put this on." She shook her head sharply as he started to protest. She straightened it over his shoulders and zipped it up, smoothing her hand over his chest; she laid her cheek on his chest, listening to his heart; closing her eyes she tried to ignore the hospital patient smell and focus on the Derek smell underneath.
He rested his hand on her hair, brushing the loose strands away from her face and twisting her ponytail around his hand, he could feel her melting against him with a soft sigh.
"Just checking," she smiled and lifted her head, "Still beating," she rested her hand over his heart, just incase, "We should talk."
Derek nodded, "I wanted to ask you something."
"Okay," she nodded and turned to face him fully.
"Could you not, maybe, wear his ring while we're together? Alone. So we're, actually, alone."
"My ring…" she toyed for it for a moment, then looked him in the eye, "I think we need to talk about what we are going to do."
"We're doing it."
"But––"
"We can talk later," he assured her.
"But, Derek, we really should––"
"Hey, don't mind me," Sydney stepped through the curtain, "But, Meredith is on her way back. She just stopped in the bathroom."
Derek and Addison glanced at each other, "I'll visit you tomorrow," Addison promised, "Once I officially hear that you're here."
"Okay."
"Okay," she leaned down and lightly brushed her lips over his. She stood and smiled wearily at Sydney before moving past her and taking Alex's outstretched hand.
Derek and Sydney watched each other for a long moment.
"So, was it worth it?" she asked finally.
"Was what worth it?" Meredith asked, appearing from nowhere and seating herself at Derek's side.
Sydney smiled, "Beating Mark at racquetball."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
In unrelated news. On Thursday I watched Grey's Anatomy for the first time since it took Meredith 27 minutes to stop bobbing in the water. WTF is going on with that show. Like… come on. COME ON! What is that. I'm not even sure what my problem is exactly… it was just… BAD. Really bad. It did help in certain ways though… I was beginning to feel like I was loosing the characters when I was writing them and I think I've gotten some of that back… but… ugh. It was a really painful hour. It's a good thing I was drinking.
Anyway.
Comment. Tell me your hopes and dream.
Wanna have a contest? I need a middle name for Daisy. So whoever thinks up the best middle name for Daisy Vice gets… I dunno, what do you want? Okay, why don't….so, a prompt? You can basically dictate a future scene. Whatever you want provided it doesn't kill my plot. So like… okay… you get a prompt. For a stand alone scene. I guess. Sure.
Also, 50 cool points to whoever can write the best review in rhyming couplets.
