I saw a meme about an old couple arguing and the lady told the man to go back to his girlfriend, for which he replied that was 40 years ago! And I couldn't help but think how fitting... so I attempted to make it into something. Let me know what you think! Cheers!
Addison Shepherd boarded the plane headed for New York with the grace and ease of someone accustomed to flying. She smiled briefly at the stewardess as she passed, before turning the corner that led into first-class and looking for her assigned seat.
She could feel eyes watching her as she wheeled her suitcase down the aisle. Dressed head to toe in black, which accentuated her flaming red hair, she possessed an elegance that drew attention.
Gone was her staple pencil skirt; Instead, she had replaced it with a pair of super skinny Rock Revival jeans, something few women her age could still pull off. A black Burberry blouse, tucked into the waist band of her jeans revealed the Salvatore Ferragamo belt she had recently purchased. Her favorite pair of black patent red bottoms completed the ensemble as well as making her appear much taller than her 5'9 height.
Addison slowed as she reached her seat, only casting a glare to her traveling partner, who was doing his best to drag his own suitcase down the aisle. Upon seeing that it wasn't some poor innocent stranger trudging behind her, she took her window seat with a huff, leaving her suitcase in the aisle.
Derek Shepherd reached his seat mere seconds after his wife. Taking a brief look at her, then at the suitcase, and then back at her, he took a deep breath before speaking.
"I'll get it honey, don't you worry." Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he placed his own suitcase into the overhead bin, followed by his wife's.
Without so much as glancing up from the iPhone she was now focused on, Addison rolled her eyes before replying as sweetly as possible, "thank you, dear."
Derek mouthed a brief, "I'm sorry," to the gentleman behind him, as he took his seat letting the man pass.
The man held up his left hand and wiggled his wedding ring finger, gold band on display, chuckling as he passed. Silent understanding between husbands, the unspoken communication of, "I've been there myself." Derek nodded his head in agreement.
Derek pulled his own phone out of his jacket pocket and switched it to airplane mode before depositing it in the seat pocket in front of him. He leaned forward to remove his vest; a navy-blue Patagonia with a zippered front that he was wearing over a grey and navy plaid button down. His jeans, denim for all he knew, were a brand Addison had bought for him. His boots, Merrell.
To a mere passer-by, the couple looked the least likely to be traveling together. Polar opposites in appearance. She could be straight off of any runway, always turning heads, even after she had surpassed the 50-year mark. He, on the other hand, looked more or less like he had been ripped from the pages of an L.L Bean catalog. His style had developed later in their marriage, but after it was apparent it wasn't a phase, his wife had once again proceeded to buy his clothes, hence the brands he would never bother to learn. His wood-chopping fisherman look much cheaper than the previous 5th Avenue couture she had dressed him in, or so she said. As she liked to point out, it allotted her more to spend on herself.
"A little help, please?" Derek asked, as he struggled to get both arms out of the vest. Even in first class, the seats didn't offer much room.
Without looking up from her from phone, Addison reached over with her left hand and helped him tug off the vest.
"Thanks," Derek said, elbowing her in fun, trying to get a rise out of her.
Placing her phone in her lap, she finally looked at him, but Instead of answering him with a smile, or a "you're welcome," Addison Shepherd cut her eyes at him, leveling him with a glare, before picking her phone back up and proceeded to ignore him further.
The stewardess's voice filled the over speaker, directing their attention to exits, and to turn off all devices. Derek watched his wife switch her phone to airplane mode and lean back in her seat, still giving him the silent treatment. It was only after the captain wished everyone a safe flight, and the plane had ascended into the late afternoon Seattle sky that Derek finally spoke again.
"Addison, it's a long flight. You're going to have to speak to me at some point." He said, rolling his head to the right of the headrest so he was looking at her.
She shook her head, eyes closed, "No, Derek. I do not. I'm going to put in my ear buds and go to sleep. Maybe once we land, I'll consider forgiving you." She tilted her head to the side as in deep thought, "or maybe I won't."
Addison leaned forward and reached into her purse, pulling out her wireless earbuds, but before she could place them in her ears to drowned out her husband she heard, "there is a land known as."
"Oh!" Addison exclaimed turning to him while pointing a finger. "Don't you dare passive aggressiva me!" She hissed at him. "I asked you to do one thing! One thing, Derek. That is all."
"Finally, she speaks." Derek responded calmly. "Addison, I told you I was sorry. It was an accident, and it wasn't entirely all my fault"
"No, I get to be mad!" She answered through gritted teeth, glancing to make sure no other passengers were listening. "I told you I had an early surgery, and I told you to take Scout to the kennels first thing this morning in case something came up. And I have repeatedly asked you to please, please shut the closet door."
He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, I thought I shut the closest door; that dog is Houdini. And I was trying to leave the house to take Scout to the kennel when I got the call about my patient. I did try to call you Addison, but, like you said you had an early surgery. I did leave you a very sweet voicemail though." He nudged her playfully.
"So instead of being ready to leave after my surgery, I have a lovely voicemail telling me my husband is now on his way into the OR, and the puppy he just had to have, is still home, could I please take her to the kennel. Only for me to get home and find her eating not one pair of shoes, but she was on her 3rd pair of MY shoes!" Addison held up her hand to show three fingers. "And to top it all off we missed our earlier flight. Now, which part isn't exactly your fault, Derek?" She emphasized his name as she said it.
"Well, I didn't eat your shoes." He smiled trying to lighten the mood, but Addison wasn't having it. If looks could kill, he would be a dead man. "It's not my fault the Mannitol didn't work to relieve the pressure from Mr. Lowery's brain, for one. Which is the reason I had to go in and drill the burr holes today; since he is my patient, and I did his initial consult, it is my job to make sure he's alive when we get back next week. Scout was a mutual decision by the way, as she is just as much your dog as mine. Also, I didn't schedule your surgery for this morning. Just throwing that out there, Dear." Derek added, knowing good and well it was not going to help his defense.
"Oh no, my surgery was at 6am, our flight was at 1:30. That's a moot point, Derek. We would have made that with ease. And I'm sure as head of the neuro department, it wasn't necessary for you to be there! You weren't even on call!" Addison added before tossing up her hands.
Derek glanced away. "Oh my God, Derek Shepherd. You ass. You forgot to tell them to take you off call this weekend, didn't you? This weekend, of all weekends?!" Addison all but shrieked.
After years of marriage, Derek knew when it was time to give up on a fight. For the first few, neither party would surrender; they would hash it to death, only to eventually solve it with makeup sex. Then came the middle years, when he quit caring whether they fought or not, choosing indifference over battle. That was followed with the smart years, where he learned which battles to fight. And this, was a fight he wasn't going to win.
His wife shook her head in disbelief, "Three pairs of shoes, and not cheap shoes Derek! All because you forgot to switch your weekend to be on call."
"Addison, look at me." He said, as he reached for her hand. "I'm sorry."
"Go back to your girlfriend, Derek." She countered, as she pulled her hand out of his grasp. "Maybe you wouldn't forget then!"
"For the love of Christ, Addison, that was twenty-two years ago." He said throwing up his hands and rolling his eyes.
This time, when he reached for her hand she didn't pull away, "Addie, this isn't about shoes or our missing an earlier flight. Talk to me."
He could see the tears forming in her eyes before she spoke, he had been waiting on it for days, knowing it was coming.
"My baby graduates from college tomorrow. She's all grown up. I want her to be that little girl walking around in my heels or standing on the dock at home fishing with you. I want skinned knees and soccer games again, not her walking across a stage to accept her diploma. I'm not ready for this, Derek!"
"And there it is." Derek said gently. He released her hand, but only to put his arm around her and pull her close. Catching the flight attendants eye as she started towards them with a concerned look on her face, Derek held up his left hand and shook his head no.
Wiping her tears away with this left thumb, right arm still holding her close, Derek spoke, "Addison, honey, look at me. Emery is always going to be our baby, no matter how old she gets. She's smart and strong and independent, and it's because she has you for a mom. You were always there for her, spending time with her, all the girls' days. Oh my god, all the girls days." He added with a laugh before he continued, "She's tough too, tough enough to go all the way across the country to NYU, and that's a lot for an 18-year-old freshman. Addison, we raised one hell of girl, it's okay to be sad, but she's about to really fly. And we just have to be there to support her and watch her go."
"You could have left off the last part. Just left it at you raised a great kid. Now, I have to think about the fact she's only just getting started." Addison leaned back in her seat. "Can you believe she's starting medical school? We're old, Derek."
Derek couldn't help but laugh as he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "that isn't what you said last night."
Addison slapped his harm playfully before raising an eyebrow at him, "Really, that was you? I thought that was my other guy. I better be more careful."
He placed a hand over his chest pretending to be wounded, "that's just hurtful, and from previous experience I better damn well be the only guy." Then in a more serious voice, "You're right, it's crazy to think there's going to be another doctor in the family, and one that we raised. But thank God, Stanford isn't clear across the country, she's just a short flight home."
"Yeah, still not home, but just a short flight." Addison added softly, before closing her eyes and relaxing in her seat. Derek followed her lead, allowing his eyes to close as well. Both settling in for the long flight to a place they had left behind years before.
"Derek?" she asked after a few minutes.
"Hmm" he mumbled, sleep starting to pull at him.
"Thank you." Addison said, drawing his attention back to her.
He looked at her questioningly, "What are you thanking me for?"
Addison smiled before reaching out and cupping his cheek, "For this. For Emery, for all of it. We're flying to New York tonight, so we can watch our daughter graduate college tomorrow, Derek. Our daughter. And none of it would have happened if you hadn't been willing to forgive me. I know you know how much I love you, and how truly sorry I am for everything that happened before, but I don't know if I've ever thanked you. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Derek gently took her hand from his face before kissing her palm. Placing her hand on his thigh he gave it a squeeze but didn't let go. "Addison, not once have I regretted any of our years together. We're Derek and Addison. And I should thank you too, for putting up with me, for waiting it out when you should have never had to, and for most importantly being the mother of my child. I love you more than words can even say."
Addison gave him a faint smile and nodded her head, before settling back in her seat once again. Derek watched her for a brief second, even all these years later she was still beautiful; he gave her hand another squeeze before closing his eyes.
Minutes passed, and he had almost succumbed to the nap he was desperately wanting when he heard, "Derek?"
"Yeah." He answered groggily, refusing to open his eyes.
With eyes closed herself, Addison patted his leg, "You know you're replacing my shoes this weekend, right? I'll forgive you then."