Disclaimer: GA or the characters mentioned are not mine.
Derek was sitting alone outside his trailer nursing a glass of scotch. It was pretty late but he couldn't sleep. Today was a big day for him. The board had chosen him as the next chief. He had beaten very tough competitors and achieved what he had always wanted. He had often dreamed about this day. He believed that becoming a chief would make something happen. It would make everything different. He had waited for this day for so long. He thought he would feel on top of the world, but for some reason, he didn't. Even after realizing his lifetime ambition he wasn't in any celebratory mood. Rather he was sliding into an unexpected depression. He felt empty.
His first reaction was not at all like this. He did feel on top of the world when Richard announced the big news to him. He had a victorious feeling. He had trumped his enemies Mark and Addison. He couldn't wait to gloat in front of them. He only considered Burke as his real threat but he was more excited for beating Mark and Addison. He knew they both were good candidates for the position and in New York they would have given him tough competition but the equations were different in Seattle. They didn't stand any chance here and it annoyed him when they though they did. Seattle was his sanctuary. They should have backed out long before but then his victory wouldn't have been so special.
He couldn't wait to see his competitors' reactions. Burke was a rival since day one but it was only professional. He thought it was a healthy competition. He expected Burke to accept his defeat sportingly but Burke left hospital immediately after his meeting with Richard. It was understandable. He was supposed to get married today. Burke had other important things to worry about. But still Burke could have at least congratulated him as a professional courtesy. But even when they met him at wedding, Burke didn't even mention anything about the promotion.
Mark and Addison were the ones who surprised him the most. They weren't just professional competitors. They were Derek, Addison and Mark. They had history together. Since med-school they had shared this dream about becoming a chief of surgery and each one had confidently claimed that they would be the first one to get there. Probably they were the only ones who exactly knew how important and significant this opportunity was for him. But still neither of them had bothered to acknowledge his achievement. Both of them made themselves scarce for rest of the day. This wasn't the first time they had stood against each other. They had always been competitors, first for top rank in exams, then surgeries in internship and then for the position of chief resident. But each time it was healthy competition. They were always happy for whoever won and had always celebrated like it was their own success. But now things had changed. They weren't friends anymore. The competition between them wasn't just professional. It was more like fighting for their territories.
Derek felt a bit sad for not able to share his joy with his ex-best friends. But the feeling vanished when he saw Meredith approaching him. He didn't need his ex-best friends. He had Meredith, his love to share every joy of life. He shared the big news with her and he could see in her eyes how happy she was for him. Her eyes were filled with admiration and pride. She was in hurry to solve some Cristina related crisis but she congratulated him with a quick peck and promised him that they would celebrate tonight at Joe's. Derek reminded himself that he had his dream job and dream girl and life was perfect. But why didn't it feel that way. May be his mood will change after they celebrate his success tonight.
But they didn't get any chance to celebrate. He didn't know why but his dream girl dumped him at the wedding which didn't happen. "It is so so over" that's what he got. No further explanation. He felt it was Karma. He had left the people who loved and cared for him for no reason and now the girl whom he loved and deeply cared left him. He deserved it.
So here he was. On the biggest day of his life he was sitting alone in middle of nowhere making his own celebratory drink. He wondered if it had made any difference if Meredith hadn't dumped him. May be he would still be alone tonight. Meredith wouldn't have left Cristina for him. Her friends were her family. They were always her top priority. And her idea of celebration was getting smashed at Joe's. But now even that did not happen. He had no one with whom he could celebrate, no friend to pat on his shoulder, no family to say how proud they were.
He had called his mom to share the news. Luckily all his sisters and their families were also at mom's house. It was one of his niece's birthday and they were celebrating at mom's place. As usual he had forgotten but he promised to send a nice gift. But his niece wasn't much interested in talking to her estranged uncle. She barely spoke two sentences and handed the phone back to his mother. He wondered if Addison had wished her. He didn't know how things were between his sister and Addison. Most probably they were still on good terms and in that case Addison must have sent some expensive gift in advance.
His mother sensed that there was a reason he called because there were very few occasions when he did. When Derek told her about his promotion she was ecstatic. She couldn't express in words how proud she was. She immediately announced the news to everyone. They all shouted congratulations from their places but no one asked for the phone to talk to him personally. The kids were eager to cut the cake so even his mom couldn't talk for long, but she promised to call back. It had been hours since then but she didn't call back, neither anyone else from his family. He couldn't blame them. He had kept absolutely no contact with them, he can't now expect them to forget last two years and jump with joy for him like they once used to.
He remembered the day when he became Head of Neurosurgery. That day was so different, things had changed a lot. He would have never imagined that he would be alone on such a big day of his life but now he was. If he was in New York, he would have been celebrating hard with all of his friends and family. Addison would have arranged a big surprise party for him. Mark would have opened that 1956's scotch bottle which he had bought in an auction. They had decided to open it when one of them becomes chief. Then after the party there would have been an all-night celebration in their bedroom. But nothing of that happened. Addison didn't even congratulate him. At the wedding he was looking at her from where he stood, but she didn't even look at him once. She looked off. She immediately left after the wedding was called off. At least Mark came to him after the wedding and said congratulation but that was it, nothing more.
He had achieved what he wanted for years, but at this moment he felt he had lost everything. He just felt empty.
A/N: Hello people. I have a new idea let me know if it is worth continuing. It will be a long chapter story and of course it will be addek (because addek is the only reason i am on this site) but they will take their sweet time. There will be lots of maddek friendship from the beginning and hardly any Merder. But Derek and Addison won't be together for a long time. So let me know if you guys have patience for addek and interested in reading a maddek fic which would happen over season 4 to 6 of GA else i would just leave it as a one shot.
