Seven Days
Disclaimer: I'm still pretty new to this, so be gentle- but HONEST -with your reviews. And please review, cuz it makes me happy. And oh yeah, I own only the plot, and the few characters that have not appeared on Grey's. All else belongs to Shonda, the queen of the universe.
Everyone has a limited amount of days. As a doctor, admittedly not a doctor for people, but a doctor nonetheless, Finn estimated that he would have between 29,200 and 32,850 days. Not a bad thought, knowing he was only up to day 16,523. Starting with day 4,960 he had decided to live the rest of his days to the fullest. This philosophy of his took a hit around day 11,101, but had eventually rebounded. Living over 16,000 days, he clearly couldn't remember all of them. But there were seven days, seven significant days that had shaped him, that stood out among the other 16,515. It was only one weeks worth of days out of 2,354, but they were seven days that changed his life.
Day four thousand, nine hundred and fifty four was the first day that stood out among the rest. Finn's mother had been sick, in reality, had been dying for over two years. At thirteen years and two hundred and nine days he finally lost his mother for good, and for all intents and purposes, his father along with her. Losing his mother at thirteen had changed him forever, but watching her suffer for so long had changed him even more. After watching his father suffer once Eleanor passed away, Finn had vowed never to waste his days as his father had. Day four thousand, nine hundred and sixty was the day Finn proclaimed that he would live each day to its fullest.
Day eleven thousand and one hundred was the day that ended Finn's live each day to its fullest plan. Actually, it was the day that ended all of his plans. Finn had been going about his business, happier than ever. In the last year his practice had picked up tremendously, now bringing in more profit than he had ever expected, and it was only a week ago that he and Liz had officially decided to start trying for kids. So when the phone rang Finn walked over to it calmly, whistling, and he answered the phone with a smile. Approximately thiry-five seconds later, the world as he knew it had ended. Elizabeth Anne Dandridge was gone, and with her went his smile, his live each day as your last mentality, and his plans. At thirty years and one hundred and fifty days, his dreams were over. His smile came back first, though it took weeks. Sure, he smiled when thinking about Liz in the days after the accident, but it was a sad smile that usually culminated in tears. It was a few weeks later when his six year old nephew, Sean, told him a joke that he truly smiled again. It took a few more months of making himself and everyone around him miserable to wake him up, but the philosophy eventually came back. But it was years before the plans returned.
Day twelve thousand, nine hundred and three was the day that saw the rebirth of Finn's plans. Finn met Meredith Grey on day twelve thousand, eight hundred and eighty eight. For fifteen days, Finn and Meredith talked, and dated casually. Finn also put Meredith's dog to sleep, unintentionally severing a major bond between Meredith and her ex-boyfriend/boss, Derek Shepherd. On the fifteenth day they knew each other, at thirty five years and one hundred and twenty eight days Finn escorted Meredith to a prom at Seattle Grace, where she was a surgeon. Over the course of just over two weeks, Finn knew he had begun to fall for a woman for the first time since Liz. As they danced, Finn informed Meredith that he was finally ready to start making plans again, plans with her. Meredith left the room soon after, only to have sex with Derek Shepherd, for the final time. Meredith confessed everything to Finn as soon as they left the hospital. She also confessed that she felt terrible, but for a reason she hadn't expected. She felt bad not only because Derek was married, and not only because she was seeing someone. She felt bad because she was seeing Finn, and she cared about Finn, she liked Finn. She looked him right in the eye at that moment, and told him she had spent the last two weeks falling for Finn. Derek, she swore, was not something she wanted anymore. The cockiness, the games, and the wife were a combination that equaled no good. So if Finn was willing to give her another chance, she would be true to him, she would be done with Derek for good. Finn was hurt. Finn was slightly devastated, and a little bit broken again. But Finn was also making plans, and he knew that, even subconsciously, he wouldn't have made plans if he didn't love her. Love was not something he was willing to let go of easily, so he held onto Meredith, he made his plans, and he hoped for the best.
Day thirteen thousand, six hundred and eighty seven was the day plans were made for. It was the day Finley Patrick Dandridge married Meredith Constance Grey. The wedding was small, but far more traditional than Finn assumed Meredith would want. For starters, it was in a church. At first Finn thought Meredith was doing it for him, but she informed him, in a shy voice, that as a little girl she had dreamed of marrying in a church. So they did. Merediith's maid of honor was Cristina Yang. Her bridesmaids were Isobel Stevens, Meredith's co-worker and good friend, Reilly Kennedy, Finn's big sister, and Lisa Dandridge, his sister-in-law. To his great pleasure, Meredith took quickly to Reilly and Lisa, as they did to her. Meredith swore up and down that putting them in the wedding party was not just a gesture and Finn believed her. His best man was his older brother, Cullen, and his ushers were Reilly's husband, Charlie, Alex Karev, Izzie's boyfriend, and Preston Burke, Cristina's husband. Similar to Meredith's bridesmaids, most of his ushers were people he knew through Meredith, but had quickly become good freinds of his own. As much as the last two years with Meredith had been incredible, nothing compared to marrying her. From the moment she entered the church, walking towards him on the arm of George O'Malley, one of her best friends, he felt something inside of him come back to life. He had made plans, followed through on plans, but this was something different. Today, on the day that he was thirty seven years and one hundred and eighty two days old, he was pledging a life to someone again. Today he had someone to share his life with again. He had someone to love.
Day fourteen thousand, two hundred and eighty four was the day his love grew in a way he couldn't have anticipated. Mearing forty at thirty nine years and forty nine days, Finn had become the proud father of Avery Eleanor Dandridge. Ava, his sweet little Ava, stole his heart the minute he first heard her wail. She was beautiful, with Meredith's delicate nose and Finn's caring blue eyes. It was soon apparent that she had Meredith's dirty blonde hair, and the Dandridge mouth. Finn thought he had known what happiness was, what love felt like, what contentment meant, but those words were redefined to him on day fourteen thousand, two hundred and eighty four. Strength was redefined for him as well upon watching his beautiful wife give birth to their beautiful daughter. And as for Meredith...he knew he made her happy. He knew she had been happy these past three and a half years. But the moment Meredith held their daughter for the first time, the moment she looked up at Finn, her face glowing, shining with sweat and pride, was the first time he ever saw her smile completely reach her eyes. There was always a twinge of sadness, of pain in her eyes, but in her first moments here Ava had managed to dissolve those feelings. This was the moment in which he felt invincible. He had created something, a life. He and Meredith would live on now, even after they were gone. Finn smiled down at his wife, still holding Ava. He whispered in his wife's ear that he loved her and she responded in the like. He leaned down to kiss Ava's forehead and realized that he was crying, something he had only done twice in his life, on days four thousand, nine hundred and fifty four, and eleven thousand, one hundred. These were happy tears though, because now his lfe was perfect. Now he was complete.
Day fifteen thousand and thirty five was the day he realized that the feeling of completeness was relative. The day he married Meredith he almost felt complete, but he knew there was a hole. Miniscule though it was, it was there. The day Ava was born that hole was sealed, and he knew that day that his life was complete. Nothing needed to be added or removed, it was perfect. But the day Braeden Cooper Dandridge entered this world, Finn once again felt the overwhelming feeling of being whole. Ava was more than enough for him, and he never thought of himself as a particularly greedy man, but having a son now completed him once again. They were the All-American family, mother, father, daughter, son. He had loved having siblings growing up, and he knew Meredith wished she had, so giving Ava one thrilled them both. Meredith's eyes shined with tears holding her baby boy, and she looked at Finn with a smile so fulfilled, so genuinely happy and loving and loved he swore he felt his heart burst. Later that evening the couple would laugh at the yell of joy Finn let out upon hearing the doctor declare it was a boy. That night, while Ava slept over her favorite Aunt Izzie's house, Finn crawled into the tiny hospital bed. Meredith curled up next to him, her head resting wearily on Finn's shoulder. The two fell asleep quickly, smiles firmly plastered on both their faces. He fell asleep content and complete.
Day sixteen thousand, five hundred and twenty two was, not to be redundant, a day in which his world was altered, yet again. It was the day six year old Ava, a future author, wrote her first story. It was the day four year old Braeden, a future English professor, finished his first chapter book. It was the day their long awaited third and final child, Greyer Kristopher Dandridge was born. It was the day that Patrick Dandridge, his father, looked Finn in the eye and smiled. Patrick smiled a true smile, one that reached his eyes, the same as Finn's. He hugged Finn, now forty five years and ninety seven days old, a tight hug and told him he was proud of him. He was proud of the way Finn moved on after Liz, proud of the wife he'd chosen, proud of his grandchildren, the last in the family. Finn wasn't positive about what caused the change, but he had a feeling it had to do with the private talk Patrick and Meredith had shared yesterday. Finn couldn't be sure that this would be a permanent change in his father, but he knew he would always have today. The memory of seeing a light in his father's eyes for the first time since he was thirteen years, two hundred and eight days old. Just like some details of his mother, his father's smile and laugh had been forgotten over the last thirty two years. Today was Alex and Isobel Karev's fourth wedding anniversary, and the third birthday of Preston Burke and Cristina Yang's daughter, Natalie Marie. That night, just as he'd done the previous two times he'd been in this position, he crawled into bed with his wife. Meredith, still as beautiful as the day he met her, almost ten full years ago, clung tightly to Finn once he was settled in the bed.
"This was a good day", he whispered gently in her ear. He kissed her neck softly as she nodded in agreement, before curling up against her and falling asleep.
Seven days changed the life of Finn Dandridge. For better or for worse, they had permanently altered him, reconfigured the course he was to take. There were days of sadness, days of joy. He marveled at the fact that out of 16,523 days so far, seven...seven little days could have such an effect on a life. Looking at his sleeping wife, looking at his sleeping children- Ava and Braeden sprawled across the bottom of their Mommy's bed, Greyer in the hospital provided bassinet- he was thankful for each of those seven days, along with the other sixteen thousand plus, because they had gotten him here, to this moment, to this life. Finn Dandridge was not a religious man, but somewhere deep within him he knew that this was where he was supposed to be. This is where he belonged.