Meredith sat up against the headboard, waiting and watching the door of their bedroom. Normally she should be asleep, it was 3 am, she didn't have to work, and she wasn't sure

when Derek was due home. But Ever since he'd brought her home from the hospital, something had been off. Though he was still his dreamily perfect self, that made Christina McVomit, but

had earned him the McDreamy name, something was off. She had given him a few days, since whatever fiasco had gone down at the hospital the day she had been released, but once she

was going to ask him, Isaacs impossible surgery came up, but tonight she, no they were going to talk. The front door opened and closed down stairs, successfully pulling her from her in-brain

ramblings, as Derek's heavy footsteps clunked up the stairs, slowly moving towards the door. They paused briefly at the bedroom door, and Meredith watched his shadow shift from side to

side before the door clicked and slowly opened.

His hunched form stood in the stoop briefly before walking the rest of the way into the room, his already unbuttoned shirt, hanging off his lean form. As he pulled his button on shirt off,

he finally looked up, jumping slightly when he found a pair of eyes staring at him, before relaxing with a soft smile, stripping both shirts off and shoes before collapsing onto the bed, burying

his face into her neck. Meredith smiled down at him, running her hand soothingly up and down his chest, as she felt his muscles relax slightly. After a few minutes of silence, she shifted

slightly onto her side looking down at him, never letting the faint smile leave her features, though there simply to reassure him. "You Ok?" she asked softly, moving her free hand to his scalp,

massaging it gently. Derek let out a slight sigh, lifting his head to look at her, staring into her light green eyes. Meredith stared back, immediately noticing the normally happy light blue tint

they normally held, had deepened slightly around the edges, emphasizing what the bags under his eyes screamed, he was exhausted. There was more his eyes were screaming to her, but

Meredith couldn't read it, not being able to get past the tears that were forming and threatening to spill. She gave him a slight nod, and a reassuring smile, one which he tried to copy, before

reburying his face into her neck, turning on his side, pulling her against his chest. Meredith wrapped her arm around his head massaging his scalp, while the other made its way up and down

his back.

Minutes later, Meredith felt his body shake against hers, as he took in a deep shaky breath, then she felt it. Both of her hands stopped their movements, but immediately resumed them,

when his body tensed, and he held his breath. Seconds later her shoulder was soaked through with tears, and he shook harder, letting out a sob every now and then, but other than that

cried in silence. Meredith remained silent, knowing that he was trusting her with his moment of weakness, and it wasn't something she was willing to break, so she lay there comforting him

the best she could as his tears soaked her shirt.

Almost 30 minutes had passed, when his trembling body slowed, his tears subsided, and his short shaky breaths deepened, and not long after he placed a kiss into her neck, his

exhaustion finally over took him and he fell asleep. Meredith lay in that position for a while longer, trying to find away to lay back without disturbing him. Slowly she rolled onto her back,

Derek's body simply following her motions as his weight softly landed on top of her, his face never once leaving her neck, his hand tightening its grip on the fabric covering her ribs, causing

Meredith to smile, happy she could give him the comfort he had always given her.

All too soon the alarm shrieked, causing Meredith to jump and quickly slapped it, silencing the violent noise, before looking down, grateful that Derek hadn't woken, though finding it

odd. She quickly grabbed her phone, and texted Mark, with instructions to tell the chief he would be in before his first surgery, but not before, gaining him a few more hours of much needed

sleep. Unable and unwilling to fall back sleep, Meredith lay beneath Derek's comforting weight, running her hands up and down his back, smiling down at the relaxed look on her face, one

she hadn't seen since the merger.

But all to soon, the time she had gained him passed, and she had to wake him soon, though not wanting to pull him from his relaxing sleep. But she knew she had too, so slowly she

ran a hand through his hair, softly massaging his scalp, toying with the curls at the base of his neck. Derek buried his face farther into her neck, letting out a sign as he pressed his weight

into her, successfully erasing any space between them. The hand that had held onto her shirt like a life line relaxed, and Meredith knew he was awake, but not to happy about that fact.

Derek hummed softly into her neck shifting slightly as If to get closer, though it didn't seem possible. "Hey its almost 9. I told the chief you wouldn't be in until your first surgery. I wasn't

feeling good this morning," Meredith whispered down at him with a smile. Derek returned the smile, and for the first time in weeks it actually reached his eyes, as he pushed himself off of her

in a push up fashion and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, heading off to the shower. He returned 20 minutes later in a towel, hair perfectly done and gave Meredith a complete McDreamy smile

with head tilt as he got dressed. Once he was done, softly he walked over to the bed kneeling beside her pillow, pressing his lips against hers. "Thank You," he whispered before standing

up and walking out. Meredith watched him walk out with a smile, and she realized, sometimes you don't need words.