Updated 11/6/06
Author's Note:
Sorry for the wait, guys. Here's the second chapter.
An hour later, Addison headed into the consultation room, with Izzie at her side. Michelle's sonogram was in her hand, and it didn't look good.
"Take a look at this, Dr. Stevens." Addison handed Izzie the sonogram. "Tell me what you think."
Izzie's brown eyes trailed about the page, and her expression sobered. "Is that the fetus?"
"Yes. Big, isn't it?" Addison slid into one of the chairs, leaning back before trailing a hand through her red hair. "Too big."
"She wants to have the baby naturally, right?" Izzie looked at Addison, who was leaning against the wall, hand on her hips, over her shoulder. Addison nodded, shifting her weight uneasily from one leg to the other, but she didn't want Dr. Stevens to see her anxiety. Call it the surgeon's ego, if you will. But Addison probably had it more than anyone.
"She does, but at this point, I can't see it happening." Addison responded, her voice somewhat tight, blue eyes fixated on the sonogram. "Dr. Stevens, can you inform the Lawsons of the situation? Tell Michelle that I can't let her have the baby naturally"
Izzie nodded in understanding and made a beeline for the door. Addison blew out a breath, looking over the mental image her mind had taken of the sonogram. That worried her. The girl was too young to be having a baby that big naturally.
Thank God she wasn't going into labor yet.
Shoulders dropping in a meager attempt to relax, Addison headed out and into the staff lounge, pouring coffee into a Styrofoam cup and capping it with a lid.
"Addison." Addison jumped and whirled around at the voice, finding herself staring into Derek Shepherd's eyes.
"Dr. Shepherd," She greeted almost robotically, no feeling in her tone whatsoever. Derek couldn't stand it. He didn't love her as he did before, but he still cared about her, and couldn't stand having her obviously so broken up about the situation and not even showing it.
"Addi, cut the formalities. Eleven years and all I get is 'Dr. Shepherd?'" Derek's tone was light, but Addison could see the worry in his eyes. Both hands reached for her elbow gently, a gesture showing his attempt at reaching out to her, but she shrugged away. "Are you OK?"
"Of course, Derek, why wouldn't I be?" Addison's voice held a higher pitch, almost hysterical, than she had planned. She whirled around with her back to him when she felt the lump rise in her throat, and she set the coffee cup down and pressed a closed fist to her lips, fighting to keep it together.
God damnit, Derek. You're the only person who could bring this out of me—
"I can name a number of reasons why," Derek said softly. Addison gave a bitter laugh, whirling back around. To Derek's alarm, his ex-wife had tears in her eyes.
"No, really Derek?" Addison tried to spat with as much malice as she could, her only means of protecting herself, but somehow couldn't manage it at this point. "You leave New York because you were angry at me. I drag my entire life over here to try to make you give me a chance to show you how badly I felt about the incident—I worked my ass off to try to make you forgive me."
"I can never truly forgive you for what happened, Addi, you know that." Derek murmured, his tone gentle, but it couldn't stop the sting from the reality of his words.
"I know, Derek." Addison retorted, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes with her thumb. "For Christ sake, I know. You haven't got the slightest idea how much that hurts, and because I know that I deserve it."
They stood quietly for another moment or so, but to both of them it felt like hours. Painfully long moments of that awkward silence, knowing that they both had been at fault one way or another. A door opening brought both of them back to reality.
"Dr. Shepherd?" Nurse Debbie's head appeared in the doorway.
"Yes?" Both Shepherds responded in unison, then shot each other uneasy looks. Nurse Debbie blinked.
"Er…Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd." Debbie corrected herself. "There's a problem in the Lawson's room…you'd better come quick."
Oh, God. Addison chastised herself as she bolted out the door without a second glance at Derek. Izzie.
