Fandom: Grey's Anatomy
Character: Addison & Derek
Rating: T
Status: In progress
Disclaimer : Characters and show belongs to Shonda Rhimes. Title of the fiction belongs to the Umbrellas. Title of the chapter is a line from Ships buy the Umbrellas.
Author's Note: I've had few more ideas so let's see what comes next.
Just like ships, we float through each other's lives.
- Chapter 2 –
Nothing stays, these feelings have wings.
Addison opened her eyes in the very moment her alarm clock started ringing. She was still tired but she needed to get up and get things started. Her head was hurting and it was like she had something in her stomach: she had problems to breathe and most of all, she was shattered, devasted.
She knew why she was feeling that way. It was because of Meredith. Seeing her husband with another girl, so much younger than both of them, hurt Addison more that it should. Their sparkling eyes, the way they got each other with one single glance… She had that with Derek, years and years ago. She knew how it felt to be by Derek's side; he had always made her feel protected, safe, loved. All was lost now, everything was just gone and he had already replaced his own wife with another girl, with an intern.
The redhead shook her head, trying to send those painful thoughts away. She tried her best not to cry; her day had just started and she had a long day ahead of her, she couldn't lose it already.
Addison took a quick shower and got dressed. It was already time to wake Melanie up.
"Melanie, honey" Addison whispered "It's time to get up"
The little girl yawned, tossed and turned. She had always been a lazy child.
"Come on, get up. Dr. Shepherd is going to save your life today" Addison smiled at the still asleep child.
"The other you?" Melanie mumbled.
"Yeah, the other me" Addison couldn't help but laugh.
When Addison told her niece that a certain Dr. Shepherd was going to save her life, Melanie got all excited because also Addison's last name was Shepherd. Addison told Melanie that they had been together once, that they got married but then they broke up, that sometimes adults make mistakes and sometimes there's no turning back from these mistakes. Melanie didn't really understand it all because she was way too young but Addison wanted to tell her the truth anyway.
"I so want to meet him!" the little girl stood up immediately.
"Come on!" Addison lifted the little girl in the air "Let's get you dressed, okay?"
Melanie simply nodded, putting one tiny arm around Addison's neck.
"Can I wear the blue dress uncle Mark gave me for my third birthday?" Melanie asked Addison, looking at her in the eyes.
"Sure. You look beautiful in it" Addison kissed the little girl on the cheek.
"Thanks, aunt Addie" Melanie simply said, kissing her aunt back.
Addison helped Melanie to get dressed, brushed her hair and helped her to wear a pair of matching blue flat shoes. The little girl looked beautiful.
"This is a great day. You know that, right?" Addison knelt to the ground, in order to look Melanie in the eyes.
"I'm scared" Melanie announced, running away.
"No, Melanie!" Addison got up and went after the little kid.
The hotel-suite in which they spent the night was pretty big so Melanie could have hidden herself almost everywhere.
"Don't do this… Come on, Mel!" Addison said, trying to be patient.
Nobody answered, so Addison started looking for Melanie. She looked in the bathroom but the kid wasn't there, then looked under their beds but Melanie wasn't hiding herself there either. Addison was losing it, she was already stressed and looking for a whimsical child wasn't in her plans.
Suddenly, the redhead had an idea. Addison opened the walk-in closet and there she was: Melanie was sitting on the floor, her back leaned on the wall, her knees up to her chest, her arms around her knees.
"Oh, honey…" Addison wanted to yell at Melanie but looking at her, she just couldn't. The little girl was crying, she looked so scared.
"I…" Melanie sobbed "I… don't want to go"
"Derek… Dr. Shepherd is not gonna hurt you, baby. He'll make you feel better. We've talked a lot about this. Dr. Shepherd might be a bad man but he's one of the best surgeons in the world. He's the best in his field" Addison tried to reassure the scared kid.
"You promise me that I'll feel better after surgery?" Melanie's voice was pleading.
"I promise you, Melanie Heaven Montgomery, that after this surgery you'll be hale and hearty" Addison smiled.
"Okay. I think we can go then…" Melanie got up and left the walk-in closet.
"Come here" Addison gently said and then she took Melanie in her arms and caressed her face. "I know you're scared. Sometimes, people need to do extraordinary things in order to survive" Addison swallowed "These extraordinary things might be scary and you might be terrified, but if you relax these things will turn out good. They'll help you. They'll heal you."
"Do you trust Dr. Shepherd?" Melanie asked.
"I…" Addison took a deep breath "I do. I told you, he's the best here"
"Ok then. Can Tommy come with us?"
"Of course. He'll keep you great company" Addison replied and let Melanie go.
The little girl grabbed her favorite teddy bear and wore her blue coat. Addison put on her own black coat and then they were ready to go. They left the room and Addison called a cab.
Melanie was a little older than three years old but she was quite smart for her age. Being grown up among a lot of adults, Melanie could already speak fluently and without making any big mistakes. Doctors and nurses were her family, she loved to draw on old charts sitting in Archer's office while he was saving lives.
The cab took them to SGMWH in less than ten minutes. Once there, Addison felt that heavy thing in her stomach again but she couldn't let her emotions take over her. Addison wasn't in Seattle for Derek but for Melanie. She was there to save her niece's life, not to get her husband back.
The hospital's doors opened and Addison walked quickly to a nurse.
"Page Dr. Shepherd for me, please" she said.
"And you are… ?" the nurse replied, skeptical.
"I'm… " Addison hesitated "I'm Addison Montgomery Shepherd. I'm here for Melanie Montgomery"
The nurse looked at Addison, then at Melanie who smiled at her. The nurse smiled back at the little girl and then paged Dr. Shepherd.
"I'll be here in… Oh there he is!" the nurse announced.
Addison turned and saw Derek walking to her.
"Hi, Addison" he simply said. His face was cold, he didn't show any expression, any feeling.
"Derek" she replied.
In that moment Meredith arrived and smiled at the three of them.
"So, let's get things started!" the intern exclaimed, happily.
Of course she was happy, this was the first real important case she had ever been assigned to.