Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy...I only wish
First I would like to thank you for your lovely comments ;-) I'm glad you like the story. I guess, a post season 7 fanfic is what we need to get us through the Summer. Hope, I'll find the time to update regularly. Please enjoy the third chapter...no lifethreatening situation but sure something, I'd love to see on the show!
Have a nice week!
McJinx64
Chapter 3
Meredith's POV
A soft knock on my bedroom door woke me but I couldn't respond. I kept my eyes closed because my head hurt enough even with them being closed and along with my head, my chest, my throat and pretty much everywhere else hurt too. "Mere…?" came Lexie's muffled voice from outside my door, "Haven't you heard? Zola's crying!"
Beads of sweat started rising on my forehead and I groaned in response. Lexie entered my bedroom and moments later, I felt her cool hand on my forehead, "God…you're burning up". Gagging on the sudden acid rise in the back of my throat, I managed to bring out, "Bucket!" Lexie looked around and then grabbed the waste bin. I emptied the contents of my stomach in the bin, resting my forehead against it and concentrating on each next breath. Don't pass out…breathe…breathe. Lexie rubbed the back of my neck, her cool fingers soothing the flush of heat that instantly washed over me. After seeing me vomiting, she yelled, "JACKSON…get Zola out of her crib and feed her a bottle…but don't bring her in here…Meredith's sick!" Every joint and muscle in my body ached and my head started pounding even harder. I swallowed hard and opened my eyes, "Lexie…call D…Derek! Ask him…if he can take Zola? Just a few days…till I'm feeling better!" Lexie glared at me for a moment before sitting next to me. She placed the back of her hand on my forehead again and bit her lip. "I'll be right back!" She walked into the adjoining bathroom and I could hear her rummaging around in the medicine cabinet and the cupboards beneath the sink. Moments later, she returned with a thermometer. "Open your mouth!" I took the thermometer without complaining.
"Are you still feeling sick to your stomach?"
I nodded. My head hurt abominable, and that in turn made me nauseous. When Lexie pulled the thermometer out of my mouth, she nodded while she determined my temperature. "You're definitely running a fever. I'm going to get you some Ibuprofen and water. I want you to drink it so you don't get dehydrated…OK?"
"OK," I croaked, feeling extremely sorry for myself.
"I'm also going to make a quick call...OK? Don't worry about Zola…We'll take good care of her!" I nodded and gathered my blankets around me, huddling into a fetal position. I was feeling cold despite my high temperature but it was hard to think straight with the hammering headache I had. What seemed an instant later, Lexie came back with a large glass of water and a couple of pills. "Take these…they'll help you sleep." I raised myself unsteadily on one arm and the cold air shocked my body as it flowed under the blankets. Lexie gave me the pills and I put them in my mouth with some difficulty. When I had swallowed them, my arm collapsed and I lay where I fell. Lexie carefully covered me back up. "I'll check on you later…OK?" I nodded and Lexie turned off the lights in my room, semi darkness settling over me. I wrapped my bedding tightly around me in an attempt to keep warm and the last thought I remembered before blacking out, was Zola.
The light of the sun coming through the windows fell on my feet, waking me with its gentle warmth. I looked around the room, realizing something wasn't right. I heard a pair of feet padding outside my bedroom door. I watched expectantly as the door opened. The sight I beheld was one I would never get tired of. Derek walked toward me, pausing as he crossed through the sunbeam streaming into the room. His naked body glowed with an internal light, his skin illuminating and his perfect hair forming a halo around his head. His well-developed muscles stood out in bold relief, the sun accentuating every curve. He gestured to me with a smile and I crawled out of bed to join him. I entered his embrace and he pulled my naked body tightly to him, molding his body to mine for the most skin contact possible. Our lips met gently, the kiss…one of tenderness and love slowly turning into a passionate battle that neither of us was attempting to win. Derek picked me up and returned us to the bed where he lay on top of me. I relished the feeling of his weight pressing down on me and wrapped my arms around his waist to pull him closer. He began to move against me, slowly at first, and then with increasing urgency. Our breaths became ragged and heartbeats fast and I knew it was only a matter of time until…
"Meredith…are you awake?" A soft voice cut through my consciousness and I started to open my eyes. Derek was looking down at me with a worried look. I wanted to say something but when I opened my mouth, I found that it was dry beyond belief and I was unable to make a sound. I pulled my hand up to my throat and tried to swallow but instead I started coughing until I nearly choked. Derek gently patted my back while I felt drops of perspiration fall down my temple below the collar of my night shirt, making its way further down my chest. My body was damp with moisture and without warning, my whole body shivered.
"Take in deep breaths," Derek said, a worried crease above his brow. "Here…have some water!" Derek helped me up and I drank little sips of water until the coughs subsided. "Better?" Derek asked, while he stroked my hair. I nodded and let myself fall back into the cushions. Derek put the glass down on the nightstand and made his way to my closet. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of clean pajamas. "Can you sit up…I need to get you out of these wet pajamas. You've been sweating like crazy from the fever!" I nodded and a little hesitantly, I started to undress but I caught my breath in pain.
"Here, wait," Derek said. "Let me do it." He put his arm around my back and slid me down slowly until I was flat on my back. "OK…I'm gonna slide these off of you. Tell me if it hurts, OK?" He hooked his fingers inside the waist band of my sweatpants and gently pulled them down, taking my panties, which were also wet, with them.
"Derek…," I mumbled. "I can do…it…myself."
"No, you can't. Come on, Mere…it's not like I haven't seen you naked before." Derek finished pulling the sweats and panties completely off and walked over to the bathroom to put them in the hamper. When he returned, I had a clean pajama and a fresh pair of panties on in seconds. "Thanks," I whispered while Derek helped me lay back again, tucking the blankets tightly around me. "You're welcome. Now…try to get some sleep. I'll check on you from time to time OK…I'll be in the living room." Derek was almost at the door, when I remembered… "Derek? Where's Zola?" He smiled and walked back, sitting down on the bed. "My mom came over this morning. She's watching Zola as we speak. Don't worry…she's fine!"
Derek's POV
I went into the living room and switched on the television. When I went back to the bedroom, about half an hour later, I found Meredith fast asleep. I stood in the doorway and quietly watched her. Her forehead glistened again with beads of sweat but she wasn't shivering anymore. It was strange seeing her so vulnerable and to be honest, I wanted nothing more than to comfort her despite how angry I'd been with her. I watched her for a moment and then decided to lie down beside her in case she needed me. I woke up a couple of hours later to the sound of Meredith's cough. She was sitting upright, rubbing her chest with one hand and holding her head with the other as she coughed. I sat up and gently patted her back which seemed to help because her coughs slowly subsided. "Thanks," she whispered hoarsely while she rested her feverish head on my shoulder. "Are you cold?"
"Hmmm."
"I'll be right back…OK?" I tucked her back under the covers while I took the thermometer from the nightstand, holding it in front of her face. She put the thermometer in her mouth without commenting. Only a minute later it beeped. I took it out of her mouth and read: 103.4. I showed her the read out and she grimaced.
"I'm going to get you some Tylenol…they'll help you feel better." Meredith nodded weakly while I went into the bathroom. She swallowed the Tylenol with water and I also poured her a dose of cough syrup in a spoon. She swallowed hard and made a face. I grinned and tucked the blankets around her shoulders but she threw them off. "No…too hot!" Beads of sweat were soon breaking on her forehead and upper lip and I could feel the heat radiating off her body. I nodded approvingly, "Good! You're fever is breaking…that's a good sign."
"I feel weird."
"I know baby. Just rest now. Do you want me to stay with you?" Meredith nodded and I got into bed holding her. She was almost like a furnace; her skin hot and moist, but her hands and feet, ice-cold. I pressed a light kiss to her warm temple and she looked up at me with glistening eyes, "I'm glad you're here," she whispered before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
I woke up when early morning light began to filter through the curtains. Meredith lay against me, wrapped in my arms, the rhythmic feeling of her chest going up and down in her sleep. When the light in the room grew brighter, she stirred and I reluctantly let go of her. "Derek?" A weak and scratchy voice broke the silence in the bedroom. "Hey," I whispered while I reached out a hand to feel her forehead. Meredith was still feverish because her complexion was flushed and her eyes glassy.
"How are you feeling?" I asked. Meredith blinked slowly and then frowned. "Like someone hit me with a baseball bat," she whispered. I smiled and brushed still sweat soaked bangs away from her face.
"Do you need anything?" Meredith nodded but curled more into herself under the blankets. "What?" I frowned. "I need to…pee," she whispered shy fully. I grinned and wrapped my arms around her slender frame, lifting her and carrying her to the adjoining bathroom. I waited until she'd flushed the toilet and then I carried her back to bed. "You need a clean pajama…wait here!" I got up and got a pair of clean pajamas and a bowl of warm water. I set the bowl on the nightstand and helped her getting her pajamas off, covering her with a blanket. Dipping a washcloth into the water, I wrung it out and wiped the sweat from her face, then repeated the procedure with her neck, shoulders, breasts, belly and legs. I was careful to keep her covered the whole time so she wouldn't get chilled then I dried her off and helped her into a pair of fresh, clean pajamas. Meredith sighed and I could see that she was feeling slightly better. I put my hand on her forehead an while she was still unnaturally warm, I could tell that her fever was down.
"I'm tired," she said, closing her eyes. I smiled and as I watched her, she drifted back into calm, healing sleep.
To be continued...Hey and don't forget, suggestions or ideas are always welcome...
