Derek's POV
"How could you make me promise?" he asked Karen. "Do you not love me anymore?" The sound of the respirator was the only response he received back. "I trusted you with my heart, please don't break it" his words dripping with anger and grief. Was this his punishment for all the times he had been so reckless in the past with the hearts of women? Was a higher power now taking revenge? If it was, then Derek would willingly give his life, his heart, in exchange for his wife and child. Suddenly he felt sick; he had just said "His Child." "Their child" he corrected. "What would he tell their child if Karen didn't make it?" "How could he explain to them that the price of their existence was their mother's life and that he chose it?"
Sitting there Derek remembered back to the first time he had ever seen Karen. She walked into the audition dressed in jeans and a stripe blouse. He remembered thinking to himself "this should be amusing." He had even made the snide remark of "how refreshing the only person who didn't come dressed as Marilyn." He now laughed to himself because in that moment Karen was so green that she took his remark as a compliment and smiled timidly as she began to sing. But the joke was on him. Hearing the first lyric flow from her mouth Derek felt his heart skip a beat. Right before his eyes Karen, the timid girl from Iowa, transformed into a stunning woman. Through her voice alone Karen Cartwright made him believe that she embodied every word of the song "Beautiful." He could see the fear in her eyes but also saw a hidden strength. It was a strength and resolve he would witness first hand during his infamous couch casting.
From that day forward he had spent countless nights trying to figure out a way he could become worthy of her love. It was journey he embraced everyday of his life and as he sat holding her hand, he worried it would be cut short to fast. As he replayed moments in their lives he realized Karen more often than not had been the one who gave. Whether it was her time, compassion or love she never faltered when he needed her the most. It was now his time to be her rock. He needed to take a leap of faith; he needed to believe that her strength and his love for her would get them through this. He kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear "I'm going to keep my promise Karen" but please keep yours. You promised me on our wedding day that we'd grow old together.
He turned and left her room in search of the doctor. When he found her he informed her of his decision and she told him she would be prepped and in surgery within the hour. Derek knew Karen's parents would be there soon, he only hoped they'd get to see her before she went in for surgery. For now, the doctor had offered to tell everyone in the waiting room what was happening and agreed to allow them to see Karen if they so wished. Derek thanked the doctor, and returned to Karen's room.
He waited with Karen until the first visitor came in. The door slowly opened and Julia, Tom and Sam entered. They tried to mask the breath they inhaled upon seeing Karen but the tears now forming in their eyes was too much for Derek to handle. He had promised he wouldn't cry anymore. Karen didn't need him to be weak, she needed his strength. So Derek simply stood and without a word proceeded to walk out of the room. He entered the waiting room avoiding eye contact with the remaining cast and crew and found the chair farthest away in a corner. There he sat numbing himself to the grief surrounding him and staring straight seeing nothing but darkness. Lost in his solitude he could find peace and draw strength from memories.