A/N So last chapter was long and I also realized I never pointed out I don't own characters or have rights to the show. If I did McDreamy would still be alive. So anyway without further ado...

Two hours later, Derek hadn't budged. His mother had returned and Cristina and Mark had stopped by multiple times, but he remained where he was in case Meredith woke up and needed something. At one point Lexie dropped a duffel bag by his feet saying she had stopped by the house and grabbed him and Meredith some things. A flower arrangement had been dropped off and the card said it was from the Board. Probably an incentive so he wouldn't step down as Chief.

"Too late now." He muttered when he read the card offering condolences and get wells from a bunch of people who had probably never met Meredith. He didn't want to be chief anymore especially if the consequences almost killed his wife and definitely killed their child to be. Eventually everyone caught on to the fact that he was stewing and really wasn't up for conversation. He just sat and stared until Teddy returned mid-afternoon. Meredith had slept the entire time the events of the morning effectively exhausted her.

"Hi" Teddy said entering the room and shutting the door behind her. "We're going to get her sitting up now. We're just waiting on Dr. Torres and the nurse."

"But she...she's exhausted and...it's too early she needs to rest. I don't want her rushed." Derek argued.

"We aren't rushing her. She needs to start being mobile to heal. It'll only be for a few minutes." Teddy attempted to convince Derek but to very little avail.

"But I-" Derek was cut off by his mother.

"For God's sake Derek you know all this. You know she needs to be moving in order to get better. Your judgement is clouded because it's Meredith and that's okay but you need to let the doctors do their job and just be her husband." Carolyn scolded. Derek nodded in defeat. Just then Callie appeared with a nurse in tow.

"Okay looks like we're ready. Derek, you wanna wake her up?"Teddy asked. Derek nodded and leaned over to Meredith's ear.

"Meredith." Derek whispered kissing her cheek. "Meredith wake up." He said again this time squeezing her hand and kissing her gently on the lips. He felt her stir slightly and tried one last time. "Mer please wake up." He said and her eyes opened slowly. "Hey." Derek whispered, kissing her forehead lightly.

"Hi" She responded groggily. Her eyes surveyed the crowd in front of her. Teddy and the nurse were standing at the foot of the bed while Callie was checking on her hand and Carolyn was still in the seat on Meredith's right. "How can I...be of...service?' Meredith asked. Derek chuckled and smoothed her hair back her hair.

"We're going to try and get you sitting up." He explained. "I mean...if you're up to it." Meredith just nodded in response.

"Okay then. Let's get this over with." Teddy said. Her gaze then wandered over to Carolyn who got the hint immediately.

"You know, I should go call the girls. They probably want an update." She said excusing herself and bustling out of the then turned to Callie who started to explain.

"Usually we would have you put your hands on the sides of the bed and have you pull yourself up and support yourself. However your hand that. So your going to use your hand and I'm going to support your elbow." Meredith nodded in understanding. Derek stepped so he was at the head of the bed able to put a hand on her back in support without helping to much. teddy pushed the rail down on the side of the bed as the nurse raised the head of the bed. Meredith winced as she felt her head rising and her incision being stretched not to mention the broken sternum. Teddy grabbed a pillow and pressed it to Meredith's chest in attempts to make the pain more bearable. Slowly Meredith put her good hand on mattress and gripped it firmly. she counted to three in her head and took a deep breath. She eased herself upwards putting most of her weight on her and as Callie supported her elbow. It hurt like hell but she was thankful for the pillow Teddy held to her chest and Derek's supportive hand on her back. Finally she was sitting almost completely on her own. Tears stung the back of her eyes but she refused to let them fall as she sat there for a few minutes until Teddy gave her the okay to lie back down. She relaxed into the pillows as Derek walked into her line of sight.

"You did it!" Derek exclaimed. Meredith just nodded and let the tears fall as a mixture of joy and pain. Derek simply wiped them away and sat back down in his chair holding Meredith's hand.

"Okay so tomorrow I'd like to get some post-op x-rays of that hand and see about getting you into a more permanent cast." Callie said as she scribbled in the chart

"And I'll be back after evening rounds to see about getting your legs swung over the side of the bed and sitting up properly." Teddy said taking the chart from Callie and scribbling her own notes. They all left the room leaving Meredith with Derek once more.

"How are you feeling?" Derek questioned with a hint of concern.

"Okay...tired...sore...but okay." Meredith replied.

"Do you want anything?" Derek asked.

"Water please...and...socks." Derek smiled as he poured her some water and handed it to her turning back to the duffel bag grabbing her a pair of socks. He took the cup from her and pulled back the blanket to reveal her feet. He slid on the socks marveling at how cold her feet were. He pulled the blanket back over her and kissed her lightly.

"I love you." He whispered. She smiled and wanted to return the phrase but was interrupted by the burning need to cough. Derek handed her the pillow and she coughed then handed it back burrowing down into the pillows as much as her aching chest would allow. She looked over at Derek taking in his ragged appearance.

"You should...eat...shower...brush teeth...go home." She said in as demanding of a tone as she could muster. He let out a laughing breath which turned into a full blown laugh when she wrinkled her nose in mock disgust.

"I'm good right here." He assured her.

"You...smell." She smiled at his feigned hurt.

"How about I stick around until you fall asleep?"

"Deal but...follow... through." She mumbled closing her eyes.

"Okay" He breathed standing to kiss her forehead lightly.