"Come on girls let's get going." Derek tells the girls.
I was packing our day bag for our day. We were accompanying Richard and my mother to the airport for them to travel home. Mom had doctor appointments and in this past week she was struggling more and more with remembering things. She would wake in the morning and she would forget where she was and it would take her a while to actually remember. She forgot who the girls were and at one point during the thought she had given birth to twin girls.
It was heartbreaking to watch my mother go through this and I knew that the girls didn't understand well. It frightened them seeing their Nanna like this. Especially last night after my race we went out for drinks. My mother was fine and remembered who I was during the race but after was a different story.
"I'm so proud of you Meredith." She told me as we walked to the pub. "I couldn't be prouder watching you win 3 medals. Only one person could do that and that is you." She says smiling and kissing my cheek.
"Thanks Mom."
We walked into the pub and it was filled with people but as we walked in a huge cheer came as they saw me walk in with my medals.
"We have Meredith Grey in the house guys. Gold, silver and bronze medallist." The barman shouts.
I smiled at the attention from everyone and the smiles and words of congratulations. I was overwhelmed and had Derek holding my hand to help me register where I was. It was like the moment when the people came to the hospital after I had the girls. The love and happiness that surrounded them and what they brought. The girls were the centre of attention but I got the hugs and the kisses. It was like this feeling.
"Drinks are on the house for the winners' family." The barman says coming to our table. "So whatever you like."
I had ordered water for the girls and we ordered a bottle of champagne for us adults to drink and he came back with the bottle and Derek poured glasses for us and we toasted.
"To London and winning Gold." Richard says. "Cheers."
We clinked our glasses between each other and the girls clinked theirs to be a part of the action.
"Mommy we really love you." Maddy tells me.
"I love you girls too."
"Meredith, why aren't you in bed? It's why past your bedtime." My mother says angrily to Matilda.
"Ellis." Richard says placing a hand on her back. "That's not Meredith. That's Matilda, your granddaughter."
"I don't have grandchildren. I have a daughter, Meredith. Richard you know this."
I bit my lip and before I could console Matilda who was upset, Derek pulled her into his arms and held her, telling her everything was fine. I really did love him for the way he treated me, my girls and my family.
"Tilly its ok." He tells her. "Don't be sad. Think about the medal your Mommy won today. She's a gold medallist."
I watched as the smile came to her face and she turn and look at me.
"There's that beautiful smile." I tell her kissing her cheek. "Everything is fine."
We said goodbye to Richard, Wendy and my mother at the pub and took the girls back to our room. It was a real downer to the end of the night, my mother forgetting. We carried their tired bodies into the village and into the room. We changed them and they were still awake but their bodies were overcoming with exhaustion.
"Mommy. What's really wrong with Nanna?" Matilda asks me as we pull the covers over their bodies.
I look at Derek and he nods his head for encouragement. For the go ahead.
"Nanna is sick. She is getting sicker every day." I tell them. "She has what is called Alzheimer's and it's a disease of the brain. Do you know how cookies crumble?"
"Yeah." They say tiredly.
"It's like her brain is doing that and she forgets sometimes where she is and who people are. That's why she has called you two Meredith and claimed to not have any grandchildren. It's just going to get worse and worse overtime and she will forget. So you have to be patient with her and be confident and not let what she says affect you because she doesn't mean it. I promise you."
"Poor Nanna." Maddy says.
"Can anything help her get better?"
"No girls. There is nothing proven to help at this very moment. They are working hard. I assure you." I tell them smiling. "But now its time for my beautiful girls to get some rest. You need your beauty sleep."
I kissed them both and they hugged me harder and longer than they usually do.
"We love you Mommy." They say. "Goodnight Mommy. Goodnight Derek. We love you too."
I watched Derek kiss both of their heads and tuck them in. "I love you girls too. Sweet dreams."
It was life I suppose. It's what happened. Derek that night had been caring and tender. We spent the night out under the stairs and he held me not letting me go. I really did love this man more and more each day of my life.
"You ready Mommy?" Maddy asks climbing up onto the bed and distracting me from my thoughts.
"Of course." I say smiling.
"Are you going to carry the bag?" Derek asks picking it up and putting it on Maddy's back. He though held the brunt of the weight.
"No. No. No." She says with her eyes going wide. "It's too heavy."
Derek and I both laugh and he takes the bag off her back and puts it onto his back. "Well let's get going then." He says to her lifting her off the bed and placing her on the ground.
The girls grab their hats and Derek places his hands on my hips and kisses me unexpectedly.
"I love you." I tell him.
"I love you more." He says smiling.
"Can't you save that for later?" Maddy says.
"We don't like seeing you kissing. It's yucky." Matilda says sticking her tongue out.
"Well why can't I share a kiss with Derek now?"
"Because we have to go Mommy. We'll be late." Maddy says.
"We'll be fine Missy." I tell her. "Besides if I love someone I'm allowed to kiss them and let them know. See." I say kissing Derek again. Then kissing both of the girls.
Derek kisses them like I did and then he kisses me. He though places his lips on my neck and blows a raspberry causing the girls to laugh and me to smile.
"You're so silly Derek." Maddy says.
"Well I'm just showing my affection for your Mommy."
"Well we suppose that's alright." Matilda says. "Can we go though?"
"Sure girls." I tell them.
We leave the room and the girl's race each other to press the button for the elevator.
"You Ok?" He asks.
"I'm fine. Just thinking how lucky I am to have them and you." I say smiling at him.
"I am thinking the same thing." He says and he wraps his arm around my neck and pulls him close to him. He kisses my forehead and I smile at him.
Richard and Mom had just pulled up in the taxi when we got outside. We were going with them to the airport for our official goodbye and then we were heading back to watch some of the last few events that were on. The girls had a choice in what they wanted to see and they wanted to watch Gymnastics.
I sat close to Derek on the drive and he had an arm wrapped around my neck. I was going through my head how I was going to ask him to stay for another month with me and the girls to watch the Paralympics. The girls still didn't know that they were staying to watch the Paralympics. They just thought that they were coming home with me next week and not in 4 and a half weeks. I wanted to spend time with Derek and spending time with Derek meant more time to be a couple and spending a holiday with each other and getting to know him a lot more better than I already did know him.
We arrived at the airport and Richard had the bags on a trolley and the girls clutched my mothers' hands as they walked through the busy airport. I held Derek's hand and we fell back from everyone else.
"Derek, I wanted to ask you… I mean you don't have to because I know that you have plans and things like that…. but I wanted to see if you want to stay here in London with me and the girls while we watch the Paralympics. I mean it would be a nice thing to spend more time together and the girls would love to spend more time with you and I would go crazy not having you here with me."
I waited for his reply.
"That is a nice offer Mer. It's just I will have to think about it because of the commitments I was making when I arrived back home." He tells me. I felt like the world had crumbled beneath my feet.
"Oh Ok."
He stops walking and looks at me. Placing both his hands on my cheeks.
"Meredith, you know how much I want to stay with you and the girls. I want to spend every waking moment with you three. I do. I really do. It's just that I did have commitments made prior to this." He tells me. He sees the sadness on my face. "Let me think about it, Ok?" He says with a smile.
"Ok." I say smiling at him and leaning up and kissing him. "I really do want you to stay here with me."
"I know. I do as well."
"Come on Mommy!" Matilda says.
"Come on Derek!" Maddy yells out.
He kisses me again and we catch up to everyone else.
"Derek you have to stop distracting Mommy." Maddy says.
"Yeah Derek." Matilda says.
I look at my mother who just laughs. "Oh girls. You should be happy. Your Mom won three medals. Derek won two medals. You should let them spend time with each other."
"But they spend all their time with each other Nanna." Matilda says.
"Yeah and they are always kissing. It is romantic but they need to stop." Maddy says. "It is yucky to my eyes."
I giggle at Maddy and shake my head.
"I wonder if all this kissing means grandchildren." Richard says to Ellis. Derek and I hear him though and I feel my cheeks redden. "They're thinking it about or she is just embarrassed because of all the time they spend naked with each other."
"Richard." She says smirking. "They are both adults and they are allowed to pursuit in extracurricular activities."
"Mom. Enough!" I say embarrassed.
"It's true you are an adult and I can't judge you for that part of your life. Romance is perfectly fine. And protected romance is especially fine. Especially if you don't want any medal winning babies making their way into the world."
"Mom!" I exclaim.
"Sorry. I'll cut it out." She says. "But the two of you will make cute babies."
I roll my eyes as Mom and Richard start laughing at me.
"Oh Meredith." Richard says wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "We're embarrassing parents aren't we?"
"I don't care. Like you said I'm an adult." I say.
Richard lets go of me and places a hand on Ellis' shoulder. "Young love."
"Definitely young love." She says agreeing.
"I'm going to go and get my daughters before they cause airport security to drag them out." I say as I notice the girls chasing each other.
I run off to stop the girls from running around and Derek stays with my mother and Richard.
"Madelyn May! Matilda Rose! Come here now!" I call out to them.
I watch as they stop in their tracks and turn slowly towards me. I rarely yell at the girls only when they don't cooperate and go to bed when they should and when they are causing havoc and when I did yell it was like it was the end of the world and they would come crawling back to me with tears in their eyes and apologising for their mistakes. They walked towards me with their heads bowed.
I bent down to their level and they avoided eye contact with me.
"Girls look at me." I tell them.
They lift their heads and they have a guilty look on their faces. I had to bit my lip from smiling because of how cute they looked.
"You two know better than running around. Especially a place like this. You could get yourself hurt and it is dangerous to wander away from us. I know we could see you but in a space of a second something could happen. I just want the two of you two be careful next time and don't go off without Nanny, Poppy, Derek or I. Got it?"
"Yes Mommy." Maddy says sniffling.
"Yes." Matilda says wiping the tears from her face.
"Good. I'm sorry I yelled. I do love you two very much and I just want you safe because they last thing I would want is you two hurt."
"We know." Maddy says.
"We're sorry." Matilda says.
"Good." I say. I pull them into my arms and I hold them and kiss their cheeks. "I love you two girls very much. I would be devastated if something happened."
I let them go and wiped the tears from their faces. They really were Mommy girls. They weren't naughty girls either just on occasion they would do something that they know they shouldn't do.
I grabbed their hands and we walked back to the other three who quickly stopped their conversation.
"Mom do you have a tissue so I can wipe the girls noses?"
"Yeah sure dear."
She passes me tissues and I get the girls to blow their noses and I wipe the tears away from their faces. I kiss their noses and smile at the two of them.
Richard checked him and Mom in and we headed through the airport to their gate. Derek had Maddy on his shoulders and I carried the bag on my back and held Matilda's hand as we went through the airport to security and through that to their gate where we got the girls a snack and waited for them to depart. Derek and I sat down together while Mom and Richard took the girls to the bathroom.
"What did you and Richard and Mom talk about while I went to retrieve the girls?"
"Nothing really. Just about their flight."
"Derek I'm not stupid. Come on it can't be that bad."
"I can't tell you." He says. "It's confidential."
"I do hate surprises."
"I know you do." He says smiling. "This is just something between me and them for a little while longer. You'll find out I promise."
"I will be waiting to find out you know. I will keep bugging you until you tell me." I say smirking.
"I won't mind." He says. "Seeing you flustered is cute." He says wiping a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "And your tiny ineffectual fists. They are cute as well."
"You've told me all this before." I say.
"I know." He says. "I just want you to remember."
I kiss his lips and the girls come back interrupting us.
"Not again."
Derek and I just laugh at them and they climb up onto our laps and we hold onto them and wait for the boarding call to come. I take the camera out of the backpack and can't help but take a photo of the four of us together. I take a look at the picture I took and see the girls sticking their tongues out and Derek and I just smiling at the camera.
"Oh, I wished that would have been a nice one." I say.
"It's a funny one though Mommy." Maddy says.
"I suppose it is." I say smiling. It would be one of those photographs that I would keep for future. "Can we get a nice one this time?"
"OK Mommy." They girls say and I look at them and they are smiling already.
I capture a photo again and I smile instantly. All four of us were smiling at the camera. We really did look like a family.
"I like that one." Derek says.
"Me too."
"Call for flight 348 to California is now boarding. Please make your way to the front."
"I guess that is us." Richard says. "Got the passports and tickets love?"
"I sure do." Mom says taking them out of her purse.
I lift Maddy off my lap and Derek stands up with Matilda.
"Have a safe flight Mom." I say hugging her.
"You have fun in London." She says. "Takes lots and lots of photos for me of the girls." She says. "And congratulations on your medals sweetheart."
I smile and kiss her cheek before moving.
"Bye darling." Richard says hugging me. "I really am proud of my daughter."
"Thanks Dad."
He kisses the top of my head and I move from his arms. Maddy and Matilda hug her grandparents goodbye and I wrap my arms around them.
"It was really nice meeting you Derek." Mom says. "You are a wonderful man. You make my daughter happy. I really do approve of her and you."
"Thanks Ellis. It was nice meeting the mother of Meredith. You really did raise a great girl."
"You keep her happy." She says and kisses Derek's cheek.
Derek shakes Richard's hand. "Bye Derek."
"Goodbye Richard."
"Have fun spending time here." Mom says. "Meredith, Maddy and Tilly, we will see you girls when you get home. Derek we hope to see you too."
Derek nods his head with a grin.
"Bye guys."
"Bye." We say to them.
Maddy and Matilda wave to them and we stand and wait until they have showed their tickets and passports before we leave.
"When are we going home Mommy?" Maddy asks.
"Not for a couple of weeks. Why?"
"I kind of miss home. Especially Lucy. I know that Lucy misses us."
"Well Nanny and Poppy will look after her while we are still here."
"She's going to go crazy when she sees us again Mommy." Matilda says.
"I know. She will be happy to see us though." I tell them.
"Derek are you going to come home with us?" Maddy asks.
"I don't know yet girls. I have to see what I am doing because I did have commitments made. I just have to work some things out."
"We really would love for you to come home with us Derek."
"I know girls." He says smiling. "We are just going to have to see what happens."
We waved one last time to them as they walked through the gate. Derek put the backpack over his back and we walked back through the airport. Derek held my hand and Maddy held onto his hand and Matilda onto my hand.
"What a lovely family the two of you have." A lady says to us as we are waiting for a taxi. "Your girls are precious."
I couldn't help but smile. I look at Derek and smile and then back at the lady.
"Thank you. We are really grateful for them." Derek says. "They are our world."
I felt my insides go warm and gooey.
"Are you planning on any other children?"
"We're just waiting for things to settle down a bit." I say. "We have had a pretty busy schedule this past year so we are waiting."
"Waiting is perfectly fine and if not you always have your girls." She says. Her husband soon joins her. "Good day."
"You too." Derek says smiling after her.
"Mommy why did she think we were a family?" Maddy asks.
"Because we are."
I felt Derek place a kiss to my temple and caught a glimpse of his smile.
A taxi arrived and we climbed in and were dropped off at the arena to watch the gymnastics. The girls were hanging out to watch them since they arrived here and I wanted to treat them to them.
We sat in the audience and the girls sat on our laps engrossed in what was happening. I turned and looked at Derek and he looked lost in thought.
"Hey, you Ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking." He tells me.
"Well if anything is wrong you can let me know." I say. "I am your girlfriend."
"I know. I'm just thinking through things. I'll be fine though, I promise."
"Ok then." I say smiling and kissing his lips.
I knew all too well what he was thinking about. I knew that he wanted to go home and start his internship. I knew before he left for London he had it set in his mind that he was competing. Then coming home and then he would be starting his internship in New York. But when he arrived in London, he met me. We fell into bed with each other and later fell in love with each other and the girls got themselves attached to him and he was now starting to make plans with me in them and the girls. So this decision was eating him up inside.
"Mommy did you use to do this gymnastics?" Maddy asks.
"Yeah I did."
"Can you still do it?"
"I haven't competed in a very long time. Before you girls were born. Long before. I'm not as fit as I was before."
"Can we start gymnastics Mommy?"
"You're a little young yet to start. How about we give it a little while and you think about it."
"Ok." They say with smiles on their faces.
"Do you want to know something pretty cool girls?"
"Of course."
"I used to be able to do 8 front flips in a row. 6 backflips as well. It was my signature move."
"Wow."
"And that coach down there. She was my coach. I had to choose between running and gymnastics. It was the hardest choice of my life."
"Well you did make a good decision though." Maddy says.
"Yeah you won three medals for running. You should be proud of your decision." Matilda says.
"The girls are right." Derek says smiling.
This support that I got from everyone was beautiful. I really did appreciate it made me feel grateful for who was in my life.
After the gymnastics we took the girls down to see my old coach who greeted me with open arms. The smile on her face made me miss training for gymnastics. The girls of the team were also there to see me. They were big fans of my gymnastics work and my running.
"I am so proud of you. You clearly made the right decision." She says.
"You know that it tore me up for ages. Then when I got that injury before Athens I was regretting choosing running because I would not have gotten that injury."
"You were a mess for months. Especially when you found out you had to choose. It really made me upset seeing you like that. It was like deciding on wanting to keep a child or donate an organ. That's how beat up you look. But look at you know. You're a Mommy. You have two beautiful girls and you won three medals in running. You should be proud of your decision."
"I have been told that already by Derek and the girls."
She smiles at me. "You really do have a beautiful family Meredith." She says. "We're off to celebrate. I hope to see you tomorrow night at the dinner and I would love to catch up before we head back home."
"I would love that too." I say. I hand my number over to her and we part ways after a goodbye.
We get back to the Village and get food from the food house and eat down there before heading back to the room. We ran a bath and Derek said he would bathe them for me while I chatted to Sadie.
She just talked about her job and life. The two of us had been great friends since My mother and Richard moved across the country when I was 5. I really did love this girl. She was always there to watch me compete and race. She did want to come this year but she was just finishing up med school and starting her job in a morgue. I thought it was pretty chilling work. She though had drifted from my life when we got busy especially with the girls. We got into a huge fight and she went off to Europe. It just wasn't the same after. So an occasional phone call is what contact we had. She just wanted to tell me that she was proud of me for winning and that I look happy. She was happy for me.
We got the girls in their pyjamas and by the time they were tucked in they were fast asleep.
With the chilly air outside we stayed in the room and were changed in our pyjamas and laid down in bed wrapped in each others arms.
"Sadie is proud of me."
"What?"
"Sadie, just told me then. We have drifted a lot over the past few years and she never approved of Finn. She never did and the whole time I was with him I knew he would hurt me. I didn't believe her and look what happened. We got in a huge fight and that was the end of it."
Derek pulled me close to him. "Meredith, those things happen. You fight with your best friend and you never mend your relationships and you can never go back to what it was before you were friends. It's happened to me before. Mark and I, yes we became brothers but we have never been as close as we should have. It's life. If you want to mend it it's your decision."
I knew he was right. I would deal with it when I got home. I wasn't in the mood to deal with it now.
"I'm staying." He says.
"What?"
"With you and the girls for the next month. I'm going to come and watch the Paralympics with you and stay with you and be a family. I love you too much to go home."
"What about your internship?"
"I decided I didn't want to be an intern. It's not important to me. Yes I spent 4 years doing med school but at the moment all I care about is riding. If I went and became an intern, I wouldn't ride anymore. I would be exhausted and I wouldn't have the chance to have a family and a wife and sleep in my own bed. I would be single, alone and sleeping on an on-call room bed."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I want to go everywhere you go because I am in love with you. The girls made me decide my decision and you did as well. I love the three of you too much to leave for nearly 5 weeks."
I smile and kiss him. "You, Derek, will not regret this decision to stay."
So I found a little time to write an update. I thought you guys deserved it. All I am counting down is 2 assignments to go. 1 exam to go, 1 first aid course to complete and 1 ball night to attend and I shall be good with updates from now on. I will finally finish this story, continue to write for watch over me. And maybe try and complete some other stories I have written. I have a lot of stories started but I don't know if I should finish them or not. I'm just going to see what happens.
But Derek decided to stay for the next 4 weeks with Meredith and the girls. Next chapter will be just a brief summary of the passing 4 weeks and end with their flight back home were decisions are made.
So I shall try and have that update ready very soon. Happy reading.
