Chapter 10
Mark got a janitor to come open Derek's door. He had been knocking on it for a while and before him Addison had spent almost half an hour outside before she gave up and came nagging to him. Why on earth did Shep hook up with a woman like her? He knew that Derek was a serial monogamist since he was old enough to date but he should just find pretty girls for one night stands.
"Cool it down a notch, Addison."
"Just open the door."
"No, you leave before I do that."
"Give me the keys."
She tries to snag them from the janitor but Mark is too quick. He grabs her shoulders to stop her.
"He needs me"
She continues to try to move to the door.
"No, he needs his brother."
"I'm his girl friend."
"For now" Mark whispered low before continuing louder "he needs family or just some time alone."
"I am his family"
"Sorry to tell you, but you aren't and will never be."
"Sure I will. We will move to LA or NY probably NY so he can have a private practice and be close to his family."
"You will what?"
"Move… so he can get better hours and better pay."
"You must be kidding me. Derek is a surgery junkie that loves the hospital."
"He can have that even if he has his own practice."
"Sure, but right now I want to talk to him… alone."
"Oh no… he needs me."
"I won't let you in."
Suddenly the door opens and Derek steps out dressed in his jacket with his briefcase in his hand, ready to leave. He walks past the two combating doctors and a surprised janitor without a word. His eyes kept to the ground. He is almost by the elevators before Mark sees him and he is inside the lift with the doors closing behind him in solitude when Mark breaks free and sprint towards the doors. In the last second he slides in and they can hear Addison slam into the door while going down.
"That was a close one"
Mark tries a small joke to test the water. Derek is just staring at the number display above the doors.
"What happened?"
"Nothing"
"That was not nothing."
"Ok"
"Ok, what?"
"Nothing"
The doors open and Derek storms out of the lobby with Mark tagging along. When he reaches his car he quickly gets in as Marks jump in shotgun. Derek looks at him for a second before starting the car and drives off not uttering a single word. On the ferry he parks and walks up to his favorite spot with Mark as a shadow. They stand there in silence. Derek is looking out over the water and Mark glancing at him. Finally Mark can take it any longer.
"This was Meredith's favorite spot on these kinds of ferries."
"It's a ferryboat."
"Yeah and why are you so gloomy?"
Derek is not answering but Mark can see tears in Derek's eyes.
"Oh man, what happened today? What got you to think about Meredith?"
"Nothing"
"Don't give me crap… I'm your brother and something got your shorts in a knot."
"Please not now."
"Ok I'll wait. Can I crash on your sofa tonight?"
"Yeah"
"Let's get Lisa's room ready."
Lexie was talking to Izzy and they both agreed that it would be good to begin emptying the room. They shanghaied Alex and George into carrying the boxes, placing them either in the den down stairs or in the cellar. The two of them rafted through the boxes as to decide where it all should go.
"Look at this, a whole box of journals written by Dr Grey."
"Look here, it is a lot a kids clothing. Did you know she had a child?"
"No, I never read anything about her private life."
"I wonder where she is now. Why did she leave this house to be rented out by the hospital and not to a child if she died? Do you think the child died?"
"This box seems to have some picture albums; maybe we should put them in the den along with the journals."
"This one we should put in the TV-room. It is lots and lots of VHS of Dr Grey's surgeries. We should make a movie night with the guys and indulge in snacks and bloody surgeries."
The gang worked swiftly and soon the girls began cleaning the master bath and the guys made good use of the hoover. Fresh bed linen and towels finished the room.
Derek brought a beer out to his spot overlooking Seattle skyline. After a while Mark joined him.
"Ready to talk?"
"Mhmm"
"So… Meredith?"
"Kind of… I gave Dr Grayson an exam to evaluate her amnesia and every time I'm near her I begin to think about Meredith… She sat on the bed annoyed and the look in her eyes was like Mer would have looked in the same situation and then I checked her pupils and she asked… to see my flashlight… She asked about it… and said that I had a nice girlfriend… giving me such thoughtful gift… My hearth just shattered again… Addison… would never give me such a simple but precious gift. She would go all out and buy me an… Armani tie… or something equally useless with an expensive brand… she never sees the beauty in the simple thing… not like Mer always did."
Derek broke down again and Mark wrapped an arm around his shoulder while patting his back a couple of times.
"Why are you keeping Addison?"
"I don't know… maybe because we have great sex and I will never give her my heart. She will be satisfied with stuff instead."
"Don't go there… sex you can have with one-night stands like I do…"
"I need someone… I don't like picking up girls in the bar."
"I know… but please don't settle with the wrong girl."
"There is no right girl anymore."
The carousel goes round and round. Her mother is standing with her back to her. She yells and the man in front of her but he sadly shakes his head before turning around slowly walking away. The next time she can see her mother the man is gone and her mother is hunched over on a park bench crying.
"Mother… look, no hands"