10. Broken

"Addison!"

Derek ran into the room to see his wife lying on a hospital bed. She blinked and looked up at him, her forehead showing a dark purple bruise, and her broken leg had been wrapped in thick white bandages.

"What happened?" Derek demanded, glancing at the nurses.

"She fell down the stairs." Meredith said, who had been standing behind him. Derek spun around to glare at her.

"Did you push her?" Derek snapped.

"No." Meredith answered, shocked at how Derek would accuse her of doing something like that.

"I saw you take the stairs!" Derek shouted, stepping closer to her. "You would have pushed her because you wanted her out of the way!"

"No!" Meredith shouted. "I wouldn't do that!"

"Well who pushed her?" Derek shouted, looking around the room. "No one else would have a reason for pushing my wife down the stairs!"

"How do you know she was pushed?" Meredith asked.

"Pushed?" Derek cried angrily. "She broke her leg and a rib! She had to have been pushed!"

"Then why do you blame me?" Meredith asked, not wanting to believe that this conversation was happening.

"Because you are the only one who would want her hurt!" Derek shouted.

Meredith stared at him in anguish and stepped away from him, breathing in sharply and looking at him in a blank, hurt look. At Meredith's look, Derek softened and held his hand out to touch her arm, realizing what he had done.

"Meredith…"

Meredith turned and hurried out of the room.

"Meredith!" Derek ran after her. He felt so angry at himself for yelling at her. He could still see Meredith's expression when he had gotten angry, the way she had looked at him. Meredith ran into the elevator, tears forming around her eyes.

"Meredith!" Derek ran over to the elevator and hurried inside as the doors closed.

"Get away from me." Meredith said bitterly.

"Meredith, I'm so sorry." Derek said quietly, looking at her desolately. Meredith looked ahead, staring at the floor numbers as they lit up with a ding.

"Meredith." Derek reached up and lightly touched her arm. Meredith glared at him and pulled away.

"Why would you blame me?" Meredith snapped. "Blame me for pushing Addison down the stairs?"

"I didn't mean to," Derek apologized. "I'm sorry Meredith. I was angry and confused, I overreacted."

"Because you care so much about Addison," Meredith said bitterly, her voice rising. "You chose her over me. You chose her over me!"

"I would have chosen you," Derek said quietly. "But I have a wife and-"

"A commitment." Meredith interrupted.

"Meredith." Derek sighed. Meredith watched the floor numbers light up and then the doors slid open. Derek stood and watched as she walked out, not even looking back at him.

Derek sighed and waited for the doors to close. He pushed the button for the floor Addy was on and waited, leaning against the wall. He didn't want to think of the pain he had caused Meredith. Now she wouldn't even look at him. He had just made it worse for her.

Derek waited for the doors to open and hurried back to Addison's room. He took a seat and held her hand, thinking of everything that had happened. Meredith wouldn't have pushed Addison down the stairs, he was angry at himself for thinking that.

"Derek?"

Addison's eyes opened and she looked over at Derek.

"Addy." Derek smiled warmly, squeezing her hand. Addison smiled, the pain of her broken rib and leg making her wince.

"What happened?" Derek demanded.

"I fell," Addison said quietly. "My foot twisted or something. I fell."

"You weren't pushed?" Derek confirmed.

"No," Addison replied, frowning at the idea of being pushed. "And you thought Meredith pushed me, didn't you?"

"I did," Derek admitted, wincing at the conversation that had taken place earlier. "That was something I regret. I didn't want to hurt Meredith; it's just that I overreacted."

Addison looked at her husband sympathetically.

"So your leg collapsed." Derek stood up and checked her leg that wasn't broken.

"I wouldn't say it collapsed." Addison said. At Derek's look, she frowned.

"What? Is it a tumour? Swollen veins? Sprained ankle?"

"Your heel broke." Derek answered, smiling slightly.

"My heel?" Addison raised an eyebrow.

"On your shoe." Derek slid off her high heel and showed her that the heel had broken, which would have caused her to stumble and fall down the stairs.

Addison laughed and lay down in relief. And she had been worried that it had been something serious. Derek felt annoyed, for getting angry at Meredith and thinking she had pushed her.

"You'll be fine," Derek smiled. "I scheduled an X-ray and scan, you just need to cope with a limp for a few days."

"Do I need crutches?" Addison asked, concerned about that idea.

"No, it's just a slight fracture." Derek commented.

"Good." Addison smiled, slightly pleased that she wouldn't need crutches.

The two of them smiled at each other. Derek began to think that he did need Addison. If he just worked on their relationship more, then it would work. But his thoughts were still on Meredith, he wanted to talk to her, to apologise properly.

"I'll be back soon," Derek smiled. "With mocha latte for us."

"That's Bailey's favourite," Addison smiled wryly. "Latte for me."

"A latte then." Derek smiled.

"I love you." Addison smiled. Derek smiled and stepped closer to her, kissing her.

"I love you too." Derek couldn't stop smiling. He turned and left the room to see Bailey walking over.

"Dr Shepherd!" Bailey snapped, walking up to him. Her voice softened. "How is she?"

"A fracture on her leg and a broken rib, but she'll manage." Derek replied.

"Falling down the stairs," Bailey sighed and shook her head. "It's a bad day for all of us, especially for those car accident patients. You need to let Addison recover and get back to your job."

"I will." Derek said dismally, thinking of Meredith, her expression when he had yelled at her.

"Good." Bailey nodded at him, and then walked away.

"He yelled at me." Meredith mumbled quietly.

"He was angry. He overreacted." George said reassuringly, looking over at Meredith who lay on the hospital bed, staring at the wall.

"I'm having a bad day." Meredith muttered.

"I have those," George added. "And Shepherd will apologize to you. He's like that."

"I don't think I can ever get over Derek." Meredith said quietly. She sighed and sat up, looking at George.

"You will," George said. "In time."

"And it will take a long time." Meredith smiled sadly.

George looked at her. She really was struggling with her feelings for Shepherd.

"I have a patient to check on." Meredith said quietly.

"Okay." George nodded.

Meredith walked off and George watched her leave.

He felt slightly guilty at having watched Addison fall down the stairs and not do anything about it, just because he was jealous of Meredith and Shepherd. He hoped Addison was recovering. Maybe he would check on her, then he wouldn't have that guilty feeling he had now, the feeling that he had smiled while watching Addison fall down the stairs.

All because he wanted Meredith to end up with him. It was getting obvious Meredith wasn't developing feelings for George, and she was trying to get over Shepherd. He felt like checking on Dr Montgomery Shepherd, but his guilt held him back.