Chapter 10

A/N: So we get to hear from one of Derek's sisters in this chapter. It's a shorter one but I'll make it up to you soon.

Derek rushed to get out of the hospital at the end of his shift. He wasn't in the mood to deal with Mark and Addison. He'd had enough of Mark today, and Addison would just add insult to injury.

On his way down to the lobby, he caught sight of Meredith. She was clearly on her way out too, because she wasn't wearing her scrubs. He saw her wave out the corner of his eyes, but just kept walking. After what happened this morning, he didn't want to risk getting in any more trouble with Dr. Webber, and certainly didn't want him talking to her about any of this.

He heard footsteps behind him and sped up slightly. He was almost positive they belonged to Meredith and didn't want to risk an encounter. He really hated to avoid her like this, but he didn't see much of an option. When he no longer heard the footsteps following him, he slowed down again, making his way to his car.

He fumbled for his keys, and had to stop outside his car to dig them out of his pocket. Finally pulling them out, he unlocked his vehicle and opened the trunk. Tossing his bag into it, he glanced up and froze. He didn't notice it earlier because he was in a rush to leave, but Meredith's car was parked next to his. He paused and listened for the footsteps he heard on his way out of the building. He couldn't hear them, so he thought it was okay to get moving.

He quickly shut the trunk and walked around to the driver's door. He pulled open the door and was about to load himself into the car when he heard someone approach and then Meredith's voice broke out.

"Hey, you're in a hurry." She said teasingly. Derek forced a chuckle and hoped it wasn't obvious. It was getting dark, so he couldn't see her face that well, but it looked like she grimaced, indicating she knew that his laugh was fake.

"Uh, yeah. My sister texted me earlier and asked me to call her tonight, so I need to get home and do that." He tried to duck into his car, but Meredith kept talking.

"Oh, is she okay? Is it Amelia again?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned. He held his breath for a moment, regretting for a second that she knew everything about his family. It made it harder to lie to her about them. He told her everything. From the little things like his sisters' habits to how his father died. And he has a hard time talking about that.

He must have zoned out because when he pulled himself from his thoughts, Meredith was standing right in front of him with a concerned look on her face. But not just concern for his sister – which wasn't even true, not that she knew that – concern for him was present on her face.

"Derek, you can tell me. You know that." she said simply. He looked down at her, looking back up at him with concern, worry, and sympathy etched across her features. He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly he couldn't speak. He dropped his hand from its place on the car door, and it brushed against her arm as it fell to his side, sending a slight shock up to his shoulder and down to his fingertips. The accidental contact brought his attention back to their surroundings, brightening and clearing them, like he had been given a shot of adrenaline.

He looked at his feet and cleared his throat, and Meredith took a step back somewhat hesitantly. An uncomfortable silence had fallen, and they rarely shared that. It wasn't a feeling either of them liked, but they both did well at hiding that fact from each other. Derek lifted the keys that were in his hand to hopefully end the awkwardness.

"I should go." He said flatly. She nodded, and a piece of hair fell from behind her ear. He longed to reach out and tuck it back into its place. He told himself not to, but found his arm coming up anyway. Before he got the chance, however, Meredith tucked it behind her ear herself, and his arm fell back down. She eyed his hand suspiciously but didn't say anything.

"Yes, go, call your sister." Meredith said awkwardly after the long silence that had occurred, biting her lip at the end. Derek nodded and hesitated, then slipped into the car. He waited for her to get into her own before backing out of his parking spot, watching her with careful eyes the whole time. She waved to him as he began to pull out of the parking spot, but he pretended not to notice. As he switched from reverse to drive, he caught sight of a certain redhead in his rear-view mirror. He saw her look from his car to Meredith's and he groaned. He leaned his head back against the headrest and ran his hands through his hair. Tomorrow, he would have to listen to what Richard said and stop talking to Meredith. No matter how much it hurt him to do it.

~0~

Derek spent the night tossing and turning, stressed about every little thing. It was just before midnight when he got a text from Meredith asking if his sister was okay. He sighed at the sight of it and turned his phone over on his nightstand. He stared up at the ceiling, just visible due to the moonlight streaming in from the window. He took in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. He thought over everything that had happened in the past few days. From what he and Meredith talked about in the bar to the arrival of Mark and Addison. Suddenly things were becoming all too real.

His phone buzzed again and he threw an arm over his face. He knew it was Meredith again without having to check, so he just ignored it.

After a few minutes, he felt the second text eating at him, so he got up off the bed and took the short walk across the trailer into the kitchen. He pulled a glass out of one of his small cupboards and held it under the tap, filling it halfway with cool water. He swirled it around in the glass for a few seconds before taking a long sip. Emptying the glass, he set it down in the bottom of the sink.

He glanced down at the floor, then ran his hands over his face. Turning back to his bed, Derek heard his phone buzz again. He sighed and walked back across the small space, flopping onto his bed. He stared at the ceiling in silence for a few minutes before his phone started ringing. He groaned, but reached to pick it up anyway. Instead of seeing Meredith's contact like he'd expected, he saw his sister's. And not just any sister, it was Nancy. Nancy was the scary sister. Of all his sisters, Derek only feared Nancy. When he saw her name across the screen, he knew better than to ignore her call.

He took in a breath before answering the call and holding the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Nancy. How are – "

"Don't do that. What's going on out there?"

With her words, Derek knew Meredith had texted her. The last thing he needed was word spreading throughout his family that Addison and Mark were in Seattle. But from what Nancy said, he knew that it was probably going to happen anyway.

"I don't know – "

"Yes you do." Nancy said, cutting him off. She always had a knack for getting right to the point, and clearly that would never go away. Not knowing what to say, he didn't say anything.

"Derek. Answer me." She said in her calm, but assertive voice. He sighed, knowing he should tell her, but not wanting to. Meredith had obviously talked to Nancy, but he didn't know how much she told her. Knowing Meredith as well as he did, she probably only told Nancy that something was going on and he wouldn't talk to her.

"Nancy, I… I just need some time to think. I promise I'll text you as soon as I figure things out though."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, Nancy clearly pondering what he had said. Protective sister mode kicking in, he knew she would come to Seattle if he went back on his word. She knew he knew this, so she sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But if I don't hear from you soon, I'll just ask Mer for an update. At least she'll tell me the truth." She said teasingly, though he knew she was also somewhat serious about it.

"Yeah, yeah." Was all he said in response.

He heard her chuckle before saying her goodbye and hanging up.

Pulling his phone away from his ear and placing it on the nightstand once again, he thought about how close Meredith was with his family, how close she was with him. He knew he wouldn't be able to follow Dr. Webber's instructions without any conflicts, but after the events of the evening, he knew that it was for the best. Hopefully when Mark and Addison were gone, he could explain everything to her without having her hate him.

His mind shifting from the current and future conflicts he knew would arise, Derek thought of just how close Meredith had gotten to him and his family. Despite the stress he was currently under, and what he knew he was going to have to do tomorrow at work, he was able to pull away from all that, and think of the good stuff.

No longer concerned about how late it was, what was going to happen with Mark and Addison, and what might happen with Meredith, Derek managed to fall into a deep sleep within minutes.