So sorry I haven't updated in like FOREVER! I hope this will give my fans their "fix" I'm working on the next chapter this week :)

Chapter 14: Screaming in Silence

Meredith and Christina walked down the hallway with her arms locked into one another," Everything's going to be okay, Mer," she tried to reassure her friend," Owen's one of the best I've ever seen."

"I know, I just...I'm pregnant and if something were to go wrong I'd..."

"Meredith," Christina turned her friend to face her before they went in Shepherd's room," You can't think like that, he 's been stable for almost two hours now."

"Okay," Meredith dried a tear and nodded, she hugged Yang tightly and pushed open the door.

Hunt had raised the head of the bed and was trying to remove the glass with forceps as best he could. Local anesthetics had Derek about as numb as he could get and so far the procedure was going smoothly. He'd almost gotten the first, and highest risk, piece out without a hitch. The door opened," How's it going?" Meredith came over to inspect Owen's work.

"So far so good, just a bit slow," he dropped a second glass shard into a basin.

"How you feel?" she sat in a chair next to the bed facing Derek.

"Been better," he admitted, for the first time in awhile a smile played on his lips. Her heart melted as she felt it light up the room.

"I see that," she sat on her hands as not to be tempted to disrupt Hunt's position.

"Meredith, when do...when will you know," he looked at her stomach," when will you know what it is?"

She smiled," I'm not that pregnant," blushing, she put a hand on her mouth as she giggled," Just a little pregnant."

Christina sat on Meredith's knee for a moment," So we did all right?" she inspected as much as she could from her position.

"Yeah," he almost nodded," you did great."

"You really scared us," she lowered her gaze," I'm sorry about your father."

Derek's expression changed for a brief moment, past memories and pains filled his eyes," Yeah, me too."

"Just a few more," another small plink in the basin," I can't get them all out but the majority are gone."

"That's a relief," Meredith smiled.

"I've scheduled for a therapist to take a look at you today," Christina offered," She's coming from out of town, I got you the best."

"I can't..." he started.

"Finished," Owen put a large gauze pad behind Derek's head as he rolled onto his back," good as new in a few days," he smiled.

"I know it's soon, but she's just assessing your injuries and..." Christina continued.

"I can't..." Derek repeated.

"I know you're still shaken and I know that you probably..."

"No," he interrupted her," this," he lifted his right arm to reveal the shackle," this is what the detective had for me today."

Meredith felt her face flush hot with anger," Wha...why did he?" she started and couldn't seem to get her words out," I'm calling his supervisor."

"Mer, don't," Derek felt sick," Apparently the police are investigating my past drug history and all the surgeries I've performed in the past six months or so..." shock registered on Hunt's face," and because of my position at the time of the attack and my usual job, they figure I have access to any drug I want," he lowered his eyes," I'm a threat to society because Clark says I attacked him, and so far the gas station hasn't submitted the video tape, if there is one, and..." he shut his eyes to try and block it out," once I get therapy and am out of critical care and moved to regular wards, the police will come back and take me to the prison's hospital."

The words hung in the air as his friends tried to comprehend what he'd just said," What if the tape never gets through?" Christina's eyes were wide.

"Then I'm in jail until I go to court," the words hit him like a kick in the gut, as if it was the first time he'd heard them.

"The other inmates will kill you," Hunt gripped the bedrail until his knuckles turned white," you'll be labelled a drug addict and they'll either want drugs from you or your life, or worse..."

"You *can't* go to prison," Meredith stood up," *you* didn't do anything wrong! What the hell happened to 'innocent until proven guilty' huh?"

"Besides it's your word against his right?" Yang added.

"But he says I was in a drug-driven rage and that I attacked him, not the other way around, and my blood work does suggest..."

"I'm going to get Richard," Hunt cleaned up the table," they're not taking you anywhere."

On the other side of town at Seattle General Hospital, another patient was being treated. After a panicked emergency room visit a few nights ago, Gary Clark was getting his medicine and his official discharge papers while hiding his smile, he asked the receptionist," Did they ever find the man who attacked me?" he masked his excitement well, so well the nurse believed him.

"Yes, the police officer told me he was heading to the other hospital to question him," I'm so sorry this happened to you, and to think it was a drugged out doctor, here's your prescriptions and your discharge papers. If you need anything more don't hesitate to come back," she smiled warmly.

"Thank you very much," he folded the papers and put them in his coat pocket,' So Derek survived?' he leaned on his cane as he opened the door to his vehicle,' I might go pay you a visit.'

The chief of medicine was on the phone with the chief of police trying to get some permission to keep Derek at Seattle Grace," He's not a flight risk, I mean the man can't sit upright in bed for more than ten minutes at a time without passing out! He's been kept on sedatives since he's been here so even if he could somehow manage to get out of bed with a broken leg and severe head trauma, he'd be so groggy from the cocktail he was given prior to his stay here and what we have to keep him on now to keep him comfortable; comfortable mind you, not delirious or out of his head, just comfortable..." he paused and listened to the other line," we have him on some Diazepam to keep the tremors down so he doesn't rip his sutures, some IV fluids and very small doses of non-narcotic sedatives as requested. None of the them will show up on a drug test..." Hunt sat in the chair in front of Richard's desk listening in on the conversation," He's handcuffed the the damn bed! He doesn't have the coordination to go to the bathroom alone and you're implying he could pick the lock on the handcuffs and escape?" Hunt sighed and shook his head," Yes, I will take full responsibility if he should somehow turn up missing...thank you, you won't regret this. I'll move him to the private ward of the hospital and if you like you can send officers to check and be sure he's here anytime day or night...Yes sir...yes...thanks again...goodbye," he hung up the phone.

"So the police are letting him stay here then?" Hunt stood.

"Yeah, I've agreed to take the heat if he "escapes" as you probably heard."

"I'll go tell him and Meredith," Owen turned to leave.

"There's one condition," Webber stopped him," the handcuffs stay on and whatever medications we give him can't show up on a drug test, they'll be by with drug tests just about everyday."

"That means when the drugs completely wear off..."

"We can keep him on Diazepam and some anti-anxiety meds; but he has to clear a drug test before we can give him anything narcotic."

"So we give him Narcan right before the drug test?"

"I didn't hear that Dr. Hunt," Webber winked.