Author's Note:

So, here's chapter 21!

I'm so sorry for the long wait. I was extremely busy with school. I had a big project to finish and it was 57 pages of hard work with 2 class mates. On top of that, I had to learn for my exams which took a great amount of my time. So the result of all of that was that I couldn't find the time to write chapter 21. Last week I finally found time to write so here's chapter 21 for all of you! I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you thought of it by leaving me a REVIEW!

At last, I have to say that after this chapter there will probably be one more chapter. So that means that chapter 22 will probably be my last which means the end of this story. I can't say that for sure since I have a few ideas of how to write an end to this story and which one I will choose will determine whether I write an extra chapter or not. So for now I can only say enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you thought of it!

Enjoy!

Warm regards,

Isabel

Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy or its characters. I'm just borrowing them for my own fun.

chapter 21: Moving forward

And before his eyes closed and the world around him went black, the thought of his beautiful wife next to him in their own bed crossed his mind and he was gonna make sure to make that thought reality…

''Mer!'' Cristina called to her friend as she saw her walking out of the restroom.

Meredith looked up and saw her friend walking towards her, carrying a sandwich that made her stomach growl.

''Hey, I wanted to talk to you, do you have the time?'' Cristina asked.

''Oh, oh yeah, of course'' She said and strolled behind Cristina into an empty exam room.

''Here'' Cristina said when they shut the door behind them and took a seat on the bed. ''Take this'' and she handed the sandwich to Meredith who reluctantly shook her head.

''I'm not hungry''

''Yes you are'' Cristina said demonstrative. ''So take the sandwich, chew, and swallow. It's not that hard, and besides, I'm sure Derek needs you when he comes out of surgery and you can't be there for him when you're lying in a hospital bad yourself, so take it''

Meredith slowly took the sandwich from Cristina's hands and took a bite.

''Good girl'' Cristina replied and slipped of the bed to stand right in front of her person. She was going to say what was on her mind since.. since that day and her person should know what happened to Derek. Should know the emotional aspect of the situation and not only the medical aspect. She knew her person wanted to know that and it was only fair that she knew.

''Mer…'' Cristina said, almost a whisper and Meredith looked at her with great concern.

''What..what's wrong?'' Meredith panicked and went to stand up. ''Is there something wrong with Derek? Oh my God, did he die?''

''No, no!'' Cristina immediately replied. ''It's nothing to do with Derek. Well, it's something to do with Derek but not with his surgery''

This settled her down a bit but she still looked at her person with concern. She had no clue as to what Cristina wanted to say to her about Derek and it only raised her confusion and worry.

''What.. what's going on Cristina?''

''I wanted to talk to you about the day we brought Derek in'' She said and saw the intense hurt on her person's face. It sure brought bad memories back but she knew her person wanted to hear it so she chose to continue.

''When Owen and I got to Derek, he was in a pretty bad shape and on the way to the helicopter he began seizing. We had it under control pretty soon but only a few minutes later he began seizing again and when he woke up after we stabilized him he spoke some words which were hard to comprehend but he.. he was asking for you Mer''

Meredith's eyes welled up and tears were making small pathways on her cheek. She knew Derek had seized twice on the way over but nobody told her that he was awake or even asked for her. She hadn't known if he was in pain or if he was scared. As a doctor she knew he must have been in pain but when the tables were turned, there was no way of knowing something for sure. Worry and panic took over her brain until she got word that he was stable and all thoughts escaped her mind. Everything was blank and she couldn't think of anything except that Derek was alive and that was enough for her. She hadn't thought of Derek's feelings. Never talked to him about it, only yelled at him for being angry with Mark. At the time she hadn't thought that his outburst could be a result of that day. Being hospitalized for almost 2 weeks and not being able to feel human again. When she thought about it everything made sense and she felt selfish for not knowing earlier.

Cristina's eyes began watering but she continued what she wanted to say.

''I thought you wanted to know that. At first I thought he was just babbling something but he was clearly asking for you and I didn't have any idea where you were and I knew that if I told him that he would panic and only make things worse for himself. Luckily he passed out immediately after and we got him into the helicopter so he didn't suffer much. He was out of it most of the time''

''Thank you Cristina'' Meredith said and slipped of the bed to embrace her person. She was really fortunate to have such a friend and knew she could always rely on her when she was down and needed something to cheer her up. ''That was really…really'' She sniffled but she didn't care. ''Thank you'' and she tightened her hold for a few seconds before letting go.

They both had to laugh when they looked at each other and saw each other's face.

Their faces were red and wet with black streaks of mascara but they didn't care. At that moment all worries were gone and it felt great. It felt great to feel happy again and not worry about the next minute.

Suddenly a shrill shriek filled the room and Meredith immediately grabbed her pager.

A small smile crept up her face when she read 'Derek Recovery Room' and gave her person a quick hug that said nothing but happiness and it made Cristina smile too.

''Derek is in Recovery now so I'm gonna go over there now'' She rattled off her sentence and quickly disappeared into the hallway. She couldn't wait to see Derek again and hoped everything went well.

''See ya!'' Cristina said sarcastically when Meredith had already disappeared into the hallway and picked up the sandwich to take a bite before throwing it into the bin and walking out of the room.

''Alex!'' She said when she saw him standing by the nurses' station. ''You want a sandwich?''

''What sandwich'' Alex asked and looked at Cristina expectantly.

''It's in there'' she said and pointed to the exam room. ''It's french cheese, tomato and lettuce''

''Hell yeah'' He said and walked into the exam room. His hunger taking the better of him.

A few seconds later he came out and walked back to his charts. ''Funny Yang'' He said sarcastically and picked up his charts and left.

''Bye Evil Spawn! Have a nice day'' She waved after him. ''Oh, and I heard they have delicious sandwiches in the cafeteria'' She added and couldn't suppress her laughter.

Meredith quickened her pace when she entered the CICU wing. She had hoped that he could be transferred to a regular ICU room and then after a few days to step-down but since his lungs were still not the way they wanted it to be so he was still assigned to a CICU room.

When she got to his room she flew the door open and saw her husband sleeping peacefully in his bed. A smile formed on her lips when she saw that there was no obtrusive tube down his throat. A clean oxygen mask was softly resting on his face, giving him the oxygen he still needed.

''Doctor Grey'' Teddy suddenly said and Meredith jumped at the sound. She hadn't looked past Derek's bed and hadn't noticed Teddy who was busy writing notes on his chart.

''Oh hey Doctor Altman'' She greeted. ''Did everything go well with his surgery, no complications?'' She asked softly. Derek was looking good and by his appearance she guessed there were no complications but as a doctor, a surgeon she knew that just the appearance of a person could not tell you what was going on on the inside. One minute the patient can be fine and the next he could die on the operating table. There was just no way of knowing for sure and that scared her.

''No, nothing at all'' Teddy smiled and put the chart back in its holder.

''If all goes well he can be transferred to a regular room tonight'' She said and Meredith's smile grew bigger. ''We kept him in the CICU for a few extra days because we wanted to monitor him more closely since he had his relapse but his sats are just the way we want them and he has remained stable after his surgery, so if all goes well, tonight will be the night''

''Really?'' She asked. She still couldn't believe what Altman just told her and out of surprise she gave her a big hug.

''Thank you. Thank you so much'' She said and quickly walked over to Derek's bedside.

She was over the moon and not one word could escape her lips. She kissed him on his forehead and to her surprise he slowly opened his eyes. This really was like a fairytale. She had to laugh and began stroking his hair. ''Hey my lovely frog'' She said and laughed lightly.

''What…'' He said confused, still groggy from the anesthesia.

''You opened your eyes when I kissed you and I think that's from a fairytale, only I kissed you on the forehead instead of the lips but it worked apparently'' She giggled.

Derek's lips curled into a smile and then his mouth opened. ''Am I that ugly?''

This made Meredith even laugh harder and she lifted his oxygen mask to give him a passionate kiss on the lips and even the kiss was from a fairytale. It was what they both needed after everything that had happened and when their kiss broke she already saw his eyelids drooping and placed the oxygen mask back on his face. She gave him one last kiss on the forehead before quietly walking out of his room. She couldn't wait to tell Mark and her friends and she was sure that everything was going to be alright in the end.

It was barely a few minutes later when Meredith had already found Mark leaning against the nurses' station. She laughed at the sight. 'They could so be biological brothers' she thought. They had the same way of leaning against desks and even his smile reminded her of Derek. Her smile even grew bigger when she saw that Mark noticed her walking towards him and opened his arms for her. She gladly accepted the hug and they both stood there for a good few seconds before they parted and Meredith told him the great news.

''Really?'' He asked her and. She nodded.

''If all goes well he should be in a regular room by tonight Teddy said''

''That's great news!'' Mark beamed.

She looked at her watch and then said: ''I think he's awake by now. You could see him if you want''

''Yeah, in a bit. I just need to stitch this one guy and then I'II be right up. He's in the same room right?''

''Yes'' She answered.

''Okay, see you in a bit then'' He said and walked away.

Meredith was smiling from ear to ear. Everything was going well. Mark was happy with Lexie, Cristina with Owen and she had the one person that meant the world to her. Everything was going great and she couldn't imagine losing it someday. She told herself not to look at the things that could go wrong but to look at the bright sight. She shoved Dark&Twisty Meredith to the background and Happy Meredith made its full appearance again.

She looked at her watch once more and decided to go back to Derek. Mark could be there any minute and she couldn't wait to see her husband again…

Derek was wide awake since half an hour ago and was surprised at how much strength he had already gained. He felt like he was up for a walk but actually wanted nothing more than to go home. He did realize what happened to him and in what shape he came in but he finally had the energy again and wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

He was getting bored and wondered where Meredith was. He missed his wife already but knew that she hadn't slept well over the past week and needed the sleep. He knew that he would need help when he got home and wondered how Meredith would handle that since she still has her cast.

He looked at the clock on the wall and it showed 4:34 PM. He sure hadn't slept long but he didn't want to waste his sudden boost of energy and decided to at least stand up and see how that goes. Maybe take a walk if all goes well.

He took one deep breath before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He took a few long seconds before slowly going over into a standing position. The cold floor of his CICU room send chills down his spine but it felt good to finally be standing on both feet.

He grabbed his I.V pole and started to take his first step. It was slow and deliberated but he was moving, and that was all he needed for now.

He was about to take his second step when he heard the door open. Meredith was standing in the doorway staring with wide-eyes towards him.

''What.. what are you doing?'' She said, utterly confused and surprised as to why he was trying to walk. He wasn't even cleared to stand up let alone take a walk.

''I was just going for a walk'' He replied while he shrugged and flashed his McDreamy smile towards his wife.

''Don't try to be funny on me mister. You're healing, but that doesn't mean you're suddenly allowed to walk on your own without permission or go grocery shopping'' She said, trying to sound strict, but it didn't help. He was still blinding her eyes with his adorable smile and she couldn't help but smile back.

''Well, are you going to go back to bed or should I ask a nurse?'' She said while crossing her arms and trying to look strict again.

''No nurse'' He said immediately and shook his head.. ''I'm going, I'm going'' and was already making his way back to bed.

''Good'' She said and walked towards his bed. ''You need any help'' She asked.

''No, I'm okay'' He said with a cold tone and slowly got back into bed.

She noticed his sudden change of behavior and got closer.

''Is something wrong?'' She asked worried.

He stared at the sheets and shrugged slightly. ''I just wanna go home'' He said.

'Shit' Meredith thought. She had completely forgotten to tell him the great news. ''No'' She said and Derek looked up at her and frowned in confusion.

''I.. I.. I mean yes, yes, of course you wanna go home. I.. I mean you're going to go home''

''What?'' He asked surprised. ''You mean now?''

''No'' Meredith said, she was at a complete los of words and didn't know how to say what she actually wanted to say. ''I mean yes, I spoke to Teddy and if all goes well and you remain stable, you can be transferred to a regular room and maybe go home in a day or two''

''Really?'' Derek asked with a huge smile on his face. ''You mean I get to come home in a day or two?''

''If all goes well, yes'' She said and smiled profoundly.

''Come here'' Derek said and opened his arms for her.

She gladly accepted and he planted a kiss on her forehead.

''I love you so much Meredith Grey''

''I love you so much Derek Shepherd'' She said and kissed him passionately on the lips.

''I wanna grow old with you and die in your arms when I'm 110'' He replied and gave each other one last, deep kiss before they parted and Meredith sat down in the stool by his bedside, holding his hand tightly into hers.

''I asked Mark to come by and see you, is that okay?''

''It's okay'' He said and flashed a smile. ''I need to talk to him anyways''

Just as he finished his sentence, the door opened and Mark made his way into the room.

''Hey man'' He said. ''You feeling good I see''

''I'm feeling great knowing that I get to go home in a few days''

Mark smiled at his answer. He really was glad that his 'brother', his best friends since they were kids was doing so good all things considered. He remembered what Meredith had told him about staying over for a couple of days to help out but he didn't know how Derek would feel about that. They were obviously on better terms than a few days ago but staying over and helping them out was a slightly bigger thing than going by and see how he's doing. He knew Derek and knew that he didn't like to be in a position when he's vulnerable and need help with basic needs.

''Derek, Meredith'' Mark began. ''I know we didn't go along very well over the past few months so I'm…I'm very grateful for the second chance you both gave me'' Mark stuttered. ''So..I'd just like to ask you guys over for dinner sometime''

Meredith and Derek exchanged a knowing look and smiled at Mark. They both have pondered about the situation and wanted nothing more than a fresh start.

''We'd love to'' Meredith smiled and grabbed Derek's hand.

Mark smiled back and was at that moment the happiest man on earth. For some people a dinner with friends isn't a big deal but for him it is. At first sight you don't get to see the real man behind that confidence and self-indulged face, but once you get through that thick skin, you see the real Mark. The one who actually does have feelings. The one who cares for the people he loves, the one who loves his family unconditionally he would do everything for them. So once you get to know him, you love him.

Mark and Meredith exchanged a knowing look and knew what they still had to discuss with Derek before he would go home.

''Derek'' Meredith said and nodded at Mark.

''What's.. what's… is something wrong?'' Derek frowned and stared at the both of them. He didn't know what they wanted to say and if it was something bad, he actually preferred not to hear it.

''No'' Mark said immediately before Meredith could answer him. ''It's just something we want to discuss with you before going through with it''

Derek's frown deepened even more and he had no clue as to what they wanted to discuss with him.

''It's…'' but before Mark could answer Derek, Meredith took over.

''I asked if Mark could stay over for a couple of days when you're out of the hospital to help us out a bit since we're both not that mobile. Is that okay with you because a few days ago you said.. and I don't know if..''

''It's okay'' Derek replied only a few seconds later. He didn't need to think about that very long. He knew they couldn't take care of each other and Mark volunteering to help them out would be a great help. He had had plenty of time to think things through and besides the help he would offer, it would be a great story to tell his family and friends.

''You mean… it's okay?'' Mark asked surprised. He never expected him to say yes so quickly. He told himself not to take it so badly when he wouldn't want the help since the whole scene a few days was just all about offering the help. But this, he hadn't expected that answer at all and it was overwhelming him.

It was relieved and his day couldn't get any better. They agreed to come over for dinner, his brother accepted the help, and he would go home in just a few days. It was all just so overwhelming and he had to sit down for a second.

''You tired already maid?'' Derek joked and smiled sheepishly.

''Ha-ha'' Mark said sarcastically but smiled at the remark. Everything was looking great and he couldn't wait till things were all normal again.

Meredith couldn't stop smiling. Everything was falling into place and she couldn't get more happier. Derek was doing great, Mark was looking happier than ever and for now she wanted nothing more than to be with Derek, and when Mark left to go home, and Derek's eyes were slowly closing, she snuggled up next to him and lay her head on his chest.

''I love you'' She said.

''I love you to Meri'' He said and kissed the top of her head.

With that, their eyes closed and the world around them went black. Hoping that when they woke up, a new room would welcome them. A room that would bring him one step closer to being home again..