Chapter 32: Go Get Your Girl
Derek's Point-of-View
If I didn't know that Brooke was unaware of the beginning of Meredith and I, then I would say she was doing this to taunt me. I stood outside on the balcony, looking over the city. It was the night before my wedding, we'd gone through the rehearsal and I honestly felt pain, physical pain when I saw Brooke walking down the aisle towards me. It wasn't right, but I didn't have time to think with all these changes, I felt like a puppet and she was pulling my strings.
I heard the door behind me open and close lightly, I sighed, I'd been avoiding her for the last 24 hours. I knew she wanted to talk to me, and I needed to hear it. I looked over to see the aged, yet kind face of mother.
"You're out here."
"Yep." I sighed.
"You know, most grooms want to spend every moment with their bride, even the night before their wedding."
"I'm just getting some air." I lied, and I knew she knew that I was lying. Yet, I still lied.
"So," She sighed, "Three marriages."
"Ma."
"I'm not going to judge you, Derek." She assured me. "This is a pattern. We know why the first one ended."
"The second one was hardly a marriage Ma." I said through my pain "We did it as a favor, it was spur of the moment and out of the blue, it was nothing."
"Sometimes those are everything."
"What do you mean?" I asked, looking over at her.
"Darling," she smiled "Sometimes life doesn't make sense. Those spur of the moment decisions that aren't meant to last really are. Sometimes life gives us an unexpected gift, and it's up to us to tend to it. Just because it was a spur of the moment deal, doesn't mean it wasn't supposed to last."
"But Brooke loves me, and I do…I love her." I sighed "I love Brooke."
"You're forcing yourself to love her." She said, it was true "You're settling and forcing yourself to love her when loving someone else comes so naturally. Darling that isn't love."
"I don't know what to do Ma." My voice cracked.
"Certainly you do." She said so confidently "You love her. I've never met her, and I already know that, I can see it in your eyes."
I heard a commotion inside and looked to see someone trying to get past some men. I frowned and went inside immediately to see that the man struggling was someone I knew.
"Hey!" I yelled, they all looked up at me "What's going on…Charlie, what are you doing here?"
"Trying to find you." He sighed, "Which apparently isn't very easy with all the security."
"Security?" I frowned. I looked at Brooke to see a sheepish expression. "You hired security?"
"I didn't want any…uninvited guests."
I felt sick to my stomach and turned to Charlie, my lawyer. "What's the emergency?"
"It's about your divorce."
"I sent the papers to you weeks ago." I frowned "She signed; it should be good to go."
"I know she signed." He said and handed the papers to me "But you didn't."
It sounded like the air was sucked out of the room as gasps fell around and I felt all eyes on me as I stared at the blank spot on the page….I hadn't signed.
"But…this means…" I stuttered in disbelief.
"That you're still married." I heard Amelia mumble.
I looked up at her, and then at my mother. I can't exactly describe what they're expressions were. They were intense, eyes glistening with hope, wanting to support me in whatever I decided, but hoped I made the one they wanted for me. I heard a clicking of heels and a pop of a pen.
"Sign the damn papers Derek." Brooke growled at me.
I looked at her and gulped, and I felt nothing. Nothing for the woman in front of me, nothing compared to the woman whose name was on the paper. I turned and reached for a votive candle on the buffet table, I held the flame to the bottom corner of the paper and watched it spread across the page before tossing it into a metal wastebasket.
"Derek!" Brooke shrieked "What the hell are you doing! It takes a week to get those damn things drawn up and we're getting married TOMORROW!"
"No." I mumbled "We're not."
"What." She stuttered. "What do you mean, no we're not?"
"I mean…" I searched for the right words to say, but nothing polite came "I mean that we're not getting married, and we never should have continued this for so long Brooke. You are a lovely girl, and someday, with the right guy, you'll make an excellent wife. But you won't ever be mine…. because I already have a wife."
I turned to walk away, but I heard her stumble after me, "But…no we don't…we don't have to do this Derek. We're getting married tomorrow. You're getting a divorce and we're getting married and… and you don't do this! You don't walk away."
"Yeah." I hissed "maybe it's time I started."
"How dare you!" she yelped after me "How dare you embarrass me like this you—"
She went silent and I heard a thud, out of curiosity I turned around and saw my sister standing over her shaking out her hand. I felt myself smile.
"Feel better?"
She looked at me and almost moaned "You have no idea."
I looked at my Ma, wanting to apologize for the mess I'd created here, but she shook her head and smiled.
"Don't worry darling, just go….go get your girl."
I'm just happy that Brooke got punched...