Chapter 3

1 week later

Meredith was sent home a few hours ago. After having been in the hospital for almost a month now, she was finally able to get home again, to see her kids again. And she hadn't seen her kids for much longer than this one month, having been quarantining at a hotel while she was working not wanting to expose her kids to the risk of covid...

And the first thing she did once she was allowed to get home again was to take all her kids into a big group hug, because she never wanted to let go of them again, she never wanted to be away from them again for a longer period of time. They spent the whole afternoon playing games and then watching TV since she was still exhausted from just the smallest activities. And in the evening, she brought them to bed lying down with them for a while until all of them fell asleep and only after she gave each child a small kiss on their forehead, she left their room and turned out the light so they could sleep.

Andrew had been getting better as well. When she was still in the hospital Carina had updated her every day or better said she had tried to figure out how Andrew was doing, and Carina had noticed it. His would need a long time to recover, his wound would need a long time to heal but it seemed like he was doing better every day.

When Meredith was on her way to her own room, while she typed out a message for Andrew, she saw that her sisters had occupied her bed, lying on it already waiting for her to finally come.

"What are you doing here?" She asked surprised, hesitating slightly not sure what to make of it.

"We want our sister back, too. Your kids got you all afternoon." Amelia stated.

"Are you jealous of my kids?" Meredith asked chuckling with a disbelieving expression on her face.

"No." Both her sisters answered not very convincing, chuckling slightly as well.

Meredith shook her head slightly before she turned to the message, which she had typed a few minutes ago 'How are you feeling?' She hit send before she laid her phone on her nightstand and joined her sisters on her bed.

"We missed you." Maggie added a bit more sincere now.

"I have heard that a lot lately..." Meredith tried not to let the heaviness of her words take over the atmosphere too much. She knew that this could have ended very differently.

"Meredith..." hHer sisters were scolding her for her cynicism.

"I am sorry. It's just... so much has happened..." She tried to explain, a bit more serious now.

They stayed silent for some time, her sisters looking at her, giving her a moment to breathe after everything that has been going on.

"Andrew?" Maggie asked after a while, knowing her sister too well not to notice how much this has affected her.

"Maybe." She answered not able to hide the small smile that formed on her lips at his name.

"Have you talked to him since?"

"Not really..." Meredith answered while she adjusted the pillow she was lying on before lying her head on her hand; propped on her elbow, facing her sisters.

"Why?" Maggie asked confused.

"We weren't allowed at the hospital, because... protocols..." Meredith fumbled with her other hand in the air as if to explain Maggie that there wasn't any way for her to talk to him. "And today I just got home... But I talked to his sister."

"His sister? What were you talking about?" Maggie frowned a little.

"I don't know." Meredith sighed, shaking her head slightly "We were... trying to give each other some... hope. Because we both didn't want to lose him." She almost sounded a little annoyed at herself, trying to hide how scared she had been about him at that time.

"Because you're still endlessly in love with him?" Maggie asked her, teasing her with a big grin, lightning the mood again.

"I'm not! I'm not a teenager anymore!" Meredith couldn't believe her sister, shaking her head slightly while having a small smile on her lips.

"How many times will you say that until you realize that you don't need to be a teenager to be in love?"

"Ugh." Meredith let her head that was propped on her elbow fall onto her pillow, burying her face in it, knowing that her sister was right.

"What's happening?" Amelia suddenly looked up again at the motion, turning her head confused towards them.

"Did you fall asleep?" Maggie asked disbelieving, almost laughing at Amelia.

"Do you know how exhausting a baby is?" She justified herself, letting herself lay down on the bed again, which made the other two chuckle.

"So, what were you talking about?" Amelia turned her head towards them, awake enough again - and curious enough - wanting to know what was going on with her sister.

"She..." Magie nodded in Meredith's direction "...is realizing that she is still hopelessly in love with Andrew... But the rational part of her tells her that there is a lot they need to figure out first if they want to make this work... And then there is also the part that scares her..." She continued to explain what Meredith was feeling but couldn't put in words.

"Okay, can you stop now... I'm still here." Meredith answered slightly annoyed at her sisters, earning two looks from them that were telling her to stop hiding.

She stared at them for a moment, hoping that they would give up but if anything, it just gave them more determination to know more. And then she felt a smile creep onto her lips because as much as she tried to hide from it, from her fears, from the difficult conversations that needed to happen, they were right. She loved him.

"When we were still together, he used to bring me coffee at least once a day at the hospital only to steal a kiss from me..." She started slowly, making her sisters look at her with a smile.

"But you do know that won't be possible right now at the hospital..." Amelia stated after a moment.

"Amelia." Maggie was scolding her sister, who wasn't helping much to bring their sister to open up, making Meredith chuckle.

"I know, but he still found ways to show me that he cared..." Meredith stopped for a moment before she added more carefully "I want to try this again... I just don't know if I can let everything that has happened behind just now..."

"We understand." Maggie answered.
"That doesn't make sense." Amelia said at the same time.

"You are not helping, you know that, right?" Meredith was chuckling at her sisters while raising an eyebrow, looking at them almost amused.

Her sisters responded with a smile in return, staying silent for a moment until Maggie spoke more sincerely again "Talk to him and try to figure out what you want."

Meredith kept looking at her for a moment, letting the words sink in before she thanked her sister "Thank you."

They stayed silent for some time when Meredith heard her phone ringing, indicating that she has gotten a message. She quickly turned around to get her phone from her nightstand, turning it on to look what it was.

"Who's that?" Amelia asked curiously.

As soon as Meredith saw from whom it was, she felt the smile forming on her lips again. She quickly opened the message to see what he had answered.

'Every day a little better. Especially knowing that you are home with your family and kids again.' – Andrew

"I guess we know who that is." Maggie answered her sister instead, when they didn't get a response from Meredith.

"Looks like someone was waiting for that message." Amelia added chuckling.

"Okay stop it. I'm a grown-up woman and an awarded surgeon. I don't do sitting here waiting for messages from him..."

"And yet you did exactly that." Amelia answered amused.

"Okay, you both, out of my room. Now." Meredith pointed at the door, not able to keep the smile out of her voice.

"But it's so comfortable here." Maggie answered for both of them, neither making a move to get up.

"You're unbelievable." Meredith laughed while throwing a pillow at her sisters before she got up herself, leaving her sister in her room. She carefully went downstairs, trying not to wake up her kids and sat down on the couch, wanting to have a few minutes for herself.

She thought a moment about whether she should text him or call him. She wanted to call him, she wanted to speak to him again, but her being her, she held herself back, hesitating if calling him was the right thing to do. But when she opened her contacts the fourth time, after closing it three times before again, she finally found the courage to call him.

"Hey." She heard Andrew's voice after only a few seconds.

"Hi." She answered softly before she added "It's good to hear your voice."

She could almost hear the smile on his face at her words, making her smile as well.

"How are you?" Andrew asked her after a moment.

"Exhausted after every small thing I do, especially with the three little ones."

"I imagine." They both had to chuckle slightly.

"How are you?" Meredith asked after another moment a bit more serious again.

"I think you've already asked that." Andrew was slightly teasing her.

"Yes, but this time I want a real answer."

"Ahh, that's not fair, Mer." He pretended to be hurt, bringing Mer to chuckle at his attempt before she got more sincere again.

"How are you, Andrew?"

"I'm okay. It hurts, but I'm okay." He said sincerely this time "I might be able to go home next week."

"I'm glad to hear that." She answered softly.

"Me too." Andrew almost whispered making them stay silent for a moment before he added "Good night, Mer."

"Good night."

.

When she got back upstairs a little later, she found her two sisters asleep on her bed. The sight making her smile slightly. And then laid down as well, happy for the first time in months.

This was the first good day she had had in a long time. Spending time with her kids, her sisters, and finally being able to hear Andrew's voice again. Someone who means a lot to her.

End of chapter 3

I needed some happy Mer...

Thank you for reading!

And to the ones who comment on my stories... Thank you! I read your comments, I just really don't know how to answer them... But I love to hear what you think! Thank you!