Chapter 13: I'm here

As Meredith clung to her she decided to stop pushing her away. Feeling her slowly calm down only fueled her resolve. At least that was until the door swung open and dread and fear flooded her system at Derek's sudden appearance.

Her eyes went wide as Derek's eyes landed on her and then shifted over to her arms wrapped around Meredith. Something flashed in his eyes. Something that had her instantaneously pushing Meredith off. She heard the whimper escaping the blondes lips as she did so but ignored it.

'Not yet Addison.' She said to herself. Mark was here and knowing him. Knowing how protective he was of her she was fully aware of what he might do. So she would hold on, though in the back of her mind she knew it would not be practical, it may even be stupid to stay quiet but she did.

"Derek." Her voice came out weak and she hated herself for it.

"Sorry, I was looking for Addison." Derek spoke softly and calmly as if it did not bother him.

She tensed a bit, still kneeling in front of Meredith. She could feel the intern's eyes on her but she dared not look at her. She took a steadying breath and rose.

"Everything ok?" He asked, masking the rage that had flashed in his gaze with his annoyingly eye crinkling smile.

"It was. Until you walked in." Cristina mumbled behind her. Addison saw the swirling rage flash within his eyes as he glanced past her and at Cristina.

"The nurses said you were here." Derek's gaze softened again as he looked at her once more.

"What is it?" Addison asked.

"The lawyer just called. There is something wrong with the divorce paperwork. He sent them to me. Asked for us to look at it." He responded. She could not help her sharp intake of breath, which made Mark shift closer to her and Cristina to Meredith. 'Do they know?' She wondered.

"Can't this wait?" Mark asked directly behind her now. She jumped when his pager went off. "Dammit. 9-1-1, I gotta go. I'll be back soon, Red. I'll come find you." He said as he reassuringly squeezed her shoulder. He walked past Derek and murmured something which she could not hear but to which Derek chuckled.

"Addison?" Derek called.

Swallowing hard she nodded and began to walk out, however, Meredith quickly grabbed her hand. She looked down at her tear stained face and pleading baby blue eyes and felt the lump in her throat rise.

"It… it'll be ok, Grey." She said, pulling her hand away and walking towards Derek, who after witnessing the scene began to leave as well.

Addison stopped at the entrance and looked back at Meredith and Cristina, who was now sitting back next to her friend. Meredith still looked at her but she willed herself to ignore her.

"Yang, watch all of my patients. Page me if anything happens to any of them." Addison tried to emphasize, hoping Cristina would catch on and with that left.

Following Derek proved to be a chore. He was walking quickly leading her farther and farther away from the maternity wing. She knew he had lied about the lawyer. She was no idiot but for now she thought, better her, than anyone else.

Derek went inside a supply closet holding the door open for her. She knew this was a bad idea and yet, she went in.

"Is this where you're going to show me the papers or do you need cleaning supplies?" She asked, turning to face him.

"That courage isn't gonna last you very much, you petty little whore." He snarled.

"Listen, Derek, I have a lot of things to do today, including surgery. I have no time for your moronic games. What do you want?" She watched as his face grew red with rage.

He lunged forward quicker than she expected, grabbing her arms in the same manner he had back in the elevator. He slammed her back against the metal shelving. Pain shot throughout her back making her wince but she held the whimper. She was sure she would bruise after that.

"Talk back to me again, whore, and I swear, Addison, it'll be the last thing you say." He spat his fingers digging into her skin as hard as the shelf on her back. She just looked at him going completely silent but breathing hard.

"Where is that burst of courage now, Addison?" He smiled wickedly, his face contorting in a manner she had never seen before. The chill that ran down her spine almost made her shake but she would not allow that. He dug his fingers and continued to shove her and yet her gaze remained on him, unmoving, unwavering.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from her? And now you have Mark following you around as a guard dog?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. "Speak!" He demanded.

"She was sad. I just…" She began, surprised her voice remained steady even through the pain. Derek pulled her off of the shelf and slammed her once more. This time she was unable to hold the whimper as the pain spread. Her hands began to feel numb.

"Derek…" He pulled her again and slammed her and this time she yelped. He seemed to be enjoying himself as he heard her.

"I wonder…" His eyes shone. "Do you think Meredith would make those noises too?" He asked and her eyes went wide in fear.

"Derek, don't. Pl-please." She begged, pushing away the pain. "Please. Don't."

"What will you do to keep me from doing that?" Derek grinned.

"A-anything. I'd do anything. Do whatever you want to me. I'll even leave. Just please don't hurt her." She pleaded quickly, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. Suddenly he eased his grasp on her.

"You are in love with her." Derek said as realization hit, something shifted in his gaze and he looked away.

"Derek, I…" She began.

"Quiet!" He yelled at her. She expected him to strike her but he completely let go of her instead. "Just shut up."

She could feel her arms trembling slightly as pain still irradiated from where he had grabbed her. She stood there silently watching him and began bracing for the worse as his eyes met hers. There was something different in them now. Something she could not quite understand. He looked down at his hands then back up at her.

He took a step toward her but as soon as he did her pager went off startling them both. Shaking she took the pager out of her pocket, her gaze still fixed on him. Unwillingly she tore her eyes from his and looked down.

"I…" She was not sure what to do here. He was completely blocking the only exit.

"Go. And don't go near her again, Addison. I won't be so forgiving next time." She looked into his eyes and somehow his words contrasted them but nonetheless she nodded and as soon as he moved out of the way she was out the door.

As Addison walked back to the maternity wing the throbbing in her back increased slowly, making her body tremble ever so slightly with each step. She made it to the room she had been paged to and found Cristina waiting outside.

"Dr. Montgomery, did you fix the papers?" Cristina asked.

"What papers?" Addison asked back.

"The ones Dr. Shepherd needed you to look at." Cristina eyed her suspiciously.

"Uh yes I did." She was confused until she remembered the lie Derek had told them all. "It was nothing too complicated. Now, why are you here and not inside with the patient?" She asked.

"Are you ok?" Cristina asked back.

"I'm fine, Yang. Why are you out here?" She insisted.

"Patient is Mrs. Burns and she said she doesn't want me. Just you and maybe Meredith. She was starting to throw a fit so I walked out." Cristina explained.

Addison took a deep breath and winced a bit but covered herself by clearing her throat. Cristina was watching her like a hawk though so she doubted she had managed to fool the intern.

"Umm. Well, should I get Meredith?" Cristina stilled eyed her suspiciously. "I had her go back to the E.R. so she could be distracted since you said to take care of her." Cristina offered.

Addison looked at her with a tiny hint of a smile. She was glad she had actually caught on. Cristina smiled back at her, noticing the relief that was most likely showing on her face.

"So do I get her? I can switch. I'll tell Dr. Bailey…" Cristina started.

"No." Addison abruptly interjected. "No, you keep an eye on everyone else. I'll deal with Mrs. Burns."

"Are you sure? I could…" Cristina tried again.

"I said no." Addison repeated.

"Ok. What about the surgery?" She asked. "You are supposed to begin prepping in about half an hour."

"Check if there have been any d-cells. If there are page me. If not, have them move the surgery for tomorrow. I need to deal with Mrs. Burns as soon as possible." Addison instructed. Cristina nodded and began to walk away but turned to face her once more.

"Addison." She spoke softly, Addison just stared at her confused by the use of her first name. "Are you sure you're ok?" The concern in Cristina's eyes came as a surprise.

"I'm fine. And Yang, it's Dr. Montgomery." Addison reminded her but smiled to let her know it was ok. Cristina did not look very convinced but still walked away, leaving her staring after her.

After speaking with Mrs. Burns, who had strangely come alone to the hospital, Addison went to her office and waited. In a few hours or even less the drugs she had administered would take effect and she would be bringing a new baby into the world. A new baby destined to die.

She rubbed her face as she began to lean back but as soon as her back touched the chair she yelped, recoiling forward, as pain reminded her of the bruises surely forming on her back. She had thought she could stop whatever Derek was going to do but the fear as he talked about hurting Meredith was overshadowing her resolve. She had thought she could still get close to Meredith but the fear now was nearly paralyzing. Shutting her eyes all she could see was his contorted face. His wicked smile as he tilted his head. Now she was terrified. He had done this to her, what would he do to Meredith when his feelings for her were deeper?

But then that look in his eyes. She could not place it. She did not understand it at all. Derek had become too unpredictable now. He no longer was the man she married. In truth he had changed from that sweet and loving man a long time ago but she still knew him. Now he was completely foreign to her, which was not good at all. She did need to talk to someone because even if she took the brunt of it, there was no guarantee he would keep from going after Meredith.

Addison kept weighing her options on who to talk to. There was Mark, who was like a ticking time-bomb. She remembered the one time back in college where he had almost been expelled for beating a guy making unwanted advances toward her. One second the third year was grabbing her and the next he lay splayed on the ground with Mark on top of him punching him. It had taken Derek, Sam and Archer to get Mark off of him. Mark was definitely a no go for now.

Then there was Miranda and though everyone feared the short resident she was not sure if she could stand a chance against Derek. He may not even think twice before putting his hands on the resident as he had done her.

Last choice and probably the best was Richard. Though she was not sure if his closeness to Meredith would cloud his judgement. He saw Meredith as his own daughter as he did her. Thinking about it, how would he react if he saw the marks on her body? She shook her head. He was still the better choice. Richard could get Derek away from Mark, from Bailey, from her, and from Meredith. He would protect all of them.

Addison had made her choice and decided to do it now. She walked out of her office and over to Richard's. Still slightly paranoid that Derek might be lurking about, she kept on looking behind her and around every corner as she went. As she reached the chief's office she noticed all the lights were off.

"Dr. Montgomery? Is there something you need?" His assistant, Patricia, asked from her desk.

"I was looking for the chief." Addison replied.

"Oh. Dr. Webber was called out of town for a meeting with the board. You know how it is. They wanted him to meet them at some club. Honestly. As if he doesn't have enough work here." Patricia said, aggravated by it all. "They called him just like that too. There was no warning." She shook her head.

"Do you know when he'll be back?" Addison asked and it seemed Patricia picked up on the urgency in her voice.

"He won't be back until tomorrow evening at the latest but if you need him I can page him now. What's going on?" Patricia asked, already picking up the phone to have him paged.

"Nothing. It's ok. I'll wait." Addison said quickly. She could wait. What was one more day? She could do this.

"Are you sure?" Patricia asked with some concern.

"Yes." Addison nodded and her pager went off. "I gotta go. Have a baby to deliver." She said already walking away.

"If you change your mind let me know and I'll get him back." Patricia called after.

Meredith had been in the E.R. a while and it had actually become pretty slow. She almost jinxed herself so that at least she would have a distraction. She kept thinking about Sonia and how when she would wake up she would not know her anymore. Then there was also Addison and her confusing behavior. One minute she was comforting her and the next she was shoving her away. It was really beginning to piss her off. Thoughts kept on revolving around her head and she could not take it anymore. She wanted to see Addison and ask her why she was doing what she was doing.

Looking around the E.R. one last time she made her way back up to the maternity wing. As she got there she found Cristina pouring over charts and fixing things up. Usually she would not be working so diligently, which made Meredith curious.

"You enjoying your scut?" Meredith smiled weakly.

"I just want to finish it before she's done." Cristina said, closing one chart and opening another one.

"Done with what?" Meredith asked, looking around for Addison.

"Mrs. Burns is here. Satan is delivering her baby." Cristina said her eyes clouding a bit.

"She's doing it alone? Why? You should be with her. She needs someone with her." Meredith recalled the sadness in Addison's eyes when she had asked Meredith to be there with her.

"I can't go. Mrs. Burns didn't want me in there. Threw a whole fit about it and this is tough enough on her." Cristina replied, glancing down the hall where Addison was delivering the baby.

"I wish I could've helped her. Maybe Mrs. Burns would've been ok with me." Meredith murmured and caught the shiftiness in her person. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing." Cristina shrugged.

"Cristina Yang." Meredith pushed.

"Well, you could've been there but Satan said no." Cristina admitted and as she looked up she saw a nurse waving her over. "I'll be back Mer."

Cristina jogged to the nurse who was supposed to be helping Addison confused. She walked in and the nurse quickly gowned her. Addison was standing, her arms shaking.

"Yang, I need you to deliver the baby. Don't ask questions, just move." Addison commanded.

Cristina looked at her for a second and then sprang into action. She hated gynie with a passion and this was one of the reasons why. She was about to bring a baby into the world only to watch them die. It was just stupid. Why?

Addison was at the head of the bed next to Mrs. Burns helping her breathe through it. She looked back at Cristina and nodded, checking to see if she was ready. Cristina nodded and Addison began to coach Mrs. Burns as well as Cristina through it. A few pushes and the tiny baby girl was out. The nurse quickly took her to clean her and wrap her in a blanket. Cristina finished taking care of the afterbirth as the nurse brought the baby back to her mother. She could see Addison swallowing hard as Mrs. Burns took her daughter in her arms.

"We'll be outside to give you some time with her." Addison said, keeping her voice calm and gentle. "Dr. Yang will come by to check on you both in a few minutes. After that we will continue to monitor her." She explained.

"She's so tiny and beautiful." Mrs. Burns said with tears in her eyes.

"If you need anything, call for us." Addison said and motioned Cristina and the nurse to the door.

"Dr. Montgomery, meet Hannah." Mrs. Burns said through the tears. Addison walked back towards her.

"It's nice to meet you, baby Hannah." Addison smiled sweetly.

"I think she's happy to meet us." Mrs. Burns whimpered. "I'm going to tell her bedtime stories now." She said.

"She'll enjoy them." Addison said and Cristina who had been holding on felt tears prickling her eyes.

Both Cristina and Addison walked back to the nurses station in silence. Meredith watched them as they approached. Aside from the three of them the hallways and nurses' station were deserted.

"I'm gonna… I'll be back to check on them later." Cristina said and walked away.

Meredith had tried going with her person but Cristina shook her head and she understood that just at this moment her person needed to be alone. She watched as Cristina turned the corner and then went back to Addison who now had an open chart in front of her but whose eyes were unseeing. Meredith approached her and Addison looked up at her then around her.

"What do you want, Grey?" Addison's voice sounded weak.

"I just wanted to check on you. Last time…" Meredith began but Addison interjected.

"I can't do this right now, Grey." She said her eyes looking everywhere but at her.

"But Addison…" Meredith tried again.

"I said not now, Grey. And it's Montgomery." Addison looked at her and then quickly started scanning the place once more.

"Why are you pushing me away again? And who the hell are you looking for?" Meredith was upset now. Why was she acting like this? She knew she was hurting. She knew she needed someone and she was trying to be that someone.

"Grey, I'm busy." Addison insisted, still scanning around.

"Addison, talk to me." Meredith begged.

"Go away, Grey. Please." Now Addison was begging too.

"You said you wanted me." Meredith heard the crack in her own voice at that and suddenly Addison's eyes met hers and she saw unshed tears there. The redhead was on the verge of crying and yet she wanted her to leave.

"Go away Meredith." Addison whimpered.

"What's wrong Addie?" Meredith walked closer to her and Addison stepped back.

"Don't call me that." Addison regained a bit of her composure and quickly scanned around yet again.

"Why does it bother you now? Were you just playing around? Was this just your way of getting back at me for ruining your marriage?" Meredith was pissed and she could feel a few tears beginning to stream down her face but she ignored them and kept going. Addison began to shake her head but she ignored that too. "You string me along. Become my friend. And then… then you toss me away like garbage." She seethed through the tears.

"Meredith, no." Addison said quickly. "It's not like that. If he sees…" She abruptly stopped talking.

"He, who?" Meredith asked her, wiping her tears.

"No one." Addison said quickly but Meredith could see the fear in her eyes.

"Addison." She insisted with a frown.

"Just go." Addison shook her head.

"No." Meredith reached for her hand and started dragging her over to the on-call room.

"Meredith, stop." Addison tried to free her hand but Meredith would not budge.

They made it inside and Meredith made sure to block the door, locking it this time. This time no one would interrupt.

"Meredith." Addison pleaded.

"Talk." Meredith simply said.

"Please." Addison begged again.

"Who is it?" Meredith pushed.

"I can't." Addison shook her head and began to back up.

"Who threatened you?" Meredith asked. She knew that was it. She could see it in her eyes.

"I can't tell you. Just, please, forget it." Addison implored.

"Was it Mark?" Meredith questioned.

"No! Of course not." Addison replied quickly.

"Derek?" She said softly and watched as Addison shifted and hesitated long enough for her to know. "So it was him. But you're no push over." Meredith said more to herself than to Addison. "You've never held back against him. Why now?" She asked but Addison did not respond.

She stayed silent and just looked at the ground. Meredith walked closer to her and Addison began to shift nervously. This was not the Addison she knew. She was so scared to talk. Scared to be in the same room with her. Addison quickly glanced up at her and then back down. Meredith took a deep breath as the reason dawned on her.

"He didn't just threaten you, did he? He threatened me." Meredith's eyes began to water once more as Addison finally held her gaze.

Meredith moved closer gently grabbing the redhead's arm but as soon as she touched her Addison winced, jerking her arm away.

"Are you ok?" Meredith looked at her then down at her arm and felt her heart sink just a little. He would not have done what she thought he had done. Derek was not that much of an idiot, was he?

Meredith had to be sure of what her mind was telling her. She moved quickly and slightly held on to the other arm. Again Addison jerked it back.

"Meredith that hurts." Addison winced and then her eyes went wide as she looked back at Meredith, knowing full well that she knew why it hurt so much.

"I'm gonna kill him." Meredith snarled and turned to leave.

"No Meredith." She felt as Addison crashed herself against her back holding on for dear life even as she winced slightly.

Meredith could feel her trembling and all she could see was red as rage began to build up within her. She wanted to kill him. Her own hands shook as anger boiled up inside of her. He had put his filthy hands on Addison. He had hurt her. And she wanted to end him.

"Please." Addison whimpered behind her, her voice completely broken.

Meredith could feel the redhead's hold falter and the fresh tears seeping through her scrubs as Addison cried. Immediately she calmed down because right now Derek could wait. Right now who needed her was Addison.

Gently she tapped on Addison's palm and the redhead let her arms fall down to her sides. Meredith turned around to see the complete mess Addison had become. Tears streamed steadily down her cheeks and her neck. Her eyes were red and puffy as the tip of her nose.

"I'm here, Addie." Meredith said and Addison let out another whimper as she gently cupped her face. "I'm here. And I'm ok. And I'll be ok. But I'll only be ok, here." Meredith slowly leaned in pressing their foreheads together. "I'm here." She repeated over and over until Addison nodded.

They stayed like that for a while. Addison sniffled lightly as Meredith continued to cradle her face.

"Mer." Addison spoke softly. "I'm sorry." She said as her bottom lip quivered a bit. Meredith shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry." Meredith replied. "Want to try and snuggle a bit?" She offered and despite the tears and sniffles Addison smiled and nodded.

Meredith took off her white coat quickly sending a text to Cristina with enough information for her person to know what was happening but not too long. Then she went to help Addison with her white coat starting to tug at the sleeves. At first Addison held on tightly to it but Meredith smiled reassuringly.

"I'm here. I'm not leaving." Meredith said again and Addison allowed her. Carefully she took it off and gasped as she found the marks. She swallowed hard as she looked from one arm to the other.

"Mer." Addison dragged her attention back to her face.

"Ok. Let's snuggle." Meredith took a deep breath and hung the white coat next to hers.

She got in bed first so that Addison could lay on her. Awkwardly the redhead laid on top of her wincing slightly until she settled comfortably. Meredith went to wrap her arms around Addison when she tried to stop her.

"Don't." Addison said but Meredith was already draping her arms on her back which made Addison flinch.

"What's wrong?" Meredith lifted her arms quickly.

"Just umm careful. M-my back hurts." Addison stammered, hiding her face and clinging tightly to Meredith.

"Anywhere else, Addie? Do I have to be careful anywhere else? I don't. I can't hurt you." Meredith's voice came out strangled with the effort that it was taking for her to stay calm. Addison shook her head and just buried it on the crook of her neck.

"You'll stay, right? If I fall asleep you won't leave?" Addison asked quietly.

Meredith knew why she was asking. Seeing the marks knowing that her back was probably hurt and bruised as well had her anger bubbling intensely.

"Mer, please." Addison begged, clinging tightly to her.

"I'll stay. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Meredith assured her.

"Promise?" Addison murmured.

"I promise. Sleep Addie. Relax, I'm here." Meredith murmured back, gently kissing the top of her head.

She would be here now. She'd stay with her for as long as she needed. After a while she could hear Addison's even breaths and she knew she was asleep. It was not until then that she allowed herself to cry fully. Remembering the marks and knowing it was not just her arms had her heart breaking. Addison let him hurt her just to protect her. Meredith had expected the pink marks of beginning bruises. She did not expect older bruises. She looked down and saw them there, the dark spots that marred the redhead's perfectly white skin. She had no idea what she would do. But she would do something. Derek was not getting away with any of this.

And then there were 13! I hope the chapter wasn't too all over the place for you guys. Anyway let me know what you're thinking. Thanks for following up with it. Until next time. ;)