"Ok Derek," Izzie said looking him in the eye outside a hospital room he did not know was Merediths' "I need you not to freak out. We don't know what has happened but we are just waiting on Dr Bailey to return with the results."

"Izzie why are you here? What's wrong?" he asked, concern rising in his voice "Where is Meredith?"

Ignoring his questions Izzie turned to face Dr. Bailey who was coming down the hall, "Dr Bailey How is she?" she asked.

Interrupting Derek spun around and asked "Where is Meredith? What has happened?"

"Derek take a seat," Bailey instructed, not continuing until he did. "Ok Meredith was hit by a car; she has a fractured patella and three broken ribs, she got a nasty bump on her head and lost consciousness at the accident and hasn't woken up yet." She finished, watching as Derek dropped his head into his hands, as Izzie let out a loud sob and engulfed Christina who stood still and expressionless.

"Where is she?" Derek asked again with more force as he stood up, "I have to see her."

"In here." Bailey directed the small group, "Only one of you can stay," she warned doubting they would listen, "It is just a case of doing the knee surgery and waiting for her to wake up now."

Derek's eye's welled up with tears as he saw his petite girlfriend lying on the bed, tubes coming out of her wrists, heart monitors beeping a steady rate and a large splint on her knee. As part of him went into boyfriend mode he went to sit beside her taking her hand in his, while the doctor in him started to ask questions, "Has she had a CT?" he asked

"Yes, all clear," responded Bailey, knowing Derek needed to ask these questions.

"Who is doing the knee surgery?"

"Dr Lemoyne."

"When?"

"Six, Burke and I are scrubbing in, yes she will have another CT before then to double check for any bleeds and no you cannot observe, the gallery will be closed- Webber's orders." Bailey fired off, knowing that these questions would follow Derek's close securitization of Meredith's care.

He nodded blankly in return, his eyes not leaving Meredith.

Half an hour later Izzie and George excused themselves from Meredith's bedside and headed home to gather some of her personal things. Christina had already left, going to find Burke so that she could take of her mask and cry at the uncertainty of her friends' health, with him to support her.

Sitting alone in the dark room Derek ran his hands over Merediths' unconscious form, if it weren't for the bruise on her forehead and stitches in her chin; she looked as she had when he crept into her room early that morning- peacefully asleep. Keeping his hand in hers, his thumb absentmindedly stroking hers, he dropped his head to the mattress and watched the lone tear roll that had escaped, drop from his cheek to the floor. His mind races with all the things he had silently planned to tell Meredith, to show her, to do with her. He breathed out hard, his whole body aching with the pain he was feeling, taking a deep breath in he looked up at her fragile body again- preying it would not be her lying motionless on the bed in front of him, preying he would wake up from this nightmare soon.

Derek jumped slightly as Bailey reentered the room, "They are ready for her in surgery now," she whispered, motioning for two orderlies to enter the room behind her.

Standing up Derek lent over and kissed Merediths forehead before kissing her lightly behind her ear, a pang carried through his heart when the giggle that usually followed this simple act, was not heard. Squeezing her hand before tucking it back under the covers e stepped back, allowing the orderlies to wheel her away.

Hanging back Bailey reached over and laid a hand on Dereks shoulder "Don't worry we will look after her," she told him before leaving the room.

----------------------

Izzie and George returned to the hospital later that evening to find Christina pacing the surgeons lounge while Derek sat on the couch, head bent into his hands. "We brought food" Izzie announced, after Christina filled them in about Meredith still being in surgery.

"I'm not hungry," Derek informed her, ignoring him she simply pulled out a sandwich and placed it in front of him, her mothering instincts taking over. "You have to eat," she ordered as she sat Christina down next to him and handed her a sandwich as well. "Thank you," she added when each picked it up and took a slow bite.

"What's taking so long?" Derek asked, standing up and moving towards the door "She should be out by now."

He was just about to open the door when Webber burst through it, Dr Lemoyne in tow.

"How is she?" Derek pleaded, "What took so long?"

Cutting to the point Dr Lemoyne spoke up, "She is in recovery and should be fine, there were some complications during the surgery as there was more damage to the tibia than the x-rays showed. We put in four pins to hold it together, two in the knee and three in the lower leg, they will have to be removed when she has healed some more."

Seeing the relief wash over Dereks face as he lifted his head from his hands, Webber interrupted, knowing the rest of the information could be detailed later. "You can see her now."

"Has she woken up yet?" Christina asked

"Well we put her under a full anesthesia for the surgery and we are keeping her unconscious to give her body time it needs to heal some more,"

"But she will wake up?" A worried George asked

"We will just have to wait and see," answered Webber.