Meredith steps back into Olivia's ICU room, a smile on her face after having spoken to Derek-the kind of smile she hasn't worn since before William. Derek is coming, he'll be at the hospital in ten minutes, after he calls the rest of his team.
The room is quiet and tense, Meredith frowning as she slowly approaches the bed. Cristina's excited brown eyes meet hers, and she cocks her head for an explanation.
"Liv? Olivia? Can you hear me, Darling?" Lindsey's voice is soft and inviting, but her face is priceless.
"Is she waking up? Already?" Meredith grows even more confused. Never before has she seen a person regain consciousness so quickly after being taken off the vent. All three women nod eagerly, and four sets of eyes return to rest on the woman in the bed.
The first thing Olivia is aware of when her brain pushes her into semi-consciousness is pain. Her leg is on fire, her back aches, her throat hurts, not to mention the throbbing in her face and hands. Her eyes refuse to open, but she can make out faint voices, though not able to hear what they're saying or identify any of them.
She tries to move, speak, open her eyes, anything, but it seems she has no control of her body. She has no idea what time it is or how long it's been or where she is, her memory is even fuzzy as to what happened to get her here in the first place. So many questions she wants to ask, but just breathing is taking up most of her energy and focus, so she can't. Slowly, the words around her become more distinctive.
"Olivia, open your eyes for me. Come on, I want to see those gorgeous bright blues of yours that I've missed for so long." Lindsey continues to speak, begging for any sign that Olivia can hear or understand what's happening.
Ten minutes pass and Olivia hasn't made any communication efforts. Meredith is sitting now, Cristina and Callie lingering nearby outside. Footsteps and the door opening cause both blonde women to look up, and Derek is standing in the doorway, a box of chocolates in his hand. His eyes are bright, excitement radiating off of him.
"Hey," Meredith greets him with a warm smile, and he crosses the room.
"Hi," Derek returns the smile, then moves to Lindsey's side, who's still standing over Olivia, talking to her despite the lack of responses. "I brought these-" he sets the box on a side table, "-not flowers because I remember her whole rant a couple of years ago about how cheesy and basic flowers are and how men specifically should give better gifts."
Lindsey laughs warily, "Thank you, I'm sure she'll eat them when she wakes up."
Derek moves to the side of the bed, his soft gaze on Olivia. "Prenton, get your shit together, open your eyes, and talk to the woman who hasn't left your side in five days. That's an order." Derek's tone changes to his deepest, most commanding voice, one he saves for in the field or when speaking to suspects.
As if on cue, a small, weak cough comes from Olivia. Meredith stands, her eyes widening, and comes to the bedside as well. Close enough to Derek that their arms brush and both of their bodies heat up at the touch. Though neither of them moves their gaze away from Olivia, they're well aware of each other.
Slowly, Olivia forces her eyes half-open, then all the way, trying to adjust to the bright overhead hospital lights.
"Oh my god, oh my god," A huge smile breaks out across Lindsey's face, "Hi."
Olivia looks at her but doesn't say anything. By now, the blonde is tearing up, trying to hold herself together. "Say something, Liv, say anything."
"Lin..." Olivia tries, her voice soft and scratchy, trailing off in the middle because it's too much effort for her to say more.
"Come on, Darling, please. Try, say something for me, please."
Olivia is quiet for a minute, then takes a deep breath and tries again, a small smile appearing on her cracked, bloody lips as she looks directly into her girlfriend's eyes. "Marry me."
A look of shock appears on Lindsey's face. "W-what?"
"Marry me," Olivia repeats, her voice much stronger this time.
"Are you serious? I..."
"You'll have to forgive me...I can't exactly get down on one knee...but I have a ring...I've had it for months, actually...so, Lindsey Crawford, will you marry me?" Olivia milks every ounce of strength she can from her exhausted body to speak.
Lindsey grins like an idiot, tears in her eyes now overflowing. "Yes! God, yes! Of course I will, you incredibly stubborn pain in the ass, it's about damn time you asked."
Olivia breaks into a smile as the blonde woman leans over the railing of the bed, laying a passionate kiss on her lips.
"Awww!" Callie's squeal carries through the room from the doorway, where she stands with Cristina at her side, melting at the sight of the newly engaged couple in front of them. Derek and Meredith meet each other gaze's, both smiling and eyes shining bright with happiness that hadn't been in Meredith's for way too long.
Lindsey pulls back, and Olivia tries to adjust her position in bed, failing quickly and groaning in pain. "What the hell did you do to my leg? It hurts like a bitch!" She mutters hoarsely, her eyes on Callie and Cristina in the doorway. The two doctors enter the room.
"Congratulations, your femur is now mostly metal," Callie starts, sarcasm in her tone. "The bullets shattered it, as well as your femoral artery." Olivia's eyes widen, her brain still not functioning one-hundred percent, and Lindsey tightens her grip on her hand.
"One bullet completely cut through your femoral, which I miraculously repaired." Cristina continues, smiling slightly.
"Can I...still do my job?" Olivia asks softly, afraid of the answer.
"After a few months of physical therapy, you should make a full recovery," Callie replies with a nod.
"Hear that, Shep?" Olivia rasps, "Enjoy your short time without me because even multiple bullets can't scare me off." She cocks an eyebrow at her boss smugly.
"I'll be glad to have you back, Olivia. We all will." He laughs.
Hesitantly, Olivia lifts a shaky hand to her face, brushing it along the swelling and cuts that litter it. "Um, what's happening here?"
"Do you remember what happened?" Meredith frowns. Olivia's nose is broken, so there's blood and her eyes are bruised, her upper lip split open so wide that a few sutures are holding it together, and well as a cut down the side of her face, also sutured and covering the back of her head and neck. Her hands are bloodied and bruised as well, knuckles and bones in her hands and wrists destroyed from punching.
"I took a beating?" Olivia guesses, then closes her eyes, pushing her brain to try and remember.
"Yeah, you should've seen Trahkcol though. You did ten times worse to him." Derek cuts in. He had seen the pictures from the medical examiner, and Matthew was barely recognizable. Olivia nearly killed him with her bare hands.
"Oh..." Olivia whispers, more to herself than anyone else. Finally, her memories start to become clearer. "Oh!" Smiles break out around the room. "Is Matthew dead? The other guys?"
"Matthew and one of his long-lost cousins or something are both dead, the other guy is in prison," Derek tells her, recalling the information the FBI has acquired over the past few days. If all goes smoothly, they'll get to close the case soon.
"You almost killed yourself playing hero, again." Lindsey cuts in, rolling her eyes but smiling playfully. Oliva's about to retort something about how dangerous her girlfriend's job is, but she's but off.
"Knock knock!" A female voice sings from the door, and Maggie walks in, Jake and Vanessa at her heels.
Cristina and Callie excuse themselves, and Meredith stands back to allow the team that saved her life, and the lives of countless other women to reunite. Ryan still has his jaw wired shut, and is on strong painkillers at his place, so he won't be making an appearance for a while.
But it's only a matter of minutes before Olivia glances a helpless, pained look at Lindsey. Meredith catches it from her spot on the side of the room and moves to Olivia's bedside. The surgeon leans over and whispers, "I'm gonna give you some morphine, it'll knock you out cold."
"I don't want-" Olivia starts, but Lindsey cuts her off with a sharp glare. The agent was going to request no pain medication, being the stubborn woman she is, but everyone knows it's in her best interest.
Meredith administers the drugs, then clears the agents out of the room, knowing it will only be a few seconds before Olivia is unconscious and without pain. The surgeon touches Lindsey's shoulder to get her attention, as the blonde has been unable to look away from her girlfriend.
"She'll be out for a few hours. Go shower, get something to eat. Sleep."
"I-I don't want to leave...what if something happens while I'm gone?"
"I'll stay here. I'm still a surgeon, I'll make sure she's okay and if something happens you'll be the first to know." Meredith assures her, ushering a very hesitant Lindsey out of the room. The surgeon leans against the doorway, half watching Lindsey walk away, half studying Olivia's monitors. Someone comes up behind her and she jumps, whipping around, her eyes wide with fear.
"Sorry, I'm sorry. It's just me. I should know not to come up behind you like that by now...I'm sorry." Derek steps back, giving her a bit of space as she calms herself down.
"It's fine...I'm...I'll get better," she stutters. "I'll be better."
"Meredith," he softens, though not really sure what to say. He's taken aback by the self-deprecation in her tone and wants to make her feel better, though not knowing how.
"Sorry," she whispers, dropping her gaze.
At this, Derek steps closer to her, very slowly and carefully hooking a finger under her chin and bringing her face up to meet his gaze. "It's not your fault. You don't have to apologize." He repeats this when she glances away, showing him that she doesn't believe him. He draws his thumb across her face, gently tracing the outline of her cheekbone. Derek doesn't care how many times he has to say it, he's willing to tell her however many times she needs.
"Okay," she breathes, then steps back, "Derek, I...you deserve better than me. You're a good- great man but I'm...me. Frankly, I don't know why you haven't walked away yet." Her voice breaks as she continues, "I-I'm giving you an out. I understand if you don't want this...me anymore and I won't hold you back from going to find another girl who-"
"Stop it. I'm not going anywhere. You have to believe me. I know everyone in your life leaves but I won't. You're stuck with me. You are the woman I fell in love with. I don't know how I'm deserving of you."
"That's not-" she laughs slightly.
"You...you're everything. I love you, and I'm not gonna stop loving you. Meredith, I can't live without you. I don't want to live without you, and I'm going to do everything in my power to prove it."
Meredith is quiet for a moment, a few tears overflowing down her cheeks as she keeps her eyes on Olivia. Finally, she looks at Derek, who seems near tears himself. How does she respond to a speech like that? She searches his gaze, expecting to find any doubt or signs that he's lying, but there's nothing. He'd just given his heart to her, and she realizes there's only one thing she wants to do.
In a quick, swift move, she closes the space between them, putting both her arms around his neck and pulling his head towards her, initiating a deep, desperate kiss. He reciprocates instantly, lightly touching her hips with his hands. The feeling of his lips on hers causes fireworks to explode through her stomach, an unexpected but very welcomed feeling blossoming in her chest. After a few seconds, he pulls back slightly. "Are you sure? Are you okay to be-"
"Shut up and kiss me," she cuts him off, and their mouths collide once again. It's deep and promising, simply fortifying Derek's words and their feelings for each other. Usually, Meredith has a thing about PDA in the halls of her hospital, but at this very moment, she couldn't care less. Pulling back briefly to catch her breath, she rests her forehead on his, both of their arms still around each other.
"I love you, too."