Chapter 47:

February 3, 2026- Seattle, Washington

The nurses quickly finished prepping Derek for surgery and got ready to transfer him to the OR.

"Can we have a moment?" Derek asked looking at the nurse who kindly nodded and then walked out of the room.

Derek looked up at Meredith who was standing next to Derek holding tightly on to his hand, smiling down on him, "I'll be right there. Right there in that gallery the entire time. I promise."

"No," Derek said, trying to hold back his tears.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"You can't. You can't be there," Derek said.

"Derek, I,"

"No, Meredith," Derek said interrupting her, "You can't be there. I can't let you watch if I… if something… if something happens."

Meredith's eyes began to fill with tears, "Derek, nothing is going to happen. Preston is amazing and you've been doing great. You've already been through a cycle of your chemotherapy. Everything's been fine. Nothing's going to happen."

"Just promise me, Meredith. Promise that you won't be there," Derek said as Meredith slowly nodded. He lifted up his hand and gently wiped her tears, "Just wait with the girls. Wait for me to come back to you."

"Okay," she mumbled.

"And if I don't-"

"No, Derek. Don't talk like that," Meredith said as her tears began to flow faster down her cheeks.

"And if I don't," he repeated stubbornly, "Don't fall apart. Be strong. Be there for our daughters on the days they graduate. And on their wedding days and when our grandchildren are born. Be there and be my Meredith. Be there for me because I'll be there through you."

Meredith was still crying and slowly shaking her head, "No, Derek. Nothing is going to happen. Don't think like that."

"Meredith, just promise me. Promise me you aren't going to change. Don't ever let anything change you," Derek said still trying to be strong. Despite all of his efforts, the tears that had been fighting the urge to fall from his deep blue eyes finally found their way down his face.

"Okay, I promise."

"Dr. Shepherd? It's time," the nurse said peeking back into the room.

Meredith quickly wiped her tears and tried to make herself look fine. "I love you," Derek said as he pulled Meredith down for a kiss.

After reluctantly letting go, Meredith gave his hand one last squeeze, "I love you too, Derek." As the nurse came in and began to push Derek away from Meredith, she gently let go of his hand, her eyes never leaving his, "I'll wait for you Derek," she called back out to him and then repeated quietly to herself, "I'll wait for you."

April 22, 2007- Seattle, Washington

"Mrs. Shepherd? Would you like a glass of champagne?" Derek asked in the most serious, deepest voice he could manage to say as he gently placed Meredith down on the hotel room bed, still dressed in her wedding dress.

"Champagne? When have I ever drank champagne in front of you except for at the reception?" Meredith asked as he stepped over to the mini-bar.

"Would tequila suit you better?" he asked, continuing his voice.

"No, but I know what would," she said with a smile.

"Really?" Derek asked, forgetting about his act.

"Yes, come here and I'll tell you," Meredith said motioning for him to come to her. Derek returned her smile as he walked over to her. She was lying down on the bed and he looked down at her. "Come closer," she said as he bent down and met her gaze at her level.

"What can I get you?" Derek asked, resuming his act.

Meredith smile, "You," she said as she grabbed his tie and pulled him over to her for a kiss. Before she let go, she pulled him on to the bed and on top of her, knowing that this was exactly how she wanted to spend her wedding night.

February 3, 2026- Seattle, Washington

"Mom? Mom?"

"Hmm, what?" Meredith said as she slowly opened her eyes.

"You were about to fall out of your chair," Aimee told her mother.

Meredith realized that her daughter was right and quickly straightened herself out. She looked down at her watch. She left Derek two hours ago and she knew that they always took awhile to start the surgeries, meaning he still had a long way to go.

Wait for me to come back to you. His words continued to echo in her mind as if they'd be his last.

When your heart is all alone every second
Seems so long
When it's just you, you can't see through
Those ol' clouds that rain so blue

Derek looked up at the ceiling. He'd been in this OR so many times. More times then he could count. It was just different now. He wasn't walking from the scrub room about to place his gloves on. He wasn't about to save someone else's life. This time Burke was the one walking in from the scrub room. And this time he was the one risking his life.

But when somebody loves you
There's nothing you can't do
When somebody loves you
It's easy to get through
When somebody loves you
The way I love you

Meredith waited. She kept looking at her watch constantly; only minutes were going by. She couldn't sit still anymore. She began pacing around in circles and she could tell by the strange stares from her daughters that she was clearly scaring them. But honestly, she was scaring herself. She'd never been so worried before. So terrified that this could be it. This could the end of everything.

When it's late, the sun hangs low
By yourself, nowhere to go
Sing a song, you dance alone
Play solitaire and stare at the phone

She couldn't help but feel completely alone despite the massive amount of people in the hospital. The thing that scared her the most was that there were things going on right now that could force her to feel that way for the rest of her life. She wanted to go up into that gallery. See Derek's face. See it when he was alive, just in case she never got that chance again. She wanted to make sure that everything was okay.

But when somebody loves you
There's nothing you can't do
When somebody loves you
It's easy to get through
When somebody loves you
The way I love you

"Okay, Derek. Count back from 100," Burke said looking down at Derek.

"Preston, wait," Derek said making Burke stop instantly, "If anything happens, just tell Meredith that I love her. And the girls, tell them that I love them. Don't let anything happen to them. Don't let Meredith fall apart. Help her be happy."

"It's time, Derek," Burke said as the anesthesia slowly slipped into Derek.

"100.. 99…… 98…..97….."

So let's put aside our foolish pride
And let our hearts say hello
We both agree we're just no good
At bein' on our own

But Meredith couldn't. She couldn't go up there. She had to keep her promise to Derek. She said she'd wait with her daughters and that was something she was going to do. If it was the last thing she could do for Derek, she was going to keep her promise.

'Cause when somebody loves you
There's nothing you can't do
When somebody loves you
It's easy to get through
When somebody loves you
The way I love you

Don't break down. Don't break down. Derek said to be strong. Be strong. Be strong for Derek. For your daughters. You have to do this, Meredith. You have to. Just do it. How am I supposed to do this? Where am I supposed to get this strength from? I don't have it. I've never had it. The only thing I've ever been able to rely on is Derek's love. Okay, there's something. Derek loves me. He'll come back. He won't keep me waiting. I can do this. I can be strong. Derek loves me. That's all I need.

The way I love you
The way I love you