Chapter 63:

May 8, 2026- Seattle, Washington

"Uggh," Meredith groaned as her eyes opened due to the incisive ringing noise. She opened her eyes and looked at her clock. It was 5:30 am. Meredith heard Derek snoring loudly as the ringing began again. She pulled the covers off her, realizing that she wasn't under them when she went to bed, and walked across the room to pick up her phone.

"Hello?"

"Get up."

Meredith rolled her eyes, "I am up. Thanks to you."

"Get dressed and come outside."

"Why?"

"Because, I said so."

"No."

"Don't fight with me."

"Why should I get dressed when I could go back to sleep or have sex with my husband? Both of those sound a little more appealing to me at this point in time," Meredith replied.

"Just do it."

"Bailey sent you, didn't she?"

"No, I'm your person. I don't need people to send me. Now get dressed and get outside. I'm already waiting."

"Cristina, it's 5:30 in the morning. Come back at noon."

"Noon? Are you forgetting that you are a doctor? Get out here!"

"Fine," Meredith said before hanging up the phone.

Meredith quickly began to get dressed, knowing that if she took too long, she'd have to hear about it from Cristina all day. As she closed her dresser drawer, Derek slowly sat up and squinted his eyes, adjusting to the light, "What are you doing? What time is it?"

"I'm getting dressed and it's 5:30," Meredith said as she pulled a shirt over her head.

"Why are you getting dressed?"

"Because Cristina is sitting in our driveway and she woke me up," Meredith said, obviously not happy about it.

"Just ignore her and come back to bed," Derek said as he dropped his head back down on the pillow.

"I already tried that," Meredith said as she grabbed her purse and walked over to the bed. "I'll see you later," she said before leaning over to kiss Derek. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down on the bed as he continued to kiss her. She led him on for a little while, but then pulled away laughing, "I've got to go."

"Oh, come on," Derek plead with a puppy dog face.

"Usually, that would work, but I don't want to face Cristina's rage," Meredith joked as she walked away from Derek, "I love you," she called out before leaving the room.

"Love you too," Derek said before rolling back over and going to sleep.

Meredith grabbed a pop tart and hurried outside, sliding into the passenger side of Cristina's car.

"Took you long enough," Cristina said as she began to back out of the driveway.

"Care to tell me where we're going?" Meredith asked as she began to eat her breakfast.

"No."

"Okay, then why did you feel the need to wake me up at 5:30?" Meredith asked.

"Because I was up and when I suffer, you must too."

"Why?"

"Because you're my person. It's the way the world works," Cristina said as she headed out on the main road.

Meredith silently ate her pop tart for a few minutes while Cristina continued to drive. Once Meredith was finished, she brushed off the crumbs and looked over at Cristina, "Do you think she'll come back?"

Cristina looked over at Meredith, "I hope so."

"What do you mean 'you hope so?' Do you think she's not coming back? Do you think I Derek and I were bad parents? I mean, do you think I am a bad mother?" Meredith continued, talking rapidly.

"Mer, shut up," Cristina said making her friend calm down and take a deep breath, "Just sit back and relax. I don't feel like listening to you freak out right now."

"Then you shouldn't have woke me up."

"Mer."

"Fine, I'm shutting up," Meredith said as she crossed her arms.

After fifteen minutes of a silent ride, Meredith began to recognize where they were going, "Why are we going to your house?"

"Meredith, I said to shut up."

"No, it's almost 6 in the morning. You have a husband and a teenager and I know they both enjoy their sleep. I really don't want to have to hear her and Burke complain about me waking them up," Meredith said.

"Meredith, seriously. Shut up."

"Cris-"

"Meredith," Cristina said a little forcefully.

"Fine."