"Derek, we have to talk. Now," Addison was dragging me down the hall to an empty on-call room.
"What's going on? Is the baby okay?"
"Yes, the baby is fine."
"Well, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong. I just need to talk to you."
"Are you going to move out here?"
"Not exactly. That's what I wanted to talk to you about though. I'm not sure how to say this, but… Well, I guess I'll just rip the band-aid."
"No anesthesia?"
"Uh, right. As soon as I'm finished with this case, I'm going back to New York."
"But, I thought we were going to try to make this work," I was confused.
"Umm…"
"Addie?"
"I'm going back to New York. I'm sorry."
"Oh, are you saying that…" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you saying that you want to go ahead with the divorce?"
"Yes."
"Why? I thought we were going to work things out and try again."
"I'm so sorry, but I think I fell in love with someone else."
"Mark? You mean Mark, don't you? I thought that night was a big mistake. I thought you wanted to be with me," by this time, I was feeling a little angry. And very hurt.
"Yes, he was there for me even before we slept together. He became my best friend."
"I thought I was your best friend."
"Well, you were. Are. Umm, I don't know."
"What is there to know? Do you still care about me?"
"Yes, of course. I care about you very much. It's just that some things have changed while we have been apart."
"Nothing has changed. Well, except maybe your hips…" I couldn't get over how good she looked pregnant with my baby.
"Yes, it has. Can you tell me that you don't have any feelings at all for Meredith?"
"Well…"
"Exactly. Do you love her?"
I paused for a while, and I knew that Addison would immediately guess that I did have serious feelings about Meredith.
"I really like her a lot. Yes, I think, maybe, I'm falling in love with her." I paused again, but I couldn't lie to Addison. "No, she makes me happier than I've been in a long time. I do love her."
"And I love Mark. Do you really think it's fair to either of us if we stay together knowing that we no longer feel romantic toward each other?"
"I guess not, but I still love you. I really wanted to make this work for our baby."
"Also not fair. We shouldn't stay together because of the baby. We'd just end up splitting up later, and it will be harder on him when he understands what is happening."
"True. You're right. Let's sign the papers."
"We will still be friends, Derek, don't look so sad. You can visit the baby any time you want to, and when he's a little older, he can come to Seattle to visit you and Meredith."
"Addison, I really do love you."
"I love you, too. But it's a different kind of love…"
"I know. I love you in a way that makes me want to protect you and see you happy."
"And I love you in a way that makes me want to talk to you often and keep you in my life."
"We will be friends. I'll come to New York for the birth of the baby. I'll try to come visit as much as I can."
"I know you will."
"Mark had better treat you right. You know how…"
"Derek, don't. He's changed."
"I just don't want to see you hurt."
"I appreciate that, but I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
"If you need anything, let me know."
"I will. I have to go check on my TTTS case."
I watched as my soon-to-be ex-wife headed down the hall. One part of me felt extremely, overwhelmingly sad to see her go. I loved her so much. For ten years, she was the most important part of my family. However, she was right. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to stay together. This other part of me felt relieved that she felt the same way. I was so proud of her for being the bigger person and admitting that she didn't want to force our marriage to work. She was so strong. I took one last look at her retreating frame, studying her body one last time. I knew she was going to be a wonderful mother. Now, she and my child, would have a chance at a normal, healthy relationship.
Sometimes we do things we can't explain. We don't always understand why we do those things. Occasionally, that thing turns out to be the biggest mistake of our lives. Other times, it's the best choice we could have made. This time, I knew what I was doing was not going to be a mistake. Addison and I would both get the relationship we'd been missing for a long time.
"Good-bye, Addie," I whispered. "Don't forget to let Mark take care of you sometimes. I hope he'll make a better husband than me."
A/N: So, I decided to add one more chapter. I haven't fully decided how much MerDer will be in the sequel (which I am currently working on) and I didn't want to leave the story without Derek's thoughts as well. Please review. Lots of reviewsfaster writingsequel sooner. Hey, what do you know, I can do math even in the summer.