So basically it's Cessy's birthday, and I love her.
When last we met, Mereditth was outside, Derek and Addison where inside, and now it is morning.
Enjoy the chapter.
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Addison stepped out of the trailer and stretched. Her clothes were completely rumpled from having slept in them and she was extremely tired. She picked up a note that was wedged under a rock and placed it on the step beside her as she sat down to put on her sneakers.
Derek stepped over her and walked to the edge of the deck, surveying the morning.
Addison walked up behind him and traded him the note for his coffee.
Derek quickly read through the note and smiled faintly.
"Meredith?"
"Mmm," Derek nodded "Are you running home?"
Addison took another sip of coffee and nodded.
"Don't run on the grass."
Addison raised her eyebrow and handed him back the coffee, "I run around the hospital in 3 inch heels and you are warning me about some wet grass?"
"I don't want you to fall."
"I won't," Addison assured him, putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head.
"You'll fall, and you'll get hurt," Derek continued, "And I'll have to take care of you."
Addison smiled and rolled her eyes, "Bye," she smiled, running towards the river.
"Careful," He called after her.
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"How is Derek doing?"
Meredith glanced up from her patient write up.
"I haven't seen him yet."
"Oh," Izzie sat down across from her, "He must be pretty shook up. Addison looks like she cried all night."
Meredith shrugged, "I don't know, I went to see him last night but he wasn't there."
"Or not answering the door."
Meredith looked at Izzie sharply.
"He might have wanted to be alone. Mark spent the better part of the night trying to convince Addison to come out of her room. She just ignored him."
"Are you sure she was even there?"
"Where else would she be?"
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Derek stood silently at the nurses work station. He wasn't really working, he was pretending to work, really he was thinking about fishing.
"Hey," Addison greeted as she jogged by, balancing precariously on her heels.
"Careful Addy," he warned absently, "The floors are..." he glanced up just in time to see her ankle roll, and her falling hard on her elbow, "...wet."
He rushed to her side.
"You okay?" he questioned softly.
She nodded and bit her lip.
"Okay," he said, ignoring the people gathering and the hands reaching down to help her up and did it himself. He helped her over to a nearby wheelchair and knelt down beside her.
Once settled she immediately reached down to take off her shoe.
"Don't, " Derek stopped her hand with his and moved them into her lap. "You foot will swell up if you take it off." Derek gently examined her ankle, holding her foot in his hand and lightly rubbing his thumb over her quickly bruising skin.
From a few feet away Meredith crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Derek and Addison's hands, still clasped together in her lap.
"I'll take you down to see Callie." Derek told Addison, standing and moving behind her to push the wheelchair.
The people gathered around parted to let them past.
Not once had either acknowledged anyone but each other.
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i remember running through the wet grass
and falling a step behind
both of us never tiring
desperately wanting
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Meredith stared at Derek for about 5 minutes before approaching him. She wasn't sure, but she thought that he might be asleep, stretched out on a chair in the hallway.
"Derek?"
Derek's eyes sprang open and he smiled at her, "Hey Mer," he patted the seat beside him indicating that she should sit.
"How's Addison?"
Derek ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "She is taking it hard, but i think that she'll be okay. She's gonna want to go to New York for the funeral, so I think being able to see some of her friends and family will lift her spirits."
Meredith was silent for a moment, that's not what she had meant. "Umm, how are you?"
"I'm okay."
"I went to see you, but..."
Derek smiled, "I know. I got your note. I was in kind of a daze last night, I wasn't really up to seeing anyone."
"Yeah," Meredith agreed uncertainly, "That's what I thought."
They sat silently for a moment.
"So, have you seen Addison since she fell?" Meredith asked, trying to hit upon the topic she had originally tried to bring up.
Derek nodded, "Callie's in with her now," he nodded to a closed door across the hall, "I'm waiting to see if she needs a ride home."
Meredith stared at the closed door for a moment, "You've been waiting for her?"
Derek turned to her and smiled, "If her ankle is sprained like i suspect that it is, she is going to want to go home."
"Yeah, no, of course she will." Meredith agreed a bit to vehemently.
"Meredith.?" Derek questioned.
The door opened and Callie exited. She stared at Meredith and Derek camped out outside the room for a moment and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Meredith and Derek both stared at the now open door.
"We are friends, Mer." Derek assured her.
"Yeah, I know." Meredith said quietly, looking at her hands.
Derek stood, but turned back to her, "Mer..."
He bent down and kissed her softly on the cheek, cupping her face in his hand, "We are just friends."
Meredith gave him a small smile and watched him disappear into the exam room and close the door, "We used to be just friends"
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Addison sat quietly on the table, staring down at her wrapped ankle.
"Sprained?" Derek asked.
She nodded.
"Crutches?"
She nodded again.
"Can't work?"
"Can't be on my feet."
Derek nodded understandingly, "I told you not to run," he teased gently.
"I know."
"You realize you are going to have to wear sneakers for a few weeks, or a month. No heels."
Addison gave him a look but smiled, "You love my heels."
"I like you better barefoot. It's sexy." Derek smiled at her and moved to help her off the table, "Your bleeding," he said, noticing for the first time the blood seeping through the elbow of her lab coat.
Addison bent her arm to look at it, cringing at the sight of blood on her white coat.
"Take it off," Derek instructed, moving over to the cupboard.
Addison did as she was told, bending her arm again so she could survey the damage.
Derek returned and stood in front of her, gently taking hold of her arm and cleaning her elbow.
"There," he said softly, "Not even bleeding anymore." He bent his head and carefully kissed the skin above her wound, "All better?"
She smiled softly, "All better," she affirmed.
They locked eyes for a moment.
Addison quickly looked away, "I need to go home."
Derek took a step back."I could... or I could call... Mark if..."
Addison shook her head, "No, you can..."
They looked at each other again. This was a new situation for them, being uncertain how to act around each other. No longer certain where the boundaries lay, were they ex's, were they friends, were they best friends, were they kidding themselves?
"Are you ready?" he asked.
She nodded sliding to the edge of the table.
"Add?" he questioned.
"Hmm?"
"I was thinking that..." Derek paused, "While we are in New York, for the funeral... You might like to stay in the Hamptons instead of the city,"
Addison's face softened and she smiled, "Together?" she asked uncertainly.
Derek stared at his feet, "No... I'll..."
"No. I'd like that," Addison interjected softly, "Just because we are there together doesn't mean we have to be..."
"...Together."
"Right."
"Right."
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So. I like Derek and Addison like this. All uncertain about things. 'Cause like before they could be like "Oh, it's just sex." or "We are just hanging out." but now they are kinda like, "So we are kinda together-ish on an emotional level, but I don't want to think about it or acknowledge that it is happening So we will continue to live in denial." The best part is, is that I think they really do consider themselves to be "just friends" despite all the denial. Like when Derek said that to Meredith, I really don't think that he thought he was lying to her.
What's in the next chapter... hrmm... I need to find that paper with the plan on it... unfortunately i cleaned my room today and can't find anything...oh... Addison has a party. Chaos ensues
Review. I am decorating VooDoo dolls abd taking names..