A/N: I guess it wasn't very nice to to dump you back into the story having fast-forwarded five months but I
wanted to get this out before I became too lazy and forgot about it all together. Not, also the next umm 6-7
chapters are chocked full of angst/drama/anger, you name its in here but in the end we get happy Addek so
be patient:)

WIP22

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Meredith had been on call for too many hours straight for her to remember. All she knew was that she was ready for her home and a good night's sleep. It had taken her some time to get over Derek Shepherd but when she had she had done some self-evaluating and realized that her self destructive course wasn't productive she knew she had to make changes. She had gotten her life back into line and even started dating Finn again after explaining that she had been going through a rough time. They were working on their three month anniversary and she couldn't be happier. That was why when she had checked her watch and it read 2 am in the morning that she shrugged and waited for the next patient.

"Patient is eight months pregnant, has lupus BP is 80/40. It could be a possible case of toxemia."

Meredith listened to the details that the ER people droned on as she recognized that this was obviously a case that Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd needed to consult on. She started to bark out orders and say that she needed to get Addison Shepherd into the ER. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her like she had lost her mind. She wanted to ask what the hell was wrong when she looked down at her patient and realized that she was looking at Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd. She looked up as Derek tried to coming rushing into the ER after her and started shouting out questions about the state of his wife.

"Meredith, what is going on?" Meredith looked at the fear on the face of the man that she once thought was the love of her life but now all she saw was a man terrified of losing his wife. She put her still sore heart away and focused on the broken man in front of her and said, "Dr. Shepherd, we need for you to wait outside there's nothing you can do here."

Richard pulled him out of the room as Miranda was coming in and started barking orders out at Meredith, "Get Dr. Revelle on the phone now."

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Callie came running upon the scene as saw Derek on the floor. She bent down and touched his shoulder gently, "Derek, we just heard. What's going on, what's wrong with Addison?"

Derek looked up at her heartbroken, "She just fainted at the top of the stairs and I don't know why she was there, I told her to rest, but I guess she heard voices and wanted to see who it was."

Callie bent down and said, "Why don't you get up off the ground? Let's get you in the chair."

Mark came up behind her and said, "Derek, come on man you have to get off this ground."

Mark helped Derek up and put him in the chair and turned to Callie, "Can you get him some coffee sweetheart?"

Callie nodded and ran off while Mark kept touching Derek on the shoulder, "Derek, stay with me man. You have to stay with me."

Derek nodded and said, "Sweetheart?"

Mark looked at him in confusion, "Huh?"

Derek nodded down to the hall where he had seen Callie go and said, "Sweetheart? You call her sweetheart now?"

Mark grimaced. He didn't really feel like getting into his personal life with his ex-best friend but he knew that Derek was just trying to distract himself from focusing on the fact that Addison was in there and the doctor's were trying to save her life and that of his children so he decided to help by giving him something to talk about. "Yea, I just asked Callie for us to have a serious relationship."

Derek nodded obviously not caring one way or the other and said, "That's good, Addison will be pleased."

Mark smiled to himself. Yes, that was he thought in everything, doing what he was trying to do make Addison happy. Callie came running up and handed him the cup of coffee. She sat down next to him and said, "Now, can you please tell me what happened."

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Miranda came out of the ER with her heart heavy. She didn't know how she would tell Derek. She didn't even want to think about how she would say anything anyway. She turned as Richard came out of the room and stood beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder, "We have to tell him."

Miranda shook her head, "You have to tell him, I can't look into his eyes."

Richard crossed his arms, "What do you think that I can do it? I don't want to have to be the one who tells him the results."

Dr. Revelle came up besides them and said, "The test results are in its toxemia. I feared this all along as you know but we are going to have to get the babies out now if we want her to be able to survive. I need a room to schedule a caesarean as well as the consent forms signed as soon as possible."

Miranda nodded but then said, "But isn't it too soon to take the babies? If Addison wakes up and knows that she could've carried the children any longer she'll never forgive us…"

Dr. Revelle shook his head, "If she doesn't have those babies removed via caesarean in the next couple of hours she won't be around to forgive or punish anyone because she'll be dead."

Richard nodded, "Well we have to tell her husband."

Miranda nodded, "Dr. Revelle, follow me this way please."

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Mark had his arms around Callie holding her back from saying something to the already devastated Derek. After Derek spoke about how they had worked on their marriage together and he had even moved her back into their bedroom Callie had been beaming, however the smile on her face quickly changed to one of anger after he confessed the talk he had with Richard and how it was obvious that Addison had been privy to that conversation which it was precipitated her fall. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the side of her forehead, "Please let this go for now. I'll help you kick his ass later, after we know Addison is okay."

Callie nodded in agreement and laid her head on Mark's chest, "She has lupus for god's sake and he can't just go around saying anything he knows that she's fragile and could possibly be in earshot."

Mark nodded and said, "She's your friend but she's his everything let's cut him some slack. Now, I know that it sounds like a pot calling the kettle black after everything I've done to him but I know that no one in this world loves Addison more than him. Addison is his everything."

Callie leaned back and looked at him with a smile. She kissed him softly and then said, "Wow you really are growing up. You need to look at yourself in the mirror."

Mark rolled his eyes and said, "Wait here comes Richard and the Doctor, maybe they can tell us what is going on with Addison."

Callie spun around and said, "What's going on Miranda? How is Addison?"

Miranda walked up and hugged Callie as they turned to listen to the doctor. Derek walked up to him and said, "My wife how's my wife."

Dr. Revelle turned his attention the obviously frantic man, "Listen what I have to tell you Dr. Shepherd is not good news. I'm afraid the tests we just ran confirm that she does have toxemia. We need to go in and take the twins out now and focus on getting your wife well."

Derek closed his eyes, "What kind of chance does she have?"

Dr. Revelle smiled nicely and said, "If we can take the twins tonight, she should have an excellent chance."

Derek nodded and said, "Then let's proceed and do the surgery now, there is no question." Miranda nodded and handed him the release forms to sign when Meredith came up behind them. Derek sat in the chair to start signing and Meredith tapped Miranda on the shoulder.

Miranda stepped away and pulled Meredith with her, "What is it Grey?"

Meredith flinched and said, "Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd is awake and she's demanding to see both her doctor and her husband."

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Callie had been silent ever since the doctors had said that they were going in to take the twins out and Mark was starting to get worried. Callie had never been the type of woman who was silent when she had a problem she usually vocalized it so to see her huddled up in ball in his office was frightening him to say the least.

Mark walked over and pulled her into his arms, "I know that you are worried about Derek and Addison but they've been through worse, they'll pull through."

Callie nodded against his chest and said, "I never told you this, I've never told anyone what I'm about to tell you besides Addison and Miranda."

Mark squeezed her to him knowing that she obviously felt the need to relieve herself of the burden that she was carrying that was affecting her so much. He pulled her in his arms as she started to open up about the cause of her burden, "My mother was diagnosed with lupus when I was in high school…Before she was diagnosed she was this wonderfully vibrant woman but after the disease it just took too much out of her and she didn't want to fight anymore. She died shortly before I left high school, I swore that I would fight this disease but now watching Addison I feel this same sense of helplessness as before and I know that with all the love and caring I have in my heart, it's not enough and I hate this feeling of being helpless."

Mark kissed the top of her head and exhaled slowly, "Thanks."

Callie looked up at him in confusion, "What are you thanking me for?"

Mark smiled and said, "For letting me in and for allowing me to be a part of your life and your thoughts and your fears, I don't think that I've been this honored in a long time."

Callie nodded and said, "Can you just hold me Mark please?"

Mark nodded and kissed her on the top of the head, "Always."

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"No way. It's too soon." Derek closed his eyes and opened them with tears streaming down his cheeks after listening to her adamant refusal, "Addison this isn't a joke, your life is at stake."

Addison looked at Dr. Revelle and said, "What will happen if we take the babies now as opposed to waiting for a couple more weeks?"

Dr. Revelle, "I won't give my authorization for you to continue to put your life in danger by offering you alternatives. Toxemia, once diagnosed is a deadly disease and doesn't require time to process other options; it needs to be handled immediately otherwise I can't guarantee the lives of both you and your children."

Derek crossed his arms and said, "Please Addison, I'm begging you. Don't continue this; your life is in danger, you know that the doctor is telling the truth."

Addison closed her eyes as she started crying, "Derek, I need you to understand, they are still too premature to be out of the womb. I've given this same advice thousands of time, if they can just stay inside for a couple more weeks then they will have a 45 chance of being able to survive as opposed to if they are taken now with the percentage rate of survival drops 25."

Dr. Revelle nodded and said, "I'm sorry but I don't know how to explain what will happen to the twins the longer you wait to have the caesarean, all I know is that your survival rates are going to drop dramatically the longer you allow this disease to fester. The toxemia that you have is deadly to both you and the twins and you have to take drastic measures…you're a doctor and you above all else know how precious your life is."

Richard cleared his throat and said, "So then when can we schedule the surgery."

Addison shook her head in negation, "We are not scheduling any surgery. I'm making a decision right now and I decide to carry these children for at least two more weeks and then at least they will have a better chance for survival, that's my final word."

Derek shook his head, "I've already signed the consent papers, and we don't need your approval to continue with the surgery."

Addison started crying as she looked at Derek and Richard, "Derek, if you take the twins before giving them a fair chance of fighting, I will never forgive you. I will never forgive you."
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Callie walked up to the door and waited. She didn't want to intrude on what was obviously a private moment so she sat in the chair across from her room and waited. Miranda came out first and she obviously looked aggravated and exhausted. Callie stood up and walked over to Miranda and said, "What's going on?"

Miranda sat down next to her and said, "What isn't going on? Addison woke up and is now objecting to having the surgery. She wants to wait two more weeks."

Callie swore, "If she waits two more weeks…."

Richard came out of the room after watching Derek argue unsuccessfully with Addison about her choice to postpone the surgery. He looked at Derek and felt nothing but sympathy as the proud man all but begged on his hands and knees for her to put her life first to no avail. He had removed himself from the room before he went toe to toe with the young doctor that he loved like one of his own daughter. When he looked at her two friends sitting outside her room anxiously he knew that it was up to them to make the difference, "If she waits two more weeks, she won't make it. Look, you two are her friends and she may not listen to her husband so I'm counting on the both of you to talk some sense into her. She needs you guys to make her realize that her life has to be more important."

Callie shook her head, "Richard as her friends we also have to realize that this is her wish, her wish is to be a mother and it's been her desire since she found out the moment she was pregnant. She was prepared to be a mother with or without the influence of Derek in her life. She's always talked to Miranda and me about how excited she was about becoming a mother and how she always knew how beautiful the mix of her and Derek's genes would make the perfect children. She's been so excited and she won't listen to reason, she's a mother before anything else."

Richard closed his eyes, "I can't watch her try to die, she's preparing herself for the inevitable and I for one think it's inexcusable that you as her friends are just going to sit aside and let her die. Do something, anything."

Just bringing on the angst, but don't worry I'm all about the Addek. I never imagined this story ending any other
way so while it might be a little scary right now, they will fall back into line(eventually).