It was raining heavily. Minutes earlier it had been thundering, but now there was just the flow of water down the car windows. Aden followed a trickle of water as it made its' way down the passenger window. Resting her head against the cool glass, she closed her eyes for the remainder of the drive, wishing she could fall asleep.
She had slept restlessly on the small couch- if it could even be called a couch- after insisting to sleep in the jeep then refusing the bed when Derek offered it to her. The couch hadn't been all that uncomfortable but her brain had refused to slow down long enough for her to get some sleep. And now, here she was, headed back to spend another boring day in the waiting room of Seattle Grace. She had suggested to Derek that she stay in the trailer all day but he had argued. Not that she would admit it or anything but he had been right when he said that she would most likely end up exploring the streets of Seattle instead of staying put all day.
She had planned on packing up in the middle of the night and heading to the airport. Running away to New York was the perfect plan in her mind. She'd escape Derek and also be able to avoid Addison; she had several friends in the city and any of them would have taken her in. But, pulling her wallet out of the bag, she found that her credit cards were gone. Derek had taken those along with her cigarettes.
Pulling into his reserved parking spot and turning the car off, Derek looked at Aden. "No funny business. No attitude. Got it?"
Aden rolled her eyes before looking at him. "Whatever," she mumbled, pulling the hood of her jacket up to cover her head. She pushed open the door, grabbing her backpack off the floor, then stepped out into the rain, slamming the car door behind her. Before Derek exited the car, Aden was running across the parking lot toward the hospital entrance.
The elevator door opened revealing Meredith leaning against the back wall behind three other doctors. Her head was bent, reviewing a chart, so she did not see Derek as he stepped in. On the next floor, the doctors got out, leaving the two of them alone. As the doors closed, Derek moved so he was standing next to her, essentially hovering over her.
"Meredith."
Meredith looked up, hurt in her eyes. "Derek."
He took a deep breath. "Look, I know you're mad and you have every right to be, but please let me explain." He gazed into her eyes with that sexy, passionate look of his.
Meredith shook her head. There was no way she could let herself be won over by his charm and concern. "Explain, Derek? Don't you think it's too late for that? You had your chance; you should've told me about her when your wife showed up. You should have told me about her—about both of them—from the beginning." The elevator dinged signaling Meredith's floor and, with only a mere second glance at him, she stepped off the elevator, leaving Derek to sigh and lean back against the wall.
"How much longer are you gonna be?" It was the first full sentence she had said to him all day, and Derek knew she wouldn't be happy with his response.
"A couple of hours, Aden."
"You should've left me at the damn trailer; at least then I could be watching tv or something instead of being stuck in this boring ass place," she replied, not caring how much of an attitude she was giving him or who was within hearing distance of them.
Derek chose to ignore her cursing, if only because he was too tired and stressed to have to deal with it. "There's a tv in the waiting room."
"Yeah, there is," she agreed, "but the only thing on is the news."
Derek checked his watch as he opened the patient chart lying on the counter. "Did you finish your homework?" This morning he had opened Aden's textbooks and put together a rough lesson plan for the rest of the week. It would hold her over until he had time to speak with Addison regarding their daughter. If Aden would, in fact, be staying in Seattle with him, he would need to enroll in her a local school. If he was going to send her back to New York to stay with her mother, then Addison would be responsible for that. Either way, Aden would still be getting an education; Derek's lesson plan would ensure that.
"Yeah," she answered, "like four hours ago."
Derek sighed. "Get a head start on tomorrow's then," he suggested.
"This sucks. Can't you just take me back to the trailer real quick, then come back here?"
He shook his head. "No; I have to be in surgery in half an hour."
Before she could protest again, Alex approached them. "Excuse me. Dr. Shepard, I don't mean to interrupt."
"What is it Karev?" Derek asked.
"I'm getting off in an hour. I'm just going to go get a pizza before heading home for the night. I thought maybe- if it's okay with you- I'd take Aden with me." Alex looked at Aden to see if she was interested and a small smile danced across her face, then continued. "I know this isn't any of my business, but I couldn't help but overhear. Aden's bored and you have to be in surgery."
"Karev," Derek started.
Alex held up his hands. "I'm just trying to help both of you."
Derek thought for a moment, looking at his daughter who had moments ago smiled for the first time all day. He wasn't quite sure why Alex was offering to take Aden off his hands for awhile. But, for some reason, Aden looked grateful- happy even- for Alex's offer. The more he thought about it maybe it was a good idea. Alex was living at Meredith's. Aden would be there after pizza. He'd have to pick her up there. Maybe the only way to get Meredith to hear him out would be if she didn't have anywhere to run to. Her house was perfect for that.
"Okay, Karev. If it's okay with Aden, it's okay with me."