CHAPTER 26 – REASON TO LOVE YOU

Derek looked at the woman lying peacefully on the bed. Her breathing was finally calm. Just going up and down, in and out.

Meredith had fallen asleep in his arms there on the floor and he had then carried her to an empty exam room… And before that he had said he loved her. Derek couldn't believe how that slipped past his lips. Or in a way he could. He had just broken up with his Addison, and the, maybe love of his life, lain in his arms. But now afterwards Derek felt that was the problem. He had, at least what he thought, broken up with his wife and Meredith had lain in his arms crying. He didn't want her to believe he said it out of pity or in a try to calm her down. Or even worse, because that that he had just ended things with Addison. Frankly, Derek didn't know if that was in fact the case. What if it was?

He sighed and pulled a hand through his dreamy, and he smiled. He remembered when Meredith used to call him that… Behind his back of course, but still she had thought he was dreamy… Derek wondered if she still considered him dreamy. He hoped so. Though, he had to admit to himself that a little grayness had appeared the last years. And some wrinkles around the eyes. But most of the dreaminess was still there.

Anyhow he hoped Meredith remembered that, and hopefully some of the good times they had had together. Derek still laughed sometimes when he thought of the look upon Meredith's face when she saw him on the first day, how they had kissed in the elevator… All their talks… Surprisingly they did that too sometimes… They didn't just have sex… Great sex… Honestly, he had missed the sex too, how, well, shallow that may sound, but he did. It wasn't like he and Addison had any problems… Not big ones anyways… Addison had long had problems with trusting Derek. That he wasn't thinking of Meredith when making love. Most of the time Derek hadn't, but when she asked, Meredith had for sure popped up in his head.

It was weird really, that a woman he had met fifteen years ago still made his knees weak. And maybe that was the answer to his question. Did he still, love her?

Mark saw the back of the dark blue dressed man and she slowly walked up to him.

Derek and Mark stood side by side for a while, neither saying a word. Perhaps they were afraid, how stupid that might sound for two guys to be, but they probably were.

"She's asleep?" Mark finally said, feeling it was he who should be the one to start.

Derek nodded slowly, continuing to stare though the glass window. "It seems so yeah…"

Another beat of silence, but then Mark gave out a frustrated groan.

"You're weird…" Derek looked oddly at Mark who smiled sheepishly.

"At least I got you to look at me…" he continued to grin widely, but it soon faded out in something more serious. "How could we let a woman come between us…? You know, I think we swore on that when we started college…"

Derek smiled. "Yeah we did… But you're Mark…"

"And you're Derek!"

"Well, you're the one who screwed Rachel Hills the first day in college, when I had clearly stated that I liked her…"

Now it was Mark who looked oddly at Derek. "Ehm, actually it wasn't really that I was referring to, but okay, you're right. That wasn't cool…"

"No, it wasn't…" Derek crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm sorry all this happened too… But I think I'm over it… It was a long time ago…"

"I can see you're over it all…" Mark smiled. "You're still hung up on Meredith... Ma…"

"Shut up," Derek looked at Meredith, who was slowly starting to wake up. "She's Meredith… It's hard to forget her. She's waking up, so I should go check on Zadie."

"Yeah… How is she? Will she be fine?"

"We don't know yet, but hopefully, she will…" Derek smiled a little when he though about Zadie. "Tell Meredith she can go see Zadie now…"

"Yeah, okay..." Mark nodded as Derek started to walk away. "Hey! Derek!"

He turned around. "What?"

"I'm sorry about everything… Rachel Hills too!"

"Haha, I know that now…" Derek continued to walk as yet another smiled spread across his face. "I know that…"