"My big brother gets into a plane crash, and I don't have the right to see him?" Amelia jokes.
"I am happy to see you Amy but just shocked. How have you been?" Derek asked, wanting to avoid the subject of the crash.
"Just saving lives, taking names, how have the both of you been?" She asked, sitting down on the couch.
"Dealing with life and Maddie. The last time I talked to Addie, she said you were dating someone," Derek did a partial smile, he didn't know how to react. He sat down, opposite of his sister.
"I'm just going to go check on Maddie so you two can talk," Meredith quickly slipped up the stairs.
"Why do you still talk to Addison?" Amelia questioned.
"Your avoiding," He observed, she changed positions as she seemed uncomfortable.
"So are you, I didn't come here to talk about James or Addie. I want to talk about my big brother and see how he's doing," She watched his eyes as they squinted. She couldn't tell him the real reason why she was here, not yet.
"Ah, so his name is James, have you talked to ma or anyone else?" Derek continued to avoid the main question. He knew his sister was hiding something, she always was.
"I talked to mom a few months ago when your accident first happened. Kathleen or Nancy hasn't spoken to me in at least five years, Lizzie and I text sometimes," Amelia remembered the exchange she had with Lizzie just the previous day. Everyone wanted to know why Derek hadn't tried to fix his hand.
"Ah, well good to know. Now what is the real reason why you are here," he didn't want to tip toe around the subject anymore.
"Why haven't you got your hand fixed," She got straight to it, she wasn't leaving until she got the truthful answer.
"We've tried everything," He looked down at his hand, the scars the lined his hand and wrist. The pain was there but he had gotten used to it, occasionally taking aspirin if it hurt too much.
"What is everything?" She didn't want to believe it, but it seems he had given up to easily which was nothing like him.
"Tried surgery, didn't help, Physical therapy help a little, but I will never regain full function, it's impossible," he flexed his hand, noticing the twitch when he releases the fist he made.
"What about a nerve allograft, to replace the damaged nerves with healthy new ones," She asked, going over the research she did in her head. She needed to be prepared, she knew her brother and he was not one to give up.
"There are no matches and I'm not asking for nerves from any one of you," He looked into Amelia's eyes. She had that determined look in them, one only she got when she truly believed in something.
"I can't donate nerve, but I'm sure maybe Lizzie or Kathleen would. From what I heard, Nance is still pissed you married the slutty intern, not that Meredith is slutty," she quickly corrected herself. She enjoyed Meredith, the few times they met she never really interfered or tried to get to know every personal detail about her.
"No Amelia, don't go telling Liz or anyone that there is a possibility that they could help me because I'm fine with this, I've accepted this," He was adamant about her not telling anyone.
"Derek, come on," Amelia begged.
"No Amy, now that's final." He stood his ground; she groaned as this was getting her nowhere.
Meredith stood at the top of the stairs, listening in on the whole conversation that went on between them. Amelia was right, he should get this fixed because he's unhappy like this. He always pretended to be fine, but she knew him, he loved surgery almost as much as he loved her and their daughter. She walked down the stairs, just as the argument was coming to an end.
"Hey, I'm going to go to bed. Amelia you are welcome to stay here tonight if you don't have a hotel," Meredith smiled at her, even if she hadn't really spent much time with all the sister's, Amelia was her favorite. She had a quality about her that none of the other sisters had. She always kept to herself, being as strong as she can.
"Thanks Meredith, I will probably take you up on that offer since I didn't book a hotel," Amelia smiled. Meredith nodded and made her way to the master bedroom, closing the door. The nausea suddenly came over her again, this time she couldn't keep the contents down as she rushed to the toilet to empty the pizza she had eaten earlier.
She quickly wiped her mouth with a tissue before standing up. She was extremely dizzy as she grabbed a wet cloth to place on her forehead. She had to work tomorrow; she couldn't be getting sick now. She flushed the toilet, splashing cold water on her face afterward. She brushed away the taste of vomit from her mouth, her stomach was empty, but she still felt nauseous as she made her way to the bed. She removed the sweater and jeans she wore, climbing under the blankets.
Derek left his sister in the living room, going to his bedroom where she had stripped down into her undergarments. Her face was pale, and she looked as if she was going to puke all over the place.
"Are you alright?" He asked, sitting down beside her. She nodded; her eyelids seemed to weigh a ton suddenly.
"Why didn't you tell me about the nerve donation?" She asked weakly, she didn't have the energy all of the sudden to argue but she just wanted to know.
"Because I didn't want to give you false hope, now get some rest," He kissed her forehead as her eyes closed. He quickly removed his shirt and replaced his pants with pajamas. He grabbed the old blue shirt he slept in and climbed in next to Meredith.
She slowly turned to face him, kissing his cheek as she snuggled up against his side. His arms wrapped around her as she drifted off to sleep.
Meredith's eyes blinked open; she heard a faint cry. She quickly got up, looking around at her surroundings. The only thing on her mind was where her sister and husband were.
"Lexie! Derek!" She called out, spinning. She saw Lexie stumbling out of the plane piece still intact.
"Lex! Where is Derek and Cristina and everyone else," She felt her breathing hitch as she saw everything as if it was all so real.
"I d-don't know," she mumbled, a large gash in her head, her shoulder looked to be out of place.
"We have to find him, and Mark, and Cristina," Meredith stumbled as she felt the twigs and leaves crunch under her feet.
"What happened, where is Derek," She asked Lexie again, she looked to be processing everything.
"He was sucked out the side when the plane it the trees," Lexie looked horrified, replaying the event in her head. Meredith felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.
"Then the back of the plane came off, it just flew off," Lexie continued, she could remember it all clearly.
"Alex was in the back of the plane," Meredith remembered, her stomach churned as the nauseating feeling came over her.
"Where is that screaming coming from?" Lexie looked around, no one was around, and the screaming was faint.
"Derek!" Meredith cried out, she started looking around the woods, screaming his name like a mantra.
"Meredith, I'm right here," Derek said, shaking her awake. He watched her eyes fling open, she had tears rushing down her face as she sat up. She didn't say a word, only wiped away the tears and looked into his eyes.
"I'm fine Derek, it was just a dream," She was trying to not only reassure Derek, but also herself. She still had that nauseating feeling; how could a dream feel so real.
"Are you sure?" He asked again, wanting to make sure she was completely alright. He hated seeing her so frantic and scared, it is like reliving that moment where she found him in the woods. She looked like she was completely and totally destroyed.
"Mhm," She swallowed, reaching over to her nightstand and flipping on the lamp. The light shined directly in her eyes, blinding her for a split second as her eyes adjusted to the light. She searched through the drawer, finding the peppermint candy. She quickly realized the peppermint wasn't going to help this time, quickly making her way to the bathroom.
She soon felt Derek take her hair and rubbing the small of her back. As she finished, she leaned back against the figure behind her. He had a wet cloth, dabbing her forehead and wiping the few tears that escaped as she was emptying her stomach.
"Do you think you ate something bad?" He questioned, worried she may have food poising.
"No, think it's just a stomach bug, can you help me up?" She asked, he stood up and helped her up. She flushed away the contents before going to the sink, quickly splashing water on her face.
"Do you need me to get you anything?" He asked, wanting to be helpful. She just shook her head as she wet her toothbrush.
"Actually, could you get me something to keep by the bed?" She felt embarrassed asking for a puke bucket. He just gave her a slight smile before leaving toward the living room. She finished brushing the taste out of her mouth, thankful her toothpaste had a peppermint taste. She wiped her face and mouth, her legs felt weak. She took deep breaths, waiting for Derek to return and help her to the bed. She hadn't felt this helpless since she had a bad stomach bug a few years back.
Derek came back with a wastebasket that had a trash bag inside. He sat it beside her side of the bed, noticing she was still by the sink.
"Do you need anything?" He asked, walking toward her.
"Help me to the bed, I feel dizzy, and I don't think my legs are strong enough for this," she quickly put her arms around him as he got to her. He helped her to the bed, sitting her down on the bed.
She felt like a child as he put the covers around her. He felt her head, assuring she didn't have a temperature before placing a kiss on her forehead, climbing over her on to his side of the bed.
"Want to leave the lamp on?" He asked, she nodded. He got under the blankets, watching her as she drifted to sleep. He couldn't help but worry and wonder if there is something more wrong with her, something she wasn't explaining to him.