Nicholas Spark's novel 'The Notebook' has inspired me to write this new chapter…

Thanks for the reviews for the first chapter! =)

Chapter 2- Derek's POV

It is now late at night, and activity in the Seattle Grace Hospital has dwindled down. Everyone has gone home, and the only people left are the night shift nurses. Finally I can have some peace and quiet…

I turn my attention from outside the window to the person sleeping on the hospital bed in the room. She looks so peaceful in her sleep, her lips carving the beautiful smile which has always captivated me. Although age has finally caught up with her, but to me she still looks as beautiful as she had the very first time I met her at Joe's. It's as if everything is back to normal again, as it used to.

She senses me looking at her, and she stirs. Finally she opens her beautiful green eyes to look at me.

' Derek' she whispers….

I walk over quickly and take my place at her bedside- holding her hand.

' Mer' I whisper back….' How are you feeling?'

She stares at me intently again, as if sensing that I am hiding something.

' Derek, tell me the truth.'

' What truth?'

' The girl who came into my room just now, is she really my daughter?'

I swallow hard. It's like a stab to the chest, even worse that the bullet that pierced my chest many years ago.

' Yes Mer, Caryn is our daughter. I say softly. She has just turned 26 and she's working as an intern in this hospital.'

Her face slowly begins to turn into a frown.

' But if that's the case….then why I can't remember anything? Why can't I remember carrying her for nine months and giving birth to her? Why can't I remember bringing her up?'

Luckily Caryn has already gone back home..if not this would have been a double stab for her.

I sigh heavily. Alzheimer's is a very cruel disease indeed. It slowly but subtly takes away your loved ones from you. They perish before your very eyes. One day, they can just wake up and totally forget who you are.

I reach into my laptop bag, and take out a huge brown envelope, passing it to her.

She looks at me questioningly.

' Open it' I nod, and she does…and gasps in surprise.

'Derek…why do these lab results have my name on it?' Her eyes scan the lab results until she comes across something that made her stop reading and look up at me.

' I have Alzheimer's don't I' she says softly.

I nod, trying not to let the tears pooling in my eyes escape.

Suddenly, she begins to sob softly, her shoulder's heaving. I pull her into a hug and hug her tight, not wanting to let her go, and feeling resentful how this disease is taking her away from me slowly. My sleeves soon become wet with her tears, but it's ok…I don't want to let her go.

Year 2011

'Hey' I smile at Mer as we pass each other at the hospital corridors. We had been so busy that we didn't manage to see each other for the whole day. 'What are you up to?'

She shrugs. 'Nothing, just on my way to collect the lab results- you know- to find out whether or not I had inherited my mother's crappy Alzheimer's gene…'

I grab her hand, maybe a bit too hard, causing her to wince.

'No' I say sternly. 'You're not going to collect the result.'

'Why not?' she can be stubborn at times.

'Mer, do you really want to know? What if you really had the gene- are you going to live the rest of your life in trepidation of what is to come? Or do you not want to know- and just live life to the fullest, and let whatever happens happen?'

She remains silent, as if deep in thought.

'You're right' she says finally. 'I don't want to know'.

'Thank you' I kiss her on the forehead.

However, a few days later, one of the lab staff stopped me in the hospital corridor.

' Meredith Grey is your wife right? Well, here are her lab results…I can't locate her these past few days.' he says, shoving the large brown envelope into my hands. I couldn't decline. After much contemplation, I finally succumbed to the temptation of having a peak at the results. And as soon as I saw the result, I really wished I hadn't. I kept the envelope safely tucked in a drawer in my office, and tried to forget about it.

But of course I couldn't. I just couldn't bear the thought of her not being able to remember me when we get older. The next few days, without Mer knowing, I had private conversations with Cristina about finding a cure for Alzheimer's. Cristina was just as interested as I am in finding a cure for the disease. So for the next few years, whenever we had some spare time in the hospital during on calls, Cristina and I would try some lab experiments to design a cure for Alzheimers. After many failed attempts, we finally gave up. And I still felt the familiar feeling of dread overcome me whenever I see Mer forget or misplace something.

One year ago, she was finally diagnosed with Alzheimer's after months of misplacing things and forgetting things which aroused my suspicion. When we first found out, I was devastated and so was she. And so were she children when we told them the bad news. But she was a good sport about it, saying that it had to happen one day. She made sure to tell me and the children everyday that she loved us 'before I forget one day' she said.

And one day she did forget. That day, I cried silently to sleep, knowing that the beginning of the end was here.

I finally let her go and pulled out two bracelets from the envelope- one pink and one blue.

' Mer- do you remember this? I gave them to you after the birth of each of our children.'

She stared at the bracelets for a long time. Suddenly her face lit up, as if she remembers something.

Year 2012

It was the one year anniversary of the tragic shooting, which claimed 11 lives in the Seattle Grace hospital. A memorial service was being planned for the victims of the shooting…and all the hospital staff were to attend.

However, memories of the shooting was far at the back of my mind. I just couldn't feel sad, because cuddled safetly in my arms was a tiny little pink bundle of joy. I look down at my newborn daughter in awe. Being a new father is such an indescribable feeling!

' Hey princess' I coo to her. 'It's your daddy. I'm so glad that you're finally here. I love you so much, more than you'll ever know. Your mummy loves you too, but she has to rest first, because she had to work so hard to bring you into this world.'

Mer finally stirs from her bed.

' Hey, look who is here to see you' I transfer our daughter into her arms.

' Oh ' Mer whispers, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. 'She's beautiful'

' Yes, she is' I smile. 'She looks just like you.'

' I've something for you' I say as she is still looking fascinated at the little baby girl in her arms. 'To thank you for making me a father.'

I take out a pink bracelet from a gift box and present it to her. It had our daughter's name 'Caryn' neatly engraved on it.

' Oh Derek- it's beautiful!' she exclaims, as I wear it for her.

Of course, three years later, I presented her with another bracelet, this time a blue one, with the name 'Chris' engraved on it, right after she gave me the son I had always wanted.

Mer now looks in awe at the two bracelets, as she fingers the names engraved on them.

' Caryn and Christopher' she whispers again and again.

' Yes, those are the names of our two children'. I say quietly.

She suddenly smiles and looks at me.

'They're beautiful aren't they? And amazing as well. They must be. They're our children'.

I try hard to blink back tears again.

'Yes, Mer, they're the most amazing kids ever. We are so lucky to have them.'

' I want to see them now.'

'It's late Mer, they're at home. You can see them tomorrow.'

' But what if I don't remember them again tomorrow?' she has tears in her eyes.

She's right, I've to admit. Her lucid interval would not last for long, might as well make full use of it.

An hour later, both Caryn and Christopher were in the room again, and chatting excitedly with their mother as she laughs and smiles happily at them. It's almost like the good old times again, except that I really wish this moment would never end. We chat throughout the night, until sunrise when Mer finally nods off due to tiredness. The children kiss her goodbye, knowing that when she wakes up, she would most probably not remember them again.

I hope you like this chapter…please do read and review! Reviews are very much appreciated =)