TW: suicide/suicidal thoughts.
"What do you mean? Why? Where is she?" Derek asked, straightening his posture and moving to put a hand on Addison's arm.
"She's out with Michelle somewhere. Just…calm down first," Addison said, holding onto his arms and lowering them.
"Just…let's go outside," Addison said as the residents entered the scrub room.
"Addison, what is going on?" Derek asked sternly as they walked the hallways of St. Ambrose, Addison's heels clicking along.
"Michelle has Huntington's," Addison started.
"Oh," Derek said. He, much like Addison and Amelia, had seen the toll that this disease could have on people. But there wasn't a cure; he didn't know how he or Addison could help, even if they made it clear they wanted to.
"What are we supposed to do? Addie, I feel for her, I do, but there's no cure," Derek added.
"I know. That's not…she asked Amelia to help her," Addison started.
"Help her with what? I couldn't even help her if I wanted to," Derek replied.
"She wants Amelia's help to…end her own life," Addison said, trying to put it delicately.
"What?" Derek asked, his voice a little louder as he stopped walking and grabbed Addison's wrist.
Addison gave him a look that said it all. Now, he knew why she showed up, and why they had to do something. They loved Amelia, but they also knew she had the tendency to spiral. And when she spiraled, she turned to drugs. Derek and Addison, perhaps more than anyone, knew how hard Amelia worked to get clean. And they saw how far she'd come, how much she'd grown just in the past few years. The last thing they wanted was to see her slip.
"So, what do we do?" Derek asked as they resumed walking the halls of St. Ambrose.
"I think we need to take care of Michelle before we can take care of Amelia," Addison said bluntly.
"Addie, she's my little sister. She's the one I'm concerned about," Derek started.
"I'm well aware of that, Derek. But we can't just throw Michelle to the wolves. And we're not gonna be able to get through to Amelia. And you know it," Addison pointed out as they went through the automatic sliding doors.
Once they got outside, Derek couldn't help but notice how Addison's eyes looked against the moonlight. And how much better she looked in her dress. He could see even clearer how much she cared about his little sister, and how determined she was to not let Amelia's sobriety slip.
"Well, it doesn't sound like she wants the help," Derek finally said, sighing.
"Yeah, well, maybe we shouldn't give her a choice," Addison said as they finally got outside.
"What do you mean?" Derek asked.
"I think we should put her in an involuntary psych hold," Addison said.
"You want to 5150 her?" Derek asked.
"Do you have any better ideas?" Addison asked.
"No," Derek finally admitted, running a hand through his hair as he took a seat on the bench. Addison nodded, glad they were in agreement.
"What about Amy? Do you think we need to check her into rehab?" Derek asked.
"No, I don't think we're there yet. And I hope we never get there. I don't think she's slipped," Addison replied.
"Yet," Derek emphasized.
"Let's just…deal with that when we get there," Addison added. They were both quiet for a minute, letting the information sink in a while longer.
"So, I'll meet you at home?" Addison finally asked.
"Yeah," Derek agreed after taking a deep breath.
They drove in separate cars home where Sheldon was waiting for them, still in the same seat Addison left him in.
"Sheldon?" Derek asked upon seeing him.
"Oh, yeah. He's the one who told me about Amelia. And who stayed with the kids while I went and got you," Addison explained, realizing she didn't tell him about Sheldon being in their house earlier.
"Kids?" Derek asked.
"Yeah, I offered to take Lucas for the night. I thought it'd be nice to give the happy couple a night off," Addison said as she hung up her coat. It was then that Derek realized that he not only missed the wedding but also his son's first sleepover.
"Isn't Lucas part of why they're together, though?" Derek asked, half-jokingly. Sheldon and Addison couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
"So, Addie thinks we should institutionalize Michelle," Derek finally said.
"I'm inclined to agree. The fact that she's suicidal is one thing, but telling Amelia and asking for her help makes it actionable. It's not just a thought anymore, it's a plan," Sheldon explained.
"So, what do we do?" Addison asked.
"Well, I think we should stage an intervention," Sheldon said. Derek scoffed.
"Say what you want about it, but it's a thing. And it works," Sheldon added.
"You really think it'll work?" Addison asked, genuinely curious.
"I think it might be our only option," Sheldon said.
From there, they came up with a plan. Tomorrow night, they'd take Amelia out to dinner and invite Michelle. Then they'd reveal their calling card and bring Sheldon in. They suspected it'd result in some drama, and it'd all be too much for their one-year-old son to comprehend, so they'd have to get someone to watch him. When Addison called Naomi, she was surprised that she answered this late in the night, but relieved that she agreed to watch him.
"Thank you, Sheldon," Addison said as she walked him to the front door.
"I know this is hard, but you're doing the right thing," Sheldon said. Addison nodded as if trying to convince herself that he was right before Sheldon turned around and Addison closed the door.
As Addison and Sheldon said their goodbyes, Derek headed upstairs to check on Nate and Lucas. When he walked into his room, he smiled seeing Nate in his crib, sleeping peacefully, as well as Lucas in the toddler bed they bought for Nate prematurely. He fit well, and both were clearly well taken care of that night. Derek watched for a little longer while his mind drifted to how their life could change if they had another kid.
He and Addison talked about it years ago. They wanted at least two, but Derek always wanted a big family. After all, he'd grown up with four sisters. And Addison loved his family. But convincing Addison to have five kids was a long shot. So, they settled on at least two. And when the day came, they'd discuss it further if they wanted more than two. It was a nice picture, with more than one kid. But Nate was only one, and Derek didn't know if Addison was ready for another yet.
"Hey," Addison said, interrupting Derek's thoughts.
"They're cute, aren't they?" Addison asked, gently laying her chin on his shoulder. Derek chuckled.
"We could have that one day, right? Two of them instead of one?" Derek asked. Addison smiled.
"One day, yes," Addison said. Derek kissed the top of Addison's head before they both straightened up and headed to their bedroom.
Addison changed out of her skin-tight dress after getting Derek's help unzipping. Earlier that evening, she'd had Amelia zip her in. Derek opted to shower after the long day he'd had and gave his wife a chaste kiss before she went to bed. It was only as he went to his side of the closet that he saw it: a closed garment bag displayed over his dress shirts. Curious, he unzipped it and found a new suit. A sleek black blazer, a crisp white dress shirt, matching trousers, and a burgundy-colored tie. One he was sure would've matched Addison's dress.
She hadn't said anything about how Derek missed the wedding, but, to be fair, Sheldon's revelation about Amelia had taken up her attention. But judging by how beautiful she looked in her new dress and the fact that she bought him a new suit, Derek realized Addison was more than just looking forward to this wedding. She was excited about it, and maybe she even counted on him showing up. And, in classic Derek fashion, he'd completely missed it, prioritizing his work over her once again.
Was it always going to be like this? Missed dinner dates and events shadowing brief periods of complete bliss? He wondered how many signs he missed back in Manhattan, or even Seattle. How many times did Derek stand Addison up for dinner, movie dates, and occasions like this wedding? And how many times did Mark show up for her instead? He wanted to be a good husband, and for years, he thought he was. But Addison's affair, as well as his own, just revealed that maybe he wasn't.
As Derek toweled off, he changed into his old Bowdoin t-shirt and checkered pajama pants (one that Addison bought for him years ago) and slipped into bed beside Addison. Her back faced him, but he knew she wasn't asleep yet. She was, admittedly, a light sleeper. And he knew she wouldn't have fallen asleep with the sound of the shower still in the background. Nor would she fall asleep in the few minutes he took getting dressed.
"I'm sorry I missed the wedding," Derek said softly as he slid an arm over her midsection, pulling her a little closer. He felt her hand cover his.
"I liked the dress," Derek said into her hair.
"Thanks," Addison muttered quietly.
"And the suit," Derek added.
Part of Addison was relieved he found the new suit in his side of the closet. He hadn't shown up for her, but the fact that he noticed it meant something. To be honest, she completely forgot she left it there with everything else that happened that night. The garment bag hung farther away from where he kept his pajamas, so it wasn't like Derek would immediately notice it upon entering their walk-in closet.
Years ago, he wouldn't have seen it. Or if he did, he wouldn't say anything about it. At the time, Addison would purposefully leave things out for him to find, and Derek gaslit her by talking about his surgery and the patient's family and how he or she would've died if he hadn't helped them. Years ago, it was an ugly fight that played on a loop; Derek wouldn't show up, Addison would be upset, and they'd fight the same fight as last time.
"How was it? The wedding, I mean," Derek asked. It was late, but he could use a distraction. And he could tell Addison could, too.
"It was nice. Violet stopped midway down the aisle, but Pete brought her back out, so I guess it worked out," Addison said.
"Was that all?" Derek asked, chuckling. They both knew that every wedding had its fair share of drama.
"Sam told Nai he wants her back," Addison said, turning around to face him.
"Really?" Derek looked back, surprised.
"Yeah. I was surprised, too," Addison giggled.
"Wow. Sam and Naomi getting back together," Derek said.
"I didn't say she said yes," Addison added.
"She didn't say yes?" Derek asked.
"She told him she'd think about it," Addison said.
"She'll say yes," Derek said.
"How do you know that?" Addison asked.
"I mean, she hasn't said yes to Fife yet. And Sam couldn't make it work with Hoyt. Or that girl Sonya from the health department," Derek said.
"Well, yeah, but it's not like it was Naomi's fault," Addison said. Then Derek made a face.
"What? What do you know?" Addison asked, excited to hear what he had to say.
"Did he ever tell you why he and Sonya broke up?" Derek teased.
"No…Nai said he told her that he wasn't ready to date yet," Addison said, remembering back to when she and Derek first moved to L.A. At the time, Sam and Naomi's divorce was still relatively fresh.
"So, I guess he didn't tell you he said Nai's name in bed," Derek said nonchalantly.
"No!" Addison exclaimed. Derek chuckled and nodded.
"Wow. You realize I'd have to tell Nai now," Addison laid on back for a second in awe before turning back to face Derek. Derek chuckled back, nodding.
"So, are there any other big revelations you haven't told me about?" Addison asked jokingly.
"Nope. That's all I've got," Derek chuckled.
"What about you? You have anything else worth mentioning from the wedding?" Derek asked after their laughter died down.
"Actually, I do. Arizona asked us to be Sofia's godparents," Addison said proudly.
"Really?" Derek asked, his smile widening.
"Yeah. I accepted on your behalf. Assuming you were okay with that," Addison added playfully.
"I'm honored," Derek said jokingly.
"I said the same thing," Addison said, chuckling.
After their chuckling subsided, Addison leaned in closer as they cuddled to sleep. They may be going through a rough patch right now, but the fact that Derek noticed the new clothes and made light conversation instead of picking a fight made Addison feel hopeful that they'd be okay this time around.
The next morning, they had breakfast together with Nate and Lucas. The boys babbling and laughing over pancakes almost made them forget about what was going to happen later that day. They let them watch some cartoons as Derek called Charlotte for the day off and helped Addison load the plates into the dishwasher. Before lunchtime came around, Pete came to pick up Lucas, and was very appreciative of Addison watching him for the night.
Lucas was already half asleep when he arrived, but when Pete asked if he had fun, he smiled and nodded back enthusiastically. Then, Derek spent most of the day with Nate, making up for some lost time. He changed every diaper, read him a story at nap time, rocked him to sleep, and even helped clean up his toys when he was asleep.
While Derek cleaned up, Addison called Amelia, asking her and Michelle out to dinner, which she agreed to. Later that evening, Addison got ready for dinner upstairs as Derek played with Nate downstairs on his playmat, showing him flashcards of different animals.
"And what sound does the cow make?" Derek asked playfully.
"Moo moo!" Nate exclaimed excitedly.
"That's right! And what about this one?" Derek asked, showing a card with a dog on it.
"Doggy!" Nate exclaimed.
Derek chuckled; dogs were a clear favorite for Nate. Before Derek could ask him what sound they made (which he knew Nate knew the answer to), they heard the doorbell ring. After glancing at the door, he looked back at a curious Nate.
"Who's that?" Derek asked playfully. He already knew it was Naomi. Nate cocked his head to the side the way Addison did sometimes.
"I think that's your Auntie Nai," Derek said, pulling himself to his feet and picking Nate up to join him.
"Hi, Nate!" Naomi exclaimed, holding out her arms to him. Nate smiled when he saw her and accepted her request to hold him.
"So, Addie told me about Amelia. Is she gonna be okay?" Naomi asked as Derek let her in.
"Hope so," Derek said, sighing.
"What about you?" Derek asked, changing the subject.
"What about me?" Naomi asked, confused.
"I heard about Sam. At the wedding," Derek replied.
"Oh, yeah. That," Naomi chuckled nervously.
"So, you know what you're gonna do yet?" Derek asked.
"No. I mean, Maya's going off to Columbia next year, and D.C.'s just a few hours away. And Sam…Sam walked out on me, on us. He doesn't…why should I say yes to him?" Naomi asked, verbalizing her thoughts aloud as Derek grabbed some prepared food and bottles for Nate.
"Because you love him," Derek said, taking a sip of his water. Naomi looked back at him curiously as he let an antsy Nate down on his playmat.
"And he loves you," Derek added.
"Look, Nai, there's a reason you haven't gone off with Fife yet," Derek started.
"Yeah, I still have Maya here," Naomi rationalized.
"You still could've said yes to Fife and waited until Maya graduated to actually leave. But you didn't. And you still haven't given him an answer," Derek pointed out. Naomi thought to say something, but couldn't figure out what to say.
"There's a reason why Sam could never work it out with anyone else. He's still in love with you; he always has been," Derek said.
"If he was always so in love with me, then why'd he leave? Because I still don't know. I don't even know if he knows," Naomi asked.
"Honestly? I think he felt like something was missing, like he was supposed to be doing more with his life. And he, stupidly, thought you were the reason why. Sam is…a lot of things, but he's not exactly adventurous. But I think this surgical residency he's about to finish up is filling that hole he used to have. He should've finished it the first time around, he told me that himself. But for whatever reason, he didn't. And now, he's realizing how stupid it was to let you go," Derek replied right as Addison came down the stairs, listening in on their conversation.
"You practice that?" Naomi joked. Derek chuckled.
"You know, he makes a good point," Addison said.
Derek looked up as Naomi turned around to face her. Addison sure knew how to make an entrance.
"And…I actually do know why he quit his residency," Addison added hesitantly as she reached the bottom of the staircase.
"You do?" Derek and Naomi asked in unison.
"Yeah," Addison confirmed. Derek and Naomi waited for her to elaborate.
"He let a pedophile die on his table," Addison said.
"What? I…," Naomi stuttered while Derek watched as his wife continue.
"He made a decision. And it's been eating away at him ever since," Addison added.
"Wow," Derek commented.
"Why didn't he ever tell me? And why did he tell you, but not me?" Naomi asked.
"I think that if it were up to him, I wouldn't know. I just happened to be there when it happened," Addison said, choosing her words carefully.
"You know, we didn't say it at the time, but that was the beginning of the end for us," Naomi said sadly.
"Well, now he's finally realizing it. And he wants you back. Don't you think you owe it to yourself to try again?" Addison asked as she went over to pick up Nate from his playmat from behind, who was excited to see his mom again.
"Addie's right. Whether you like it or not, you're never gonna forgive yourself if you don't at least try," Derek added while Addison bounced Nate in her arms.
Naomi glared at them, feeling like the married couple was gaining up on her. Addison's smile widened, knowing she knew she was right.
"Mommy's right, isn't she?" Addison turned her attention to Nate.
"Yeah!" Nate exclaimed, giggling.
"We have a smart kid," Derek joked.
"Shut up and give me the baby," Naomi joked before letting Derek and Addison say their goodbyes to their son as she grabbed the bag of diapers, bottles, and food Derek packed for her that sat on the kitchen counter.
"Be good for Auntie Nai," Addison said, giving Nate quick kisses on his cheek.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Derek added, kissing Nate on the head before Addison handed Nate to Naomi.
They all left the house at the same time as Naomi took Nate back to her place and Derek and Addison headed to the restaurant. Sheldon called on the way over, letting Addison know that he had officers on standby, ready to take Michelle in when they were ready. And Sheldon told them he was on his way to meet them. Before Derek got to the door, Addison slipped her hand into Derek's as they took a collective deep breath. They had a plan, and they knew they were doing the right thing. But what they didn't know was how Michelle or Amelia would react.
When they went inside the restaurant, they didn't see Michelle or Amelia anywhere, but when they gave the hostess their name, she led them outside to the back patio. This wouldn't make it easy for the officers, and it would surely cause a scene. But they couldn't worry about that right now. Their concern was for Michelle and Amelia, both getting the help they needed. The hostess led them to their table where the girls were already sitting beside each other, holding up menus as they seemed to converse easily.
"Hey girls," Addison greeted as she and Derek sat down across from them.
"Hey," Amelia said, looking up from the menu briefly before going back to reading.
"It's good to see you again, Michelle," Derek said as he sat down.
"You too, Dr. Shepherd," Michelle said. Derek smiled back, deciding not to correct her to use his first name.
"So, what'd you guys do last night?" Addison asked nonchalantly as she took a sip of her water.
"Oh, we went to this new club on Beverly," Michelle said, not looking up from her menu and Amelia did the same.
"A club," Derek repeated, looking over at Amelia. His mind always went to the worst-case scenario when it came to his little sister.
"Relax, I was just there to dance," Amelia insisted.
"I was a sober participant, thank you very much," Amelia added jokingly.
Derek looked over at his wife, with worry still in his eyes. Addison gently placed a hand over his as reassurance. She'd watched Amelia ever since they got to the restaurant in what she hoped was just the occasional glance (she didn't want either of the girls to suspect anything yet). And Amelia looked completely fine. Addison's look back satisfied Derek enough that he let it go and turned his attention back to Michelle.
"Yeah, don't worry, she just had a few club sodas. But I still made sure my girl was well taken care of," Michelle joked. Derek could see Michelle's hand twitch slightly as she held onto the menu while Amelia looked over at her accusingly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Addison asked, chuckling.
"It means she didn't actually stay in my hotel room last night. Which is good 'cause I doubt she would've wanted to be there when I brought my date home," Michelle giggled.
"What about Alex?" Derek asked.
"What about him?" Amelia asked, the sarcasm in her voice apparent.
"She's young, she's allowed to have fun, honey," Addison said, turning to face Derek.
"I just hope you were being safe," Addison added, almost saying it under her breath while directing her attention to Amelia.
"Don't worry, I've got a full roll of condoms in my bag," Amelia joked, laughing louder when she saw Derek make a face.
Addison laughed along but rubbed some of Derek's fingers while they all continued browsing the menu. Derek and Addison practically took turns periodically glancing at Michelle and Amelia. While Amelia was the one he was more concerned for, Derek couldn't look away, watching Michelle, catching every small twitch and frustrated microexpression on her face. After another minute passed, Sheldon appeared from behind them as Derek and Addison scooted over to let him sit beside them.
"Sheldon? What are you doing here?" Amelia asked.
"I was invited," Sheldon said simply as he sat down next to Addison.
"Sheldon's one of the psychiatrists at the practice," Derek prefaced.
"You don't mind, right?" Addison asked, pretending like it was no big deal.
"Uh…no, that's fine. I just thought you'd say something earlier, that's all," Amelia said.
"Oh, sorry. I thought I did," Addison said, feigning innocence as she looked at her husband.
"We must've forgotten. Sorry about that, guys," Derek said nonchalantly.
"No problem," Michelle shrugged.
Amelia, however, was suspicious. She and Sheldon, admittedly, had become close friends in the last few weeks, and she knew he wasn't here for nothing. He knew about Michelle, but he didn't seem like the type to blab to her brother and sister-in-law. Amelia knew he had an ulterior motive, but she also knew she could stand her ground. Shortly afterward, a server came around and took their orders.
"So, Michelle, how do you know Amelia?" Sheldon asked, making light conversation.
"Oh, we met in college. Before she went to med school," Michelle said simply.
As they continued making small talk, their food arrived. They ate and made light conversation about the wedding from the evening prior, Nate, and Michelle and Amelia's past college adventures. Even though Amelia never took Michelle up on any of her offers to jet around Europe, she did convince Michelle to go on a few road trips during school breaks.
About midway through their meal, Michelle picked up her water glass and they could all see how much trouble she had stabilizing it in her hand before putting it back on the table. And almost half the water in her glass ended up spilling on the table.
"Sorry about that," Michelle said quickly, grabbing her napkin to clean up the spill.
"Don't worry about it," Addison laughed it off as she and Derek helped wipe the water away.
As Michelle's hand shook, Derek grabbed hold of it and something about him holding onto her hand helped her body stabilize. Or maybe enough time had passed since it started. Michelle wasn't quite sure.
"You okay there?" Derek asked gently.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just get these spasms sometimes," Michelle said, pretending to be unbothered.
"You know, I'd be happy to check you out," Derek offered.
"No, it's fine. Plus, no offense, but if I was gonna get checked, I'd choose Amelia over you. Don't get me wrong, you're very tempting, but you're clearly taken. At least Amelia's single," Michelle joked, making light of the situation. Derek and Addison smiled and gave each other a look; no wonder this girl was Amelia's friend.
"You know, Michelle, it's okay to admit you need help," Sheldon started. Derek and Addison took a collective deep breath.
"Here we go," Amelia commented, taking a sip of her water. She knew Sheldon had an agenda.
"I know. But I'm fine. I swear," Michelle insisted.
"How long have you been showing symptoms?" Derek asked, his tone growing serious.
The table went silent, the only sound was conversation coming from the tables around them. Derek felt Addison's hand grab hold of his underneath the table while it sat on his lap. He squeezed it a little tighter as they both waited to see what would happen next. Michelle looked over at Amelia, who looked frozen in place.
"You told?" Michelle asked accusatorily.
"I didn't tell him. He did," Amelia insisted, pointing at Sheldon before crossing her arms as if in protest.
"How long?" Derek asked again, his tone less gentle this time.
"Four months," Michelle replied.
"Michelle, how long have you had suicidal thoughts?" Sheldon asked softly. Michelle glared at Amelia; her Huntington's diagnosis was one thing, but this was something else.
"I didn't mean to, I…he caught me crying in his office and I didn't mean to. He was just there and…," Amelia stuttered, her eyes watering as she spoke.
"You told my deepest darkest secret to your shrink friend and all you can say is that he was there?" Michelle exclaimed, sighing and getting ready to get up.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," Amelia said, her voice cracking from the pressure.
"We know you didn't mean to, honey," Addison said, grabbing Amelia's hand from across the table. In the midst of it all, Amelia didn't fully notice it at first.
"No, you don't get to be sorry. This is my life. Mine," Michelle said, standing up.
"Michelle," Sheldon also stood up but turned towards the door to the outdoor patio seating, where they saw it open, revealing two police officers.
"What did you do?" Michelle asked, looking around to see if there was another exit. There was an emergency exit on the other side of the patio and Michelle set her sights on the door. Amelia finally realized Addison's hand was on top of hers and pulled it away quickly.
"It's for your own good, Michelle," Sheldon said
They all stood up and watched as the two officers took Michelle away. She resisted a bit but didn't want to create an even bigger scene. Derek and Addison moved over to the other side of the table, standing next to Amelia. Addison tried pulling Amelia in close from the side to comfort her, but Amelia yanked her away and wiped the few tears that fell down her cheek.
"I'll get you out, I promise," Amelia called out.
"You better," Michelle warned as the officers walked her out through the emergency exit and disappeared.
"How could you?" Amelia finally asked, turning back to Sheldon.
"I had to. It's my responsibility…," Sheldon started.
"Don't you dare start with that responsibility crap. She wasn't your patient, she was my friend. And you had no right to take her. After those 72 hours are up, I'm getting her out of there and far away from you!" Amelia interrupted him, angry that he'd taken her friend in for an involuntary psych hold.
"She may not be my patient, but you are my friend. And I couldn't just stand by and do nothing, and you know that. You can yell at me all you want, but you know I'm right. She needs help, Amelia. And so do you. I wouldn't be your friend if I let you deal with this on your own," Sheldon explained.
"So, you decided to tell on me instead," Amelia said sarcastically.
"You could've talked to me first. I could've gotten her help," Amelia added.
"Amelia, you and I both know she wouldn't have let you do that," Sheldon said gently.
Amelia wanted to say something else, to lash out again. But she couldn't find the words. She just stood frozen in place. The fact that she was still standing astounded her in a way. She felt like the ground was falling beneath her, like she was ready to keel over.
"Ames, she's gonna get the help she needs. We just want to give you the same," Addison said, pulling her closer once more and rubbing her shoulder with her thumb.
"It was the right thing to do, Amy. You know that," Derek added softly.
Amelia looked up at Derek and then at Addison, and it was like looking into their eyes triggered something in her. Like it allowed her to admit they were right, and that Michelle wasn't the one who needed help, but that she needed it, too. She felt her eyes tear up as she buried her face into Addison's shoulder, letting herself cry as Addison wrapped her other arm around her, stroking her hair.
Derek nodded toward Sheldon, silently thanking him. Sheldon put a hand on Derek's shoulder as if silently telling him it'd be alright and that he'd always be available if they needed him. But they already knew that; Sheldon wasn't someone who would just stop there. After what felt like forever, Amelia finally pulled away from their hug and Addison cupped her cheek and wiped her tear-streaked face with her thumb gently.
"I'll take care of this, you guys go ahead and I'll meet you in the car," Derek offered, referring to the food still left on their table.
Addison nodded and guided Amelia to the car while Derek called a server for a to-go box. He wasn't all that hungry anymore and he knew Amelia probably wasn't either. But, whether that would be in the middle of the night or when she woke up in the morning, he also knew Amelia would get hungry later.
When Derek got to the car, he found Addison and Amelia sitting in the backseat, with Amelia's head leaning on Addison's shoulder. Looking down, he saw Addison holding her hand while rubbing her fingers with her own. Upon seeing Derek, Addison gave him a small smile before he got into the driver's seat.
The rest of the night consisted of Addison staying with Amelia in her room, laying beside her until she fell asleep. After she did, Addison slowly crept out, careful not to wake her up. When she got out of Amelia's bedroom, she was surprised to find Derek in the hallway.
"What are you still doing up?" Addison asked, yawning afterward. It had to have been almost one in the morning by now.
"Just wanted to make sure she was okay," Derek said, giving a small smile.
"Yeah. I think she's gonna be okay. We just…have to be there for her now, I guess," Addison said, looking back to see a sleeping Amelia.
"Yeah," Derek agreed, nodding.
They let the moment hang in the air for a little longer before Derek held out his hand for Addison to grab. She gratefully accepted as they walked to their bedroom together.
A/N: So, here's all the drama with Michelle coming to a head. But I did choose to leave the Michelle storyline in here for a reason, which will reveal itself in future chapters. There will probably only be one (maybe two) more appearances from Michelle after this, but other than that, we'll get small updates on her in the future via Amelia and perhaps other characters. But now that Michelle's getting the help she needs, we're going to come back to the other characters while making sure Amelia gets taken care of, too.
References include some dialogue between Addison and Naomi from Private Practice 4x03 when Addison tells her why Sam quit his surgical residency as well as some dialogue from Naomi from later in that episode when she talks to Sam about it. The part of Michelle's dialogue where she says "...and all you can say is that he was there?" was a small reference to Grey's Anatomy 3x01 when Derek threw Addison outside in the rain after finding her and Mark. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, until next time!