I freeze in mid motion as Tim yanks Meredith up off the ground, uncovering her mouth and wrapping his arm around her waist.
"D-D-Derek..." Meredith chokes out.
Tim throws her against the wall, slamming her head into the hard tile. Meredith falls to the ground, making little to no movements, sobbing.
"Shut the fuck up or I swear to God…"
"Mr. Perry…" I say shakily. He looks up at me. With the scalpel still in his hand, he takes a step towards me.
"Unless you or your friend want to see another day, than I suggest you lock this bathroom door." Threatens Tim.
"If we could just take this slow sir I promise you-"
"Lock the fucking door Dr. Shepherd!" he demanded. I slowly close the door behind me and lock it hesitantly, never breaking eye contact with him.
"Okay sir, nobodys going to hurt you in here, we're all friends…" I say calmly.
"Friends? Friends?! Last time I checked the only friend I had was my wife…" he breaks eye contact with me as he bends over, taking in a deep breath. "Sh-She was my bestfriend, the only person I could count on. We were madly in love, even had our whole future planned out. I still remember the day when I asked for her hand in marriage. It was 7 years ago… from today. Got married within 2 months. We spent every waking moment together. I got to wake up every morning with her by my side, and fall asleep with her secure in my arms. Everything was perfect. Until about 2 years ago…" his hands began to shake as the scalpel glistened brightly into my eyes. "You know Dr. Shepherd, the news travels fast here in this hospital. I guess I just got lucky being roomed right next to the nurses station, who happen to never shut up. I heard them talking about you, your wife," he leans over and picks up a still crying Meredith off the ground. "and this little lady. So if I got this right," he wraps his arm back around Meredith, placing the scalpel right up against neck again "This girl just about destroyed you and your wife's marriage? You left your wife and ran off to big exciting Seattle huh? You happened to meet this woman in a bar and you took her home. Now Addison's back and you can't seem to love or trust her again." He squeezes tightly onto Meredith as she begins to shake back and forth. "Well it just so happens I play Addison in your little troubled life. My wife began to come home at all hours of the night, lying, saying she was having girls night with her friends. She'd get random phone calls all throughout the day and would 'claim' that they were business calls and would leave for hours at a time. I kept telling myself that it was all in my head, until I walked outside to my car one night. Left my wallet in the cup holder and had to pay some bills before I went to bed. I opened our front door to see a car parked out in front of our side walk. As I got closer, I recognized the car… it was my brothers. Thinking the worst, I walked up to the car to see him chewing on my wife's face. Things were never the same between her and me ever again. Time and time again I would try to forgive her for what she did that night. Once I finally felt like I can trust her again, she'd run straight back to him. She'd be at the grocery store, hand in hand with him, or in a movie theatre kissing him like she used to kiss me. After about a year of her continuously cheating on me, that's when I knew enough was enough. So while my wife was out golfing with her co-workers one day, I drove over to my brother's house. He answered the door and before I knew it my kitchen knife was pierced through his throat. I left him there to die… to suffer…. My wife found him like that few hours later, visiting him after her golf game. She called the police and I was taken in, charged with first degree murder and diagnosed with schizophrenia. I guess you can say I'm lucky that I got this brain tumor so I could get out of that hell hole they call jail for a few weeks." I process everything that he's saying.
"So… are you saying to me that Addison is going to try and kill Meredith?" I ask, hopelessly confused.
"Heh, lucky for you, that's where I come in Dr. Shepherd." Causing her to scream in pain, he presses the scalpel into Meredith's neck and draws blood, quickly lifting his hand back up so the bloody scalpel is within a foot of her neck. "I can't let this young lady destroy your life, just as my brother did to mine. But by what it sounds like to me, Addison won't have the balls to lay a finger on this little miss right here, so I thought I'd carry out the job for her." He slowly brings the weapon back towards her throat.
"Please!" I yell, taking a step towards her.
"What the fuck did I say?! Take one more step and I swear this scalpel will go straight through her throat." I stop and clear my throat, my voice shaking.
"Please Mr. Perry, just hear me out." He continues to stare at me as Meredith is turning pale in his arms. "You didn't hear the whole story from the nurses. Unlike you, Addison cheated on me first, with my best friend. I had no other option but to leave her. She betrayed me, something that she could never change. I came here to Seattle and met Meredith, and before I knew it..." I glance towards Mer who staring at me" I fell madly in love with her. I could've given up Mr. Perry; I could've become a drunk, a stoner, anything. But instead, I chose to start over, and that's what Meredith was, my new beginning. I ran away from all the lying and cheating, and discovered Meredith, who is nothing but the truth and my future. In your eyes, she may seem like a home wrecking idiot, but in my eyes… she's everything I could ever ask for." I look to see tears running down Meredith's cheeks. Not because she's hurt or afraid, but because she knows I truly meant everything I said. She mouths 'I love you' to me as I stand there, waiting to see how Mr. Perry reacts.
He drops the scalpel and wraps both arms around Meredith's waist, throwing her towards the mirror. Her shoulder makes contact as it breaks the mirror and shatters it into a million pieces. Meredith sinks down to the ground on top of the glass and lays there motionless.
"Oh God Mer…" I go against all my instincts and lunge towards Meredith, falling to my knees as I secure her into my embrace, ignoring the pain that's piercing into my joints. I press my finger to her neck and feel a light pulse. She's still alive, and I need to keep her that way. Just as I realize again that we're not alone in the room, I feel a sharp pain stab into my shoulder as Mr. Perry grabs my head and yanks me back. I hit face first onto the glass covered floor and lie there, withering in pain. I move my right hand behind my back and feel the cold metal scalpel jammed into my left shoulder blade. I take a deep breath and pull it out, hissing in pain as I roll over to see Mr. Perry crawling towards me. I make my way towards the closest wall and lean against it.
"Th-This is not how you solve your p-problems Mr. Perry. Putting other in danger fixes n-nothing." I manage to choke out. He lifts himself up off the ground and jolts towards me. Fists in the air he trips over himself and falls down on top of me, crying out in pain. My life practically flashed before my eyes. I scoot myself out from under him as I roll over and see he fell directly on the scalpel, jabbed straight through his chest. His lifeless body lied there, slowly oozing out his blood. I close my eyes, praying this was all a dream when I hear Meredith cough softly. I avert all my attention towards her as I drag myself across the ground.
"Mer-Meredith. Please, look at me." She slowly lifts her head up off the ground and turns to look at me, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
"Don't move Mer, there's glass everywhere. Just hold still and I'll come towards you." She slowly nods her head as she places it back down on the ground and closes her eyes. Seeing Meredith this vulnerable just kills me. I make my way towards her, kicking away all the glass that surrounds us. I bend over to touch her arm as she jumps and backs away from me. I grab a hold over her as she kicks and screams, clawing at my hands.
"Meredith its Derek! Don't worry, it's just me…"The sound of my voice stills her body and she looks up at me, rattled.
"Derek, I'm sorry, I thought you were-"
"Shhh…:" I say as I pull her into my lap. She rests her head against my chest as we breathe slowly in unison.
"Is it true Derek?" She whispers, "Everything you said about me to him. Did you really mean it?" I rest my chin on top of her head and close my eyes.
"Of course I did Meredith. You're the best thing that's happened to me, and I think it's about time I admit that to myself." I say, whispering soothingly into her ear.
"Derek…" she says.
"Hmmm?"
"Promise me you'll never let go of me again."
I lift my head up as her eyes twinkle into mine.
"I promise Meredith…" I say, pressing my lips against her temple.