"Class?" Derek said with a chuckle.
"Yes. Class. As in English Literature." She said as she looked up at the clock. "Mr. Thompson is going to be pissed. It's the second time this week."
"Mr. Thompson is aware of your absence." Justin chipped in. "You have a good reason."
"Well, I feel fine. Except for this bump..." She said as she rubbed her head. "And who are you?" She asked as she looked up at Derek.
"I-" Derek said in shock. His wife had no idea who he was. The only link to what happened was broken, gone.
"He's my intern." Just said quickly.
"Your intern?" She laughed. "You're a little old to be an intern. Not that that's a bad thing. I mean that your old. Not that you're an old intern. But he's your attending and he's younger than you, so that must totally screw up your confidence," She told him with a giggle.
"I'm pretty confident. Besides, I'm not as old as I look..." He said with a smirk. "How old are you?"
"You have my chart." She said frankly. She rolled her eyes. "Seventeen. Almost done with school. I'm going to Vegas with my friends in a couple of weeks."
"That sounds like fun." Justin said quickly.
"Wait a second... Is this a joke? Did my mom do this? Forget I said that. My mom is an ice queen. They called me Mrs. Shepherd." She giggled.
"Wrong chart." Justin told her quickly.
"Dumb nurses." She muttered. She rubbed her head again.
"Does your head hurt, Mer?" Derek asked as he rubbed her head softly. She looked up at him and smiled softly. "A little." She muttered as she winced. "You smell good." She said as she breathed him in. "And your hair..."
"He's McDreamy..." Justin laughed.
"McDreamy?" Meredith laughed.
"Yep. That's what they call him around here." Justin said with a nod.
"You are... I can see it." Meredith agreed.
"Are you hitting on me?" Derek asked with a smile.
"Maybe." Meredith agreed.
"I think she needs something for the pain." Justin said as he pushed meds into her i.v. Derek nodded.
"I'm sleepy..." She giggled before she fell asleep. Derek gasped as he walked out into the hallway. The tears fell hard and fast as he leaned against the wall.
"Derek, she could wake up in ten minutes with her full memory back. I don't have to tell you that." Justin said frankly.
"That doesn't make it any easier." Derek said with a frown as he closed his eyes. He heard Justin's footsteps disappear. He opened his eyes and wiped the tears.
"Derek?" A familiar voice said as she walked up. Derek looked up. She was older, but it was her. Her light brown hair...
"Rebecca? Rebecca Thomas?" He said in shock.
"Hey!" She said as she walked up and gave him a hug. "You don't look so good." She said with a frown.
"Yeah..." He said with a sigh as he looked it. She grabbed the chart and walked in the room with him.
"Your wife..." She said as she looked at the bed.
"She is." Derek said as he walked over and stroked her cheek. "She was awake. Confused. Disoriented. Stuck in the past."
"The last place you want her to be..." She said as the walked out and looked at her scans.
"Exactly." He agreed.
"So you are a world famous neurosurgeon..." She said as she glanced up. "I read."
"And you are once of the best neurologists around." He pointed out.
"That may be." She agreed. "These look good. A little rest. A little time. I'm sure she will be fine, Der. I'll be around for a few days. I'll check back." She said as she hugged him softly and walked away. Addison passed her and her eyes got wide.
"Was that?" She asked.
"Yep." He agreed.
"So how did it feel?" She asked with a smile.
"What?" He asked as he stood there, looking at the scans.
"What! Before you met me, you chased after her like crazy... You pined." Addison giggled.
"I didn't pine." He muttered. "And now is not the time. I need to-" He sighed as he walked in to the room and grabbed her hand. "I love you, Mer." He whispered into her ear. "I'm so scared..." He told her as he sat down. He didn't know if he was coming, going or been there at this point.
--------------------
Derek walked into the conference room. The police had been good enough to set a command post there so that he could be in both places, taking a little time out for each. They issued an Amber Alert for the twins, and were fairly confident that they hadn't made it out of the city. But that was little comfort. There was just too many unknowns. The sickening feeling in his stomach grew until he couldn't take it. Never in his life had he vomited from stress, but now he had. Too many times.
"Dr. Shepherd." The officer said with a nod as he walked in.
"Any news?" Derek asked.
"We found the man from the zoo..." The officer said. Derek's face immediately lit up as he looked at him. "He is a known sex offender. Unfortunately, he had an iron-clad alibi. He was at his probation officer's for the remainder of the day. He was not supposed to be at the zoo, so to make light of this bad situation, your daughter may have saved more children from being victimized." Derek sighed a defeated sigh as he closed his eyes and pinched his nose.
"Now what?" Derek asked with a frown.
"We are going to go over the list you gave us. Hopefully we can get a lead..." He trailed off as he looked through the paperwork. "Go be with your wife, there is nothing you can do here..." He said sadly as Derek walked down the hall.
Anna was gone. Derek had sent her and Jane to Disneyworld. Jane and a bodyguard. Hopefully she was having a good time. She had been through too much. He couldn't put her through this too. It would break her down. As far as she knew, Meredith bumped her head, and the twins were with Addison. It was a lie. A horrible lie. But he couldn't break it to a small child. Now he was just praying he never would have to. But time was ticking. Things were rolling.
"Derek..." Dr. Rebecca Thomas said as she walked up from behind. "How is your wife?" Derek drew in a deep breath and shook his head.
"The same." He muttered as they walked. He looked into her empty room. She was sitting there with a frown on her face, flipping through channels.
"Hey... Intern!" She shouted when she saw him. He and Rebecca both walked in.
"Yes, Meredith?" He asked as he walked to the bed.
"I want strawberry ice cream." She pouted. "Not the cheap crap. The kind with the fruit. All natural."
"That could be done." He said with a smile.
"How come your never in scrubs?" She asked as she looked at him.
"Umm..." He said.
"And why hasn't my worthless boyfriend come to see me?" She asked in a huff. "No one has come... And when can I leave? I'm ready to leave."
"You're not ready yet." He said with a frown. "And I don't know... I don't know anything." He muttered.
"You should know. You're a doctor..." She said with a giggle. "You're pretty..." She said to Dr. Thomas as she scrunched her nose. "Is she your wife?" Derek and Becca started laughing.
"No..." Derek said as he shook his head.
"But you are married..." She said as she pointed to his finger.
"I am." Derek agreed with a frown.
"Do you have kids?" She asked.
"I do." He said as his eyes started to water. "I'll be right back." He said as he rushed out. He couldn't take it. The tears fell as he slid to the floor. He could hear her talking to Becca.
"How do you know him?" Meredith asked.
"I'm a Neurologist from Cedars-Sinai. Just here for a visit. We knew each other in college." She explained.
"That nice..." Meredith agreed. "I'm sure I look horrible." Meredith said as she rolled her eyes. "Can you hand me that mirror."
"Of course." Becca said as she handed her the mirror. She watched Meredith's face turn white as she looked into it. The mirror fell to the floor with a crash as she looked at her hands. Old. She had old hands. Not the hands of an seventeen year old. She grabbed her breasts. They hurt. They were swollen. She could see the faint mark where her wedding rings had been.
"I'm... What-- I'm--- Old! Old! Oh my..." She started to gasp in a panic. Derek rushed in quickly to see her in a breakdown. She started to look around the room as she struggled to breathe. She picked up an envelope by the table and opened it. Pictures of Derek, she and the twins. There was a picture Anna drew for her. She started to shake and cry out.
"Oh my God!" She screamed as she looked around at them. "I'm-- I'm crazy!" She screamed. They both looked at her with wide-eyes as she started to rock. "Who is this?" She yelled. "Where am I? Who am I?" She cried out.
"Calm down..." Derek said softly as he rubbed her back. She looked up at him and began to feel more relaxed as she rocked slower. Derek nodded as Justin walked in and sedated her. He held her until she fell asleep.
"I can't." Derek said as he held her. "I can't." He repeated as he started to cry.
----------------
Derek held her hand as she slept. She had a total breakdown. He had seen it before. He had witnessed his patients going through similar experiences. But to see it happening to someone you know. To feel it. It was the worst pain ever. To know that her memories were locked in her head. The memories of when they met. Their wedding. Her pregnancy. The day they got Anna. The day she gave birth. And more specifically, the day they her children were abducted. It was frustrating. And there was nothing he could do, but wait.
"How is she?" Jack asked as he walked in.
"Resting." Derek said with a faint smile.
"The sedation was the best thing we could do for her." Jack said with a nod.
"You know, it's a catch 22. If she stays like this, she's scared, and confused. But if she remembers... I don't want to tell her that our babies are gone." Derek said as he wiped his eyes.
"I'm sorry, Derek." Jack said as he slapped him on the back. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone."
"My children are out there. They barely know us. Such a short time. They have no idea what is going on. They are out there." Derek said as he closed his eyes.
"I know it's hard, but you need to sleep. You are no good otherwise." Jack said with a faint smile as he walked out. Derek nodded as he gripped her hand, and let his head fall back, closing his eyes.
Meredith could feel the faint sting on her skull. She moaned as she rubbed her head slightly. She heard a faint beep beside her. She could feel a warm hand on hers. She slowly opened her eyes. She looked around the dark room, seeing the nurses station in the hallway. She grabbed her head again in confusion.
Meredith looked over at her sleeping husband. Derek's face looked worried. She had never seen him look so weathered. His eyes were swollen. His hair was disheveled. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Then it hit her.
She looked down at her flat abdomen. Her hand grazed it as she started to panic. She thought back.
She sat the twins in their swings and pulled out some things for lunch. She looked up at the clock. She knew Derek would be there soon. She pulled out a packaged of cooked chicken breast and began chopping it up for chicken salad. Grabbing some walnuts and grapes, she mixed them all together. She smiled at her perfectly content sleeping children. She jumped when she heard the door open.
"Damn-it, Derek! You scared me." She yelled to the door.
She heard the sound of boots. It sounded heavy. Loud. Not like Derek. Derek always came in the garage or the front door. This person was coming from the back door. From the back yard.
"Der... What are you doing?" She asked softly as she continued making their lunch. "Derek... Quit screwing around." Then she heard it. Boots and heels.
She didn't have a chance to turn around before he covered her face. She couldn't breathe. She knew what was on the fabric he hand held to her nose. She had smelled him as he walked up. The cologne. She looked down at his watch. She knew. At that moment she knew. Her eyes darted to the side where she saw her. Her perfect brown hair. Perfect clothes.
"Take the kids, sis." Marty said as he nodded to her. "Don't forget the milk. At least this worthless bitch is good for something." He said as he squeezed harder. "You know, you and I could have had fun. But no... You had to be a bitch. Well you know what they say..."
"What goes around, comes around, Meredith." Holly spat as she filled a bag. "My brother had been kind enough to help me in a little man-made karma..."
"You messed with the wrong people." He said quickly. She couldn't breathe. She needed to breathe. Just one breath. A little oxygen. She let go. His arms released her as she crashed into the marble countertop.
The sound was deafening. Anyone on the floor could hear her screams. The nurses all stood in place. Patients awoke from their deep sleep. Intern's stomachs dropped. Surgeons paused in motion. It was the sound of someone is horrible pain. It was a desperate cry. It was the sound of the end of the world. Derek sat upright as awoke. His eyes locked with hers and he knew. He knew, that she knew.