Chapter 21
Derek and Mrs. Shepherd stops at a coffee shop. Derek looks at his mother while sipping a large espresso. It's been since Christmas when they last saw each other. This is the first time she is in Seattle.
"The rain really keeps the city green" Mrs. Shepherd says.
"Yeah, you get used to the rain after a while."
"Now Derek, what is this. You don't look happy and last time we spoke you sounded like you were all over the moon in love with this girl."
"Who do you think I love?"
"What do you mean? Are there more than one?"
"No, there is only one girl I love and whom I loved for the last six years."
"I didn't know that you knew Rose for that long."
"It is not Rose. It is Meredith" he says with a smile. He can't resist smiling when he says her name.
"Derek, you better start telling me."
He starts from the beginning six years ago and continues until he tells her about the last phone call from Alex. Mrs. Shepherd sits there and studies her son's facial expression and feels how her heart reaches out for him. They sit in silent for some time before Derek shakes his mug and asks if she want a refill? When he returns with more coffee and some sandwiches she looks at him with her famous look and she asks.
"Are you sure about this?"
"There is only one girl I love and that is Meredith."
"You have been starting to build a life with this Rose."
"I have not started that, Rose has started and pushed me into it all."
"Do you really love Meredith and are you ready to make her understand that?"
He looks into his mug before answering his mum.
"She is the love of my life, mum. It is a totally different feeling then I had for Addison."
"Then you should go and find this girl and leave the rest to me and Mrs. Webber."
He looks at her in astonishment and says.
"Mum, I really love you."
Rose is throwing a tantrum at the caterer when she finds out about the cancellation.
"Who cancelled it?" she yells at the clerk.
"A Mrs. Webber" the clerk answers looking down into his notes. Rose's head snaps back as being struck.
"Mrs. Webber, but…" she can't continue the sentence.
"The party is still on. Mrs. Webber has nothing to do with the organization."
"OK, then we have made a mistake and we are very sorry for the inconvenient we caused you."
"I want the same as before with the following changes…" she starts reading from a notebook.
"We can do that but we will need payment in advance."
"Charge my fiancé's credit card." She rattles off a number.
"Sorry Miss, but we are not allowed to let you use that card according to Mrs. Webber but if you have another credit card in your name…"
"I'll be back in a minute" she snaps at the clerk and pulls her phone out.
"Mum, I have to go to the hospital and make some arrangement. Can you please come?"
"Yes Derek. I'll love to see your hospital."
Derek's phone starts ringing and because of heavy traffic he gives it to his mum and asks her to answer.
"Dr Shepherd's phone" she answers.
"Who is speaking?" she hears and then she recognizes the voice. "Oh, one minute dear…" and she whisper to Derek "It is Rose."
"Give it to me."
"No, you'll drive and I'll talk."
"Rose dear, this is Mrs. Shepherd. Derek just picked me up at the airport and we are on our way to the hospital."
"Oh, Mrs. Shepherd, I really need to speak with Derek. I am having trouble with the caterer."
"What kind of trouble dear?"
"Credit card trouble"
"Hold on dear"
"She is having trouble with the caterer. They won't accept her paying with your credit card."
"Give me the phone mum."
"No" she continues in the phone "give me their phone number and I'll call them. You should come to the hospital and meet me."
"I'll have a couple of errands to do first but I can pick you up at 3 pm."
"Ok dear, bye dear."
"Bye Mrs. Shepherd"
"Tell me" Derek says as he drives into his parking lot. Mrs. Shepherd explains the conversation with Rose and says she will be at the hospital by 3 pm.
The gossip line at the hospital is bursting of rumors about Rose's pregnancy and the party. A lot of people are mad at Derek since he was so cold towards to Rose yesterday during surgery. People are making bets about the engagement and the baby. Those in favor gains a little when the arrival of Mrs. Shepherd is known. Derek brings his mother to his office while making arrangement on his phone for a couple of days of absence. He will have a staff meeting in 15 minutes with department heads and the chief resident. Before that he makes a call to Dr Webber and asks him to fill in for the time being. Richard promise to arrive shortly. Derek's assistant is rearranging all his surgeries. Now, he has to call Cristina and Owen and update them before his meeting and then he will go to the trailer. The staff meeting doesn't take more then 10 minutes. He apologizes for the inconvenient about the engagement party and tells them that it will not be any. He informs them that he will be on leave for a couple of days and Dr Webber will be his stand in. Richard arrives when the meeting is over and promises to take care of the surgical team during his absence. There is a knock on the door and Mrs. Shepherd pokes her head into the office.
"May I?"
"Come in mum, meet Dr Richard Webber." Derek turns to his mentor and friend and says;
"Richard, this is my mother Carolyn Shepherd."
They exchange greetings.
"Nice to finally meet you, even during these conditions."
"Where are you staying Mrs. Shepherd?"
"Yeah mum, where are you staying?"
"Rose invited me to stay at your apartment."
"You can't stay there and my trailer is to far away. I'll book a room at the Archfield."
"You are welcome to stay with us, me and my wife Adele."
"I don't want to intrude."
"It won't be anything of that. We all have a common goal. We want Meredith to be happy and you want Derek to be happy and together we can make them happy. I'll give Adele a call and she can meet you here in 15 minutes."
"But Rose will be here by 3 pm."
"Don't worry about her. I'll talk to her." Richard says and calls his wife.
Richard and Carolyn sit down by the coffee-table while Derek finishes some paperwork. There is a knock on the door and the assistant ushers Mrs. Webber inside and Derek makes the introductions.
"Bye everyone" Derek hugs his mother again and she whisper good luck in his ear.
"Love you and I'll keep in touch" he says before leaving for his trailer.
Mrs. Webber and Mrs. Shepherd feel a connection instantly. They start making strategies to solve the situation fast and simple. Richard just shakes his head and returns to the hospital.
When Rose arrives outside the hospital at 3 pm there is no one there that looks like Mrs. Shepherd. Rose doesn't dare to go in since she called in sick in the morning and she gives Mrs. Shepherd a call. There is no answer and she calls Derek's assistant instead and he says.
"Just a moment"
Richard answers the phone.
"Chief of surgery, how can I help?"
"Derek. I am outside waiting for your mother…"
"Rose" Richard says.
Rose stares at her phone when she realizes that it is Dr Webber she is speaking to.
"Dr Webber where is Derek and where is Mrs. Shepherd?"
"Rose, Derek is not here. I'm filling in for him and Mrs. Shepherd is not here either."
"I'm to pick her up. She is staying with us in our apartment."
"I'm sorry but I can't help you." Richard doesn't know why he but his gut feeling tells him not to reveal where either Derek or Mrs. Shepherd is.
Owen and Cristina are alone at the house. Owen sneaks up behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. She has her hair up the way he loves it.
"How are you Cris?"
"I'm worried about Meredith. What if she doesn't want to accept her contract? What if she doesn't want the same? Why did she leave without a word? She and Shepherd didn't have any fallout according to him."
"I think we'll be alone for at least another hour and I know of something to do to keep us distracted."
"What?"
He leans in and whisper in her ear while his hands slowly lift her top.
After Meredith has finished her coffee she decides to take a shower. Meredith still feels confused about Rose and the action from the last 24 hours. Derek enters the trailer and hears the shower. He looks around and can see that his bed has been slept in and an unknown bag is left by the foot of the bed. When stepping closer he inhales the scent of lavender and a weight falls from his shoulders. She is here in his trailer and by the look of it, she has been here the whole night. He speed dials his mum and tells her the news and asks that they spread the news to Meredith's friends. When the water is turned off he ends the conversation and sits down on the bed waiting for Meredith to exit the tiny bathroom. She exits only dressed in a towel and looks as tempting as ever.
"This is a sight I'll never be tired of seeing" he says with his McDreamy smile.
Meredith jumps but returns his smile when she realizes that it is Derek.
"I didn't hear you arrive. Sorry for using your trailer without asking… but I thought you would be home last night and the I forgot my blackberry in the house… and I needed a shower and now you are here… and I wanted to talk to you before making my final decision…" she rambles until Derek grabs her by her waist and pulls her into his lap and kisses her.
Rose is back the apartment. All the planning around her comforts her. It is when she walks by Derek's home office she notice that the door isn't closed anymore. She takes a look. It is almost as it uses to be but for an empty shelf. All the family pictures of the Shepherds are missing. The photo of her on the desk is still in its place. The home file cabinet has an open drawer. All of Derek's files are missing. She runs into the bedroom. His drawers are empty along with his closet. There are only a couple of suits and shirts that he seldom use. The more she looks around the more she notice is missing but only things that has a personal meaning to Derek. When the truth finally sinks in she gets really mad. Anger starts to boil inside of her.
Mrs. Webber and Mrs. Shepherd split the calls that need to be made in order to cancel the party. Whenever possible they talk about Meredith and Derek. Mrs. Shepherd learns a lot about her son's relationship before Addison arrived and how it was before Meredith left and Derek and Addison tried to save their marriage. When Richard comes home Adele and Carolyn has become best friends.
"It is wonderful to get to know so much about Derek's life here in Seattle."
"Do you know Carolyn what we should do? We should throw a small dinner party for them and their friends and get to know even more. Dr Hunt, Dr Yang and Meredith will be returning to Africa on Friday and their friends are probably doing something for them on Thursday. Maybe they can come here tomorrow."
Meredith slowly breaks the kiss when she fells the evidence of Derek's arousal and stands up securing the towel around her.
"We need to talk, but first I need to get dressed and I would like to call Cristina if you don't mind me using your phone."
Derek nods slowly and rises from the bed. He hands her his phone and walks outside to give her some privacy to get dressed. It is too early to stay and watch and if he stays he will probably need a very cold shower.
Cristina is almost asleep after having multiple orgasms when a phone goes off. Owen stumbles up and sorts through their cloths until he finds the phone under their bed. He looks at the caller id and answers.
"Hi Derek, oh hi Meredith" before he can hear a respond the phone is ripped out of his hand.
"Mer, are you Ok?"
"Hi Cristina, yes I'm Ok."
"Why did you leave without telling me?"
"I needed to speak with Derek."
"What?" Meredith tells her the whole story about the invitation she had got at Joe's and her need to talk to Derek.
"Mer" Cristina is silenced a moment and thinks through her options before she continues. "Owen and I are accepting the contracts and we are keeping the baby. I want this baby."
"You do?"
"Yes and I need you here to pull me through. I need you to be here as my person.
Meredith steps outside to the porch where Derek is sitting reading a fishing journal. He looks up at her and smiles.
"You look beautiful" he says.
"Thank you" she smiles back at his blue, brilliant and sparkling eyes.
"So… you want to talk" he swallows his fear of what she will say.
"Yeah" she fiddles with her watch before looking him square in the eyes. "Are you getting engaged on Friday?"
"No, not unless you want to get engaged on Friday" he answers and continues "Meredith, Rose has started all this as a way to try and get me back. I heard about it for the first time last night after you left my office."
Meredith is looking into his eyes and can see that he is telling the truth.
"Do you mean all what you said these last couple of days?"
"Yes, every single word. I have been so worried about you these last twenty hours when we didn't know where you were. I love you so very much. I have taken a couple of days off from the hospital and Richard is standing in for me because I needed to find you. Please come with me for forty eight uninterrupted hours. Let's go somewhere and talk and just be together these last couple of days, before you leave."
Meredith looks at him for a long time before she nods. Derek sweeps her into his arms and hugs her close.
"I have one condition" she says.
"What?"
"We take it slow, very slow and start with talking."
Derek nods and picks up the phone to call a spa outside Seattle. When he hangs up he gets a call from Mrs. Webber asking him and Meredith to join them and their friends for dinner the following evening at the Webbers. He looks over at Meredith and declines with the excuse that they have already made other plans.
"She may not accept!" Cristina sits down and cries. Owen who is getting dressed pulls her into his arms.
"Maybe Derek can solve this when he answers her questions about Rose and the engagement party."
"What if he can't fix it?"
"Have faith. I have faith in them. Their love is something else, something special. Let's go and talk to the others. They are back."
Alex is just finishing a phone call when they enter the living room together.
"We are all invited to the Webbers tomorrow, dinner at 8 pm."