"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Derek asked, squeezing Meredith's hand tightly as they stood outside her mother's house. It wasn't her house anymore. Home was now associated with New York, with the Shepherds.
"Yeah," she whispered, staring at the house she had lived in for thirteen years. "Yeah, I'm ready."
"It's alright if you're not, dear," Emma said softly. "There's no hurry."
"I want to do it now," Meredith nodded as she began moving towards the front door, Derek and his parents trailing behind her. "I want it to be over."
Derek placed a comforting arm around her shoulder as she took a deep breath and unlocked the front door, letting it swing open to reveal a foyer filled with boxes. She stepped inside cautiously and looked around, wondering where she should start.
"Well, it looks like your mother started your job for us," Michael said, trying to lighten up the situation. "Where do you want to start, Meredith?"
"Um…I guess we can start with these," she said. "I really don't want anything, but if you guys like any of the furniture, or you think Kath or Nancy would like it, you can totally take it, because then I wouldn't have to sell it, and…"
"Mer," Derek said gently. "It's okay. We're here for you, okay? So just take a few deep breaths, and if this all gets to be too much, we'll just take it back."
"Okay," she nodded. "Um…the bedrooms were packed up last time I was here, so it's really just my mom's study and the kitchen and the living room."
"Em and I can start in the kitchen," Michael said with a nod. "How about you start in the study?"
Meredith nodded. "Yeah, we can do that," she nodded. "I think…I mean, my mom probably packed stuff, but we can go through it just to make sure."
"Come on, Mer," Derek said, gently placing a hand on her back and letting her guide him towards her mother's study, shooting his parents a worried gaze over his shoulder. When they entered the study, Meredith took a deep breath and looked around at the stacks of boxes before she shook her head and said, "Let's just take them out to the truck. We can take them to the dumpster later."
Derek was surprised for a moment before he asked, "Mer, don't you want to keep some stuff? Medical notes or textbooks or anything?"
She sighed as she sat down on the floor. "We can look through them," she nodded. "This is hard, Derek."
"I know," he whispered, sitting down beside her. "I'm here."
She nodded as she pulled the box open and began pulling pictures out. "That's me," she whispered, pointing to the little girl proudly pulling on a red wagon.
"You were cute," Derek smiled softly. "Is that your dad?"
"Yeah. He left when I was five. My mom dragged me out here after that and I never heard from him again."
Derek looked at her closely for a moment, amazed that the girl who had suffered from such terrible parents had turned into the amazing, albeit skittish, woman that he was in love with. "I'm sorry, Mer," he murmured. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been for you."
She shrugged as she reached into the box again. "The pictures stopped after Seattle," she sighed. "Mom really wasn't that bad before then, at least from what I can remember. But after the man she was having an affair left her…she just wasn't interested in anything besides being a doctor. It's like she stopped herself from ever feeling anything, and she wanted me to be the same way."
"She was wrong, Mer," Derek said softly. "It's wrong to completely shut down like that. I hate that you had to grow up like that."
"It's okay," Meredith said, a smile finally gracing her lips. "Because if I had stayed in Seattle, I probably wouldn't have come out here for school, and we never would have met."
"Hmmm…I think we would have," Derek nodded. "Maybe not now, but eventually… we'd have met and fallen in love."
She rolled her eyes. "You really are a loser," she said.
"A loser you love," Derek laughed.
As Meredith turned to another box, she frowned as she heard the sound of the front door opening again. "Are your parents leaving?" she asked.
"They wouldn't leave without saying anything," Derek replied. "Maybe they just went out to put something in the car."
"I'll go check," Meredith said, leaning forward to kiss him softly before she stood and walked into the hall. She stopped suddenly when she saw her mother's lawyer standing in the hall, a short, gray haired man standing beside him. "Mr. McCall," she frowned, taking a step forward. "What are you doing here?"
"Meredith," Mr. McCall sighed. "You never answered any of my messages, and I wasn't sure if you wanted anything to do with this house. I have to put it on the market, so I contacted your mother's next of kin to clear out the house."
"Next of kin?" Meredith repeated. "What, are you some kind of long lost uncle or something?"
The man laughed slightly and shook his head. "Meredith," he breathed. "You're…all grown up."
Meredith glanced at the man for a moment before looking at Derek, who had moved out of the study and was glancing at the group of people in the front hall curiously.
"Meredith….this is Thatcher Grey," Mr. McCall said gently, obviously not having realized that Meredith had not had any contact with her father.
"Thatcher?" Meredith whispered, grabbing Derek's arm for support.
"Meredith?" Emma asked, hurrying out of the kitchen. "Are you alright? You look pale."
"You're…my father."
Thatcher smiled slightly as he stepped forward. "Yes," he whispered. "I am."
Meredith stared at him for a moment before she turned into Derek, looking at him with glazy eyes.
"Mer?" Derek asked, holding her tightly. "Meredith!" he yelled as she slumped into his arms.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked, running out of the kitchen.
"She passed out," Derek said, taking her into his arms. "Dad, do something."
"She'll be fine," Michael said. "Take her to the couch, Em, go get a cool cloth and some water." He looked up at the men in the doorway and asked, "Who are you?"
"Sam McCall," the lawyer said with a frown. "Dr. Grey's lawyer. This is her ex-husband. And you are?"
"Looking out for Meredith," Michael snapped. "I suggest that you get out of here so she can get better quickly."
"This house is under my name," Mr. McCall started, only to be interrupted by Michael.
"We're here to clear out the house," he stated. "And I'm assuming that Meredith's condition is a result of meeting the two of you here. That girl doesn't need any more trauma from either one of you."
"Dad?" Derek interrupted, stepping out from the living room. "Mer's waking up, but she's a little disoriented. Do you think we should take her to the hospital?"
"I'm sure she's fine," Michael said. "I'll give her a quick check." He glanced at the two men in the foyer for a moment before he followed Derek and Emma into the living room, closing the door firmly behind him.
"Der," Meredith whispered from the couch, where Derek sat clutching her hand and Emma pressed a cool cloth to her forehead. "Where am I?"
"You're at your house," Derek said gently. "We're packing up your mom's things and you just passed out for a second. Dad's going to check you out to make sure everything's alright, okay?"
"Dad?" Meredith asked, her eyes growing wide as she hurried to sit up. "Oh, ow," she winced, pressing a hand to her head.
"Meredith," Michael said gently, easing her to lie back down. "Your father was here, but I told him to leave. Him being here isn't the best thing for your health right now."
"But…he's here."
"Meredith, you need to calm down," Michael said gently, looking at her eyes carefully before reaching to her wrist to take her pulse.
"Derek," Meredith whispered, her eyes filling with panic.
"I'm here," Derek said quickly, moving to stand beside his father. "It's okay, Mer."
"Everything looks okay," Michael sighed as he leaned back from Meredith. "I want you to keep drinking, and try eating in a little bit, okay? I think the shock combined with not eating since breakfast is what made you a little weaker. Let's just take it easy for the rest of the afternoon, okay?"
Meredith reached for Derek's hand and nodded as he gently slid onto the couch behind her, letting her rest her head on his lap. "Is he still here?" she whispered.
"Do you want to see him?" Michael asked.
"I…" Meredith bit her lower lip as she looked at Derek. "Not now. But…maybe later? Will he stay? Does he even want to see me?"
"I'll go see," Michael said softly. "You just relax."
Meredith sighed as she watched Michael walk out of the room. She took Derek's hand and threaded their fingers together, cuddling closer to him as Emma stood. "Are you hungry at all, dear?" she asked. "You should eat."
"I'm a little hungry," Meredith nodded. "Maybe just a sandwich?"
"Consider it made," Emma smiled as she stepped out of the room as well.
Derek sighed as he looked down at Meredith, running a hand through her hair. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she whispered. "That was just…a lot to take it."
"You scared me," Derek whispered. "I didn't know if you were okay."
"I'm fine, Derek," she rolled her eyes. "People pass out all the time. Especially when they see their fathers for the first time in thirteen years."
Derek nodded. "I know," he replied. "But that doesn't mean I liked it."
Meredith sighed and thought for a moment before she asked, "Der, do you think I should see him?"
"I don't know," Derek murmured. "I can't imagine not talking to my dad. But he was there for me, and he didn't abandon me. It's different for you."
"What if he's disappointed in me?"
"Oh, Mer," he whispered, squeezing her hand. "That's not possible. Even if he hasn't kept in touch with you…there's no way he'd be disappointed in you."
"You don't know that," Meredith argued.
"I do," Derek insisted. "You're amazing, Meredith, anyone can see that."
"He looked kind of nice," she whispered. "Not exactly…friendly, but nice enough."
"He did," Derek nodded. "Mer, I can't tell you what to do."
"I know," she whispered. "I just wish this was easier."
"I do too," Derek whispered, leaning down to kiss her. "I'm here for you, Mer, whatever you want me to do."
"Thanks," she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly. He was there for her, and no matter what happened with her dad, she knew he would still love her. That was really all that mattered.