Chapter 71: She Will Recover
Derek, Alex, and Ellis sat not able to say a word. They had heard every word the doctor had said, but they were all processing it. It was successful for the type of surgery it was.
Derek had no idea what exactly that meant and tried to ask but Ellis quieted him with a flick of her wrist and thanked the doctor for the information. Derek moved to where Alex was standing, giving him a glance of concern, needing to understand what the doctors were talking about.
The second the doctor was out of the waiting room, Derek almost leapt to Ellis to understand what was going on with Meredith. Ellis turned around, looking at Derek and Alex who was a few feet behind Derek.
"What the hell did he say?" Derek said louder than he meant to speak.
"Surgery went as well as expected." Ellis said while still deep in thought.
"As well as expected? What the fuck does that mean Ellis? Just fucking tell us." Alex knew Ellis and the games she liked to play and wasn't going to tolerate that shit today.
Ellis cut her eyes at Alex and back to Derek, softening them a bit. "She should make a full recovery."
"Should?" Derek ran his fingers through his hair becoming frustrated.
"Screw this. I am going to find the damn doctor myself to find out. Come on Shepherd." Alex went to storm out of the waiting room but stopped at the door. "Are you coming?"
Derek looked between Ellis and Alex. He needed to figure this out. He wanted to get answers and knew Ellis had them. He didn't know Ellis, but he had to try because at the end of the day, she was the mother of the woman he was completely and utterly in love with. He looked earnestly at Ellis, "I want to hear this from you."
Ellis locked eyes with Derek, seeing the desperation while turning her eyes to Alex.
"I'm outta here." Alex said the second Ellis looked at him.
"Wait." Derek said forcefully but calmly.
Alex turned around reluctantly but didn't say anything, just nodded to Derek to say what he needed to say.
Derek nodded back at him and looked to Ellis. "I didn't understand all of what the doctor said since you both speak the same language, and he was speaking in technical terms. I want to understand. Alex and I both want to understand so that we can all be there for her when she wakes up. I don't know much, but I do know by the tone of both of you, it is serious. I am also going to assume the recovery is going to be long and hard and it will take the three of us working together for the full benefit of Meredith." He glanced back and forth from Ellis to Alex making sure everyone was okay for him to continue. Derek took a deep breath, "Ellis, I love your daughter. I know this isn't the time to discuss this, but I want to marry Meredith Grey." Derek smiled for the first time since before her surgery thinking about marrying Meredith, their wedding, the kids they would have, all of it.
Before he could say anything else, Ellis spoke up, "Wipe that goofy ass grin off your face. Love does make people weak. You think you are good enough for my daughter?"
The grin immediately dropped as he contemplated this and spoke very matter of fact. "I know I appear to be less than you wish for her. I am not an officer; I didn't live this grandeur life that you would have hoped for the man that would marry Meredith. But I assure you, she will always be taken care of in all of the ways a mother would want for her daughter."
"You think a lot of yourself." Ellis smirked a bit.
Derek knew how to play this little game of hers, "I know I am a good man with all of the love to give to a wife and family."
Ellis looked to Alex and spoke, "What do you think Karev?"
"You are asking me?" Alex said shocked she even cared.
"You are her best friend. You know her…" Ellis stopped, knowing she had really messed up where Meredith was concerned. She cleared her throat and continued, "You know her through and through. You two seem to get each other and I am asking your opinion of our eager young man here who says he is a good guy."
Alex looked to Derek while Derek pleaded with his eyes to speak well of him. Alex shrugged, "I think he is okay. I mean, for a guy and all, he seems to be okay."
Ellis contemplated this and started speaking, "She is going to have a long and hard recovery just as you said." She looked to Alex, "We are going to have to work together to keep her spirits high. She will be going through some pretty extensive physical therapy after being in the hospital for quite some time, at least a week."
"What else?" Derek knew there was more.
"There are many different complications that can go wrong from surgery from the little bit the doctor has said and the research I was able to do in the last day." Ellis finished.
"If we are to work together, you need to let us listen to the doctors. We need to be involved as much as you are." Derek said calmly.
Ellis didn't like this but didn't let her face show it. She sighed reluctantly, "Okay."
Alex couldn't believe his ears. "Seriously Ellis? You are just going to give in like that?"
Derek shot a look at Alex that said to shut the hell up.
"I know I have really messed up where Meredith is concerned. I almost lost my daughter. Do you have any idea what that is like? ANY IDEA?" Ellis yelled.
No one said a word for a few seconds while Alex and Ellis had a stare down, "No. I didn't think so." She turned to Derek, "You need to eat. You are looking like shit. Meredith needs you to be well fed. I am going to get you something to eat and see to it that you are to stay with her tonight as is your duty right now in the navy. Your father is a powerful man and there are no questions being asked. For a full recovery, she is going to need you and I am also going to do what I can to see to that. For the record, I do think she is stupid for loving and no matter what, I do believe men walk away especially when things get hard, but yet, you are here and that has me intrigued."