Chapter 25
"Good morning" Bailey said as she entered Meredith's hospital room "Any news?"
"She moved her fingers earlier this morning.. A few times I thought she woke up.. Bailey, why is it taking so long?" Derek asked desperately
"Her body is fighting pneumonia, Derek. Give her some time. How are you doing?"
"Well my wife is on a vent after she almost died. My daughter cried for her mother yesterday and all I could do was lying and saying she'll see her soon"
"Derek-"
"Bailey.. I'm scared. I'm scared she doesn't want to fight. This whole wheelchair situation.. I still love her, you know?"
"I know, Derek. We all know"
"I want her to talk to me. I want her to tell me if she's in pain or if she has spasms or if she feels like there's no future. I wish she could see that I still love her, I wish she could see how much Zola loves her. She's a great mom!" Derek yelled on the edge of tears
"Derek.. Once she's out of here and she starts PT again and goes home she'll do better"
"Bailey.. This isn't just the pneumonia. The day before I brought her in, she apparently fell. Her back flinched and she fell, she didn't tell me!"
"Derek, she's stubborn. She thinks that she needs to deal with all of this on herself"
"That's the problem. We're all here for her. Me, my mom, you, all of our friends.."
"She'll realise that Derek."
"What.. the panic attack.. you said she slammed her legs?"
"She begged them to work.. she said she doesn't deserve to be called a mother"
"See-"
"Derek, she had a fever, she didn't feel well. She needed a catheter and stuff, of course she felt like she was losing again. But let's not forget that this woman became a paraplegic not that long ago and in the meantime she adjusted so well. Not many people find the strength to undergo the whole wheelchair situation. She hasn't skipped a PT session, she came to the baseball game"
"I know, Bailey. I do know that.. It's just.. I want to help her"
"She'll let you in, Derek. She will. Give her some time, maybe plan a trip once she's good to go."
"When would that be?"
"Well.. once she's out of here she'll probably have to re-do a lot of stuff in PT. Her body won't be able to move for a long time. If she gets released we still want her to do it easy at home so no PT, no unneeded transfers and a lot of rest. Her lungs have been and are still going through hell. You've seen the amount of fluids in her lungs."
As they were talking they both heard Meredith moving before she started choking on the intubation
"Mer?" Derek gasped as he stood up
"Meredith, I'll get the tube out, okay? Cough on 3 please" Bailey said before extubating Meredith. Derek gave her some water for her throat.
"How are you feeling?"
"Need.. deep.. cough" Meredith whispered
Derek gently helped her with the assistant coughing before she took a deep breath after some good, strong coughs
"Meredith, I'm gonna give you a nasal cannula, you need to take it easy, okay?" Bailey told her
Meredith nodded. Meanwhile Derek lifter the head of the bed a little so she could sit up a little more
"Page me if you need me" Bailey said while squeezing Meredith's hand and giving the two of them a warm smile before she left.
"I.. heard you"
"Mer-"
"I'm sorry, Derek" Meredith said, a tear escaping her eye
"Don't-"
"I.. I'll do my best.. to not shut you out. I love you, Derek"
"I know, Meredith. I love you too"
"Zo.. was crying?"
"She was, yes"
"I'm so sorry.. I feel guilty" Meredith said, her voice braking
"Mer, don't. This isn't your fault. None of this is"
"Love you"
"I love you too, Mer. Try to sleep some more, please" Derek said before kissing her
"Lay.. with me?"
Derek smiled and laid next to her, holding her close
...
The next few days, Meredith slept a lot. Her fever broke this morning and she looked less pale. The new scans showed no new fluid in her lungs and she felt a lot better. Still short of breath and tired but her chest quitted burning as long as she kept herself calm. Her friends visited regularly and Derek was there almost all the time, scared to leave her after the last time when they had to put her on a vent
"Der?" Meredith whispered after she woke up after a nap
"Hi, sleepyhead" He whispered back before kissing her
"How's Zola?" Meredith asked, rubbing her eyes
"Mom called, she's doing good.. she misses us"
"I wanna see her, Derek" She looked in his eyes, both of their eyes looked sad
"I'm gonna ask Bailey.. but Mer.. not like the last time, please"
"I was angry, Derek. Angry at the universe. I want to be there for my baby and for you, I don't want to ruin your life too"
"Mer, you don't ruin anyone's life. I love you, I wanna stay with you even if you can't walk, which you still have hope for!"
"What.. What if I can't do it alone? What if I'll need help? What if the strength never returns? Or the feeling?"
"Mer listen, I will always love you. Even if you're in a wheelchair forever. You're still you"
"I'm a burden, Derek!"
"Mer, stop! You're not! You can still do things on your own and once we're out of here we'll look for a car that you can drive without using your legs and we'll go on a trip, just the three of us. You still take care of Zola, you still can do so many things but you just don't notice because you're my Meredith. You're capable of so many things" Derek whispered the last part before kissing her long on her lips. He held her close as he climbed on the bed and they cuddled close to each other. Derek gently lifted her legs on top of his and she was now resting her head on his chest. Calming down by hearing his heartbeat.
"I love you, Der"
"I love you too, Mer"
Hey guys! We hope you all enjoyed this chapter and hope your all doing well. As always, go follow _Ktje_
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Highway to Hell
FanfictionAnother outcome on what could have happened in the episode Dark was the Night. Will there be severe injuries? Read to find out. Co written with @_Ktje_ Go follow her!!
