Help is Around the Corner

Help is Around the Corner 21

"And you met me..." Meredith says softly, holding her breath.

"And I met you, and I didn't know what to think anymore. He'd moved on, and I thought you two were going to make a go at it... But he stayed with me... And then... And then there's this whole plot twist. I mean, our trailer burned down, and we were homeless, and we started staying with you, and I didn't think that was going to last long. I couldn't figure out how it was going to work, but it did. And it is. And I just... I don't really want things to change..." says Addison.

"You... Like staying with m- us?" says Meredith, switching over from 'me,' at the very last second.

"I do," says Addison. "And I know it can't be forever. And I know I shouldn't be spending my date nights with someone who isn't my husband, someone who is so smart, and pretty, and vibrant, and alive... And I just..." Addison sobs a little, and Meredith holds onto her tighter.

"You think I'm pretty?" Meredith asks her gently.

"I do, I think you're really pretty, but I already said that," says Addison.

"Right, you did," Meredith giggles.

"And I could lie, and say it's because of Doc, or being around other surgeons, or just easier, but it's not... It's so hard. I-" Addison sobs.

"Addie..." Meredith says softly, squeezing the redhead tighter.

"I'm getting attached, Meredith. I'm getting attached to you. And it's not fair to Derek, and it's not fair to you either. I wanted to want Derek, I did. And I wanted him to want you, and he did. But now I don't know if I want him like that, because I-" Addison just sobs harder, and she stops talking, and gets really quiet, and Meredith runs her hands through her hair.

Meredith's heart starts beating faster, wondering what Addison is thinking, wondering if she feels the same way about her that she does about Addison.

It's all so wrong, but it feels so right, and it's just so damn difficult.

Meredith doesn't want to hurt Addison though, and she knows that if she says or does something stupid and impulsive like kiss her then it will hurt Addison more in the end, and she cares about her too much to fathom that.

"Addison, don't-" says Meredith. "Shh-" she says, placing her fingers over Addison's lips. "I won't let you say something that you'll regret."

Addison nods into her arms, and keeps sobbing for a little while longer, as Meredith rubs her back, before Addison finally looks up again.

"Thank you, Meredith," Addison sniffles.

"Of course Addison, you know I'm here. And you can stay as long as you like. Nothing has to change... Unless you want it to," says Meredith carefully.

"Okay," says Addison.

"Okay," says Meredith.

"We should eat these noodles before they get cold," says Addison.

"Yeah..." says Meredith, as she picks hers up, and she starts eating them.

She's quiet on the outside, but in her mind, her thoughts are spinning all around her.

Addison likes staying with her. Addison thinks she's great. Addison... doesn't know if she wants Derek anymore.

Meredith's first instinct is to be happy, because it means she could have a chance with the redhead. But she also feels sad, because she knows that Derek was a big part of Addison's life for so long, and it must be hard on her to feel like she's losing that kind of connection.

"Anyway, I talked a lot about myself tonight. Why don't we talk about you?" says Addison.

"Alright..." says Meredith. "What do you want to know?"

Addison seems to consider this for a moment, before she settles on something.

"Tell me about backpacking through Europe," says Addison.

Meredith chuckles. "Well, I was fresh out of college, and I didn't know if I wanted to go into medical school yet, and I had this friend named Sadie, and she was so wild..." says Meredith, as she begins to tell Addison some stories about her past she'd long but swore to herself she'd never tell anyone ever.

Addison listens intently, and laughs, and smiles, and just like that, they're back to their 'normal,' back to how they usually were.

Just talking, and laughing, and sharing until the sun really sets, and it's pitch dark out, and they don't want to go in quite yet, so they just watch the stars float across the horizon.

"It sounds like a life-changing trip," says Addison.

"It was," says Meredith... "But there's nothing like coming home again."

"Yeah..." says Addison, as she squeezes Meredith's hand.

Meredith squeezes Addison's hand back, and Addison rests her head on Meredith's shoulder.

"Let's go home," says Addison.

"Home," says Meredith, rolling the words off her tongue, and feeling warm with Addison calling her own home that. "Let's do that."

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***** END OF CHAPTER 21

Author's note:

Some of this chapter was re-written from a previous iteration. Someday I might publish the deleted scenes as an extra to the fic. (Probably quite a while in the future though, so it won't be confusing). Cheers!

bobbiejelly