Save me

Part 15: Meeting a mom

"Thank you" she said after a few minutes of the loudest silence she had ever heard. "You're welcome" he replied, sitting down again, and looking at her from the opposite side of the table.

And then she started smiling. She felt like she couldn't control her emotions anymore after the speech he had just given her. And smiling turned into giggling, which lead to chuckling until she started laughing.

"What?" he chuckled, amused by how she was acting, confused where this came from. "It's just- my mom wasted so much money on therapy and hospital stays and you just-" and then her smile faded and she started crying again which really concerned him. "Thank you, you have no idea how much it means to me that you're still here, and everything that you've said was just- perfect." She said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"One moment you're laughing and not a second later you're crying?" he said as he moved his chair around the edge of the table so that he would be a little closer to her. "Maybe there is something wrong with you" he chuckled, knowing that what he said really took her by surprise. She just giggled, looking up at him.

"We did our last exam today, what would you think if I set up the mattress with the candles and the pillows and blankets again and we watch some more friends." He suggested as they were still sitting in this awkward position with their knees almost touching. "I'd absolutely love that." She said and then added: "but only if I can steal your cyan pullover again" what made him chuckle.

"Feel free to pick whatever you want from my closet" he said as he stood up and they started to clean the dishes and he put the rest of the soup back onto the cold stove. "Okay" she said before disappearing into the hallway. He just stood there smiling like an idiot because he knew that she'll be okay. And he'll do everything to help her.

Not a minute later as he had started to set up the candles and light chains, Meredith suddenly stood in front of him, still in his grey sweatpants but now with the cyan sweater he had purposely not chose to wear today in case some tiny person named Meredith would decide to steal it. He smiled at her and the bright smile he got back just warmed his heart and made him feel like everything he would need for the rest of his life was now standing here, right here in his apartment, wearing a cyan sweater, a grey, baggy sweatpants, the blonde hair still curly but also a little messy, and the most beautiful smile on this whole planet on her lips. He couldn't help but pull her into his arms.

"I promise you I'll try..." she said quietly. "I know" he replied before releasing the hug again. "I'll go grab the mattress, you could get some more blankets from your dorm if you'd like" he said and she nodded before turning around and slipping through the front door.

A few minutes later everything was set up and they both sat down and got comfortable on their pillow and blanket pile. "You know, right now I'm more relaxed than I've ever been. We had our last exam today and I told you something I didn't thought I would ever tell someone again." Meredith said, looking at him as he turned on the tv.

"Come here" he said with a smile, letting her crawl closer to him as he put on the episode, they had stopped at almost two weeks ago. Not after a full minute they suddenly heard a knock at the door. Both of them immediately looked over to the entrance as if they expected whomever was waiting outside to just come in. Andrew quickly entangled himself from the blanket pile and almost slided over to the door, opening it.

"Mom?!" he said surprised, hugging the tall woman that was now half standing in the apartment. The second Meredith understood who was standing in front of that door, ready to come in, was Andrew's mother, she tensed up. Turning the tv off she tried to fix her hair and make herself a little more presentable. But after all she was wearing a sweatpants and a hoodie. Both Andrew's. It looked like she had no clothes herself. She probably looked like a drug addict with her sleepy, tearstained face and her appearance in general. Well, technically she was a drug addict since she couldn't really survive a full day without her anxiety meds. Millions of questions flooded her mind, making her breath quicken as she already felt the panic attack coming.

'No. Not going to happen. I may look like I'm homeless and mentally unstable but this is Andrew's mother, and Andrew is one of the most important persons in my life' she thought to herself as she managed to push back her negative thoughts into the back of her mind which she knew she would soon regret. She quickly stood up and put a smile on h face, trying to make the best of the situation. She could do this. She had promised Andrew to try and she would. For him.

"Mer, this is my mother Jolene DeLuca, Mom this is Meredith." He said, smiling brightly although Meredith knew that he was concerned about her since this day had already ben a lot for her.

"Meredith, its nice to finally meet you, Andrew couldn't stop talking about you when I last called him" Jolene chuckled as she directed her attention towards Meredith before hugging her, taking the smaller girl by surprise.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm sorry for my outfit we were c-celebrating our last exam with a little chill time." Meredith explained as she looked up at the mother of her best friend, proud of herself for not stuttering too much.

"Oh don't worry you still look much more presentable than some of the girls Andrew brought home the past few years of high school" Jolene grinned as she looked from Meredith back to her son. "Mom!" he exclaimed, obviously embarrassed. "It's true and you know that. Also I wear pyjamas the whole day when I don't leave the house so I don't get to judge." She added, laughing.

Meredith already felt comfortable around the woman she barely knew for a minute and she didn't know why. It was the same effect Andrew had on her. They were both so- easy and relaxed and didn't seem to judge or care about stuff others would do like clothes.

Andrew seemed to notice that Meredith wasn't tense or uncomfortable at all. "What are you doing here I didn't know you were coming." Andrew asked his mother as all of them walked into the kitchen and Meredith got a glass of water for each of them, passing one to Jolene as she sat down on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter.

"Thank you, I haven't drank anything in too long." Jolene said as she took the glass from Meredith and took a few large sips. "I'm on my way to visit Carina and thought I'd step by since you had your final exam today. How did it go?" she then added, looking at Andrew with a warming smile.

"It went good I guess." Andrew replied. "I can't wait to come home for the summer." He added as he looked from his mother to Meredith who was still giving her best to smile. It was weird, usually Meredith couldn't form a single word around people she didn't knew. Normally she would start stuttering, shivering, she would be scared but now, she was completely calm, her hands steady, her breathing totally normal, no anxiety or anything like that at all.

"Well, it looks like I interrupted you two so I think I should probably go, I'll see you in a few weeks anyways huh?" she said, smiling from ear to ear. "Of course mom, thanks for stepping by." Andrew said as they followed the tall woman towards the door.

"It was nice to meet you Meredith, bye guys." She smiled before disappearing through the door. As soon as the door closed behind her, Andrew turned towards Meredith. "What- was that?" he asked, curious, yet not able to hide his smile.

"What do you mean? I like your mom, she's nice." Meredith said, smiling too as she sat back down on their bed-couch. "You were all calm and relaxed." He stated, sitting down next to her. "So?" she said, her smile getting bigger and bigger. She was obviously proud of herself for the fact that she had been able to control her anxiety.

"Mer" he said, looking at her concerned but still smiling slightly. "I don't know I- I'm okay." She said, her smile fading a little but not vanishing completely as she cuddled into his arms and pulled the blankets up around them. "Let's just relax." She whispered as she turned on the tv again.

"I'm proud of you." He whispered; his voice so quiet that he wasn't even sure if she had heard it. But it was true. She had promised she would try and he was proud of her.