I Will Follow You Into the Dark

CHAPTER 81

Derek finally fell asleep on the plane. Jen sighed quietly, relieved that her friend had found a few moments' peace. She could see the strain this was putting on him, and it made her that much happier that she'd consented to be his "date" for the weekend. If Meredith had any idea what this was doing to him........she'd..............she'd just have to start a cat fight with her for deciding to bring a date other than Derek to the wedding..........



Lonely is the room, the bed is made, the open window lets the rain in
Burning in the corner is the only one who dreams he had you with him
My body turns and yearns for a sleep that will never come


Derek sighed and muttered in his sleep. Poor guy couldn't even relax while he was sleeping. Jen was grateful for the meds she'd gotten from Bailey for him, but she knew he'd need a lot more than that to get him through this ordeal. She'd do what she could to help, but she was so worried about him. She couldn't wait to meet this Meredith for herself and see if she could tell what feelings she still had for Derek.

A few minutes later, she heard Derek murmur Meredith's name and then saw him smile. She'd seen movies and read books and counseled clients who were madly in love. She might have even been in love herself. But she'd never seen anyone as absolutely, uncontrollably, unconditionally crazy about another person as Derek was about Meredith.


It's never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It's never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her
It's never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter
It's never over, she's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever

Well maybe I'm just too young
To keep good love from going wrong

Oh... lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late


By the time they had landed, it was late, and Derek was a fragile shell of the man he usually was when he was on his way to visit his son for a special occasion. It was probably a good thing that he was so rushed--he had less time to think about what he was doing, where he was going, and whom he'd be seeing.

Jen and Derek raced to the hotel, checked into their suite, and changed for the rehearsal dinner. Luckily or not, they were staying in the hotel where the wedding would take place, and the rehearsal dinner was being held in the hotel's finest restaurant. Jen and Derek had missed the rehearsal, and Derek felt horrible that he hadn't been there for Trent, but he knew that his son would understand. They should have arrived hours earlier, but the airline delays had made a mockery of their neatly organized schedule. Derek smirked inwardly, thinking that the schedule had been the only thing neatly organized, and now it was shot to hell, too.


Well I feel too young to hold on
And I'm much too old to break free and run
Too deaf, dumb, and blind to see the damage I've done
Sweet lover, you should've come over
Oh, love well I'm waiting for you


As he waited for Jen to put the final touches on her hair and makup, Derek realized that their delay had prevented him from encountering Meredith and her date any sooner than absolutely necessary. Maybe God didn't hate him after all...........

He turned to face Jen as she walked into the room. "You really look gorgeous," he said, trying his best to smile at her.

"Thanks," she said. "I'm so hot that nobody will notice you, so quit worrying."

He shook his head in agreement, smiling at her constant attempts to lift his spirits. Then he offered her his arm, and she took it. As they walked down the hall and boarded the elevator, he realized that appearances could be deceiving. Most would have thought him the stronger, the more tough of the two. Only he and Jen knew how truly wrong that assumption would be. She squeezed his arm and reminded him to breathe as the elevator dinged to mark their arrival.

This was nothing like what he'd envisioned months earlier when he had kissed Meredith senseless and whispered that breathless comment about seeing her "at the wedding." Sighing and trying not to slouch and betray his trepidation, he braced himself for what was to come.


Lover, you should've come over
'Cause it's not too late