If you were here

Chapter 8

Derek woke up to soft whimpering. He opened his eyes and immediately landed on his wife, who looked to be shaking in her sleep. He stood up and walked closer, his heart breaking when he saw her crying.

Seeing his wife having a nightmare broke his heart. She had had them before, after the plane crash and shooting, and he hated it every time. Her soft whimpers tore his heart in two. "Mer." He said softly as he gently shook her shoulder.

Meredith started breathing heavily and her heart rate snot up. Derek knew he had to wake her soon or the nurses would come in. "Wake up Mer. You're safe, I got you." He said. Merediths eyes shot open, tears falling down her cheeks and looked around.

"I'm here Mer. You're safe, I'm here." He said as he carefully climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around her small frame. Meredith grasped a fistful of his shirt with her hand and held it tightly, needing to be close to him. She cried in to his chest for awhile, letting it all out.

"Nightmare?" Derek asked as she calmed down slightly. Meredith nodded. "Want to tell me what it was about?" He asked as he handed her the whiteboard. Meredith took the marker and wrote. "Lou." She scribbled. "Oh, Mer. You don't have to be scared. He's been discharged and I'm here. I'll keep you safe, I promise." Derek said as he kissed the side of her head.

"Go back to sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up." He promised. Meredith nodded and closed her eyes, almost instantly falling back asleep.

Derek stayed awake until rounds. "What happened earlier? Her heart rate spiked." Bailey asked in a concerned tone. "Nightmare." Derek replied sadly. "Poor girl." Bailey said softly as she looked at her battered intern.

Meredith soon became aware of the voices and woke up. "Hi." Derek said as he kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome back Grey." Bailey said with a smile as she examined her intern with her eyes. She still had some bruising along her face, but it was starting to fade. The wires looked painful and uncomfortable, and she still had a big brace on her leg and a sling around her arm.

"Good news everyone." Mark said cheerfully as he came into the room. "Grey, your conscious!" He said with a smile as he noticed her eyes open. "What is it Sloan?" Callie asked. "We can get those wires off next week. The X-ray showed the jaw is healing nicely and should be good to go in a few days." He said.

Merediths eyes lit up and looked at Derek, who had a relieved and happy expression. Meredith reached for his hand and he held on tightly. "Kids?" Meredith wrote suddenly. "Arizona and I have them today." Callie said with a reassuring smile. Meredith hadn't seen the kids in weeks, and she was aching just to get out of bed and see them.

"Want to see them? They've been asking for you constantly." Derek asked. Meredith nodded eagerly. "Okay. I'll get them in a little bit." Derek said as everyone else cleared the room. "Get them." Meredith wrote. Derek threw her a questionable glance. Meredith put on her best pouting face and he nodded. "I'll be back." He said as he walked out.

Derek went to the daycare and got the kids. "You guys want to see mommy?" Derek asked. "Yes!" The kids all yelled happily. "Okay, but before we go in I have to tell you something." He said. They all gave curious expressions at him. "Mama has wires around her teeth so she can't talk to you. But you can talk to her. She really misses you guys and wants to see you." Derek explained. The kids just nodded and eagerly waited for Derek to continue walking.

"Mama!" The kids yelled as they ran into the room Derek pointed them to. Meredith smiled the best she could at her kids. Bailey and Zola ran up to her while Derek walked over with baby Ellis. "I come up?" Bailey asked, being a total mamas boy. Meredith nodded and Derek lifted both Zola and Bailey into the bed. Bailey immediately cuddled into his mother's side and rested his head on her shoulder, while Zola did the same on the other side.

"Mama, you okay?" Zola asked worriedly. Meredith nodded and hugged her daughter and son close. Derek smiled as he placed Ellis on Merediths chest and watched as the almost 2 year old snuggled against her.

"We missed you mama." Bailey said softly. Meredith looked at Derek, who knew what she wanted. "Mama missed you guys too. So much." He said as he sat down on the bed. "When can mama talk?" Zola asked. "Next week, hopefully." Derek replied. "Good." She replied quietly.

The kids chatted to Meredith for a while before their surprisingly all fell asleep. Meredith shot a questionable face to Derek, who shrugged. "Alright Grey." Callie started as she came into the room and froze when she saw everyone. "They're sleeping, that's good. They all wanted to stay up and Uncle Alex's last night apparently." Callie said with a chuckle.

"Alright Derek, get close." Callie instructed as she took her phone out. Derek squished next to the bed and smiled. "That's adorable. Are you guys good?" She asked. They nodded. "Okay. I'll talk to you guys later." Callie said quietly before leaving. "I love you." Derek whispered. Meredith grasped his hand and squeezed.

Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you have any ideas for next chapters feel free to drop them. Hope your all doing well.