You're Like Coming Home

17.

Meredith giggled as she sat on the counter next to the stove, watching as Derek tried to flip the pancakes he had poured onto the pan. He had promised to cook her breakfast, and after eighteen years of watching his father cook them pancakes every Saturday morning, he thought that he would be able to do so.

He'd been wrong.

Meredith was having a field day watching him as he mixed too much flour in, then poured too much batter onto the stove, and now he couldn't even flip the pancake.

"Der, maybe I should try," she giggled. "I thought you were a good cook but at this point...I actually think I might be better than you."

"Shut up," Derek frowned. "I've been watching my dad do this my entire life."

"Well let's hope you're more prepared when you operate on your first brain," Meredith said before bursting into another fit of giggles.

Before Derek could respond, the back door burst open and Caitlin stormed in and walked directly to the stairs, followed closely by Liz. Derek frowned, and a moment later his parents appeared in the doorway as well.

"What's wrong with Caitie?" Derek asked.

"Oh, just the same old thing," Emma said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Boy trouble."

Derek frowned. "When the hell did she start dating?" he asked.

"Watch your mouth, Derek Christopher," Emma warned as she looked at the stove. "What in the world are you doing?"

"He thinks he's making pancakes," Meredith chimed in. "Personally, I think it's hilarious."

Derek frowned and Michael pushed him out of the way. "Alright, son, I think it's time you learned the secret to the Shepherd family pancakes," he said. He looked pointedly at Emma, who rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Meredith, dear," she said. "Michael refuses to make the pancakes if I'm anywhere near the kitchen. Apparently I'm not worthy enough to know the Shepherd secret."

Michael laughed as he leaned forward to kiss her. "You're plenty worthy," he said. "It's just a secret for the men. My dad taught me, I'm teaching Derek, and he'll teach his son."

"Of course, dear," Emma nodded, reaching for Meredith's arm. "We can go sit on the porch, Meredith."

Meredith hoped off the counter and followed Emma out the door, shooting Derek a smile over her shoulder as she walked out the door. When they were settled on the porch swing facing each other, Emma reached out and gently squeezed Meredith's hand. "How are you doing, dear?" she asked.

"I'm good," Meredith said with a nod. "I...it's not like my mom and I were ever very close, and...well, I just have to make sure she gets into a home."

"It doesn't matter if you were close, does it?" Emma asked gently. "It still hurts."

Meredith nodded, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

"I know exactly what you're going through," Emma said gently. "My mother...she hated that I married Derek's father. She thought I was too you, didn't know what I was doing... so when I married him and started my life, we had a very strained relationship. I only saw her at family events, and when she got Alzheimer's, it was just as painful as me as it was for my siblings who she hadn't disowned."

"Oh," Meredith breathed. "But...how did you deal with it?"

Emma sighed. "It was quite difficult," she said. "But I had my sisters and my brother to help me. It's a terrible disease and there's really nothing we can do about it. Michael nearly quit being a neurosurgeon to research a cure for it, but thankfully I was able to convince him otherwise. I just hate that you don't have anyone else to care for her while you're at school."