You're Like Coming Home

19.

Meredith stared at Addison for a moment before she shook her head and asked, "What?"

"I think I'm pregnant," Addison repeated a little louder.

"Did you take a test?" Meredith asked, ignoring the cold fear that ran through her body.

"No," Addison replied. "I just...I've been so sick to my stomach. I was blaming it on the bad cafeteria food, but now my period's late and I'm crabby, and I don't know, Mer, I don't know what to do."

"Okay," Meredith said, taking a deep breath. "Test, you need a test. And you need to talk to Mark. I can..."

"No," Addison snapped. "I'm not going to talk to Mark. It's his fault that I'm here, and he's the last person I want to see right now."

"Addie, he's the father," Meredith breathed. "You need to tell him. He'll help you."

"Meredith, I just have to know," Addison whispered. "Do you want to help me or not?"

"I'll help," Meredith said quickly, reaching out to wrap her arms around her friend. "I'll do anything you need me to."

"I need a test," Addison replied. "But I'm so sick, I'm afraid of leaving the bathroom."

"Okay," Meredith nodded. She suspected that Addison's desire to stay in the bathroom had more to do with avoiding Mark than it did being sick, but right now she wasn't going to dwell on it. Right now, she had to help her friend. "I'll run out and get you one, okay?"

"Thank you," Addison murmured. "I'll just...wait here."

"Okay," Meredith nodded. "I'll get you some nausea meds too."

Addison nodded, a vacant expression on her face as she leaned against the counter. Meredith offered her one last hug before she turned to walk out the door, moving quickly to Derek's room.

"I need your car keys," she announced as she burst into the room.

"What?" Derek frowned.

"I need to borrow your car," Meredith repeated. "Please, Der, I don't have a lot of time."

"Okay," Derek said slowly, pulling the keys out of the drawer and handing them to her. "Where are you going?"

"I..." her eyes flickered to Mark, who was sitting at Derek's desk with his face buried in his hands. "I don't have time to explain right now."

Derek frowned, but he knew better than to press Meredith for details when she was already on the edge. "Okay," he said softly. "Be careful."

"I will," she nodded, leaning forward to press her lips against his quickly before turning to walk out of the room. She hurried out of the building and to the parking lot, driving quickly to the closest drug store and rushing to the pregnancy tests, looking at the large number quickly before she grabbed five random boxes. Throughout the entire excursion, she couldn't think of anything besides what would happen if Addison was pregnant. She knew that her parents would never support their all-American daughter having a baby, but there was no way she could stay at college while preparing to have a baby.

She also couldn't ignore the voice in the back of her head that was telling her that if Addison was pregnant, it was entirely possible that this could be her in the same predicament someday.

She pushed aside that frightful thought aside as she hurried back to campus. She practically ran upstairs and flew past Derek's door, ignoring his concerned gaze and inquiry as to whether she was okay as she burst into the bathroom. Addison was sitting on the counter, staring at her hands as her hair fell limply around her shoulders.