You're Like Coming Home

38.

Derek stared at the ring on his mother's finger, completely tuning out everything around him as his sisters fluttered around Kathleen. Emma was supervising her daughters as they dressed their eldest sister for her wedding, and Derek had been more than happy to stand aside and wait quietly until it was time to walk Kathleen down the aisle.

But then Emma's engagement ring had caught on the light in the room, and he couldn't help staring at it. Because he wanted that ring to be on Meredith's finger. It was crazy, he knew, to want to get engaged at nineteen when they had college, med school, and internships to look forward to, but ever since she had pretended to be engaged at the engagement party months earlier, he couldn't help thinking how amazing it would be to have Meredith Grey wearing the ring that his father had promised his mother with. And the most amazing thought in the world to him at this point in time was the fact that she would be Meredith Shepherd. And that was perfect.

"Derek Christopher," his mother's firm voice interrupted his thoughts, and he snapped to attention.

"Yeah Mom?" he asked.

"You need to go make sure everything is running smoothly downstairs," Emma said. "Make sure the guests are being greeted properly, the boys are seating everyone alright."

"Okay," Derek nodded, moving to walk out of the room. As he made his way down into the chapel, he ran into Mark as he returned from showing some guests to their seats. "How's it going?" he asked as he peered into the chapel.

"Fine," Mark shrugged. "I just seated our girlfriends. Man, they look hot. I say we designate places for us to go during the reception so we don't have a repeat of the engagement party."

Derek rolled his eyes as he moved closer to the door to look for Meredith. She was seated in the first row on the left side of the church, alone until he and his mother proceeded down the aisle to join her. She'd said it wasn't necessary to sit with Kathleen's immediate family in the first row, but he had insisted. He wanted to sit beside her as his sister got married and imagine what their wedding would be like.

"I have to see her," he breathed.

Now it was Mark's turn to roll his eyes. "You're such a chick," he said. "You saw her two hours ago when she had to push you out the door to get here early."

Derek ignored him as he made his way into the church, smiling politely at familiar faces as he made his way to Meredith's side. "Hey," he breathed as he sank onto the pew next to her.

"Derek," she breathed, turning to look at him with wide, surprised eyes. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled as he leaned forward to kiss her gently. "Just wanted to see you," he said. "You look beautiful." His eyes swept over her body as he took in the black halter dress that went down to just above her knees. He swallowed hard as his eyes landed on her left hand. Her very empty left hand.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she giggled as she reached out to straighten his bow tie. "But Kathleen is probably freaking out wondering where you are."

Derek laughed as he leaned forward to kiss her one more time. "I'll see you in a few minutes," he said with a smile before he stood to walk to the back of the church.

"Derek, there you are," Emma sighed as she sank onto a chair in the foyer. "Did you..." her voice trailed off as she caught Derek staring at her hand. "You've been staring at my hand for weeks now, Derek. What's going on?"

Derek shook his head as he sank into a chair beside his mother. "Nothing," he murmured. "It's Kath's day."

Emma stared at him for a moment, knowing something was up. "What is it, Derek?" she gently prodded.