Take my hand and let me hear you breathe
Fic Title: Take my hand and let me hear you breathe
Fandom/Characters: Derek/Addison, Grey’s/Private Practice crossover though more PP than Grey’s
Word count: 920
Warnings/Spoilers: For S4 of PP
Author's Note: Written for Challenge #3 'The Drunk Dial' at tvrealm. I had originally intended to go for funny, but it so did not end up anywhere even close to funny. Oops!
It was almost two in the morning when Derek’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Putting down his beer and pulling it out, he flipped it open.
Addison.
“Dereek. Can you get on the cmpter? I wantz skypeeees with you” read the text.
He sighed. He knew what that meant. One, she was drunk. Two, something had happened. Addison never wanted to talk to him when she was drunk unless something was wrong. Sober, she would call to discuss a case. Sober, they would engage in a little small talk, catch up a little here and there. Sober, she would pretend everything thing was perfectly fine.
When she was drunk it was a whole different story.
Part of him thought he should just ignore her, let her sleep it off and deal with whatever it was herself when she woke up in the morning. But the part of him that still hurt when she hurt, and that hated to see her cry, made him get up off the couch, grab the computer and log on to skype.
“Hi,” he said a few minutes later when she answered.
“Hiiiiii,” she slurred. He waited a few seconds until she switched the video function on. She was outside. He could barely see her through the fuzzy little web camera in the black of night with just the slight hint of light from the moon.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“Nothinnnnnnnnnnnn’,” she slurred. “I just wantz say hiiiiiiiiiii.” She giggled, and the picture titled slightly as her laptop bounced on her lap.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Idunnoooooooo.” He saw her disappear from his screen. A few moments later a shape was waving in front of him. It took him a few seconds to realize it was a wine bottle.
“Thisssssss much.” He could hear her giggling in the background.
He waited for her to put the wine bottle down and get re-seated. This time she leaned in close, giving him a glimpse of her face. Her eyes had the glazed look she always had when she drank too much, but he could see something else there.
“Derk?” she giggled, then hiccupped, which made her giggle some more. “Derk. I misssss you.” She yawned.
Derek laughed to himself. She had always been an amusing drunk.
“Addison, where’s Sam?”
That was apparently the wrong question to ask. Even though he still had trouble seeing her, he could tell by the way she froze that she was about to cry. A few seconds later, he heard her sniffle and then a sob broke through.
Oh. So that’s why she was calling him.
Maybe his sister was there somewhere and would be able to come rescue her? Or at least bring her a tissue.
“Addie,” he said softly. “Where’s Amelia?”
“W-w-w-w-workkkkkk,” she managed. He saw her reach up and rub her eyes.
So it was just him. He could deal with this.
Addison was still talking. He couldn’t understand much of what she was saying. After a few seconds she took a breath.
“Derk,” she mumbled. “Am I not desirable?”
“What? Addison …”
“I don’t think Sam loves me. Maybe I need to be more prettier. Or …. something. I need to be something.” He watched as she lifted the bottle of wine to her lips, chugging it straight from the bottle.
He sighed.
“Hey, Addison,” he said softly. “Maybe you should go to bed.”
“Izzzzzz not tired,” she answered.
“What if I go to bed with you?” he asked. He saw her tilt her head in confusion. “Can you pick the computer up and go upstairs?”
He saw her nod. For a second, the video screen went rocky again, then he saw the night sky as heard her struggle to stand up. Soon enough it was focused on her face.
As she moved inside, he was able to see her better. She was giving him a loopy smile, but he could see the traces of tears on her cheeks.
She clamored up the stairs and into her bedroom. A few times he could hear her stumble and she giggled more than once, but when she got upstairs, she stopped.
“I’m heeeeeerrrrreeee,” she told him, even though he could see that. At least it seemed like she had stopped crying.
“Okay,” he said. “Why you don’t get in bed and put the computer next to you?”
He waited as she did what she was told. He expected her to protest, but she was surprisingly compliant. He figured she must really be tired.
“Can you see me?” she asked once she got settled. The computer was focused on her head. He could see her perfectly.
“Yes,” he told her. “Now why don’t you close your eyes? Just for a little bit?”
He watched as she did.
A few seconds later, “Derk?”
“Yeah, Addie?”
“The world is spinning.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it is. Just keep your eyes closed, okay?”
He watched her nod as he stifled a yawn himself. It was late, but he knew it wouldn’t be long. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he could hear her breathing even out. She’d fallen asleep, just as he knew she would.
He watched her for a few seconds longer.
“Oh, Addison,” he whispered softly to the sleeping girl on the other side of the computer. “You’re plenty desirable. You just deserve better than Sam Bennett.”
And with that, he silently logged off and headed up to bed, wondering if she would even remember any of this in the morning.
Fandom/Characters: Derek/Addison, Grey’s/Private Practice crossover though more PP than Grey’s
Word count: 920
Warnings/Spoilers: For S4 of PP
Author's Note: Written for Challenge #3 'The Drunk Dial' at tvrealm. I had originally intended to go for funny, but it so did not end up anywhere even close to funny. Oops!
It was almost two in the morning when Derek’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Putting down his beer and pulling it out, he flipped it open.
Addison.
“Dereek. Can you get on the cmpter? I wantz skypeeees with you” read the text.
He sighed. He knew what that meant. One, she was drunk. Two, something had happened. Addison never wanted to talk to him when she was drunk unless something was wrong. Sober, she would call to discuss a case. Sober, they would engage in a little small talk, catch up a little here and there. Sober, she would pretend everything thing was perfectly fine.
When she was drunk it was a whole different story.
Part of him thought he should just ignore her, let her sleep it off and deal with whatever it was herself when she woke up in the morning. But the part of him that still hurt when she hurt, and that hated to see her cry, made him get up off the couch, grab the computer and log on to skype.
“Hi,” he said a few minutes later when she answered.
“Hiiiiii,” she slurred. He waited a few seconds until she switched the video function on. She was outside. He could barely see her through the fuzzy little web camera in the black of night with just the slight hint of light from the moon.
“What’s wrong?” he asked her.
“Nothinnnnnnnnnnnn’,” she slurred. “I just wantz say hiiiiiiiiiii.” She giggled, and the picture titled slightly as her laptop bounced on her lap.
“How much have you had to drink?”
“Idunnoooooooo.” He saw her disappear from his screen. A few moments later a shape was waving in front of him. It took him a few seconds to realize it was a wine bottle.
“Thisssssss much.” He could hear her giggling in the background.
He waited for her to put the wine bottle down and get re-seated. This time she leaned in close, giving him a glimpse of her face. Her eyes had the glazed look she always had when she drank too much, but he could see something else there.
“Derk?” she giggled, then hiccupped, which made her giggle some more. “Derk. I misssss you.” She yawned.
Derek laughed to himself. She had always been an amusing drunk.
“Addison, where’s Sam?”
That was apparently the wrong question to ask. Even though he still had trouble seeing her, he could tell by the way she froze that she was about to cry. A few seconds later, he heard her sniffle and then a sob broke through.
Oh. So that’s why she was calling him.
Maybe his sister was there somewhere and would be able to come rescue her? Or at least bring her a tissue.
“Addie,” he said softly. “Where’s Amelia?”
“W-w-w-w-workkkkkk,” she managed. He saw her reach up and rub her eyes.
So it was just him. He could deal with this.
Addison was still talking. He couldn’t understand much of what she was saying. After a few seconds she took a breath.
“Derk,” she mumbled. “Am I not desirable?”
“What? Addison …”
“I don’t think Sam loves me. Maybe I need to be more prettier. Or …. something. I need to be something.” He watched as she lifted the bottle of wine to her lips, chugging it straight from the bottle.
He sighed.
“Hey, Addison,” he said softly. “Maybe you should go to bed.”
“Izzzzzz not tired,” she answered.
“What if I go to bed with you?” he asked. He saw her tilt her head in confusion. “Can you pick the computer up and go upstairs?”
He saw her nod. For a second, the video screen went rocky again, then he saw the night sky as heard her struggle to stand up. Soon enough it was focused on her face.
As she moved inside, he was able to see her better. She was giving him a loopy smile, but he could see the traces of tears on her cheeks.
She clamored up the stairs and into her bedroom. A few times he could hear her stumble and she giggled more than once, but when she got upstairs, she stopped.
“I’m heeeeeerrrrreeee,” she told him, even though he could see that. At least it seemed like she had stopped crying.
“Okay,” he said. “Why you don’t get in bed and put the computer next to you?”
He waited as she did what she was told. He expected her to protest, but she was surprisingly compliant. He figured she must really be tired.
“Can you see me?” she asked once she got settled. The computer was focused on her head. He could see her perfectly.
“Yes,” he told her. “Now why don’t you close your eyes? Just for a little bit?”
He watched as she did.
A few seconds later, “Derk?”
“Yeah, Addie?”
“The world is spinning.”
“Yeah, I’m sure it is. Just keep your eyes closed, okay?”
He watched her nod as he stifled a yawn himself. It was late, but he knew it wouldn’t be long. Sure enough, a few minutes later, he could hear her breathing even out. She’d fallen asleep, just as he knew she would.
He watched her for a few seconds longer.
“Oh, Addison,” he whispered softly to the sleeping girl on the other side of the computer. “You’re plenty desirable. You just deserve better than Sam Bennett.”
And with that, he silently logged off and headed up to bed, wondering if she would even remember any of this in the morning.