We Can Survive This - New Addison & Derek fic.
We Can Survive This.
Part 1
Lucy Jade Montgomery Shepherd, was 18 years old and had just started at Harvard studying Medicine. She had always been very intelligent and had graduated High School a year early. She had always wanted to a doctor, not a surgeon like her parents, she just wanted to be a doctor. She was really enjoying it and decided to call home and let her parents know how she was doing. They had had her when they were 21 and although it had been a struggle for them, they had managed to make it through med school and became world class surgeons. It was lucky that they had had a really great family, especially with her dad’s side to help out with her, and she really did feel so very lucky to have them all. She really did love her family.
Calling home that night however everything changed. Her mom picked up straight away, sounding very upset. “Derek?” Addison asked hoping it would be him calling her, even though she knew it was very unlikely.
“No mom it’s me… Is everything ok? You sound really upset. What did he do?”
“Lucy! Hey baby, it’s nothing really. How are things with you?”
“That doesn’t matter right now. Please Mommy tell me what’s wrong?”
Addison starts to cry. “I… I ..I did something awful. I still can’t believe I did it. I was just so lonely, and felt so unwanted and angry and so much more than that. He’s been so indifferent and cold ever since we lost Danny. I… I slept with Mark... Last night.” Lucy gasped it was the last thing she had expected to hear.
“I’m sorry mom. I’m just shocked. But please tell me what happened. I’m trying to understand, really. I do, dad hasn’t been a husband to you at all in the past three years, I was hoping so much that you would just get though it. I know that you love each other and mom we all loved Danny we were so happy together, the four of us.”
Addison lets a sob escape her. “We were, weren’t we. But after Danny died, we just fell apart. Your dad and I worked more and more, and saw less and less of each other.”
“I know mom, I was there too. I know I was always studying hard, or I was out with friends but I noticed.”
“Your dad, he’s left me Lucy. He came home and caught me and Mark together. I tried to tell him how sorry I was and that it was only one time and that Mark was just here, lately Mark has just seemed to be here so much for me. He left and said we weren’t Addison and Derek anymore. I don’t even know where he’s gone, if he’s ok. Can you call his mobile Lucy? He’ll pick up if you call him. I don’t know what I’m going to do without him!”
“Mom I’m going to come home, you need me right now. I’ll be able to get some time off.”
“No no Lucy, I’ll be fine. I don’t want you to take time off. Just stay in school and study I know how much you want to be a doctor.”
“I do, so much. But right now you need me mom and I won’t take no for an answer. I’m coming home.”
“Ok but Lucy only come for a week at the most, I don’t want you missing out on too much.”
“Ok mom and I promise I’ll call dad for you. I’ll do it right now ok. Then I’ll get the first plane out of here.”
“Thank you Lucy. I love you.”
“I love you too mom. Try and stay strong till I get home.”
Lucy hangs up and immediately calls her fathers mobile. Derek seeing it is Lucy calling on his caller ID picks up.
“Lucy, hey princess”
“Hey dad. I just called home and made mom tell me everything cause I knew she was upset. I’m so sorry, it must have really hurt to see your wife and your best friend together.”
Derek sighed and felt tears forming in his eyes. “It did more than you can imagine, Lucy. I just had to get away from it all.”
“I understand that, but you are coming back right? She needs you, dad and she’s sorry and she loves you.”
“I don’t know, Lucy. I really don’t know if I can.”
“Dad please come home, she just wants her husband back, the one she had before Danny died. You’ve got to face it dad you haven’t been the same since Danny died and instead of supporting each other, you pushed each other away and worked more and more.”
“I know, I realised that last night after I left. I love her and I miss her, and I miss our family. But I really don’t know if we can get through this it’s too hard.”
“Life is hard. Life isn’t fair sometimes. It’s not fair that Danny died. It hurts me too dad. But we can get through this as a family, please come home. Your wife needs you. I need you. I know it will take time, but you could try counselling, I think you should have long before now. Maybe if you had of done that, she wouldn’t have slept with him. She regrets it and hates herself so much for it. She didn’t want him dad, and she certainly doesn’t love him as anything more than a friend. She loves you dad!”
Derek sighs again and tears stream freely down his face. “I’ll think about it. I know that I don’t want to be without her, and I do love her and I miss her. But I just don’t know. I can’t imagine my life without you and your mother in it. I don’t want to, so I… I really will think about coming back home. But it will take time Lucy. I need time to process this. A week maybe.”
“Thank you daddy. I’m going home she needs me so I’m taking at least a week off.”
“Thank you Lucy. Even though I can’t be there with her right now. I love and care about her enough to want someone to be there with her. I know that she’s as devastated as I am.”
“Yeah she is. Please promise me you’ll come home daddy. Even though Danny isn’t here anymore. I want our family back. I want us all to be happy, me you and mommy.”
Derek hesitates for a moment before saying. “I promise Lucy… I really think you’re right it’s time we were a family again. Danny wouldn’t have wanted us to fall apart because he died and he would have wanted us to remember him with happiness, not sadness.”
“He would have done. He was such a happy child, the three years he was here were some of the happiest of my life.”
“Mine too…. Oh god…. Lucy I’ve been such an idiot. How could I have let it get this far. We should have stayed strong and comforted each other through Danny’s death. I know Addison tried to get through to me, but I ignored her.”
“At least you’ve realised now. It’s not too late dad I promise. Just come home when you’re ready.”
“Thanks Lucy. I think it may be sooner than I thought cause talking to you has cleared some things up and I want to make up for my mistakes. I’ll be home in a few days. A week at the most.
“Ok Bye daddy. I love you.”
“I love you too princess.”