Something's Missing 12/?
Author: beps_wildorchid
Rating: PG
Summary: Derek stops by!
Disclaimer: Own nada
Previous Chapters
Addison awoke early the following morning to the sound of Izzie drying her hair. She stretched and yawned, smiling as she thought back to the previous night. Mark had been kind and caring and hadn’t pressured her. He had merely stopped by to see how she was, and had cared enough about her welfare to put her to bed, despite her protests.
After Izzie finished with the blow dryer, she walked out into the bedroom to find Addison smiling, seemingly lost in thought.
“So, care to tell me who it was at the door last night?” Addison’s smile got a little wider before she turned her attention to the intern.
“Oh it was just…Mark.” Izzie laughed at the dreamy look that Addison had on her face, which caused Addison to blush and look down.
“So what happened with that?” Addison rubbed her neck as the flush increased.
“It was nothing. He was just…sweet.”
“Sweet, huh?” Izzie said with a hint of disbelief in her voice. Addison nodded then glanced at the clock.
“Stevens-er-Izzie, you better get going or you’ll be late for rounds.” Izzie nodded, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door.
--
Derek stood outside of the Archfield as Izzie walked out, just having gotten off of an obscenely long shift. He was dead tired, but it seemed more important to see Addison than to sleep. Izzie shot him a confused glance on her way out, casting a casual “hey, Shepherd” in his direction. He didn’t seem to notice.
After several minutes, he started walking, still in a strange daze. When he got up to her room, he stared at the door, uncertain whether or not he should enter. Maybe he shouldn’t bother-maybe he should just turn around and head the other way. He raised his hand to knock, then dropped it back down to his side. Alex was right. He had no right to care about Addison anymore. Lord knows he hadn’t given a damn about her for the past several years. Now that they were divorced, it seemed ridiculous that suddenly he cared this much about her. He heard the door to Mark’s room, which was just down the hall, open, knowing it was Mark without even turning his head. He finally turned when Mark addressed him, approaching his room.
“You know, Shep…if you want to go check up on her, I don’t think it would be a bad idea,” Mark suggested, noticing Derek’s hesitance and seeing the uncertainty in his eyes.
“I know, it’s stupid…it’s just…”
“Derek.”
“Karev just said something the other day that made me think, and…do you think it’s weird that I worry more about Addi now that we’re divorced?”
“Well…I mean…” Mark considered his words carefully as he rubbed his neck. Derek mistook his silence for confirmation of Karev’s attack.
“Shit. I knew it. I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not fair.” Mark cleared his throat.
“Derek, if you care about her, it’s not wrong. And you guys were really good friends before you got married. You just…you don’t want to lose her, and…she needs people around her to take care of her right now. Just…don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Derek snorted.
“That’s rich coming from you,” he retorts, smiling to let Mark know that he’s kidding.
--
Meredith and Alex sat a gurney in an abandoned wing of the hospital after rounds, both stewing over Derek’s behavior, though separately and silently.
“So, Mer, what’s the deal with you?” Alex asks, hoping to get his mind off of Shepherd’s newfound obsession with Addison. Mer sighs and looks at Alex,
“Well, I could tell you, but I don’t think you really want to hear more about how Derek is being an imbecile.” Alex groans and responds,
“What’s with that guy anyway? He has no right. The last thing she needs is him confusing her, plus he’s with you anyway!”
“It’s like I don’t even exist anymore. He can’t even see me! I guess this is how she must have felt.”
“He seriously needs to get off of his high horse.”
--
Derek knocked on Addison’s door finally, after a brief pep talk from Mark. He was feeling better about the whole situation, not to mention the fact that it had put him in a good mood that he and Mark had had a civil conversation and their friendship was on the way to (slowly) being patched.
When Addison opened the door, she was clad in a fluffy white bath towel and her hair was wet. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that I waited, he mused. She rubbed a towel through her long locks in an attempt to speed the drying process and stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter, which was when he realized that the toothbrush in her mouth was the reason that she had yet to greet him.
He sat on the bed, waiting for her to finish brushing her teeth. His eyes scanned the impersonal hotel room and he wondered how she could stand to live there. She was Addison-she liked personal touches and knick-knacks and all of those girly things. A hotel room, especially this hotel room, seemed more appropriate for Mark, the perpetual bachelor. He snapped out of his trance when she appeared in the bedroom again.
“Good morning, Derek,” she greeted cheerfully.
“Addison.”
“You look like hell,” she commented with a smirk.
“Well thank you,” he replied. Her brow furrowed in concern.
“No, seriously, you should get some sleep.”
“I wanted to check up on you first.” She sighed.
“Derek, you can’t keep doing this. You need to take care of yourself, and you need to take care of Meredith. On the list of things that you should be concerned about, I’m at the very bottom. You need to prioritize, Der.”
“Addison…”
“No, Derek, no. You were indifferent to me for years. Years! I understand that you are worried about me, and that’s fine, but you were the only person that I wanted to see when I was trapped there after the crash, and I was glad to see you, but this is ridiculous. I’m still in love with you Derek, and you’re not helping the situation any! So go…just…go home to Meredith.”
“Okay, first of all, Mer is working right now. Second, second only to Mark, you are and have been my best friend for longer than anyone. Third, I’m not trying to lead you on, but would being with me again be the worst thing in the world?” Addison deflated slightly and dropped down to the bed beside him.
“I don’t know, Derek…I’m so confused…” she whined, dropping her head into her hands.
“Shh, hey, it’s okay…” he soothed, placing his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm gently, “Everything’s okay. I just want to be here for you, as a friend, because I know you, Addi, and you’re going through a lot right now. If you really want me to leave you alone, I’ll try, but…I can’t promise anything.” Addison turned and leaned her forehead on Derek’s shoulder.
“I don’t want you to leave. I don’t think. I don’t even know what I want anymore.” She let herself cry on his shoulder. She cried for all of her unresolved emotions, and for the man she had talked to on the ferry who had died on impact. She cried because she didn’t know what else she could do. Derek just sat there and comforted her the best way that he knew how.
Rating: PG
Summary: Derek stops by!
Disclaimer: Own nada
Previous Chapters
Addison awoke early the following morning to the sound of Izzie drying her hair. She stretched and yawned, smiling as she thought back to the previous night. Mark had been kind and caring and hadn’t pressured her. He had merely stopped by to see how she was, and had cared enough about her welfare to put her to bed, despite her protests.
After Izzie finished with the blow dryer, she walked out into the bedroom to find Addison smiling, seemingly lost in thought.
“So, care to tell me who it was at the door last night?” Addison’s smile got a little wider before she turned her attention to the intern.
“Oh it was just…Mark.” Izzie laughed at the dreamy look that Addison had on her face, which caused Addison to blush and look down.
“So what happened with that?” Addison rubbed her neck as the flush increased.
“It was nothing. He was just…sweet.”
“Sweet, huh?” Izzie said with a hint of disbelief in her voice. Addison nodded then glanced at the clock.
“Stevens-er-Izzie, you better get going or you’ll be late for rounds.” Izzie nodded, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door.
--
Derek stood outside of the Archfield as Izzie walked out, just having gotten off of an obscenely long shift. He was dead tired, but it seemed more important to see Addison than to sleep. Izzie shot him a confused glance on her way out, casting a casual “hey, Shepherd” in his direction. He didn’t seem to notice.
After several minutes, he started walking, still in a strange daze. When he got up to her room, he stared at the door, uncertain whether or not he should enter. Maybe he shouldn’t bother-maybe he should just turn around and head the other way. He raised his hand to knock, then dropped it back down to his side. Alex was right. He had no right to care about Addison anymore. Lord knows he hadn’t given a damn about her for the past several years. Now that they were divorced, it seemed ridiculous that suddenly he cared this much about her. He heard the door to Mark’s room, which was just down the hall, open, knowing it was Mark without even turning his head. He finally turned when Mark addressed him, approaching his room.
“You know, Shep…if you want to go check up on her, I don’t think it would be a bad idea,” Mark suggested, noticing Derek’s hesitance and seeing the uncertainty in his eyes.
“I know, it’s stupid…it’s just…”
“Derek.”
“Karev just said something the other day that made me think, and…do you think it’s weird that I worry more about Addi now that we’re divorced?”
“Well…I mean…” Mark considered his words carefully as he rubbed his neck. Derek mistook his silence for confirmation of Karev’s attack.
“Shit. I knew it. I shouldn’t be doing this. It’s not fair.” Mark cleared his throat.
“Derek, if you care about her, it’s not wrong. And you guys were really good friends before you got married. You just…you don’t want to lose her, and…she needs people around her to take care of her right now. Just…don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Derek snorted.
“That’s rich coming from you,” he retorts, smiling to let Mark know that he’s kidding.
--
Meredith and Alex sat a gurney in an abandoned wing of the hospital after rounds, both stewing over Derek’s behavior, though separately and silently.
“So, Mer, what’s the deal with you?” Alex asks, hoping to get his mind off of Shepherd’s newfound obsession with Addison. Mer sighs and looks at Alex,
“Well, I could tell you, but I don’t think you really want to hear more about how Derek is being an imbecile.” Alex groans and responds,
“What’s with that guy anyway? He has no right. The last thing she needs is him confusing her, plus he’s with you anyway!”
“It’s like I don’t even exist anymore. He can’t even see me! I guess this is how she must have felt.”
“He seriously needs to get off of his high horse.”
--
Derek knocked on Addison’s door finally, after a brief pep talk from Mark. He was feeling better about the whole situation, not to mention the fact that it had put him in a good mood that he and Mark had had a civil conversation and their friendship was on the way to (slowly) being patched.
When Addison opened the door, she was clad in a fluffy white bath towel and her hair was wet. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that I waited, he mused. She rubbed a towel through her long locks in an attempt to speed the drying process and stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter, which was when he realized that the toothbrush in her mouth was the reason that she had yet to greet him.
He sat on the bed, waiting for her to finish brushing her teeth. His eyes scanned the impersonal hotel room and he wondered how she could stand to live there. She was Addison-she liked personal touches and knick-knacks and all of those girly things. A hotel room, especially this hotel room, seemed more appropriate for Mark, the perpetual bachelor. He snapped out of his trance when she appeared in the bedroom again.
“Good morning, Derek,” she greeted cheerfully.
“Addison.”
“You look like hell,” she commented with a smirk.
“Well thank you,” he replied. Her brow furrowed in concern.
“No, seriously, you should get some sleep.”
“I wanted to check up on you first.” She sighed.
“Derek, you can’t keep doing this. You need to take care of yourself, and you need to take care of Meredith. On the list of things that you should be concerned about, I’m at the very bottom. You need to prioritize, Der.”
“Addison…”
“No, Derek, no. You were indifferent to me for years. Years! I understand that you are worried about me, and that’s fine, but you were the only person that I wanted to see when I was trapped there after the crash, and I was glad to see you, but this is ridiculous. I’m still in love with you Derek, and you’re not helping the situation any! So go…just…go home to Meredith.”
“Okay, first of all, Mer is working right now. Second, second only to Mark, you are and have been my best friend for longer than anyone. Third, I’m not trying to lead you on, but would being with me again be the worst thing in the world?” Addison deflated slightly and dropped down to the bed beside him.
“I don’t know, Derek…I’m so confused…” she whined, dropping her head into her hands.
“Shh, hey, it’s okay…” he soothed, placing his arm around her shoulders, rubbing her arm gently, “Everything’s okay. I just want to be here for you, as a friend, because I know you, Addi, and you’re going through a lot right now. If you really want me to leave you alone, I’ll try, but…I can’t promise anything.” Addison turned and leaned her forehead on Derek’s shoulder.
“I don’t want you to leave. I don’t think. I don’t even know what I want anymore.” She let herself cry on his shoulder. She cried for all of her unresolved emotions, and for the man she had talked to on the ferry who had died on impact. She cried because she didn’t know what else she could do. Derek just sat there and comforted her the best way that he knew how.