I Promise You (6/?)

[flipflop_diva]

Title: I Promise You (6/?)
Rating: R
Warning: Deals with rape
Pairing: Derek/Addison
Summary: It was one broken promise, but it changed everything. AU from end of Season 3.
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.
Author’s Note: Like always, sorry about the delay. Someday I will get around to updating in a more timely fashion. Seriously.



“Derek?”

Addison’s soft voice broke through Derek’s reverie. He had been staring off into nothingness, waiting for Bailey to come back with the pain medication and sedatives she wanted to give Addison to help her once she got home. He needed to go talk to Meredith. He wanted to go talk to Meredith. But he was nervous about leaving Addison alone; she hadn’t taken to the idea very well when he had suggested it earlier.

He had intended to go find his girlfriend while Addison had her wrist X-rayed and put in a cast, but when he had told Addison he would see her after, she had panicked.

“Please don’t leave me!” she’d whispered, and his heart had ached at the expression of pure terror on her face. So he’d stayed.

Bailey had tried to get Callie to examine her wrist, but that was another thing that hadn’t gone over well with Addison.

“No,” she’d whispered, shaking her head when Bailey mentioned going to page Callie.

“No?” Bailey’s eyes had narrowed, and she’d met Derek’s over Addison’s head. Addison had been playing with the edge of the blanket that was covering her, and she hadn’t looked up. Derek actually thought she had kept her eyes downcast on purpose.

“Addison,” he’d said gently. “What’s wrong? I’m sure Callie won’t tell anyone.”

“She’s mad at me.” Addison’s voice had been so low he hadn’t been sure he’d even heard her. But when he saw Bailey frown, he knew he had.

“Addison,” he’d said again. “I’m sure she’s not …”

“She hates me.” Addison kept playing with her blanket, twisting it in her fingers.

“Addison …”

But she had been insistent, and finally it was easier just to agree to take care of her themselves rather than try and figure out what had happened between Addison and Callie and reassure Addison that they were sure that Callie would want to help her no matter what it was she had done.

Yet even taking care of her themselves had been a challenge. Once it had dawned on Addison that they actually had to take her to get the X-rays, which meant moving her out of her little room in the ER, she had panicked again.

“But I don’t want anyone to see me!” she’d said, and pulled her blanket up to her chin, as if it would protect her from prying eyes.

It had taken ten minutes and Derek’s soothing words to get her to agree, but they finally got her settled on the gurney and covered her up so completely the only part of her body anyone could see was her eyes. The halls had been pretty empty, fortunately, and the few people who had been around received an evil eye from Bailey along with a hand gesture threatening them to back up and not say a word.

They’d given her a CT instead of an X-ray, deciding it was better to thoroughly check her. It was good news. Her wrist was broken in two places, but they were clean breaks. (“Six weeks in a cast, and she should be fine,” Bailey had said.) She had two fractured ribs, but no internal bleeding, no concussion. Physically she would be fine in a few weeks’ time. Mentally and emotionally, that was a whole other story.

“Derek?”

Derek blinked as he realized Addison had been calling him. He turned to her and tried to force a smile. She was staring at him, her blue eyes watery, her lip trembling again. Her broken wrist was wrapped in a cast, and her arm was in a white sling. Her good arm was wrapped around her injured one, almost cradling it against her chest.

“Yes?”

“I can go home now, right?”

Derek reached out and laid his hand over her good one. “Yeah. I just need to go fill out some paperwork for you, and you need to sign a couple things, and then you can go.”

Addison nodded, then, “Derek?”

“Yes?”

She dropped her eyes from his, and he saw her hesitate.

“What is it?”

She took a deep breath, opened her mouth to talk, then stopped. Instead she bit her lip.

“Addie? It’s okay. You can tell me.”

She took another breath, but kept her eyes down. “I don’t want to go home alone,” she finally whispered.

“Oh. … No. You’re not going to be alone. Don’t worry. I won’t let that happen. I was going to talk to Richard …”

He trailed off as she looked up, peering at him almost inquisitively for a second. Then she dropped her eyes again.

“I, um … I mean, are you … will you …?” She stopped, her eyes focused on their two hands entwined together on top of her cast.

“Will I what? … Addie? … Talk to me.”

“Iwantyoutocomehomewithme.”

She spoke so quickly Derek didn’t understand what she said.

“Wait. What? Tell me again.”

“I want you to come home with me.”

She looked up, a tear spilling down her cheek, and a pain shot through Derek as he realized just how hard that sentence was for her to say. She had wanted him, and only him, when she’d woken up in the hospital a few hours before, but this was different. Derek knew she was scared he was going to tell her no. And the worst part was, he didn’t even know how to answer.

Luckily, he didn’t have to. At that moment Bailey walked in.

“Shepherd.” Bailey gestured toward the hall with her head. “Can I see you for a second?”

Derek nodded. He turned back to Addison and gently rubbed her hand. She wasn’t looking at him. Her hair was hiding her face, but he had a horrible suspicion that if he could see her eyes, he would see she was crying.

Still, there was something he needed to do, so he stood up, whispered, “I’ll be back in a minute, Addie,” and then followed Bailey out.

Once they were in the hall, Bailey turned to him with a stern look.

“You’re going to go talk to Grey, aren’t you?”

Derek frowned. “Yes,” he started.

“Addison needs you.”

Derek nodded, almost hesitantly. He had no idea where this was going. “Meredith’s my girlfriend. I need to talk to her.”

“About Addison?”

“No. Yes. No. I mean, about this.” He gestured to her, to himself, in the direction of Addison.

“Derek …”

“No, look. Meredith and I … I can’t just not talk to her. We are supposed to be talking. We’re supposed to be communicating. I need to be communicating. With Meredith. We’re having issues …”

“Do I look like I care about your issues, Shepherd?”

“Uhhh …” Derek was feeling lost. “But you asked.”

“No. I asked about Addison. I care about Addison. And right now, you and your … issues … are affecting her.”

“How are they …?”

“You know she can’t go home alone.”

“What? Who? Addison?” Derek was really getting confused. “Miranda …”

“No, Shepherd. She can’t go home alone. If she’s going to be alone, I’ll keep her here.”

“She’s not going to be alone.”

“Good.”

“It’s just …”

“Yes?” Bailey arched an eyebrow.

“It’s just …”

“It’s just that this worries you?”

Derek released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. “Yes. Yes, it does. I mean, I know she can’t be alone. I don’t want her to be alone. I just don’t know …”

“If you’re the one who should be with her?”

“Yes!” Derek smiled at Bailey. She understood. “Yes, exactly.”

“Then who do you propose should be with her?”

“I, uh, I don’t …”

“Exactly. There isn’t anyone else. She wants you.”

“But Miranda ..”

“Shepherd, listen to me.” Bailey’s eyes bore into his, so much so they made Derek take a step backward. “I get that this might be rather uncomfortable for you. After all, it’s not like you two are the best of friends. I’ve seen the way you treat her.”

“What?” Derek was suddenly indignant. “The way I treat her?”

“Shepherd.”

Derek closed his mouth. Bailey continued.

“Yes, you. The way you’re always harping on her, snarking at her. You’ve moved on, you’ve got a girlfriend, you’ve got your … issues … and whatever. You don’t need to be giving Addison a hard time about anything.”

“Miranda …”

“I’m talking.” If possible, Bailey’s eyes narrowed even more. Derek closed his mouth again. “But right now, none of that matters. What matters is Addison. And since she won’t let anyone else near her, the job falls to you. So you are going to take her home, and you are going to stay with her, and you are going to make sure she’s okay.”

“But that’s the thing,” Derek interrupted. “How do I do that? It’s one thing to hold her hand, it’s another to what? It’s not like she’s going to get better in a night.”

“Derek.” Bailey’s voice softened, and she took a step closer, laying her hand on his shoulder. “No one’s asking you to move in with her. No one’s even asking you about tomorrow. This is about right now. Just take her home. That’s the first step. And once you’re there? You know her, Derek. You were married to her for what, ten, eleven years?”

Derek nodded. “Eleven.”

“You know how to take care of her. You just have to let yourself remember it.”

Bailey pulled her hand back from Derek’s shoulder. “Now go talk to your girlfriend and get Addison’s discharge papers. Then you can march yourself back here and take the very terrified woman who is waiting for you in this room home.”

With that, she nodded slightly at him, then turned and entered Addison’s room.

Derek sighed. How was he supposed to take care of Addison? Were you even supposed to take care of your ex-wife? He had no idea. He had to go find Meredith.

He turned his head, quickly scanning the hall. He spotted her. Down by the nurses’ station talking to a figure that looked like the chief.

Derek started down the hall toward her, but he’d barely made it two feet when a hand gripped his shoulder and he felt himself being spun violently around. When he stopped, he found himself staring into the piercing, glowering glare of his former best friend.

“So, Derek,” Mark said icily. “Maybe you want to tell me why you didn’t think it was important to let me know that Addison was raped?”

Comments

[kizzykarla.livejournal.com]

I can't quote my favourite part because it would be the whole thing haha!
I absolutely love this story, & the ending with Mark showing up was very unexpected.
Can't wait to read more. ♥

[(Anonymous)]

Will you be updating this? I read it on ff.net but prefer this version.
- Kaysha