𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐗 ━━ 𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐝

forty | reason

"Apparently, we go on walks now."

Scar barks playfully while bounding about the millions of puddles created by Seattle's rainy weather. I carefully step through the mud while my father walks ahead.

"Dad, aren't we gonna talk about this?" A short huff leaves my lips. "You can't ignore me forever, you know."

"I'll take my chances." He barely looks back.

I narrow my brows in frustration towards him. "You never explained why you told Derek to break up with me."

"You never asked."

"I never asked? Are you kidding me?"

He straps Scar back to the leash so we can head back to the apartment.

"I love him. And he loves me." There's a crack in my voice that adds to the moment. "Why can't you be happy for me?"

The aging man finally stops walking, his head dropped gently as he speaks.

"Because he reminds me. . .of myself. When I first met your mother."

With a heavy sigh, he turns around and faces me.

"If he's anything like me. . .he's not good for you, darling. The same way I wasn't good for your mother."

"She left us, Dad."

"I must have had some influence over her leaving."

"But she told me herself. When. . ."

But how can I bring up the fact the my dead mother and I had a conversation when I was on the verge of dying from the drowning incident?

And so I keep my mouth shut.

When he continues walking, I take it as a sign that he's finished discussing the matter for now. So the three of us take the long way back home, before another long shift at the hospital.

"Two weeks, and he's finally talking to me." I lightly sip a double-shot of espresso. "Would you say that's progress?"

Meredith shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. "How would I know? I'm estranged from my dad."

"Parents are overrated." Cristina rolls her eyes. "I say screw it. And it's not like he's gonna change his will anytime soon."

"Cristina."

"No, she's right. The bastard's still leaving me with everything. Typical."

"McAlert, McAlert."

As if on cue, Derek walks past the front desk. He slips his hand into mine and delicately pulls me alongside him. I simply wave towards the two before turning to him.

"How are the daddy issues playing out?" His voice drops to a low whisper.

"When did you turn into Mark Sloan?" I inquire in a teasing tone.

"Thought I'd try it out." He mimics my smirk. "But really, how did it go?"

I press my cheek against his shoulder. "We went out for a walk today, which was nice. And he said more than one word to me."

"Anything else?"

"And that you remind him of himself, he thinks he forced my mom out of the house, and he's afraid you'll do the same."

This entices a private conversation between the two of us, so we move to our meeting spot for activities other than sex: the stairwell.

"Run that by me again."