If that's what it takes

81

Before returning to the psych floor, Derek decided to do a little detective work on Meredith's case. He decided to look into her past treatments to learn as much as he could about her as possible. He found his way to the records room in the basement, and after some thorough searching, he found a large cardboard box that said "Grey" across its label, and Derek pulled it from the shelf, going through every bit of paper he could find in the box. He found one of the documents he was looking for, gripping it in his hand, he flipped the top back on the box and tossed it on one of the shelves before heading out of the room quickly.

Derek walked purposefully down the hallway toward the stairs, disappearing into the stairwell, he decided to waste no time in getting back to the room. He had tried his very best to calm down, calming his breathing and thinking positive thoughts as he weaved through the hallway back toward Meredith's room. He was trying his best to keep a brave face, his heart pounding in his chest as he opened the door to the room and stepped inside.

Mark looked up and his face looked alarmed. Derek glanced to the bed to see Zoey and Meredith still snuggled together, Derek's eyes glancing back to Mark. "What?"

"Derek, are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"What do you mean... what do you...?"

"What were you researching? Is there anything I can do to help?" Mark asked as he watched Derek stand against the door with a determined look in his eyes. Derek's jaw clenched slightly as he stared over at the bed with Zoey and Meredith sleeping peacefully.

"I just... I..."

"Derek, you're a freaking mess...what the hell is going on with you?" Mark whispered.

"Meredith." Derek whispered.

"Meredith?" Mark asked.

"Meredith, Mark... how am I going to... how is... Cristina said that they're going to take her."

"Take her?"

"Cristina said they're going to take her away... to another hospital for surgery."

"Why the fuck can't they do it here?" Mark asked, sitting up straighter, watching Derek stare at the two lying in the bed.

"I think they're waiting... I think they're going to try to wait for Lexie." Derek whispered. "I don't trust them, Mark." Derek said as he looked at him. "Lexie has power of attorney... Medical power of attorney over Meredith... she has brain activity so they're saying that she is still alive, not brain dead... if she dies... no one is over Meredith. The chain ends."

"Zoey?" Mark asked.

"No. She isn't old enough." Derek replied as he held a paper up. "If there is no one to proxy for her, no one related that can proxy for her care... then she has a do not resuscitate order. If she goes into cardiac arrest, she is dead, Mark." Derek whispered.

"She has no one?"

"No one else... there is no one else, Mark."

"Cristina?"

"They have to be related... it's in her living will." Derek replied.

"Who the hell would sign something like that?" Mark asked as he stood up and walked toward Derek. He pulled the paper from Derek's hands and started to scan through it. "This looks like it was written up with quite the detail."

"Her mother's lawyer, I think." Derek replied.

"Fucking figures." Mark said as he slammed the paper back into Derek's hand. "That woman was the goddamned devil." He grunted at Derek, who nodded in agreement. His eyes went back to the bed and back to Mark.

"What am I going to do?" He whispered to Mark, who looked almost as lost as Derek.

"Are you really falling for her?" Mark whispered as he watched Derek nod solemnly, his eyes still on Meredith. "I already know that you love her daughter." Mark said as Derek's eyes moved to his friend's. "If you love them." Mark said as he glanced to the bed. "Don't you dare let them out of your sight." He said as he took a step beside Derek toward the door. "I'll be back in the morning... call me if you need me." Mark said as Derek nodded, raising his hand to run his fingers through his hair as he watched Mark walk from the room.

He stared at the door for a moment and his eyes then turned to the woman in the bed, who was looking directly into his eyes. "Meredith." He whispered. Her eyes were saying a million things to him without even blinking. There were so many questions, so many fears. He watched her. She blinked once, twice, three times, and he swallowed hard. "Meredith." He whispered as he stepped toward her bed. He placed his hand in hers, never tearing his eyes from hers as he blinked back. One, two, three times, releasing a slow, deep breath from his lips as he felt her fingers move slightly in his hand. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Meredith." He whispered. "I promise... I'm never letting you out of my sight." He said as he felt her hand squeeze his slightly as a tear came to her eye and she blinked three times once again.

In a swift and delicate move, Derek rolled his leg up onto the bed and leaned back on his side into the bed, pushing the little girl closer to the middle as he wrapped his arm around Meredith and held her and Zoey in his arms. He kissed her head and sighed as he held them securely in his arms as he failed to sleep, only held them to his heart and tried his very hardest to find a way to keep Meredith in his life, and alive without losing his job or his mind. "You're not going anywhere." He whispered as he felt her breath softly sigh against him as he held her and their little girl.