Don't Worry About Me

Chapter 43

"Okay, let's get you home." Mark says, smiling at Meredith. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm just ready to go home and sleep in my own bed again." Meredith says tiredly. Meredith looks at her wheelchair that's next to the bed.

"You okay sweetie? You look tired. Are you in any pain?" Carolyn asks worriedly, looking over at her husband quickly and then back at her daughter.

"Yeah, but the same as always." Meredith sighs. "I'll be fine." She slowly gets up and gets into her chair, wincing at the pain.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Mer. You had surgery and you need to rest." Derek says.

"She knows." Mark says softly.

"Can we go now? I just want to not be a patient anymore." Meredith says softly.

"You riding with me and Derek or mom and dad?" Mark asks.

"I'll go with you guys. Mom, are you and dad coming back also?" Meredith asks.

"Of course, we'll be right behind you guys. I'll help you get situated into bed when we get there. You look like you need a nap sweetie." Carolyn comments.

"I didn't sleep well last night." Meredith says. "I'll try to sleep when we get home."

The group makes their way out of the hospital and to the two cars in the parking lot. Meredith is very weak still from her surgery and can't climb into the car so Mark gently lifts her into the car.

"Thanks Markie. You're the best." Meredith whispers, yawning.

"Okay, we'll be right behind you guys." Christopher says.

They drive away from the hospital and soon arrive at the house.

Meredith is gently picked up and placed into her wheelchair and Carolyn follows her inside with her bag.

"Let's get you into bed baby girl." Carolyn helps Meredith into bed. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm okay. Thanks mom." Meredith says with a smile.

"Mer, what if you come live with Dad and I? I just worry about you a lot." Carolyn asks her daughter.

Meredith frowns and shakes her head. "I really like living with Mark and Addie."

Carolyn nods, accepting this answer. "Okay, I just wanted to ask."

"I think I'm going to take a nap but actually, I need to go to the bathroom first." Meredith looks down at her covers and plays with her fingers anxiously. "But, can you help me please? I don't have the strength to do it myself." She whispers, ashamed. She has the ability to do it herself usually but right now after her surgery and injury she has absolutely no strength. She doesn't even think she could take two steps with her braces on, let alone make it all the way to the bathroom and back. And then sitting down and standing back up after. It's just too much right now.

Carolyn can see that Meredith feels bad that she can't do it on her own right now so she doesn't make a big deal out of it. "Of course sweetie. Let's get you up." Carolyn helps Meredith out of bed and Meredith has all of her weight against Carolyn and they walk to the bathroom.

Once Carolyn has Meredith sitting down in the bathroom she leaves the room to give her some privacy.

Meredith puts her head in her hands and closes her eyes for a moment, just feeling so down about not being able to do anything on her own. She knows she needs to give her body time to recover. She knows her body needs extra time than most people to recover but it's still hard at the same time.

Once Meredith is done she calls for her mom and she helps her get back to her room and back into bed.

Carolyn tucks Meredith into bed and gives her a kiss on the forehead. "Sleep well my baby girl. I love you so much. I'm so glad you're mine."

"I love you too mom." Meredith says, smiling. She lets out a huge yawn.

Carolyn chuckles. "I'll let you sleep. Dad and I are staying for dinner so we'll be here when you wake up."

"Okay." Meredith closes her eyes and instantly falls asleep.

Thirty minutes have passed and Mark sighs, wondering how his sister is feeling. He glances down the hallway towards her room.

"She's okay Mark. She's sound asleep. She fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed." Carolyn says, seeing that her son is worried about Meredith.

"I know, I'm just worried. She hates not being able to do things for herself. And she can't get out of bed on her own at the moment. So I'm just worried that if she needs something she won't be able to tell us and be stuck in bed. Or she could have tried to get out of bed but fallen to the floor because you know how stubborn she is and she possibly would've tried to do it herself if no one came to help." Mark says anxiously.

Carolyn moves to sit next to Mark. "She's okay. She has her phone next to her. She can call one of us if she needs anything, if we don't hear her voice calling out to us. I promise she's okay, but go check on her if you're worried."

"Yeah, I'm going to go check on her." Mark says and then leaves the room.

He walks down the hall and quietly opens Meredith's door. And sure enough Meredith is sound asleep, snoring loudly in her bed. He smiles, glad that she's in peace and not in pain for once. He hates her pain disease so much for what it does to her. He hates all of her disorders, all of the havoc that they create on her body. He stands there for a while watching her sleep, feeling relieved that she is doing okay at the moment and is back home.

We hope you enjoyed! Epilogue coming next! Thanks to my co-writer _Ktje_