From now on |1/2|

7

Meredith woke up that next morning, really feeling not very great. She was clearly overdoing herself to prove she could do whatever the other doctors could do.

The talk she had yesterday with Derek made her realize she had nothing to prove, to no one. She knew what she was capable off and didn't need a stupid doctor like Murphy to tell her otherwise

"Hi beautiful." Derek smiled as she opened her eyes

"You were watching me sleep again?" She chuckled at the silliness of her husband.

"I was. And I expect Emma to walk in here any minute." He kissed her deeply

"Hmm.. Boys are gross." Meredith teased

"Are they?" Derek laughed and then they heard the door open

"Mama?" Emma walked inside, clutching tight onto her stuffed bunny

"Hey monkey, daddy and I are awake. Do you wanna join us?" She asked, attempting to sit up but wincing a bit

Derek immediately knew her back was bothering her but didn't wanna mention it in front of Emla

"Wanna sleep." Emma muttered and climbed in between her parents

"Close your eyes a bit longer, lovebug." Derek assured her and kissed her head. Waiting till Emma was sound asleep before looking at Mer. "How bad?" He asks her

"A 6. Maybe a 7.." She sighed and Derek reached out for her meds and the bottle of water they keep at their bedside

"So bad?" Derek frowned, scared the pain she had during rehab would ever return

Flashback

Meredith was crying in her wheelchair as she entered the house again. Carolyn had dropped her off at home but Meredith was too stubborn to admit she was in excruciating pain but the last few meters to the front door were too much after transfering

"Hey honey, what's wrong?" Carolyn asked concerned

"My back-" She doubled over in her chair

"Shit-" Carolyn sighed, hoping Derek would be home as she rang the bell

"Mom?" He looked confused as he opened the door, his mom had keys, and where was Meredith?

Until he heard her cries..

"Mer!" He kneeled down in front of her

"She's complaining about her back. Is this anything serious?" Carolyn asked. She's always been a nurse but she had no experience with spinal cord injuries, especially not as severe as Meredith's

"She probably overdid. Mer, I'm gonna lift you in my arms." Derek announced and lifted her up, carrying her inside to their bedroom where he placed her down

"Can I do anything?" Carolyn asked her son, very worried about her daughter in law

"Can you grab the heating pad, please? And her meds?" Derek asked. Carolyn quickly left to collect them

"I'm sorry, Mer. We'll try to make it better." He kissed her forehead

End of flashback

"Okay Em. Grab your jacket please." Derek asked and strapped Meredith into her back brace. She often wore it when her back was hurting, just to give it some extra stability since she's one of the only cases where the spine was so heavily damaged

"Otay!" Emma nodded and went to grab her jacket, Meredith then put her sweater and eventually her jacket

"Let's go." Meredith nods and pushes herself out of the house. "Der, come on. We're late, your parents expect us." Meredith said, being a little impatient

"I know, I know." He quickly locked the door and strapped Emma into her car seat while Meredith transferred. He then put the wheelchair in the back

Derek quickly drove to his parents' house. He parked the car and helped both his girls out

"Mama!" Emma climbed up her mother's legs

"Come on, monkey. Let's go see Nana and Pops." Meredith starts to push herself up the ramp. Not just Meredith and Derek had to renovate their houses, but almost everyone who was closely involved in Meredith's life did it

"Ah!! I thought I heard your car!" Christopher was the first one to open the door, immediately lifting Emma in his arms and hugging her tight. "Hi princess. Nana is making snickerdoodle cookies for you."

"Cookies!" Emma screamed and Christopher sat her down, she immediately ran off to the kitchen

"Hi dad." Meredith chuckled at her daughter being over enthusiastic for those cookies, even if she would have to admit that she hoped there would have been some

"Hi Mer." Christopher hugged her. "Carolyn is making some extra so you can take some home." He winks, knowing how much she loved Carolyn's cooking. He felt her brace and had a feeling of what was going on

"You're the best." Meredith smiled and wheeled inside

"Hi dad." Derek hugged his father

"Hi son. Bad day for Mer?" Christopher asked now Meredith couldn't hear them

He was just very worried about his kids, more so since Meredith's accident that paralyzed her

"Backpain. A 6 or 7 she said.." Derek sighed. "Rough time at work.." He muttered

"Haven't heard anything so far. Guess gossip isn't as good as it once was." Christopher laughed. Even if he retired he did some volunteer work at the clinic

"It was horrible." Derek sighed. "Both a patient and a co-worker had issues with her chair." He explained to his dad

"I will never understand what crosses people's minds to judge anyone by a disability." Christopher shakes his head in disbelief and they enter the house. They saw Meredith and Carolyn hugging while Emma was trying to get one of the cookies

"You'll have to wait, princess. Nana made us a whole brunch before we could eat those cookies!" Christopher softly said