Thanks for the reviews on the previous chapter. Glad people liked sappy Derek. :-) Here's the final chapter.
The movie had only been on half an hour when Meredith fell asleep. Derek smiled to himself as her snoring started, slightly louder than usual. He really did think it was adorable - when he wasn't trying to sleep, anyway. She'd been sleeping better since their talk. So had he, with the help of the ear plugs Alex had given him. He still couldn't believe that the solution could have been so simple. Had he known, he would have bought them months ago and maybe then Meredith would never have felt the need to have surgery. He shook his head. Had it not been for her finding out, he never would have known just how much he'd broken her when he'd gone back to Addison. Left to fester much longer, who knew what could have happened between them.
He ran a hand over her hair and sighed. God, he loved this woman. He loved her in a way that he didn't know was possible. Why had he almost ruined everything out of a sense of obligation to Addison? Why had he broken the only person who made him feel complete? He hadn't been lying when he'd said he would spend the rest of his life proving to her that she could trust him. She was it for him, he was done. He would show her that happily-ever-after wasn't just for fairytales. He knew it would be hard getting her to believe that, but he would do it. Derek Sheppard was nothing if not persistent. He grinned a little as he thought back to how his persistence had finally gotten her to go out with him.
Meredith shifted against him and her snoring stopped. He looked down at the face resting against his chest and saw her grimace.
"Derek," she whispered, eyes still closed.
"You okay?" he murmured back.
"My throat hurts."
Derek felt a little lighter as he gently slid out from under her. She was still mostly asleep and it seemed that, subconsciously anyway, she didn't mind relying on him. That gave him hope. Sure, it was a small thing, but when it came to Meredith he'd take the small things.
He headed out to the kitchen, found the packet of ibuprofen and poured her a glass of cold water. As he headed back into the living room, there was a knock on the door. He frowned, noticing the small frame of Cristina Yang standing behind the glass.
"Aren't you in the middle of a shift?" he asked, when he opened the door.
She shrugged, entering the house. "I'm on a break and I just wanted to check on Meredith."
"Well I haven't broken her yet," he replied, a little of the hurt he still felt towards Meredith's friends coming out. The glare he got in response made him sigh. "She's okay. I'm just getting her some pain relief, but I'd really like her to rest more."
He turned his back on Cristina and padded back over to the couch. Meredith's eyes were still closed and her breathing was even, but there was no snoring, so she wasn't in a deep sleep. "Mer," he whispered, kneeling down beside her.
"Hmm?"
"I've got some ibuprofen for you."
She held her hand out and he placed the pills in it before helping her sit up and sip the water. The whole process was done with her eyes closed and Derek couldn't help but smile at her.
"Thanks," she whispered, as she lay back against the pillow.
"Get some more sleep," he replied.
She sighed and rolled her head towards him. "I love you," she whispered, on the cusp of sleep.
Derek felt the grin split his face and his eyes burn a little. It was the first time she'd told him that since they'd been back together. She may have been almost asleep, but that made her declaration that much better. This was Meredith's heart talking, without the fears and disappointments that made her so cautious.
"I love you too," he assured her, kissing her forehead as he got to his feet.
He turned and only then remembered that Cristina was still there. "You want something?" he asked, heading back into the kitchen.
She shook her head. "I got what I came for."
He sighed and turned to look at her. "I didn't want her to do this," he told her. "In fact we had a fight about it when she first told me." He shrugged. "But I want her to be happy, Cristina."
"And you think this is going to make her happy?" she asked. There was a note of incredulity in her voice.
"I think it'll help make her more secure," he amended. "But she will be happy," he vowed. "I'm going to make sure of that."
Cristina nodded. "She deserves to have a crap-free life for once."
Derek smiled a little. "Yeah, she does."
They looked at each other for a moment and Derek felt that they had both made a connection. They were united by the same woman and he knew that Cristina would do anything for Meredith. A moment later, Cristina looked away and shifted.
"Yeah, well I'm gonna go, before this turns into a Hallmark moment," she muttered, heading for the door. "I'll see you later."
Derek chuckled a little as Cristina left. They were an odd pair, Cristina and Meredith, but there was no doubting the friendship between them. He wondered if Meredith realized just how lucky she was to have people like her friends in her life. As he curled back up on the couch with her, he knew that they would be okay. It may take a while for her to realize that she no longer needed to be dark and twisty. She could leave her past behind and look forward to a happy future. Until then, he would be there to hold her together.
Meredith felt consciousness return slowly. The warm, even breath on the back of her neck told her Derek was still asleep, his arms holding her securely as he slumbered. She smiled a little, relaxing in his embrace. In the six weeks since the procedure, every time she had woken up he had been there, holding her. She'd laughed a little when he'd first started wearing the ear plugs, but he seemed to be sleeping well with them and she'd started back into the habit of sleeping through the night. In fact, she felt more rested than she had in years.
She felt Derek stirring, his arms tightening briefly around her and his lips brushing against her nape in an almost unconscious gesture. She turned, her lips immediately finding his in what was supposed to be a gentle good morning kiss. It quickly escalated into something more heated and as Meredith ran her hands over his face and up through his hair she stopped suddenly and pulled back.
"What?" Derek asked, breathless.
"Where are your ear plugs?" she asked, looking at his ear.
His look of confusion morphed into a pleased grin. "They're on the bedside table."
Meredith frowned. "You only just woke up. How could you have taken them out already?"
Derek moved forward and kissed her sweetly. "I didn't wear them last night."
"You didn't..." Suddenly she understood. "I didn't keep you awake?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I slept great."
She grinned. "Oh my God, it actually worked."
Derek nodded, smiling back at her. "It worked. No more ear plugs or medical procedures. Just you, me and this big, comfy bed."
She kissed him hard, pressing her body into him as his hands roamed across her back. As Derek removed her shirt, she realized she hadn't felt so light, so happy in a very long time. It was a feeling she could get used to. Then Derek's mouth left her lips and she stopped thinking at all.
THE END
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the ride and I'd love to hear your thoughts.