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You can be the most beautiful person in the world, and everybody sees light and rainbows when they look at you, but if you yourself don't know it, all of that doesn't even matter. Every second that you spend on doubting your self-worth, every moment that you use to criticize yourself, is a second of your life wasted, is a moment of your life thrown away. It's not like you have forever, so don't waste any of your seconds, don't throw even one of your moments away.
-C. JoyBell C.
"Meredith, you can avoid this topic with me forever," Derek huffed, following her into the residents' lounge and pushing the door shut behind him.
"You're not supposed to be in here," Meredith replied, glancing at him over her shoulder. "This is the residents' lounge. You're an attending. You have your own lounge."
"Actually, I'm the Chief of Surgery, so I can go into any of the lounges that I want," Derek teased, leaning up against the cubby beside where Meredith was standing. "We've been married for over a year, and we still haven't had a proper honeymoon."
"We had a wonderful honeymoon," Meredith said, watching him carefully out of the corner of her eye as she pulled her scrubs out of her bag and set them on the top shelf of her cubby.
"Sex in front of the fireplace doesn't count as a honeymoon," Derek sighed, rolling his eyes as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That's just a fun Friday night after a long day of surgeries."
Meredith rolled her eyes, pulling her scrubs out of the cubby, and walked over to the bathroom. She pulled the door closed behind her quickly before Derek could join her. She giggled when she heard him let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back against the door. Meredith pulled her sweater over her head and tossed it aside, pulling her scrub top over her head as she let out a sigh. She opened the door just a crack and peaked her head out, smiling when she saw Derek staring at her. "By your definition, we didn't have a proper wedding either."
"We had a unique wedding," Derek insisted, raising an eyebrow as he caught the door before she could close it once again. "I don't know why you're changing in there. It's not like I didn't see you naked in the shower this morning."
"Is that how you talk to all of your residents, Chief Shepherd?" Meredith giggled, pulling her scrubs up over her hips before pulling the door the rest of the way open.
"Only the ones I like," Derek replied, closing the space between them and wrapping his arms around her waist. He pressed kisses against her neck, eliciting the sweetest giggle to erupt from Meredith's lips. She draped her arms around his neck, leaning her head back to relish in his attention.
"Someone is going to catch us," Meredith teased, leaning forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Derek's lips. "And I'm going to be late for rounds."
"We're not done with this conversation," Derek replied, pressing another kiss to her lips. "We are going on a honeymoon before this year is out. After everything that has happened this year, we deserve a chance to get away for a little while."
Meredith looked at him for a moment before nodding her head. "Fine. You schedule the trip, and I will request the time off, she said, patting him on the chest. "Now I need to get to rounds."
Derek laughed, stepping aside to let her by, and watched as she walked away from him. It had taken him long enough to convince her to marry him. Finally, they would be able to celebrate their marriage without the interruption of sisters or strays barging in at the most inopportune times. Derek left the residents' lounge behind with a smile on his face and returned to his office to book the perfect honeymoon.
. . . . . . . . .
"Welcome to Deep Water Cay, the perfect vacation spot for those that just want to get away." The concierge offered a large smile as he made his way around the desk to greet Meredith and Derek as they made their way into the resort's lobby. "Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Grey, the island welcomes you."
Meredith glanced at Derek with a smile before turning attention back to the concierge. He knew how much she hated being called Mrs. Dr. Shepherd, so hearing the man call her by her own name warmed her heart. Maybe this vacation was exactly what she needed to get her mind off of all the bad that had happened this year and find some good.
Derek offered Meredith his hand and smiled as she took it, squeezing her hand tight. They listened carefully as the concierge explained all the ins and outs of the resort before following him to their beach house for the week. The house was the most beautiful thing Meredith had ever seen, something far more extravagant than she would have imagined booking for herself for some time away. Not that she would have taken time off if it weren't for Derek's insistence on a honeymoon.
As the door closed behind the concierge, Derek turned to Meredith, wrapping his arms securely around her waist, and picked her up off the ground. He spun her once around before lowering her feet back to the ground as he pressed his lips against hers. His kiss was soft at first but quickly deepened as Meredith's hands cupped his face. A soft moan escaped her lips as he pulled away and left her standing in the middle of the living room. She turned, watching as he explored the house.
"Where are you going?" Meredith giggled, noticing that he had disappeared into one of the rooms on the far side of the house. With a furrowed brow, she cocked her head to the side and waited for him to return or respond. After a few moments of silence, Meredith let out a huff and padded her way into the room Derek had disappeared into. As she walked through the doorway, she found Derek lying on his back on the bed, snoring.
Meredith rolled her eyes and kicked off her shoes before climbing into bed next to him. She snuggled up close, resting her head on his chest, and closed her eyes. Their early flight and lack of sleep the night before had gotten the better of them. Besides, it would be better to explore the island once they were well-rested, rather than half asleep.
An hour later, Meredith jotted away to a loud knock coming from the door. She jumped out of bed and made her way quickly to the door. Meredith pressed up on her tiptoes to look through the peephole and furrowed her brow when she saw a man in a resort uniform standing on the opposite side with a nervous look on his face. He kept glancing over his shoulder toward the beach. Meredith pulled the door open and offered her best smile. "Hello, can I help you?"
"Dr. Grey," the man began, "I am so sorry to disrupt you on your honeymoon, but there's been an emergency, and we require medical assistance on the beach. Our normal medics are unavailable, and I hate to be a bother."
"No," Meredith said, shaking her head. "Don't apologize. We'd be happy to help. Let me just go get my husband."
Meredith turned and quickly made her way back to the bedroom. She slipped her shoes on before going over to the bed to wake Derek. Meredith shook his shoulder gently. "Derek, wake up. There's been an emergency, and the resort needs our help."
Derek's eyes opened wide, and he scrubbed a hand over his face, letting out a yawn. He pushed himself up off the bed and looked down at his feet, his shoes conveniently still on his feet. "I'm up. Did they tell you what happened?"
Meredith shook her head. "No, I came to get you in case there were any neurological issues. I'd rather be safe than sorry."
Derek nodded, and the pair made their way out of the beach house, following closely behind the man from the resort. Derek, automatically in doctor mode, set out to ask the poor man questions only to find out that he didn't know anything more than he was asked to find the doctors who had just checked in.
As they arrived on the beach, Meredith noticed a large crowd of people gathered around and shook her head. She hated crowds but knew that she was going to have to deal with them to help the patient. Meredith reached into her go bag and pulled out a pair of gloves for her and Derek, tapping him on the shoulder to offer them to him.
"Thanks," he said, flashing her a smile. "You ready for this?"
"As I'll ever be," Meredith mumbled, shaking her head as she made her way through the crowd. In the middle of the group, a man was lying on the beach like a washed-up fish with a few people gathered around him. Meredith found an empty spot beside the patient and began checking his vital signs; as she did so, she surveyed the people around him, searching for someone who could answer some questions. She noticed someone out of the corner of her eye who was being very attentive but keeping their distance so she and Derek could work.
Once Meredith knew he had a steady pulse, she nodded to Derek and motioned to the woman standing a few steps away. He glanced over at her and then back to Meredith, nodding once and then redirecting his focus to the man on the beach.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Grey," Meredith said, pulling her glove off and offering a hand to the woman who was keeping a close eye on everything Derek was doing. "Do you know what happened to this man?"
"We were shipwreck diving," she said, her voice stuttering over the words. The woman refused to take her eyes off the man. "We were laughing and having a good time - well, as good of a time as you can with an oxygen tank strapped to your back when all of the sudden he started turning blue and reaching for his neck."
"Does he have a name?" Meredith asked, placing a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. The woman glanced at her for a moment before turning back to the scene on the beach.
"Stan, he's my fiancé. We're test-driving honeymoon locations. We shouldn't have gone so deep. This is all my fault."
"Hey now," Meredith said, squeezing her shoulder tightly. "This is not your fault. Why don't you and I have a seat over here while Dr. Shepherd takes care of your fiancé? Can you tell me your name?"
"Sherry Ann," she replied, nodding her head as she followed Meredith over to the empty spot next to where Derek was working. "Dr. Grey, what's happening?"
Meredith smiled and offered Sherry Ann her hand. "My husband, Dr. Shepherd, is conducting a neurological exam on Stan. Since he turned blue while you were under the water, it means he went without oxygen to his brain. Dr. Shepherd just wants to make sure that there isn't any damage. You did the right thing getting him to the surface as quickly as you did."
A silence fell over the crowd as Derek started talking to Stan as they all waited for him to say or do something. Meredith could feel Sherry Ann tensing up beside her. Today was meant to be a special day for Sherry Ann and Stan as they prepared to celebrate their love, and everything turned on a dime. Meredith shuttered at the thought as she was reminded of all the moments she had almost lost out on with Derek because of one reason or another. She was lucky to have been given so many chances.
"What happened?" Stan stuttered, pushing himself up only to be stopped by Derek before he could sit up straight.
"Stan, my name is Dr. Shepherd," Derek explained the situation to him carefully and insisted that he remain still until the ambulance could get there. There was no evidence of brain damage, but Derek was insistent on getting a CT when they got him to a hospital, and if there was anything wrong, Derek promised that he would be the one to oversee the procedure.
"Sherry Ann?" Stan asked, offering a pleading look to Derek, who responded with a smile.
Derek turned to Meredith and nodded his head. Meredith pressed gently on Sherry Ann's shoulder.
"Go ahead, he's asking for you," Meredith said, offering a smile. She watched as Sherry Ann made her way over to Stan's side quickly and took his hand, lifting it to her lips and pressing a kiss to the back of his hand.
Derek stepped back and knelt down beside Meredith, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He turned and pressed a kiss on the side of her head. Meredith leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder.
"You were very impressive today, Dr. Shepherd," Meredith mumbled, watching Stan and Sherry Ann reconnect as they waited for the ambulance. "Can we agree on one thing about this trip?"
"What's that?" Derek asked, resting his chin on top of her head.
"No shipwreck diving," Meredith replied, tilting her head back to look up at him with a smile.
"Deal," Derek laughed, capturing her lips in a kiss.
The ambulance siren drew near, and the crowd finally started to disperse. Derek and Meredith made sure that Sherry Ann and Stan were going to be well taken care of and promised to check-in before the end of their trip. A doctor's work is never done, even when that doctor is supposed to be on vacation or even on their honeymoon.
Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.
-Sarah Breathnach