...☤...

𝟐𝟒 | 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞

PRESENT, SEATTLE

𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟔

I exhaled slowly, my grip tight on the bathroom counter. Fighting a wave of dizziness, I blinked, struggling to stay upright.

Shaking my head, I reached for the door, opened it, and stopped as a body blocked my path.

"Little Shepherd, huh,"

I raised a brow. "Yes?"

"Have you seen Izzie? She was supposed to prep an OR for Noah's surgery, and she completely bailed." A woman with curly black hair said.

"You might want to check Cardio," I suggested. "I heard her old patient Denny is back."

"Thanks," She said, turning away. "I'm Callie."

Interesting.

I turned, heading for the stairs, needing to check on my patients for the day. Pushing open the door, I paused on the landing as shouting reached my ears.

"You don't get to call me a whore. When I met you, I thought I had found the person that I was going to spend the rest of my life with! I was done. So, all the boys and all the bars and all the obvious daddy issues, who cared? Because I was done."

I stood still, hearing Meredith's voice and feeling the pain in her words.

"You left me. You chose Addison. I'm all glued back together now. I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke. You don't get to call me a whore."

"This thing with us is finished." My brother said. "It's over."

"Finally." Meredith agreed.

"Yeah. It's done."

"It is done."

I waited, watching my brother come into view from the top of the stairs, and cocked my brow at him.

"Rayne..." He started.

"She loves you," I interrupted. "Despite you calling her a whore just now, she still loves you."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I have a patient to see."

Derek tried to move past me, but I grabbed his arm.

"You moved on, Derek, with Addison." I reminded him. "She's trying to move on from you. Don't you think she at least deserves to find someone else when the person that she wants to be with she can't have?"

"It's not that simple," Derek said.

I scoffed. "идиот"

"Come again?" Derek blinked.

"You can't have both," I rushed out. "You need to decide. Addison or Meredith?"

I turned and headed up the stairs away from my brother and his troubled love life.

...☤...

"Is there a reason you are at my apartment at..." I looked at the time on my microwave and frowned. "... 5:30 AM"

I didn't get an answer as Addison and Derek brushed past me into my apartment. I could feel the tension running over my skin, and I closed the door. Taking a breath, I walked into my living room and plopped down on my couch, bracing myself for the argument that was about to unfold.

"I can't believe you support this." Derek seethed, looking at his wife.

"He cares about her," Addison explained calmly. "Can we just drop this and let them be happy?"

Great.

Of course, this argument was about my relationship with his ex-best friend.

"He's not good for her." Derek ranted. "Sooner rather than later, he will break her heart."

"Let's just stay out of it," Addison told him, her tone firm. "It's none of our business."

"Like hell it is," Derek grumbled.

Addison threw her hands in the air. "Derek, you can't protect everyone. Yes, she's your little sister, but you have to let her live with the choices she makes."

"Oh, like the choices you made with Mark." Derek pointed out.

I rubbed my forehead, wishing I could drink a glass of wine right now. I watched as Addison's eyes turned cold, anger brewing underneath.

"I can't take back what I did," Addison said. "I have apologized, but at least I'm not fawning over someone I can't have."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Derek furrowed his brows, confusion evident on his face.

"Do I need to spell it out for you?" Addison exclaimed, her frustration evident. "Meredith."

I got to my feet, needing to stop this before it escalated further.

My vision blurred, and I blinked, my head pounding. The sound of my brother and Addison arguing seemed distant.

"I don't know what you want from me, Addison." Derek's voice came through the haze.

"I want you to try!" Addison's voice was sharp, cutting through the fog in my mind.

My eyes rolled back, and I felt my knees give out, sending me to the ground.

"Rayne?" Derek's voice sounded urgent.

I groaned, unable to open my eyes as the world spun around me. A hand shook my arm, trying to rouse me, but I could only manage another groan.

"Stay with me, Rayne," Derek's voice was closer now, more urgent.

Strong arms lifted me, and I felt my head loll back as darkness enveloped me, pulling me away from the argument and into unconsciousness.

...☤...

A sigh escaped my lips, and I scrunched my eyes before I blinked.

"She's coming to,"

My eyes fluttered open, and I groaned against the bright lights. I felt my head loll to the side, and I blinked again, my gaze finding my brother filled with concern.

"Where am I?" I whispered.

"Your room."

I looked down at my bed and saw Addison sitting by my feet.

"You fainted," Addison explained.

"Oh," I breathed.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Derek interjected.

I looked from Addison to my brother before going back to Addison, feeling confusion flow through me.

"I had to tell him," Addison told me. "With you being only a couple of weeks pregnant, fainting was bound to happen."

I closed my eyes. "Because you would freak out."

"I'm not freaking out," Derek said. "Why would you think that?"

Here goes nothing.

I opened my eyes, staring, and sighed. "Because Mark's the father."

Derek froze, his expression unreadable.

I lay there, staring at my brother, unsure how he would react. A huge part of me hoped he wouldn't be angry or disappointed.

"Have you told Mark?" Derek asked, breaking the silence.

I shook my head. "No,"

"I'm trying to understand," Derek said, his voice filled with confusion. "You're with Mark, but you haven't told him about the baby."

I slowly pushed myself upright, my hair falling around my face. "I'm going to tell him," I said, meeting Derek's gaze. "But I want it to be on my terms when I'm ready."

"I don't understand." Derek frowned, clearly struggling to grasp my reasoning.

"I had others decide for me my whole life," I explained. "You, Mom, our sisters, and even Addison. For once, I need to make this decision on my own." I reached out and took Derek's hand, gently squeezing it. "You hate Mark. I get it. But I like him and want him in my life and our child's life."

I searched his eyes, hoping he would understand and support me.

"I need you to be okay with that, Derek," I said softly. "Even if things with Mark don't work out, I need you to let me handle it."

"Okay," Derek sighed, finally relenting. "I still don't like him."

"I know." I smiled.

...☤...

A/N: I'M BACK!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 14.1K READS.

I know it has been a while, but this semester of college has been crazy. But I'm on spring break now for a week, so I hope to get caught up on more writing.

So, this is a filler chapter, and no Mark, but don't worry, he's coming back soon. Derek finds out that Rayne is pregnant and is slowly getting used to the idea that she is seeing Mark.

THANK YOU TO 871 FOLLOWERS.

I hope you guys like it.

QUESTIONS: What did you guys like about this chapter? What are you guys excited about in season 2?

𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆: 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐭 𝐆𝐨 𝐛𝐲 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐲

-𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑎𝐵𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑘