3You're all I need right now
Meredith was kneeling in front of Andrew on the hospital floor and seeing him crying and shaking broke her heart into a million pieces. She missed the smile he always had on his face and she missed seeing the sparkles in his eyes every time he looked at her. Now, there was no light in him anymore, no happiness, just sadness and suffering.
"Let's go home, okay?" she said. Andrew nodded and Meredith pulled on his arms to bring him up and get him out of the hospital. They walked arm in arm and only broke apart when they were at her car. Meredith sat in the driver's seat while Andrew sat next to her.
The ride to Meredith's house was rather short but it was long enough for Andrew to fall asleep. Meredith noticed that Andrew was asleep and her heart melted a little. She always found him really cute and handsome when he was sleeping and this moment in her car was no exception. Meredith also saw how peaceful he looked and she couldn't help but think that sleep was probably the only thing that made him forget about everything that was happening. That thought made her heart break even more, if that was possible.
A few minutes later, Meredith parked the car in her driveway. She turned towards Andrew and put her hand on his cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead. We're home."
Andrew slowly opened his eyes and looked at her "Sorry, I didn't notice I was asleep."
"Don't be sorry, it is no problem. Come on, let's go inside."
Meredith and Andrew made their way into the house and Meredith released the babysitter before heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of wine.
"Hey, why don't you go upstairs and take a shower? I still have some of your clothes in my drawers for you to change into."
Andrew nodded and headed upstairs. While waiting for him, Meredith drank her wine and heated up some food from the last meal her and the kids had. She knew that Andrew wouldn't want to eat but she would certainly not let him go to sleep without having food in his stomach. After a few minutes, she noticed that the water had stopped running and she heard someone coming down the stairs. Andrew appeared in the kitchen and Meredith saw that he was wearing one of the shirts she preferred and which she sometimes slept in when she missed him too much. She loved how much it smelled like him.
"How are you feeling?"
"A little better. The shower did me good." Andrew said and sat down on the chair next to her.
"Great. I heated up some food for us."
"I'm not hungry, Mer" She knew he would say that but she wouldn't give up so easily.
"How long has it been since you last ate?" Meredith asked him and the silence which followed her question confirmed her thoughts. "You need to eat something, Andrew, even if it is just a little"
"Okay" Andrew picked up the fork and started eating. Meredith watched him carefully as he took a few bites. She felt relieved to see him eat and she knew that he was trying to make efforts, not only for himself but also for her because he knew that it would make her happy. Meredith took this time to study him and what she saw made her feel sad. Andrew was a little pale and he looked so exhausted, he had bags under his eyes and she could see that he was fighting to keep them open. She knew that he had been exhausted while working on Richard's case but now that she was looking at him, she was really seeing it. She was interrupted in her thoughts by the feel of Andrew's hand on hers.
"Thank you, Mer"
Meredith smiled and squeezed his hand a little "Let's go to bed." She guided him upstairs, never letting go of his hand. They entered her bedroom and she closed the door behind them.
"I'll be right back." Meredith went to the bathroom while Andrew settled in the bed. He got under the covers and put his head on the pillow. He couldn't wait to drift off to sleep again but he wanted to wait for Meredith. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before Meredith made her way into the room. He looked at her, all cute in her pyjamas.
"You okay?" she asked him.
"Yes. I was just waiting for you."
They both laid down facing each other and Meredith slowly caressed his cheek so he would relax a little. Eventually, Andrew fell asleep and Meredith watched him sleep for a while before turning off the lamp and drifting off as well.
Sleep didn't last for long, though. Andrew had too much in his mind and all the stress and pain that he had felt the past few weeks now came running back to him and it was more than he could handle. He looked at Meredith and saw that she was sleeping soundly and he didn't want to wake her. He thought about everything he had said to her, how mean he had been, how badly he had treated her and yet, she was there, taking care of him and bringing him in her home so he wouldn't be alone. He didn't know what was wrong with him and he was afraid of losing her for good one day. He was afraid of doing something unforgettable and see her walk out of his life and the worse was that he would completely understand her for running away.
Meredith awoke to the sound of crying and the feeling of trembling. She sat up and slowly stroke Andrew's back.
"Andrew, what's wrong?" she whispered.
"I'm scared, Mer" he looked at her and started sobbing even harder. Meredith's heart broke once again at the sight of him crying. She opened her arms for him "Come here" Andrew scooted closer and put his head on Meredith's chest. She kissed his forehead and ran her hands along his arm.
"I don't want to be like my father, Meredith. He did horrible things all those years ago. People were killed because of him and… I don't want the same happening to me, I couldn't live with that."
"Andrew, you're nothing like your father. I know that he hurt a lot of people but the situation is not the same here. Your father was in denial for years, and he still is, but you are different. You already know that something is wrong with you after only a few weeks. I promise you that everything will be okay, we'll figure it out."
"But what if something bad had happened at the hospital? I could have hurt someone, just like he did. I was disrespectful to a lot of people and I even got suspended because of what I did and… I just want it to stop" he said, his voice shaking when pronouncing that last sentence.
Meredith kissed her forehead once again "Andrew, you didn't hurt anyone so stop thinking about it. Please."
"Yes, I did. I hurt you, the only person I never wanted to hurt. I said awful things to you. I rejected you and I told you I didn't love you when it's the complete opposite. I know that I can never take it back and I hate myself for that."
"Andrew, don't worry about that. It's not your fault and I forgive you. I know that you wouldn't say things like that in a normal state. I love you and I'm there for you, you are going to get help and everything will be fine so you need to stop beating yourself up for that, okay?" Meredith said while stroking his cheek. She could hear his heart racing when she pronounced the three words she had been so afraid to say.
"Okay I'll try, for you. And I love you too, so much" Andrew looked up at her and saw her smiling from ear to ear. "I really want to kiss you right now."
"Then do it." With that, Andrew put his lips on hers and gave her a slow and tender kiss. Oh boy, how much she had missed kissing him. The kiss only lasted for a few seconds but it was enough to make Andrew and Meredith feel all the love they had for one another. Shortly after, Andrew put his head back on Meredith's chest and fell asleep, soon followed by Meredith.
The next morning, Meredith was the first to wake up. She looked at the other side of the bed and saw that Andrew was still sleeping, he must have rolled over in his sleep. The only thing she could think about was how cute he looked. They had finally reciprocated their love for one another for the first time last night. Obviously, they had both confessed their love before but it was the first that they did it one after the other. Looking at him, she knew that he was essential to her and that she could never live without him.
Meredith didn't want to wake Andrew so she decided to go take a shower. A few minutes later, she got out of the bathroom and saw that Andrew was awake.
"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you" Meredith said, making her way towards him.
"Don't worry, you didn't. Did you sleep well?" he asked. Meredith found it really sweet of him to ask about her night when he was the one hurting. She climbed on the bed next to him before answering.
"Yes, I did, thank you. Did you sleep through the whole night after we talked?"
"I guess I did. It feels good to get a good night sleep."
Meredith smiled and took his hand in hers "Well, I'm glad. What do you say we go wake the kids up and make breakfast together?"
Andrew looked at her and suddenly started to feel panic arise in him. "No, I… I can't" He couldn't be around the kids given the state he was in. He didn't want them to see him like that.
"What?" Meredith said, confused. She looked at him and noticed the fear in his eyes.
"I can't see the kids, Mer. I don't want them to see me like that, I couldn't bear the look of fear in their eyes. And what if something happens and I hurt them? I can't risk that."
"Andrew, look at me." As he did so, Meredith brought her hand on his cheek to cup his face. "I know everything will be okay with the kids. They love you and they miss you, they have been asking for you almost every day. Trust me, it will do you good to be around them and I promise you they won't be afraid, they will be too happy to know that you're here. Plus, don't tell me that you want to sneak out like a teenager?" she said with a smirk. Andrew looked at her again and kissed her, not being able to resist.
As they were kissing, they heard a small knock on the door. "Mommy, are you awake?" It was little Ellis. Meredith broke the kiss and looked at Andrew "You can't sneak out, now" she whispered with a smile before raising her voice for Ellis "Yes, sweetie, come in"
Ellis opened the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed that Andrew was there.
"Drew!" she ran towards him and threw herself in his arms. "I missed you so much"
Andrew took her in his arms and gave her a kiss in the hair "I missed you too, princess"
"Why were you gone so long? We thought you didn't love us anymore"
Andrew looked at Meredith and she gave his hand a little squeeze. That was not the impression he wanted to give the kids at all. He knows he shouldn't have let his issues with Meredith get in the way of his relationship with the kids but it was hard to hang out at Meredith's house and not be with her. And now, he was feeling guilty for letting that happen.
"I'm sorry, princess. Of course I still love you, don't ever doubt that, okay?"
"Okay, Drew." She wrapped her small arms around him and put her head on his chest. Meredith's heart melted at the scene unfolding before her. Seconds later, Zola and Bailey made their way into the bedroom.
"Andrew, you're back!" The other two kids climbed into the bed and hugged Andrew. "We missed you! We have a lot of things to tell you"
He hugged them back and felt a wave of happiness overcoming him. "I missed you too. Sorry I was gone that long but now I am back and I'll never leave again" he sincerely said.
"Hey, don't I get a hug too?" Meredith said.
"Sorry, mommy. We're just too happy to see Andrew" Zola answered. Andrew looked at the both of them and laughed a little, amused by the situation.
Meredith smacked him in the chest. "You find that funny, huh?" she said with a smile.
"Yes, really funny."
Andrew extended his arm for her and brought her closer to him. Meredith laid down, put her head on his shoulder and joined the hug.
"You were right, being with you and the kids was just what I needed" he said, kissing her forehead.
Just then, the kids started to tickle Andrew. Meredith joined her kids and Andrew started attacking the kids and Meredith to take revenge and soon bursts of laughter were heard in the household, laughter of a family finally reunited.
