At the end of the day you can tell me I'm wrong because you went to all of the trouble
  Derek had gone through his day with a peculiar ringing in his ears ever since he had stepped foot outside of the home he shared with Addison. "Who said it was going to be easy?" Derek was not himself, he was all strung out-that much was clear on more than an everyday basis. It felt almost as if he had someoneâs hands wrapped around his throat at a constant rate and when the ringing subsided, so did the feeling of being held back from everyday life. But whether he was living on a latte and a prayer inside hospital walls with patients up to his ears or screaming back at Addison, they were still a team at the end of the day because of two little bodies that were the compasses that led them back to each other-willing them to start again and recognize a better reality.Â
Maisy Rae Montgomery-Shepherd and her twin brother, Christopher Flynn Montgomery-Shepherd flipped Addison and Derekâs world so violently that as a result, the two became to resemble a derailed train more often than not. True, it happened time and time again to Addison and Derek but this time was different. Before, drama arose between them for various and never-ending reasons, and they could settle back into their old ways, the familiar. However, now the familiar was annihilated and everything was changed, for the better, but there was no place to put their feet after treading water. Of course, they both were absolutely elated with happiness and everything in between the second they laid eyes on both their son and daughter-they were perfect reflections of the two. Christopher had bright blue orbs that stared right back up at Derek the second he was born while his sister Maisy had evident red hair and piercing emerald green eyes that put any other shade of green to shame.Â
Derek had been in a procedure for more than a couple hours and was relieved when his patient had somehow managed to pull through as Derek found a solution to the manâs delusion and seizures and loss of time-the culprit being a hidden tumor in his temporal lobe. Feeling on top of the world, per usual, Derek is pulled right back down to earth when he looks at his blackberry. 3 missed calls from Addison and 12 text messages-each one displaying the ill temperament of the redhead concerning Derekâs inability to call or text back. It was laughable to Derek and he practically wants to slap himself for the thought. Addison had been home with the twins for more than 12 hours and evidently, she could not âdo it any longer without his help.â Pressing reply, he knows he should choose his words wisely, so he gives in to the redheadâs deepest desire-to have him home quickly. He texts her that he would be home in under an hour and puts his phone back on loud, as to not induce further fury because impatient Addison was like a ticking time bomb-he knew that.
Three hours later, Derek was not in any way, shape or form ready to go home. He knew he might as well have needed an army where he was headed because he was two hours late because he had gotten tied up in an emergency, despite his best efforts to slink out of his duties early. Heading up the short flight of steps, he grabs the handle on the front door but hesitates for a few seconds, breathing in and out, as if he was preparing for what was the inevitable. Setting down his briefcase and keys and jacket, Derek makes his way down the long hallway to the kitchen because the light was still on, which was unusual. Stepping inside of the kitchen, he finds Addison sipping an unusually large glass of red wine, spinning the sterling silver wine opener around on the granite counter top in a trance like stare. âAddisonâŠ,â he stumbles over the syllables in her name and dares not to step any further into the large space. Addison looks up from the spinning object that previously possessed her attention and it was as if she looked right through Derek, like he was glass. âDid someone catch your attention tonight, Dr. Shepherd? I might as well call you Dr. Shepherd now because thatâs all you are these days, not a father and certainly not a husband.â The words slice through Derek, get right under his skin, and his emotions feel untamed. Addisonâs mouth always was like unswept glass, it cut you when you least expected it to. Before Derek can muster up a response, much less an apology, Addisonâs words continue to do extensive damage to the atmosphere Derek had put them in. "I donât know why I expected anything else from you, Derek."Â
He had an alibi but it wasnât going to be any good for Addison to hear it-it led to the same result. He had let her down. His intentions were golden but you canât bring intentions to a gun fight.Â
"Iâm sorry, AddisonâŠ,"he trails off and finally takes a few steps further into the kitchen until he was standing in front of her, the counter serving as the boundary between them.Â
