AN: This is going to be confusing at first, but just go with it. Characters, especially Meredith and Derek, will be a little different then they are on the show, but these characters have had very different situations.

A little background to make the story somewhat believable: Meredith, Derek, and Addison are friends, like in season 2, when Derek and Meredith were friend, so therefore Addison and Meredith are friends. This is the idea that they remain friends (no Merder fight), and Addison and Meredith were actually pretty much friends. Derek and Addison have been "working on their marriage," but still Meredith-Derek love, put aside by circumstances soon to be explained.

Please review. It's a strange story, but I think it has some potential.

"Time of death, 15:22."

The scrub nurse leaned over and flipped off the monitors. Two down trodden doctors filled out of the OR, followed by an equally unhappy intern. Remaining by the table, and the now lifeless body were another doctor, and another intern.

A slender hand tenderly touched the face, and then looked up at the man across the table.

"It's a sad irony," she said softly, almost to herself.

"What?" His voice cracked.

After a brief pause she whispered, "She could have saved herself. She's performed surgeries with complications like this before."

He didn't respond, instead gripping the edge of the table as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. They stood in silence for a moment before Meredith walked around the table.

"We should go." She touched his shoulder. When he didn't respond she said again, "Derek, come on."

He touched his wife's face, gently fingering a curl that had escaped the cap. Meredith gave him a moment before leading him into the scrub room. They washed their hands in silence.

Meredith looked up at him as they were leaving, "We should go see your daughter." She gave him a weak smile.

"No."

"Derek." She paused. "It's what Addison would want. I know her, Derek. She loved this baby, and she would want you to be happy about her."

"I'm not happy about raising a child alone," he said darkly. He opened the door to the nearest on call room, slamming it in Meredith's face.

Christina came up to her. "He didn't take that well."

"No. He doesn't even want to see the baby."

Christina sighed. "I wouldn't want to see the reason my wife was dead so soon either."

"It's not her fault."

"Tell that to Derek."

They collapsed into chairs in the hallway. Meredith put her head in her hands. The situation was still surreal. Now that she had a chance to reflected, highlights from the past hours played ceaselessly in her mind.

Flashback

Addison face glistened with sweat and she groaned as another powerful contraction hit her.

"Something's wrong. It shouldn't be taking this long." She reached for her husband's hand.

Derek patted her hand. "You're doing just fine, Addison. Baby's take a while to come, you know that."

One Hour Later

Meredith wiped her friends' face with a wet cloth. "It'll be okay, Addison. C sections are fairly routine, you and the baby will be fine."

Addison attempted a smile. "Why is everyone forgetting that I'm the expert in such things?"

Meredith smiled back. "It's just what you say, I suppose."

They were the only ones in the room. Derek had gone to the OR to get ready, and Addison was waiting for Christina, the intern on the case, to come take her to the OR.

"Meredith, we've become friends in the past year and a half, haven't we?"

"Of course," Meredith said reassuringly, though it wasn't entirely true. There had always been the issue of Derek, and the fact that Meredith, however much she denied it, was still in love with him. Despite this, their friendship-by-association-with-Derek had made them rather close.

"Meredith, if anything happens . . . "

"It won't!" Meredith exclaimed quickly.

"But if it does," Addison said loudly, "I want you to take care of them. Both of them."

"Derek and the baby?" Meredith said to fill the silence.

"Yes. He still loves you, and the three of you will probably be happier than we would have been." Addison closed her eyes, and turned her head away in both pain and grief.

"Addison, that's not true! He loves you, and, more importantly, you are not going to die." Meredith forced Addison to meet her eyes. "You are not going to die," she repeated.

At that moment Christina came into the room, and the conversation was abruptly ended, but as Addison was wheeled out of the room, she turned around, and asked, "Meredith, do you promise me?"

Meredith nodded.

Later

"Meredith!" Christina ran into the waiting room, "Meredith, she asking for you. It's not looking good."

Meredith ran with Christina into the OR, and as soon as she had taken her place across from Derek, Addison had forced her to confirm the promise once more.

Meredith stood up suddenly.

Christina looked up at her without rising. "What is it?"

"I have to go see the baby, then check on Derek. I promised her." Her voice trailed off to a whisper at the end, and she rushed to the nursery, leaving a very confused Christina behind her.