Chapter 22

IN SEATTLE GRACE HOSPITAL:

"I should just watch his performance here in the hospital," Derek stated as he noticed the time. It was already 4:50, and Lucas had texted him mentioning that the show would air at 5 in the afternoon. Seeing that Lucas reached out to him personally, he didn't want to miss it.

With quickened steps, he started walking towards his office. As he was about to turn into the next hallway, he suddenly bumped into Dr. Lexie Grey, causing all the charts she was carrying to fall on the ground.

"Ah!" Lexie exclaimed in surprise, not expecting anyone to bump into her.

"I'm so sorry," Derek stated while helping gather the charts.

"No, no, it was my fault, Dr. Shepherd. I wasn't looking at where I was going," Lexie replied as she hurriedly collected all the charts that had fallen on the floor.

"You seemed to be in a hurry" Derek said with a smile on his face. Despite having only 10 minutes to set up his laptop in his office, Derek wasn't too worried. Lucas had mentioned that his performance was going to happen later in the show. He didn't see anything wrong with having a quick conversation with Lexie.

"I'm sorry, but I can't talk right now, Dr. Shepherd. Dr. Yang wants me to get these charts done as quickly as possible, and I still want to support Lucas. I--"

"Oh! Lucas informed you as well. Figures, you are his sister after all," Derek stated, glancing at some of the charts before returning them to Lexie. "There's no difference if you do this now or later. Come to my office, let's watch Lucas perform together."

For a moment, Lexie was taken aback that Derek knew Lucas was going to sing on iCarly. "He texted you? You talk to each other?" she asked, while quickly standing back up.

"Not regularly, but we did go fishing yesterday," Derek commented, causing the gears in Lexie's head to start turning. It dawned on her that the last time Lucas and her talked was when she gifted him her guitar. Aside from the single text informing her about his performance today, there had been no other interaction. The words 'bad sister' echoed persistently in her mind.

"Plus, he was quite adamant that I listen to his songs during his performance. Maybe he wants me to critique them", Derek added.

"Okay, I'll watch with you," Lexie replied. Ideas of how to make it up to Lucas began swirling in her mind. The notion of being a "bad sister" was something she desperately wanted to expel from her thoughts.

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A FEW MINUTES LATER AT MEREDITH'S HOUSE:

♪♫I know you see♪♫

♪♫Somehow the world will change for me♪♫

♪♫And be so wonderful♪♫

♪♫Live life, breathe air♪♫

♪♫I know somehow we're gonna get there♪♫

♪♫And feel so wonderful♪♫

"Mer, you're actually becoming overbearing," Izzie stated as she opened the oven and pulled out some freshly baked muffins, the aroma of which quickly filled the kitchen. Alex, who caught sight of the muffins, eagerly reached out to grab one, but Izzie swiftly slapped his hand with the whisking tool she had used earlier.

"Damn it," Alex exclaimed, rubbing the spot where Izzie had hit him. He looked at Meredith and said, "Honestly, I actually agree."

Meredith, who was watching the iCarly show on her laptop in the kitchen, crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow upon hearing both Izzie's and Alex's remarks. "I am his sister. I am supposed to take care of him. If he needs therapy, I'll take him to therapy," she defended herself.

In a brief moment, both Alex and Izzie exchanged glances with each other. They understood the importance of being protective of Lucas. However, they also recognized that Meredith needed to give the kid some breathing room to express himself.

"Look, Mer," Izzie stated while removing her oven gloves, "Are you just projecting your own insecurities onto Lucas? Perhaps it's not Lucas who needs therapy, but you."

With an annoyed expression, Meredith immediately retorted, "I don't need therapy!"

In synchronized harmony, both Izzie and Alex replied alternately, each listing the things they knew were wrong with Meredith.

"Daddy issues."

"Mommy issues."

"Commitment issues."

"Abandonment issues."

"Honestly, you have a lot of issues, Mer," Izzie added while nodding her head.

*******************************************************************************************

iCARLY SET: LIVE [A FEW MINUTES LATER]

Lucas found himself in the sidelines while Carly, Sam, and Freddie did there thing.

With a smile on Carly's face, she announced, "Last week, we conducted a poll."

"Taking a bath or taking a shower? Which is better?" Sam appeared on camera, asking the question.

"And the winner is?" Carly eagerly inquired.

Sam, without missing a beat, swiftly pressed two buttons on her signature blue remote, instantly triggering the resounding sound of drums echoing throughout the room.

🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁

Simultaneously, a TV appeared from the corner, capturing everyone's attention.

On the screen, a simple graph appeared, visually representing the poll results:

Taking a shower: 69% 📈

Taking a bath: 31% 📉

Excitement filled the air as Carly and Sam jubilantly shouted in unison, "TAKING A SHOWER!" Their voices echoed with joy as they leaped up and down in celebration of the majority's preference.

Seeing this, Freddie positioned the camera to his face and said in a judgmental tone, "To those 31% who voted for taking a bath, that's gross. You sit there in your own wet dirt."

"Okay, okay. You're done," Sam stated as she repositioned the camera away from Freddie and back to Carly and herself.

"Today on iCarly, we have a special guest!" Sam shouted.

"He's a singer," Carly said sweetly.

"Please welcome our dear friend, Lucas Grey!" the girls said in unison.

Lucas immediately appeared in front of the camera, waving his hand. "Hi, everyone," he said with a broad smile.

Using her blue remote as a metaphorical microphone, Sam asked, "So, Lucas, what will you be singing for the fans of iCarly?"

Bringing the remote close to his mouth, Lucas replied, "I'm going to sing two songs that I wrote a while back. Both of them are love songs, but each carries a fundamentally different meaning. I won't spoil the second song just yet, but the first song is essentially about being so deeply in love that you're completely enamored with the other person and simply want to be a part of their life."

"Awesome," Sam commented.

"We've heard the first song, and it's beautiful," Carly added.

"And we'll be singing backup," Sam chimed in.

"Freddie, cue the lights!" Carly shouted as Lucas settled himself near the piano.

Freddie promptly dimmed the unnecessary lights in the room, leaving only those that would highlight Lucas. Lucas positioned his microphone, while Sam and Carly stood beside him, each with a microphone stand in front of them. The moment Lucas' fingers touched the keys of the piano, a transformation came over him. His entire demeanor shifted.

[Power Over Me - Dermot Kennedy]

♫ ♩ ♪♫ ♫ ♩ ♪♫ ♫ ♩ ♪♫ ♫ ♩ ♪♫

Carly and Sam: Mmm...Mmmm..Mmmm..Mmmm

Lucas: ♫ ♩ I Wanna be king in your story. I wanna know who you are.♫ ♩ I want your heart to beat for me. Oh, I. ♫ ♩I Want you to sing to me softly. Cause then I might run in the dark ♪♫. That's all our love ever taught me. Oh, I ♪♫. Call and I'll rush out♪♫.

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...

Lucas: All out of breath now♪♫.

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...

Lucas: You got that power over me♪♫!

Together: My, My!

Lucas: Everything I hold dear resides in those eyes♪♫. You got that power over me♪♫!

Together: My, My!

Lucas: The only one I know, the only one on my mind♪♫! You got that power over me♪♫!

Carly and Sam: My, My!

"Shit, the kid really has talent", Karev stated while honestly being in awe of Lucas' voice.

Izzie couldn't contain her excitement as she exclaimed, "He's going to be a pop star!". Having heard Lucas sing before, she was amazed at how this song surpassed the previous song she heard in the hospital. The higher pitch and the powerful message conveyed through the lyrics left a lasting impression. While she may not be a songwriter herself, she knew a hit song when she hears one.

Lucas: You got that power over me♪♫!

Carly and Sam: My, My!

Lucas: You got that power over me♪♫!

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...MmmMmmm

A conflicted expression marked Derek's face as he continued to listen to the song. There was something strikingly personal about it, as if Lucas had crafted the song based on the dynamics of his own relationship with Meredith. Deep in his heart, Derek yearned to make Meredith his wife, envisioning a life where she would be his Queen and he, her King. Even though they had gone through a painful breakup, Meredith possessed an undeniable hold over him, a power he couldn't seem to break free from. It made him wonder if this was precisely why Lucas had wanted him to hear the song.

Lucas: ♪♫Remember the lake in the moonlight? Remember you shivered and shone. ♪♫I'll never forget what you looked like, On that night. ♪♫ I know that time's gonna take me. I know that day's gonna come.♪♫I just want the devil to hate me. Oh, I ♪♫. Call and I'll rush out♪♫.

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...

Lucas: All out of breath now♪♫.

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...

Lucas: You got that power over me♪♫!

Together: My, My!

Meredith furrowed her brow, her gaze fixed on Lucas' mesmerizing performance. The song stirred within her a mix of emotions, leaving her perplexed by the unexpected ache it caused. In one moment, vivid memories flooded her mind—reminiscing the precious time spent in Derek's company, when they ventured to his cherished lake and swam under the moonlit sky. Yet, swiftly, her thoughts shifted to the darker times when she battled with her own demons, were she willingly allowed herself to drown in order to kill herself.

Remarkably, Lucas' song managed to evoke both the happiest and most troubled moments of her life. The realization struck her, causing her to question if Derek had shared these intimate moments with Lucas during their fishing trip.

Lucas: It was all in doubt. They were all around♪♫

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...

Lucas: So we hide away and never tell♪♫. You decide, if darkness knows you well. ♪♫That lesson of love, all that it was.♪♫ I need you to see. You got that power over me.♪♫

Together: My, My!

Lucas: Everything I hold dear resides in those eyes♪♫. You got that power over me♪♫!

Together: My, My!

Lucas: The only one I know, the only one on my mind♪♫!. You got that power over me♪♫!

Nevel Papperman's frustration reached its peak as he shouted, "How did they find this person!" His eyes were fixed on Lucas's remarkable performance on iCarly. The real-time ratings and fans' opinions flooded in, all overwhelmingly positive. The chat room buzzed with adoration for Lucas, and the numbers continued to skyrocket. Nevel couldn't bear witnessing iCarly's resounding success, as it seemed to dominate the spotlight.

Unable to stomach the thought of iCarly surpassing his own ratings, Nevel's frustration boiled over. Without even finishing this week's episode of iCarly, he swiftly took to his computer and began crafting smear articles targeting the current episode. There was no way he would allow iCarly to outshine him in the ratings; he was determined to do whatever it took to prevent that from happening.

Lucas: ♪♫!I know that I let her down, no. Let her down, no.♪♫ You got that power over me♪♫!

Together: My, My!

Lucas: Everything I hold dear resides in those eyes. You got that power over me.

Together: My, My!

Lucas: The only one I know, the only one on my mind. You got that power over me.

Carly and Sam: MmmMmmm...

♫♩♪{song ends} ♫♩♪