Chapter 1

Derek frowned as he looked at the large stack of research proposals. He loved doing research himself, but he found reviewing other doctor's research proposals to be trying. As chief, he had to evaluate the proposals and decide which would proceed and which needed more work. He usually required doctors to resubmit their proposals at least twice before giving them the green light. Those who got a yellow or red would be disappointed, and they would bombard his office with their entreaties.

The phone rang. He was glad for the interruption. He saw the Seattle area code and wondered who would be calling him. His heart raced a bit; could it be Meredith? But he was soon disappointed. "Hi Derek. I've been meaning to call you to congratulate you on making chief."

Derek laughed, "Bailey, I've been chief for two years. I'm sure that's not why you called. But thanks anyway. How are you?"

"I'm doing great. But I'm working on an important project, and I need your help."

"What's the project?"

"Doctors saving lives."

"That's what we do, Miranda."

"Not through our medical care, but through our participation in the miracle of transplants. Right now, we're asking doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers to join us in the Bone Marrow Registry. We're doing a drive at hospitals nationwide, and I'm calling you to ask you to lead a drive at Mount Sinai. "

"What got you involved in this project?"

"To be honest, I have a personal interest."

"Is there something wrong with Tuck or someone else in your family?"
Bailey frowned. She knew she had to give some information; she had promised she wouldn't let him know about Chrissy. But she didn't want to lie. She tried to walk the line, being honest but keeping her promise to maintain the girl's anonymity. "No, Tuck is doing fine. But a fellow staff person here has a little girl who needs a bone marrow transplant. She has leukemia."

"How awful. Anyone I met?"

Bailey frowned again. She didn't like to lie, but she had a promise to keep; she couldn't give an honest answer, so she needed to dodge the question. "Derek, I'm sorry, but this patient's family has requested that we maintain her anonymity. We're calling her Baby Grace for Seattle Grace. I can say she is a gorgeous, bright, adorable girl, but now she's very sick and could die without a match. No one in her family was a match, so her oncologist had to contact the registry, but there was no match for her there, yet."

"Did you do a drive at Seattle Grace?"

"Sure we did. We had 100% participation. There were even a couple of people who were Christian Scientists who decided to participate in the drive. Everyone loves this little girl. She was very special long before she was sick. We've known her since she was born, right here in the hospital. Even I've taken her home to babysit when needed. She's a lot of fun; she has a great sense of humor. Tuck adores here; we sometimes go to the playground together. "

Bailey smiled thinking of Chrissy's good days, but then she got serious. "But that was before she got sick. Sadly, no one was a match for her, but, on the bright side, three people on our staff were matches for others. I myself was already in the registry, and I've given my marrow twice. There's a big dearth of African American donors, so it's particularly important to increase the number of African-American donors. So Derek, will you lead the effort at Mount Sinai?"

"No problem. What do I need to do?"

"I've already set up a contact at the Bone Marrow Registry, Suzie Chan. We're calling this the Baby Grace drive. I'll email you with the contact info. I'll send you some of the material we've developed. You just need to send an email to everyone on your staff and encourage them. We gave everyone who gave recognition and then we had a party when we reached 100%"

"Didn't the people at Seattle Grace know who the little girl was? I'm sure that was a big factor in getting 100%"

"I'm sure you can find someone at Mount Sinai who has a family member or friend who has needed a bone marrow transplant, if you want to make a personal appeal." Bailey then thought a moment and decide it to push it, even if it was risky. "And Derek, it would be great if you could step up and be an example yourself. When I asked for people to contribute, I always told them that I was on the registry. It really helps"

"I'll do it for you, Bailey."

"Thank you so much." Bailey smiled. She had done her job. If her plan worked, maybe Chrissy would find a match.

Addison frowned. She read the email from her ex-husband, directed to all members of the staff. "Join the drive to save Baby Grace. 100% of the doctors, nurses, and other employees of Seattle Grace Hospital in Seattle, Washington have joined the Bone Marrow Registry in an effort to save the life of a three year old girl, who is part of the Seattle Grace family. While so far they haven't found a match for Baby Grace, they have found three matches for other patients, so three people have a chance at life they didn't before. I've already been tested today. I'm asking everyone at Mount Sinai to join the registry. Let's match Seattle Grace."

She got up and went up to his office, not stopping to knock. "Derek, what is with this email?"

"I got a call from Dr. Bailey. You remember her, right?"

"Sure do."

"She is asking hospitals nationwide to join Seattle Grace in the search for a bone marrow donor for a little girl."

"And she started with Mount Sinai."

"Well, she knows me."

"Derek, did she give you the real name of the girl who needs the transplant?"

Derek shook his head. "No. Bailey wouldn't say. The girl's family wants to be anonymous. What difference does it make? It's a good thing to do."

Addison frowned. "Of course, it's a good thing to do. I've been on the registry myself for a dozen years. And I've never been a match. Finding a match through the registry is tough. I'd think that looking for relatives would be more likely to yield a match."

"They tried that, too. Bailey said no one in the family was a match."

Addison looked Derek in the eye. He met her eyes with his piercing blue eyes without hesitation. She knew that he wasn't keeping anything from her, but she decided to press. "Derek, I'm sorry. I find this suspicious."
"Suspicious? Bone marrow registry drives are very common."
"I know. I can't help feeling that Bailey called you because you might be a match."

"What do you mean? I don't have any family in Seattle."

"Not that you know of, you mean."

"What are you suggesting, Addison?"

"Derek, as I recall, Seattle Grace had a prom almost four years ago, and, as I recall, you got carried away in an exam room . . . "

"Addison, are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting? Do you really think that Bailey suggested this whole thing as a cover to test me?"

"Yes, Derek. Bailey would do anything for one of her interns, you know that. And getting everyone here to join the marrow could save dozens of lives, so it's a win win."

"If Meredith Grey had my child – and that's what you're suggesting, Addie?" He looked Addie in the eye, and she nodded, "don't you think she would have called me long ago?"

"Look, Derek, you walked away from her and moved three thousand miles away to make our marriage work. Why would she call you? Maybe she doesn't know we gave up the ghost last year and divorced. Or maybe she found out we got divorced, and she's been waiting for you to visit. I don't know why you never called her."

"Addie, how could I? She asked me to choose her, and I didn't. Even after the prom, I chose you a second time. How could I go back and tell her I loved her and it was all a mistake?"

"When I divorced you, I expected you'd do that and try and make yourself happy. What good is it being miserable by yourself here when you love her?

"I'm not miserable. And it would break my heart if she rejected me. And, if you're right about her having a baby and not having the decency to let me know I'm a dad . .. . "

"Well, Derek, maybe it was about me. Maybe she didn't want me mothering her child. Or maybe she didn't want the baby being bounced from Seattle to New York. I don't know. I'm just staying I'm suspicious."

"Well, I have no reason to believe that I have a child in Seattle. But if I'm a match, I'll definitely be suspicious, how about that? Don't you think Mount Sinai should do the drive, whether it's for Meredith Grey's daughter or someone else's child?

"I'm all for doing the drive. If everyone here joins, we can save several lives. I'm just worried that you might have a sick child. And that I might have kept you from your daughter. It would all be my fault." Addie started tearing up. "I should have let you go."

Derek got up and put his arms around Addie as she started sobbing. "Addie, it would be Meredith's fault for not letting me know. And my own fault for not going back to Meredith after we got divorced."

"She might have thought it would have screwed up our marriage. And she wouldn't want you to choose her because she was your daughter's mom."

"Still, it would be wrong to keep a father from his daughter. I don't want to believe that Meredith would do that. We'll have to see what happens."

Addie decided to take action and investigate, so she called her best friend in Seattle. "Hi Callie, it's Addie."

"How are you? It's been a long time since I've heard from you. Are you coming to Seattle for a visit? I have a guest room, if you need one."

"No, just calling to touch base and get the latest gossip."

"Nothing interesting since you and Derek left. I hear Derek made chief at Mount Sinai. Congratulations."
"I'll tell him you said congratulations, but we're not married anymore. Divorced for a year now."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Sounds like you have the good gossip."

"How can you say nothing interesting when Bailey is starting a national drive to get donors for the Bone Marrow Registry?"

"That's just a good deed, nothing interesting." Callie frowned. Bailey had gotten to her, sworn her to secrecy, knowing that Addie or Derek might call her.

"I hear there's a three year old child, Baby Grace, how needs a donation."
"That's true."

"Do I know her family?"

"Look Addie, if I could, I'd tell you, but the family wants its privacy so the info is confidential. I'm a doctor, and I can't reveal confidential info. Besides, what difference does it make? It's a good deed."

"Callie, I lost my husband because of Meredith Grey."

"You may be divorced, but so far he hasn't come looking for her. And I seem to recall that he left you in New York before he met Meredith."

"That's true. He's an idiot. A brainless brain surgeon. I told him myself he should go after her, after we divorced, but he was too stubborn; he said he lost his chance when he gave our marriage a real try, back home. Anyway, when Bailey called Derek, I figured that she must be searching for match for Meredith's little girl. The changes of finding a good match through a random search are slim. Even a parent has only a one out of 200 chance of being a good HLA match. But a parent would be that girl's best shot."

"Many people have had their lives saved through the Bone Marrow Registry. It's worth a try, even with no relative in the mix. With the new people we added to the registry, we found at least three new non-relative matches."

"Look, I'm fine with adding to the registry. I've long been on the registry myself, not that anyone's ever needed my marrow. I just want to know if Derek has a little girl."

"Then you should be calling Meredith Grey and not me."

Addie laughed. "I'm sure that's a call that would not go well. And if Meredith's daughter is sick, I wouldn't want to add to her stress. But I'd like to be able to warn Derek."

"How would that help?"

"It would prepare him for seeing his little girl for the first time when she's fighting for her life. But, you know what, if he's a match, we'll both be suspicious, so if you don't share anything with me, I'm assuming that's what is going on."

"Addie, it's confidential. I can't tell you one way or the other."

"Look Callie, you should know that Derek's already been tested, so we'll know soon enough if he's a match, and, if he's a match, I'm sure the kid is Meredith's. If that's true, she really has bad luck. To have a mother with Alzheimer's and then a kid with leukemia. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Not to say that Meredith is my enemy, even if she stole my husband."

"Addie, Meredith didn't steal your husband. You know that. Anyway, I can't say anything about the girl's identity, but I can tell you this. She is a wonderful child. If someone from Mount Sinai can save her life, we'll all be eternally grateful. She calls me "Aunt Callie," and I love her to death."

"Callie, I love children –that's why I specialize in neonatal medicine. I hope this baby gets a good match. I'm just worried about Derek. And I feel guilty. If it's his kid, I kept him from his kid."

"Addie, let's just focus on getting everyone at Mount Sinai to sign up for the registry. Maybe we can find a match for Baby Grace and for others as well."

Callie put the phone down, and immediately went to talk to Bailey. "Bailey, you should know I got a call from Addison, and she's very suspicious of your calling Derek for the bone marrow testing. She's already figured out that Baby Grace is Meredith's daughter."

Bailey frowned. She had known this was a possibility, but she thought it was worth the risk. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her nothing like I promised. But she said Derek's already been tested, and that, if he's a match, they'll know the kid Is Meredith's. It would be too much of a coincidence to be someone else's."

"Well, let's all pray he's a match. If he comes, Meredith will have to deal with it, but she'll do anything to save Chrissy's live, even deal with Derek."

"Well, he's divorced now."

"He walked away from Meredith. I don't know if she can forgive him . . . but saving Chrissy's life may give her reason to forgive him. Let's just pray he's a match."

"Will do. Should I tell Meredith he's suspicious?"

"No. Let's not worry her about it until we know for sure he's a match. There is only a one of two hundred chance that he's a good HLA match. If he's coming, she can deal with him then. She has more than enough to worry about now. Doctor Blakely says the chemo isn't working yet, so he wants to try a new drug combination. Chrissy needs to go into remission before a bone marrow transplant can be done."