Here we are, back in the Don't Want to Need You universe. We pick things up a bit over a month after the DWTNY epilogue; if you haven't read that yet you should, or you'll probably be pretty confused.
Addison glances up from her medical journal when she hears a knock on the door. "Hey."
"Hey. How's my favorite patient?" Derek nods towards Cecilia, sleeping soundly on the hospital bed in her little pink Nike running shorts and t-shirt, clutching her well-loved rag doll and surrounded by a pink bunny from Addison and Mark, a dog from Derek and Meredith, and a baby doll from Carolyn - all get-well gifts from her surgery just over two weeks ago.
"Miserable, ever since that stupid nurse said something about going home this morning. She literally cried through the entire two hours of PT this morning. She kept yelling "I don't like it!" and "I'm not doing it!" and "I'm going home!" Which should have been super annoying, but she was doing everything the therapist told her to do while she was yelling that she wasn't doing it, so it was actually pretty hilarious. But also sad because she really thought she was going home today."
Derek laughs. "Yeah, I heard about that. But by this time tomorrow she'll be home, so hang in there."
"Thank God. I miss my babies!" Addison whines. "And I miss my sweet little Cece. She's been so...temperamental. Which is understandable, considering that in less than six months I've given birth to twins, we moved cross country, and she had major surgery, but it's draining. And she's so frustrated. She was starting to use the crutches before surgery, and now she's back to the walker - and struggling with it - and she's just...miserable."
Derek moves behind Addison and starts massaging her tense shoulders. "The surgery revealed the underlying weakness that the spasticity covered up. You knew that was going to happen. It's going to take time to get her back where she was, but before you know it she'll be better than ever. I've talked to her therapists. She's highly motivated and is working hard in therapy. I know it's hard for you to see all the little improvements she's making when you're with her all day, every day but she's already come such a long way since her surgery and she's only going to get better. If I was a betting man, I'd say she'll be walking independently by Christmas. And it's going to affect so many other things besides walking."
"Yeah, I'm really hoping it helps with toilet training-"
"It should, in the long run, but I wouldn't worry about it too much right now when there's so much going on. Toilet training just takes longer for kids with CP, generally speaking, and a kid like her being in diapers at three and a half really isn't unusual. Like everything else, it'll come in time."
"I know, it's just...four kids - five, if you count the fact that Emme's been wetting the bed again ever since the move - in diapers? It's insane! We should buy stock in Pampers…"
"If it's any consolation, Riley has decided she wants absolutely nothing to do with the potty. Maybe we can ship them off to potty training boot camp together."
"Hey, potty training is hard when there's a new baby on the way. But honestly, I thought if anyone could get that girl potty trained it would be your mother. And speaking of your mother, that woman has been a godsend. I still can't believe the nanny just quit after less than a month! And I feel horrible that she's been watching my kids all week, because she came out here to help you and Meredith, but I don't know what we'd have done without her."
"Don't feel too bad. It's not like there's much for her to do since Brendan has apparently decided he's never leaving the womb…"
"Oh, relax! Meredith is just forty weeks now, right?"
"Forty weeks tomorrow," Derek confirms with a nod.
"Okay, I know everyone fixates on that forty weeks, but really anything between thirty-eight and forty-two weeks is perfectly normal. You could be waiting another two weeks."
"God, I hope not! For my sake and Meredith's. But tomorrow's her last day of work, so at least she can take it easy. I wish she would have gone on maternity leave weeks ago."
"Can't say I blame her, though. It's already tough having a baby during residency, but with all the time she took off when Riley was sick…"
"Yeah, I know. I just hate watching her struggle. Anyways, I gotta get back to work."
Addison checks the time. "And I better wake Miss Grumpy Pants up for afternoon PT. Pray for my sanity."
"I will," Derek says with a laugh before leaving.
Addison gets up reluctantly. "Cece, time to wake up," she coos as she shakes the girl gently. "Come on, wake up sleepy head."
"No! I'm sleepin'" Cecilia screws her eyes shut and rolls over, away from her mother.
Addison can't even get upset, because just two weeks ago even something as simple as rolling over had been nearly impossible for the three-year-old. "You're not sleeping. Let's get you changed and then it's time for therapy."
Cecilia rolls back over and, with a bit of difficulty, sits up. "I don't wanna," she whines as she holds her arms up to be held.
Addison sighs and picks her up for a quick snuggle. "You don't want to what?"
"Get changed."
"Well, you can't go to PT with a wet diaper, so too bad."
"I'm not goin' to PT."
"Oh, yes you are," Addison insists as she lays Cecilia back down on the bed.
"No I'm not! I'm not doin' it."
The argument continues as Addison gets Cecilia changed, then tugs up her knee socks - gray, with raccoon faces at the knees - and puts her AFOs and sneakers on. "Okay! All ready to go." She sets the girl in front of her walker.
"I'm not goin' to PT!" Cecilia howls defiantly as she takes off down the hall in the direction of the PT clinic.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, mouthy…"
…..
Mark walks through the door and finds Emme setting the table while Carolyn stirs a pot of sauce on the stove. Everett is balanced on one hip, and Georgia is in her exersaucer in one corner; Annie and Riley are giggling as they play with Riley's Sesame Street figurines on the floor. "Come here, little man!" he says as he reaches for his blond-haired son before leaning in to kiss Carolyn on the cheek. "That smells amazing. I don't know how you do it!" he tells her as he looks around at the spotless kitchen. "These hooligans didn't drive you crazy, did they?"
"Of course not! They're little angels, every one of them." Carolyn sets down her spoon and unties her apron. "Now, the sauce is done. All you have to do is cook the pasta. The water is already boiling for that. Come on, Riley. Get your shoes."
"I don't wanna go!"
"Riley, no whining. You'll see your cousins again tomorrow morning."
"You know, you could stay for dinner, after you went to all this trouble," Mark suggests, eyeing the tossed salad and garlic bread waiting on the table.
"I'd love to, but Derek just called. They'll be home any time now."
"If you say so. And thank you, for everything. You're a real lifesaver."
Carolyn shrugs and pats Mark's cheek adoringly before picking Riley up. "That's what family is for. Riley, say goodbye to Uncle Mark."
"Bye Uncle Markie!" Riley says with a wave as they head out the door.
With Carolyn and Riley gone Mark dumps a box of spaghetti into the boiling water and turns to Emme. "What are you pouting about? Didn't you have fun with grandma today?" he asks as he tweaks her nose.
"No! She never wants to do anything with me."
"That's not true. I'm sure she'd love to play with you, but the babies keep her busy, that's all."
"But she's not even their grandma-"
"Yes she is."
"Nuh uh! She's my dad's mom, not your mom, so that means she's my grandma. Not theirs."
"Well, I spent a lot of time at your dad's house when I was a kid. She was like a mom to me, so she is their grandma too. Now, help Annie wash her hands, and dinner will be ready."
"Why do I gotta do everything? I set the table, I helped grandma fold laundry, I picked up all the toys Annie and Riley got out...I don't wanna do anything else!" Emme complains.
"And I worked all day to put a roof over your head and food on the table so quit whining and do what I told you to do!" Mark snaps. He's not proud of his reaction, but after two and a half weeks of juggling work and the kids while Addison stays at the hospital with Cecilia, he's running low on patience.
Emme scowls. "Fine! Annie, come on," she growls before grabbing the toddler none too gently by the hand and dragging her to the bathroom.
"And be nice!" Mark adds as Emme stomps down the hall. He hears her drag the step stool over to the sink; seconds later Annie is howling that the water is too hot, so he quickly gets Everett in his high chair and hurries off to rescue his middle child.
…..
Derek and Meredith pull into the driveway at the same time that Carolyn and Riley are getting home from the Sloan house. "There's my girl!" Derek says happily as he frees Riley from her car seat. "Did you have fun today?"
Riley nods enthusiastically. "Annie was bad!" she announces gleefully, omitting the fact that she went along with most of Annie's misdeeds.
"Well, that's nothing new," Derek chuckles.
"She's not bad. She's just a baby, she doesn't know any better," Carolyn corrects; it's no secret that she has a soft spot for the mischievous toddler. "She may look like her mother but let me tell you, that girl is all Mark!" she adds as she grabs her purse and they all head inside.
"You must be exhausted," Meredith says as she drops to a chair in the kitchen, while Carolyn makes a beeline for the fridge. "Don't worry about dinner. We'll order pizza."
"Nonsense! My granddaughter deserves a good home-cooked meal. And anyways, Annie may have kept me on my toes - with a bit of help from this one, don't let that innocent face fool you - but really, it's not bad. The twins are no trouble at all. Everett just wants to be held all the time, and Georgia is the most easy-going baby. And Emme's such a big help," Carolyn rambles on as she starts pulling out ingredients for a chicken pot pie. Naturally she'd wanted to meet Emme as soon as she'd found out about her; she was immediately smitten with not only her granddaughter, but the Sloan children who might as well have been her own grandchildren. "Now, you go out your feet up. And you," she looks up from the carrots she's chopping and pauses to point at Derek, "go give Riley a bath. By the time she's in her jammies, dinner will be ready."
If any of you are curious about Cecilia's surgery, there is a 5-part series on YouTube that explains it, and the rehab after. Search "Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy at Seattle Children's Hospital - Part 1 of 5.
As always, reviews motivate me! Let me know what you think, and don't forget to leave suggestions for my series of one-shots, These Little Moments!