Katherine Elisabeth was born in January of 2007. She was born to a mother who loved her with all of her heart and a father that didn't even know that she existed. She was always small for her age, petite and quiet.
She had her father's piercing blue eyes and half grin and her hair was dark brown with a touch of blond highlights hanging down in loose ringlets. Her hair was filled with the scent of something so sweet and innocent, that it made people want to just snuggle up with her, press their face into her hair softly and give her a little peck, just to take in the sweetness that made them want to be a child again.

Katherine, or 'Katie-bug' as she was affectionately called by her large "extended" family was spoiled by anyone who looked after her. Her family consisted of her mother's co-workers and friends who watched Katie grow from her first yawn, to her first tooth, her first word and first step.

Everyone who knew her, held her close to their heart, for they know that she was a very special part of their lives.

With each passing day, Katherine looked more and more like her father. A reminder to her mother of the man she once loved, and still held a place for in her heart.

Katie's father left two weeks before Meredith knew that she was pregnant. He left everything he had known and loved. He leased out his land to be cared for by a family that was in need of a place to stay, divorced his wife of 11 years, and set himself on his way to find himself. He wasn't sure exactly where he was going or what he needed, but he felt that he needed to be selfless and giving in order to find out what it is he needs in his life. He was tired of hurting people and being hurt, so he said goodbye to his friends and family and began a search of his soul.

He still practiced medicine, traveling from country to country performing surgeries and other medical tasks for people who would otherwise not be able to afford a trip to a larger hospital for treatment. He never forgot his friends. He would occasionally drop a postcard or letter in the mail to inform everyone of how he was doing.

Meredith always told Katie the truth about her father, feeling that honesty, above all else is the most important part of the relationship between her and her daughter.

Every time a postcard from the little girl's would come in the mail, she would place it in a special scrapbook after reading it aloud to Katie, letting her know how important her daddy was to people all over the world. She would always end the reading by saying "Love always, daddy" instead of the actual writing "Love always, Derek", making these moments ever more special for her daughter.

It had been a little over five years since Katherine's father left so suddenly, however she was always surrounded by both male and female figures to help her grow to be smart and caring to others.

She was constantly influenced by her mother's friends. Doctor Burke and Cristina, known affectionately by Katie as Uncle Doc and Aunt Crissy, always saved time on their time off to visit their "Katie bug" and bring her gifts and hugs.

Uncle Georgie and Aunt Izzie stayed with Meredith in her mother's house and would help Katie get ready for her days at daycare or hold her when she was sad or scared and everyone knew that even from as early as they can remember, the most calming activity for Katie was to carefully flip through the scrapbook of bright postcards from her daddy.

Meredith always made sure that Katie had her mother's attention as often as possible. She took short surgeries and arranged her schedule so that she could be at home during Katie's "awake hours" on some days of the week.

Two weeks before Christmas, Meredith received another postcard from Derek. The postcard surprised her, only because she had just gotten one two days before. The first thing she noticed, was that the card did not have a stamp on it. Without immediately looking at the note on the card, she flipped it over, looking at the picture on the other side forced her jaw to drop in astonishment.

It was not a picture of some far away place, it wasn't a pyramid from Egypt or a picture of the Taj Mahal in India. It was a picture of the space needle at night, with the lights of Seattle sparkling in the background. Meredith could feel her heart quicken as she turned the card over. "Please, meet me at Joes tonight at 10, I will be waiting for you. Love always, Derek".

"Hey Mer," Meredith was suddenly startled out of her reverie by the sound of George's voice. She turned her head and noticed him standing there in scrub pants and a gray t-shirt holding Katie in his arms while she playfully put her hands on his cheeks and smacked his cheeks with her lips again and again. "Have you seen Katie-bug's other boot? Every time I ask her where it is, she said 'its hiding'".

"Ah, its hiding, where can it be?" she said as she scooped up her daughter and tickled her side. "Could it be…. HERE?" she asked, pulling her daughter's shirt and giving her a raspberry on the tummy. Katie squealed in delight and while still laughing said "No, silly mama, its not hiding in my tummy", as they continued their search for the missing boot.

"Mer, are you alright, you looked a little pale there, when you were getting the mail." George said, as he walked up to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine" she said, brushing off the feeling of nervous excitement that she had after reading the postcard. "I'll tell you about it in a little while" she said, indicating Katie in her arms. "Ok, bugs, where's that boot?"

"I'll give you a hint mama. Its not in my toybox!" She said, giggling.

"Aha!" Merideth said as she swooped her daughter under one arm and opened the toybox to reveal, not only her missing boot, but her mother's running shoes and George's slippers.

"So that's where my slippers were!" George exclaimed, snatching Katie from her mother as she erupted into gales of laughter. "Now lets get you ready to go to daycare, mommy and Uncle Georgie have to go to work today. Aunt Izzy is going to pick you up not soon after, and you're going to go get mommy her Christmas present, what do you think about that?"

"Fun fun FUN!" Katie exclaimed as George carried her into the kitchen to get her boot on and to find her jacket.

As soon as George and Katie left the room, Meredith sighed in resignation as thoughts of her invitation plagued her mind. "What am I going to do?" she sighed to herself.