Previously :
"I'm gonna page Addison," he said, picking up the phone, "and have her examine Tanya when you're done in radiology."
"You mean Walters. Addison won't be back until next week."
"What are you talking about?"
"She was only supposed to be gone for a few days, but the Chief is making her stay longer."
Derek's blank look told Meredith that he was clueless. "Back from what? Where is she?"
"You haven't heard?" Meredith asked. "She's in Chicago. Her father died last night."
CHAPTER 2
Derek stared at the intern, stunned. "Her father died? What happened?"
"I don't know. Bailey just told us before rounds that Dr. Walters was handling all of Addison's cases for the next few days. The Chief told us later on that it would be at least a week before she was back."
"I can't believe it," he whispered, "Big Jim is gone." Derek was dazed. James Montgomery had been like a father to him, ever since the day they met. He was only sixty-five, and in remarkably good health. "Addison must be out of her mind."
Meredith was silent for a moment. Derek's mood had changed suddenly, and it seemed to suck all of the air out of the room. "I'm gonna start working on this," she said. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah. Get Ms. McAllister set up in her room, and I'll meet you there."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Dr. Walters was in room 2603 with Tanya McAllister. Meredith was on the phone waiting on some labs when she saw Derek stroll out of the elevator, his cell phone pressed to his ear. She frowned. Ever since she had informed him of Addison's departure, he had seemed distant and had even barked a few orders at her. She wondered what type of relationship he'd had with his former father-in-law. The neurologist seemed to not only be saddened by the news, but also seemed to be angry and Meredith didn't know what to make of that.
Derek snapped his phone shut as he approached Meredith. She handed him a folder containing the scans, informing him that she was still on hold. He took the pictures out without a word and began to examine them. "Walters in with her, now?"
Meredith nodded. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Page me when you get her labs." he said, putting the folder under his arm. "I'm going to talk to Walters about Tanya's treatment."
"Okay." She waited a beat before asking what she really wanted to know. "How's Addison?"
Derek glared at her. "I would assume that she's not doing too well, what with her father dying and all."
Meredith rolled her eyes and decided to try again. "I just meant, that--" she held up a finger to address the person on the other end of the phone. "Okay, great. I'll be right down to get them." She hung up and turned back to Derek. "I just figured you had spoken with her. So I was asking how she was holding up, that's all."
"What makes you think I've spoken with Addison?" Derek sighed as he evaluated Meredith's pursed lips and cocked head. "I don't know." he relented. "I couldn't reach her. I called Addie's sister to find out what was going on, but she hadn't made it home yet. She didn't even know if Addie was there." He looked at his hip as his pager buzzed. "I gotta go. Tell Walters I want to talk to her before she leaves."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Addison sat at the desk in her father's study. Like everything else in the room, it was oversized, custom-built to fit a man of James Henry Montgomery's stature. She leafed through a phone book, making lists of names and numbers of people she needed to contact. Everyone who knew her had always chided her for being so anal, but no one could deny that there was no event that Addison couldn't plan, and plan well.
Addison set aside her pad of paper and leaned back in the chair, exhausted. She had only been back home for a few hours, but it seemed like she'd been there for much longer. Glancing at the long list she'd made, the words started to swim together, and for the first time since she'd gotten word of her father's death, she felt like she might cry.
She'd been told, when she left the OR the evening before, that she there were several messages on her desk. When Addison saw that they were from her brother, she scoffed and said she'd return them after she'd eaten. Mason Wrigley Montgomery seemed to think that a hangnail could be classified as urgent and the turkey and Swiss on rye was going to take precedence over her brother's latest crisis.
No sooner had she lifted her sandwich to take a bite, her office phone rang. "Addison Montgomery."
"Addie? Where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for the last four hours!"
Addison set down her sandwich. "Mason, honey?" she said, patronizingly. "See, I'm a doctor. At the moment, a very hungry one, but that's another story. Sometimes I see patients and that takes time away from my telephone. What's up?"
There was no sound on the other end, and she thought her brother might have hung up. She was about to tease him about being so sensitive, until she heard his voice hitch. He was trying not to cry. "Addie, it's -- I'm at Northwestern. Dad---"
"Mase, what's going on? You need to calm down and tell me what's happening, okay? Why are you at the hospital?" When she got no response, her frustration grew, and she began yelling at her younger brother. "Mason! What the hell is going on?!"
"It's Dad," he sniffed. "Dad's---he's dead."
"What?!"
"Mason, what happened? Where's Mom?"
Addison could hear her brother speaking to someone on the other end, but the conversation was muffled. Her mind began to race while she waited for her brother to inform her of what was taking place in Chicago. She didn't know a lot but she did know one thing.
"Mase? I'll be on the next flight out of here."
Her cell phone chirped next to her, bringing her back to the present. It was Derek. He had found out about her father's death and would want to do something. Derek and Jim had a bond, and Addison knew that Derek would be upset at the news. Even so, she didn't want to talk to him. She was on the edge of sanity and talking to her ex-husband wouldn't do much to help her nerves.
She decided to take a break and check on her mother. Caroline was in the living room with the pastor and his wife. People had been calling the Montgomery home to express their condolences and Addison had been trying to limit her mother's exposure to them. She felt that her mother needed to rest, not play hostess, but Caroline assured her daughter that she'd be alright.
Looking around the space, she didn't see her mother. Addison found her in the kitchen looking in the cabinets. "What are you doing?"
Her mother's voice answered from the pantry. "Everybody's going to be here soon, and they're all going to be hungry. I-I need to do something. I can't just sit around and stare when everything this house reminds me of your father. I need…I need--"
Addison moved towards the pantry and held her mother while she sobbed. She and Jim and been married for almost forty years, and she couldn't fathom not having him around. "Mom, you need to rest. You haven't slept in two days." Addison helped Caroline to her feet to help her upstairs. "I'm going to give you something to help you relax, and I don't want any arguments from you, got it?"
Caroline smiled, though it didn't quite reach her blue eyes. They walked to the master bedroom and Addison handed her mother a glass of water from the bathroom. Caroline swallowed the capsules Addison gave her and tried to get comfortable in her bed. As Addison fluffed the pillows, and adjusted the blankets, Caroline reached up and held her daughter's face in her small hands. "You've always been just like him, you know that? You're so stubborn," she said, " and I'm so glad you're here."
Addison covered her mother's hands with her own. "I'm glad my hard head is good for something. Just let us take care of you." She turned off the bedside lamp and kissed her mother's cheek. "Get some sleep, will you?" she said from the doorway.
Caroline nodded and closed her eyes. "Wake me when your brothers and sister get here," she said.
"Addie? Don't forget to take care of yourself, okay?"
Addison blew her mother a kiss and headed back to the study. She still had a lot of work to do.