A/N: Sorry for the delay...work has been nuts, so I haven't been able
to write on my lunch break. And my birthday was this past weekend, so
I didn't have time to update then either. And now I'm trying to get
or get over whatever it is I'm fighting off, so yeah, lots going on
lately.
Back to the story, there has been some elapsed time. Figure a few
days between Halle's surgery and the elevator chapter. This one
directly follows the elevator chapter. Anyway, without further
adiou...
Manhattan 2017
"Something's up." I say, looking at Izzie and Hannah. "They should
have been here by now."
"They went to dinner, sweetie," says Izzie, "Sometimes dinner takes time."
"Sometimes...maybe she just doesn't like us anymore." Volunteered
Hannah, rolling her eyes.
"Hannah!" Exclaimed Izzie.
"Or maybe they like each other too much?" I added.
"Halle!" Izzie exclaimed a second time.
Hannah and I just looked at each other and giggled. We don't always
get along, and we rarely ever like the same things, but, but we always
have each other. We have shared secrets and special moments and inside
jokes and for ten years, we've gotten each other through our so called
life.
"You two are something else..." Izzie tells us, shaking her head.
"They should have been here by now. Something's up." I say again,
unaware how big of a something was about to occur.
"Maybe...maybe I don't know...I'm all out of ideas..." Hannah says.
"Maybe they're figuring out how to tell us that he's our long lost father."
"That could be. But really, it's not that hard...girls, this is your
father," Hannah begins, doing her best mom impression, before we burst
out laughing.
I don't notice Aunt Izzie's expression until our fit of giggles has subsided.
"What?" I ask her as she picks her jaw up off the floor. "How dumb do
you think we are? He has my eyes...and my hair..."
"And my dimples. Stupid dimples..." Hannah added.
"I personally think dimples are cool," said a voice from the doorway.
All three of us freeze when we hear the voice.
"Mom!" I shout as I see her move around him in the doorway.
"Hi baby girl," she says, moving closer to me. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts, but I guess that's what happens when you land on your
head...and then have it cut open."
"Yep, sounds about right," she tells me, bending over to look at my head.
"They let me sit up today," I tell her, a smile on my face.
"Follow my finger with your eyes."
"Mo-om..." I say, obeying, "Surgeon parents..." I say, shaking my head.
"Halle!" she says in her stern,
I'm-a-mother-so-do-as-I-say-but-really-I-couldn't-be-mad-if-I-tried
voice. "Don't shake your head like that. Your brain..."
"Is still healing," I finish for her.
"Smartass."
"Language." Hannah pipes up. I smile and bite my lip to keep from cracking up.
"And you," starts mom, turning to Hannah, who is sitting in a chair
next to Izzie. "How are you doing? Having fun keeping your sister
occupied."
"Yeah mom. But why do you get to swear? And you tell us we can't?"
"Because," mom answered, picking Hannah up and setting her on the bed
with me. "I'm the mom, and that's why,"she said, giving us the mom
smirk. "Izzie," she said, turning to Aunt Izzie, who remained in the
chair next to my bed, still wearing a somewhat shocked look on her
face. "Can you give us a few minutes?"
"You're kicking Izzie out?" I say. "See," I say to Hannah,"something big."
She nodded and we both looked to the door as Izzie left, but not
before she glanced very threateningly at Dr. Shepherd.
"I'm not kicking her out," mom responded, her attention focused back
on us. "Dr. Shepherd, Derek, and I...we have something to tell you."
Dr. Shepherd stepped into the room and took mom's hand at the mention
of his name.
I felt Hannah take mine. Why have I been deemed the brave twin? I'm
the one who can't get out of the hospital bed. I take Hannah's hand
and squeeze it.
"See, something big..." I tell her again.
"Ok girls," mom began, "This isn't how I had imagined this would go
down. I thought it would be...I'm not sure..."
"Mer.." Dr. Shepherd stepped in, "you're rambling."
"Ahh...yeah. Well, here goes nothing, Hannah, Halle," She said,
moving away from Dr. Shepherd and taking each of our free hands.
"I've told you about your father and..."
Both Hannah and I know what's coming next, but even though we're
young, we know mom needs to get through this. We watch Dr. Shepherd
step in behind her and place a hand in the small of her back.
"Wow, this is more difficult than I thought it would be." She said,
squeezing our hands, I squeezed back, and could tell from her hand
that Hannah did the same.
"Girls," she started for the fouth time, this time, there were tears
in her eyes. "Dr. Shepherd, he's...he...he's your father." She got
the words out and pulled both Hannah and I to her. I sighed against
her. So much was answered, where my eyes came from, and my hair, and
we had a dad, I couldn't be happier.
After a few seconds, I picked my head up and realized that there was
another person in the room who was not part of our group hug. I
pulled back from mom and reached out my hand, which he took and
stepped closer to us. As he did, I noticed his eyes, identical to
mine and also full of unshead tears.
"We...we have a dad." I say, partly to Hannah, partly just to make it
seem real to myself.
"Yeah baby, you do." Responed mom.
"What...what do we call him?" Hannah asked quietly. Her question
surprised me, she's usually very quiet, especially around new people.
But Dr. Shepherd had been around for the past few days, so I guess she
had warmed up to him.
"You can call me whatever you want." He answered.
"I can call you dad?"
"Of course you can, I'd...I'd be thrilled if you wanted to call me
dad." He answered, tears now falling from his blue eyes.
Hannah bit her bottom lip nervously as she looked at him.
"But," he said, picking up her hand, "you can call me Derek if you'd
like, if that would be easier for you." Hannah nodded her head while
continuing to bite her lip.
"Are...are we going to get to see you?" I asked him. "More than just now?"
"Yes." He said, nodding his head, tears still flowing.
"Good. I always wanted a dad."
"Now you have one." He responded, smiling as he took my hand in his free one.
"Are you going to come home with us?" I asked him.
"Yes." He answered confidently. "I worked out the details this morning."
I heard my mom gasp on the other side of me.
"Sorry," he said to her, "I didn't tell you before. I...I talked to
Richard right after Halle's surgery. I...I have a job in Seattle..."
he said, his voice trailing off.
"I...I..." mom began to stutter. She squeezed our hands and
apologized and ran out the door. Leaving two confused children and
one confused surgeon in her wake.
The three of just sat in silence for a few minutes, looking at one
another. Until I spoke first, "I think this is the part where you're
suposed to go after her." I tell him.
"Yeah," added Hannah, "And ride off into the sunset on a white horse."
"And have a house with white picket fences..." I continue.
"Ok...ok...I get it." dad said. "I'm going...are you guys going to..."
"We'll be fine." Hannah answered, "We're ten, not three."
Dad squeezed my hand and ruffled Hannah's hair before taking off after
mom, the one true love of his life.
"Told you," I said, "Something was up."