Derek rocked back and forth in the rocking chair in the NICU, holding Ella against his naked chest. He really enjoyed kangaroo care; he felt so close to Ella. He loved feeling her breathe against his chest. He murmured to her, "Mommy is going to be just fine. She's going to get better. She wants to be here with you, sweetheart, but she is in surgery now. I've done this surgery myself, but I couldn't operate on your mommy. But we found a great doctor for her, and I have full confidence in her."

Derek stopped rocking for a moment and held Ella a bit away from his chest so he could stare into her eyes. "You love your mommy, I know that. And you're going to get to spend a lot of time with her. And don't worry, daddy will always want to spend time with you." He put her back on his chest and rock back and forth some more.

"Dr. Shepherd," called a nurse whose name Derek had forgotten. Anne-Marie?

"Yes," he replied.

"There's a woman outside the NICU who is looking for you."

"Did she give her name?"

"She said you know her. She said she'd wait for you."

Derek grimaced. The only women likely to be looking for him were his sisters, or maybe his mother, and they were bound to be a lot more emotionally demanding than Ella.

"I'll take the baby," volunteered the nurse.

"Okay," Derek replied. He kissed the top of Ella's head, and he told her, "Daddy has to go. Someone wants to talk to me, but I'll be missing you. I love you, sweetheart." He gave the nurse the baby, and she dressed her and put her in the bassinet as Derek watched while he put on his shirt. "Good-bye, sweetheart," he said as he walked to the exit.

He opened the door, and he immediately spotted his mother. "Mom," he said as he gave her a hug and a kiss.

"It's so good to see you, Derek," she said after he released her. "I figured you'd be up here when I saw you weren't in the waiting room."

"And it's good to see you, Mom. You didn't tell me you were coming."

"Derek, you told me Addie was having surgery today. I thought I'd wait with you. I didn't realize you had found someone better to wait with." Carolyn smiled.

"Well, Mom, I'm happy to wait with you. I just hate waiting in the waiting room. It's so weird, being a doctor there."

"You don't like being with the common people?" Again Carolyn smiled.

"I don't mean it that way, Mom. It's just I find it hard to see all the other people waiting. I'm used to telling people news, not waiting for news."

"But you don't really want to think about Addie, either, Derek. It's really good to think about something else while you wait. Let's go to the cafeteria and get a cup of coffee."

"Okay, Mom." Derek led Carolyn to the cafeteria, and they each got a cup of coffee and a fruit bowl.

"So how are you doing, Derek?" Carolyn asked after she sipped some coffee.

"How do you think I'm doing, Mom? I was making a good life for myself in Seattle, I found a wonderful woman, and I was having a great time, and now my best friend is dead, Addie may be paralyzed, and we have a premature baby. And we filed for divorce yesterday."

"Why divorce now?"

"Mom, Addie wants a divorce. She loved Mark. I think she thinks ending our marriage shows her devotion to Mark. She was very insistent on filing for divorce now."

"You didn't have to agree, Derek."

Derek looked directly at his mother. "Mom, Addie cheated on me with Mark. She loved Mark. That means she doesn't love me, at least not the way a wife should love a husband. And I've accepted that and moved on. I love Meredith. I'm willing to be Ella's dad because she needs a father, but there's no reason for me to stay married to Addie."

"Derek, you were married in church. You swore an oath before God."

"Mom, we got married in a Presbyterian church, and Presbyterians have no problem with divorce. I know you would have preferred a Catholic church, but Addie was Presbyterian, and she was the bride. And now Addie got to decide about divorce. She's in surgery now, and she wanted to file for divorce before the surgery began. I couldn't say not to her, not when she's lying in a hospital bed. Especially since I don't want to be married to her."

"You could have asked her to wait until after the surgery."

"Mom, she was afraid she could die during surgery."

"Derek, I don't mean to be harsh, but if she died during surgery, she'd still be your wife."

"Mom, we both know that. But Addie wanted to file yesterday, and I did what she wanted. I just couldn't say no to her."

"But what about the baby? Doesn't she need two parents?"

"She has two parents. We just won't be married. That's all. And we agreed that Addie will have custody and I'll have visitation after she recovers."

"I don't understand this, Derek. What if she lives in New York?"

"Mom, we'll work it out."

"I don't understand why you think you'll be able to work it out." Carolyn Shepherd shook her head. "You hadn't spoken to Addie for months before the accident."

"Mom, we're going to put Ella's interests first."

"But what if Addie remarries?"

"Mom, haven't you always said don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you?"

"I'm worried about the baby."

"Ella, Mom, her name is Ella."

"Yes, Ella. I just think it's better for children if their parents are married."

"Mom, I agree. But Addie and I are getting divorced, and we're going to work things out. I'd like you to help, Mom."

"What do you want me to do?" Carolyn sipped her coffee.

"Well, Addie's probably going to need rehab, and I'd like her to do rehab in Seattle. Ella will stay with me. We have a day care at the hospital, but I'd like Ella to beat least three months before she starts at the day care center. I'd love you to come and help me take care of Ella."

"You know I can't resist taking care of a grandbaby," Carolyn responded with a smile.

"Yes, I do. But I know you also have childcare responsibilities here."

"Your sisters can hire nannies or work something else out. You know I always prioritize the babies."

Derek smiled, "Yes, Mom. I knew you'd say yes, even if it meant coming to Seattle for a few months."

"Will Addie agree?"

"Mom, I already told her that you'd be coming out to take care of Ella."

"Presumptuous, aren't you?"

"I just know my mom." He then drank more of his coffee and starting eating the fruit. "You can talk to Addie about it on Friday. You need to come here on Friday for the reading of Mark's will. His lawyer says you're named in the will." He looked at his mother and saw she was stunned. She said nothing for several minutes.

Then she turned toward him and asked, "Why would Mark name me in his will?"

"Because you've been more of a mother to him than his birth mother."

"Derek, I didn't adopt him."

"You practically did. He came over to our house after school virtually ever school day, starting in October of the year I started kindergarten."

"Derek, I hadn't talked to Mark since you told me what he did."

"I'm sure he didn't blame you for that, Mom," Derek responded. He tried to comfort his Mom by putting his hands on top of hers.

"You don't know what he thought."

"Mom, I know he loved you. And he knew that you would be mad that he slept with Addie when she was married to me. That's a pretty understandable reaction. You would have felt the same even if he were your biological son."

"I guess you're right," Carolyn admitted. "Do you think they'd let me in the NICU to see Ella?"

Derek laughed. "I'm sure they let grandparents in the NICU. Believe me, I've seen many grandparents in the NICU when I'm treating babies. Let's go back to the NICU and introduce you to your new grandbaby."