Meredith left the chief's office, walking toward the elevators with an annoyed look on her face. To say that she was irritated by the conversation that she had just had with him was an understatement.

After Addison's news that she needed to cut down on her work hours, she'd grudgingly gone to talk with Dr. Webber about working less until the baby was born. Much to her dismay, Richard had taken her risk for preterm birth far more seriously than she thought he would. As soon as Addison's diagnosis had left her mouth, his face had grown stern, and he'd insisted that she begin her maternity leave as soon as her shift was over for the day.

"But Chief-"

"No 'buts,' Meredith. I won't have your water breaking on my clean O.R. floors."

"But Addison said that I only needed to cut back-"

"I said no 'buts!'" he told her firmly, although his face softened an instant later, and he rested his hands on his desk as he leaned towards her. "Meredith, as much as you don't like to acknowledge it, you're like a daughter to me," he told her quietly. "That makes your baby like my grandchild. I'm not taking any chances here."

She had scowled at him when she realized that his mind had been made up, but his kind words had prevented her from protesting further. She'd reluctantly agreed to his conditions as she strained to stand up, and she'd left his office, mumbling about how everyone was suddenly trying to control her life.

She knew the scowl was still on her face as she waited at the elevators, and it didn't change when the doors opened and she saw her husband leaning against the back wall. He smiled when he saw her, but his grin faltered a bit when he noticed her expression. Standing up straighter, he watched her with concern. "What's wrong?"

A sigh of frustration left her mouth as she stepped onto the elevator. "Everything," she told him broodingly as she pressed the button for the third floor.

He furrowed his brow, stepping forward so that could wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Tell me what's going on," he said quietly as she rested her head against his chest.

"I have to go on maternity leave after today," she told him irritably, quickly explaining the results of her ultrasound and the Chief's decision about her mandatory leave.

Derek held his breath as she revealed that she was at risk for preterm labor, but he couldn't stop a small smile that came to his face when he heard about Richard's overprotective response. He was glad that Meredith's face was pressed against his chest so that she couldn't see his amusement. "I'm sure he means well," he told her, trying to be sympathetic. "And it'll be good for you to rest until the baby comes."

She pulled away from him when she heard his words, annoyed that he didn't understand how miserable she would be sitting at home all day until her due date. She rolled her eyes when she saw the small smile that was playing on his lips, and she suddenly had the urge to make him suffer, as well. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said as the elevator doors slipped open. "We can't have sex."

She couldn't stop the feeling of triumph she felt when she saw the smile instantly fall from his lips, and she quickly exited the elevator, leaving him standing there dumbfounded.

As the doors slid closed behind his wife, Derek slowly walked to the side of the elevator, leaning against the wall as he waited for his own stop. No sex for five weeks? That sounded like torture, and he couldn't prevent the annoyance that he suddenly felt regarding his ex-wife's diagnosis.

He straightened as he heard the ding of the elevator, and he strode off the lift in a huff, walking determinedly down the hallway. He walked toward the nurses' station, eyeing a young woman behind the counter. "Where's Dr. Montgomery?"

The girl glanced up nervously at his aggravated tone. "Uh...she said something about needing a nap after her last appointment," the girl told him hesitantly. "I think she's probably in the on call room."

Derek's frown deepened as he turned on his heel, heading toward the end of the hall. "Nap, my ass," he muttered, knowing instantly what Addison was doing in that on call room. He didn't hesitate as when he came to the door, putting his hand on the knob and turning it roughly.

He walked through the door easily, watching with amusement as Alex jumped back from his fiancé. Derek couldn't help but feel lucky that they were both still clothed; he didn't think he could handle having to look at Alex's naked ass right now.

"You two should learn to lock the door," he casually threw out, walking toward them as Addison sat up, glaring at him with annoyance.

"Derek, get out of here!" she insisted, crossing her arms angrily.

"You really are Satan, you know that?" he said lightly, ignoring their exasperated expressions as he sat in a seat across from them, unfazed by the fact that he had just interrupted their rendezvous. "Leave it to you to use my unborn child to get back at me."

"What are you talking about? Derek, can't we discuss this later?" Addison asked disbelievingly.

"You just told Meredith that we can't have sex for five weeks, and you can't give me five minutes?"

Addison sighed, briefly glancing at Alex with an apologetic look on her face before staring back at Derek. "I did an ultrasound earlier, and it showed that her-"

"I know what the results were, Addison. That's why I'm sitting across from you, freaking out because I can't have sex with my wife for five damn weeks."

"Actually it's more like eleven weeks. You know, since you can't have sex for about six weeks after giving birth," Alex supplied, entertained by the look of horror that crossed Derek's features. Daggers abruptly seemed to be shooting from his eyes as he stared at them, and Alex felt the need to angle his shoulder so the he was half shielding Addison from his glare. "Dude, what do you want her to do? She's just doing her job. She's trying to protect your kid."

Derek's feature softened as Alex's words sank in, and his shoulders slumped as he looked at them, oblivious to the fact that people in the hallway were giving them odd looks as they passed doorway of the room. "I know," he relented. "It's just…it's just that now you've ruined my surprise for her."

Addison and Alex glanced at each other for a moment before looking at him strangely as he pouted before them. "What're you talking about, Derek?" Addison asked him.

He sighed. "I was going to take Meredith to Mt. Rainier this weekend," he revealed, slumping further in his chair. "I've had it planned for weeks. I called a travel agent and he suggested a romantic cabin a couple hours outside the city. Mer needs to get away from everything, and I thought it'd be nice to spend some time together before the baby's born." He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he stood to his feet. "Never mind, it's not a big deal; I'll just cancel it."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Derek, you're such an idiot," she told him, climbing to her feet so that their eyes were more level.

He gave her a wounded look as she placed her hands on his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Has it even occurred to you that Meredith might enjoy a weekend getaway that doesn't involve sex?"

A laugh escaped Derek's mouth, and he looked at her incredulously. "Have you met my wife?" he asked.

Addison rolled her eyes. "Just because a person enjoys sex doesn't mean that they don't appreciate romance. Meredith would love a weekend to just be with you," she told him softly.

He stared at her for a moment, and then another small laugh bubbled from his throat as he rubbed a hand lazily through his hair. "You're right…I am an idiot," he told them, wishing that he had realized the truth behind Addison's words earlier. He turned around and walked toward the door. "Uh…sorry for…um…interrupting," he told them lamely before locking the door and shutting it behind him.

Addison rolled her eyes as she watched him walk out of the room, and then she gasped as she felt Alex's arms wrap around her body, pulling her back down on the bed. "Now, where were we?" he asked huskily, nuzzling his face against the side of his neck.

She smiled beneath him, angling her head so that she could give him better access to her skin. "Well, actually…" she began slowly.

He groaned, sitting up slightly so that he could look at her face. "Actually, what?"

She looked at him remorsefully, trying to supply him with a sweet smile. "I've just been really tired today," she told him. "Maybe we could just…I don't know, take a nap?"

A pout crossed his face as he watched her disbelievingly. "Seriously? I thought you paged me for a booty call, and you want me to take a nap with you?" he said playfully.

She laughed, lightly hitting his shoulder. "Alex!"

Alex couldn't help but smile as he collapsed on the bed beside her. "Fine, we can take a nap. But don't be surprised if I give you the shut down the next time you try to use me for my body," he told her mockingly, pulling her toward him so that her back was pressed against his chest.

She laughed again, rolling her eyes before allowing them to flutter shut with exhaustion. "Right..." she whispered disbelievingly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Izzie walked down the hallway toward Allison Tucker's room, lab results clasped tightly in her hands. She was doing her best to get through the day, trying to ignore the cries of despair occasionally emitting from the waiting room and the smell of death that only a doctor could recognize. Just act keep it together, she reminded herself, pasting a smile on her face as she knocked lightly on the woman's door, waiting momentarily before pushing it open.

"Ms. Tucker, I have the results of your-"

She paused mid-sentence when her eyes saw her patient's devastated face, sobs wracking Allison's body as she lied in her bed. Dread filled Izzie as she walked hesitantly toward the sorrowful woman. "Ms. Tucker, are you…are you okay?"

Allison shook her head, gasping for breath as her weeping stole the oxygen from her body. Izzie walked quickly toward her, placing her hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "Just breathe, Ms. Tucker," she said, inhaling deeply so that Allison could imitate her breathing. When Allison began to settle down, Izzie nodded encouraging. "That's good, just keep taking deep breaths," she told her, briefly glancing at the monitors beside the bed.

"I don't want to breathe," the woman whispered below her, shutting her eyes as more tears escaped through her lids.

Izzie swallowed hard as she watched the woman crying before her. "Is it…is it Katie?" she asked quietly. Allison's face crumbled as Izzie said her daughter's name, more sobs beginning to wrack her body.

Tears filled Izzie's own eyes as she stared down helplessly. "I'm so sorry, Allison," she said softly, knowing fully how little comfort her words were supplying. "I'm sure the doctors did everything they could..."

Allison shook her head frantically. "No! You don't understand!" she said hysterically, her eyes moving to look at Izzie.

"Allison-"

"Katie's not dead!" she suddenly interrupted as her body began to tremble with emotion. "But she will be soon."

Izzie was taken aback by Allison Tucker's words. "Why…why would you say that?" she asked her disbelievingly as she sat in the chair beside the bed, not understanding how a parent could so easily give up on their child. "Has a doctor come in here to talk with you? Did…did Dr. Bailey talk to you about Katie?" Izzie shook her head as she waited for an explanation; she just couldn't believe that Miranda Bailey would be so cruel as to tell a parent that there was no hope for their child, even if the hope was small.

"She lost a lot of blood," Allison revealed in a small voice, her hand coming up to wipe the tears from her face. "Dr. Bailey said that they need to do an emergency surgery, and that she would need a blood transfusion. She came in here half an hour ago to get my consent."

"Oh," Izzie said softly, looking at the floor as she fought to keep her own tears from falling from her eyes. Taking a steadying breath, she looked up and met Allison's stare. "Well you have some of the best doctors in the country working on your daughter," she revealed soothingly, doing her best to smile for Allison's benefit. "They're going to do everything they can to save her."

Allison shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "She's not having the surgery, Dr. Sloan," she said quietly. "My husband's with Katie in intensive care, and I'm waiting for someone to bring me a wheelchair so that I can go be with them. We don't want her to be alone when-" She trailed off, her voice breaking.

Izzie went rigid in her seat, looking disbelievingly at the woman in front of her. "Why isn't she having the surgery?" she asked, her voice sounding rougher than she had intended.

Allison's eyes looked wildly at Izzie, silently pleading for her to understand. "She can't have a blood transfusion," she divulged in a whisper. "It's…it's…God wouldn't want her to have someone else's blood."

Izzie's eyes went wide; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "God wouldn't want Katie to have someone else's blood? Allison, what're you talking about?"

Allison took a shuddering breath, gripping her blanket tightly between her fingers. "It's against our religion," she whispered, shifting her eyes away from Izzie's disbelieving stare. "We believe that blood is sacred, and we reject the idea of transfusions."

Izzie bolted from her seat, staring incredulously at Allison Tucker. "You can't be serious! You have a chance to save your daughter! How can you even think twice about that?"

Allison continued to stare straight ahead. "There's nothing I can do," she said helplessly, her voice breaking as tears continued to fall from her eyes. "If Katie dies, it's God's will."

Izzie squeezed her fists, her fingernails biting into the flesh of her palms. "Allison, think about what you're doing," she pleaded, her chest suddenly feeling tight. "You can still save Katie. All you have to do is give your consent for the surgery."

"I can't…" she whispered brokenly.

"But you're letting your daughter die!" she suddenly yelled, surprising herself by her own outburst. "You can't do this, Allison. Think about Katie! Just think about everything that she'll never get a chance to do if you don't let-"

"Izzie!"

Izzie stopped in the middle of her tirade, twirling around and seeing Meredith standing at the door with a wheelchair, a shocked expression on her face. "What're you doing here?" Izzie asked her, her voice raw with emotion.

"Dr. Bailey asked me to take Ms. Tucker up to the ICU," she said. "What're you doing," she asked, still astonished by what she'd heard Izzie saying when she walked into the room.

Izzie ignored her, turning back toward Allison. "Please…please rethink this. You don't know what it's like…you can't let Katie die. You have to-"

"Izzie, stop it," Meredith said quietly as she walked toward her, wrapping her hand around Izzie's arm and pulling her back gently into the hallway.

Izzie yanked her arm free from her grasp, looking at her sharply. "Stay out of this, Meredith."

"No, Izzie," she said softly, though her expression was pleading for Izzie to understand. "It's not your place to tell Ms. Tucker what decisions to make. Dr. Bailey and the chief-"

Izzie's face turned cold as she watched Meredith, shaking head slightly. "You're unbelievable," she whispered bitterly, glancing quickly behind her at Allison's crying figure before striding angrily down the hall.