Author's Note: Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter. I know it was kind of a cliffhanger ending, but we'll see how things go with this chapter. I do have to tell you that it is mostly in the hospital, and as for that question...well, we will get to it. Anyway, review please!


"She's going to be okay, right?"Meredith asked frantically as Derek drove. "She'll be okay."

Derek gripped the wheel, cursing the stoplight. He looked over to Meredith who stared at him sadly. "Elizabeth has the most stubborn parents on the planet, she'll be fine."Derek assured her, grabbing her hand in his.

"She had a cold."Meredith said as the car moved again. "She's had a cold these past few days, Derek. We thought she'd be fine but it got worse. What if it got worse?"

"Mer, just stay calm. She's got Izzie and Alex right now, and we'll be there soon. If it is the cold, then they'll give her some medicine and we can take her home. Quick and easy."Derek replied, trying to believe it himself.


Meredith came off of the elevator, Derek's hand in hers as they stalked down the hallway. They walked silently down the corridors until they found Alex standing near a room. "What happened?"She asked.

"Izzie's in there with her...I was actually on my way back in."Alex replied, hand poised against his hip. "We were at the house, just after dinner...Elizabeth started crying and getting upset. Izzie felt her head and she was...well, Elizabeth was running a high fever. We felt it was only right to bring her here."

Meredith nodded, sighing. "Thanks, Alex."

"Do they know what's wrong?"Derek asked, fear creeping into his voice. He clutched Meredith's hand, giving it a squeeze.

Alex shook his head, gesturing towards the the door. "Elizabeth and Iz in there now. I was actually going to call you guys again..."He said, looking at Derek.

"The phone's on silent. It's a good thing Mer's wasn't."He said as they walked into the room.

"Mer.."Izzie said as she saw them. "I'm sorry for-"

"Don't apoligize, Izzie. It's okay. How is she?"Meredith asked, freeing her hand from Derek's as she moved to the bed. "It'll be okay, sweetie..."She whispered, kissing Elizabeth on the forehead.

Derek walked to the other side of Elizabeth's bed, reaching towards her hospital bracelet. He saw the look in his daughter's blue eyes and knew that she was confused about everything that was happening. "They're coming?"He asked, worried.

"That's what they said...they hurried us in here as quick as they could. It's pretty packed tonight, but..."Just as Izzie was speaking, a fellow doctor entered the room.

"Elizabeth Grey-Shepherd...twenty one months...fever of one hundred-one degrees...has she had any symptoms the past few days?"The doctor asked, noting the fear in their eyes.

"She had a cold. We gave her the medicine that we could, and she seemed fine. She was fine when we left earlier this evening."Meredith replied to him.

"Well, I'd like to perform tests so we can get a clearer idea of what's happening. I'll be back."

"Dr.Williams?"Derek asked, not able to stay silent the entire time. "Thank you." As the door shut, he sunk in his chair, pressing a fist to his lips. "She's gonna be okay."

Elizabeth began breathing heavily again, to which Meredith started rubbing her back. "It'll be okay, baby. Shh..."

"Mommy..."Elizabeth managed to mutter.

As they waited, a nurse entered the room to check Elizabeth, along with asking several questions. All the while Derek sat holding Elizabeth's tiny hand, thinking of how much the night had changed. An hour before, he had been ready to propose, and now he was waiting to make sure his daughter would be okay. "We're doctors. We're doctors, and we can't-"

"Derek."Meredith protested. "You can't say that. She'll be okay, for all we know it could be something very small and..."She looked at their daughter, who at the moment was clearly fighting sleep. "You can sleep for now, baby. When the doctor comes back in, we'll know what's wrong and we can take you how as soon as we can."

"I could go check on the test results...see what's taking so long."Izzie offered, feeling helpless as they sat there.

"You're fine, Izzie."Meredith insisted, holding her daughter's hand. She looked across the bed at Derek before looking back at her. "But thank you."

Izzie nodded, sitting back in the chair against the wall.

"Does anyone need anything?-Water, coffee?"Alex asked. "We might be here for a while."

"I'm fine."Derek replied, not taking his eyes off of Elizabeth.

"Could you grab me a water, Alex?"Meredith asked, reaching for her purse.

"No, I'll get it."Alex insisted, looking to Izzie who asked for one as well.

"Mer..."Derek whispered. "She's so tired."

"Are you cold?"Meredith asked her, rubbing the side of her face. "She's shivering. Derek, she's-"

Derek stood, slipping his arms out of his suit jacket. Straightening it out, he shrugged. "It's the best I can do for now. I'd grab an extra blanket, but-"

"Derek, it works."Meredith said to him, smiling as he placed it carefully around Elizabeth. "As long as she's comfortable..."She trailed off, watching as her eyelids fluttered.

Sitting back down in his chair, Derek stared across the hospital bed at Meredith. Watching her interact with their daughter, he began to understand her just a little bit more. In surgery, Meredith was one of the fiercest. Granted, she still had a few tweaks and nervous moments if something went wrong but she was always her best under pressure. It was the same in situations like these with her family, and it was one of the many reasons Derek loved her.

Meredith looked on as Elizabeth's chills slowly subsided. "I love you, baby."

Derek nodded, his mouth dry. "Me too, 'Lizabeth...we'll find out the results soon, and we'll take you home. Everything will be better."

"I just feel so bad. She's had a cold the past few days, but she seemed fine, you know? And you guys were out to dinner, I'm sorry it had to be interrupted."Izzie said, standing to walk towards them.

"It's fine, I understand."Derek replied. He sighed, content that for the moment everything was quiet and traquil. It was what Elizabeth needed to remain calm.

Alex quietly entered the room, several bottles in hand. "I passed Doctor Williams in the hallway. I think he might be headed this way."He said, handing Meredith her water. "The little one looks tired."He laughed, sitting down across the room.

"So you didn't take too long."Izzie said, joining him. "I'm just...worried, you know?"

Nodding, Alex watched as she struggled to take the cap off of her water. "Need help?"Alex asked.

Izzie shook her head, finally taking it off. "See, I can do things by myself."

Just then, the doctor came back into the room. He looked first at Derek, who tensed up in his chair, and then at Meredith, nervously biting her lip as her hand stroked Elizabeth's hair. "Doctor Shepherd, Doctor Grey..."He began. "It seems as if Elizabeth has a virus. The cause is, apparently, the cold as you mentioned. At this moment, there isn't anything necessarily that we can do. I suggest you return home, continuing with the regimen you've been following with her...I have here medication safe enough for her to take, but as always...bring her in if there are any issues."

"Thank you."Derek replied, standing to shake the man's hand.

He nodded, laughing a little. "I have a daughter of my own at home, I can understand when someone comes in concerned. Have a good night."

Once he left, Meredith breathed a sigh of relief. "All of this for a virus...it was scary."

"I know, Mer."Derek whispered in reply.

"I could carry her."Izzie offered, knowing someone needed to officially sign the release. "You two are tired, I know. So if it's okay-"

"Sure."Meredith replied. "You know she loves you."

"Of course she does."Izzie replied, carefully picking her up. "I'm aunt Izzie, the nice one. You know, compared to Cristina."

Derek nodded as he watched the interaction. He knew they needed to check at the nurses' station prior to leaving, so he asked Meredith to go down and make sure Elizabeth's carseat would be carefully placed back inside his car. As he headed out, he ran into Cristina as she was heading down the hall. "Nice...running into you, Doctor Yang."

"Shepherd."Cristina muttered, tightening her hair band. "Why are you here?"

"Elizabeth was sick..Karev and Izzie brought her in."Derek said, sighing as he looked towards the door. "Pulling extra hours?"

"You bet. What with everything I've been doing lately, why not?"Cristina asked, noting the way he fidgeted. "Is something wrong? I mean, if my neice and Mer are out there..."

"I know, I need to go. I just needed to sign a few things...you know, obligatory. Listen, Cristina..."Derek said, clearing his throat. "I need to-well, I need to talk to you. You're Mer's person and I just...well, you drink coffee, right?"

Cristina blinked, crossing her arms as she carefully checked her watch. "Still do yes, why? Are you offering to buy me one, because right now, I have-"

"Tomorrow morning? Deal?"Derek asked, his stomach in a bunch of nerves.

Cristina nodded as he headed out, noting the nervousness Derek had held in his smile. She headed to the elevator, shaking her head as she did. Some things never changed.


Meredith rocked Elizabeth silently to sleep, all the while knowing Derek was standing watch in the doorway. Slowly getting up, she placed their daughter safely in bed, turning to face him. "I gave her the medicine as soon as we got home, so hopefully she'll sleep..."She said, wrapping her arms around him.

Derek smirked, his shirt sleeves rolled up as his arms were balanced against the door frame. "I love you, Mer."He said, one hand coming down to cup her cheek.

"I love you, too."Meredith whispered, her fingers twisting amongst the hair that whisped the back of his neck. "Mmm...so...I was thinking that I could take a shower. It'd give me a chance to relax a little. But after that, well..we have work tomorrow. But with Elizabeth sick-"

"Mer.."Derek assured, bracing her against himself with his arms. "We'll be okay. Got it?"

Closing her eyes, Meredith nodded. "Got it. I'm going to look in on her really quick, I'll be right in."She assured him, watching as Derek still stood there. "You might as well get ready now."

"I know."Derek replied, staring back at her, his blue eyes shining in the moonlight. Nodding, he flashed Meredith a smile. "I'll see you in the room. Maybe if I'm lucky I can be cleaned up quicker than you."

"Somehow I don't doubt that..."Meredith replied, kissing him. Pulling back, she nodded as Derek left to get ready for bed. As she turned to take one last look at Elizabeth's room before following him herself, she let out a content sigh. At the hospital, things were fast-paced and hectic. Still, at home with Derek and Elizabeth, knowing that she had the friends who'd help her if need be, Meredith knew she'd be alright. It was something she was growing to count on.