Derek knew Meredith was already at work and probably talking to Bailey. He knew he had to make this call asap, but he really didn't want to do it. Gossip traveled at warp speed through Mount Sinai, just like Seattle Grace, or any other hospital. All of a sudden, he realized that that there was another person he hadn't yet told about his wedding.
Derek took a break from fretting about the call and wrote a quick email: "Addie, I'm sorry I didn't let you know last night (when I told my sisters), but I'm marrying Meredith on Sunday. Chrissy's going to be our flower girl. You and Jake can watch it on video, if you want (don't feel any obligation to watch your ex get remarried). I'll email you the details later. Hope you are doing well. Love, Derek."
Then Derek placed a call. "Hi, good morning Tom. It's Derek Shepherd. I thought I should be the one to tell you. I'm getting married on Sunday to Meredith Grey, my daughter's mom."
"Congratulations, Derek. I'm guessing that you're not just calling to tell me about the wedding," responded Tom Gilmore.
"No. I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be staying here in Seattle after my family and childcare leave is over. Chrissy's going to get her treatment here, and Meredith is very attached to Seattle. She has a loyal group of friends."
"You have your mom and your sisters and their families here," Tom pointed out.
"Well, my mom is here in Seattle now. She's been here for months now, and she's planning on staying until Chrissy's out of the woods. And I'm sure she'll be spending a lot of time in Seattle in the future."
"Derek, there will always be a job for you at Mount Sinai if you want to return. Maybe not Chief or Head of Surgery, but we could always use your talent."
"Thank you so much. I've loved working at Mount Sinai. You've been wonderful to me. I just need to stay here."
"What should I do with your office, Derek?"
"I don't know." Derek frowned. He hadn't thought about the logistics of quitting.
"I'll have Jenny go through it and mail you the personal stuff. She'll file all the patient documents in their files. I can have her box it up and send it to you unless you want to look at it here."
"That's fine. It's going to be a long time before I can get back to NY."
"Well, when you do, you'll have to come here for your good-bye party."
Derek was speechless.
"You were a great chief, and we do have a tradition of good-bye parties for staffers who leave. You deserve a send-off. You can bring Meredith and your daughter. Everyone would love to meet them. So you can come in a year or more. Whenever works for you."
"Thank you." Derek smiled. This had gone so much better than he thought. And his next call was easy.
"Hi Richard."
"I hear congratulations are in order."
"Thank you."
"I hear Meredith showed up with an engagement ring today."
"Yes, we're getting married on Sunday."
"Are you going to take me up on my job offer?"
"Yes, you must be psychic."
"No, I just know Meredith would want to stay here to complete Chrissy's treatment."
"You're right. And yes, I'm in the market for a job in Seattle once all my vacation and my family and medical leave is up, and I'm ready to go back to work. If all goes well, maybe in two or three months."
"Derek, whenever you're ready, we'll be happy to have you. I've told Meredith that she can take an extended leave as well. Although if either of you ever miss the o.r., you're welcome to work."
"Thanks, Richard. And you can come to the wedding if you like. We're keeping it very small because of Chrissy, so we can't include Adele, but you could also watch on video. That's what my sisters are doing."
"I'll talk with Adele and get back to you."
After serving Chrissy breakfast, Derek let her watch some T.V., actually the DVD of The Little Mermaid, her favorite, and he went to talk to his mom.
"Mom, last night, after my email, Mark called. He's planning on coming here for a bachelor's party, and his fiancée wants to have a bachelorette party for Meredith."
"That's wonderful. And Izzie and Cristina have already planned a party for Meredith for Saturday night."
"Mom, they're not invited to the wedding."
"Don't feel guilty about that. Mark knows you can't invite him and not invite your four sisters, their husband, and all those children, and that's way too many people for Chrissy. It's just great that you're friends again."
"We're going to be in-laws."
Carolyn smiled. "I always imagined the two of you marrying sisters."
"He said he's going to host a party at his house for the boys so they can all watch the wedding together, so he's going back first thing Sunday morning, but Lexie's staying to watch with her folks."
"That's sweet. I'm glad to see that everyone's going to watch the wedding."
"I wasn't planning on having another bachelor's party. I've done that before."
"Meredith hasn't."
"I don't want to spend time away from Chrissy, Mom."
"Derek, don't be silly. Chrissy goes to bed at 8, so going out at 8 or later means you'll be missing no time at all with her because of the bachelor party. And you can't come home until the wedding at 5 on Sunday. The groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding."
"Mom, that's an ancient superstition."
"But a good one. Anyway, Izzie's promised to spend much of the day beautifying Chrissy and Meredith. The girls will all be getting their hair done, getting pedicures and manicures. You're going to be happy to be out of the house."
"I don't like missing time with Chrissy."
"I know, but you decided you wanted to get married, and, if this is a real wedding, you need to take it seriously and treat it like the real wedding it is. That means you're going to have your bachelor's party and not see the bride until the wedding."
"Mom, but I'd rather hang out with Chrissy."
"I'm your mother, and you're going to follow my advice. And you're going to be spending your wedding night at the Archfield Hotel in the penthouse, as a present from me."
"Mom, you shouldn't have done that. Like I told you, I don't want to spend time away from Chrissy."
"Derek, I know you're worried about what might happen, but it's your wedding night . . ."
"Mom, Meredith and I have a daughter,"
"I know that. I also know that you and Addie had sex before you were married, yet you stayed at the Plaza on your wedding night."
"Mom, I don't like it when you talk about my sex life. You're not supposed to know I have sex." Derek grimaced.
Carolyn laughed. "Derek, I had five children with your father. I think sex with the person you love is great."
"Mom, I don't like it when you talk about your sex life with my father either."
"Derek, don't be a prude. You're a doctor. I was a navy nurse. I treated lots of sailors for venereal diseases, and, once women entered the service, for pregnancy."
"Okay, Mom, but we don't need to stay at the Archfield."
"It's my present for you. And you have an extended checkout til 2 p.m., so you shouldn't come home until after 2."
"But we want to spend time with Chrissy."
"Derek, Chrissy needs to understand that your marriage comes first. She's going to be fine, and you don't want to spoil her. She is excited that you're getting married, so you should treat this as the real wedding it is and have some private time with your new wife. And I am looking forward to spending Monday morning with her. I love her, too, you know."
"Of course I know that. But Mom, I'm a neurosurgeon. I make lots of money. You shouldn't pay for me to stay in a hotel. I can pay."
"Derek, I'm thrilled to give you this gift. I'm excited you're marrying the woman you love. And it's a lot cheaper than paying for a wedding, which I've done for three of your sisters so far. I have some money saved for Amy's wedding, and I had some money saved for your gift. I was hoping you'd remarry."
"But you're a nurse."
"And you've been paying my expenses since I came to Seattle. My house is paid for, and I get a nice pension. I can afford to give my son a nice present when he marries a lovely woman. You're going to have to accept my gift."
"Mom."
"Thank you is the right answer."
"Thank you, Mom." Derek hugged his mom. "I hope you can stay with Chrissy this afternoon. I promised Mark I'd talk to Susan and Thatcher Grey this afternoon, and that's going to be tough. Telling a father his daughter is getting married and he's only invited to watch the video."
"Derek, it seems tough for you because you'd give anything to have your dad at your wedding. I miss him so much at my children's weddings. He would be so proud of you. And I'm so proud of you. I see your dad in you. He would be so proud of the way you immediately came to Seattle to help Chrissy. But Thatcher Grey is nothing like your dad. And you love your sisters, but they're not invited to the wedding either."
"But you are."
"I know. But I was your mom every day of your life, and I've been here taking care of Chrissy for more than a month now. Thatcher hasn't come to visit once even though he lives in Seattle."
"I know he doesn't deserve to be invited. I just feel bad about not inviting Susan. She has been helpful."
"Derek, I like Susan. She's very nice, and she has been as helpful as Meredith has allowed. But she knew Thatcher had a daughter when she married him, and she never took any action to welcome Meredith to their family. Susan has told me that she feels guilty about it. And she hasn't persuaded him to visit Chrissy."
"Well, Susan is probably the opposite of Ellis Grey. It's not a surprise he would look for someone very different from Ellis after the marriage broke up."
"I know Susan doesn't want to be bossy. Just remember, your wedding is about you and Meredith and Chrissy. It's going to be very small, for very good reason."
"Thanks, Mom."
Later that date, Derek knocked on the door of the Grey house. He noted that it was much smaller than Meredith's house, which he understood was the marital abode when her parents were married. Susan answered the door and welcomed him in. He noticed that the home was very homey, with family photos of Thatcher, Susan and their two girls all over. Derek smiled as he notice a photo of Lexie and Mark in the Boston Common. He smiled again when he saw a photo of Susan and Chrissy.
Susan brought him to the kitchen, where Thatcher was sitting reading the newspaper. "Would you like tea or coffee? I have a nice blueberry pie."
"Water and pie would be lovely," said Derek.
She brought the three of them pie and water, and she sat down. "So Derek, why did you want to meet with us? How is Chrissy doing?" she asked.
"Chrissy is doing pretty well. We're going to meet with the doctor tomorrow morning, and if all is well, she's going to have the bone marrow transplant in the next week or so."
"What is that going to entail?" asked Susan.
"Well, the doctor will give us the details, but I think she'll be in isolation away from anyone except Meredith and me for about a month or two. And, if the transplant goes well, we'll start increasing the visitors gradually. There are lots of complications, but I'd hope she'd be able to go to school by first grade. But we'll have to see."
'But that's not why you came to see us," observed Thatcher.
"No. I wanted to let you know that Meredith and I are getting married on Sunday, and you're welcome to watch on video. We're keeping the actual ceremony very very small because of Chrissy's health, but we're inviting friends and family to watch on video."
"Congratulations, and thank you for inviting us," responded Susan with a smile. She loved weddings, and she was thrilled to be able to watch Meredith's.
"But your mom is attending the wedding," said Thatcher.
"Yes, but not any of my four sisters or their spouses or their children. Or my friend Mark. In fact, I've spoken with Mark, and he and Lexie are going to come on Saturday although he'll go back to Boston and watch there, but Lexie wants to watch with you."
"Susan has been very helpful. It would be nice if she could attend. I agree that I don't belong at the wedding," admitted Thatcher.
"No, I don't deserve to be there either," said Susan. She thought back to the moment she learned about Chrissy.
Susan Grey was making dinner when the phone rang, and she saw an unfamiliar number. Nonetheless, she answered the phone. She was old-fashioned; she thought it was important to answer the phone.
"Hi, this is Meredith Grey. I hope this is a good time to talk."
She was shocked. Her granddaughter Laura was nearly four, and she hadn't see Meredith Grey since her birth. She had thought about Meredith from time to time. She had considered telling Molly and Lexie about their half-sister, but somehow the time never seemed right. She had also thought about reaching out to Meredith when she read Dr. Ellis Grey's obituary, but she couldn't bring herself to call Meredith or even sent a note without first telling Molly and Lexie about her. Parents want their children to see them as good people, so Susan could not imagine telling her daughters that they had an older half-sister that they had never met because their father had abandoned her.
"Is it a good time to talk?" Meredith asked after Susan had let a minute go by without responding.
"Sure. I'm just making dinner. How are you?"
"Not so good. That's why I'm calling." Meredith paused.
"Is there something I can do for you?"
"Yes, there is," Meredith answered immediately. Her voice trembled; to Susan, as an experienced mother, she seemed to be on the brink of tears. "I have a daughter."
"That's wonderful," said Susan. She loved children and was shocked to think that she and Thacher had a grandchild that they didn't known about. "How old is she?"
" Three."
"I wish I'd known. I'd be happy to babysit. I love children," said Susan quickly. She realized this was awkward, but she was abashed to find that by not contacting Meredith, she'd somehow missed out on three years of her step-granddaughter's life. It would be nice to have a grandchild in Seattle; she rarely had a chance to see Laura. She was hoping to visit her in Germany this summer.
"That's not why I'm calling. We have plenty of babysitters." Again, it seemed that Meredith was on the brink of tears.
"What's wrong?" asked Susan.
"I need a favor."
"Okay, what is it?"
"My daughter's sick. She has leukemia, and chemo's not working so far." Susan heard Meredith sob and then go on. "She may need a bone marrow transplant. There's not much I can do for her, but I thought maybe your daughters could get tested to see if they could donate, if we need a transplant."
"Tested?" asked Susan, realizing that now she'd need to tell Lexie and Molly about Meredith and her daughter. God, were they going to be furious with both Thatcher and her.
"Yes, it's a simple procedure to remove a little bone marrow and see if it matches. There's a small chance that they could match, very small, but a bone marrow transplant is like a blood donation. The marrow regenerates, so there's no long-term effect."
"What about your father?"
"He's too old for a bone marrow donation according to the standards set by the National Bone Marrow Donation Center. But your daughters would be the right age."
"I'll talk to them."
"I can email them the instructions. I have a special contact at the National Bone Marrow Donation Center, Suzie Chen."
"That's okay. My email is sgrey . Just send the info to me, and I'll get it to them."
"Do they know about me?" asked Meredith.
Again, Susan was embarrassed. She thought for a moment about how it must feel to Meredith to think that her father hasn't even told her half-sisters that she exists.
"It doesn't' matter if they know about me," said Meredith. "You can tell them it's a neighbor or a friend. There are lots of bone marrow drives. We're going to do one here at Seattle Grace and encourage all employees to join even though there's only a small chance anyone will match Chrissy."
"Don't worry about it. I think they will be happy to be tested. They both love children. It's no problem. I should have an answer by noon tomorrow."
"Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much this means to me."
"Is there anything else I can do? Is there anything else you need?"
"No, we're good. Thanks again."
Susan had put down the phone and cried. She was so disappointed in herself. She thought of herself as a good mother, but she had completed ignored her responsibility to her stepdaughter and hadn't even known of the existence of her step-granddaughter. And now she had to tell Lexie and Molly about both Meredith and her daughter. And she had to let Thatcher know about this situation. Fortunately, she had been making his favorite dinner, gnocchi with meat sauce.
She waited until Thatcher had finished with the main course.
"I love your gnocchi. And the meat sauce tonight was fantastic."
"Thank you."
"I've talked enough about my day. How was your day?"
Susan met his eyes. She knew this was the best time for her revelation. "We got some bad news today, Thatcher."
"What is it?"
"Meredith called."
"Meredith?"
"Your daughter. She has a daughter who is very sick. She has leukemia."
Thatcher sat stunned. Susan waited a couple of minutes for him to say something, but he was silent. "Anyway, she wants Lexie and Molly to be tested to see if their bone marrow is a match for her daughter's."
"That's not likely, is it?"
"Meredith said it was unlikely, but it was possible. Sometimes total strangers are matches, so it's worth trying. But we're going to have to tell Molly and Lexie about Meredith and her daughter."
"Just tell them a friend needs bone marrow. They don't need to know more."
Susan paused. She was amazed that her husband came up with the same suggestion that Meredith had; to pretend there was no relationship with Meredith's daughter. She knew that her girls would donate to a total stranger. And Meredith's daughter was a total stranger to all of them. "It's time they know, Thatcher. There's no reason to keep their half-sister a secret."
"You can tell them whatever you want. I never said it needed to be a secret."
Susan thought to herself: but you never told them yourself. But she kept her mouth shut; she always tried to avoid controversy in her marriage. "I'll tell them tomorrow morning." Susan had resolved to talk to the girls, no matter what Thatcher said. She was glad that he gave her approval to call them. She knew he had been traumatized by his marriage to Dr. Ellis Grey, and that he hated been bossed around. Susan had always seen herself as the anti-Ellis Grey, a warm, loving wife who supported her husband. She knew that she had to tell her girls the truth, even if it distressed her husband. "I'll tell them the truth. And I'm going to buy a present for Meredith's daughter, Chrissy, and visit her in the hospital."
"You can do what you want. Just don't expect me to have anything to do with either of them."
Before she went to bed, Susan emailed her daughters to set up a call with both of them. She asked Lexie to pick the time and call both Susan and Molly. Lexie called at 9 a.m.
"Hi Mom, Molly, I have a lunch break now. Mom, what's up? Is everything okay?"
"Dad and I are both fine. But I need you to see if you can help a little girl who has leukemia. She may need a bone marrow transplant. Will you agree to join the international bone marrow donation program?"
"Sure, Mom," said Lexie immediately.
"No problem, Mom," said Molly.
"You girls are both wonderful people," Susan said with tears in her eyes. "You both said yes with no questions asked."
"Mom, I'm a doctor. I know that a bone marrow donation is no big deal. And just being tested is easy."
"And I've been meaning to join the registry for years, Mom."
"That's wonderful. Now I have to tell you something." Susan paused. She was nervous about revealing this secret, but she had no choice. "You both know that your dad was married and divorced before he met me."
"Sure do," replied Molly. "Dad lectured me about impulsive youthful marriages like his when I told him I was getting married. He said he got married too young, and they went in different directions."
"That's right. His first wife was named Ellis, Ellis Grey,"
"The surgeon?" asked Lexie.
"Yes."
"She used to work here, at Mass General. She was amazing, a real trailblazer for women surgeons."
"Yes. I never met her, but she was a very formidable woman." Susan knew where she was going, blaming Ellis for the current situation.
"She died some time ago, Mom, so what does she have to do with us?" asked Lexie.
"She had a daughter, Meredith Grey."
"Mom, what do you mean she had a daughter? Who was the girl's father?" asked Lexie.
"Thatcher Grey," Susan admitted, using his full name rather his relationship with her girls.
"She's our sister?" asked Molly.
"Half-sister, yes." answered Susan.
Connecting the dots, Lexie asked, "So is the little girl who needs the bone marrow transplant our niece, Meredith's daughter?"
"Yes." Susan was relieved. She had gotten the news out, and she'd gotten the girls to agree to be tested. She had done what she needed to do. She could deal with the backlash she expected.
"What's her name?"
"Chrissy."
"How old is she?" asked Molly.
"Three."
"How come dad never mentioned that we have a sister?" asked Molly.
"Well, when Ellis Grey left your dad and got divorced, she moved to Boston and took Meredith with her."
"Mom, didn't Daddy get visitation?" asked Lexie.
"Ellis didn't want him to have visitation."
"Why not?"
"I don't know, Lexie."
"Did you and Daddy send her birthday presents and Christmas cards?"
"No," admitted Susan.
"So dad – our dad – dropped out of her life when she was five?"
"Yes," Susan admitted reluctantly. She knew Thatcher had been a wonderful father to her own two daughters. Over the years, she had thought it was possible that his guilt over abandoning Meredith had led him to pour more of himself into being a wonderful dad for Lexie and Molly.
"Have you ever met Meredith, Mom?" asked Molly.
Susan knew she had to admit her own part in this situation. "Yes. You did too, Molly, although you didn't know it. She's a doctor at Seattle Grace. She was an intern when Laura was born. You met here then; she was on your case briefly."
"I don't remember a Dr. Grey."
"I don't think she was introduced to you as Dr. Grey," admitted Susan. "It was an awkward situation. We needed to focus on your health and Laura's. It didn't seem the right time to talk about your having an older sister you'd never met."
"How come you never mentioned it since then, Mom?" asked Molly.
"I'm very sorry, girls. It just was the easiest thing to do. Meredith's a grown woman, and, until yesterday, she never needed anything from us."
"But, Mom, she's daddy's daughter and your stepdaughter. Wasn't that reason enough for us to get to know her?"
"Yes. Your dad and I both screwed up. We should have told you about Meredith long ago. We should have sent her Christmas presents and birthday presents. We should have fought for visitation. We should have included her in our lives. And sometimes when you make big mistakes like we made, it's hard to admit them, especially to your own children. But Meredith needs us now. Her daughter has leukemia, and I'll send you the info about the bone marrow donation program. She has a special contact for her daughter's case."
"Mom, Meredith must know that the chance of either of us being a match for our half-sister's daughter is infinitesimal," noted Lexie.
"I know. She told me that there was little she could do for her daughter that it was worth trying. Total strangers sometimes match, so it's possible. There's no harm in trying."
"Mom, we've already agreed to be tested. It's just bizarre to find we have out we have a half-sister that we never met, at least as our half-sister, and a niece with a life-threatening disease," replied Lexie.
"I know. We can pray for Chrissy. You'll get tested, and, even if you're not matches, maybe they'll find a match, and she'll be okay. I'll send you Meredith's email. And, don't worry. I'm going to include Meredith and her daughter in our family now. I'm planning on visiting them in the hospital tomorrow and seeing what I can do to help."
"Derek, I'm fine with watching the wedding on video with Lexie and Thatcher. Is there anything you'd like for a wedding gift? Have you registered for gifts?" asked Susan.
"All we need is a cure for leukemia, so we're encouraging donations to cancer-related charities. We really don't need anything material."
"Is your mom giving you a gift?" asked Susan.
"A night at the Archfield for our wedding night," Derek smiled. "I told her not to, but she insisted."
"We'll think of something, too. I know we have a lot to make up for, Derek, but I really admire Meredith and I love her and Chrissy. I know my girls are very excited about being sisters to Meredith and aunts to Chrissy. So thanks for including us in the wedding. We know it has to be small. Don't worry about us."
"And thank you for the delicious blueberry pie."
"Please let me know if there's anything you need."
"Will do."