A/N: I know, I know, it's been almost a month since I've updated. I haven't forgotten this story, or my other fanfic, Survivor. This story is no longer even remotely canon, like it was last spring, so I don't feel the urgency to update as often as I did. However, I haven't forgotten about it, and it will be completed! A Storm is Going to Come is practically canon right now, so that's why it's taking priority.
Also, I couldn't write this chapter while we were writing Zola's birthday party in Storm. I think you'll see why...
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that you recognize, but I do own Blake, Angie, and Chris.
Zola and Blake each clung tightly onto one of Meredith's hands as the family headed toward the hospital front door; Derek was beside her with Bailey in his arms.
"Should we find Amelia?" Meredith asked, remembering that her sister-in-law was still somewhere in the hospital, hopefully not working since she was supposed to be taking it easy. During the time she had spent with the youngest Shepherd sister, though, Meredith had realized that Amelia was just as stubborn as the rest of her family. Stubbornness was in their blood ties.
"We should," Derek agreed, an ostensive and conniving smile written all over his face. "Maybe we should go this way…" Derek directed Meredith and the kids to the right. Blake and Zola pulled Meredith's hands, eagerly following after Derek.
"I can call her," Meredith offered, trying to let go of Zola's hand for a moment so she could reach into her pocket to pull out her cell phone.
"No, Mommy, no! We gots to go," Zola was insistent, holding tightly onto her mother's hand, pulling her down the hallway.
"Honey, we have to go home. The party is at…"
Before Meredith could finish her sentence, the sounds of boisterous voices interrupted. Happy, friendly voices came from down the hallway, and she could tell that it wasn't the sounds of gossiping nurses.
"Derek, what's going on?" she asked her husband, trying to figure out where he was leading her.
He grinned. "Come on and see." He was beaming, his eyes glistening with elation, his smile warm with hints of mischievousness.
She bit her lip, sensing she knew in that moment exactly what he was up to.
And she was right.
Her children and husband led her into a hospital room, and Meredith's suspicions were confirmed. Meredith jaw dropped as she came face to face with the happy glowing faces.
"Surprise!" the crowd beamed, and Meredith knew then that they weren't saying surprise to the birthday boy; he was only one year old. He wouldn't even remember this party. Meredith's heart filled with warmth as she looked around at the room. Streamers and balloons added to the birthday atmosphere, and a big sign hung from the ceiling read: Happy birthday, Bailey!
Familiar faces filled the room. Amelia stood beside Callie, Arizona, and Sofia. Several of Zola's and Bailey's little friends from daycare and their parents were nearby. The rest of the guests consisted of Derek's family.
The only person missing was Cristina. Though, Meredith wasn't too alarmed by her best friend's absence, imagining that Cristina had gotten caught up in surgery. Besides, what fun could she possibly have at a child's birthday party? Meredith knew that Cristina loved her kids, but being surrounded by a crowd of kids definitely wasn't Cristina's forte.
Meredith's eyes fixed on Carolyn Shepherd, who was standing near her daughter, Nancy, and her oldest grandson and his wife-to-be. The older woman looked overjoyed to be there.
"We bringed the party to you, Mommy!" Zola announced proudly. "Do you like it?"
A happy laugh escaped Meredith's lips. "I love it, Zola." Meredith was smiling as wide as she could smile now. Her eyes filled with water as she turned to her husband. "Derek," she mouthed, completely in awe.
Derek's eyes twinkled, and he kissed their son's forehead then handed him to Meredith. Meredith welcomed her son into her arms with a joyful, gallant hug. With a wide smile on his face, Derek said, "I knew that you were going to be in surgery, and you were worried about missing the party. So, I thought…why not bring the party to you?"
"Don't let him kid you," Nancy laughed, standing right behind Derek now, her eyes showcasing the Shepherd twinkle. "It was my idea."
Derek sighed, confirming his sister's statement. "Okay, it was her idea."
"But it was his idea to use me as a distraction." Amelia stood beside Meredith, one hand rested on her swollen belly. She shrugged. "I told him it was a bad idea."
"She did," Derek acknowledged, eying his wife. "Was it?"
Meredith couldn't stop grinning, though.
"I'll take from the look on her face that no, it wasn't," Nancy beamed.
Amelia rolled her eyes; Meredith sensed that there's more that Amelia would like to say that she wouldn't say in front of her brother and sister. She might have to get to the bottom of that later, since she had a feeling that even though Derek had used Amelia as a distraction tactic, many – if not all – of Amelia's issues were real.
"It's nice to see you again, Meredith," Derek's mother greeted her warmly, a kind and gentle smile on her face. "Look at that little boy of yours. I can't believe my youngest grandson is a year old."
"Well, he won't be your youngest grandson for long," Meredith eyed Amelia, whose cheeks reddened.
"You're having a boy?" Carolyn's eyes narrowed on Amelia. Her eyes directed back to Meredith. "She didn't even tell me she was pregnant. I had to find out from Nancy."
Amelia swallowed, clearly unsure of how to respond. "I'm sorry, Mom." There's tension in Carolyn's face when she looks at her youngest her daughter. Before she can say another word, though, a recognizable face makes vehement appearance, and he has baked goods.
"I hope I'm not late," Alex breathlessly announced, specifically looking at Meredith. "I was at home. Izzie was having one of her manic episodes. She won't stop baking. She claims it's the only thing that helps with her headaches. She told me to bring these."
He revealed the blue frosted vanilla cupcakes, covered with red and white sprinkles.
Derek took the cupcakes from Alex and set them next to the other treats.
"Headaches are a normal side effect from the surgery she had. Though, she shouldn't be alone if she's having them," Meredith said, now worried about Izzie.
"She's not alone. Jo's with her," Alex explained. "How's the birthday boy?" He smiled warmly at the little boy in Meredith's arms.
"He's great," Meredith replied, proud of her son. She spoke too soon. Bailey started squirming in her arms. He clearly wanted to play with the other kids. Reluctantly, she decided to let him down. He was fast to join Zola and Blake as Blake was spotting Alex.
"Daddy!" Blake proudly sang, bouncing up and running toward Alex. He wrapped his arms around Alex, and Alex lifted up the child. The resemblance between the two seemed to become stronger every day. Meredith studied the little changes in Blake that made him look more and more like Alex every day. It was a good thing that Blake was getting to know Alex. She only hoped the courts would go in Alex's favor, given the circumstances. She couldn't imagine Alex not getting custody of his son.
Alex had grown up so much in the past couple years. Had Izzie showed up even last year with Blake, Meredith wouldn't have been so confident that Alex could tackle fatherhood. Now, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that Alex would be a good father to Blake. Blake couldn't ask for a better father.
She saw how Alex looked at Blake, and she saw nothing but love in his eyes. Meredith's eyes spotted her own husband, who was busy entertaining the kids. Alex had the same glow in his eyes when he looked at Blake that Derek had when he looked at Zola and Bailey.
Alex set Blake down. "Go play with your friends, bud." Blake nodded, eagerly rejoining the other kids.
"I'll never be able to thank you enough for doing this for me, Mer," Alex sighed. "He's such a happy little boy."
"He misses Izzie," Meredith admitted.
"I don't deserve him," Alex responded dismally. "It's my fault that he's not with his mother right now. It's my fault that the courts are involved."
"You're right about the second statement," Meredith acknowledged, nodding. "However, if it hadn't been for you, Izzie might be dead right now. If she hadn't been in the car accident, we might not have caught her tumor when we did. Indirectly, you saved her life."
"But what kind of life is this for her? Being chased by lawyers and police? It's not fair. And now she has to live with the guilt of taking not one life, but two. You know how big her heart is, Mer. I'm not sure if she can live with herself," Alex admitted. "She can't handle the blame."
Meredith nodded, knowing that Alex was right. "But she has you. That's everything. And Jo's been really supportive."
"She has," Alex agreed. "To be honest, if I were Jo, I would have dumped my ass the minute Izzie showed up. Jo is such a better person than I am. Just another person I don't deserve."
"Oh, shut up, Alex," Meredith rolled her eyes. "You don't give yourself enough credit."
"Mommy, it not nice to say shut up!" Zola's sweet, demanding voice interrupted, and Meredith realized her daughter was standing next to her.
"You're right, Zola," Meredith nodded. "It's not nice at all."
"Say sorry to Uncle Alex," Zola demanded, crossing her arms, giving her mother an attitude that was too cute for words.
Meredith and Alex both chuckled. "I'm sorry, Uncle Alex," Meredith followed her daughter's orders.
"Good Mommy. Now, can we have cake?" Zola's eyes lit up with hopefulness. She wasn't eying Izzie's cupcakes, though. She was eying a much bigger, round cake sitting in the middle of the snack table. The cake was clearly homebaked. She imagined that Amelia and Angie had been involved with the baking of the cake.
She looked over top it, admiring the pretty green frosting and the cute purple Barney, Baby Bop, and B.J. statues on top of the cake. Purple icing laced around the cake, and the yellow text read: Happy 1st Birthday, Bailey! Whoever had designed the cake clearly knew more about cake art than she did.
"I bake cakes on the side. It's my second job," a voice from behind spoke. Meredith spotted about-ready-to-pop Angie standing behind her. "Really, it's more than a job. It's my passion."
"It's beautiful," Meredith complimented the woman. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She looked absolutely exhausted, and Meredith felt a little bad that she had probably been on her feet all day designing this gorgeous cake for Bailey, considering Bailey was her fiancé's cousin and they'd all just met for the first time only a week or so ago. Meredith was more than grateful that she'd been willing to do such a kind gesture for them. "Thank you… thank you so much."
"I took pictures, too. I have a Facebook page where I post all my cakes, so I'll tag you. I have about five thousand followers," Angie confided, completely wowing Meredith.
"That's definitely impressive," Meredith responded.
"I'd love to get some pictures of the birthday boy, too. Photography...it's another hobby of mine. Definitely just a hobby, though. I like baking cakes, and I like to take pictures of people enjoying my cakes," Angie laughed.
"You just do it all, don't you?" Meredith smiled.
"Not even close. I still can't cook a turkey right, and I never learned to ride a bike." Angie laughed. "And I'm absolutely terrified of motherhood." She rubbed her pumpkin-sized belly in a circular motion.
"I wish I could comfort you, but I'd have to say motherhood is the scariest thing I've ever done. It's scarier than removing an inoperable butterfly tumor," Meredith confessed, just being truthful. She didn't want to heighten Angie's stress levels, but it was the hard truth and Meredith was a firm believer in truth telling.
"Well, that's comforting," exhaled Angie, taking a Nikon camera out of its camera bag and wrapping it around her neck. "I'll gladly get some pictures with the kids and the kids."
"Does that mean we get to eat cake?" Meredith realized Zola was still nearby, and clearly she was still very excited about having cake.
"Go get your little brother, and then we can have cake," Meredith instructed her daughter.
"I dunno where he is," Zola shrugged her shoulders. Meredith's heart dropped into her stomach. What did Zola mean that she didn't know where Bailey was?
Meredith's heart rate quickened as she investigated the room, searching for her son. Sofia and some other kids from daycare were playing with playdough at a nearby table. Derek was entertaining them, building his own castle with playdough.
"Derek!" Meredith snarled, tapping her husband's shoulder. "Where's our son?"
"What do you mean? He's right…" Derek turned to the empty chair next to him. "He was right here, I swear. We were building a castle with...oh no!" Panic exploded on Derek's face, too, as he shared a look of worry with his wife. "Bailey!" he called.
"How did you lose him? He was sitting right next to you!" Meredith sighed, rolling her eyes.
"I-I don't know. I guess I was so invested in my castle," Derek frowned, looking a tad bit embarrassed. Together, they started searching the room for their son. There weren't that many people there. He had to be nearby. And they knew everyone.
"You are such a child," Meredith scoffed at her husband, continuing the quest to look for Bailey. She looked under every table and around every piece of furniture. He was just a little boy. He couldn't have gone far.
Just as she was about to make an announcement to the entire party, a soft voice came from behind. "Are you looking for someone?" Meredith twirled around, releasing a breath of relief when she saw her mother-in-law holding the blond little boy in her arms.
"There you are!" Meredith could breathe normally again, extending her arms to take her little boy. "You gave Mommy and Daddy a scare." She smiled at Carolyn. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I saw him crawling around by himself near the door. Thought he wasn't supposed to be there," Carolyn winked. "Those toddlers, they move fast…"
Great. Just great. Now her mother-in-law thought she was a bad mother who couldn't handle her own child.
"He was supposed to be playing with playdough with Derek, but Derek was too invested in his castle to notice that his son was missing," Meredith replied, not trying to play the 'blame game' or anything, or try to make Derek look bad to his mother; she was just telling the truth.
Carolyn laughed at that. "Derek always did have a fascination with playdough, and he always had to make a castle. These boys...they never grow up." She grinned at Bailey, pinching his little dimple. "Do they, Bailey? You'll probably grow up before your daddy, huh?"
That made Meredith laugh, too, the worry of her mother-in-law thinking she was a bad mother fizzled away. "Oh, I can believe it, if I can help it." And as soon as the words escaped her lips, she frowned. "I don't mean that you were a bad parent. Derek's great. You raised a good man." She tried to cover up her words.
"There's no such thing as a perfect mother, Meredith," Carolyn winked, nodding at Meredith. "We're all flawed, but we do what we can. Live and learn. Personally, I prefer grandmotherhood much more than I did motherhood. You'll agree with me one day, I'm sure."
Meredith bit her lip, widening her eyes, unable to fathom being a grandmother. She was just adjusting to motherhood.
Hopefully she wouldn't be a grandmother for a long, long time.
"Looks like Bay didn't get kidnappeded!" Zola's small voice came from behind. Meredith's heart stopped for a split second, shocked that her three-year-old thought that her brother had been kidnapped. She was too young to know what kidnapping was, or to have that thought run through her head. Meredith wondered if Blake or one of her other daycare friends had planted the thought in her head. "Can we has cake now?"
Meanwhile, Derek came toward her, a relieved smile came over his face when he saw Bailey in her arms. "Where was he?" he asked, kissing the back of Bailey's forehead.
"Your mother had him," Meredith explained. "He was trying to escape the party. He's just like his daddy. Aren't you, bud?" Meredith nuzzled her nose against Bailey's cheek. The little boy giggled.
"I don't escape parties. You don't invite me," Derek insisted.
"I don't invite you because you hate them," Meredith winked. Zola tugged at her scrubs. She hadn't had a chance to change into street clothes, since Derek had sent her straight to his office before she'd had a chance to change.
"Momma, cake," Zola begged.
"We have to get some pictures first, baby girl," Meredith told her daughter, hoping that would calm her down, but she was wrong.
Zola crossed her arms and stomped her feet. "I want cake, now."
She handed Bailey to his father, trusting that Derek wouldn't lose him again, and she opened the container, revealing the blue-frosted cupcakes.
Meredith eyed the cupcakes sitting next to the cake. "Then you can have some cake right now. Blake's mommy made some cupcakes." For once, Meredith was grateful for the spare cake, even as bizarre as she had thought it was when Alex walked in with more cake. One thing's for certain, they'll all be caked out tonight. The kids should sleep soundly tonight, once they come down from their sugar high.
"Ooooh, pretty cake," Zola gleamed at the round cupcake. Meredith set a cupcake on a party plate, covering up Barney's big smile. The party planners had really gone Barney themed with the party. At least they weren't playing the obnoxious music in the background. Yet. She'd heard Barney's version of I Love You and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star enough times for an entire lifetime.
Meredith wondered if the Barney theme had been Zola and/or Blake's idea, since both had recently started going through the Barney phase. It'd started when Blake moved in, so Meredith suspected it was Blake's love that he'd passed onto Zola. She and Blake would dance around the house singing I Love You all day long. It was cute when the kids sang the song. Not so cute when that stupid purple dinosaur did, though.
She sat Zola down at a table and put the cupcake in front of the little girl, knowing she was going to regret giving Zola a cupcake when they would cut the big cake soon, and she would most definitely want some of that cake too. Zola would be in a sugar daze. Damn Izzie and her cupcakes.
"What is she eating?" Derek's voice came from behind. Meredith turned, seeing he still had Bailey in his arms. His eyes were bug-eyed, staring at his daughter, who was fully engrossed in her cupcake. "Is she eating cake already?"
"Yummy cake!" Zola giggled, blue frosting covered her face already.
"I thought we hadn't cut the cake…" Derek looked genuinely confused and concerned.
"We haven't. Izzie sent cupcakes," explained Meredith, sighing. "She kept begging and we're not ready to cut the cake yet, so…"
"So you gave her cupcakes? Are you out of your mind?" Derek hissed in her ear.
"I know, I know," Meredith muttered, rolling her eyes. "I'll assume full responsibility when she's bouncing off the walls later, okay? With any luck, though, she'll crash early and sleep sound tonight."
"All that sugar isn't good for her," Derek reminded her.
"Just because you're a health nut doesn't mean Zola isn't allowed to enjoy some cake," Meredith responded hastily.
"I don't want my three-year-old to become a diabetic," Derek grumbled.
"A little cake at her brother's birthday is not going to make her diabetic, Mr. Neuro God," Meredith laughed. "Sugar doesn't make people diabetic. Diabetes occurs when the body doesn't properly produce insulin to regulate sugar, Genius."
"I know, I know. I'm just saying," Derek mumbled in her ear.
"Well, is the birthday boy ready for pictures?" Angie's voice came from behind.
"Pictures?" Derek locked eyes with Meredith, who was nodding.
"I think so. Are you ready to have your picture taken with the cake, Bails?" Meredith smiled, removing her son from his daddy's arms.
"All right, why don't you sit down in a chair behind the cake with Bailey, Meredith?" Angie asked, and Meredith complied, taking a seat.
"Mommy, Mommy, I wanna be in picture!" Zola, whose face was completely covered in blue frosting, was soon crying behind her. It became evident that Zola was very much jealous of all the attention her little brother was getting. Meredith eyed Derek, who seemed to catch onto Zola's jealousy as well.
Derek picked Zola up and said, "Why don't we let Mommy and Bailey take a few pictures with the cake, then you and I can jump in too? Let's wipe that frosting off your face first, though." He grabbed a Baby Bop napkin and wiped the frosting off Zola's face. Meanwhile, Angie was snapping pictures with Meredith and Bailey.
As promised, Derek and Zola hopped in the picture frame as soon as several had already been taken with Meredith and Bailey. Meredith face hurt from all the smiling, but it was a good kind of pain to be in. She loved her little boy so much, and she was more than grateful to celebrate the last year she'd spent with her miracle family. She wouldn't change her family for the world.
Then it was time to cut the cake.
She set Bailey into a high chair, where she gave him his very first serving of white cake. Derek remained occupied by serving cake to all the other little kids, while Meredith focused her attention on her little man.
"Can you say cake, Bails?" Meredith smiled, poking a piece of the white cake onto a fork. "Lookie, it's a bird," She couldn't say airplane. The word airplane still gave her chills, even though she had flown several times since the crash. "The birdie is coming to your mouth." The fork zoomed into Bailey's tiny mouth, and he took a bite. "Mmmm, right?"
"Mmmm." Bailey repeated with a mouthful cake inside his little cheeks. Drool ran down his lips.
"How's the birthday boy?" A familiar voice roused her attention. She hadn't realized Owen was at the party. Perhaps he had just joined them. He'd already helped himself to a plate of cake, and Amelia was sitting down beside him and Meredith.
"The birthday boy is great," Meredith smiled, patting the top of Bailey's head, not bothering to wipe the gunk from his face, since he was going to continue to make a mess until he was finished with his cake. His hands were also covered with cake and frosting.
Amelia pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of Bailey. "Couldn't resist," Amelia smiled.
Meredith laugh, eying Amelia's belly. "It won't be long before you'll have a little one of your own to snap pictures of. You'll understand the struggle of having to delete pictures to make room for more, and not knowing which ones to delete."
"Yeah, well, thank Goodness for the Cloud," Amelia shrugged, resting her hand on her belly. She frowned, her eyes widened, and a horrified look came across her face, as if she was just digesting the context of Meredith's statements.
"So, Owen…" Meredith began, but Amelia crossed her hands and shook her head, signaling for Meredith to stop. Meredith bit her lip, gazing into Owen's attentive bright blue eyes. "Could you go get us something to drink? I think I saw some sodas in the cooler near the cake?"
"Yeah, sure. What do you want?"
"I'll take a Sprite," Amelia nodded, looking relieved.
"I'll have a Pepsi," Meredith added. Open left his plate and did as he was asked.
"Phew," Amelia breathed a sigh of a relief. "Please, please, don't say anything to Owen about what I divulged in Derek's office. While it all have been a distraction tactic, it's all true, and I don't want him to know I'm freaking out."
"Secret's safe with me," Meredith said, stealing a bite of her son's cake crumbs. "Owen really wants to build a house on Derek's land?"
"Yeah...I know. I told him he needed to talk to Derek about it. I doubt Derek will want to sell him part of his land, anyway. It's all hypothetical. I'm probably freaking out for nothing…"
"Who's freaking out about what?" Nosy Nancy was standing behind them.
Meredith and Amelia locked eyes; Amelia's eyes were wide and bug eyed. "Um, no one," Meredith and Amelia said in unison.
"Oh. Well, it looks like the birthday boy is having a good time," Nancy smiled at her nephew. "Wow, it's been a long time since I've been around one this little."
"Looks like you're about to be a grandmother any second," Amelia pointed out; Meredith followed Amelia's eyes over to Angie, who was sitting next to Nancy's son Chris. Chris was a little quirky and socially awkward, much like his Uncle Derek. He even had the same cheesy grin on his face that Derek often had on his. Chris kept to himself and didn't of his way to talk to unfamiliar face. Angie did enough talking for both of them.
"Don't remind me," Nancy rolled her eyes, displeased by her sister's grandmother comment. "I will never be Grandma. I'll always be Aunt Nancy. Won't I, Bailey Bop?" Nancy touched Bailey's shoulder. "Having nieces and nephews this little keeps me young, and something tells me you're just starting, Amelia. Hey, Mer, when are you and Derek having another one of your own?"
Meredith choked on the cake crumb in her mouth, taken off guard by the question. Adding a third child to their family hadn't been a cakewalk, even though Blake was self sufficient. Taking care of Blake wasn't even remotely comparable to taking care of an infant. She was satisfied with the family she had right here. She and Derek had made the perfect little family together.
Nancy vanished before Meredith could even give a response; she was probably off to mingle with the other party guests, hopefully not making too much of a fool of herself. Meredith had to admit that Nancy had grown herself out of the "McBitchy" nickname, though.
She searched the room for Owen and saw that he had struck up a conversation with her husband.
Amelia sighed, her eyes also narrowed in on Derek and Owen. "I'm just...I'm losing it."
"Losing what?" Meredith didn't know what her sister-in-law was talking about.
"My mind," Amelia groaned. "I'm buried in lies, and I don't deserve Owen."
"You keep saying that. You know, the best way to eliminate lies is to start telling the truth. That's the only way you're going to move on," Meredith pointed out, helping Bailey take another bite of cake. "You're not helping yourself by repeating over and over that you're a liar. If there's something you need to get off your chest, just say it."
"I -"
"Attention!" A voice called out loudly before Amelia could finish. Carolyn Shepherd was standing in front of everyone, looking fearless. "Attention, everyone. I have an announcement to make."
All eyes were on Carolyn Shepherd.
"Ma, what is this about?" Derek asked, his face flushed.
"I have an announcement to make, dear." The room went silent. Even the children were silent. "Most of you are my family. Some of you've I just met today, and even if you're not blood related to me, you're family to my children, which by default makes you my family. Family isn't defined by blood ties. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Carolyn Shepherd. You probably know my children: Derek, Amelia, and Nancy. I'm Grandma to the birthday boy."
Meredith's eyes fixated on her husband. His cheeks were a bright, vibrant rosy color. He was clearly humiliated that his mother had decided to give a speech in front of everyone. Beside her, Amelia also looked mortified.
Nancy was the only Shepherd sibling who didn't seem fazed by her mother's speech. Probably because she'd lived on the same coast as her mother for the majority of her life, so she was used to this kind of stuff.
"Over the last years, I'm not proud to admit that I haven't had much contact with my son. Living on the other side of the country isn't easy. I first met both my granddaughter Zola and my grandson Bailey through photographs. I've watched them grow up in pictures, and this is the first time I've been to Seattle since either were born. It's not right."
"Mom, I'm sorry…" Derek interrupted, frowning.
"Hush, boy. Let me finish," Carolyn dismissed Derek. "I have three children in Seattle now, plus a grandchild and a great-grandchild...still not over that one...on the way. My East Coast grandbabies are almost all grown up. It seems like, to me anyway, that my West Coast grandbabies need me more."
"Mom, what are you saying?" Amelia's face whitened.
"I'm saying...I'm moving to Seattle!" Carolyn gleamed.
The room went silent.
"You're what?" Derek and Amelia both gasped.
"Oh, come on. You seriously didn't think she'd let me go that easily," Nancy laughed proudly. "She had to follow me here, right?" Nancy grinned widely and came forward to give her mother a hug.
"Mom, you don't have to…" Derek sighed.
"Hush, boy. I know I don't have to do anything. I want to. I want to be here with you and your family, and Amelia and hers, and I want to be nearby my great-grandbaby, too, because not every great-grandmother lives long enough to meet her great-grandbabies."
Amelia and Derek were both still in shock.
Derek finally extended his arms around his mother, embracing her with a warm hug.
"We'd be happy to have you, Ma," he smiled, turning toward Meredith. "Right, Mer?"
Meredith, like Derek and Amelia, was also in shock. She didn't know how to react. After all, she barely knew Mrs. Shepherd, outside of Christmas last year and a few email exchanges here and there, when she and Derek had sent her pictures of the kids. Though, at the same time, she and Derek could use all the extra hands they could get, especially with her taking on this fellowship. Plus, Carolyn's presence in Seattle would benefit not just her and Derek, but Amelia as well, and Chris and Angie.
"Yes," Meredith nodded, pleasantly. "You're always welcome here. We're glad to have you. The kids will love having a grandmother around, too."
"Now, don't worry. I'm not going to ask to move in with any of y'all. I've been talking with a realtor here in Seattle, and I'll be buying my own house. I'll be closer than a five hour plane ride, though," Carolyn smiled warmly.
Derek and Amelia looked at each other, both sighing in relief.
Meredith then noticed Cristina standing in the doorway. She looked like she'd just gotten out of surgery; she was still wearing her scrub cap. Her face was solemn.
"Hey," Meredith greeted her best friend. Cristina walked toward Meredith and Amelia as the rest of the crowd went back to doing what they were doing before Carolyn's big announcement. "Guess what? My mother-in-law is moving to Seattle."
The words seemed to pass right through Cristina, though. She continued grimacing and didn't utter a response.
"There's plenty of cake, if you want some…" Cristina's eyes wandered. Meredith could tell something was wrong. "What's wrong, Cristina?"
"Mer, I-I need a neurosurgeon right now," she finally whispered. Amelia perked up.
"Well, Derek and I are kind of busy right now. Can't you page someone else?" Meredith asked desperately.
Cristina shook her head, looking grimly in Alex's direction. He was happily entertaining his son and all the other children.
"There's been an accident, Mer. And…please…don't tell Alex."
As the words fell from Cristina's mouth, a piercing shriek requested everyone's attention.
"MY WATER BROKE!"
