SURPRISE! You guys get a sneak peak of what things are like from Derek's Mom's POV. Does she tell Meredith the whole truth? Read and find out!

Book Three, Part Ten: Meeting My Granddaughter

Carolyn Shepherd's Point of View

"This is your pilot speaking. It is 3:15pm Pacific Time in rainy Seattle, Washington. It looks like it will be a smooth landing. Please put your trays in their upright and locked positions and make sure your seatbelt is on correctly. We hope you enjoyed your flight on Pacific Airlines Flight 454. Have a good afternoon. Thank you."

I calmly followed the pilots instructions, wondering how someone who's voice still cracked was qualified to fly this aircraft. Maybe he was a late bloomer and not sixteen years old.

I hadn't planned on making the trip so soon, deciding to give Derek and his…spouse some time to get settled. But things had changed with the arrival, or rather, the announcement that my only son had a precocious fifteen-year-old daughter that I couldn't wait to meet.

So here I was, hoping a flight a mere day after finding out. I wasn't going to wait one second more than I had to. And I knew if I had let Derek know I was coming; he would have told me to wait. Then I would have been forced to tell him I would, and I didn't want to lie to my son. Like I did when I told him I still loved Addie. Hmmpf.

I barely felt the jolt of landing on the tarmac and I changed my opinion of the young pilot. He was good.

I slowly made my way out of the aircraft, to the luggage pickup, grabbed my two suitcases…yes, two…I planned on staying a little while. I then ignored the line for the taxis and stepped on to a shuttle after waiting only minutes. Seattle was very accommodating to its visitors.

"Which hotel?" The elderly driver pleasantly asked.

"Seattle Grace Hospital please."

After a pleasant sightseeing trip, I was standing in front of my son's work. Very nice. I entered and walked up to the receptionist's desk.

"May I help you?"

"Yes, what floor is surgery?" I asked.

"Third, ma'am." She informed me.

"Thank you Amy." I said, reading her name off of her nametag.

"Welcome, ma'am." She said before turning to the next inquiring person.

I got into the elevator where I was joined by three doctors in light blue scrubs and one doctor in dark blue.

I faced the doors so it didn't appear I was listening. But I was…all good information was found out by eavesdropping. Call me meddlesome if you will.

"How is Mer?" A handsome young man asked.

Sighs came from both of the women in light blue.

"She is frantic." One said.

"Ha, more like pissed off." The other said.

"What do you expect? Guy just shows up after fifteen years and then wants a relationship with the daughter he never knew he had. And he brought Dr. Barbie with him." The man said.

Dr. Barbie? I liked that. It fit.

"Those are your fellow colleagues you are gossiping about." The short, dark skinned woman said without looking at them. She, like I, was staring at the doors. She must be meddlesome too.

"What do you think of this Dr. Bailey?" The lighter skinned of the two women in light blue asked.

"I think that we should all mind our own business and focus instead on the business of this hospital. I also think you should let them work this out on their own. Meredith is a smart, strong woman. Let her be." She said.

"But he is working his way in. He could break her and Mark up." Again, it was the lighter skinned woman. I wish I knew names.

"Then they weren't strong enough to start with." She looked at all three of them and sighed. "Look I didn't know when I wooed them here that this would happen. I always just thought Mia was Mark's. Mer is a private person and she had no reason to disclose that to me. That being said, that man has every right to get to know his daughter. As does Mia to get to know her father. This is between Mark, Meredith, Derek, Addison and Mia. Now as your Chief I say this conversation is over." She said firmly.

"But I am her sister."

"I am her best friend."

"I am her…Alex."

Well that was one name.

"You are her half-sister, Lexie, and Cristina, I know you are her best friend…and you are her…whatever, Alex…as such you should know to stop talking about it and get to work. When she wants your opinions, I am sure she will let you know. Now I said this was over."

"But…" They all said.

"What part of over don't you understand? Do you want to be assigned to appendectomies all day?' She threatened.

"No." They all said frantically.

"Over!" She barked.

"Yes ma'am." They all said. The elevator doors opened and they all practically ran out. The Chief looked at me and smirked.

"Gotta keep these young kids in line." She said.

"That you do." I agreed.

"Miranda Bailey. And you are? Besides an eavesdropper?"

"Carolyn Shepherd."

Her mouth rounded in surprise.

"Ah, here to meet the new granddaughter." She surmised.

"Well, new to me." I said.

"Derek is in surgery but should be out…"

"I am not here to see Derek, just yet."

"Oh well, Addison…"

"I definitely am not here to see her. I am looking for Meredith." I interrupted.

Her mouth set in a firm line.

"Now, I don't know about that. You see, I am attached to her. I don't get attached to people but I am attached to her and to Mia so I don't want to upset them. And I am thinking that Meredith seeing you could upset her." She said.

"Look at me. Do I look like someone who wants to upset the mother of my granddaughter?" I asked.

She looked at me doubtfully.

"You just basically put down your own daughter in law." She pointed out.

"She is not the mother of my granddaughter." I said, as if that explained everything. "Please just point me in her direction."

She sighed. "She is in the Skills Lab. Take two rights and then a left. It is the second door on the right. Do not upset her." She warned.

"It was very nice to meet your Miranda."

Then I grabbed my suitcases and followed the directions given to me. It was easy to find…glad something would be easy. I had a feeling this conversation wouldn't be…for either of us.

I walked into the empty room, well empty except for one person. I put my things out of the way then walked forward a bit.

"If you try to mess me up Alex, I will kick your ass so hard, your testicles will rattle."

She looked up with a smile that slipped slowly off her face.

"You're not Alex." She said breathlessly, her cheeks a becoming shade of pink.

I chuckled.

"No, but I have met him…kind of." I said warmly.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Yes, you can let me apologize." I said.

"I'm sorry?" She said, then I saw the recognition light her eyes and then they dulled into nothing. "Mrs. Shepherd."

"Please, call me Carolyn. We are both adults now and may I say, what a beautiful woman you have become."

She bit her lip and I could sense her hesitation.

"I am only here to talk. Well, and to meet my granddaughter."

Her eyes became cold.

"Don't misunderstand me Meredith, I am not here to cause trouble, but I think you suspected I would show up sooner or later."

She nodded and then put a hand out, indicating a chair for me to sit in.

I get settled and then faced her dead on. I have always been no nonsense that way.

"Has Derek told you why we left?" I asked.

She swallowed hard and set her expression to one of unconcern.

"No, it really doesn't matter." She said.

"I think it does. I think it matters very much. I think that you are scared to hear the answer in fear that you won't be able to hate him anymore."

She scoffed and stood up.

"We are done here." She said.

"Sit down." I said.

"No, I don't…"

"I said sit down, young lady!"

She sat down.

"Now, we are going to have this talk. Whether you like it or not." I saw her defeated expression and softened. "I don't mean to yell, I just…it was my fault. He left because of me." I told her.

She looked surprised.

"Yeah, not what you were expecting? I guilt tripped him into it. I know that he should be the one to tell you, but I also know you would probably never ask, let alone listen to what he had to say. You know how my husband died?" I asked.

Meredith nodded.

"It was hard on us all, especially Derek and Mel, having seen it happen."

Meredith's gasp interrupted me.

"He watched his father be killed?" She asked, her hand over her mouth.

"He didn't tell you that? Well, knowing my son as I do, I am not surprised. He always did want to protect you from the horrifying. It seems that was his downfall." I shook my head.

"What…" She took a deep breath. "Happened?"

"They found us, stalked us, hurt me, trashed my home. Derek was so torn between going with us to protect us or to stay with the woman who had his heart. I was terrified at the thought of leaving him defenseless. I wanted him with me and the girls. So…" I broke off and stared at my aging hands.

"You, what?" She asked.

"I showed him the pictures they had left to remind me how much they knew about us. There were several of you, some with Amber, some with Derek and some, alone. I told him that if he really wanted to protect you that he would leave you." I explained.

There was a long silence.

"So you took his natural inclination for protecting me and turned it around to benefit yourself?" She asked, her voice filled with anger.

I deserved that.

"Yes, I did. You can't for one second tell me you wouldn't do the same if it was Mia in danger."

The anger died out of her eyes immediately and she slumped forward, defeated again.

"No, I couldn't tell you that. I would do anything to protect her. Which is what I am doing now."

"You don't have to protect her from Derek. He already loves her. He will be good to her, for her. You have to believe that."

"I don't know what to believe, Carolyn. He should've just told me. I would have gone with you. I was eighteen. My father would have understood. But instead he told me he was tired of pretending he didn't love me. I mean, who does that? Do you know how long it took me to not believe that I was unworthy of love? How long it took me to really let Mark in? To this day he still works to be able to see all of me and that is Derek's fault. So, I thank you for telling me this, but it doesn't change a thing."

"Doesn't it though? I mean, just think, Meredith, think! You never once doubted how he felt before then. So how could you let a few words undo years of what you knew to be true?"

"Do not turn this around on me! I had nothing to do with this. All I did was fall in love with a geeky young boy who had age old eyes. And no matter what the reason was, he left me…alone and pregnant. He didn't trust me. He didn't trust my love for him. So, I think that we should just drop it. He has moved on and so have I." She said firmly, wiping her cheeks furiously to catch stray tears.

I sighed but nodded.

"I do want to see Mia, if that is okay." I said quietly.

She composed herself and nodded.

"Of course." She stood up and walked to the door, looking back at me. "You coming?" She asked.

"Now?" I asked, scurrying out of my chair.

"It is summer. She is working here. Her birthday present from Bailey. She loves this hospital, was practically raised here." She chuckled darkly.

I nodded and then reached for my bags.

"You can leave them here. No one will bother them."

I nodded again and then followed her silently. We had both said enough, probably too much if truth be told.

Meredith came to a door and then blew out a breath I could tell she had been holding for a long while. She forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes and pushed the door open. I again followed.

We walked into a room with babies. A beautiful young girl was sitting at a desk, writing something. She had my son's eyes, dimples and unruly hair. Everything else was Meredith, right down to her stubborn chin.

"Hey Mom." Mia said happily, her eyes twinkling. "To what do I owe the pleasure of you wandering over to the dark side?" She teased.

"Can't a mother just come to see her kid?" Meredith asked.

"No." Mia said, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, okay…There is someone that wants to meet you." Meredith moved aside to let me be seen.

"Oh and who is this? My fairy godmother?" Mia joked.

"No, but would just a plain ole grandmother do?" I asked, forcing the words out because my throat was clogged with unshed tears. This was my firstborn grandchild.

I could hear her breath catch and she bolted out of her chair and knock the wind out of me seconds later. I wrapped my arms around her and held on tight.

"I have always wanted to meet you." She sobbed.

I realized that no matter who's fault it was, no matter what had happened, no matter who was hurt in this messed up situation…that right now, in this moment, everything was as it should be.

"I hopped a flight as soon as I could." I told her. I looked up at Meredith who had her fist pressed to her mouth to hold in her own sobs. She met my eyes. I mouthed a 'thank you' to her. She nodded in understanding.

I pulled back from Mia.

"I guess I need to let your old dad know I am here. Want to come with me?" I asked, looking at Meredith to make sure it was okay.

Her eyes told me it was.

"Sure! But I have to wait for my relief to get here." She said, disappointed.

"I'll stay here." Her mom offered.

"Really? You don't mind?" Mia asked.

"Of course not. Go with your Grandmother and see your Dad." She told her.

Mia let go of me long enough to hug Meredith and then slipped her half-grown hand into my old one and off we were.

I only hope my son was as happy to see me…