I'm back with a new chapter. Sorry for the long wait. Real life stuff intervened. Things seem to have settled now so I'm back working on this story. It is almost done and I will finish it, I promise. I hope you will forgive me for the wait, and are still with me and will show it by reviewing this story. I still live for reviews, so thank you for them.

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Chapter 32

They were in Addison's hospital room. Addison couldn't stop looking at the baby. Derek couldn't stop looking at the both of them. "You did great, Addison.

Addison looked up at Derek. "Not really. I totally fell apart in there. How could I? It's my specialty. I know all about pregnancy and childbirth. There was no excuse to fall apart like I did."

"You're right; there wasn't an excuse; there was a reason. It's different when it's you that is the patient, Addie and, as Nancy pointed out to me, you'd never done this before. At least from the point of view from where you were then and now, as a patient, giving birth to her first baby. So, yes, it's understandable to be terrified."

"Maybe you're right."

"No maybe about it; I know I'm right." They both laughed at that.

Just then a nurse came in. "I think it's time for Mommy to get some rest. Delivering a baby isn't easy and you do need your rest."

"I don't want to let her go, though."

"She'll be all right, Addie and you do need your rest."

"Well, I am tired, I admit that." She reluctantly handed over the baby.

"Go to sleep, Addie."

"Mark! I should call him and let him know she's here." She went for her bag, which had her cell phone in it.

"Don't worry about that. I'll call him."

Addison just stared at him. "Do you mean that? Are you really sure?"

"Yes, I am." He was, although he had no idea why he was or even why he had volunteered to call Mark in the first place. Yet, here he was doing just that.

"All right, if you're sure." Addison conceded.

"I'm sure. You just get some rest and I'll take care of letting him know."

"All right. I trust you." She lay back down and closed her eyes.

Derek exited the room and walked down the hall. Then he dialed the number he had removed from speed dial but somehow, still couldn't erase from his memory.

Mark picked it up on the first ring, dashing Derek's hopes that he wouldn't pick up and if so, then he would just have to leave a message and not actually have to talk to him. "Hello."

"Hello. I'm just calling to let you know that Addison had the baby."

"Is she all right? Is the baby all right?"

"Mother and daughter are both fine. I'd suggest if you want to see them both you get down to MT. Sinai as soon as you can."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there soon." Mark hung up without even saying good-bye.

Derek sighed. Now he'd actually have to deal with Mark directly. He wasn't looking forward to it. He had been being very reasonable so far, throughout this whole thing but there was a limit to even what he thought he could tolerate. Having to make nice with his former best friend and wife's' adulterous one night stand over the product of said one night stand would not be fun.

Then Derek shook his head. Faith wasn't that, not really. She was his child in all the ways that really counted, as had been pointed out. It was just hard. But maybe it was better to deal with Mark now and clear the air now before Faith was old enough to remember open hostilities. Not that it would be so easy.

He found himself going down to the nursery where she was. He easily picked her out of all the other babies, which did kind of surprised him. So maybe his fatherly instincts were already fully formed and working.

"Faith, I love you. My feelings about Mark, your biological father have nothing whatsoever to do with you and I do promise here and now to always strive to be the best father I can be. I won't be perfect but I will never take anything that isn't your fault out on you. Hell, I'll even try not to take things that are your fault out on you, but I probably will.' He chucked a little at that.

"What's so funny?'

Derek whirled and there he was; Mark Sloan. "Nothing. I was just joking to myself is all."

Mark walked up to him. "So, which one is she?"

Derek pointed her out.

"My God, she's beautiful."

"Yes, she is."

"She's also all Addison. I don't see anything of me in her."

"That's true." Derek has noticed that but for some reason hadn't wanted to bring that up to Mark. Whether it was because it would be like rubbing his nose in it or what but there it was.

Derek had had the thought that maybe this was the universe's way of rewarding him for his fatherly stance by not having any of Mark show through in this biological child of his. But what was that anyway? He was a scientist, not a philosopher and science didn't work that way. Or did it?

He was brought back from wherever he was by Mark's talking.

"It must be a relief for you."

"What must?"

"Her not resembling me in anyway."

"What are you getting at, Mark? Are you implying that I would punish her for your sins?"

Mark shook his head. "No, not at all. I'm just pointing out that it will be easier on you and everyone else that she is all Addison."

It was so close to what Derek had been thinking but he didn't feel the need to enlighten Mark on that score.

Then Mark spoke again. "Thank you for calling me."

"Addison was going to but I said I would. She needs her rest. She just had a baby."

"I know. I put it there, remember."

"So proud of that."

"Actually, I'm not. "

Derek turned to look at him. He really didn't look proud. He looked kind of torn, actually.

"Nancy must have rubbed off on us. We're not brawling in public."

Mark snorted. "She'd be proud. I'm surprised she's not here monitoring us."

"She'd be with Addison if she was anywhere. Addison gets the higher priority in things, more than we do."

"That's as it should be.'

Mark was right, even if Derek was loathe to admit it. Mark had had shitty parents too, but unlike Addison, he'd had a spare family in the Shepherds. Addison had had Archer and that was all.

But even knowing the beginning and reasons for the dysfunction didn't make it any easier to go down. And they were all left with the question of where they would go from here?

"So, where do we go from here?" Mark spoke again.

"I though we had already decided."

"No, you and Addie did. You hold all the cards. I basically have no say in my child's upbringing and it's going to be up to you how much I see her or even if I see her at all."

"Mark-"

"No, let me say this and then you can talk. Sure I could go and get a lawyer and hash this out in court. That would really endear me to everyone, even more don't you think? I'd be the big, bad villain all over again and let's face it, I'd most likely lose anyway. "

"Addison has no inclination to exclude you from Faith's life."

"And you, Derek? Because if it came right down to it as a choice between you or me, we both know who would win in that case, don't we?"

He was right but somehow Derek didn't feel as triumphant about that as he would have thought he would. What the hell was wrong with him?

He was saved from having to reply by the arrival of Nancy. "Mark! Derek! Everything all right with you?"

"Sure, it's hunky dory" he replied to his sister.

She frowned. "No need for sarcasm, Derek. I know this isn't easy for you. It's not easy for any of you."

"Nice of you to acknowledge that. I got the feeling that you thought I was the villain in all of this"

"No, I never thought that and I'm sorry if that is what you got from me. It's not what I meant. Loving and supporting Addie in all this in no way implies that I ever supported what she did to your marriage became I don't. You can love someone and still not agree with all their choices, you know."

"I-" Then he stopped because he knew she was right. That was the crux of it all in the end, wasn't it? He didn't support or condone what Addison had done and he never would but he still was in love with her. That was why he had stayed because it had turned out that you couldn't just turn feelings of love on and off like a faucet. Life would probably be much easier if you could.

They were both looking at him. He didn't know what to say at this point. Fortunately, and it was probably going to be the only time he felt like this but he was glad when Nancy spoke again.

'Look it's still new, the reality of her being here. We knew it was going to be difficult but now we are confronted with the reality. I know it's not going to be easy but if I can help you all in any way I will. I do want this to work out as much as it can be for everyone involved."

Mark, for one, looked grateful "Thanks, Nancy pants."

"Thank you. I don't know what you can do, though, to be honest."

"Well, Derek, I don't know either. The point is that I'm offering. Maybe I can't do anything right now but maybe I will be able to in the future. You don't know that I will be able to or not; no one does."

"I guess you're right."

"No guessing, I know I'm right."

"What brings you here? Is Addison all right?"

"She's fine; she's still sleeping. I just wanted to check on you two and I figured out where you'd probably be. It wasn't hard."

"Wanted to keep us from brawling in public," Mark joked.

"Maybe that was part of it but no, I really think you two are beyond that now. I just wanted to make sure the both of you were all right because like I said, I know this is difficult for everyone."

She sounded sincere. What the hell! "O.K. I believe you."

"Thank you, Derek."

Derek was just tired. They had a new baby. It was time for a new start. "We will figure things out, I'm sure,' he told Nancy and Mark. 'But we've got time. Now I think I'd better be getting back to my wife" He turned to Nancy. "You'll take care of letting the family know she's here."

Nancy nodded. "I will."

"Not tonight, though. I just want to be alone with Addison."

"Understood. I'll call everyone tomorrow."

"Thank you, Nancy". He walked away to go back to Addison.

Mark and Nancy looked at him as he walked away. "He doesn't sound as angry as he was."

"No, he doesn't. Nancy agreed with Mark.

"Do you think this means he could forgive me sometime?"

"I don't know, Mark. Maybe. I wouldn't rush things or put pressure on him. If it's going to come it has to come on Derek's timetable, not yours."

Mark nodded. "Understood. This does give me hope, though."

"I know what you mean. It does give me hope too."