Chapter 16: Who Likes Who?

"Mom! You're eating all the ice cream!" Dawsyn said, as they held a bowl of strawberry ice cream between them.

"No I'm not." Meredith frowned, her mouth barely opening.

"You ate half of it." Dawsyn pointed out.

"Do you want to go put more in it, Daws?"

No..."

"Stop complaining." Meredith sighed, staring at the wall as she sucked on her spoon.

"What's wrong with you?" Dawsyn asked, taking a spoonful for herself.

"Nothing's wrong." Meredith shook her head, waving the spoon around. "Nothing...everything's good."

"You're being so weird."

"You're weird."

"I'm not weird!"

"If I'm weird, you're weird." Meredith rolled her eyes. "It's genetic."

"Weirdness isn't genetic."

"It is." Meredith nodded.

"Who said?"

"It's just a fact."

"Whatever." Dawsyn rolled her eyes, imitating her mom."

"Hmm..."

"We got a new kid in our class today."

"Wow..." Meredith tried to sound excited, putting her spoon down. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy." Dawsyn replied, putting her spoon back in the empty bowl as well.

"Oh...what's his name?"

"Jeremy."

"Ohh...Jeremy."

"Yeah...He just moved here from...somewhere."

"Oh." Meredith nodded. "Is Jeremy cute?"

"No." Dawsyn said very quickly.

"Liar Liar...pants on fire."

"I don't think he's cute!"

"That's what they all say."

"He's gross."

"You don't think that." Meredith giggled weakly, looking at her cell phone. Derek still didn't called.

"Yes, I do." Dawsyn exclaimed.

"No, you dont."

"Yes, I do!"

"Daws...and Jeremy. It sounds cute."

"I'm not even going to let him sit next to me at lunch anymore." Dawsyn huffed, crossing her arms.

"You let him eat lunch with you?" Meredith smiled, putting her phone down. "That's love Daws."

"Not with me...With me, Caroline, and Jessica."

"I see."

"I don't like him!"

"Uh huh...sure..."

"So...Even if I did...You like Derek!"

"No, I don't!" Meredith gasped.

"Yes, you do!" Dawsyn mocked her mother.

"Derek and I are just friends."

"Uh huh...sure..." Dawsyn smiled.

"You like Jeremy."

"I do not."

"Hmm...okay." Meredith shrugged, picking up her phone.

"You're in love with Derek." Dawsyn said.

"Dawsyn...no I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"I don't like Derek like you like Jeremy."

"Because you love Derek and I don't love Jeremy."

"I think you just like Derek because he makes good food and..."

"You like Derek because you think he's hot and he could probably give you that orgasm thing."

"Dawsyn!" Meredith gasped.

"What?"

"Could you stop saying orgasm?"

"If you admit that you're in love with Derek."

"I'm not in love with Derek!"

"And I don't think Jeremy is cute." Dawsyn said, sitting back on the sofa.

"Fine." Meredith groaned.

"But you do like Derek."

"That's not true."

"Yes, it is." Dawsyn said, swinging her legs.

"No I don't." Meredith argued, as she dropped her phone.

"Then, why are you waiting for him to call?" Dawsyn asked.

"I'm not waiting on him to call." Meredith replied, reaching for her phone but Dawsyn beat her to it.

"Then who are you waiting for?" Dawsyn said, flipping through the list of calls.

"Nobody."

"You're lying."

"I am not."

"Yes you..." Dawsyn began before the phone beeped a few times. "Text message!"

"Daws...give me my phone." Meredith instructed, sitting back on the couch.

"Nope!" Dawsyn giggled, sitting on the floor opening the message. "It's from Derek...It's from Derek."

"It's from Derek?" Meredith's face turned pale. "Hand me the phone."

"Nope!" Dawsyn grinned.

"Dawsyn! Now!"

"It says...We need to talk about the other night. I'm coming over."

"No...seriously?"

"What happened the other night?"

"Is that really what it says?" Meredith was finally able to snap her phone back.

"Yeah." Dawsyn rolled her eyes, getting back up on the sofa.

"Oh God..." Meredith swallowed, looking down at the phone.

"What happened the other night?" Dawsyn asked again.

"Nothing...nothing happened."

"But he's coming over."

"Okay...you know what?" Meredith leaned over. "Bedtime."

"No! It's still early." Dawsyn groaned.

"Go take your bath."

"Why?"

"Because it's a school night and it's already eight." Meredith demanded. "Take your bath...get dressed for bed and then read some of your book about the Oregon Trail."

"You're so mean." Dawsyn pouted.

"I am not...it's your normal bath time anyway."

"If my dad was here, he'd let me stay up." Dawsyn whispered, standing up.

"He's not here, is he?"

"That's your fault."

"Dawsyn...are you really going to start this tonight?"

"Yes."

"Then yes...all my fault." Meredith rolled her eyes. "You're just mad that I'm enforcing bedtime tonight."

"No. I'm mad because I don't have a dad."

"There is nothing I can do about that Daws! It's just the way things are." Meredith groaned, as she began to straighten the couch pillows.

"That's not true!" Dawsyn yelled.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know."

"Dawsyn...just take your bath please." Meredith rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry...I don't know what to tell you about your Dad. You don't have one."

"Yeah...I do." Dawsyn muttered.

"No." Meredith shook her head. "You don't have one and you don't need one."

"Whatever..." Dawsyn whimpered, walking towards the stairs.

"Daws...I love you." Meredith frowned, nervous about Derek coming, not wanting Dawsyn upset either.

"I know."

"Come here."

"Why?"

"Daws Bug..."

"Fine." Dawsyn whispered, slowly walking back over to Meredith.

"Hey..." Meredith put her hands on both sides of her daughter's cheeks dipping her head down. "You don't have a dad because I love you too much. You have Izzie...Christina, Alex, and George and they love you too much. You don't have a Dad but this is so much better."

"Okay." Dawsyn sniffled.

"Besides...girls only." Meredith giggled.

"Girls only..." Dawsyn laughed weakly.

"Dawsyn Bug..."

"I love you, Mommy."

"Love you." They rubbed their noses together, "Smile..."

"I'm smiling."

"Like you mean it."

"Okay..." Dawsyn whispered, a smile spreading across her face.

"Thank you."

"I'll go take my bath."

"Okay...I'll be up soon." Meredith smiled.

"Okay." Dawsyn whispered, kissing Meredith's cheek.

"Okay." Meredith breathed, waiting until her daughter made it up the stairs. Her heart was pounding, it did every time Dawsyn brought up her father. It became more difficult over the years to fight off the questions. It broke her heart every single time her daughter shed a tear over her father. There wasn't anything for Meredith to tell her, except that she didn't have one, In Meredith's mind she didn't.

Now, Meredith needed to put that behind her for the night. She texted Derek, telling him that if he needed to come, he needed to wait a little while longer until she could get Dawsyn asleep. He would do that; she knew that much.