Chapter 21: A Sick Kid

The hours left in Derek's shift went by slowly. All he could think about was Meredith, waiting on the couch for him at her house, naked. They would have a good couple of hours alone before Dawsyn got home from her friend's house. He picked up a nice bottle of wine on the way to her house, practically speeding on the way there. She told him to let himself into the house, because she would be naked. He slowly opened the door, walking into the entry way. "Are you here?"

"In here." Meredith shouted.

"Coming." Derek smiled, walking into the living room, and expecting to see her waiting for him, but instead seeing her holding her daughter, who was in tears, and pale.

"Shh..." Meredith stroked her daughter's hair.

"Hi Derek." Dawsyn cried, before gagging into a plastic bag.

"Oh my goodness." Derek frowned, putting the bottle of wine down, walking over and kneeling down in front of her. "Hi kiddo."

"She has a hundred and one fever." Meredith replied.

"When did this start?" Derek asked, feeling Dawsyn's forehead.

"Apparently she got off the bus and got sick." Meredith frowned, looking up at him and mouthing sorry.

"Don't worry about it." Derek said, giving her a small smile.

"My stomach..." Dawsyn whimpered.

"Dawsyn..." Meredith kissed the side of her daughter's cheek. "You need to drink something."

"No..." Dawsyn shook her head, leaning over the plastic bag.

"Do you have ginger ale?" Derek asked.

"No...I have Lemon lime."

"Would ginger ale help, Daws?"

"I don't want anything." Dawsyn sobbed.

"Daws..." Meredith pleaded as Derek put his hand on her forehead.

"She's burning up." Derek frowned.

"She was one hundred and one when I picked her up from Stephanie's. Steph's mom took her temp."

"Dawsyn...You have to drink something or you're going to get sicker." Derek whispered to the little girl.

"No!"

"She's gotten rid of everything in her stomach Der." Meredith looked concerned as her daughter got sick again. "Daws Bug...it's okay."

"I'm going to go out and get you some ginger ale, Daws. It will help, I promise." Derek said.

"No...no ale." Dawsyn cried.

"Derek...she won't touch anything."

"Okay." Derek sighed. "Um...Meredith...Can I talk to you in the kitchen?"

"Yeah." Meredith replied, kissing Dawsyn's head. "I'll be right back...okay?"

"Okay." Dawsyn whimpered, clutching her blanket as Meredith took the plastic bag, and handed her a new one.

"I'll be just a minute." Meredith replied, before following Derek into the kitchen.

"First of all..." Derek said, kissing her lightly. "I didn't get to say hi to you properly."

"I probably smell like vomit but hi." She smiled weakly. "I'm not naked."

"That's okay."

"Apparently Dawsyn has felt sick since this morning...tired and achy she said." Meredith added.

"Sounds like the flu." Derek sighed.

"Ugh..."

"We...You need to get her to drink something."

"I know." Meredith frowned.

"Sorry...I don't mean to be bossy...I just..."

"Derek...she didn't eat lunch...or breakfast."

"Okay. I um...I want to go get her some ginger ale and maybe something else to settle her stomach. And if that doesn't work, I want to take her into the hospital." Derek sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"She...no hospital." Meredith said quickly. "Not tonight."

"She's going to get dehydrated, Mer."

"Maybe she'll drink some water."

"Why don't you try that...and I'll go get ginger ale and some saltines or something."

"I have saltines in the pantry." Meredith replied. "Don't get ginger ale yet."

"Has she tried to sleep?" Derek asked.

"She won't."

"Have you given her anything for the fever?"

"Children's Tylenol."

"How long ago?"

"About two hours ago."

"Let's just see if she'll drink some water."

"Okay." Meredith replied, filling a glass.

"Do you need anything?" Derek asked, kissing her head as she turned around from the sink.

"No."

"Mommy!"

"Coming!" Meredith shouted, before lowering her voice. "If you want to go...you don't have to stay. I know a vomiting child doesn't sound like a party."

"I'm staying."

"Okay." She couldn't help but smile. "I'm going to go try water..."

"I'll go get her a cold cloth for her head." He whispered.

"Okay." She smiled, kissing him quickly before walking into the living room to find her daughter getting sick again. "Oh Daws..."

A few minutes later, Derek came into the living room with a cold cloth for Dawsyn's forehead, hoping to make her feel better. "Here you go, Daws..."

"What's that?" Dawsyn whimpered.

"It's a cloth for your head." Meredith replied as Derek helped Dawsyn hold it to her head.

"Mommy...my tummy..."

"I know...I know." Meredith held up the water. "Hey...let's try some water and crackers okay?"

"It'll help you feel better." Derek whispered.

"No..." Dawsyn pushed the crackers away.

"Please Daws." Meredith frowned, "Just take a sip of water."

"No..." Dawsyn shook her head as Meredith helped her hold the back as her daughter began to vomit. "Mommy...I..."

"I know..." Meredith rubbed her daughter's back, looking up at Derek.

"Hospital." Derek mouthed.

"No." Meredith shook her head.

"Dawsyn..." Derek said, kneeling down in front of her. "Daws, you have to take a sip of water. Just a sip.."

"My tummy..."

"I know."

"My tummy..." Dawsyn sobbed, taking a light sip, before coughing.

"Okay...Try one more."

"No...no..." Dawsyn sobbed, as she began to gag.

"Alright." Derek sighed, standing up and putting the water on the coffee table.

"Dawsyn..." Meredith looked back up at Derek. "So that's a no on the water."

"What about a hot bath, Daws?" Derek suggested.

"I don't know." Dawsyn cried.

"It might help."

"Derek." Meredith groaned.

"What?" He looked up at her.

"My tummy..."

"She doesn't want anything." Meredith replied.

"You know what always helped me, Daws?" Derek said, feeling her forehead again.

"What?" Dawsyn cried, leaning on Meredith's shoulder.

"Watching my favorite movie."

"I don't feel good."

"I know."

"Mommy..." Dawsyn sobbed.

"I'm going to go get the ginger ale." Derek sighed, standing back up.

"Before you do that you should know she hates ginger ale." Meredith snapped.

"Fine...Okay." Derek breathed, running his fingers through his hair, before walking into the kitchen.

"Derek..." Meredith called, following him into the kitchen.

"What?" He snapped, turning around to face her.

"Don't snap at me."

"I'm just trying to help."

"I know...I'm sorry."

"I'm just...I'm worried about her." Derek sighed.

"Well she won't drink or eat anything."

"That's why I want to take her to the hospital."

"We can't just take her to the doctor because of the flu."

"She's going to get dehydrated."

"Well let's just watch her tonight and if she gets any worse...I'll take her."

"I'm sorry..." Derek whispered, wrapping his arms around Meredith.

"For what?"

"Snapping at you."

"Hmm..."

"Let's just try to get her into bed, okay?"

"Okay." Meredith pressed her head against his chest. "Hopefully she'll sleep the whole night."

"Her fever should go down if she does."

"I'm sorry again about tonight."

"There'll be other nights."

"Okay...I'm just going to help her get into bed." Meredith pulled away.

"Let me know if you need help."

"Okay." She smiled weakly.

"I'll be right here."

"Okay." Meredith pulled away, leaving the kitchen. She didn't need this, not right now. What she needed was to not have a sick eleven-year-old and to have Derek in her bed. Not that she wanted sex, she just wanted Derek to hold her which sounded crazy but that sounded nice. Instead, she was going to spend the night taking care of a sick little girl, with Derek's help.

"Is she in bed?" Derek asked, as Meredith came back into the kitchen.

"Yeah...and just a warning that her fever is one hundred and three."

"Meredith..."

"She asked me if you were staying the night and I told her that you were worried so that you and I were going to watch a movie." Meredith ignored him. "You know...so she doesn't catch on about us."

"I'm staying...No question." Derek replied, pulling her into his lap.

"This is going to be a long night."

"What movie are we going to watch?"

"I don't know." She said, pressing her head against his.

"What's your favorite?"

"I don't have a favorite."

"You have to have a favorite."

"I don't."

"Okay..." Derek chuckled. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No."

"If you want to go lie down too, I can...clean up."

"No I'll help...then maybe we'll be hungry or in the mood to do something other then...worry about her." Meredith breathed.

"Are you sure? I don't mind..." Derek whispered, kissing her cheek.

"I'm okay...just a little tired."

"Go lie down...I don't want you sick too."

"Mmm...I think I'm tired because last night..."

"Last night...was good."

"There was actually very little sleeping." She giggled.

"I remember." He laughed.

"Cleaning."

"Go rest..."

"Cleaning."

"Please. For me."

"I'm just going to put on some sweats."

"And get into bed?"

"It's not bedtime."

"Take a nap."

"I'm not tired." Meredith frowned.

"What if I come with you?" Derek smiled, running his fingers through her hair.

"I'm not horny." She frowned.

"For a nap, you goof."

"Oh..."

"And then we'll clean up."

"Okay."

"Okay..." Derek smiled, helping her up.

"I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?"

"To change so we can clean."

"What about the nap?"

"And then we'll nap."

"Stubborn...Very stubborn." Derek laughed.

"You're going to have to get used to that." She smiled, walking towards the stairs.

"I guess so." He laughed, picking up the blanket up the floor and tossing it onto the sofa before following her up the stairs. This wasn't the night that he was expecting, but still, being with her made it okay.