Burke had authorized Meredith to transfer into Grace's room. He had thought they both would need the love and support, and with them both in the same room, it would make visiting hours less stressful for the family as a whole. He kept in mind that they would all be returning to work, and the visits would only be after shifts or during lunches. The two of them needed each other, now more than ever, and he'd be damned if a few floors were going to prevent that from happening.

"Yes, Gracie, it's me. What I meant was that, as you know, your mom died before they discussed a name for you."

"And so he named me Grace because he said I exuded it as a baby, and then after her…"

Derek had made that up, of course, but she was the only one that knew that. He had named her Grace after the hospital, Seattle Grace, where he had met Meredith. The hospital that had brought him and his wife back together. The hospital where his daughter had been conceived… But she didn't need to know those reasons. His excuse wasn't a bad one, nor was it a lie, and he was proud of himself for coming up with it on the spot. As a ten year old, Grace had developed the habit of asking obscure questions, like "Who named me?" and "Why"? He'd had to make it up so fast, he wasn't sure it was even believable, but she was satisfied with the response.

"That's right, sweetie. What Mer was trying to say was that I only named you on sight because I'd had no choice. I couldn't have such a beautiful daughter growing up without a name!" Derek smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Guys, I'm really glad we're all here as a family, but if we don't eat soon, I might fall asleep." Grace yawned to prove her point, and they all began to eat and talk.

"So, Meredith, when's your surgery?"

"Dr. Ashland came in today for a consult and said it was on the board for tomorrow at 9 am. It's normal, to be nervous, right? I mean… I might never walk again if this doesn't turn out right…"

The room fell silent, and Grace felt like they were all staring at her. "It's okay to be nervous, even scared. I'm terrified I'll never see again, but I know that you guys will help me get through this, and I'll live a normal life. I'll go to college, meet a really hot guy and get married and have lots of babies…"

"How do you know he'll be hot?" Izzie said with a laugh, but everyone saw her face begin to crumble at the thought of her niece being blind permanently.

"I'll ask everyone, of course. I trust you and Aunt Mer, and Aunt Cristina. You'll be the first ones I ask. Of course, even if you guys think he's not that cute, I'll obviously love him for other reasons, like how smart he is, or how funny and nice…"

"That's how it should be anyway, sweetie…" Cristina said, kissing Burke.

"I know, but when you can see, it's so much easier to just judge on looks and the physical aspects… When you can't rely on your eyes, you've got to trust other senses and your instincts. So even if I go to college and end up with the ugliest guy in the world, he's got to be pretty fantastic. I just don't see myself with anyone who's not…" Grace ate the last bite of her chicken sandwich and took a sip of her juice, smiling at herself. "I did a pretty good job eating that on my own…"

No one had the heart to tell her that she'd dropped napkins and fries everywhere. It was the first time she'd eaten alone without being able to see her food, and the mess she made was insignificant compared to the smile that lit up her face. "You did great. Well, Izzie and I have to come into work early tomorrow for surgeries, so we're going to leave now. We'll come and visit on our breaks. Good night, honey." George said, as he bent to kiss her cheek.

"Good night. If you need anything, even just to say hi, you call me. Any time, any where, okay?" Izzie whispered as she kissed the girl's forehead.

"I promise, Aunt Izzie. You guys drive carefully, and sleep tight…"

The two of them left together, hand in hand, and talked about Grace. "She'll pull through this. I mean, I know she won't see ever again, but she'll adjust eventually? It won't hurt this badly forever, will it?" Izzie asked him as they got to the car.

"No. When she starts getting around better on her own, and goes off to college… when it doesn't hurt for her anymore, it won't hurt as much for us." George replied. "Let's go get some rest, and we'll try to worry about this in the morning."

Cristina and Burke kept up conversation, asking Grace about the colleges she was debating. "Well, I was thinking about some East Coast schools…"

"Like Harvard?" Exclaimed Burke

"Or Yale?" Cristina smiled at her niece, who was shaking her head.

"Not Ivy League, I don't have grades that good! But maybe Brown…Now, I'm thinking I'm going to stay in Seattle. Live at home until I'm ready to get an apartment…"

"That's a reasonable plan, and I'd love for you to stay here… but I don't want you to restrict your options because of your limitations…"

"I know, Daddy… Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm really tired…"

"Of course. Good night." They all said their good-byes, and left.


"Grace, sweetie. Are you still awake?" Mer whispered.

"Uh huh…"

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"What's tomorrow?"

"It's your surgery, and your consultation with your Dad's friend from New York…"

"Oh… not really. I guess not. I don't know yet. Ask before you leave for your surgery…"

"All right. Good night…"


Grace awoke in the morning, feeling like she'd missed something. "Aunt Mer?" She whispered. There was no response, and she couldn't hear her aunt's machines humming anymore. Terrified, she paged her family of doctors.

Derek arrived first. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

"Where's Aunt Mer? What happened to her?" Grace's voice was panicked, and she was biting her lip—the nervous habit she'd developed in Junior High.

Derek sighed in relief, as Izzie and Cristina ran into the room. He held up a hand to tell them everything was fine, and sat next to her. "Grace, Meredith's surgery started an hour ago. It will take at least 5 hours to complete, and then she'll be in recovery for awhile. Your surgery is in an hour and a half, and to help keep you occupied, I brought in your radio and your c.d.'s. You'll have to keep the volume relatively low, so that it won't disturb other patients or the staff, and so that you'll know if someone comes in here to discuss the surgery." He patted her hand, and was about to leave, when she spoke again.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"How will I know what c.d. I'm picking out?" Her lip trembled, and Cristina and Izzie rushed to her side, hugging her close and stroking her hair.

"You know, I don't have a surgery scheduled until one… I think I'll stick around here and see what kids these days call music…" Cristina chimed in, looking from Derek to Izzie. They both nodded in approval, so she continued. "Derek, could you tell Burke where I'm going to be until then, and Izzie make sure to tell my interns to come here for their assignments…"

"Aunt Cristina…"

"No arguing. I'm taking a break, and you can't stop me." Derek and Izzie quietly said their good-byes and left the room. Cristina picked up the c.d. case and began flipping through. "Oh, Grace, no! You own Britney Spears' albums? Who raised you?" she exclaimed in disgust.

Grace giggled, "Hey, she's a classic!"

"To be classic, you must have class! Oh God, it's gotten worse! Nsync and Backstreet Boys? This isn't even your era, sweetie!"

"Hey, blame Izzie…" Grace's hand flew to her mouth, realizing she'd given away her aunt as the Bad Music Culprit.

Cristina snorted in laughter, and picked a c.d. at random. Cristina was surprised to hear something that sounded familiar on the unlabeled c.d. "Grace, who is this?"

Grace smiled, "That's Uncle Preston and me…"


sorry to any N'Sync, Back Street Boys, and Britney Spears fans that may get angry at me for referring to them as bad artists. If it makes you feel better, I actually own every cd all three have put out, and was once a huge fan... lol thanks for reviewing (you know you want to!)