Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy in any way!

Chapter 17: In My Daughter's Eyes

VO: My mother always used to say to me family wasn't important, that she didn't needed help from hers. But I say family is important and that you need to support them through sickness and health…

"No Sara, you are staying in bed today, you have a fever."

"But I get bored."

"I know, honey, but in about an hour you can go downstairs and watch TV there, okay?"

"Okay" She snuggled against her blanket.

"Try to sleep some more" Meredith kissed Sara on her forehead and walked out of the room.

It has been a week since thanksgiving. Derek's family was leaving in two days and it seemed like a flu stroke the house.

Derek was standing downstairs waiting for Meredith to come they needed to go to work.

"Mere?" He called.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" She ran of the stairs into the kitchen and returned with coffee in her hand. "Now we can go."

"Okay" Derek walked to the car and opened the door for Meredith. "Is Nina going to be okay with Sara?"

"Yeah, she says she can handle it."

"Good." He stepped in the car himself and was just about to start the engine when they saw a screaming Nina running out of the house. "Or not" He said as he watched her running towards them.

"Derek, Mere! Wait!"

Derek opened his window. "What is it, Nina"

Nina walked to Derek. "Okay, Kacy and Daniel, they have the flu too"

"Oh"

"Yeah, and I forgot that I really need to do this thing…"

"What thing?"

"This… uuuhm… thing."

"Okay and why are you telling me this?" Derek said with a grin on his face.

"Well, I need to go so; I can't take care of Sara, Kacy and Daniel."

Derek sighed. "Couldn't you have told us before; we have to go to work now."

"I'm sorry, but I forgot." She tried a smile but Derek sighed again.

"Oh god what are we going to do." He said as he supported his head with his hands.

"Don't worry Derek, we can think of something" Meredith said all of a sudden. "Maybe we can ask Izzie."

"Wasn't she going to visit her mum?" Nina asked.

"Oh, yeah I forgot."

"What about George?" Derek suggested.

"He's still with his dad, you know, from the turkey shooting thing." Meredith said as she thought about her options.

"Emily!" Derek said.

"At work" They said in unison.

"Crap."

"Yeah, you can say that."

"And what about Alex or Christina?" Nina suggested.

Derek and Meredith both turned their head and looked at Nina like they just saw a ghost.

"Okay, bad idea."

"Yeah."

"I guess, I can take the day off." Meredith said.

"You can?" Nina asked.

"Yeah, we don't have many options here."

"No we don't, but if you're going to take care of 3 sick kids I guess you're going to need my help, I will take the day of too."

"Oh that would be great, I owe you guys."

"Yeah, you do." Derek said with a smile.

"Thanks" Nina kissed Derek on the cheek and walked away. "I already said Kacy and Daniel goodbye." She yelled. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Okay" Derek yelled back as he stepped out of the car.

They walked back to the house.

"I guess we're staying home, then."

"I guess." She opened the door and walked to the phone.

"I hope I get the nurse."

Derek laughed. "Yeah, if not, good luck with convincing the chief."

"Yeah, laugh as hard as you want because you need to call him too"

"Unless…"

"I'm so not saying for you too"

"Okay, okay" He walked towards the stairs. "I'll go check on the kids."

Meredith picked up the phone and dialled the number of chief.

"Hello Dr Webber, yeah, this is Dr Grey."

"Oh Meredith, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. How have you been?"

"Good, good. Shouldn't you be at work now?"

"That's where I wanted to talk about, actually." She said nervous.

"Okay"

"I wanted to ask for a day of, because well, Sara is sick and Derek's sister needed to go somewhere, don't ask me where, and now we have to look after her sick children too."

"Oh"

"I can do a double shift, next week and I guess Derek can too"

"Okay, that's fine."

"Really? Okay, thanks chief."

"But when Derek's family leaves you're doing that double shift."

"Of course chief."

"Bye Meredith."

"Bye Dr Webber."

Derek ran down the stairs again.

"I called for you too, you're doing a double shift next week" Meredith said with a smile. She walked to the kitchen.

"Great." He sighed and walked after her.

"But I have one too"

"That makes it better" He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, that, we can do later but now we have 3 sick little kids upstairs." Meredith said as she poured three glasses of milk and put it in the microwave.

"You know, we better move them to our bed, I mean we don't have to walk between the rooms."

"Good idea."

They walked upstairs, Meredith put the milk down in her room and went to get Sara.

"Sara, come on" She picked her up. "We're going to mummy's bedroom."

"Why?"

"Because, then you'll lie with Kacy and Daniel."

"I can walk myself" She jumped out of Meredith's grip and ran excited to her mother's room.

Meredith walked out of Sara's room and saw Derek standing at the end of the hall with Daniel in his arms, she heard Kacy begging to pick her up too. Meredith walked to him.

"Come on Kacy." She picked her up.

"Thanks" Derek said as he walked to their room.

Meredith smiled and followed him.

They gave the kids their hot milk.

"It's for the stomach aches." Meredith explained.

Sara smiled. "I know"

After they drank their milk, Meredith and Derek tugged them in.

"Mummy and daddy are just downstairs." Meredith said to Sara.

"Try to sleep some more and maybe tomorrow you will be all healthy again."

"Okay" Daniel said as he snuggled against the blanket.

Meredith and Derek walked downstairs.

"How about some good breakfast?" Derek asked as they reached the kitchen.

"That would be nice." She kissed him lightly on his mouth when her phone started ringing. "Got to get that" she walked away and found her cell phone in the living room. She answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Meredith."

"Addison, how are you?"

"I have been better, Mark left."

"He did? Bastard."

"Yeah, you can say that"

Meredith chuckled.

"She won't talk, you know."

"Who?"

"Adrienne." She paused. "I'm going crazy here. I just can't handle her." She started sobbing.

"What can I do?"

It was quiet. "It's okay; I just needed someone to talk to me." She paused again. "It's just that she won't say a word, it's like nobody's in there, and I can't handle it I think."

"Sure you can Addison, You're a great mother and you can handle her"

"Really?"

"Really, and if there's anything I can do…" She trailed off.

"Okay, thanks"

"You're welcome Addison."

"I got to go"

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

She shut her phone and walked back to Derek.

"Addison, again?"

"Yes, she just keeps saying she can't handle her."

Derek stayed quiet.

"Derek?"

"Huh, she will make it Mere"

"You think."

"Yeah, Addison is a great mother."

"Okay." She sat down at the table as Derek put a plate in front of her with scrambled eggs and some toasted bread. "Wow, you've been practicing." She dug in.

"I know" He said proud.

Meredith smiled. "Sometimes, you can make a very good replica of your 5 year old daughter."

Derek laughed. "I should have been an actor." He said after a few minutes.

"Yeah, because brain surgeon doesn't pay enough." She said sarcastic.

Derek laughed again and sat down at the table too, with his food.

Meredith was almost finished with eating. "Oh god, I can't eat anything anymore." She said as she leaned back at the chair.

"Liked it?"

"Yeah, thanks."

He smiled. "I should have been a cook, or I should have a diner."

"Oh, not this discussion again."

"Oh, never mind. But, I know what we can do."

"Oh god."

"You know, that Gilmore Girls box, Izzie bought me for Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, I remember that one."

"I still haven't watched it."

"really?" She asked sarcastic.

"We can watch that."

Meredith smiled. "Suddenly, I know what you should have been." She stood up and picked her plate up, she walked towards Derek. "Gay." She whispered in his ear.

"But then, I wouldn't sit here."

"That's true."

"I know, I'm always right."

"I'm not sure about that one."

He laughed. "Yeah, me neither."

"Should we allow the three sick angels downstairs now?"

"I guess we should."

They walked upstairs together and entered their bedroom. They looked at the children, they were fast a sleep.

"I guess the TV can wait."

"Not for me." Derek ran out of the room, as quiet as he could and ran downstairs.

Meredith walked downstairs slowly, she wasn't surprised when she saw Derek watching the Gilmore Girls. She sat down on his lap and put her head in his chest.

"I love you" she said with a smile, she looked at her ring again.

"Yeah, you look nice" He said quickly, he was watching Gilmore Girls very intense.

Meredith laughed. "God, you really are gay."

That got his attention. "I'm so not, want me to prove?" He stopped the DVD player.

"Maybe." She kissed him al over his yaw.

He kissed her on the lips. She deepened the kiss and stroked his hair. Suddenly she stood up. "To bad we have 3 sick children upstairs, huh?"

"Oh, you're bad." He started Gilmore Girls again. "So bad…"

Two days later, the kids seemed better again. Derek's family was about to leave and everybody was standing at the airport to say goodbye. Meredith was certainly going to miss them all, especially Nina since she was at her house they had banded more. After saying goodbye, they went straight home; they would need their sleep, because of their double shift the next day.

They were sitting on the couch snuggled against each other. They were watching TV until Sara was a sleep. Suddenly Emily came walking down the stairs.

"Bye guys, I will be at the hospital, I have a night shift. Be careful with the cuteness it can be your dead, you know" she said as she walked towards the door.

"Bye Emily." Meredith called after her.

After Emily was out of the door, Meredith kissed Derek, soft.

"It's nice alone, I mean without Izzie and George, (A/N: They are still with their family.) Emily, and of course Sara."

"Yeah, good that she's young and sleeps early" Derek answered, he kissed her more passionate.

Meredith moaned. "Want to take this upstairs?" She asked with a grin on her face. Suddenly the doorbell rang. "Oh" She stood up and opened the door, Derek followed her.

"Addison." She said astound.

"Hi, Meredith."

"Do you want to come in?"

"No, it's okay."

"Addison, what's the matter."

"I just, I just can't handle it anymore" She sighed. "I'm not a good mother."

"Addison? What do you mean..."

"You're a great mother Addie" Derek finished Meredith's sentence.

"No, I'm not, I can't help her. She needs a mother who supports her and I can't provide it."

"Addison?"

"You are great parents, I wouldn't trust her with anybody else, please if you don't do this for her, do this for me"

"Addison where is she." Derek asked assuming she meant Adrienne.

"Adrienne, come here" she yelled at the taxi that was still parked in front of the door. A black, curly haired girl stepped out of the taxi, she seemed shy. She walked towards Addison. Addison started crying. "Adrienne, I'm so sorry, but your father will take better care of you, you must always remember I love you, but you'll be better with them" She kissed her on her forehead, As she waved at Derek and Meredith she mouthed a thank you and got in the cap.

Meredith watched Addison drive away, she was astonished. The girl was still standing in front of her she looked at her feet. "Come here" She grabbed the girl's hands and walked her inside.

VO: Sometimes your family can have a twist, somebody dies, or there will be a new member. But still you have to support them, be there for them. But there comes a time you just can't do that, it's too much to handle. But sometimes you just have to, because for some people family is all that they have left…

Dum dum dum… Cliff-hanger… So, hit that purple button and review…