Addison laid in her bed staring at the clock. She had been awake since 5. It was now 5:30. Her mind would not shut off. Derek was on track to come home in 2 days. Things would change drastically with him home. He would still need help with almost everything, but all of them were more than ready for him to come home.

Addison couldn't help but wonder how the dynamic of Derek being home would affect their relationship, how it would affect the kids, their family. Things had been going well, but Addison couldn't help but feel like the other shoe was going to drop at any minute.

Addison also couldn't stop thinking about the twins and Gracie. Gracie had expressed to Dr. Clark that she was considering putting the twins up for adoption. It broke Addison's heart that Gracie was having to make this decision at such a young age. Especially under these circumstances.

"Beep, beep, beep" the alarm clock wailed at 5:45. Addison sighed as she reached over to turn it off. She got out of bed and went to get ready for the day. Laying around wasn't going to answer any of the questions whirling around in her head.

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Later that morning, Addison walked into the Maternity Ward only to be immediately pulled into a conference room by Dr. Clark and Dr. Webber.

"I believe it is time to let Gracie go home with her parents." Dr. Clark said after pleasantries were exchanged.

"What about the twins?" Addison asked.

"That is a bit of a tricky situation…" Dr. Clark said slowly as she took a drink of her coffee. "As you know, Gracie has expressed interest in putting the twins up for adoption; however, I do not believe she is in any state of mind to be making such a permanent decision. I have discussed with her parents and her, that I believe it would be best for Gracie to go home for a month trial. She needs time to heal, physically, emotionally, and mentally. However, we can't let too much time go by as it is unfair to the twins."

"Who is going to make medical decisions for the twins in the family's absence? They are so little. We don't even know if they are going to make it. Something can happen at any moment." Addison reasoned, tapping her pen on the table.

"That is where it gets a little tricky." Dr. Clark said, nervously glancing at Dr. Webber.

"What do you mean?" Addison asked, confused.

"Gracie has agreed to the one month trial on one condition." Dr. Clark continued. "She wants you to take temporary custody of the twins."

Addison stared at them in shock. "Me? Take custody of 2 very sick, very small girls?" Addison choked out.

"It is only for a month, Addie." Dr. Webber said. "And really, at this point, it would only be making medical decisions. And you are the best person in the world to be making those decisions..

Addison sat there quietly for a minute before answering. "I have to discuss it with Derek." she said simply. Then she got up and walked out.

Addison walked into Derek's room and immediately started to pace. Derek looked up from the book he was reading and just watched his wife for a few moments. He knew something was on her mind. Derek started to laugh as a memory of a very pregnant Addison pacing around flashed into his head.

"What is so funny?" Addison asked as she turned to look at her husband with a frown.

"Hot dog Thanksgiving." Derek said as he only laughed harder.

Thanksgiving 2007

"Derek, what in the world was I thinking?!" Addison exclaimed as she waddled around their dining room. She was 8 months pregnant, trying to wrap up her 2nd to last semester of medical school, and had volunteered to make the turkey for the Shepherd family Thanksgiving dinner.

"I believe you said that because my mom didn't think you could cook and you wanted to prove her wrong, you were going to volunteer to make the turkey." Derek answered, as he sat at the table finishing up a paper. Addison gave him the evil eye, so he just shrugged his shoulders and remained quiet.

It was the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and Addison was busy getting the turkey ready. Since there were so many doctors in the family, and everyone had different schedules on Thanksgiving, it was a Shepherd family tradition to have the turkey cooked the night before so everyone could have some as their schedule allowed.

For Addison, struggled for an hour cooking the turkey. She couldn't see her feet, her belly kept getting in the way, and her back constantly hurt.

Derek finally piped in, "Would you like some help?" Addison immediately burst into tears. Derek did his best not to roll his eyes. He was so ready for this pregnancy to be over and to have his level headed wife back.

"Why are you crying?" Derek asked calmly. He walked over and gave Addison a hug.

"Your mom is right. I can't cook. I am going to be a horrible mother." Addison sniffled.

"Ads, look at me." Derek responded as he waited for her to look him in the eye. "Whether you can cook or not will have nothing to do with how good of a mother you are. You are going to be an amazing mother. And, cooking will come with time…or I can cook..or we can order out. The child will not go hungry. Ok?"

Addison smiled sheepishly at Derek. "Thanks, Babe. Sorry for being so emotional." She rested her head on his shoulder as Derek began to rub her back. Together they finished the turkey.

The next day, all was going well until Derek received a call from Nancy. She had gotten called into an emergency at the hospital, and had cut off some turkey as she ran out the door.

"Who's ready to eat?" Caroline yelled throughout the house as Derek hung up the phone.

"Um, we aren't quite ready yet." Derek yelled after his mom. She looked at him very confused. "Addison, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked, as he walked into another room without waiting for an answer. Confused, Addison got up from the rocking chair she was sitting in and followed her husband.

"What is wrong?" Addison asked Derek.

"There is no easy way to say this, but something went wrong with the turkey." Derek said, not looking Addison in the eye. He proceeded to tell her that Nancy had just called to tell him she had food poisoning and the only thing she had eaten all day was the turkey.

"How is that possible? We followed instructions, exactly. Cooked the turkey all the way through, and then…oh no…" Addison gulped as she began to pace.

"What?" Derek asked confused.

"Where did you get the turkey from this morning?: Addison asked, as she started to pace.

"The counter…why?" Derek asked, still confused.

"I never took the turkey out of the fridge and put it on the counter." Addison answered as it dawned on Derek what had happened.

"We left the turkey out to cool and then you distracted me and we never went back to put it in the fridge. It sat out all night." Addison groaned. Derek busted up laughing.

"What is so funny?" Addison asked, putting her hands on her hips and faced her husband.

"Are you telling me that because we had sex my sister has food poisoning?" Derek barely got out as he continued to laugh.

"Derek, it isn't funny! The whole family is going to find out!" Addison exclaimed, turning red at the thought.

"My love, you are 8 months pregnant. Everyone knows we have sex." Derek said, trying to control his laughter. This just caused Addison to blush even further.

"I will take care of it. Don't worry." Derek said as he kissed the top of her head. He proceeded to go into the kitchen, where his mom and other sisters were waiting for him.

"Derek, why am I getting texts from Nancy not to eat the turkey?" Liz asked.

"She said she has food poisoning!" Kathleen exclaimed as she read her text message.

"Ok, everyone calm down." Derek hissed. His sisters looked at him in surprise. "Nancy called and did tell me that she got food poisoning from the turkey. Addie feels terrible, so please let's stop making a big deal about it."

"What are we going to eat then?" Caroline asked, clearly annoyed.

Derek walked over to the fridge and looked inside. "Hot dogs. There are a ton in here." he said, turning to his family smiling.

"Hot dogs, for Thanksgiving?" Kathleen asked skeptically.

"Sure, why not?" Derek asked as he grabbed the hot dogs and headed to the grill.

"What in the world made you think of that?" Addison asked, confused.

"I don't know. You were pacing, and it reminded me of you pacing then." Derek shrugged as his laughter calmed down.

"I still don't know why everyone blamed ME for the bad turkey. You were just as much to blame for it." Addison replied as she walked over to Derek.

"It could have something to do with the fact that I never told anyone WHY the turkey was left out…" Derek said, shrugging his shoulders. Addison raised an eyebrow at him.

"What exactly DID you tell them?" she asked.

"Um, nothing really. Liz assumed it was because you had pregnancy brain and well I never corrected her." Derek said sheepishly.

"Derek Christopher Shepherd!" Addison exclaimed.

"What? Did you WANT me to tell the entire family we had sex and that is why they had hot dogs for Thanksgiving?" Derek asked, trying very hard not to smile or laugh.

It was at that moment, George walked into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks as he heard what Derek said. He glanced back and forth between the married couple, stammered something about how he should have knocked, and then walked out. Addison and Derek faced each other and busted up laughing.

"Well, your family may not know, but the entire hospital will know shortly…" Addison replied, rolling her eyes.

"Eh, we had a reputation in New York and are starting to get one here. So I love to have sex with my wife. Why shouldn't people know?" Derek flirted with her. Addison smiled shyly at him. She still wasn't used to having this Derek back.

"What were you pacing about?" Derek asked once his laughter died down. Addison blinked at him blankly for a minute before remembering why she came to his room to begin with. She proceeded to tell him about Gracie wanting her to take custody of the twins for the next month.

"Is that even legal, Addie? I mean can you have custody and be their doctor?" Derek asked when she was finished.

"Honestly, I don't even know. I basically just left the room and said I had to talk to you first." Addison said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. She began to fiddle with a pen on the table.

"I mean, Richard is right that the girls will be in the NICU for several more months. There is no guarantee they will even survive." Addison trailed off.

"What would your reasons be for not agreeing to it?" Derek asked curiously.

"The kids are starting school. You are coming home. We are in a strange city. Need I go on?" Addison asked.

"I think it will be fine, Addie. It is only temporary, and Richard was right that you would be the best person to make medical decisions. Besides, I think it would be good for Gracie to get away from the hospital and have time with her family. Even if she decides to keep the girls, she needs time to heal herself." Derek reasoned.

Addison was quiet for a very long time before looking up at Derek.

"Ok. If you are on board with it, then I will agree to it." Addison said, releasing a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She leaned over and gave Derek a kiss and then left the room to go find Dr. Clark and Richard.

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The next 2 days were a whirlwind of activity for the Shepherds. Addison secured a rental vehicle that could transport a wheelchair. Nursing help was scheduled. The kids visited their new schools and met their teachers. It gutted Addison that Apollos was starting middle school at a strange school. She hoped the boy would be able to make friends quickly. Final preparations to transfer custody of the twins to Addison were made, and Gracie and her family left.

Before they knew it, it was time for Derek to come.

"Is Daddy REALLY coming home today?" Ellie asked as she bounced on Addison's bed. Addison startled awake. It was 5:00 in the morning. Apparently her daughter was very excited about Derek coming home.

"Yes, honey. But not until this afternoon." Addison mumbled as she pulled her daughter down to lay next to her. "Let's try and sleep a little longer." That lasted a whole of 5 minutes.

"Now is it time to bring Daddy home?" Ellie asked as she sat up. Addison did her best not to sigh. She knew it wasn't going to work to try and get Ellie to go back to sleep.

"No, sweetie. It isn't time. Why don't we go make some Juju and watch cartoons together until the boys wake up?" Addison said as she smiled down at her daughter.

"Juju!" Ellie exclaimed, running out of the room. Addison was shocked that the boys did not wake up from all the noise the little girl was making.

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Around 9:00, Amy came to stay with the kids while Addison made her way to the hospital. Before going to Derek's room, she went to the NICU to check on the twins. The girls had survived their first week of life despite some close calls.

"Baby B has gained half a pound in a week!" Nurse Shelly exclaimed as she updated Addison on the girls' stats.

"We need to give these girls names so we stop calling them Baby A and Baby B." Addison frowned. Shelly nodded in agreement.

"What if you chose a name that starts with an A for Baby A and a name that starts with a B for baby B?" Shelly suggested.

"I guess as I am their guardian, it would fall on me." Addison replied, more to herself than to Shelly. Addison was quiet for a few minutes and then said, "I will think about it." She reached her hand into the incubator and gently rubbed Baby A's head. After signing off the charts for both girls, Addison left the NICU to go to Derek's room.

As Addison entered Derek's room, she couldn't stop thinking about the girls. Naming a baby was such a special privilege. It didn't feel right to name a baby that wasn't really hers, but she also hated calling them A and B.

"I thought you would be more excited today." Derek laughed as he watched his wife enter the room deep in thought. She hadn't said a word upon entry but had walked over the window and was just staring out of it.

"Oh, sorry." Addison startled. She was so deep in thought, she didn't even realize she was in Derek's room. "I was just thinking about the twins." Addison continued as she walked over to Derek's bed.

"What about them?" Derek asked.

"They don't have names. We have been referring to them as Baby A and Baby B. Nurse Shelly pointed out that I would be the one to name them as I am their guardian. It just doesn't feel right to name babies that aren't mine." Addison said, sitting down in the chair. Derek looked at her thoughtfully and then said, "You will never forget these babies, Addie. Neither will I. I think we should name them. They are our babies for now. Even if they go back to Gracie or another couple adopts them, these girls will always hold a special place in both of our hearts." As he spoke, Derek realized how true it was. Addison had shared a lot of pictures with him of the girls and shared updates on their health several times a day. He may not physically be able to go to the NICU, but he felt tied to the girls in a way.

"I like that idea." Addison said, squeezing Derek's hand. "What do you think we should name them?"

"Well, we are known for different names, so that shouldn't change now." Derek laughed. "I think we should research a few names and then decide. I like the idea of naming them something that means fighter or brave. These little girls have a lot to overcome just to survive being born so young. Not to even begin how it will be for them when they find out who their biological parents are…" he trailed out.

"I like that idea." Addison said. She pulled out her phone and started Googling baby names. Derek started to laugh. "Why don't we do this at home? I have my discharge papers already signed." he continued, pointing at a stack of papers on the nightstand.

"Oh my gosh, Derek. I completely forgot you were coming home today!" Addison exclaimed, jumping up.

"I feel so loved." Derek joked. Addison play slapped his shoulder.

"So, should I go tell the nurses we are ready to go?" Addison asked. Derek nodded. Addison went to bring the car around as Derek was helped into a wheelchair and wheeled out to the front of the hospital. It took a little maneuvering, but soon Derek and Addison were making the short drive from the hospital to the apartment building.

Addison could tell Derek was very uncomfortable as she pushed him into the apartment building. She knew he needed to get back in bed fairly soon. Neither said much as they made their way up the elevator.

"Welcome home Daddy!" the kids yelled as the couple made their way into the apartment. There were signs hung up and balloons all over the floor.

"Hey guys. Thanks." Derek said, smiling tightly at his kids. He was in pain but didn't want the kids to think he was upset with them.

"Derek, this is Clay. He is going to be taking the first nursing shift." Addison said as she introduced Derek to a very strong looking man.

"Nice to meet you, Derek. Would you like me to help you get into the recliner over here? It will probably be more comfortable." Clay said. Derek looked across the room and saw a recliner that was designed specially for people with mobility issues. It was low to the ground, making transferring from a wheelchair easier. It also laid almost all the way back, to help take pressure off his lower back injuries.

"That would be great." Derek answered. After Derek was settled in the chair and given more pain medication, Addison suggested the family watch a movie. She knew Derek was running low on energy but also knew he didn't want to be away from the kids. The family relaxed the rest of the evening watching movies and having snacks for dinner.