Addison woke up early the next morning and looked over at Derek's still form and thought about the previous night. With Nurse Clay's help, he had been moved to their bed. It was a little strange sharing the bed with Derek, as Addison was afraid of accidentally hurting him in her sleep. Of course, it was even more strange to have other people helping him move throughout the house, helping him in the bathroom, etc.
Addison had also felt shy about getting into bed naked with her husband, even though they had slept like that for over a decade. Even though they had been somewhat intimate in the hospital, it was different now that they were at home. In an actual bed. Derek had fallen asleep before Addison had gotten out of the shower, so she opted to just sleep in shorts and a t-shirt.
Addison started to get out of the bed when Derek reached his hand over searching for her. His hand landed on her stomach.
"You have clothes on." Derek frowned as he opened his eyes. "You haven't slept in clothes since before we started dating." Addison shrugged her shoulders in response.
"I wasn't sure how you would feel about me sleeping naked now." Addison said, looking away from him. Derek tugged on her until she scooted across the bed next to him.
"Addie, I always want you naked." he smirked. He started to pull her shirt off.
"Derek, I have to get up." Addison responded.
"Why?" Derek asked as his hands continued to roam around Addison's body distracting her.
"Because it is Khaliel's birthday and I have to go get the donuts." she said, trying to push his hands away from her. Derek pulled her back down and gave her a kiss.
"Fine. But you owe me naked cuddle time later." he winked. Addison couldn't keep from laughing. She gently gave Derek a hug and then got up.
She quickly threw her hair up in a messy bun, grabbed a jacket and looked around the room for her flip flops.
Derek said. "What is the plan for the day?" It almost felt like any other morning back in New York to Addison. The couple discussing the day as they got ready. Only now, Derek was in multiple casts and in bed and she was wearing sweats and flip flops. Definitely not the same as New York.
"Well, as you suggested, I bought him a couple of Nerf guns for his birthday. I thought we could have a family Nerf gun fight. I was also going to take the kids swimming at the apartment pool. I have Amy picking up a cake. I invited Richard, Adele, and Jamie to come over as well this evening for pizza and cake. Keeping it pretty low key. He is most excited that you are here, honestly." Addison finished.
"I know I probably left the hospital a little too soon, but I did really want to be back here in time for his birthday." Derek replied.
"Well, as long as we keep having strong male nurses around to help lift your heavy ass in and out of the bed." Addison teased. Derek laughed.
"In all seriousness, Addie, you did a great job getting this apartment ready for me. I really do appreciate it. I would still be in the hospital for another month or so if you weren't here." Derek said. Addison smiled at her husband. It felt good for him to acknowledge what she had done.
"Thanks, Babe." Addison leaned over and gave Derek a kiss. "I shouldn't be long. There is a bakery right down the street."
"Make sure you get me a bear claw!" Derek said as Addison walked towards the door.
"I have it on the list of requests." Addison said. With that, she left the apartment and made her way to the bakery.
Once Addison got back from the bakery, she found Nurse Anderson helping Derek into the recliner. She set the donut box down on the counter and brought a bear claw over to Derek.
"One bear claw as requested." she said, handing it to him. Derek took a bite and groaned.
"This tastes amazing!" he said, slowly taking another bite. Addison laughed.
"Anderson, please help yourself to some donuts." Addison said, looking over at the young nurse.
"Thank you!" he responded, excitedly.
Addison moved back to the kitchen to make everyone coffee. It wasn't long after she sat down next to Derek that Khaliel came running out of his room.
"It is my biiiirrrrthdayy!" he cheered.
"Happy Birthday, son!" both parents exclaimed, each giving him a hug.
"Would you like some donuts?" Addison asked her son.
"Yesss!" Khaliel answered, bouncing over to the table. Addison put 2 donuts on his plate and gave him chocolate milk.
"I get a LOT of sugar on my birthday." Khaliel attempted to whisper to Anderson, who was already eating at the table. The nurse hid a smile.
"You have some pretty cool parents." Anderson replied. "Happy birthday."
As the two continued to talk, a very sleepy-eyed little red head came out of her room and walked up to Derek.
"Morning, Daddy." Ellie said, cuddling up to his arm. Derek wrapped his arm around her and she crawled up onto the arm rest. It warmed Addison's heart to see the two snuggling in the morning. It had been a long time since Derek had been around in the mornings.
"Morning Princess." Derek said as he kissed the top of Ellie's head. Ellie stayed there for a few minutes before venturing over to the kitchen to eat.
"Happy Birthday, Khaliel." Ellie said, smiling at her brother. Soon, Apollos joined his siblings as they ate breakfast.
After breakfast, the family piled in the living room to watch cartoons while everyone woke up. Derek looked around at his family and realized how close he had come to losing this. How much he had missed over the last year. He vowed to himself to never take his family for granite ever again.
Later Addison was getting the children ready to go swimming. In all the craziness of the last few weeks, she had yet to enjoy the pool at the apartment. Derek had moved to their room to rest while the family swam.
"Damn! You look hot in that bikini!" Derek exclaimed as his wife walked out of the bathroom. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her in a swimming suit. Addison blushed at his response.
"Down boy." she laughed. She walked over to the bed and leaned down to give him a kiss. "We will probably be a couple of hours. While we are out, Anderson has volunteered to set up some obstacles to surprise Khaliel with the Nerf gun war. Amy will be here to help as long as her surgery gets done in time." Addison continued as she stood up.
"I wish I could come with you." Derek replied. "I still get tired so easily." he continued in frustration.
"I understand. In a few weeks, you will be out of your casts and able to move around better." Addison said, trying to cheer him up. Derek gave her a weak smile but didn't say anything. Addison wished there was more she could do for him. She knew it was really hard for him to have to rely on others to help him do the very basic things in life. "Try and get some rest. I love you." Addison finished as she gave him one last kiss before leaving the room.
"Who is ready to go to the pool?" Addison yelled throughout the apartment. Three very excited kids bounded out of their rooms. The quartet made their way down the elevator to the pool.
"Wow. This is a really big pool!" Addison exclaimed as they entered the swimming area. The kids immediately made their way over to the diving board and proceeded to show all the tricks they had learned to their mom. Addison decided to show the kids her own tricks. They were shocked when she did a perfect double front flip off the diving board.
"Mom, where did you learn to do that?" Apollos exclaimed when Addison got out of the pool.
"You know there is a pool at the Captain and Bizzy's house. I spent many hours in that pool growing up." Addison replied. She continued to impress her children with various flips and tricks.
"Mommy, I am hungry." Ellie informed Addison after several hours of swimming.
"Me too!" both brothers piped in.
"Let's get dried off and head upstairs for some lunch." Addison replied.
When they entered the apartment, all the children were astonished. The furniture had been moved, blankets set up for bunkers, and tons of Nerf darts were strewn all over the floor. Before anyone had time to respond, both Anderson and Amy jumped out and yelled "Surprise!"
Derek was on the recliner again and yelled to his kids, "Come get a gun and eye protection before they get you!" The kids ran over to their dad, where 2 band new giant Nerf guns lay.
"Are these mine?" Khaliel exclaimed, jumping up and down.
"Happy birthday son." Derek smiled. Khaliel quickly grabbed the largest gun and gave the other to Apollos. Ellie grabbed one of the smaller guns, and all 3 kids took cover. Addison too joined in the fun. Soon, Nerf darts were flying around the apartment. Derek stayed in the recliner, but was able to shoot at everyone from there.
After several rounds, the adults collapsed on the couch. "I think it is time for lunch." Addison said to her kids, who wanted to keep going. At the mention of food, they agreed to take a break.
Later in the evening, Richard, Adele, and Jamie joined the family for pizza, cake, and ice cream.
Ellie walked over to Richard, who was sitting at the table, and gave him a quizzical look.
"You have known my mommy for a long time, right?" Ellie asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yes. I was her teacher when she was an intern." Richard replied, smiling down at the girl. She looked strikingly like Addison with the look she was giving him and the way she was standing.
"Did my mommy ever tell YOU she could do flips off a diving board? Or that she grew up with a giant pool?" she asked seriously.
"I don't believe the subject ever came up." Richard said, trying not to laugh.
"She never told me either." Ellie sighed, patting Richard on the shoulder.
"Actually, Love," Adele interjected. "Remember when Addison was pregnant with Ellie?" she asked, giving her husband a knowing look.
"Oh my! I forgot about that!" Richard said, remembering what Adele was talking about. It was then that Addison entered the kitchen.
"What about when I was pregnant with Ellie?" she asked the older couple curiously.
"Ellie was asking if we knew you could do flips off the diving board." Richard answered. Addison started to laugh as she remembered what they were talking about.
"What, Mommy? What happened when I was in your tummy?" Ellie asked, looking back and forth between the adults.
August 2012
Addison and Derek decided to have the family out to the Hamptoms to celebrate their 7th anniversary. Addison still had 7 weeks until her baby girl was due, so they figured they had plenty of time. No repeats of what happened with Khaliel.
It was a hot day and the family was playing in the pool. Richard and Adele even came out since they were in town.
"Addison, what do you think you are doing?" Derek yelled from the BBQ when he saw his wife was heading to the diving board.
"Relax, Derek. I am not going to try and do any flips." she yelled back, rolling her eyes. Derek was still not thrilled with the idea of his very pregnant wife jumping off the diving board. But he also knew he couldn't stop her. She regularly reminded him that she specialized in pregnancy and this was her 3rd one, so she was more than qualified to know what she should and should not be doing.
Addison proceeded to do a perfectly formed dive into the deep end. Derek gave her a look when she climbed out of the pool.
"What?" she asked, shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't do any flips." She sat down next to Richard and Adele as she dried off with a towel.
"Addie, I can't believe you can do that this late in pregnancy!" Adele exclaimed.
"I could swim before I could walk and have been doing various types of flips off the diving board as long as I can remember." Addison said, not understanding why everyone was making such a big deal about the fact that she did a simple dive at 7 ½ months pregnant.
Adele and Richard looked at her impressed. "That's what happens when you grow up in a museum and have nothing to do most of the summer but swim."
"That is sooooo cool!" Ellie exclaimed! "You did a dive with me in your belly!" The 6 year old continued as she bounced up and down.
"Not as cool as being born in a car!" Khaliel countered.
"Both are equally as cool." Addison interjected before a fight could break out. "Who is ready for cake and ice cream?"
All 3 kids ran to the table while Addison lit the candles. Her heart swelled at the huge grin on Khaliel's face as everyone sang him happy birthday. Derek had been right. Even though as far as birthdays go, this was one of the most low key birthdays they had ever done for the kids, it had turned out to be a good one. Khaliel was happy and the family was all under the same roof. Addison never thought this would happen a mere month ago.
Later that night, Addison walked into her room. Derek was laying in the bed surrounded by pillows. She walked over to see if he was awake.
"Now will you cuddle with me naked?" Derek asked, giving her his best McDreamy look. Addison leaned over him as if to kiss him and whispered, "I need to shower first. Too bad you can't join me." Derek groaned as she got up and went into the bathroom.
Later, Addison cuddled up to Derek in their bed. She could tell he had been in pain most of the evening being in the recliner. He didn't want to miss anything. She also knew better than to say anything. She just lay next to him, letting him slowly wrap an arm around her as she cuddled up to his chest. While they definitely couldn't have sex yet, it felt so good to be able to have true privacy and have some skin to skin contact with her husband.
Both lay in silence for a long time while Derek stroked Addison's hair.
"Addie, what do you think of the name Valentina for one of the twins?" Derek asked. Addison was surprised that Derek had brought up naming the girls so soon. It still felt wrong to her to be naming babies that weren't hers but she knew they couldn't keep calling them Baby A and Baby B.
"That is pretty." she answered, propping herself up on her elbow to look him in the eye.
"It means strong, vigorous and powerful." Derek continued. "Plus, it reminds me of Valentine's Day."
"My birthday." Addison whispered in surprise. "It is perfect." she answered teary eyed.
"Which baby? A or B?" Derek asked.
"Well, how about baby A since it was the first name." Addison replied logically.
"Makes sense. What about baby B?" Derek asked. Addison looked at him thoughtfully.
"I wasn't going to say anything right away, but what about the name Adira." Addison said and quickly continued. "I know you didn't like that name very much when I was pregnant with Ellie, but I still really like it. And it means strong, noble, powerful. I think.." she was quickly cut off by Derek pulling her down for a kiss.
"What was that for?" Addison said after a moment.
"You were starting to ramble. I thought kissing you was a better way to get you to stop instead of interrupting you." Derek shrugged. "I would love the name Adira. I think it is perfect."
"Really?" Addison said in surprise. "What is different than before?"
"I don't know. It is just a different circumstance. We are different people. It just fits." Derek replied.
"So Baby B will be Adira." Addison smiled. She soon looked away from Derek and started biting her lip.
"What's wrong?" Derek asked. He knew Addison was trying not to cry.
"I just don't feel ready to give the girls middle names and it makes me sad. We shouldn't even be the ones naming them." Addison replied.
"Ads, I understand what you feel. Nothing about the situation with those little girls is fair. Giving them names, even if it is only temporary, is something we can do for them. Even if they never know those names or us." Derek said, turning Addison's face towards him. She was silent for a long time.
"I know. It is just..hard." she finished. Derek knew there was nothing left to say. He understood how Addison felt. Soon, Addison was curled back up next to Derek and both fell fast asleep.
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The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. The kids needed new uniforms and shoes for school. Addison had to make regular trips to the hospital to check on the twins. Derek had daily visits from the physical therapist. Before everyone knew it, the first day of school had arrived.
"Mom, I am so excited to be starting school! Sage from the gym is also in my class!" Ellie said, bouncing around the apartment.
"At least someone is excited." Apollos mumbled as he put his shoes on. Addison knew her oldest was nervous about starting middle school when he didn't know anybody. She really hoped he made friends quickly.
Addison double checked to make sure everyone had their backpacks and lunches before saying a quick good-bye to Derek. Even though the kids were attending a private school only a few blocks away, Derek and Addison were still not ready to let kids walk by themselves yet. For now, the plan was for Addison to drop them off and pick them up. They both knew that if Addison took on more of a work load, which was likely to happen as the family stayed in Seattle longer, they would need to get more help.
Thankfully, the middle school and elementary school were right next to each other, so it made drop off and pick up much easier. It still blew Addison away that she had a 1st grader, a 3rd grader, and a 6th grader! Time needed to slow down.
After Addison dropped the kids off at school, she made her way to the hospital. She had received word overnight that baby Adira had a brain bleed. It was common in micro preemies for this to occur, and usually resolved itself. But it could also mean surgery. Unfortunately, Addison's prefered neurosurgeon was out of commission at the moment. At least Amy would be available, if it came to it.
Addison entered the NICU and went over to where the twins were. Most of the time, they were kept in the same bed. She had found it was always better for multiples to be kept together in the NICU if at all possible.
Addison reached into the incubator and ran her finger over Adira's forehead. She repeated the same action with Valentina. Both girls were so tiny and all things considered were doing really well. But Addison knew that could change in an instant for NICU babies.
"Dr. Shepherd, here are the latest scans for Adira." Nurse Cathy said as she passed them to Addison. She did not like what she saw. She had seen a plethora of brain scans in preemies in her career. She was almost positive this one was bad enough to need surgery.
"Thank you. I am going to take these home to show Derek." Addison informed her colleague. After updating the twins' medical charts, Addison headed back to the apartment.
Addison quietly makes her way into the apartment as she didn't want to wake Derek up if he was sleeping. She knew physical therapy still took a lot out of him. She found him sitting in the recliner watching TV.
"Hey." Derek said, barely looking up at her. Addison glanced over at Nurse Anderson with a confused look. Anderson shrugged his shoulders at her.
"Hey." Addison said as she walked over to Derek. She sat down on the couch next to him and didn't say anything. She had about an hour until she had to leave to get the kids and could tell Derek was in a bad mood.
"Could you review the latest scans of Adira's brain bleed and tell me if you think it needs surgery?" Addison said after 15 minutes of silence.
"Why? It isn't like I will be operating on her." Derek bit back.
"I don't know, Derek. Because I thought you actually cared what happened to these girls." Addison retorted, taken aback by Derek's tone. He silently held out his hand to take the scans from Addison. She gave them to him and waited.
"Yes, this bleed needs to be resolved as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage." Derek finally said, handing the scans back to her. He then made it clear he was saying nothing else and returned to watching TV.
Confused, Addison made her way into the kitchen where Anderson was sitting at the table. She motioned for him to follow her into the other room.
"What happened today? Why is he in such a bad mood?" Addison asked the young nurse once they were out of ear shot of Derek.
"I don't know. Physical therapy was especially hard today. I think every other word Derek said was a cuss word." Anderson informed Addie.
"Ok. Thank you for helping him. I know he is not the easiest to deal with when he gets in these moods." Addison said.
"It is all part of the job. I don't take it personally." Anderson answered. "He is the fourth homebound patient I have worked with. They all seem to have severe mood swings in the beginning of their recovery."
"Yes. We experience similar behavior in the hospital." Addison confirmed. Even though she knew Derek's mood most likely had little to do with her, she still didn't like it. She walked back out to the living room to find Derek asleep in the recliner. She decided then was a good time to call Amy to discuss Adira's surgery. Amy agreed with Derek and told Addison she would book an OR for the next morning.
Addison checked on Derek one more time before leaving to pick up the children from school. She first picked up Ellie and Khaliel, who both had a great day. They told her all about their teachers, new friends, and even a pet turtle in Ellie's 1st grade class. Addison hoped to find as much enthusiasm when picking up Apollos.
"Hey, bud. How was school?" Addison asked Apollos when he walked up to the trio after the middle school bell rang.
"School was fine. I made several new friends." Apollos answered, giving his mother an odd look. "One boy said his mother works with you. Do you know a nurse named Cathy?" he continued.
"Yes. She works in the NICU at Seattle Grace." Addison answered. She didn't know Cathy had a son Apollos' age.
"So then it is true that you adopted 2 little girls without telling us?" Apollos asked, glaring at his mother.
"What?" Addison exclaimed.
"Ryan said that he overheard his mother talking to his dad about how amazing the new Dr. Shepherd agreed to take custody of twin girls who were abandoned by their family." Apollos said as he followed his mom back to their apartment.
"Is it true, Mommy? Do I have little sisters now?" Ellie asked hopefully. Addison pinched the bridge of her nose. How in the world was she supposed to explain this to her children?
"It is not what you are thinking." Addison tried to explain. "There is a pair of twin girls in the hospital that I have temporary custody over. But it is only temporary. I didn't adopt them. You do not have new little sisters I didn't tell you about. It is very complicated."
Apollos gave his mother a quizzical look. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked.
"Honestly, because I don't make it a habit of talking about patients in front of you. Cathy should not have been discussing this case at home for this very reason." Addison answered. Apollos nodded and seemed ok with her answer. Ellie on the other hand was not.
"So Mommy, COULD we make these twins my little sisters? I mean, if they don't have any other family….we have a pretty great one." Ellie asked as they entered the apartment.
"Ellie, that is not even something I am going to address. If, and that is a big if, we were ever to adopt any children, that is a decision your father and I would make. There would be a lot to consider." Addison answered. It was then she saw Derek sitting in his wheelchair in the kitchen. He had heard the end of the conversation and gave Addison a questioning look. "Go get changed kids and then you can come have a snack." Addison informed her children to both distract them and to get them out of the room for a minute so she could talk to Derek.
"Apollos met the son of one of the NICU nurses at school today. The son told Apollos about Valentina and Adira." Addison said, walking towards Derek. She could already tell he was in a better mood.
"That violates a ton of HIPAA laws." Derek replied.
"I know. Trust me. I will be talking to Nurse Cathy about this." Addison said in frustration.
"It could have been worse. I would just let it go, Ads." Derek said, pulling Addison down for a kiss. "Besides, maybe we should adopt those girls." Addison looked at him dumbfounded.
"You want to adopt 2 micro-premies in the midst of the chaos we are living in?" she blurted out.
"Maybe. I mean, we still don't know if Gracie is putting them up for adoption. Those girls are going to have a lot to deal with as they grow up and find out the truth of their birth. I think we could handle it." Derek answered.
"Let's just get these girls through the next few weeks and go from there." Addison answered. She couldn't believe Derek was even suggesting they adopt the girls. They didn't even know which part of the country they were going to live in once Derek was healed more. She also could barely keep up with the 3 kids they had, let alone bringing on 2 more babies!
"Addie, I know what you are thinking. I am not saying you have to take on all the work. I will be there. " Derek replied. "I am sorry I was crabby earlier. Did you talk to Amy about Adira's scans?"
Addison finished setting the plates of snacks out for the kids, grabbed a bottle of juice and sat down next to Derek at the table.
"It is ok, Derek. I know this is a hard time for you. And yes, I am worried about trying to add 2 more kids to the frey right now. But, we can cross that bridge if it actually comes up." Addison answered. "I did talk to Amy. Surgery is set for tomorrow at 10."
"It should be a straightforward surgery." Derek replied. "But I still know that you are attached to these babies and you don't want to see anything happen to them." He took her hand and squeezed it.
Before Addison could answer, the kids came bounding out of their rooms and began to tell their father about their day. It warmed Addison's heart to have these special times with her family. As hard as Derek's accident had been for all of them, the silver lining was that they were getting to spend a lot more time as a family. It was these simple moments that Addison knew she would treasure for a long time.
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