A/N - As far as the Grey's characters go, as I'm sure you all have noticed, Lexie and the rest are interns and Meredith, etc. are first year residents. You could say this is slightly before the bus accident with George, but Addison and Derek never decided to give their marriage another try and Arizona joined the team a lot sooner than she did in the show.

The Best Medicine

Chapter Four:

Trying to Move On

"What are you doing?"

"Paperwork," she smiled to herself, the black receiver cradled between her ear and shoulder as she scribbled on the chart before her.

"That doesn't sound like much fun."

"Oh? What are you doing?" She glanced toward the clock. It was barely ten in the morning - her mother wouldn't arrive for another hour. Not that she was looking forward to her mother's arrival. She had even paid one of the interns to pick her mom up at the airport - anything for more time to prepare for the emotional toll that meeting her mother was likely to take.

"Paperwork." They shared a laugh at their mutual, boring tasks. "Do you want to go to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

Her breath hitched in her throat at his question. She had been expecting a request for a real date after their coffee date. Her mother would be in town, but if all went as planned, she would be stuck in a hospital bed and Bekah … Laci would be more than willing to babysit. She had been pushing Olivia to move on for the better part of a year now. "I'll have to make sure I have a sitter, but yes."

"Hey, if you can't find a sitter, we can still go out. I'm sure I can find something that's kid friendly." She cleared her throat, trying to mask the tears that had suddenly appeared in her eyes and the lump in her throat. How could he get anymore perfect? Still…she wouldn't be introducing anyone to Bekah unless she was sure of where their relationship was heading. She had heard too many horror stories of single mothers dragging men in and out of their daughters' lives.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm sure her aunt will babysit."

"Alright. I have a case at eleven."

"I should probably let you prepare."

"Probably."

"I'll call you tonight?"

"I'm already looking forward to it. Goodbye, Olivia." The smooth, deep drawl of his voice had her heart doing mini-backflips. How was it that his voice affected her the way it did? That hadn't happened since Jake.

"Goodbye, Fitz." A smile graced her lips as she returned the phone to its cradle. She sat with her hand on the receiver for a moment or two, wondering how she had thought she would never find anyone who made her feel happy again. Sure it was new - so new that even she didn't know where it would possibly head, but it was something. Losing someone you love … it has a way of leaving a whole in your chest that you think will never heal, will never allow you to love again. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her attire and shook her head. The black dress wasn't cutting it anymore - she had been mourning for too long.

Standing from her seat, Olivia headed toward the small closet in the corner of her room and pulled the dark blue scrubs from there. They weren't exactly colourful, but at least they weren't black. Quickly changing, she stuffed her dress into the closet and reached for her lab coat. The paperwork could wait. She needed something more challenging. She needed something to keep her mind off her budding whatever it was and her mother.

/

"The tiny humans are bouncing off the walls," Arizona warned as Olivia stepped onto the paediatric floor. Shaking her head and laughing, Olivia headed toward the nurse's station.

"Which tiny human needs my attention first?" she questioned, choosing to use Arizona's favourite terminology for their patients. Olivia leaned against the desk, looking at her colleague. There had been a time, when Arizona had first started at Seattle Grace, that the two hadn't gotten along. They had both been stars of the paediatric fellowship with Olivia being exactly one year ahead of Arizona. Olivia's promotion to head of Peds following Dr. Kenley's death had created even more tension in an already tense working relationship - Arizona had assumed she had the position in the bag. The tension between the two women had eased; however, earlier that year when Addison Montgomery had announced she was moving to Los Angeles and began training Arizona to take over as head of fetal surgery. It worked out for the better - both women could continue to work in their chosen field and neither could pull rank over the other.

"They're all good," Arizona replied, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "It appears to be one of those days of which we dare not speak."

Olivia chuckled at Arizona's choice of words. Everyone knew not to mention a quiet wing. That was tantamount to inviting a whole host of crazy. Flipping through the charts, she smiled when she saw a familiar name on her post-ops. Why hadn't Fitz reminded her that he was supposed to be bringing Teddy back to have his stitches removed? Checking the time, she almost swore at the late appointment that had been scheduled, but decided against it when she remembered that she had promised Fitz she would stay however late he needed her to. He had a busy, long schedule and he hadn't wanted his ex to bring their son back to the hospital. She understood.

"Have they done rounds yet?" Olivia glanced down either hall, trying to catch a glimpse of her interns.

"Lexie Grey was here two hours ago doing rounds. That is one eager girl." Arizona shrugged her shoulders, turning around and heading back down the hall. Olivia nodded her head absently, still glancing over the charts before her. She knew she had made a good decision placing her faith in Lexie. She was a great doctor.

Closing the chart before her, Olivia headed down the hall in search of her interns. Rounding a corner, she caught sight of Lexie and Steve loitering outside Nalah's room, chart in hand. As she neared closer, she realised that the two were in the middle of a heated debate. Catching a few words, Olivia frowned.

"What is the problem, doctors?" She placed her hands in her pockets, nearing the two and staring them down.

"Steve thinks Nalah was misdiagnosed."

"I've been seeing Nalah since she was a baby. Why would you think I misdiagnosed her?" Olivia turned her attention to the male doctor, tilting her head.

"I - I…"

"You what? This is a serious charge, Doctor Mostow. What made you come to this conclusion? Especially when the patient has been tested for a defective eleventh chromosome and shown nearly every symptom and complication of the disease?"

"But…"

"But what? She's not black?"

"Child, you better pray that was not what was about to come out of your mouth." Olivia turned her head to find Miranda Bailey standing behind her.

"Well - well…"

"Sickle cell anaemia doesn't only affect the black community. You're off my service, Mostow. Go do some research and educate yourself before you even think of finding another attending and your resident will know." Olivia watched as the younger doctor sulked down the hallway, out of her sight. Sighing, she turned to face Miranda. "Doctor Bailey, what can I do for you today?"

"I need a consult." Olivia nodded.

"Can you do this post-op by yourself, Lexie?" The redhead nodded, enthusiastically.

"Yes, Doctor Pope!"

"Page me if you need me." She turned on her heel, following the shorter doctor down the hall and hoping that she wasn't misplacing her faith.

/

"Miranda?" Olivia glanced into the room, trying to mask the surprise that she knew covered her face at the sight of a young child, around ten, with a large, swollen abdomen.

"According to his parents, he's been constipated."

"For how long?"

"The parents say a few months."

"You called me for a consult on a bowel obstruction?"

"Something has to be causing the bowel obstruction, Olivia and he hasn't ingested anything." Miranda's pleading gaze gave Olivia pause and she nodded.

"I'll take a look at his chart." She followed Miranda into the trauma room, wondering what her fellow doctor had done to convince Owen Hunt to give her a trauma room for this. Shaking her head, a small smirk on her face, she realised that she didn't need to wonder what Miranda had done - everyone in the hospital bowed to her wishes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Adamson, this is Doctor Pope. She is our head of paediatrics and she will be consulting on your son's case." The older couple glanced up from their son's bedside, their eyes red-rimmed and teary. The child had his arms wrapped around his abdomen, a painful expression on his face.

"Is this the first time that," Olivia glanced at the chart in her hands, "that Henry has had this particular issue?"

Slowly, the father shook his head, "No. But it normally goes away."

Olivia nodded, skimming over the chart once more and asking, "When this happened before, did you give him any medication?"

"Laxative or stool softener."

"Were the stool softeners effective?" She wasn't about to launch into a discussion about how laxatives are stool softeners, so she kept the question short.

"Yes."

"Has this been a recurring problem since birth?" Another nod answered her question. Olivia took a breath and tucked the chart under her arm, "Mr. and Mrs. Adamson, have you ever heard of a condition called Hirschsprung Disease?"

"Hirschsprung Disease?" The two slowly shook their heads.

"It's a congenital disease in which part of the bowel is missing the necessary nerves to allow for proper bowel movements."

"And Henry has this?"

"I will need to run some tests to determine if this is the case or not, but it's very likely. Do you know of any family history of this particular disease?"

"Your mom…she had problems like Henry." The mother tilted her head, looking at her husband.

"I will have someone retrieve Henry for some tests," Olivia stated, turning toward Miranda, "In the meantime, let's get him admitted to peds and set up in a room there."

The two doctors left the room. Olivia turned to glance behind her at the timid call of her name coming from the child's father who had followed her from the room.

"Doctor Pope, if he has this…will he be okay?"

"There are a few options to repair any missing nerves if he does have Hirschsprung Disease. He'll be okay, Mr. Adamson."

The man smiled, turning and reentering the room. Olivia turned on her heel and headed toward the nurse's station, depositing the boy's charts and her orders to have him moved to the paediatric wing.

/

"Good evening, Teddy," Olivia greeted, entering the small exam room with a large smile on her face. The little boy looked up at his doctor, a huge grin covering his face. A large sucker was clenched in his hands and she knew it must have been a bribe. She'd seen enough children to know that occasionally, their parents had to bribe them to allow a doctor to take a peek.

Setting the chart on the counter, she finally looked toward the corner where Fitz stood with his phone glued to his ear. His blue eyes sparkled and he moved his free hand animatedly. He gave her a short wave and nod to begin removing Teddy's stitches before he returned to his phone call. She tried to drown out the angry voice and words he was using, but it was next to impossible.

"No, you aren't taking them anywhere…

…I don't give a damn about your campaign, Mellie!

…You have no rights. I have full custody and I don't believe I need to remind you that after what happened with Teddy the last time you were supposed to be watching him, I can easily ask for your visitation rights to be revoked…

…I'm not changing my mind, Mellie! They have school. They have a life here. You can't keep swooping in and disrupting their lives for your personal gain. Besides, I already asked if they wanted to go with you and they didn't. Goodbye, Mellie."

Olivia glanced over her shoulder, her hands stilling in the process of removing the last of Teddy's stitches as Fitz hung up his phone, slipping the device into his pocket. It only took a moment for him to compose himself, twisting his face into a strong, happy expression for his son. She admired that. He cared about his children; cared how they felt over how he was feeling. With a satisfied grin on her face, she finished removing the stitches and allowed Teddy to put his shirt back on.

"All done, young man," she announced, smiling as he stuck his sucker in his mouth.

"It didn't hurt."

"Good."

"How has your day been?" Fitz asked, helping Teddy from the table and turning his gaze to Olivia. Her breath caught in her throat as he finally focused his full attention on her.

"Busy. My mom has been in my office since noon and I have been actively avoiding it because it would mean talking to her."

"Yikes. Trouble with the parentals?" A wry smile crossed Olivia's face at Fitz's statement.

"Parental. My dad died a few years ago. We never had problems, either."

"I'm sorry to hear that." The pity in his eyes caused her to look away - she liked him, but she didn't need anyone's pity.

"It's in the past. So," she took a deep breath, deciding to change the topic, "Where are we going to dinner tomorrow?"

"That will be a surprise," he winked, "I'll pick you up at six?"

"I'll text you my address - as long as you promise you aren't going to use it for some crazy, serial killer purposes," she winked.

"Cross my heart." She laughed as he made an 'x' over his chest.

"I'll talk to you later. Bye, Teddy."

"Bye Doctor Pope."

"Yes, goodbye Doctor Pope." She took a deep breath, turning and walking out of the exam room - blue, sparkling eyes haunting her. If she wasn't careful, she could find herself getting lost in those eyes.

/

"I'm going home. Are you ready?" Olivia announced, entering her office and heading toward her desk. Maya sat up from the reclining position she had taken on the small sofa against the wall. She struggled to her feet as Olivia hung her lab coat and grabbed her purse.

"I haven't seen you all day." Olivia brushed the comment off, walking past her mother and out the door. She didn't give her a second glance. Maya's heavy footfall was the only indication that she had followed her daughter from the office. The two were silent on the way to the parking garage and in the car to Olivia's house.

In the driveway outside the large, dark blue Victorian, Maya tried speaking to her daughter once more. "You have a nice home."

"It's the same home I've lived in for years." Olivia's tart response left no room for further comments as she slid out of the vehicle, slamming the door behind her. She waited impatiently for Maya to step out of the car before she locked the doors and headed determinedly toward the home.

Entering the home, Olivia tossed her purse on the table by the door and marched in the direction of the dining room. She smiled at the sight of a cheese and pizza sauce grin that covered her daughter's face. Two plates sat beside the pan of pizza that graced the middle of the table. Laci had remembered that Maya was joining them. Olivia shook her head - sometimes it seemed like Laci was her housewife. Settling into a chair beside Bekah, Olivia reached for a plate, placing a piece of the pepperoni and cheese pizza on her plate.

"Momma! Me and Laci cooked pizza." Olivia placed a kiss to her daughter's head, biting into the pizza and watching as Maya took a seat across the table from the two, thanking Laci when she handed her a plate.

"And it's delicious, sweet pea."

"Momma, who?" Olivia slowly chewed the food in her mouth and swallowed as she contemplated her response, finally settling with:

"This is my mom, Bekah."

"Do I call you granny?" The little girl turned her inquisitive look toward the older woman across the table.

"Why would you ask that?" Olivia's warning glance was enough to silence her mother before she even opened her mouth.

"Because I already have a 'nana. I can't call her 'nana, too." Olivia blinked rapidly, trying to still her tears that threatened to spill from the innocence of the moment. Her daughter knew nothing about her past with her mother. Bekah didn't know that her grandmother had never wanted her. Olivia almost snorted at that thought - Maya didn't get to call herself Bekah's grandmother.

"You can call her, Maya. Now hurry up and finish your pizza so you can get ready for bed."

/

"That was a little harsh, Liv."

"Laci," Olivia warned, handing the other woman a plate.

"She is your mom, Liv."

"Your mother is more a mother to me than she is. I'm done talking about it." Olivia pulled her hands from the soapy water and grabbed a dish towel, quickly trying her hands before reaching for her glass of wine on the island behind her.

"She has a life-threatening illness, Liv. Maybe she's trying to make amends." Olivia took a deep sip of her wine, gripping the island with her free hand, her knuckles turning white with her grip, her mind swirling down the endless spiral of flashbacks that she tried so hard to repress when it came to Maya.

/

"Addison! Do you have a moment?" Olivia called, practically running down the hall, her lab coat trailing behind her and the slightly too big baby-blue scrubs threatening to fall from her hips. If her suspicions were right, though, she wouldn't have to worry about that for much longer.

The tall redhead swirled around, stopping in the middle of the hall to look at the young resident rushing toward her, "Sure. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you could…" Olivia's voice trailed, unsure of how to phrase the rest of her question, excitement bubbling inside her.

"If I could?" Addison raised a perfectly sculpted brow, tilting her head in a subtle suggestion that Olivia finish what she intended to say and finish it quickly.

"I think I'm pregnant."

"Well, let's go have a look." Addison smiled, wrapping her arm around Olivia's shoulders and guiding her toward an exam room.

/

Taking a deep breath, Olivia stared at the phone in her hand. She had called Jake right after Addison had confirmed that she was two months along. He had been ecstatic - they had discussed having children many times and both wanted a large family, but they certainly hadn't been trying. She had called her father shortly after, relieved that he had been as excited as she was. He was the one who had suggested that she call her mother with the news.

Taking a deep breath, Olivia pressed the call button and tentatively held the phone to her ear. The ringing was harsh, reverberating around her skull.

"Libby," Maya's voice came through the phone.

"Hi mom," a nervous smile came across her face as she hurriedly concluded, "I have news."

"Oh?"

"I'm pregnant." The large grin that threatened to spill over, hurting her cheek muscles, was stopped cold in its track by her mother's all but mournful sigh. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Is this bad news?"

"Mom?" Olivia could feel the tears starting to fall from her eyes and her throat closing as she tried to choke them back.

"You're having a baby with Jake." Olivia wiped at her eyes, anger setting in as she understood just what it was her mother was saying. She had hoped that this phone call would be the turning point in their relationship. That they could go back to the way they had been. Back to the amazing, close mother-daughter relationship they had had before she had told Maya about Jake. How she wished that was the case.

"He's my husband. Who else would I have a baby with?"

"I don't like Jake."

"I know that. But this is a child - a baby."

"I won't like anything that comes from him." Olivia shook her head in disbelief, trying not to allow her tears to make their way into her voice:

"It's a baby, mom."

"You shouldn't have a baby with him. Have you thought about adoption? Or abortion?" Olivia nearly choked on her anger, fire burning in her eyes as she angrily retorted:

"How dare you suggest that I abort my child. I have always wanted to be a mother. I would have expected a little bit of excitement at the news that you're going to be a grandmother. I guess I was wrong. Goodbye, mother." She hung up the phone, finally allowing the dam to break and tears to coat her face.

/

"She told you to abort Bekah?" Laci looked into the living room where they had left Maya on the sofa, "That bitch."

"Like I said, she's not Bekah's grandmother." Olivia raised her glass to her lips, taking another long sip.

"How long is she staying?"

"Until Derek decides what he's going to do with her tumour."

"How did you get Derek to agree to the surgery? Was it -" Laci trailed, waggling her eyebrows. Olivia giggled, slapping Laci's arm.

"We do not talk about the night that shall never be named."

"You're the one who decided to -" Laci stopped mid-sentence, gulping her wine and gesturing toward the doorway where Maya stood. Turning her attention where Laci's gaze had fallen, Olivia sighed.

"What?"

"What time do I need to wake up?" Olivia almost felt bad for the timid tone her mother had taken. Almost.

"I leave for the hospital at 7:00." Turning her back, Olivia returned to her wine.

/

After depositing her mother in her office, Olivia made the semi-short trek to the nurse's station on the paediatric wing, immediately reaching for the newest file on the desk - a seven year old with lung cancer. She had been on his case since for the last five years. He was practically family at this point. He was the one patient who made her work harder than she normally did - who pushed her to go that extra mile. As she opened the chart, she suddenly became aware of the large, rose display sitting on the counter.

"Whose are those?"

"Yours." The nurse behind the counter answered, barely glancing up from the paperwork before him. Olivia tilted her head, finally looking the floral arrangement squarely in the face and pulling a card from the top. Flipping it open, she couldn't help the smile that appeared at the large, somewhat decent handwriting -

Looking forward to this evening. F. G.

Shaking her head, a blush covering her cheeks, Olivia took the flowers to her office. She barely made it back out without getting bogged down by her questioning mother. She could see the almost joyful expression in Maya's eyes when she had deposited the flowers on her desk. She hated to disappoint her (not really), but her mother would hate Fitz for the exact same reasons she had hated Jake.

Marching down the hall, Olivia entered Tyler's room, ready to speak to his parents and see his smiling face. That was one thing she could count on. Through everything, that child had kept his cheery disposition. It was a welcome sight in the hospital.

"Mr. and Mrs. Garcia," Olivia paused, her heart sinking as she took in the sight of the empty hospital bed and the parents' red, puffy eyes. She knew before she even asked: "Where's Tyler?"

"Tyler… he passed this morning, Doctor Pope. The other doctor, Doctor Robbins, she said his lungs had failed and there was nothing she could do," Mr. Garcia responded, his voice broken and more tears falling from his eyes.

"I am so sorry." Olivia's voice was broken itself as she hugged the grieving parents, making a mental note to find Arizona Robbins.

/

"Doctor Robbins, can I speak with you?" Olivia demanded, gripping the blonde doctor's arm and preventing her from marching farther down the hall.

"Look," Arizona wrenched her arm from Olivia's grasp, "If this is about your patient…"

"Why wasn't I paged?"

"His heart and lungs were failing. There wasn't time."

"So you just gave up on my patient? He was my patient, Arizona. I worked with him from the time he was diagnosed at two. I sat with him through chemo and radiation. I spoke with his parents. I gave them a shoulder to cry on. Had you bothered to page me this morning, you would have known that he was supposed to receive new lungs today. You would have proceeded differently and he would still be alive. You can explain that to his grieving parents and then you can explain that to Chief Webber." Shaking her head, Olivia turned sharply on her heel and marched down the hall. Glancing at her pager, she all but groaned. As if the day weren't bad enough, she had an appointment with her mother and Derek.

Entering Derek's office, Olivia snorted at the laughter that was coming from her mother and the handsome doctor. Rolling her eyes, she took a seat beside her mother in front of Derek's desk, crossing her arms and waiting to hear what he had to say.

"So, I don't really have anything new to tell you."

"I wasn't expecting anything new," Olivia sighed.

"I want to go ahead and schedule some more tests for today." Olivia nodded, glancing to her side where her mother sat, wiping at her eyes.

"Go ahead and schedule them," Olivia stood from her chair, suddenly deciding that no matter how much she hated her mother at the moment, she just couldn't see her cry. "Unless you need me, I really need to get back to my patients."

"Go ahead." Olivia nodded, leaving the room and her terrified mother behind.