It was twenty minutes before Meredith saw Derek and Grace again. She was updating her charts, she felt awful she should have known better, it was obvious Grace had been lying. She could have leukemia and she had just let her walk out of the hospital.
"Uncle Derek this isn't necessary, really," Grace protested and Derek led her by the shoulders out of the elevator and into an exam room.
"Don't be ridiculous, of course it's necessary. It could be back, we need to know as soon as possible if it is. Give me your chart!" said Derek sternly.
"No, it's private," argued Grace.
"Gracie you could be seriously ill. Please just let me see," he said almost pleading.
"Fine here," she said, she wasn't used to seeing him so upset.
"Okay, this is good. I mean it's not bad, it could be anything, anemia or an STI or…." Said Derek scanning her results.
"UNCLE DEREK!" she shouted, "it is not an STI"
"Oh right no sorry…" he mumbled.
"We both know what it is," she said.
"We don't know that, you've been in remission for 3 years Leukemia rarely returns after that amount of time," said Derek, "What are your symptoms?"
"Nausea, headaches, tiredness and I fainted a couple of times," she said.
"A couple?"
"four," she said.
"FOUR and what your dad didn't think to check you over, make sure you were alright. Sometimes Mark is so…." He said angrily.
"Dad didn't know, I was alone the first few times. When I fainted at school I got taken to hospital…"
"And what it got too tough for him to deal with so he sent you here," said Derek.
"He doesn't know, I told him I hadn't eaten in a few hours and I went to gym class. But I'm obviously too much trouble here, if you think he has just offloaded me to you," said Grace angrily wriggling out of his grip.
"I didn't mean it like that," groaned Derek, he had forgotten how temperamental teenage girls could be.
"Well it's sure how it sounded," said Grace running out of the room and into the open elevator. By the time Derek got to it, the doors were closed.
"Did you get the tests done?" asked Meredith, the only other occupant of the elevator.
"No," said Grace, "Thanks for telling him"
"Come on I had to he had guessed anyway. You could be seriously ill, you have to have the tests done," said Meredith, only just then noticing that tears were running down her cheeks, "Come on it'll be alright."
"Why should I have the tests done? Who would miss me? My dad doesn't care, he hasn't even noticed I've gone yet and Uncle Derek doesn't want me here, maybe it's better if I just let it win," said Grace sadly.
"Don't talk like that! I'm sure your dad does care…you just haven given him the chance to care, and Dr. Shepherd I find it very hard to believe that he said he didn't want you here," said Meredith.
"Why are you defending him? Didn't he ditch you for Satan?"
"Okay….yes, yes he did but that doesn't make him a bad person. I just met you an hour ago but I saw the look on his face when I told him your illness could be back and he looked devastated, I may not know much about you but I know him. As a doctor I can't let you leave this hospital without doing a few tests just to rule out Leukemia"
"Will you do the tests on me then?" asked Grace.
"Um…okay if you want me to, I just have to drop off these at Admin then I'll take you back up and do the tests, okay?"
"Okay," said Grace.
Then the Elevator stopped they were on the ground floor. The doors opened and there was Derek, who for the second time that day had just sprinted down the stairs.
"Gracie," he said panting slightly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
"It's okay Uncle Derek I know you didn't," said Grace calmly.
"I'm glad you're here, I'm glad you came here to me about this," he said, "But Princess you really do have to get these tests done"
"I know and I asked Dr. Grey to do them for me," said Grace.
"Gracie I'll do them," said Derek.
"No I want Dr. Grey to do them, you get all twitchy and concerned and that makes me a little nervous," said Grace.
"Of course I'm concerned," said Derek, "and I don't twitch"
"Yeah you do twitch, which FYI is not a good quality in a neurosurgeon," said Grace, "besides I'm sure Dr. Grey is more than capable of doing it"
"Okay, okay. I'll be outside the room the whole time," said Derek knowing her well enough to know that she wasn't going to back down.
"Fine," said Grace, pressing the button for the elevator.
"Okay I just have to drop these off at the desk and I'll be right up," said Meredith.
"Okay," said Grace taking out her cell phone.
Meredith went over to the desk and to her surprise Derek followed her.
"Thank you for doing this, I know this isn't surgical at all," he said.
"It's fine, she asked me to what could I do say no," said Meredith.
"Yeah you could have"
"I wouldn't do that"
"I know, just look after her okay?" said Derek, "and when the results come back let me tell her"
"Alright," said Meredith, "Don't worry so much Derek, by the look of her chart we caught it early"
"I know but still, she's been like a daughter to me over the years and I…"
"I know," said Meredith, "I'll take of her I promise"
"Thank you"
"No problem but you should know Mark doesn't know she is here so you should call him"
"I'll get one of the nurses to call him and tell him she's here," said Derek his face darkening.
"Don't you think it would be better coming from you," said Meredith as they stopped to wait for the Elevator.
"Perhaps we send Satan back to New York to tell him," said Grace sharply.
"Gracie, be nice. That is all in the past," said Derek
"Is it?" she snapped.
"Yes, now let it go," said Derek wearily.
"Fine. And we don't have to tell my dad, where I am and why. He has a busy schedule this week, he'll call and check on me but other than that…why worry him"
"He would want to be here," said Meredith, "And we need his consent if we have to perform surgery"
"Look if I need surgery or the Leukemia is back then I'll call him," said Grace.