Chapter 51:

March 7, 2013

"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" Celine screamed jumping up and down next to her mother's bed.

Meredith opened her eyes, confused by the screaming. When she realized it was coming from Celine, she sat up, "What honey?"

"It's today! Do you know what today is?" Celine asked as she crawled on to her mother's bed.

"Yes, I know what today is," Meredith said smiling as she pulled her five-year-old daughter over to her.

"Daddy is coming home! Daddy is coming home! How much longer?" she asked.

Meredith looked over to her clock, "Honey, it's six in the morning. Daddy's flight doesn't come in till noon. Remember how mommy told you to sleep in today so that Daddy would come home sooner?"

"I know, but I'm so excited! He's been gone forever!" she said loudly.

"Honey, he was only at the conference for three days."

"Well three days is a long time to be without Daddy!" she said, defending herself.

"I have an idea," Meredith said making her daughter interested, "Why don't you go back and get some sleep so that we can stay up really late with Daddy tonight. I'll wake you and your sister up two hours before Daddy gets home so that we can get ready and pick him up okay?"

The little girl thought for a moment and then smiled, "You mean I get to stay up really really late with Daddy and tell him everything that's happened at school?"

Meredith laughed, "Yes you can tell Daddy everything that happened."

"Mommy? Can you tell Daddy never to leave again? I don't like it when he leaves. I think if he leaves again I'll die."

Meredith rolled her eyes, "You are such a drama queen, now go back to bed, but be careful not to wake up Aimee when you go past her room."

"Okay, Mommy, but don't forget to wake me up exactly two hours before noon!" Celine said as she left the room.

Celine sat down on the couch in her living room. She couldn't believe that in a few months she'd be graduating from high school and going to college. She had always wanted to get out of this house and be on her own. It wasn't that she didn't like her family; she just always wanted to be free and independent. Now, now everything was different. She didn't want to leave her Dad. She didn't want to focus on her grades, even though she knew she had to or her early acceptance to Dartmouth would be revoked. All she wanted to do was be with her Dad, just in case it was the only chance she ever got.

She'd always been so close to her Dad. She loved her Mom and she did all the girly mom and daughter things with her, but she loved being with her father. There were things that only her father and her did. And sometimes, she felt like he was the only one who could understand her. No matter how much she tried to hide things, her father always seemed to understand.

May 20, 2025- Seattle, Washington

Meredith and Derek were sitting in their living room. It was late Saturday night and they were waiting up for Celine. It was the night of her first real dance: ring dance. She had been so excited to be able to go with a guy she'd been crushing on for ages. Meredith was curled up on the couch with her head on Derek's lap, watching television. Derek was absently playing with her hair while he read a book. They both looked up when they heard the front door open and slam shut. Then they heard Celine's heels slam against the wooden stairs as she ran upstairs and slammed her door behind her.

Derek put his bookmark in his book and slowly shut it before placing it on the table next to him. He looked down at Meredith, "I should go see what happened." Meredith smiled at him and sat up to let him get up. He stood up and then leaned down to kiss her, "Go on to bed. I'll be there in a few minutes."

She smiled at him and he smiled back before heading upstairs. When he reached his daughter's door, he knocked listening to the sobs coming from inside. He waited a few moments before opening the door. As he did, a familiar scent of lavender surrounded him. In that way, Celine took after her mother. He slowly walked over to the defeated princess who was lying on her bed with her dress surrounding her small body. He sat down next to her and pulled her gently on to his lap. He didn't ask any questions. He didn't say a word. He just let her cry, knowing that that was all she could do.

Celine wiped a tear away from her face. She tried to stop remembering. Stop the memories from floating back, but she couldn't. She didn't want to think about the fact that those memories may be the only ones she would have. That she might not get any more time to make more memories with her father. She might lose him, even if he survived the surgery. She'd done enough research in her parent's library to know that the surgery didn't mean life this far in. She could still lose him.