Finally I stopped being a total slacker and updated. I hope you enjoy.
III – Part 28
Addison and Sullivan sat on either side of Richie's bed. He looked between both his parents, he knew what they wanted and he was ready to go through with donating his bone marrow. He smiled up at his mom, "I think dad should take me to the hospital tomorrow."
Addison frowned slightly, "Just your dad?"
Richie nodded then insisted, "Yeah, I'm not a baby I don't need both of you to take me."
Addie smiled at her son, "No, you are not a baby, but what if I want to be there too?"
"Mom," Richie complained.
"Fine have it your way, your dad can take you, but I plan on being there when you wake up," she reached out giving his arm a little squeeze, "Okay?"
"Okay," he smiled at his mom and gave her a big hug.
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Derek stood in the doorway of his daughter's hospital room. Ellie was sound a sleep and Meredith was curled up in a chair next to Ellie's bed. She was staring out the window and hadn't noticed Derek yet. Derek cleared his throat to get her attention.
Meredith turned her head toward the sound, "So?"
Derek put a finger to his lips quieting her then motioned for her to follow him. Meredith sighed rising from her seat and followed Derek out of the room.
They walked halfway down the hall when Meredith stopped turning toward him crossing her arms over her chest, "So is he going through with the donation?"
"I think so," Derek said cautiously.
"You think?" Shock and anger started to overcome her, "What do you mean you think?"
"Meredith I talked to Richie and assured him that I won't take him away from his parents."
"Right and why should he believe you?"
"Because I drew up papers giving up all my parental rights and signed them in front of him."
"You signed papers giving up your parental rights and didn't get a guarantee that they would make Richie donate his bone marrow?"
"I don't need a guarantee Meredith. I have faith they will be here."
"I don't believe you, you are an idiot! Our daughter doesn't have a chance if Richie doesn't donate and you are just going to take it on faith that Addison will mRichie donate?"
Derek scowled at Meredith, she never did understand Addison. He also knew a lot of the reason she didn't understand Addison was his fault. Addison knew what was at stake and she would not let him down even if he had let her down.
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Addison knelt in front of Richie zipping up his jacket; he yawned then reached out hugging his mother. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you and daddy?" she asked lightheartedly.
Richie grinned at his mother, "I'm sure, Maddie is still sleeping and we all know how crabby she is when she gets woken up too early."
Addison laughed at her son's observations of his little sister. Of course he was right, "What a good big brother you are letting your little sister sleep."
Addison knew she was just being overprotective, it was a simple procedure. Miranda would be the one performing it and there was no one she trusted more. Besides, Sully would be in the operating room as well. She just hated not being there too.
Sully leaned against the door jam smiling as he watched the exchange between his wife and son. He knew Addison really wanted to go with them and was having a hard time dealing with Richie's new found independence. They had explained what was going to happen in great detail so Richie wouldn't be frightened. They also decided to let Richie choose if he wanted them both there for the procedure. He had made his decision and was sticking to his guns, much to Addison's dismay. Sully knew very well Addison would be at the hospital before Richie in surgery. He pushed off the door jam walking toward his wife and son pulled Addison into a hug and whispered in her ear, "He's going to be just fine mom, don't worry so much." He leaned in kissing her softly.
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Meredith paced back and forth outside Ellie's room looking at her watch again. She let out a loud sigh then asked Izzie who was walking by her, "Are they here yet?"
Izzie shook her head sadly, "Meredith you just asked me that, and no they are not here yet."
Meredith sighed again the frustration evident in her voice, "I cannot believe Derek didn't make them promise to go through with the procedure."
"Meredith relax they are only a thirty minutes late." Izzie put her arm around Meredith's shoulder trying to comfort her.
"I can't relax," she said as she shrugged off Izzie's arm and began to pace again. Izzie looked at Meredith sympathetically and shook her head.
Derek walked out of Ellie's room and gave Meredith a weak smile. "I'm going to get some coffee would you like some?"
Meredith stopped her pacing and glared at him, "How can you think about coffee at a time like this?"
Derek shook his head at his wife and was ready to reassure her once again that Addison would bring Richie in, but was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. He glanced down at his phone, "It's my mother." Meredith nodded at him and walked past him without a word entering her daughter's room again.
Derek took his phone from his side and answered it, "Mom how are you?" His eyebrows rose in surprise, "You and Kathleen are in the cafeteria?" He quickly headed down the hall to the elevator.
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The interns sat in the basement hall on the gurneys; they were debating whether or not the Sanders would bring Richie in for the bone marrow donation.
"I bet they are going to be a no-show," Davis said tossing his empty chip bag in the trash.
"No way, they will be here," Molly said very assuredly.
"I think they will show too, but they are going to make them sweat it out," Riley said casually as she leaned against the wall munching on an apple. "But I wouldn't blame them if they packed up last night and went back to New York, though. It funny how things change, at first I felt sorry for Dr. Shepherd when I heard he had a son he never knew about, but I sure don't feel sorry for him now."
Lucy fed a dollar into the soda machine but it spit back out at her, "I still think they will show." She sighed and kicked the machine when her dollar spit out again, "But yeah, I hear ya. I can totally understand why Dr. Sanders kept Richie away from Dr. Shepherd."
"I caught Dr. Grey and Dr. Shepherd fighting yesterday. Dr. Shepherd was going to talk to Richie. Dr. Grey was furious because she thought Dr. Shepherd was going to make things worse," Bill said as he worked on smoothing Lucy's dollar. Once satisfied he fixed the dollar Bill handed it to Lucy.
"Whoa maybe he did make it worse and the Sanders bolted," Lucy said as she fed the dollar into the machine one more time. "Yeeesss," Lucy exclaimed as the machine finally accepted the bill.
"Hey Molly you were supposed to scrub in on the procedure right?" Bill asked looking at his watch.
"Yeah," she looked at her pager making sure the batteries were still good. "They are almost an hour late," she said with a frown.
Pagers beeping broke the air and all the interns looked at their pagers. They had all been summoned to the ER.
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Beckett and Addison sat in traffic, they hadn't moved in twenty minutes. Addison looked over her shoulder to the backseat, both girls were sound asleep. She smiled at Beck, "Let's hope the girls cooperate and stay asleep."
Beck looked over at Addie giving her a reassuring smile, "Think you should give Sully a call and let him know we are stuck in traffic?"
Addison nodded and pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed dial waiting patiently for an answer. The voice mail kicked in and she sighed, "They must be in surgery already, he's not answering."
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Tuck lined the interns up waiting for the incoming traumas. They where waiting on three patients. The doors to the ER burst open the paramedic pushing a gurney through the entrance. "Thirty-Five year old male, blood pressure 180/75 has a contusion to the chest caused by the deployment of the air bag. He has been conscious and alert." Davis leaned over the man as they wheeled him to an exam room. He asked for the man's name.
"Jack," the man on the gurney said quietly, "Jack Morgan, can you have someone call my wife?"
The door to the ER flew open again, "Four year old minor vitals are stable, compound fracture to the left tib fib," the female paramedic rattled off as she entered.
Riley moved forward to the gurney and froze when she saw who it was. Richie looked up at her with his big blue eyes, he looked frightened. Riley quickly reached out giving his arm a little squeeze, "Don't worry Richie we will make you all better."
Tuck grabbed the paramedic by the arm, "How many more incoming?"
"One more critical," the paramedic responded as she passed by.
"Only three were involved in the accident?" Tuck asked anxiously.
"The fourth was DOA," Tuck swallowed hard, when he had left for work that morning Sully was the only one taking Richie in, but he knew Addison had also wanted to come.
"The incoming and DOA are they male or female?" Tuck asked trying not to show his panic he was feeling.
The paramedic who brought in the first patient answered, "The DOA is a male and the incoming is a female."
Miranda entered the curtain Richie was in, "Make sure you page Dr. Torres," she said to Riley with a firm nod as she walked over to Richie leaning close soothingly taking his hand in hers, "Don't worry Richie Dr. Callie is going to make your leg feel all better."
Tuck dragged his fingers threw his hair and turned to Dr. Phillips, "Can you go find Dr. Shepherd and let him know Richie is in the ER?"
Bill swallowed hard, "What about his parents?"
"I don't know." Tuck pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Beck," he began.
"Hey, we are stuck in traffic. Is the surgery over already?"
"We?" Who are you with Addison or Sully?" Tuck asked hoping Sully was with, because if it was Addison it could only mean one thing.
"Addison," Beck paused, "Tuck what's going on?" Tuck pulled the phone away from his mouth swearing under his breath. "Tuck?" Beck asked again.
Tuck put the phone back to his ear and said in his best doctor practiced tone of neutrality, "There has been an accident. Richie is in the ER. All I know so far is he has a broken leg."
"And?" Beck asked giving Addison a quick sidelong glance.
"Sully isn't here yet." Tuck grimaced, it wasn't really a lie. "We have one more from the accident incoming in critical condition." He didn't want to tell Beck over the phone. He figured at least he could give them some hope for the time being.
"Traffic is starting to move now. We should be there within the next ten minutes." Beck closed her phone giving Addie another worried sidelong glance.
"What's going on? Was there a problem with the surgery?" Addison asked the concern registering in her voice.
"No," Beck pursed her lips and continued, "Richie is fine." She turned looking at Addison; it took every ounce of self-control for Beck to keep the neutral look on her face. "Sully and Richie were in a car accident. Tuck said it looks like Richie only broke his leg," she gave her a reassuring smile.
"And Sully?" Addie asked trying to keep the panic in her voice to a minimum.
"I don't know," Beck took a deep breath and blew it out. "He hasn't arrived in the ER yet. Tuck said he had one incoming that was in critical condition."
Addison turned away looking out the window. They were driving past the remains of a traffic accident. She closed her eyes swallowing hard as she recognized the twisted remains of their rental car, the reason they had been sitting in traffic for the last twenty minutes. One ambulance was still on the side of the road; Addison knew they wouldn't move until the patient was stabilized. The coroner's car was also still on the scene along with the police cars.
"Hey," Beck reached out gently touching Addie's shoulder trying to comfort her; she could see the tears forming in her eyes. It took every ounce of Beck's self control not to burst into tears, too. "There is no reason to think that Sully isn't okay," she tried to assure Addie.
Addison's tears were free flowing now, shook her head desperately wanting to believe her, "I know you are right."
Beck knew Tuck far too well and she knew there was something he wasn't telling her. She couldn't allow herself to think the worst. She had to believe she was imagining what she heard in his voice.
Addison had to believe Sully was going to be okay, it was not acceptable to think anything else. She turned her gaze back toward the window staring out saying a silent pray as they speed past the scene making their way to the hospital.
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I know I ended with a cliffhanger, I guess you will need to review and let me know what you think in order to keep me from slacking and taking two months to let you know what happens next!