Chapter Five: Kaleidoscope

You cut me out in little stars and place me in the sky
I lose my sense of time
You know me, how troubled I can be
But through your kaleidoscope
I let go
'Cause you show me the world as it could be
Through your kaleidoscope
It's beautiful

Kate Havenvik

…

"He'll be here soon, Sweetheart," Addison assured her daughter as the little girl sat on the couch in their two-bedroom hotel suite, wringing her fingers anxiously. It was the day of her school interview, and although she wouldn't say it, Addison could see how nervous she was. "Are you hungry? You hardly touched your breakfast."

But Elena shook her head. At the moment, the thought of food made her physically ill; if she thought she had been nervous before, that was nothing compared to right now. "I don't need anything."

"Stop worrying," Addison whispered, giving Elena's hand an affectionate squeeze.

"I'm trying not to, but I can't help it. Maybe if we talk about something else, it might help," she suggested.

She smiled and took a seat beside Elena. "That sounds like a good idea. What should we talk about?"

Elena thought about it for a moment. There were hundreds of things to talk about, but she couldn't seem to come up with anything. Finally, however, she wondered, "When are we getting a house? 'Cause Daddy is right; we can't live in a hotel forever. I mean, I like the room service and all that kind of stuff, but it's not the same."

"Okay, rule number one of being a woman: Never admit to a man that he's right, even if he is," she teased, and Elena giggled. "And, like I told Derek, the hotel thing is just for a little while. We'll be meeting with the realtor at the end of the week. So, enjoy 'the room service and all that kind of stuff' while it's here. All right?"

"All right," she agreed.

At the sound of a knock on the door, Elena jumped up to answer. "Daddy!" she said happily, jumping up into his arms. "Do you like my suit, Daddy? It's Dolce and Gabbana; the shoes are Prada. Mommy got them in New York especially for the interview."

"I think you look beautiful, Elle," he smiled, then suggested, "Why don't you go ahead to the elevator? We'll catch up in a minute."

"Okay," she nodded and eagerly hurried out the door.

"Addison… you dressed our six-year-old in Prada? Seriously?" he questioned, noting the amused look on his ex-wife's face.

"And Dolce and Gabbana," she added with a coy grin. "We dress to impress. It was a pain to get tailored on such short notice, but doesn't she look fantastic? Oh, come on; don't give me that look. Part of the fun of having a daughter is dressing her up. You'll teach her how to fish and catch a baseball and whatever, and I'll teach her how to shop and which shoes go with a particular outfit."

"Whatever you say, Addie," he shrugged with a smile and followed her out the door to meet their daughter by the elevators.

…

"Dr. Montgomery. Dr. Shepherd. Elena," a strict-looking woman with horn-rimmed glasses addressed them, shaking their hands as they sat in the waiting area. "I'm Ms. Kensington, headmistress of Rosebrook Academy. It is certainly a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all ours," Derek smiled in return, all the while watching Elena out of the corner of his eye. She was worried, but anyone who didn't know her as well as he did wouldn't have even been able to tell.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Elena alone for a while," she requested.

"By all means," Addison agreed and encouragingly placed her hand on Elena's shoulder. "You'll be great," she whispered reassuringly and watched her daughter follow Ms. Kensington into the office. She found herself alone with Derek and sighed. "I guess… now, we just have to wait."

"I wonder if this is how our patients feel?" he asked suddenly, for the most part just thinking out loud. Then he laughed and added, "Well, minus the fact that there's no actual life or death situation in an elementary school interview."

Addison smiled, thoroughly amused by the randomness of his remark. "Let's just hope we're always on the other side of the waiting room," she replied, and he nodded in agreement and stood to look through the pile of magazines on the table beside him.

Meanwhile, Elena took a seat in an oversized burgundy chair while Ms. Kensington sat down behind her desk. For just a moment, the little girl's eyes wondered around the pristine office, and a few things caught her attention: The degrees framed on the wall; a large, bronze statue of an eagle—the school's mascot—caught frozen in mid-flight, and the small sign on the desk that revealed that Ms. Kensington's first name was Cynthia.

"Everyone calls me Elle, so if you want to, that's okay," the little girl said, just to break the silence.

"All right. Elle, I have been reviewing your transcript and your standardized test score results, and I have to say that I'm quite impressed. Your scores could easily match those of children years older than you are; it's obvious that you're a very gifted child. You have amazing potential."

The little girl smiled and said, "'There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for their acquiring. They are the very simplest things, and because it takes a man's life to know them, the little new that each man gets from life is very costly and the only heritage he has to leave.'"

After pausing for a moment in awe, she answered, "Hemingway. Well, now I'm even more impressed. I've never met a seven-year-old who could quote Hemingway."

"Actually, I'm only six. And my dad is a big fan of Mr. Hemingway. I learned how to read from an old copy of The Sun Also Rises," she said happily, quickly warming up to her potential future headmistress.

Now completely captivated by the child sitting before her, Ms. Kensington asked, "Do you know what an autobiography is?"

She nodded. "It's when someone writes a book about his or her own life. Like a memoir."

"That's right," she smiled. "I'd like for you to tell me about yourself, Elle. Tell me about your family and your life, just as though you were planning an autobiography."

"This might take a while. Do you have the time?" she grinned knowingly before taking a deep breath and beginning her story.

…

Elena sat outside waiting while her parents spoke to Ms. Kensington. The interview hadn't been at all as scary as she'd anticipated, and she hoped that she had said the right things.

The secretary smiled warmly at her and offered, "There are a few books and magazines that you might like to look at while you wait."

"Thank you," she smiled and rose to look through the stack of brightly colored magazines before a familiar voice caught her attention.

"George!" she squealed excitedly and ran across the room to give him a hug.

Her parents' friend was a sixth grade math teacher at Rosebrook; like Izzie, he had also decided to leave the surgical program for a different career path. But despite the change, he and the others had managed to remain a close-knit group.

"Your interview is today?" he wondered, and she nodded in reply. "How'd it go?"

"I think okay. Mommy and Daddy are in there with Ms. Kensington right now, but they've only been in there for a little while," she reported.

George smiled. It seemed like it was only moments ago, rather than years, that the smiling green-eyed child before him had been a fragile newborn. The fact that she survived the first few weeks of her life had been a medical miracle; to see her now—happy and healthy and intelligent—was beyond belief. "I'm probably not supposed to tell you this," he whispered, leaning in just a little, "but I've heard lots of good things."

She grinned. "That's good. I really wanna come to this school."

"I hope you get in, Elle. You deserve it," he assured her then hurriedly glanced at his watch. "Oh, man… I've got to get back to my class; who knows what damage a roomful of eleven-year-olds can do. Personally, I don't wanna find out. See you, Elle."

"'Bye, George," she smiled and went back to searching for a magazine; it was always such a comfort to stumble upon a familiar face in the midst of unfamiliarity.

…

At the same time, Addison and Derek were sitting in the same office where their daughter had been only moments before, waiting for Ms. Kensington to speak.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she looked up at them and smiled. "Elena and I had quite the conversation; she certainly is a creative child."

"Really? What do you mean?" Addison wondered. When Ms. Kensington recounted Elena's story in semi-amusement, Addison and Derek exchanged knowing glances before the former said, "As unbelievable as that sounds, every word of it is true."

Her mouth dropped a little in surprise; however, almost instantly, she regained her composure and continued, "Well then, I've got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that your daughter is a charming, remarkable child—as I'm sure you both already know—and she would be a wonderful addition to Rosebrook Academy. However, when my secretary scheduled this appointment, she mistakenly marked down that Elena would be entering the second grade, not first. At this time, there are no available openings for the first grade."

Addison sighed in disheartenment and heard Derek do the same. They both knew that the news would break Elena's heart.

"However, I have a proposal," she went on, recapturing their attention. "Intellectually, Elena is more than capable of handling the workload of a higher grade level. If you feel that she would also be emotionally capable of dealing with classmates who are a year older, we would love to have her here."

They both knew that Elena was more than capable of handling being around people older than she was. Most of the time, she was more grown up than the adults around her, including themselves.

"If you'd like to bring her in here and discuss it before making a decision, that would be fine."

A moment later, Elena was brought back into the office and stood beside her mother, wearing a questioning expression.

"Elle, Sweetheart, we have a proposition for you," Derek said, smiling knowingly.

"Okay. What kind?"

"How would you like to go to the second grade instead of first? There aren't anymore openings for first grade, but they'd really like for you to attend Rosebrook."

A thoughtful look overcame her face as she pondered what her father had just said. "So… I'd be skipping a grade. That means I'll be in William's class! Okay, that's what I wanna do."

"Well, at least we know she isn't indecisive," he laughed, just happy to see her happy.

Standing, Ms. Kensington held out her hand and shook Elena's. "Elle, I would like to formally welcome you to Rosebrook Academy. We look forward to having you here. We'll see you Monday morning."

"Thank you, Ms. Kensington. I look forward to it," she replied, catching both of her parents off-guard. Hearing her say those words in that tone, standing there in her Dolce and Gabbana suit, she didn't seem only six. But Leni had always seemed beyond her years as well, and Elena was nearly a carbon copy of Leni.

"Your mom and I are so proud of you, Princess," Derek beamed as they walked out of the office.

Addison seconded, "We certainly are, Sweetheart. But then again, I don't think you could ever disappoint us."

"Mrs. Burke?" Derek suddenly remarked in surprise, and they all looked ahead to find Preston's mother standing before them.

"Derek, Addison, how nice to see you. And is this little Elena all grown up?" she smiled at them. "Oh, you're probably wondering what I'm doing here. Cristina went into labor this morning, and I'm here to get Oliver so he won't miss his little sister's birth."

"Oh, that's great," he smiled. "I wonder if Meredith knows yet?"

"When I left, Cristina had Preston calling everyone, so I'm sure she'll know in a bit if she doesn't already," she answered just as Derek's cell rang.

"Speaking of," he smiled and excused himself from the conversation.

However, before anyone could say anything else, Addison's phone rang as well. They noticed a perplexed look cross her face as she looked at the caller ID, but it soon became a look of absolute fear as she answered and listened intently. Taking Elena by the hand, she calmly said good-bye to Preston's mother and then hurried outside to find Derek.

"Mommy, what's the matter? What's wrong?" Elena questioned, trying her best not to panic despite her mother's expression because it wasn't a look that she saw all that often.

"We have to go to the hospital right now," she said ambiguously, though her words were laced with worry.