A.N. Hello, thanks for the amazing reviews after the last chapter! This one's equally long and I hope you'll not find it disappointing. I've wanted to post it hours ago but my internet connection was dead. Read, enjoy and review, please.

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Meredith ran into a small hospital room breaking down into tears she had been holding back until the moment her eyes settled upon her daughter. Cristina quickly rose from her chair and strode towards her meeting her halfway and putting her hands on Meredith's arms.

"She's asleep now," she hushed. "Don't wake her, she had a rough night."

Meredith broke from her grip and tiptoed to the bed looking with growing pain inside her chest at Bessie's pallid face. She leaned over carefully and caressed the golden lock of her hair scattered on the pillow. One night… one night she wasn't there for her angel and she got sick…

Cristina tugged delicately but firmly at her elbow. "Let's step outside. I'll fill you in."

Meredith shook her head and whispered, "I'm not leaving my baby alone again."

"She's asleep. I can't give you any updates on her condition or we're going to wake her up," whispered Cristina insistently. "Be reasonable, Meredith!"

She gave in to Cristina's logic and with the last concerned look at Bessie's angelic form, followed her onto the mercifully empty corridor.

"What is wrong with her?" she shot as soon as the door closed quietly behind her.

"Like I told you over the phone, Mer," said Cristina with a tired sigh. She didn't sleep a wink all night, worrying both about Meredith and Bess. "Loss of appetite, low fever, vomiting, abdominal pain. We're waiting for the tests results. Bailey's going to bring them as soon as they're up. I called her for Bessie, she'll be discreet."

Meredith rubbed her temples and started pacing up and down, "Oh God. Oh my God… It can be the stomach bug, can't it?"

"Well, the flu's in full swing," admitted Cristina. "But she's received the vaccination. I've suggested to Bailey, and she agreed that we might be on to something… and the family history increases the risk…"

"Cristina! Are you rambling?!" breathed out Meredith. "Just tell me what my daughter's down with!"

"I'm not sure yet," reminded Cristina. "I just… thought it might be appendicitis."

"What?" yelled Meredith. "It's… it's rare among children this young! Like extremely rare and dangerous!"

"Meredith, calm down! We don't know what it is if for now."

"Oh my God," she leaned heavily against the wall. "Me and my crappy DNA! She has Derek's perfect hair and his beautiful eyes. And what did she get from me? Miniature size and inflammation of the appendix!"

Cristina almost laughed despite the gravity of the situation. "Don't forget about the nose, that is something! You wouldn't like her to inherit his hooked snoot, would you?"

"And speaking of Derek," started quietly Cristina, knowingly taking in Meredith's crumpled clothes and yesterday's makeup. "Did you tell him?"

Meredith shifted awkwardly on her feet, staring at the floor and muttered under her breath, "I did…"

"You did?" repeated Cristina, pleasantly surprised. "Then, where is he? You haven't told him she's sick?"

"No, it's… he doesn't know…"

"Why the hell not? He'd want to know she's unwell."

"No," contradicted Meredith. "He doesn't know… anything…"

"What?" gasped Cristina after a moment. "How… Rewind, please! You said you'd told him and he still doesn't know?"

Meredith guilty silence was enough of an answer.

"Is he suffering from the short-term memory loss?" snapped Cristina sarcastically, the tension of the previous night catching up on her. "Or was he asleep?"

Meredith glanced at her and fixed her vision at the floor again.

"Damn it, Meredith! Do you have any idea what I've been through tonight? I've watched her getting sicker by the hour and listened to her crying for her mommy… for what? So you could have your brains fucked out?"

"What? How…" stammered feebly Meredith, hiding her face in her hands.

"I know you inside out," snorted Cristina. "I knew it was going to end up like that. I only hoped you'd clear up the things with him!"

"I wanted to," sobbed Meredith. "I did! I told him and then I realized he fell-"

"I'm not interested in hearing a word more of this," spat Cristina. She went into Bessie's room and reappeared seconds later, carrying a bag.

"I've brought you fresh clothes. Take shower and get changed," she ordered curtly. "You look like a whore."

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Once freshened up, Meredith stopped outside Chief Webber's office and knocked on the door. She was in a hurry. Cristina didn't page which meaning Bailey wasn't back with the results yet but she wanted desperately to be near Bessie and make sure she was aware of her mother's presence.

Meredith didn't take Cristina's remarks amiss. She knew she deserved each harsh words she uttered, every one of them. Firstly, because she had glorious sex while her daughter was suffering. Secondly, Derek still didn't have a clue about his daughter. She had a dreadful feeling that their relationship would erode beyond repair after the previous night's events.

They made passionate love and… she fled at the crack of dawn after Cristina called with the bad news. Derek would certainly be pissed. She had promised they put the sex and mockery stage behind them and from his point of view, it looked like she was still going at it. She left him alone in bed after sex, just scribbling a vague "I'll explain later" note. To make matters worse, she took his car. Her own vehicle spent the night on the hospital parking lot and it would take ages to call for cab to the middle of nowhere.

"Come in," Webber's voice sounded from his office. "Meredith," he said enthusiastically, spotting his guest. "I wanted to talk to you last night but you'd already gone."

"Meredith," he took up a sterner tone. "You toed the line yesterday; you were not to involve any more patients in the trial. It might have been a disaster." He sighed and smiled slightly, unable to berate her for long. "That stubborn streak of yours; you've had it since you were a child."

"Chief…" she tried to interrupt. She didn't have time either to be scolded or praised, whatever the chief was in the mood for.

"I'm not mad," said Webber hastily. "I was. You toed the linebut you managed not to fall. You'll be able to continue the trial. It's going to be great, I can already see the benefits for Grace. You need to start right away."

"Actually," Meredith cut in tiredly, "I need a day off."

Richard frowned and studied closely Meredith's face for the first time she came in. She was pale and had puffy eyes, an obvious sign of tears.

"A day off?" asked Richard. "What's wrong? Something with the trial?"

"No," she replied quickly. "The patient's in recovery. I just… really need a day off."

"Have you fallen out with Derek?" he inquired tentatively. The news that the two of them left the hospital together the previous evening already reached his ears. Only, according to the gossip, they were enraptured with each other, not depressed as Meredith at the moment.

"No," she answered dully. "I… it's really important. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't have to."

Richard looked at her with concern, "You're in no shape to take care of patients. I'll let Derek know to cover your cases," he paused. "Speaking of which, why didn't you ask him? He's your immediate superior."

"He's asleep…," she cleared her throat, embarrassed. "That is, he's not here yet so… I assume he's… yeah…" she rubbed her wrists nervously.

Richard felt like kicking himself. Why didn't he do anything to prevent that? He knew it would all end like this. A couple of weeks of careless flirting and they were on for the drama again. That was the never-ending story of Meredith and Derek.

"Meredith-" Richard intended to offer her his support or advice, anything to keep her in town, but was silenced by the beeping of her pager.

Meredith grabbed it violently. Cristina! She scooted off at the top speed, leaving baffled Richard behind.

"But I've just given you the day off!"

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"And?" demanded Meredith kissing Bessie's forehead. She already woke up and was whimpering from discomfort in her tummy, making Meredith go through hell watching her in pain."What's wrong with her? What's wrong with my baby? Is it the appie?"

"Yes," confirmed Bailey. She sympathized with Meredith wholeheartedly. She knew too much what it was like to tremble over her own child's life. She remembered vividly the day Tucker nearly died. True, he was seriously injured but appendicitis in early childhood was not a joke either.

"Oh my God," panted Meredith. "She's going to need surgery! My two-year-old daughter's going to need surgery!"

"She is, I'll book an OR," stated softly Miranda. "Meredith, don't worry in advance. As you know well enough, appendectomy is a standard procedure. Yes, she is young but it also means she's resilient. Children are resilient and as far as I know this little spitfire, she's got an amazing will to live."

"Promise me she'll be good?" Meredith's words sounded more like an order than a request.

Bailey opened her mouth helplessly. Never promise anything to patients or their families, that was another basic rule in the surgeon's book.

"I promise you that," declared Cristina from the corner of the room, irritating Bailey.

"Oh really! You think I'll let you scrub in with me?"

"I think you will," Cristina didn't cave in. "I won't allow some incompetent resident rummage in my goddaughter's intestines. She has to get the best and I am the best."

Bailey shook her head disapprovingly but didn't protest further. Yang was indeed the best, she was also capable of turning off her emotions when needed. Miranda could trust her with that.

"Where's Derek?" she asked sharply instead.

"He's… he's…" stammered Meredith.

"Asleep," snorted Cristina. "Meaning in the big unknown."

"Have you lost your mind, Grey?" Bailey forced herself not to raise voice in front of the suffering child. "How could you have let the situation get out of control like that?"

"Listen to me and listen well," she went on. "You have your last chance. You can't keep it quiet for much longer. Do you really want him to learn from some gossiping nurse?"

Meredith tried to avoid Miranda's pitiless eyes boring into hers. Her hands kept shaking as she readjusted the pillow under Bessie's head.

"Yang, you'll be on my service today," shot Bailey. "Grey, pull yourself together."

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Izzie fluttered her eyebrows at George and pointed with her head at Cristina who was getting changed in the residents' locker room. George nodded determinately and the two of them moved closer to their friend. Izzie leisurely leaned back on the row of cubbies while George sat on the bench.

"Morning, Cristina," chirped Izzie happily.

Cristina looked at her as if she was mad. "Go spread your cheerfulness somewhere else."

"You don't like cheerfulness?" asked Izzie with a bewildered tone. "Then how can you stand hanging with Meredith and her little secret?"

"What?" Cristina shut her cubby with a loud crack.

"Meredith's little secret," repeated Izzie, satisfied at getting the reaction from her fellow surgeon. "You know, the kind of secret that you buy diapers for, keep a stroller in the house… and it so happens that this little secret is usually very cheerful-"

"Shut up!" hissed Cristina spitefully, making both Izzie and George wince. "Just shut your mouth up!"

"Cristina," said carefully George. "We… don't mean it bad-"

"I said shut up, Bambi!" she snapped. "You open your big fat mouth once – I'll kill you and I won't even bother to make it look like an accident!" She scowled at them and stormed outside.

"That was…" muttered George. "We… pushed it too far, I think. We should have left it to Meredith… to tell us eventually."

"We won't push," agreed Izzie. "But we just can't pretend like we don't know, can we? I mean, why is she hiding her own child?"

"Maybe to protect them?" remarked George. "Family's what counts."

"Protect them from what?"

"Uhm, from people like us?" he retorted, "who like to stuck their noses into other people's business? Come on, Izzie, everyone has been talking about her constantly, her career, her return, Shepherd, reheated old stories… And you were mean to her!"

"Don't you blame this on me, George," warned him Izzie. "I know I was an ass but… I'd… I'll show her support this time."

George nodded and they exchanged looks of agreement.

"I… uhm…" muttered George uneasily. "I really don't like saying that but… you know what's the next logical question…?"

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With a deep sigh, Meredith finished singing a lullaby, feeling helpless and scared, trying not to fall apart. She remembered clearly the advice she gave to Molly before her procedure. It was easy to say, much harder to endure on her own skin. It should be banned by low for children to suffer from pain. Bessie was given anesthetic which alleviated her pain and unfortunately, temporarily subduing her lively personality.

"You'll be all right, angel,"' Meredith whispered into Bessie's ear, her nose rubbing against her cheek. "Mommy's here, mommy's never going to leave you. Dr. Bailey will fix you up and you'll be as good as new."

Meredith both waited impatiently for and dreaded the operation. Bessie's state demanded the surgical intervention but… there was the frightening thought she pushed to the back of her mind, the nagging unrelenting thought of something going awry.

"You have a beautiful kid there, Dr. Grey," said a resolute voice.

Meredith raised her eyes and her heart sank. The vultures already picked up the smell of blood and the greatest one of them, Seattle Grace queen of gossip herself, Nurse Debbie, was leaning lazily against the doorframe.

Do you really want him to learn from some gossiping nurse? Bailey's words echoed in Meredith's brain. She was going under…

"Thank you," she replied feebly.

"It must be awful for you," stated Nurse Debbie in what she assumed was a sympathetic tone, "to see her like that and know exactly how it will look in the OR."

Yeah, thank you so much for pointing that out. That is just what I've wanted to visualize, my daughter's cut open on the operating table, thought Meredith as the gory images of Bessie bathed in blood invaded her mind. She wished she had a laser in her eyes that would burn a smoldering hole in nurse's Debbie empty skull.

"And she's so little," went on the nurse, unaffected by Meredith's deathly glare. "How old is she?"

Damn it! Stupid nosy nurse!

"18 months," lied Meredith easily. If the news that she had a child were to reach Derek she had to at least make sure he learned he was a father from her own lips and no one else's. Her cover would blow if somebody read Bessie's chart or took more than a brief glimpse of her and realized she must be older than 18 months, more than half a year older in fact. However, for now it had to suffice.

As she observed Nurse Debbie's face, she could almost hear her brains working furiously under streaks of dyed blond hair, doing quick maths. And then… deep disappointment painted across her features when she concluded Bessie couldn't be Derek's. It was only short-lived though, as Debbie's eyes lit at the idea of how having another man's child would affect her and McDreamy's whirlwind romance.

You're so naïve Debbie, so gullible… and that's why I'm a neurosurgeon and you're a nurse.

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"Right now, you're acting like a chief of the twelfth hospital in the country, Richard," snapped Derek. "The man will be paralyzed but at least he'll live. The surgery's unnecessary risk! And you," he addressed Mark, "I don't understand why you're encouraging him."

He was having a crappy day, a disastrous one, from the moment he reached out his arm for Meredith's warm body to find an empty space instead. She's promised him no more running and broke her word barely hours later, sneaking out in the dead of night. Derek's disappointment transformed into anger as he walked out of the trailer to go to work and noticed his car was gone. True, she left a non-committal note but she didn't bother to show up and explain her actions.

He nearly lost it when Webber informed him she had taken a day off, clearly sidestepping him. He was the head of her department, her boss… Her behavior screamed that she wanted to avoid him like the plague. And where the hell was she? His car was parked in the usual spot in the parking lot but… hers as well…

To cap it all, Mark and Richard insisted on performing a complicated, highly dangerous procedure he didn't approve of, whatever argument they were putting forward, standing in front of the surgical board.

"It's not about the ratings," spoke Richard firmly. "It's not about getting ahead. It's about giving this man the best care he deserves, the best care we can provide."

"Maybe we should take Grey on the case," proposed Mark with concern. "Shep's not at the top of his game today."

"Dr. Grey took a day off," gritted Derek.

"Oh, uhm…" Mark looked at him shrewdly. "Shadow Shepherd then?"

"I want my head of neuro on this case," declared Richard austerely. "I'm not asking you, Shep, I'm telling you. You will do the job I hired you to do, no matter what is going on between you and Dr. Grey," he added. "I warned you a few weeks ago, therefore I'll listen to no excuses."

"Now, as we've cleared this up, let's book an OR. Nr. 3's free, we're scrubbing in in half an hour."

"Pardon me, Sir." They heard a sweet feminine voice behind them.

"Nurse Debbie," acknowledged Richard, appraising her excited manner.

"The OR 3 is not free, Sir."

"How come?" asked Richard irritably. "There's a surgery being performed and not even a mention on the board? Whose sloppy work is this?"

"Dr. Bailey's, Sir," Debbie quickly gave the answer, eagerly watching the three men's expressions. "That is, I don't mean sloppy, more like… discreet."

"Nurse Debbie, what is going on in hospital?" demanded Richard, at the end of his tether. "What's going on in that OR?"

"It's… it's Dr. Bailey and Dr. Yang operating on Dr. Grey's little girl," said Nurse Debbie, hardly masking her elation at the opportunity to share a particularly juicy piece of gossip with the Chief himself and better still - McDreamy.

"What… what are you saying?" Richard needed clarification.

"Dr. Grey's daughter. She's 18-months-old, by the way, really tiny, cute thing," babbled Debbie. Her eyes swept over the three surgeons with profound satisfaction. "Anyway, poor kiddo has appendicitis. Dr. Grey's worried out of her wits, didn't want to leave her for a second. She put up a huge fight when Dr. Bailey forbade her anywhere near the OR."

Richard put his hands on his hips, pensive. He was visibly surprised but he finally understood Meredith's behavior. Debbie looked hastily at Shepherd, that was the center of the show. If the Chief was surprised, McDreamy was thunderstruck, utterly shocked as well as a bit disbelieving. McSteamy, on his part, didn't seem too taken aback by her announcement, rather smug and superior-looking. Although, he kept glancing at his best friend with alarm. If Debbie didn't know Sloan hadn't left Seattle for years, she would think he had something to do with the tiny Grey. That would be a shocker! Well, you can't have everything in life, pondered Nurse Debbie.

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Derek wasn't entirely sure how his patient managed to survive, the procedure being the last thing on his mind. He wasn't capable of focusing his attention on anything else than Meredith and the fact that apparently she had a daughter. When Nurse Debbie unceremoniously made her announcement he wanted to run to Meredith… and at the same time, he was afraid to. At least, the surgery gave him time to brush off the initial shock.

Derek's rage from the morning evaporated. Her child got sick, no wonder she left him in a rush, without explanation. That conversation would take hours… God, she… she intended to tell him yesterday, she insisted on talking… and he didn't listen, he put it off…

Derek's head was swirling with questions and doubts. A child… she had a child, an 18-months-old daughter… She must have got pregnant a few months after she left Seattle. Who was the father? Was he important to her? Where was he now? An what it all meant for their rekindled relationship?

Derek had to cool off. The perspective of loosing Meredith was unbearable… but she had a child, someone else's child. Although, that man, whoever the hell he was, must be out of the picture. She came to him, didn't she? They spent the night together. There wasn't any other guy in her life, she had guaranteed as much.

So, she did want stable, she did want serious, that wasn't a lie. She changed… she was a mother. The idea struck him with double force. If he decided to be with her, he had to include her daughter in his plans. Was he able to do it? Derek's heart beat faster. Suddenly, he got curious about that little being. What was her name? How did she look like? Did she look like Meredith?

With his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears, he approached the room he knew he'd find her… When he scrubbed out of the surgery, he found a grimly looking but surprisingly civil Cristina Yang waiting for him.

"Meredith would like to talk to you. It's kinda important," she fired straight off the bat.

"Is it about… ?" he trailed off.

"You've heard already," sighed Cristina, "Just… don't… don't screw it up, please."

"Ok," he said slowly frowning his forehead. Did Cristina accept him as suitable for her person after years of undisguised dislike? "How's Meredith's… her…?"

"Daughter?" she asked. "She's good. I operated on her, what did you expect?"

He halted soundlessly in the doorway, still not altogether sure how to deal with the situation. Meredith, his Meredith, was sitting in a chair close to the head of the bed, whispering something subtly to the tiny immobile creature who was completely blocked from his view, except for a mane of wavy blond locks. His heart tightened as the words "Meredith's daughter" took a corporeal form for the first time.

As though sensing his presence, Meredith turned slowly around, gazing directly into his eyes with an expression of something he could define as a mixture of tiredness, resignation and maybe fear. She rose abruptly from her seat, planted a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead and stepped up to him, ushering him onto the corridor. Derek registered with relief that it was almost empty but for a couple of doctors or nurses occasionally passing by.

"Derek, I… I'm so sorry… I don't know where to begin with," she stated struggling for words.

"Shhh." Derek rubbed her arms soothingly. "You've got nothing to be sorry about."

"I have, I have…" Meredith's bottom lip trembled uncontrollably and she kept twisting her fingers.

"Meredith," he breathed out urgently. "I… know it's not the best of times but I need you to know, I want you to know that I'm here for you. Now, I fully understand your hesitation, your reluctance. You… " he braced himself to say it aloud, "you have a daughter, she's your priority. But… I… I love you. I want to be here for you and I can be here for your daughter if you let me. I can love her as if she were mine."

Derek watched her eyes filling with tears as she shook her head, "You… you can't… you can't love her as if she were yours."

"Meredith, I can," he assured her with a newfound certainty. "I've wanted a family with you like… forever."

"No… no… You can't love her as if she were yours because… because… she… is yours."

"What?" he almost chuckled at the illogicality of her words. "Meredith, you're dead tired. We can have this conversation later-"

"No," she contradicted strongly. "I… I've wasted too much time and I'm sorry for it! I can put it off any longer. I… She's… she's your daughter."

Derek slowly took his hands off her arms, "What…? She's… she's not. She's 18-months-old… We haven't…"

"I've… I've lied to the stupid nurse," she spluttered, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "She's… Bessie's 26 months-old… Two years and two months…"

No, Derek's brain refused to process what he just heard. He started pacing erratically, raking his hair with his hand. It was incomprehensible… impossible. Yet, it made sense… her hasty departure, her guilty looks he chose to ignore, the way she was acting around him…

"Derek?" she called him in a tiny fearful voice.

He suddenly stopped in front of her and whispered harshly, "Is this your idea of a joke?"

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A.N. So sorry for another cliffhanger, I swear they just crop up unintentionally! Really excited to know what you think about the chapter, cheers!