"Her name was Zola...she was a show girl..." Meredith had a horrible voice but for some reason her baby thought it was the biggest reason to laugh. She loved that baby's laugh and after the past week they had experienced Meredith needed this. They had been home from the hospital for four days and while things had been better at home, it didn't help that everything was changing and Hunter was going to start his new school in the morning. The school was within walking distance to the home and it was the same school Derek had attended when he was little. It had been a dream of Derek's for his kids to go to the same school he had gone to but when they had picked up and left their family and friends for jobs in Seattle that dream was put to rest. Now though, Hunter was doing just what her husband had originally wanted, but it wasn't under their ideal circumstances.

Being back at his mother's was better than the hospital could ever be but there was a tension looming over the home. Nobody was mad, it was just different. Zola was all over the place which was great, but keeping them busy. Hunter was excited and a little nervous to go to school and they often found him asking the hardest questions. He didn't understand why it was his little sister that got sick.

Then there was Ava. Their girly and bouncy five year old was struggling with just that. She wanted to be up and playing but Arizona had told them she needed to lay low and take it easy. After her follow up on Wednesday they were going to schedule her first chemo treatment. It was all waying too heavily on the home and everyone noticed. Meredith wasn't sure what to think as she lifted Zola from the

floor where she had changed her. "Derek?"

"Yeah?" Derek asked, looking up from the book that he was reading. Ava was asleep upstairs and Hunter was in the other room, playing quietly by himself.

"Did you give Ava her pain medication?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "She gets another one in two hours."

"She's been sleeping a while...she'll be up soon." Meredith kissed Zola's cheek before sliding her onto Derek's lap.

"Hey Zo." Derek smiled, making faces at the baby.

"Da!"

"Oh yeah?" He laughed, bouncing her on this lap.

"Bo...Be...Boo!" Zola clapped, before covering her face. "Da!"

"Zo!"

"Derek...Meredith..." His mother walked in with a plate of baked goods and sat them on the old wooden coffee table. "I've made some cookies...brownies and a few other goodies that I'll sit in here."

"Thanks Mom." Derek smiled. "Zo...say thanks Grandma!"

"Ga!"

"You are very welcome Zola."

"Wave Zo." Derek laughed, waving Zola's little hand at his mom.

"She certainly is sweet."

"She is." Meredith smiled.

"Mom!" Hunter came running into the living room.

"What?" Meredith looked up quickly.

"When's Ava gonna be up? I wanna play video games!"

"She'll be up soon but go ahead and play without her." Meredith breathed, ruffling his hair at the same time.

"That's no fun."

"I know Hunter but she's recovering from surgery and we really need her to get her rest, remember?"

"But she can sit down and play, Mom." Hunter frowned.

"I can play with you, bud." Derek offered.

"Okay but...can you at least try to play well this time?" Hunter sighed.

"Hunter there are treats on the table." Mrs. Shepherd pointed. "Your very favorite."

"Ooh...brownies." Hunter grinned, grabbing one.

"What do you want to play?" Derek asked as Meredith took Zola.

"Probably my pirates game." Hunter jumped in front of the television.

"I'm good at that one."

"No you're not." Meredith giggled as his mother left the room when the buzzer in the kitchen went off.

"Yes I am." Derek grabbed the second video game controller.

"Okay." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Are you excited for school?" Derek asked while Hunter loaded the game.

"A little bit."

"It's going to be great."

"I wish Ava was going."

"She'll be here when you get home."

"And you can tell her all about it." Meredith added.

"That's not the same." Hunter sighed.

"I know..." Meredith sighed.

"Ready to play buddy?" Derek tried to distract him.

"Yeah."

"Okay...wait...what are we doing?"

"Derek..." Meredith giggled.

"Dad...wave the controller..." Hunter laughed.

"Right." Derek nodded, waving his hand erratically.

"Der you look silly." Meredith laughed.

"This is harder then I remember." He groaned.

"Dad...point it at the tv." Hunter laughed as his character in the game began to score more points.

"Okay...this is not fair." Derek waved the controller around.

"Hi Mommy." Ava yawned as she walked into the room, then hopped up on the couch next to Meredith. "Grandma said you were in here."

"Grandma was right." Meredith kissed her nose.

"Ava...Daddy is not doing so well in this game." Derek laughed as Hunter jumped and down and the game ended.

"Because you're not good at the pirate game." Ava laughed as she wrapped her arms around Meredith and Zola.

"I win." Hunter grinned, reaching for Ava's arm. "Come play with me!"

"Okay!" Ava shot up quickly.

"Ava...take it easy." Derek breathed.

"Kay!" Ava jumped.

"I said easy."

"The game is easy Daddy!" Avan laughed, taking the controller.

"Hunter…Ava..." Derek's mother came in quickly with her apron on. "I've made some sugar cookies...how about you come help me ice those?"

"That sounds like a better idea." Derek nodded.

"Can we eat the cookies too?" Hunter asked, putting the controllers on the coffee table.

"If it's okay with your Mom and Dad." Mrs. Shepherd smiled.

"That's fine just...Ava you need to lay down if you get tired or a tummy ache."

"Let me take Zola." His mother walked closer, lifting her hands out.

"Here." Meredith kissed the baby's nose and then handed her to Mrs. Shepherd.

"Cookies!" Ava grabbed her brother's hand and hurried into the kitchen.

"Ava..." Meredith stopped when she realized her little girl couldn't hear her.

"She'll be fine." Derek breathed, sitting back on the sofa in the now quiet living room.

"She needs to be laying down."

"A few minutes will be okay." He gestured for her to come sit with him.

"I hope she at least eats a cookie."

"All of our kids are happy."

"Yeah..." Meredith walked over to the corner of the room where one of Zola's toys was lying.

"Hey...come here."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"Zola's toys are everywhere."

"It's alright."

"Well I need to get them up."

"Okay..."

"Mommy!" Ava came running in, only stopping when she began to cough.

"Ava...calm down. Arizona said running when you're too tired can make you cough." Meredith sighed.

"What is it, pumpkin?" Derek asked, picking her up.

"I iced a cookie like a giraffe...can we go to the zoo?"

"No sweetie."

"I want to." Ava rubbed her arm, where a dark black and blue bruise had formed.

"Ava..." Meredith breathed.

"Where did that come from?" Derek whispered, running his hand over the bruise.

"I don't know." Ava shrugged. "Why can't I go to the zoo?"

"Because you just had surgery." He told her.

"But I wanna."

"We can't."

"Then can I wear my tutu?" Ava sighed, causing her parents to smile. She was usually so easy to please and her attention often changed quickly.

"Come on...I'll help you put it on." Meredith shook her head.

"Okay." Ava smiled as Meredith took her from Derek's arms.

"We'll be back." Meredith smiled weakly.

"I'll be here." Derek sat back down on the sofa, hearing Meredith talk to Ava quietly as they went up stairs and hearing his son laughing in the kitchen with his mom. Anybody watching from the outside would have thought that they seemed like the perfect family with no problems and nothing to worry about it but the thought of chemo was looking large in the back of everyone's minds.

"We're all done." Meredith announced, walking back into the room with Ava on her hip.

"Pink tutu and all." He smiled.

"Ava...do you want something to eat?" Meredith asked, holding her little girl close.

"Can I have fishie sticks?"

"You can!" Meredith smiled, so relieved that her little girl was going to have lunch.

"And rice?" Ava asked.

"Of course." Meredith's shoulders seemed much more relaxed then before. "Derek..."

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind making the rice?"

"Not at all."

"And cookies!" Ava added.

"You can have some cookies for dessert." Derek laughed.

"How does that sound Ava?"

"Yummy." Ava smiled.

"Good." Meredith grinned.

"What about carrots?" Derek offered his daughter.

"Eww."

"Okay okay. Just fish sticks and rice."

"Alright Ava...you walk and tell grandma that we're going to get you lunch...we'll be in." Meredith replied.

"Kay Mommy."

"Here." Meredith put her down, before looking at her husband.

"Walk...don't run Ava." Derek told her.

"She scares me." Meredith groaned.

"I wish she could just be a kid."

"She is...right now."

"I'll get her food."

"Okay." Meredith sighed/

"Why don't you lie down for a little bit...get some rest." Derek suggested to her.

"I actually need to go and unpack some of the kid's things."

"You take it easy too, okay?"

"Okay." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious." Derek laughed.

"Got it." Meredith pulled away.

"I'll be back soon."

"Me too." Meredith replied, walking up the stairs. She needed to unpack the rest of the children's things because this needed to be their normal and life wouldn't be normal if they were living out of boxes and suitcases. Derek's mom was wonderful and right now that was what kept her going. Knowing that amongst all this worry, they had help. They weren't going to be alone.