"Just one more bite, Aves." Derek held the spoon of applesauce up to his daughter's mouth as he sat next to her in her hospital bed. Ava had gained enough strength that she no longer had to be sedated, her fever was lower and each day she was gaining strength and getting better from the pneumonia. They still weren't sure how long she had to stay in the hospital because her body had become so weak

from the chemo and the pneumonia but it was just nice to see her awake and having a little bit of energy.

"Then can we play?" Ava asked, opening her mouth.

"For a little while." Derek told her.

"Derek...use the cloth to wipe her top." Meredith pointed, as she folded some of Ava's clothes. "She has applesauce on her tank top."

"I want to play dolls with Mommy." Ava said as Derek wiped up the apple sauce.

"We can play dolls." Meredith leaned over, kissing her cheek.

"Do you want anymore?" Derek asked, holding the bowl of food.

"No more." Ava stretched.

"Okay..." He sighed.

"She's done good really well." Meredith sat a bag of dolls on the bed. "Good girl."

"Maybe we'll have some soup or something later." Derek kissed Ava's head.

"Pudding?" Ava looked up as Meredith wiped her mouth off.

"Pudding isn't soup." Derek laughed.

"But it's yummy."

"You can have pudding after soup."

"Please." Ava smiled innocently before coughing.

"You got it." Derek rubbed her back.

"You ate almost all of your applesauce." Meredith said proudly, sitting down on the bed.

"Can we play now?" Ava asked.

"Yes sweetie." Meredith breathed.

"Kay." Ava pulled out her favorite doll.

"What is your doll's name?" Meredith asked, taking out another doll, one smaller than the one Ava was holding.

"Um..." Ava looked up at Meredith. "Jessica."

"That's a pretty name." Meredith replied, handing Ava a brush for her doll.

"And this is her best friend." She pointed to the doll Meredith was holding.

"What is her best friend's name?" Meredith said as Derek sat down behind her.

"Sarah."

"Sarah and Jessica." Meredith giggled.

"But Mommy..."

"What baby?" Meredith breathed as Derek kissed her shoulder.

"Sarah has leukemia."

"Oh..."

"Like me."

"Ava..." Derek breathed.

"Sarah will get better too." Meredith smiled weakly.

"Yeah!" Ava nodded. "Like me."

"That's right." Meredith nodded, looking up at her husband.

"Just like you." Derek smiled weakly, his hand on Meredith's back.

"She's gotta get medicine too!" Ava pointed out. "She needs a line too Daddy!"

"I think she has a little one that you can't see."

"Like magic?" Ava asked as Meredith slid Ava onto her lap.

"Right." He nodded.

"Ava in a little while we have to work on handwriting." Meredith added. "We haven't done any schooling all week."

"I don't wanna."

"Or we can do counting." Meredith replied.

"No."

"Why not?" Meredith frowned.

"It's no fun."

"Does it help if I brought crayons and markers?"

"Maybe."

"I thought so." Meredith giggled.

"Did you bring the pink markers?"

"I did." Meredith kissed her head again. "But we can do that later."

"Ava I bet Arizona will be here soon...she'll probably have stickers for you."

"Yeah?" Ava looked up at Derek.

"Yeah." Derek nodded.

"I want a sticker." Ava crawled over to Derek.

"You'll get one." He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sleepy." Ava yawned.

"You can take a nap."

"No." Ava shook her head.

"But you're tired."

"But I don't wanna nap."

"What do you want to do?" Derek asked.

"Cuddle time!" Ava clutched her baby doll close to her heart.

"Oh okay." He laughed.

"With you and Mommy." Ava giggled.

"We can cuddle."

"Kay." Ava giggled.

"Do you want some water?"

"Juice!"

"Here." Meredith handed her a purple sippy cup, before laying back on the bed.

"Good girl." Derek smiled.

"Come on Ava." Meredith breathed.

"Ava, we have to start making your Christmas list." Derek said as they laid back on the bed with her.

"And we gotta make a map." Ava replied, cuddling into her father's side.

"A map?"

"So Santa can find us"

"Oh yeah." Derek laughed.

"Santa knows where you are." Meredith breathed, cuddling closer to them.

"What do you want this year?" Derek asked.

"American Doll...a kitchen..."

"A kitchen?"

"Like the one in the commercial...with the pretend cupcakes!" Ava gasped.

"And other play food?" Meredith giggled.

"Yeah!"

"What else?" Meredith asked.

"Um..."

"What else Miss. Ava?" Meredith breathed, looking up at Derek.

"Make up!"

"Make up?" Derek laughed. "You're only five."

"But Mommy wears makeup."

"Not everyday." Meredith replied.

"I'll ask Santa for it." Ava said.

"You can ask Santa for pretend makeup." Meredith suggested.

"And I want a Jeep."

"A jeep?" Meredith laughed.

"Not a real one Mommy. I can't drive yet."

"Oh okay." Meredith cuddled Ava close, before lifting her head to kiss Derek.

"Hmm..." Derek smiled against her lips.

"Now kisses for Ava." Meredith laughed.

"Yeah. Kisses for me." Ava smiled.

"Muah." Meredith kissed Ava's cheek.

"Love you Ava." Derek smiled, kissing her other cheek.

"Daddy I..." Ava burst into another coughing fit.

"It's okay...try to take deep breaths." He rubbed her back.

"It's normal for the cough to stick around." Arizona announced as she walked in, holding a chart close to her chest.

"Do you have stickers?" Ava sat up.

"Ava..." Meredith sighed.

"I do." Arizona laughed, reaching into her pocket.

"Thank you!"

"You are very welcome." Arizona, walked over, putting her stethoscope around her. "Alright Aves...can I have a listen?"

"Deep breaths?" Ava asked.

"That's right" Arizona chuckled, putting the stethoscope to her chest.

"I noticed she has a lot more color in her skin today." Meredith sat up.

"She does." Arizona nodded, listening to Ava's lungs.

"She's been having more coughing fits." Meredith added.

"Well that's to be expected with the pneumonia."

"And she ate her applesauce." Meredith smiled weakly. "Or...most of it."

"That's excellent." Arizona smiled, pulling the stethoscope away.

"I wanna go home." Ava said quietly.

"I know sweetie" Arizona made a note in Ava's chart.

"How does she sound?" Derek asked.

"Better and it's good she gets these bursts of energy but she's not quite where she needs to be. Her chart says she had a fever again this morning."

"I'm all better." Ava interrupted.

"Ava let Arizona talk." Meredith breathed, wishing Arizona would tell her they could take Ava home soon.

"I'd like to see her be fever free for at least twenty four hours before I send her home."

"And her weight?"

'That's another concern." Arizona sighed.

"Oh." Meredith breathed as Derek put a hand on her shoulder.

"She is underweight for her height and age but that's not unusual with the chemo and now the pneumonia."

"She was wearing a five before she got sick...now she's in a 3t to 4t."

"The more you can get her to eat, the better." Arizona told them. "There is a chance that if her eating does not improve and her weight continues to go down, we'll have to insert a feeding tube."

"Through her nose. Meredith breathed.

"What?" Ava gasped.

"Don't worry about that right now." Arizona put her hand over Ava's.

"That means you have to eat all of your soup later." Derek told Ava.

"Pudding." Ava groaned.

"Pudding is good too." Arizona chuckled. "I just want to see her eat."

"We'll do what we can." Meredith nodded.

"What about her being discharged?" Derek asked.

"We'll consider it at the end of the week." Arizona replied.

"Okay." He sighed.

"You have eight days until Thanksgiving so let's cross our fingers." Arizona smiled.

"I have to go home to eat lots of Turkey!" Ava shouted.

"Ava...remember. Indoor voice." Derek reminded her, before looking back to Arizona. "And the next round of chemo?"

"If she goes home for Thanksgiving then we'll start it the next day." Arizona sighed. "If we determine closer to Thanksgiving that she won't be able to go home then we'll start before then."

"No!" Ava yelled.

"Ava." Meredith sighed as her daughter jumped into her arms.

"I don't want to stay here." Ava buried her head in Meredith's shoulders and started to cry.

"I know..." Meredith rubbed her back.

"It's okay, Ava. I promise we'll take good care of you." Arizona patted her back.

"I bet you could have an extra pudding cup." Derek told Ava.

"I don't wanna be here anymore." Ava groaned, throwing her sippy cup on the floor.

"Ava Sophia...no throwing."

"I wanna go home." Ava screamed.

"Ava." Meredith breathed as their little girl reached towards her IV and began to pull. "No Ava..."

"Hey...Hey Ava." Derek handed Ava her favorite doll.

"No!" Ava threw the doll, before hiding her face again.

"I'll be back to check on you guys later." Arizona told Derek, patted his shoulder before leaving.

"Ava Sophia." Meredith sighed.

"I want to go home now!"

"We can't do that Ava." Derek sighed.

"But I wanna." Ava sobbed.

"I know pumpkin." He took Ava into his arms. "But we can't right now. It's not good for you."

"I don't want you to leave me."

"We won't...we've been here almost every day...except for when Aunt Lexie stayed with you." Meredith replied, speaking of the one night they had to be home with Zola who had tooth coming in. "And we're going to stay with you."

"I'm going to be sick for turkey...and you're going to leave me." Ava cried.

"No sweetie."

"We're not going anywhere, Aves."

"Do you want to cuddle with us again?" Meredith breathed, trying not to think about the sadness in her child's voice. "You really like it."

"No!"

"Okay..." Meredith reached for her little girl.

"No!" Ava screamed.

"Ava..." Derek frowned.

"Daddy..." Ava coughed.

"I promise you I won't leave you Ava. Ever." He whispered, kissing her cheek.

"Ava you have to calm down...you're going to make yourself sick."

"I want to go home." Ava hiccupped.

"I know." Derek sat down and took her in his lap, gently rocking her back and forth.

"Ava...what will make you feel better?" Meredith whispered.

"My monkey..."

"Okay..." Meredith nodded, getting up and walking over to a Dora suitcase. "I have your monkey."

"Do you want to lie down with your monkey and I'll go get you some chocolate pudding?" Derek offered her.

"Yeah." Ava coughed, crawling over to her mother.

"Okay. I'll be right back." Derek kissed her cheek.

"We'll be here." Meredith sighed.

"Lots of chocolate pudding...coming up..." Derek left Ava's room and closed the door. He stood outside for a few minutes, watching through the window as Meredith tried to comfort Ava. His little girl had never been like this until she got sick and it broke his heart to see. He wanted her home for Thanksgiving with the family and home for Christmas to open presents but he didn't know now if that was going to happen.