Hey cats and kittens, super sorry for the slow update! I got sucked into a different muse, and I'm not so good at multitasking. :3 But I'm getting back into this groove, and will be updating a longer chapter again soon! 3

Derek doesn't like hospitals.

He doesn't like the way they smell, the way the solemn-faced people bustle through the halls, and he definitely doesn't like the fact that someone in Ivy's family is here.

She'd been so still on the car ride over, never looking at him as she'd clutched his hand in an iron grip.

She hadn't told him who was in the hospital, but judging from the deeply furrowed brow and the bitten lips, he'd guessed it was someone important.

Now she's tapping her foot impatiently in the elevator, Derek doesn't know what to say.

He doesn't even know why they're here.

The doors open with a quiet ding, he sighs in relief.

Ivy walks quickly through the hall, pulling Derek along with her, she stops at the nurse's station.

"I'm here for Henry Davis." Ivy says to the nurse, Derek doesn't recognize the name.

"Are you family?"

"I'm his daughter."

The nurse leads them further down the hall, Derek tries to hide his surprise.

Ivy's never talked about her father before.

Then again, he's never asked.

It just never came up.

For some reason he feels guilty.

Ivy stifles a sigh when she reaches her father's room.

Leigh had been very brief on the phone, giving her the name of the hospital where she and Henry were, but that had been it.

Ivy had been expecting the worst.

Blood and guts and tears and dying.

She figures she's been watching too much of Grey's Anatomy.

Instead, she's greeted by a quiet room, her tall and graying father sleeping in a hospital bed, her gigantic star of a mother sitting small in an uncomfortable chair beside him.

Leigh stands when she sees her daughter, walking to the door and closing it behind her as she steps out.

She's trembling as she hugs Ivy.

"Mom, are you ok? What's going on?" Ivy asks, pulling away to study her mom's features.

Leigh's eyes are red as she smiles, it's a bit too watery to be reassuring.

"This morning your father suffered a heart attack. The doctors managed to fix things, but they're keeping him here for observation, or something like that. They speak in such fast medical jargon." She mutters the last part under her breath in frustration, but she smiles again when she sees Ivy's worried look.

The smile is more of a tired wince.

"I'll get you both coffee." Derek says.

Ivy almost jumps, she'd forgotten he was there.

"Thanks." She says, he squeezes her hand once comfortingly before wandering off.

"You never answered my first question," Ivy says once Derek's out of hearing range. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Again with the fleeting smile.

Ivy's look is more than skeptical.

"Mom, you're a great actress, but not that great."

Leigh sighs, it's as if she's aged years overnight.

Gone is the facade of perfection, for once she looks like a normal person.

A tired person.

"I'm sorry about last night." She says, evading the question.

"Don't apologize, I was emotional and stressed." Ivy says, waving her hand dismissively. She turns to the window, staring at her father.

"How's he doing?" Leigh turns to the window as well, her breath hitching once before steadying.

"He's ok, I guess. Pretty sleepy, but he woke up once to ask for water. He had some trouble swallowing, and the doctor said-" Leigh claps a hand over her mouth, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.

Ivy holds her free hand, ignoring how it shakes in hers.

"The doctor said if he continues to have trouble swallowing, he'll have to have a tube inserted into his stomach." Ivy gasps in horror.

"But wouldn't that make complications for him in the future? Wouldn't there be risk in moving around? And what about infection-"

"Would you rather have him starve, or choke to death?" Leigh says darkly.

Ivy bites her lip, willing whatever emotion that's tightening her throat to go away.

"Sorry." Leigh whispers.

This time it's Ivy who closes her eyes.

"It's okay."

Derek comes back with coffee, Ivy kisses him on the cheek in gratitude.

He's brought her mint tea with two sugars, her favorite.

"Sorry luv, but we're late for rehearsal. I can call-"

"Go to rehearsal," Leigh says. "There shouldn't be much change for a while. I'll call you later."

Ivy nods, understanding her mother's need for peace right now.

That's not something Ivy can give her.

"Is there anything I can do?" She asks, hating this feeling of helplessness.

"Let Linda know I won't be performing in Bombshell for a little while. My understudy should be ecstatic." Leigh jokes, trying to lighten the mood.

Her efforts fall flat.

"Sure." Leigh turns to walk back into the room.

"Mom, you going to be ok?"

"Of course." She says, never turning around. "The show must go on."

It's hard to focus on choreography when your pregnant girlfriend's dad is in the hospital, Derek finds.

Ivy's distracted too, and it shows.

Derek swears Tom's going to have a heart attack.

"Derek, what's wrong? You seem tense." Karen asks, leaning against the table next to him.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine." He says, watching Ivy.

The blonde beauty is talking to Lyle, laughing for the first time today.

He's happy to see her distracted, but he wishes it wasn't Lyle who's distracting her.

"You don't look fine. You look...messy. Like, even more so than usual."

"Long day."

"It's barely lunch time."

Derek rubs his face, the stubble of his unshaven chin is scratchy to touch.

"Ivy's looking pretty rough today too..." Karen hums in thought. "Were you two late today because you had a morning...private lesson?" She whispers the last part, her hand cupping her mouth as if it keeps the word private.

"What? No." Derek says forcefully, Karen shrugs.

"It's not a big deal, although Tom would probably flip." She mutters.

"That is not what happened this morning." Derek hisses, she holds up her hands in defense.

"Someone's grouchy today." She comments, walking away in a huff.

He groans, wishing today was over.

But it's not, so he stands and walks over to the dancers, correcting their mistakes.

The show must go on.

Ivy's exhausted, halfway through the first half of Bombshell and she's ready to call it a night.

She's not sure if the tears in her finale are from acting, emotion, or bone aching tiredness, but the applause is louder than ever.

She smiles, it's brilliant and blinding.

Her head is pounding.

Derek is waiting for her after the show, his arms warm around her in the taxi ride home.

She falls asleep, her head on his shoulder.

She wakes up still in his arms, he's cradling her as he walks up the stairs.

"You could have woken me up." She mumbles into his neck.

"I tried." He teases, he can feel her smile.

It's tiny, but sincere.

"Sorry."

"Not a problem, except I can't open the door."

She smiles wider, it tickles.

Her hand reaches out, turning the doorknob.

He carries her all the way to bed, she's glad she'd changed into comfier clothes earlier, she's too tired to put on pajamas.

She's dozing when Derek slips in next to her.

He says nothing as their bodies curl together, simply letting her mold his body to fit hers better.

Her sigh of contentment makes the elbowing and shoving worth it.

It's silent except for soft breaths.

"Derek?" Ivy says quietly. "What if-"

"Shhh. Hush luv, don't think about it tonight. Sleep."

So she does.

He joins her in the unconscious bliss.

They sleep and the weary world spins on.