Derek opened the door and looked at Meredith reading to Chrissy. He had wound up sleeping in an on-call room; he didn't want to intrude once he saw Meredith climb into bed with Chrissy. He had gone to get breakfast at Joe's and had gotten a coffee for Meredith. He gave Meredith the coffee, and he looked at Chrissy and gave her a package. "I brought you a present. It's an IPAD, so we can have video chats while I'm in New York."

Chrissy looked at the IPAD.

"Chrissy, what do you say?" prompted her mother.

"Thank you, daddy. I always wanted an IPAD."

"It's a very generous gift," said Meredith.

"I just wanted to be able to see Chrissy every day while I'm gone," he said. He thought it was the least he could do and not particularly generous, particularly given his income and the fact that he hadn't paid anything at all for more than three years. But then again, he hadn't been asked for anything. However, he decided it was better to keep his mouth shut on the topic.

"Do you have to leave, Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetheart," he said. "I'm Chief of Surgery at a hospital in New York, just like your Uncle Richard. I'm going to take a big vacation so I can spend time with you, but first I have to do some surgeries and some other things. I'll be back Friday, sweetheart, and I'll call you every night, starting tomorrow, and I'll read you a bedtime story every night."

"Okay. Before I was sick, Mommy did surgeries."

"I know, sweetheart. When I lived in Seattle, Mommy and I sometimes did surgeries together."

"When I'm better, can you do surgeries with Mommy again?"

Derek looked at Meredith, who nodded. "Maybe. I liked doing surgeries with your Mommy. She's a great surgeon."

"I'm only a resident, Derek."

"But you're one of the best, I'm sure."

"Aunt Tina says she's the best, but Mommy is second best."

Derek looked at Meredith. He knew Cristina was competitive, but this seemed to him to cross a line. Meredith chuckled. "Sweetheart, Aunt Cristina is definitely special."

After hearing a knock, Meredith said, "Come in," and Carolyn Shepherd entered bearing a thermos and a Rubbermaid plastic container.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but I made Chrissy some broth and Meredith some lasagna. And I didn't want to intrude on your last couple of hours here today, Derek." She gave both containers to Meredith.

"That's fine, Mom."

"Chrissy, do you want to try this nice broth that Grandma made for you?"

"I'm not hungry now, Mommy."

"Okay. How about you eat the broth after Grandma and Daddy go to the airport?"

"Sure."

"Derek," said Carolyn, "We should probably get going in a few minutes.

"Okay. I'm going to read Chrissy one last story before I go. How about Stellaluna?"

"I love Stellaluna! That would be great."

Meredith and Carolyn quietly watched Derek read Chrissy the story. When he was finished, he said, "Okay, Chrissy, Daddy has to go get his plane. So I'm going to give you a kiss and a big hug, and I'll be back on Friday." He kissed Chrissy's forehead and gave her a big hug. He was troubled that she seemed even less substantial than the first time he hugged her earlier in the week; this new round of chemo had really hurt her appetite and made it hard for her to keep down the small amount of food she ingested. He hoped his Mom's special broth would help. He was glad that his mother was here to help while he was going to be away even though he was still worried about leaving her alone with Meredith.

"Daddy, you should give Mommy a hug and a kiss, too, before you leave."

Derek looked at Chrissy for a moment. He hadn't touched Meredith once in the entire time he'd been in Seattle. He then looked Meredith in the eyes. She smiled at him and nodded; he realized that she was unable to deny their daughter her request. Meredith stood up, and he went over and kissed her forehead and she leaned into him for a quick hug. He felt a jolt after he touched her.

Meredith noticed that Chrissy had a big smile on her face when she saw her parents hug. She realized that Chrissy would be a dangerous matchmaker. It had always been hard for her to say no to Chrissy; she remembered all the times her own mother had told her no, and she had vowed to be a different kind of mother. But she also knew that it was important not to spoil Chrissy, and she didn't want her daughter to have unrealistic expectations. Yet, she had felt a jolt when Derek touched her, and she wondered if there was a chance for them. But she quickly told herself that she had to focus on Chrissy now, and drama between her parents was not something she needed. So she sat down again, and said, "Have a good trip, Derek. Chrissy looks forward to your call tomorrow."

"I'll text you when I land. Let me know if anything comes up."

"No problem."

Derek took one last look at Chrissy and then at Meredith and left the room with his mother. He saw Bailey talking to a nurse in the hall, and he stopped, giving her a chance to finish her instructions. Once the nurse left, Bailey turned to him and said," What's up, Derek?"

"I'm going back to NY today, but I'll be back on Friday. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help Chrissy or Meredith."

"I think we just have to hope and pray that she goes into remission soon. Your bone marrow donation has given us all a lot of hope. But if I have any other ideas, I'll give you a call."

"Okay," said Derek, and he headed out of the hospital with his mother, hoping that Chrissy would be in better shape when he returned.