Derek was staring at the computer screen when the door to his office opened. He sighed when he saw his ex-wife. Only Addison would march into his office without knocking first.

"Hi Derek, how are you?" Addie was concerned that Derek looked despondent. He looked like he hadn't slept for days.

"Very worried. The doctor is trying a new medication to get Chrissy into remission. And I'm here, 3000 miles away. And my mom is in Seattle. She felt compelled to come help even if or maybe because I wasn't going to be there."

"Are you worried about your mom being alone with Meredith?" Addie was amused. Carolyn Shepherd was formidable; none of her children could ever deny her anything she wanted.

"Sure. Meredith had a terrible relationship with her mother, so she thinks that mothers are scary. When my mom first came into Chrissy's hospital room, Meredith jumped up and left."

"Don't worry about your mom. I'm sure your mom already likes Meredith better than she liked me. She always thought I was a spoiled rich girl. Meredith was never spoiled, and she has a very sick daughter. I'm sure your mom sympathizes with her; she knows what it's like to lose someone she loves, and she adores all five of you. And I'm sure she loves Chrissy; she kept nagging us about giving her Shepherd grandchildren, so she must be thrilled to have finally have one."

"She adores Chrissy. She kept telling her story after story about me as a boy. Somehow I don't think I was as mischievous as she says." Derek said with a wistful smile.

"As long as I've known you, you've tried to do the right thing." Addie said softly, thinking of how Derek chose her when his heart belonged to Meredith. "But maybe she's exaggerating for Chrissy's enjoyment. Anyway, what's your game plan?"

"I'm going to take family and medical leave, starting by working three or four days a week for the next three weeks and being in Seattle when I'm not working. I'm trying to get four surgeries moved to Seattle, so I can have more time there. The patients are from the West Coast, so it should be better for them. I'll stay in Seattle for next three months, if all goes well, and then we'll see."

"Sounds like a great plan. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes. I've been working on an email to the staff to explain my leave, and I'm stuck. I feel like I was an awful husband to you, and I don't want to embarrass you. Could you take a look at it and let me know if it is okay with you?"

"No problem." Addie smiled. This was something she could handle. She had long forgiven Derek for his affair with Meredith.

She went to stand by him and read the computer screen:

I have been very impressed by the overwhelming response to my request for bone marrow donors. So far, more than 3,500 employees have been tested, and we've found matches for seven people, including Baby Grace.

I was surprised to learn both that I am a match for Baby Grace and that I am her dad. Her name is Christina Grey Shepherd, but we call her Chrissy. While it might been easier if I had been asked directly for the donation, this drive has helped six other people and over time may help many more.

The doctors are still working at bringing Chrissy into remission; her cancer has proven difficult to treat and several different regimens have not worked. Our hope is that the newest treatment will work, and she'll be able to undergo the bone marrow transplant in two or three months.

I will be taking family and medical leave to spend as much time as possible with Chrissy. I will be here at least Monday through Wednesday for the two weeks, and maybe a third week and then I'll be in Seattle. The Chair of the Board will announce an interim chief shortly.

I've attached two photos of Chrissy, one with me and one with her "Joy Jar" and her new friend, Carmen Avila. Carmen is a teen cancer survivor, and she brought Chrissy a "Joy Jar" containing books, toys, hats, and socks from the Jessie Rees Foundation with the slogan NEGU, Never Ever Give Up. Chrissy was thrilled to get the Joy Jar and told us she wants to give out Joy Jars when she's better. We're not going to give up until she's beaten leukemia.

I would greatly appreciate your prayers for Chrissy and others who are battling cancer. Some have asked me about sending gifts, but Chrissy has all the material goods she needs. Cards would be welcome; you can send them to her at Seattle Grace. If you still want to give a gift, please give a contribution to the Jessie Rees Foundation or the charity of your choice. Thank you very much for your support.

"Derek, that email is great. I wouldn't change a word. And I'll send a reply, just to let everyone know that you, Meredith and Chrissy have my best wishes."

Derek looked into her eyes and saw she was sincere. "That's awfully nice of you, given that she is my adulterous love child."

"Derek," Addie said gently, "I came to terms with the death of our marriage before we got divorced. I'm now happily remarried, and I'm pregnant. There's no room in my life for bitterness."

Derek looked at her with wonder, "Did you just say pregnant?" He looked again at her carefully. "How far along are you?"

"Just eight weeks. No real baby bump yet," she said with a smile.

"Addie, I'm so excited for you." Derek got up and gave her a big hug. "This is wonderful."

"I'm glad you can be happy for me. Just let me know if there's ever anything I can do for you."

"Okay."

"Also, I have one suggestion."

"What is it?"

"As an ob-gyn, I get a lot of questions about fertility after cancer treatment. I know Chrissy's just a little girl, but it would probably be a good idea to freeze some of her ovarian tissue. It's still experimental, and she's too young to have any eggs, but you never know what science will be able to do when she's older."

"I'll mention that to Meredith. I don't know if anyone has thought about that. We've just been focusing on getting her into remission."

"I know. That's the priority. She can always adopt, anyway."

"Yes, at this point, I just want to her to be alive."

"I know," Addie said softly. "But I'm sure that the medical staff at Seattle Grace is going to do everything humanly possibly for Chrissy."

"I know, but still children die from leukemia every day, even with the very best medical care."

"Derek, think positively."

"I need to be positive when I'm there, with Chrissy and with Meredith. Here, with you, I need to be candid with you."

"That's okay, Derek. I'm happy to be here for you. But thinking about bad outcomes now isn't going to help anyone. If things get worse, we can cross that bridge when we come to it. And I'll be with you, Derek. I may not be your wife, but I'll always love you, more like a brother now."

"That's good. I love you too, some days more than my own sisters, especially Nancy. You know she still hasn't given up on a DNA test. She called me this morning to ask me about it."

"Look, she knows that you're investing your heart and soul into Chrissy, and there is a possibility your heart could be broken."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about bad outcomes."

"We know that Chrissy's your daughter, but you can't really blame her for wanting certainty, can you?"

"I can blame her for doubting me, and I'll blame her if this gets back to Meredith. Besides, Meredith gave me a photo album, and Chrissy looks so much like me."

"Meredith knows you don't doubt her. You're taking three months leave to spend with Chrissy. You wouldn't do that unless you were sure she was your daughter. So don't worry about Nancy. Kathy, Lizzie, and Amy are all behind you."

"And Addie, Meredith was going to invite us both to Chrissy's third birthday party, but then Chrissy got sick. She says she didn't tell us at first about Chrissy because she wanted our marriage to have a real chance. She thought you'd be a great step-mom. I have the invitation if you're interested."

"That's okay, Derek. I'm glad to know she thought I'd be a kick-ass step-mom. You can tell her that I will make a great aunt. And you can be an uncle for my baby."

"Sounds like a plan, Addie," Derek said with a smile.

Fifteen minutes after returning to her office, Addison noted that she'd gotten Derek's email. She immediately hit reply all and wrote, "Derek, you should be proud that the Baby Grace bone marrow drive has already provided seven matches, including Chrissy's. I am praying for Chrissy, and I send my best wishes to Chrissy's mom, Dr. Meredith Grey, who is a wonderful doctor and a delightful person, as well as to you and Chrissy.

I have also given a $5,000 contribution to the Jessie Rees Foundation in Chrissy's name. I hope that someday soon she'll come to Mount Sinai to give out Joy Jars. And then I'll take her on a shopping spree. Tell her Aunt Addie sends her love."

Within a minute, Derek hit reply all and had responded. "Thank you so much, Addie. You are a wonderful doctor and a delightful and forgiving person."

Meanwhile, back in Seattle, Meredith watched as Carolyn Shepherd tried to coax Chrissy to eat. Yesterday, Chrissy had eaten some of the broth that Carolyn had made and two cups of pudding that Izzie had made as well as a bit from the hospital meals but today, after starting anew round of chemo; Chrissy had refused to eat anything. Carolyn was being very patient with Chrissy, but Chrissy kept telling her that her tummy hurt, and she couldn't eat anything.

"Carolyn, I think we're going to have to rely on the i.v. for nutrition today," said Meredith. Carolyn looked at her, clearly concerned about Chrissy's refusal to eat. "And I'll call Dr. Blakely. He wanted Chrissy to gain weight, and I think she's lost a few pounds in the past week."

"That's a good idea," said Carolyn, pleased that Meredith was going to take some action.

Meredith paged Dr. Blakely. There were advantages to having her daughter treated in the hospital that she worked in, or had worked in until her daughter became ill. She indicated that it was a 411, so he would know it was not an emergency. She didn't want to abuse her status. But within fifteen minutes, Dr. Barkley showed up. "Hi Chrissy, Meredith, what's up?"

"Dr. Barkley, first, let me introduce you to Chrissy's grandmother, Carolyn Shepherd."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Shepherd."

"Nice to meet you. I've heard great things about you from my son and from Meredith," said Carolyn.

"Thanks."

"Dr. Barkley, I'm very concerned that Chrissy has been continuing to lose weight. I think she's lost another three pounds since she started the new medicine. She was able to eat over the weekend, when she was on break from the medication, but today she hasn't been able to eat anything at all. And Carolyn had made her a delicious chicken broth."

"The new medication is very powerful, so this is pretty normal. But I'll do a blood draw and see how it's working. And I'll have her use an IV for nutrition today." He drew Chrissy's blood and then told Meredith he'd have some results in a couple of hours.

"Okay. Chrissy says her tummy hurts."

"We can give her some more pain medicine, but that will likely increase her constipation. I know this is rough for all of you. I will leave a prn prescription for some motrin. I don't want to use anything stronger at the moment. I'll come back when I know something."

"Okay. Thank you for coming so quickly," said Meredith. Her mom had always told her to be polite to medical professionals, and she was grateful for that advice. Her mom may have been a terrible mother, but she was a great doctor and knew how to help patients get the best care.

"You're welcome. You know I'll do anything I can for Chrissy."

"I know," said Meredith. "I really appreciate your help."

Carolyn observed the interactions quietly, but after the doctor left, she turned to Meredith and said, "I'm very impressed by how responsive the doctor was."

"There are advantages in being in the hospital where I work," said Meredith. "I had researched all the hospitals, and I thought that Chrissy would get terrific treatment here. I would have gone anywhere for her, but this is best for her."

"You're a very devoted mother." In the two days since she arrived, Carolyn had been impressed with Meredith's dedication to Chrissy. She just felt that her knowledge of Meredith was very one-dimensional, Meredith as mother. Of course, she really wanted to know more about what Meredith thought of her son. She knew her son was interested in Meredith, but she was not sure if Meredith felt the same way.

"Thanks for the kind words. I have a terrific little girl. Chrissy, you are wonderful!" said Meredith, turning to her daughter.

"I love you, Mommy. I also love you, Grandma. Can you tell me more stories about Daddy?"

"Yes. Daddy liked to play hide and seek with Aunt Amy. He would tell her to go hide and then he would go read in his room. He would read for half an hour and then he would find her. She always thought she was a great hider; she didn't realize that he wasn't looking for her until she was seven."

Meredith, like Chrissy, loved listening to Carolyn's stories about Derek's childhood even though she knew that her stories were probably exaggerated for Chrissy's benefit.

"Mommy, can I have a brother and a sister?"

"What?"

"It sounds like fun to have brothers and sisters. I'd like a brother and a sister."

Meredith was surprised at the request; it never occurred to her that these stories would lead to such a request from her daughter. "Sweetheart, maybe someday you can have a brother or a sister."

"I want one now," Chrissy said. "Babies are no fun to play with, so it will take a long time before I can play with the brother or sister."

"You're right about that, but it isn't always easy to have a baby."

"You had me, Mommy. You can have another baby."

"Not right now, sweetheart." Meredith recalled Derek's offer to make another baby. Now two people were after her to have another baby. She snuck a glance at Carolyn, who seemed to be enjoying the conversation. She She guessed that Carolyn would enjoy more grandchildren. But she loved the fact that Chrissy was conceived in love, and being a single parent was tough; she had vowed that she would only have another child if she were married. Anyway, right now, she couldn't imagine having another baby; she could only focus on Chrissy.

Carolyn had loved thinking about more Shepherd grandchildren; Derek had always talked about having a large family, like the one he grew up in, but she knew it was premature to talk about having more children before Derek and Meredith had even started dating again. She decided it was time she stepped in to help Meredith. "You have fifteen first cousins on your daddy's side, and they range in age from babies to college students. Cousins can be fun to play with. Would you like me to ask your aunts if your cousins can Skype with you? That way you can meet them and maybe even play some games together."

"Sure."