After spending all day Monday in surgery, Derek was puzzled by a page to Tom Gilmore's office. He was a bit apprehensive; his leave had been approved, so he was concerned that the hospital's medical director wanted to speak with him.

"Come in, Derek. Thanks for coming. I wanted to chat with you a bit before you went on leave. Have a seat."

Derek sat down. "Tom, I really appreciate getting approval for my leave."

"No problem. I spoke last week with Dr. Webber."

Derek was very curious now.

"Anyway, we both think that it's a waste for one of the top neurosurgeons in the country to be out of pocket for four months."

"I need to spend time with my daughter, Tom."

"I know that. But I understand that her treatment will take at least six months, not four, if not longer. Richard mentioned that your mom is out there to help, so you have some back up. And your daughter has a mother who can help. So what Richard and I have worked out is that for any day that you do surgery, or consult, or even if you're just doing a post-op or pre-op review, I'll extend your leave. That way you'll get more time in Seattle with your daughter. And Richard and I will work out the finances, so both hospitals benefit. And I'll be able to send you some of the tough cases that you'd be doing here if you weren't on leave. Does that work for you?"

Derek smiled. The more time in Seattle the better, so he was glad that Richard and Tom had worked a deal out. "It could work, but I don't want to do any work while Chrissy's in the hospital, if at all possible. There should be plenty of time when she's home recuperating, if all goes well. I could also work for a bit when she's in remission, before the bone marrow transplant."

"That's fine, Derek. Also, Richard spoke glowingly about your daughter's mother, Dr. Grey. He says she's one of their best residents."

"I'm sure she is," said Derek, wondering where this was going.

"I just want you to know that there's a job here for her." Derek looked puzzled.

"Derek, I have four children, and I can only imagine what it's like to have a sick child. My guess is that you'll be tempted to live in the same city as your daughter. So I'm letting you know that there's a job here for your daughter's mother, so you can all live in New York."

"That's amazing," said Derek, "but, to be honest, I don't know if Meredith would want to leave her support system in Seattle."

"That may be true. What I'd like to do is check in within you in three months to see how things are going. It may be that you will decide to stay in Seattle." Derek looked Tom in the eyes. "I'm a dad, Derek, and that's what I would probably do in the same circumstance. I'd rather have you here, and I'll do anything, at least within reason, to make that work. But if it's not going to work, I need to hire a new chief of surgery and a new neurosurgeon. And this wouldn't impact your leave at all."

"That's a good plan," said Derek. "I should know more about Chrissy's health by then."

"I'm hoping she's going to be okay. Webber said that Seattle Grace was doing everything possible for her."

"I'm sure he is, but even the best medical team can't always defeat cancer."

"I know. Anyway, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I'll schedule a phone call for a status report in three months, and we'll see where we are then. Hopefully, your daughter will be well on the road to recovery, and you will have persuaded her mother that New York is the best city in the world. And once Meredith knows Carolyn Shepherd, being close to Carolyn may be a big draw."

"Sounds like a plan," said Derek. "Thank you again for your help."

"Glad to help. My best wishes for your daughter."

"Thanks."

Tuesday was another long day of surgeries. Fortunately, all the surgeries were successful, and he had a great resident who would be able to follow up the cases. Derek was wrapping up his post-op notes and starting to pack a few things when he heard a knock at the door. He lifted his eyes up and saw Addie at the door.

"Come in, Addie."

"I saw you were done with your surgeries. How about dinner after you finish the post-op notes? We can have a nice dinner before you leave. I can make a reservation at Pascalou at 8."

Derek smiled. "I can't pass up an opportunity to eat at Pascalou. I should be done by 8."

"Great. Want to walk over together?"

"Sure." Derek turned to his post-ops and completed his notes. He Skyped with Chrissy. He then packed up the things he needed for his stay in Seattle. He stopped by Addie's office to pick her up, and they walked over to the restaurant together.

"Is Jake joining us?" asked Derek.

"No, he's at a conference in New Orleans this week. So he's getting plenty of good food."

"I love New Orleans."

"Me, too. I'd go, but I'm saving up vacation days for maternity leave."

"How's the pregnancy going?"

"Great. Everything's going well. Nancy's my ob."

"Lucky you."

"I am lucky. She's a great doctor, just like her siblings."

"That's sweet."

"I never questioned that you are a fabulous doctor."

"So are you. By the way, I followed upon your advice about Chrissy. Meredith told me that she's already frozen some ovarian tissue." Derek remembered his conversation with Meredith.

They were sitting in the cafeteria eating dinner. Carolyn had made some eggplant parmesan, and they had also gotten some salads as well as some beverages.

Derek was nervous about mentioning anything related to Addison. "So Meredith, I was wondering if you had given any thought to how chemo might affect Chrissy in the future."

Meredith looked into Derek's eyes. "Let me guess, you've been talking to Addison."

"I plead guilty. We do work together in New York, and we've stayed friends."

"I have nothing against her. It's not her fault you forgot to tell me you were married. And she's a great doctor."

Derek didn't know what to say.

"And Derek, my guess is that she recommended freezing some of Chrissy's ovarian tissue. But I've already taken care of that."

"You have?"

"Yes. Having Chrissy was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I wanted to make sure that she had the opportunity to have children, if it was possible. Although freezing ovarian tissue is still experimental. But she could always adopt."

"That's great. I always thought Meredith would make a great doctor. She's doing a great job of looking out for her daughter."

"She said nice things about you, too. I was the one who was a jerk, not telling her I was married."

"I'm not going to disagree with you, but we don't need to go there now. I'm happily married now, so it all worked out for the best, as far as I'm concerned."

"That's great," said Derek, as he opened the door to the restaurant.

"Two for Montgomery," said Addison.

"Your table is in the back," said the waitress. She escorted them to the back. As he entered the back room, Derek heard a chorus of "Hi Dereks," and saw his four sisters at a table for six.

"Addison," Derek said.

"I thought you'd enjoy an opportunity to say good-bye to your sisters."

"It was really my idea," said Kathy. "I knew you were going to be leaving for Seattle this week, and only Addie has seen you since we learned about Chrissy. We don't know when we'll see you next, so I begged Addie to set up this dinner."

"It's nice to see you all," Derek conceded. He had missed his sisters.

"It's so weird with Mom out-of-town," said Lizzie. "I really depended on the weekly Sunday dinners to stay in touch."

"Even with Mom at home, it's been harder to do the dinners now that so many of the kids are older. So many of them have other activities," said Nancy.

"Well, since Derek's been back in New York, all of us, except for Amelia, are usually able to come, and often our spouses and many of the kids. We've missed you, Addie."

"Thanks. I've missed you, too."

"Now that you're going to Seattle, is Mom going to come back? She hasn't mentioned anything about returning," said Lizzie.

"She said she would go to Janie's graduation, but otherwise she seems committed to staying in Seattle until Chrissy's better."

"Do you have a sense of how long that will be?" asked Nancy.

"Not really," said Derek. "Chrissy has to get into remission before the bone marrow transplant. Her cancer has not yet responded to the chemo. If we're very lucky, she'll go into remission soon. Then she has at least six weeks to recover before the bone marrow transplant. And then she'll be in the hospital for at least six more weeks, and she'll be confined to her home for another six months."

"So Mom won't be coming home for nine months or more."

"If we're lucky," said Derek. He decided not to stay the obvious; that if things went badly, his mother would be able to come home much sooner. "It's really up to her. I never asked her to come, and I haven't asked her to stay. She wants to help."

"I'm sure she's been a great help," said Amelia.

"Yes, she has. She's been cooking up a storm, for Chrissy, for Meredith, and for me. She furnished my apartment. And she spends hours every day with Chrissy."

"What about Meredith?" asked Nancy.

"What do you mean?" Derek stared his sister in her eyes. "Meredith has spent most of her time in the hospital since Chrissy was diagnosed more than two months ago. She hasn't even gone home once. She's with Chrissy all night. So she naps for a few hours when Mom's with Chrissy. Otherwise, she's usually with Chrissy. Oh, and sometimes Mom watches Chrissy so I can talk to Meredith, or we can talk to the doctors. We don't talk about Chrissy's medical care in front of her. Mom thinks Meredith's a wonderful mother, and Mom has pretty high standards, as you know."

"We all know that, particularly those of us with kids," said Lizzie. "She's always giving me some pointers. She was a wonderful mom, so I don't mind."

"She is a great mom," said Derek. "Helping with Chrissy has been wonderful for me, particularly since I've had to finish up some work here and couldn't be with her much of the time."

"So now Mom can come home," said Nancy.

"I said she could, but she told me that she's planning on staying."

"Guys, the purpose of this dinner was to bid Derek a temporary farewell, not to tell him you're jealous that your mom is staying out in Seattle. And just remember, Kathy, Lizzie, and Nancy, all your children are healthy. You have nothing to be jealous about," said Addison. Lizzie and Kathy looked abashed. Nancy just smiled.

"So Amelia, how's Johns Hopkins?" asked Derek, looking to change the topic.

"It's great. I'm really loving neuroscience."

"It's really fascinating. The brain is an amazing organ."

"I agree. That's what led me to become a psychiatrist," said Kathy.

"How's your practice going, Kath?" asked Derek.

"Great."

"Derek, we didn't come to talk about our lives," said Lizzie. "We want to do something for you and Chrissy."

"That's sweet, but I don't think you can help."

"Of course we can, Derek."

"I guess that was mean. I know that Chrissy has really enjoyed talking with her cousins, and I appreciate all of you encouraging your children to call her."

"No problem," said Lizzie. "She's a really sweet girl. I've watched some of the calls, particularly those by my younger children, and the kids really enjoy her. They keep asking me when they can go to Seattle and meet her."

"That's a long ways off," said Derek. "Her oncologist has a pretty strict protocol, and he wants her to stay away from children because they often have colds and other contagious diseases. If all goes well, it will be many months before she can meet her cousins in person. But the Skype calls are great. They're really wonderful for her morale. It's been very tough on her to be confined to the hospital. And because children can be contagious, she usually doesn't see any children at all at the hospital."

"Doesn't she have friends?" asked Kathy.

"She was in the hospital daycare until she got sick, and the doctor has insisted on a very strict infection control plan."

"But Mike told me that Mark is going to see her, and he's not even family," said Nancy.

"His fiancée is Meredith's sister, and Meredith had invited them to meet Chrissy a long time ago."

"Before she was sick?" asked Nancy.

"No."

"Before you met Chrissy?"

"Why didn't you go to law school, Nancy? Your questions sound like you're examining an adverse witness. Mom said you guys were jealous of Mark, and you wanted to meet Chrissy. We're meeting with the oncologist this week, and I'll ask if any of you can come visit. And if it's okay with the doctor, then I'll check with Meredith."

"Derek, you have rights as the father," said Nancy.

"Glad to know that you now agree I'm the father. But I want to be on the same page with Meredith on visitors. Right now my plan is for me to spend time with Chrissy."

"Let's go back to my goal, helping Chrissy," said Lizzie. "If she's going to be home for weeks on end without any kids, her home will be her only playground. Do you know whether she has a swing set at her home?"

Derek thought for a moment. "No, I have no idea. I haven't been to Meredith's home in years. And there was no need for a swing set then."

"Can you find out?"

"Sure, that's easy." He pulled out his cell phone and called Izzie.

She answered after the first ring, "Derek, are you okay? Is anything wrong?"

"No, Izzie, there's no problem. I just had a question for you. Is there a swing set in the backyard at Meredith's house?"

"That's a random question."

"My sisters want to know. They're looking for something they can do for Chrissy."

"We have a Little Tykes playhouse, but we don't have a swing set."

"Thanks. Please don't tell Meredith anything about this. And could I give your number to my sister Lizzie?"

"No problem."

"Okay, girls, the answer is there's a Little Tykes playhouse, but no swing set."

"Okay, Derek, I'm going to find a swing set company in Seattle, and give me a call or send me a text when you know that Chrissy is in remission, and I'll order a swing set. The four of us will buy it for her. And text me the address as well."

"That would be great, and I'll give you Izzie's contact info. Izzie's one of Meredith's roommates, so she can help," said Derek with a big smile. "I'm sure Chrissy would love to play in her own playground. But she's going to be pretty weak. I'd like a swing that I could use, with her sitting in my lap."

"No problem. Do you want me to email you a photo before we buy it?"

"That might be nice. But I trust your judgment. Just remember that she'll be very weak."

"I know that, Derek," said Lizzie. "My kids have gotten very attached to her. I really hope the bone marrow transplant works."

"We need to get to the bone marrow transplant, Lizzie. So far, her cancer has not responded to treatment, and the next step would be finding a trial for her."

"We're praying for her, all of us," said Amelia.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."