Meredith opened her eyes and, just for a moment, she was disoriented. She felt enclosed by something warm, and she realized she had woken up in Derek's arms, and they were in a hotel room for their wedding night. She glanced at him and noticed he was still sleeping. She looked at the clock and realized with some surprise that it was 8 a.m. Between work and caring for Chrissy, she was used to waking up early, usually around 5:30 a.m. But she deserved the extra hours in bed on her first day of marriage. After all, she stayed up late making love with her husband. She smiled as she savored the word husband and recalled their passionate lovemaking.

"Good morning, Mrs. Shepherd," Derek murmured. "Looks like this time you were watching me sleep."

"I love watching my husband sleep. But it's not Mrs. Shepherd, Derek. I guess we never talked about names but I'm not changing my name. Your mom is Mrs. Shepherd. And Addison was Mrs. Shepherd. I'm going to stay Dr. Grey."

"Whatever you want, Dr. Grey. But can I call you Meredith?"

"Sure can. And I'll call you Derek." She kissed him on his forehead as she rose to go to the restroom.

"Mom included room service for breakfast. Do you want me to order breakfast now?"

"We can wait, if you want." she said with a smile. They took turns in the restroom, and then cuddled together.

Meredith smiled. "I never thought I'd ever get married."

"My sisters played bride and groom with their Barbie and Ken dolls. I thought all girls played bride. Didn't you?" Derek wondered.

"My only doll was Anatomy Jane, and I played surgeon. I'd sit in the o.r. gallery and watch my mom do surgeries while doing my own surgeries with Anatomy Jane."

"Born to be a surgeon, I guess."

"My mom was too intense about wanting surgery to be my career when I was young. And then later she told me I wouldn't be able to make it as a surgeon; she was disappointed in me. I'm not going to encourage Chrissy to be a surgeon." Meredith paused, realizing that she was assuming a future for Chrissy.

"I wouldn't either," responded Derek, and then he added, "and talking about her future is good, Meredith. It means we have hope."

"I know. We said we wouldn't talk about her on this short honeymoon, but it's hard. She's such an important part of our lives."

"She sure is. And don't worry, next year, we'll have a big party and then we'll go on a real honeymoon. Maybe we can go to Hawaii for a week."

"That would be great. I've never been to Hawaii."

"Neither have I. But it's a pretty easy trip from Seattle. You know it's the groom's job to plan the honeymoon, so I've been checking out options. We could spend a week in Maui or the Big Island or maybe spend a few days in Honolulu."

"But it's a year away."

"I enjoy planning vacations, and this one will be very special. I'm planning on a real honeymoon, with just us."

"And Chrissy?"

"Mom can take care of her. I'm sure she'll be happy to help out."

"Your sisters must be jealous. We've been getting all the childcare help for months now."

"They've had years of help from Mom, so I don't feel bad for them. It's my turn." Derek turned to Meredith, "But let's focus on this honeymoon." He began kissing her, and she joined in. "We have this room til 1 with extended check out."

"I want to go home at noon."

"Mom said she didn't want us to come home before 1 p.m."

"It's my house, Derek, and our daughter. If we want to come home at noon, we should be able to come home."

"We could have another hour of our honeymoon. We're not even going to have 24 hours for our honeymoon."

Meredith giggled. "Derek, you'll be sleeping with me at home tonight. Chrissy goes to be at 8, and we can go to bed ourselves after we put her to bed. The honeymoon doesn't have to end because we leave the hotel, you know."

"Still, Mom said we shouldn't come home until 1 p.m."

"If we get home at noon, we'll have just eight hours with Chrissy before she goes to bed. Anyway, is there any reason for us to delay? Is your mom up to something?"

"No. What could she be up to? She's just a strong believer in honeymoons. And she gave us this suite. She wants to get her money's worth."

Meredith giggled. "Oh, she's gotten her money's worth. We've had a wonderful time since the moment we walked into this room. Your mom had Dom Perignon and chocolate covered strawberries waiting for us."

"And my sisters also gave you some very nice gifts."

"We had told them that we didn't want gifts, Derek."

"You enjoyed the sexy negligees."

"I know," Meredith, said, thinking of the half dozen silk nightgowns she had found when she entered the hotel room. "They are beautiful. And in my favorite colors, shades of purple and blue. I wonder how they knew my favorite colors and my size."

"Probably my mom."

Meredith looked at Derek, accusingly.

"No, it wasn't me. I don't need nightgowns, you know." Derek smiled.

"Well, I'm not wearing one now," Meredith whispered.

"I know," Derek said with a smile as he started kissing her. "You're wearing my favorite outfit right now."

"You mean no outfit at all."

"That's my favorite."

After spending some more time enjoying each other and then having a luxurious breakfast in their hotel room, they headed home. As they drove up, Meredith noticed an unfamiliar Ford Escort outside her home. "Derek, is there anyone you know with a Ford Escort?"

"It might be Susan's car. She usually comes on Mondays. I don't remember seeing her car, but it might well be a Ford Escort."

"Oh. I hadn't thought anyone else would be here." Meredith frowned.

"I thought you liked Susan." Derek was surprised by her frown.

"She's nice. I don't have a real problem with her."

"Just a fake problem?" asked Derek with a smile.

"Look, she's tried her best to be helpful since she learned Chrissy was sick. I've decided that I need to focus on the present and the future and not hold any grudges. I've got to put Chrissy first. And she loves Grandma Susan." Meredith decided not to mention her old resentment. Susan had known that her father had a daughter by his first wife, and neither Susan nor Thatcher had ever tried to contact her during her difficult childhood and adolescence. In fact, Meredith was the first to contact her father after she had moved to Seattle, and that hadn't gone well at all. Still, Susan had started coming to see Chrissy regularly once she learned that Chrissy existed and was sick.

Meredith had been shocked to see Susan in the hospital just two days after she had called Susan for help in getting Molly and Lexie tested to see if they could be bone marrow donors.

Meredith was reading Chrissy The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle when she heard a knock on the door. She said "come in," and she saw Susan Grey. She immediately recognized her, as she had met her more than three years ago when Molly was admitted to the hospital due to her pregnancy. She said, "Hello," and Susan walked into the room with a very large shopping bag from Top Ten Toys. Meredith recognized the name of the top children's toy store in Seattle.

"Hello, Meredith. I hope it's okay that I came," Susan said apologetically. Meredith was stunned into silence. She had not anticipated that her call to ask for her half-sisters to have their bone marrow tested would lead to Susan showing up at Seattle Grace. She had been grateful to get an email from Susan that both Lexie and Molly had agreed to be tested, so she knew she had to be kind to Susan. And she did come bearing presents for Chrissy.

"Mommy, who is that?" asked Chrissy, surprised to see a stranger in her room.

Meredith didn't know what to say.

Susan answered, "I'm Susan Grey, and I brought you some presents."

"Mommy, Grey is your name."

"That's right Chrissy. Susan is married to my father."

Chrissy thought for a moment. "Is she your stepmother?"

"Yes."

"Like Cinderella?"

"No, silly, she's not an evil stepmother."

"And I'm your grandmother," added Susan, omitting the word step. "And I brought you some presents." She opened the bag and took out a very large stuffed elephant with multi-colored patches. "This is Elmer, the elephant, and I brought you some books about Elmer."

"I like elephants, and I love books. Thank you," said Chrissy politely.

"It was nice for you to come and bring Chrissy gifts. You didn't have to do that," responded Meredith. She had told everyone that Chrissy's room was a negativity-free zone, so she decided to be polite. She could be bitter, but what would that do for Chrissy? And Susan had gotten her daughters to agree to be tested to see if they could donate their bone marrow to Chrissy. Maybe one might be a match. Chrissy had a large family of friends, but until now Meredith had been her only relative. Having relatives who come to visit could be good for her. Not that Susan was biologically related.

"I want to help you. Chrissy is my granddaughter."

Meredith thought for a moment. She knew that she was in the middle of a catastrophe, so there was nothing to be gained by turning down help. And if Susan wanted to be Chrissy's grandmother, that was a good thing. "You can visit on Mondays, if you want."

"That's great. I'd love to spend some time with Chrissy. I was thrilled to learn I had another grandchild. I wish I'd known sooner. Is there else anything I can do?"

And that's when Meredith decided to let Susan buy the nurses presents on a regular basis. She never spoke with Susan about her father because the topic would only lead to pain. That her father knew her daughter was ill and never visited was something she tried not to think about, although it was hard not to think about him whenever she saw Susan. But Meredith had been working on Mondays since Chrissy came home, so she hadn't seen Susan at all. Although Susan was nice, Meredith was actually glad that work gave her an excuse to avoid her and the reminder of her father's continuing rejection.

"You're a wonderful mom."

"I try. I don't always succeed, but I try."

Meredith opened the door and, startled, stopped when she saw her father sitting with Chrissy on his lap.

"Mommy, you're home," Chrissy said as she jumped up and ran to Meredith, who picked her up and hugged her. Chrissy kissed her Mom, and Meredith kissed her back. "Did you have a good wedding night?"

"Yes, I did sweetheart," Meredith smiled.

"And so did I." Derek smiled.

"Grandpa came, Mommy," announced Chrissy.

"I see he did," responded Meredith. She decided she needed to keep calm. When Susan started coming to see Chrissy, she had vowed that she would keep her bitterness a secret from Chrissy; Chrissy should be able to enjoy her family. Silently, she repeated the mantra, "No bitterness. Think of Chrissy."

"He said you were a wonderful baby, that you smiled all the time."

"That's nice to hear." She said to herself, "I'm glad he was able to find something nice to say about me."

"You were a wonderful baby, Meredith."

"Thanks." Meredith wasn't sure whether to call him Thatcher or Grandpa, so she decided not to call him anything for the moment. Thatcher was too informal in front of Chrissy, and that she wasn't yet comfortable calling him Grandpa. She felt he didn't deserve the title, having stayed away from Chrissy from the time he learned of her existence until now, several months later.

"He said your favorite toy was a dolly, Mom, natme Jane."

"Anatomy Jane," Meredith corrected Chrissy. She smiled thinking of her favorite doll.

"Can I have a Jane doll, Mommy?"

"If they still sell them, sure."

"Do you still have yours, Mommy?"

"I don't know. I can look for it later, sweetheart."

Susan got up from the couch where she was sitting beside Thatcher. "I think it is time for us to go."

"Can't you stay for lunch, Grandma Susan?"

Susan and Thatcher looked at each other, appearing puzzled at how to respond. Carolyn thought of suggesting they stay, but she looked first at Meredith, who seemed stunned.

"Mommy, can Grandma Susan and Grandpa stay for lunch?" asked Chrissy, who had figured out that her mother was the person everyone else was looking to for a response.

"Sure they can," responded Meredith. "You're welcome to stay for lunch. Please do. Chrissy wants you to stay." Meredith couldn't say no to her daughter. She had come home determined to make the day wonderful for Chrissy, and if that meant spending lunch with the father who had abandoned her when she was five and who had neglected Chrissy for months, so be it.

"We have plenty of food," added Carolyn.

"Okay," responded Susan after exchanging glances with her husband. She sat down again on the couch.

"I'll make lunch," offered Carolyn.

"No, Carolyn, I'll take care of it," volunteered Meredith, having decided that escaping to the kitchen would enable her to get away from her father.

"I have some tomato soup that just needs to be reheated, and I was going to put out cold cuts and some salads so that everyone can make their own sandwich."

"That sounds easy enough for me," chuckled Meredith.

"I'll help my bride," volunteered Derek, as he joined Meredith in leaving the living room for the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about this, Meredith. I had no idea that Susan would bring Thatcher. And I didn't know that Susan would be here."

"I should have figured it out. She comes every Monday, and today is Monday. Although why he would decided to come today of all days . . ."

"He was probably really impressed when he saw Chrissy be our flower girl. She is irresistible."

"He resisted her until today."

"But he hadn't see her."

"You don't know that. Lexie might have shown him photos or videos." Meredith took the soup out of the refrigerator and started looking for a pot.

"That's not the same as watching an event like a wedding in real time."

"Whatever. He's here. I guess that's good." Meredith found a pot. She poured the soup in the pot and turned to Derek. "Would heating it up at medium be good?"

"That should work. How did you manage to feed Chrissy all these years?"

Meredith giggled. "With my poor cooking skills, you mean? I lived with Izzie, and sometimes with George and sometimes with Alex. They did most of the cooking. Take-out is great, too. A single working mother's best friend."

"Meredith," said Thatcher as he entered the kitchen tentatively.

Meredith turned to him and paused. She didn't know what to say, and then she was saved by the bell – the doorbell rang. "I guess I should get the door." She walked into the living room, ignoring Thatcher, but Carolyn had already opened the door, and a UPS deliveryman brought a large box into the living room and then left.

"What is that, Mommy?" asked Chrissy.

"I have no idea," responded Meredith. "But it is addressed to you, Chrissy. It says Christine Grey Shepherd."

"I think I know what it is," volunteered Derek, who had joined the group in the living room after turning the soup to low. "It's Mark's wedding present."

"If it's a wedding present, why is it addressed to Chrissy?" asked Susan.

"He knew we didn't want anything for ourselves. We said no gifts. But he came up with a great idea for a gift for Chrissy."

"What did he get me?"

"Let's see. I'll open the box. Meredith, do you have a scissors or a box cutter?"

"Sure." Meredith went to the kitchen and emerged with a scissors.

Derek used the scissors to open the box. "Chrissy, what do you think this is?" He asked as he pulled the item out of the box.

"I don't know. Daddy, what is it?"

"It's a robot."

"I always dreamed of a robot that would clean my house," commented Carolyn.

"Will this robot clean the house, Daddy?"

"No, it's a special robot for children like you who need to be careful about being exposed to germs. You can be here at home, but the robot can be you, with a video of you at home, and you can see what's happening at school."

"Really, I can see what's happening at school?"

"Yes."

"Can we use it tomorrow?"

Derek laughed. "I think I need to bring it to your school, and the teachers would need to learn how to use it."

"I miss going to school. Can we use it soon?"

"We can try, but it will probably be a while before we can get started. You're going to need to be patient."

"When I go back to the hospital, I'll be a patient."

Derek laughed. "The word patient means different things although hospital patients do need to be patient much of the time. When I say you need to be patient, I mean that you have to wait for some time without any whining."

"Okay, Daddy."

They sat down to lunch, with Chrissy sitting between Thatcher and Susan. She was obviously intrigued by the new person in her life. Meredith reflected that Chrissy had a very restricted social circle since she was hospitalized and that it had been even smaller since she came home, so it was understandable that she was fascinated by a new person.

"So you are married to Grandma Susan?" asked Chrissy.

"Yes, of course, she's my wife."

"You had a wedding?"

"Yes."

"Was Mommy a flower girl at your wedding?"

Meredith was shocked that Chrissy had imagined that she might be a flower girl at her father's wedding. She didn't know what to say, and she decided to leave it to Thatcher or Susan to respond.

Thatcher also seemed stunned into silence, so after a minute, Susan responded, "No."

"Did you have a flower girl?"

Susan felt abashed. She had never even considered asking Thatcher if she could meet his daughter, much less have her attend the wedding or serve as flower girl. "Yes, I had a couple of cousins who were my flower girls."

"Mommy would have been a pretty flower girl."

"I'm sure of that," answered Susan.

"Then why wasn't she your flower girl?"

"She lived in Boston with her mother," answered Thatcher.

"But there were planes when Mommy was a child?"

"Of course, Chrissy. There were planes when your grandparents were young, too," answered Meredith.

The room was silent for a few minutes, as Susan thought about an answer. "Your grandpa and I made a big mistake, Chrissy. You're right that your mom would have been a wonderful flower girl. We should have asked her to be a flower girl. But we are here now, Chrissy. We want to be good parents for your mom and good grandparents for you, starting today."

"My mommy made a big mistake, too," responded Chrissy. "She didn't tell my Daddy about me. But that was because she loved me so much she didn't want to share me."

Meredith was stunned that Chrissy remembered her words from months ago. She glanced around the room. She saw Derek and Carolyn exchanging glances; she had never told either of them about the explanation she gave to Chrissy.

"Grandpa, you knew Mommy lived in Boston, didn't you?"

"Yes," he responded.

"So why didn't you share Mommy with her mommy?"

Meredith realized that Chrissy must have been thinking about her grandparents and her mother for quite some time. Maybe spending so much time with Carolyn and skyping with her cousins led her to think about her mother and her mother's family. Whatever it was that led her to these questions, it was awkward for Meredith.

"I made a mistake, Chrissy," answered Thatcher.

"But why?"

"I just did."

"But did you love my mommy?"

"Of course. Parents love their children."

Meredith tried to keep from rolling her eyes. Sure, most parents loved their children, but, as a doctor, she'd seen many children who were abused or neglected by their parents. Not all parents are capable of loving their children. She looked at her clock. It was 12:45 p.m. If she had only listened to Carolyn, she would be on her way home from her honeymoon and she would have entirely missed this uncomfortable meal.

"Then why didn't you share Mommy with her mommy?"

Meredith was amused by Chrissy's persistence. There was a part of her, a mean part, but nonetheless part of her, that was silently cheering Chrissy on.

"It was a long time ago, Chrissy. And in those days, mothers usually had custody of their children, and I didn't want to fight with Ellis Grey."

Carolyn decided to step in, "Chrissy, what's important for you is that your grandparents are here now. Let's focus on the present."

"Grandma, I want to learn about Mommy as a little girl. I never talked to Grandpa before. He knows about Mommy."

"Well, my daughter knows her mind," commented Derek.

"Meredith was strong-minded as a child," added Thatcher.

"I think Chrissy would like some examples," added Derek.

"She always asked to go to the hospital to watch her mommy do surgeries."

"Mommy could watch surgeries when she was my age?"

"Yes," responded Thatcher.

"Mommy, can I watch surgeries?"

"No, you're too young."

"But your mommy and daddy let you."

"Chief Webber has strict rules, and only doctors and medical students can go to the gallery. No children in the galleries now."

"Will you watch when I get my new marrow?"

"If I can, I will, sweetheart."

"I will, too," added Derek.

"I'm glad I have a mommy and a daddy."

"So are we," responded Meredith.

"Me, too," added Derek.

"You have wonderful parents, Chrissy," said Susan. "Thank you so much for the lunch, Meredith. Thatcher and I need to get going."

"Yes, we do," Thatcher interjected. "We have to go. I'm sorry. Thanks for the lunch."

"You're welcome," replied Meredith. "Chrissy really appreciate that you both came."

"We were happy to come," answered Susan. She and Thatcher got up. They awkwardly looked around as if they were trying to figure out if they should hug someone or do something. "It was nice to visit. We will be thinking of you. Please let us know if there's anything we can do."

"I'm going to set up a caringbridge website to let people stay in touch," said Carolyn. "I've done that for friends and other people in my parish when someone is ill. That way the family can focus on the loved one. I'll post updates regularly."

"Thanks. That would be great," replied Susan. Susan and Thatcher looked around, and they both said good-bye and left.

After they left, Meredith went over to Chrissy and gave her a big hug. "You are wonderful, Chrissy."

"What did I do, Daddy?" Chrissy asked, puzzled at the attention from her mother."

"You said what you thought, which is very nice."

"Can we watch Beauty and the Beast now?"

"Yes," her parents said in unison with a smile.