Chapter 32: A Day at the Hospital

"That was so cool, the big light…the bed...and those screens...that was so cool." Dawsyn went on as they boarded the elevator. "The trays and...I can't wait to be a surgeon...so cool."

"Much better than watching from the gallery, huh?" Derek laughed.

"So much better...I wish I could've seen a real surgery…Maybe held a scalpel. I wish I saw blood and people guts and..."

"Dawsyn." Meredith giggled.

"You can hold a scalpel when you're older." Derek laughed, squeezing Meredith's hand.

"I want to be a doctor!"

"Are you ready to go to med school?"

"Yeah." Dawsyn giggled, hitting the buttons on the elevator.

"She's been ready since she could walk." Meredith smiled.

"Do you wanna see the surgical board?" Derek asked.

"Yeah!"

"Alright." Derek laughed. "Hit number four."

"Okay." Dawsyn replied.

"Then, I have one last thing to show you."

"Okay." Dawsyn smiled, running off the elevator as soon as the metal doors began to open.

"Daws...no running." Meredith warned, her voice still low.

"She's fine." Derek chuckled, as they walked behind her holding hands.

"Is this it?" Dawsyn ran up to a dry erase board, bouncing slightly as her eyes lit up.

"That's it."

"Wow."

"I think she likes it." Meredith smiled, letting go of his hand as he stood in front of the board. She looked the board up and down. "So, which one of these doctors bought the tickets from me?"

"Oh um...He's not a surgeon..." Derek said quickly.

"Oh..." Meredith frowned. "What does he do?"

"He's...Oncology."

"Oh...okay." Meredith nodded slightly as her daughter let out a giggle. "So...you gave them to him right?"

"Yeah." Derek nodded. "I did...I gave them to him."

"Okay...that's...good." Meredith replied, her daughter still giggling as Derek nudged her.

"Hey Daws..." Derek said, bending down next to her. "My name will be on there tomorrow. "

"Can I help?" Dawsyn asked, looking up at Derek.

"I don't think so." Derek laughed.

"I hold the scalpel, you could ask for the scalpel, and I could hand it to you." Dawsyn laughed. "Please?"

"You want to be my scrub nurse?"

"No, I want to be your scrub surgeon...not a nurse."

"Sorry...I think you have to be this tall to do that." Derek replied, holding his hand above Dawsyn's head.

"Bummer."

"Poor thing." Meredith rolled her eyes.

"Sorry." Derek laughed, standing back up with Meredith and leaning over to whisper in her ear. "You could be my scrub nurse..."

"Derek..." Meredith pulled away, blushing slightly.

"What?" Derek laughed, smiling innocently.

"I prefer the term...doctor."

"You could do that."

"Derek..." Meredith pulled away, blushing slightly.

"Derek...cut it out." Meredith warned, pointing to Dawsyn who was still examining the board.

"Sorry." He laughed, quickly kissing her cheek.

"This is so neat..." Dawsyn beamed, her eyes turning around and looking at Derek in amazement.

"You ready to go see something else?"

"Yeah." Dawsyn bit her lip.

"Back to the elevator." Derek directed her.

"Thank you..." Meredith whispered.

"For what?"

"She's in love with this."

"You're very welcome." Derek smiled.

"Come on Mommy!" Dawsyn groaned.

"We're coming." Derek called.

"Hurry!" Dawsyn giggled as she ran into thee elevator.

"Dawsyn...stop running." Meredith reminded her daughter, as she joined her.

"Floor six please." Derek said.

"Okay." Dawsyn replied.

"We're reaching the end of our tour."

"Oh, are we?" Meredith cocked an eyebrow.

"Well...aside from the cafeteria." Derek laughed.

"Real hospital food?" Dawsyn grinned. "You hear that, Mom? I didn't get that on my last field trip because you said it was expensive and..."

"Dawsyn..." Meredith groaned.

"It's not that great." Derek chuckled. "You weren't missing anything, Daws."

"Yeah." Meredith replied.

"That's what Mommy said about that baby I wanted when I was seven."

"And you lived without it didn't you?" Derek laughed, patting her on the head.

"Yeah, but then she cried on Christmas because..."

"Dawsyn...please." Meredith whispered.

"Okay...Floor six!" Derek said, trying to break the tension.

"Thank God..." Meredith whispered, stepping forward.

"What are we going to look at now?" Dawsyn asked, taking Derek's hand.

"It's a surprise." Derek said, taking Meredith's hand with his free one.

"What is it?" Meredith asked, walking with him as her daughter bounced with each step.

"Not telling you."

"So mean." Meredith rolled her eyes, letting go as they walked down a hallway.

"Hey...Come back here." Derek laughed, letting go of Dawsyn's hand, wrapping both his arms around Meredith.

"Babies!" Dawsyn gasped, running up to a long rectangular window. "Mommy...it's the nursery!"

"Nice Derek...you brought her...nice." Meredith sighed.

"Don't be mad at me." He pouted.

"She's never going to want to leave."

"There's cake in the cafeteria."

"Oh Okay." Meredith giggled, walking up and joining her daughter. She peered through the window, catching her site on a brand-new baby girl with a pink cap.

"Mommy...look." Dawsyn smiled at the baby through the window. "Was I that little?"

"You were...you may have been smaller than that."

"Smaller?"

"You were a tiny baby."

"You're still pretty tiny." Derek laughed, standing next to her and looking in at the newborns.

"Wow..." Meredith whispered, her eyes focused on the same baby. Dawsyn wore pink the first time they dressed her, she remembered everything now. The smell, the way Dawsyn felt in her arms seconds after making her entry into the world. Meredith had been terrified but she remembered the feeling of content, the moment she held her daughter. Like the perfect piece to a puzzle. "She's...wow."

"They're beautiful." Derek whispered.

"Mommy...can we take one home?" Dawsyn asked. "Or are they too expensive?"

"They're really expensive." Meredith giggled.

"They cost like...a million dollars." Derek laughed.

"Yeah...expensive." Meredith whispered, her fingers touching the glass as she watched the baby begin to cry in the nurses arms.

"Kind of makes you want one huh?" Derek whispered.

"I...what?" Meredith whispered, looking up before back through the glass.

"Makes you want to have one...An innocent little baby...Nothing's affected them yet."

"Oh...right...yeah."

"You could have one Mommy." Dawsyn teased, turning around.

"I think it's lunch time, kiddo." Derek interrupted.

"Not yet." Dawsyn pleaded, looking back at the babies.

"Yeah...just a second more." Meredith whispered, watching the nurse put the baby down.

"Yeah." Dawsyn giggled.

"Okay." Derek laughed, squeezing Meredith's hand.

"I um...I remember Dawsyn being like that and thinking in that moment...that I was going to have a big family. I was alone but I just...everything for a short time seemed completely perfect."

"It seems completely perfect right now." Derek whispered.

"What do you mean?" Meredith asked, as Dawsyn began to walk to the other end of the window.

"You and Daws...It's perfect."

"Yeah..."

"Yeah." Derek smiled, kissing her cheek.

"Maybe I could steal one...she seems to want a baby sister."

"I don't think that would be a very good idea."

"Oh okay."

"You can have another one...when you're ready."

"How is that going to happen?"

"I don't know..." Derek smiled.

"Derek..." Meredith giggled, turning around slightly in his arms. "I don't...I might not want to have anymore babies...cute...really cute babies."

"Really really cute babies?"

"Right."

"Not even a really really cute baby?" He laughed, gently rubbing her back.

"Yeah...and I don't even have anyone to have a baby with so that...probably won't happen." She laughed, as Dawsyn paid no attention to them.

"You don't have anyone to have a baby with?" Derek asked, acting shocked.

"I don't..."

"I could think of...someone..."

"Not to mention...I can barely afford the one I have."

"Hmm... "

"And I don't want a baby." Meredith whispered, unconvincingly.

"I know." Derek breathed.

"So all those things...no guy..."

"There's a guy..."

"Derek..."

"Yeah?"

"It takes a man and a woman and...apparently a nine year old who wants a family." Meredith laughed.

"I think we have all three of those things." Derek breathed.

"And?"

"And...we'll just see what happens."

"Oh we will?" Meredith smiled, watching her daughter gaze at the babies. "And what might that be?"

"We'll see." Derek whispered, kissing her.

"Shhh..." She pulled her lips away, replacing them with her finger. "You're talking too soon..."

"Sorry..."

"Mommy..." Dawsyn ran up to them. "You have to have a baby now! Pronto!"

"Pronto?" Derek laughed, picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Derek!" Dawsyn giggled. "Yes...pronto...cause I have college, med school, and..."

"Let's just focus on the fourth grade Dawsyn, okay?" Meredith laughed.

"Yeah...Fourth Grade." Derek laughed, holding her up.

"But I don't want to be super old when the babies go to school and graduate and I want to have a sister." Dawsyn giggled. "And then I can be a surgeon and show them the OR."

"Babies?"

"Please Mommy...can you adopt one or have sex?"

"Okay Dawsyn...no more sex talk."

"I think we need to feed you." Derek said, putting her back down.

"That's how babies are made." Dawsyn shrugged.

"I think my daughter and I need to sit down and have a talk." Meredith giggled.

"Thank you for that information, future Dr. Grey...For now...let's talk about what you'd like for lunch." Derek laughed, as they headed back to the elevator.

"A tuna melt." Dawsyn said quickly before turning to Meredith in the elevator. "Mommy do we have money for med school?"

"We...we'll figure that out when the time comes." Meredith said quickly.

"Fine." Dawsyn sighed, pushing the button that Derek told her too.

"Thanks." Meredith replied.

"Well, I only want one baby brother or sister if med school is too expensive." Dawsyn replied.

"I think you have to finish elementary school first." Derek laughed.

"Mommy has to make more money."

"Dawsyn...silent game...starting now." Meredith said quickly as her daughter looked at her in shock, but kept her mouth closed as they stepped off the elevator.

"I like this game." Derek smiled.

"Right now...me too." Meredith groaned, walking ahead of them into the cafeteria.

"Pick a table, Daws and your Mommy and I will bring you some food, okay?" Derek said, keeping an eye on Meredith.

"Okay." Dawsyn said, sitting down as her mother walked quickly ahead of them.

"Meredith..." Derek said, making sure Dawsyn was sitting before catching up to her. "Hey..."

"Dawsyn had fun. Thank you." She replied, picking up her cell phone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing at all." Meredith replied, reaching for a tray.

"I don't believe you...but okay." Derek sighed, picking up his own tray.

"Could you just stop?' Meredith snapped. "Just...let me be fine. I don't...I'm fine."

"Sorry...I'm stopping..."

"Thank you." She groaned walking ahead of him. She shouldn't have snapped, that was wrong, but she was just so irritated, not with Dawsyn, not with Derek but with herself. It was just getting to be too much, even if Derek was completely amazing.

Sorry guys for not posting in such a long while. Things in my family have not been going as great recently. I've been trying to find other activities that will help me keep my mind off the things that are currently happening. I do plan on finishing the story as well as other stories, it just might be longer than I anticipated. I haven't forgot about any of you and I appreciate y'all being here even through the difficult time that my family and I are experiencing. Thank you!