Chapter 37: Life Isn't Fair

"Mommy..." Dawsyn whispered, slowly opening the door to Meredith's bedroom.

"Hmm?" Meredith continued to lie on the bed.

"Can I come in?"

"Um...yeah." She whispered, still staring at the window.

"Okay." Dawsyn said, walking into the room and standing at the foot of the bed, not crawling onto it like she usually did.

"Is your homework done?"

"Almost."

"What do you have left?" Meredith whispered.

"Math."

"Do you need help?" Meredith sighed, turning over to face her daughter.

"No...I can do it myself." Dawsyn replied.

"Okay..."

"Mommy..."

"Yeah?" Meredith heard the sound of the rain hitting the house, as her daughter finally climbed up on the bed.

"Are you mad at me?" Dawsyn whispered.

"Oh um...not anymore." Meredith sighed. "I was...upset with you. But you're...I'm not mad at you anymore."

"You barely talked to me for three days."

"I'm sorry."

"Promise you're not mad?"

"Yeah...promise."

"I called Derek, but he didn't answer." Dawsyn whispered.

"Oh...you called Derek?" Meredith frowned.

"I want him to come over."

"That's...he can't come over."

"Why not?" Dawsyn frowned, looking up at Meredith.

"He's just not going to be around anymore..."

"Why?"

"It's just complicated." Meredith tried to explain. "Very complicated stuff that you won't understand."

"But he's my friend..."

"I know."

"Are you not his girlfriend anymore?"

"No...I um...Daws I don't think I was ever Derek's girlfriend."

"Oh..."

"Oh?" Meredith pushed a strand of hair from her daughter's face.

"I liked him." Dawsyn whispered.

"I know." Meredith whispered.

"I'm sorry about the concert."

"I know you are..."

"I didn't get to say thank you to Derek."

"I think he knows you had fun and appreciated it, Daws."

"Okay." Dawsyn sighed, sitting back on the bed.

"Hmm..."

"Are you okay, Mommy?"

"I'm fine."

"You seem sad."

"No...I'm okay...just thinking."

"About what?"

"About...you...and how you and I need to go across town to meet the principal at the other elementary school." Meredith bit her lip.

"Why?" Dawsyn said, her eyes getting big.

"You might...we might have to send you to that school."

"I love my school."

"I know."

"Then why do I have to go there?"

"Because there are a few apartments over there that we're going to have too look at."

"Why do we have to look at apartments?" Dawsyn asked, worry evident in her voice.

"Daws...the bookstore went out of business, and I lost my job." Meredith frowned. "I'm sorry sweetie. I'm looking for a new job but...we're going to have to move."

"But..."

"It's only temporary."

"We can come back here?"

"Probably not to this apartment but maybe one day we'll be able to get something bigger."

"Why can't we stay here?"

"We just can't."

"I like it here and I like my school..."

"I know...and it's not that far away." Meredith frowned. "They just built a new playground and a new gym...and you can see Sadie on the weekends and your other friends."

"I don't want to go to school without Sadie." Dawsyn whimpered, tears forming in her eyes.

"I know." Meredith sat up.

"This isn't fair."

"No, it isn't." Meredith frowned. "Dawsyn...you're only going to be about twenty minutes away from your old school...just in a different district. You can see your old friends still...and you'll make new ones."

"I don't want new friends." Dawsyn cried. "I like my old friends and my old school and Mrs. Summerfield."

"Dawsyn...I...we don't have a choice."

"Can I stay here?"

"No."

"Can I stay with Izzie?"

"Daws...we're going to still be in Seattle. Just a different part."

"I don't want to move!"

"I don't want to either but...who knows?" Meredith shrugged. "It could be fun."

"Will Derek come to our new apartment?" Dawsyn asked, a little bit of hope on her face.

"No...Derek isn't coming around anymore."

"This sucks."

"It does now...but you're going to like it."

"No I won't!"

"I think you will. You're school is located in the city...you love the city. You're close to the hospital...the museum..."

"Can I go see Derek at the hospital?"

"No." Meredith shook her head quickly. "You can't just go see him at work...and Derek...he's not a part of us right now."

"I don't want to move!" Dawsyn cried.

"I know."

"What if you don't find a job?"

"Then we have to move out to New York with grandma...which we don't want...so I'm finding a job."

"Grandma's mean."

"I'm not going to let that happen."

"When do we have to move?" Dawsyn asked.

"If we find the apartment...next week."

"Mommy..."

"Hmm..."

"I hate this."

"I know...but we need something more affordable...and you can have the bedroom if you want."

"Are we going to be poor?"

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you Dawsyn."

"I have to do my homework." Dawsyn whispered, climbing off of the bed, tears still falling down her face.

"Please...don't be upset. I'm going to fix this."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Okay." Daws sighed, turning around and leaving the room.

"I really promise." Meredith whispered, pulling a pillow over her head. This was hell. She hated that she had to change her daughter's life. She had always been so relived to avoid this situation and now here they were. But she was going to fix this, she was going to fix everything. She just didn't know how yet.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! My family life is very sporadic right now and I am trying to get back in the swing of things. So, please be patient and have a Happy New Year! Here's to a better 2023!