Addison headed towards Richards office with a plethora of emotions coursing through her. Derek had been worried about her. It felt good to have him caring again. Saying he loved her. Was it too soon to hope that they would be able to move past their affairs? Was this just a temporary change while he was in the hospital? How were their kids going to handle new schools? How long were they going to have to stay in Seattle? She had so many questions that only time would answer.
Addison was surprised when she found herself already in front of Richard's door. She had been lost in thought and barely remembered walking there. She knocked on the door and was told to enter. Addison found Richard sitting behind his desk, Gracie's parents standing by the windows, Dr. Clark was sitting in a chair looking upset, and Izzy was standing at the opposite wall looking like she wanted to be anywhere else.
"Dr. Shepherd. Thank you for coming." Dr. Weber said quickly.
"Of course. What is going on?" Addison asked, confused.
"What is going on is we want to take our daughter home!" Chloe nearly yelled as she fought off tears.
Addison looked between the couple by the window and Dr. Weber in confusion.
"Mr. and Mrs. Bartholomew want to take Gracie back to Ohio." Richard explained to Addison. "Today." he finished. Addison looked at him in surprise.
"I am sorry, but Gracie can not be moved for some time. She just had major abdominal surgery twice in less than a week. Plus the twins won't be ready to be moved for several months." Addison explained gently as she turned to Gracie's parents.
"Even if Gracie was in perfect health, she is in no emotional state to be released into your care." Dr. Clark interjected when Greg Bartholomew looked like he was going to argue with Addison. "I understand how difficult this is for you and that you just want your daughter back, but this is going to take some time. She has to be able to build up trust with you."
At this, Chloe began to cry. "We were shopping for Halloween costumes." she said quietly.
"What?" Addison asked, confused.
"The day she was kidnapped. We were shopping for Halloween costumes. Gracie and Donna wanted to be princesses. They were best friends. Her little sister and her. They are only 15 months apart in age. I picked Donna up to put her in the car, and when I turned around, I saw a man snatch Gracie and jump in a car. She was gone before I even knew what happened." she sobbed. "How is Gracie ever supposed to trust me again if I couldn't even keep her safe Halloween shopping?" Chloe asked as she looked at Dr. Clark through grief stricken eyes.
"This wasn't your fault, Chloe." Dr. Clark said gently as she walked over to the other woman. "Gracie will learn to trust you again. She has already made great progress in opening up to Dr. Shepherd and to me. We will work with her to learn to trust you. But I want to be clear that we follow Gracie's cue. She decides who sees her and who doesn't. She decides when she goes back to Ohio. She has had very little control over her own life for the past 12 years. Now she does. She needs to learn how to handle that."
Chloe turned her head into the shoulder of her husband as he pulled her close.
"We understand. I am sorry we have caused such a scene." Greg choked out, fighting back tears. "It is just so hard having your daughter so close after so long and not being able to see her."
"You could write her a letter." Addison suggested. The sight of the parents broke her heart. She just wanted this family that she had all of the sudden gotten involved with to be ok. "You could also visit your granddaughters."
Chloe immediately stiffened. "No." Addison was surprised at the woman's response.
"Look, we know that the twins are innocent in all of this but they are just a reminder of what that man did to our daughter." Greg said through clenched teeth.
Addison was just about to jump in with her opinion on the parents ignoring their granddaughters but Dr. Clark spoke up first. "It is ok. This is a tough situation for all. Just, when you do see Gracie, you need to not mention any of this to her. Those are her daughters. Just like she is your daughter."
No one said anything for a few minutes. "So what happens next?" Chloe finally asked.
"First, I need to assess all 3 girls to see where they stand medically." Addison responded.
"I will be meeting with Gracie after Addison ensures she is doing ok from a medical standpoint and we will go from there." Dr. Clark finished.
Addison got up to leave as Dr. Clark continued to discuss the plans with Chloe and Greg. As she walked to the NICU, a torrent of emotions went through her. On one hand, she was livid that the Bartholomews wanted nothing to do with their tiny, innocent granddaughters. On the other hand, she understood their desire to have no reminder of what happened to their daughter. Didn't she sometimes feel the same way about her affair?
Addison entered the NICU to check on the twins. For now, they were being called twin A and twin B. Both twins were not breathing on their own and would have to be monitored very closely. So far they were stable. The twins had been placed in the same incubator to help improve their stats. Watching the twins cuddled together and Chloe mentioning Halloween made Addison remember Ellie's first Halloween.
Halloween 2012
Addison looked down at her sleeping one month old and felt herself tear up a little. In just a few short weeks, she would be returning to work. While she loved her job, it was always so hard to return after having a baby!
Derek walked into the room and noticed his wife looking down at their daughter. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her.
"You ok?" Derek asked as Addison leaned back into him.
"Yes. I am just enjoying the quiet of nap time before the craziness begins tonight." Addison whispered so as not to wake the baby.
Derek chuckled softly. In just a few short hours, all 13 of his nieces and nephews would be joining his 3 children to go trick-or-treating. It had become a tradition over the years for them all to meet up at his mom's house and they would all go out together.
It was then that Addison and Derek heard a tiny voice from the next room calling for them.
"Sounds like Khaliel is awake." Addison said, turning in her husband's arms. She gave a quick hug and kiss before exiting the room to get their 2 year old.
A few hours later, a conglomeration of knights, princesses, dinosaurs, witches, and various animals gathered on the front steps as the parents attempted to take a picture.
"I think we get crazier every year for doing this!" Liz laughed.
"But think of the memories they will have!" Addison exclaimed as she watched her boys chase after their cousins up to the first house.
"I can't believe Adrianne and Ellie are sleeping through all this noise!" Kathleen replied as she looked down at her 4 month old daughter and one month old niece who were cuddled together in the stroller.
"They look so cute!" Nancy said, smiling down at the babies. "I bet they will grow up to be the best of friends!"
Addison smiled to herself as she thought of how her daughter and niece had remained close as they had grown. She reached into the incubator to gently stroke the arms of both twins. She didn't know what the future held for these tiny girls, but she hoped they would always have each other.
After discovering that Gracie was sleeping, Addison decided to head back to Derek's room. As she entered, she heard a string of curse words explode from the bathroom. Addison sighed as she realized Derek was getting a shower with the help of two nurses. She could tell from the yelling how much pain he was in. It made her heart ache to know how long of a road his recovery would be. Before she could decide whether to leave or stay, the bathroom door opened, and the two nurses wheeled Derek out and helped him back in bed.
Derek looked up at Addison and gave her a weak smile. "Hey." he said barely above a whisper.
"Hey." Addison said back, giving her husband a sympathetic look. Neither said anything as the nurses finished getting Derek in bed and administering his pain medication.
"What did Richard want?" Derek finally asked when they were alone. Addison briefly told him what had transpired.
"Wow. I can't even imagine what that family is going through." Derek said. He subconsciously pulled Addison closer to the bed. She reached out and squeezed his hand. They were both quiet for a long time.
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Over the next week, the family fell into a routine of the kids coming to the hospital with Addiosn in the morning and hanging out with Jamie or Amy in the afternoon and evening. On the afternoon of the 14th, she entered Gracie's room and was surprised to find Gracie's parents in the room with her alone.
"Hello." Addison greeted the family. She knew that Gracie had begun to see her parents over the past few days under the direction of Dr. Clark, but she wasn't aware that they had progressed so far.
"How is Gracie doing?" Chloe asked.
"She is healing nicely from the C-Section. I was going to discuss with her that I will not be her doctor anymore as she no longer needs me." Addison answered. She then turned to Gracie. "I will continue to monitor your daughters closely. You are also healed enough now that you can go to the NICU and sit with them." she said gently..
Addison noticed Chloe flinched when she called the twins Gracie's daughters. She also realized that Gracie noticed this too.
"I'm not sure." Gracie said, chewing nervously on her lower lip.
"It's ok, Gracie." Addison quickly reassured the girl. "Whenever you are ready."
Gracie started to say something but stopped as she looked at both her parents.
Addison finished her evaluation of Gracie and then left the room. She knew she was going to have to discuss with Dr. Clark her concerns about Gracie's parents influencing her decisions of her daughters.
Addison entered Derek's room and was surprised to seem fully sitting up in bed.
"Look what I can do again." Derek joked. "I can sit up."
"Are you in pain?" Addison asked with concern, looking her husband over. Derek shrugged.
"I want to get out of this hospital by Khaliel's birthday. In order to do that, I need to be able to sit in a wheelchair. The first step is being able to sit up in bed." Derek replied.
Addison looked at him in shock. "Khaliel's birthday is in a week!" she exclaimed. Derek looked at her confused. He wasn't sure if she was surprised how close Khaliel's birthday was or that he wanted to be out of the hospital by then.
"Yes….the 20th." Derek said slowly.
"I completely lost track of time. I have no present. No party planned. I wouldn't even know who to invite if we had a party. What the hell am I going to do?" Addison rambled as she paced back and forth.
"Addison." Derek said to his wife who continued to ramble and pace. "ADDISON." Derek yelled, finally getting her attention.
Addison stopped in place and looked up at Derek.
"Calm down. Sit down. Breath." Derek instructed, motioning to the chair next to the bed. Addison followed his instructions.
"Addison. He is only going to be 9. He doesn't need a huge party or anything. He just wants us, as a family, happy and together." Derek continued.
"Derek..he will want SOME kind of party.." Addison said, looking at him skeptically. Derek rolled his eyes in response.
"Yes, Addison. He can have a small, family party." Derek said.
"What about a present? I have had no time to shop between the twins and you and everything." Addison said, rubbing her temples.
"A NERF gun." Derek said simply. Addison looked at him and didn't say anything. "What?" Derek exclaimed. "He is a 9 year old boy. He will like a NERF gun." he continued, shrugging his shoulders. Addison laughed. It warmed Derek's heart to see her smiling.
"That simple. Small family party and a NERF gun. Why don't you plan all the birthday parties in the future." Addison teased.
"I'll do the boys, but I am staying far away from planning Ellie's party!" Derek exclaimed. At the mention of their daughter's birthday, Addison groaned and put her face in her hands.
"What?" Derek asked, confused.
"Ellie's birthday is only in one month. Which also means your birthday is one month. I have no idea what to plan for either." Addison sighed, sitting back in her chair.
"Addie, come here." Derek said, reaching his hand out for his wife. Addison allowed him to gently pull her into the bed. "You need to relax." Derek continued as he began to rub her back. "The only thing I want for my birthday is to be able to stand up to pee…which considering my ankle and leg will be in casts for at least 3 weeks after that, that isn't going to happen…" Derek joked. "Ellie too will be fine with a small, family party and some princess or gymnastics gift. You don't need to stress about it."
Addison rested her head on Derek's shoulder as he continued to rub circles in her back. She knew the stress of the twins' case was bleeding over into her family. She couldn't let that happen. Her kids and husband needed her more now than ever before. But that was easier said than done!
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Later that night, Addison walked into Ellie's gymnastics place. She had yet to watch her daughter practice since they had come to Seattle and knew it was time. Khaliel was also in Parkour, so she could watch them both.
She sat down off to the side. Ellie was on bars while Khaliel was over by the foam pit. She smiled and waved at her children when they saw her.
"Are you Ellie's mom?" a tiny blonde woman asked Addison.
"Yes. Addison Shepherd." she replied, extending her hand and smiling.
"Julie Brown. My daughter Vera is also on level 3. She talks about Ellie all the time." Julie said, shaking Addison's hand.
Addison wasn't quite sure what to say. She couldn't remember anything Ellie had said about any of her teammates.
"Ellie told Vera that her dad was in an accident and that is why you guys are out here?" Julie asked. Addison did her best not to cringe. She had no idea what else Ellie had said about the situation.
"Um, yes. He fell off a roof replacing some shingles for a friend." Addison got out. "He will be ok. He just has a long recovery." she quickly added, seeing the look of surprise on the woman's face.
"Oh my! I am so sorry!" Julie said sympathetically. "If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask!"
"Thank you." Addison replied. The woman continued to talk for the rest of the practice. Addison learned that Julie was a vet and had another daughter, also on the gymnastic's team. Addison told her about Derek and her being doctors.
"Ellie did tell Vera you are the best baby doctor in the world." Julie informed her. "She failed to explain that those babies were still inside the womb! That is so cool."
"Only 8 people in the world can do what Mommy can do." Khaliel piped in as he joined them.
"Seriously?" Julie asked, looking from Khaliel to Addison.
"Um, yes, that is true." Addison replied, starting to get uncomfortable. She didn't like to brag about her job outside of work.
"Wow! That is so cool!" Julie exclaimed. Just then the girls came bouncing off the floor in a fit of giggles.
"Well, it looks like you had fun tonight." Addison laughed, thankful for a change in the conversation. Ellie then proceeded to tell her all about practice as the trio headed home.
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Izzy left the NICU and decided to go check on Gracie. It was the middle of the night, so she knew that Gracie would probably be alone. It broke her heart when she thought of everything the young girl had been through in her short life. She knew what it was like to have a baby at 16, but to go through it under Gracie's circumstances was unfathomable.
Izzy slowly opened Gracie's door and found the girl wide awake staring off into space.
"Hi, Dr. Stevens." Gracie said with a small smile. She had bonded with the doctor and was glad to see her.
"Hi, Gracie. What are you doing awake at this hour?" Dr. Stevens asked with concern. Gracie shrugged her shoulders. "Would you like some company?" Izzy continued. She sat down in the chair next to the bed when Gracie nodded. Both girls sat in silence for a while.
"My parents want me to give my daughters up for adoption." Gracie whispered. Izzy froze. She had no idea what to say to that.
"And what do you want to do?" Izzy asked cautiously.
"I don't know what to do. I want to make my parents happy, but I also love my daughters so much." Gracie said as she began to cry.
Izzy took the girl's hand and battled within herself on what to say. She knew she could get in a lot of trouble if she was caught influencing the patient in any way. As she watched Gracie begin to cry harder, she knew there was no way she could NOT say something about her own daughter.
"Giving your child up for adoption is an act of love in itself." Izzy began slowly. Gracie turned to look at her confused. "I was 16 when I gave birth to my daughter. I knew I could not take care of her, so I gave her up for adoption. I loved her so much. It was the hardest decision I have ever made, but I have never regretted it."
"So you think I should give my daughters up too?" Gracie asked.
"No, that is not what I said." Izzy replied. "It was the best decision for my daughter and me. No one, not even your parents, can make that decision for you. I just want you to know that if you give them up for adoption, it doesn't mean you don't love them."
Gracie again was quiet for a long time. Eventually, she squeezed Izzy's hand and whispered "Thank you" before she drifted off to sleep.
Izzy remained in the room a while longer thinking about her own daughter before she was paged to another case.