"What kind of cereal would you like for breakfast baby girl? Would you like some muesli?" Derek asks Maddie.
Maddie scrunches up her nose to that. "Silly Daddy! I don't like muesli! That's a daddy ceweal! I want fwoot loops!" Maddie says loudly. "Gotsa get fwoot loops for mama too! They're her favorite!"
"Froot Loops for Maddie coming right up! And we're going to let Mama sleep sweetie. She's not feeling too well." Derek had heard her coughing during the night and had gone in to check on her.
Meredith was feverish and had been crying about her stomach hurting her. She had chemo just a day ago and radiation the day before that and her body doesn't react well to it. Chemo has been making her really sick.
"Don't feel well." Meredith moaned to herself. She was trying to sleep but her stomach was hurting her so badly. "Owwww." Tears started falling down her cheeks. She started coughing and couldn't stop. "Der- 'cough' -ek!!!" She sobbed. "I don't feel well. I can't do this! My head hurts!" She sobs, her head buried under her blankets.
Derek woke up to Meredith's cries and quickly got up and ran down the hall to Meredith's room. "What's wrong Mer? Are you feeling sick?"
"I don't feel well! Everything hurts!" She sobs in between coughs.
Derek could see the sweat on her forehead and realized she must have a high fever. He quickly grabs a washcloth and wets it and gently places it on her forehead. "This will help you Mer. I'm going to give you some medicine, okay?"
"Okay." Meredith cries. "I just want to feel better again. I want to be healthy!"
"I know you do. I want that so badly for you also." Derek has the medicine for her in his hand along with a small cup of water. "I'm going to help you sit up." He helps her get into a sitting position as she can't do it alone as she's too weak.
"Der…." She cries out in pain.
"Shh, open your mouth and swallow this." Derek says and gives her the medicine which she takes with the water.
"I want to take your temperature also and then you can go back to sleep." He grabs the thermometer and quickly takes her temperature. Meredith has a low fever, which he'll just watch for now. "Close your eyes and sleep Mer."
"Don't leave me." She whispers as her eyes grow heavy and she can no longer hold them open.
"I'm right here. I've got you." Derek whispers to her as she falls asleep."
"Daddy, when's mama gonna wake up? I wanna pway with her! We gotsa play with my dollies!" Maddie says loudly.
"I'm not sure yet, sweetie. Let's let mama sleep okay? Maybe if she feels up to it, she'll play with you later."
"Otay." Maddie says. "Daddy, why you eating muesli? You should have fwoot loops like me and mama! Muesli yucky!"
"Muesli is not yucky! It is very yummy! I have no idea why you and your mommy don't like it." Derek jokes with this little girl as he pours her cereal. "Here you go sweetie. Breakfast is served."
"Yay! Fwoot loops time!" Maddie smiles up at her dad and takes a big bite of her cereal as she clutches Nanas in her other arm. She looks at Nanas in her arms and climbs down from her chair. "Be wight back Daddy!"
"Where are you going Maddie? It's breakfast time." Derek says.
"It's a secwet! Be wight back!" Maddie says and runs off with Nanas in her arms. She runs to her mom's room and quietly opens the door. She sees her mom sound asleep in bed.
Maddie tiptoes over to the bed, trying her hardest to be quiet. When she gets close to her mom she sees her mom shivering despite all of the blankets piled on top of her.
"Nanas, you gotsa keep mommy company otay?" Maddie lifts up her mom's blanket and puts nanas under the blankets and puts her mom's arm over nana's body and tucks him in with her mom. Nanas head is visible from the top of the blankets.
"Night mommy!" She whispers.
She then quickly leaves the room and goes back to her dad in the kitchen.
"I'm back!" Maddie says loudly.
"Where'd you go? I hope you didn't wake up your mommy. She needs her sleep." Derek says.
"She's sweepingggggg Daddy! Nanas is keeping her company!"
"Did you go into Mommy's room?"
"Yes!" She giggles. "She needed nanas! Nanas gets to take a nap with mommy now!"
"That was very nice of you, but next time let's not go into mommy's room while she's sleeping? She needs all of the sleep that she can get." Derek explains.
"I didn't wake her up Daddy! She's still sweeping!" Maddie argues. "She's very cold! Mommy was sha-sha-shak." Maddie gave up on trying to pronounce the tricky word.
"She's shaking?" Derek asked, getting worried.
"Yeah! Mommy's cold daddy! She needs more blankies!" She said, frowning.
Derek realizes that she saw her mom shaking because of how cold she is. He had placed extra blankets on top of her when he was in there with her during the night.
"She's got tons, baby girl." Derek looks up from his cereal when he hears footsteps coming their way. A few coughs are heard.
"Mama!" Maddie called out.
Meredith then came into view with a thick blanket wrapped tightly around her body. She is looking very pale.
"Hey Mer, how are you feeling?" Derek asks softly.
"My stomach hurts a lot." Meredith whispers, downplaying exactly how much it hurts since Maddie is right there.
"Mama! Mama! Hi!" Maddie yells excitedly.
"Hi Maddie." Meredith whispered.
"Mommy! Did you see Nanas??"
Meredith nods and pulls Nanas out from under the tightly wrapped blanket. She was holding him with one hand while pulling the blanket tight around her body.
"Nanas!" Maddie squeals loudly which makes Meredith wince in pain from a headache.
Meredith gives Nanas to Maddie and sits down in the chair next to her, still pulling the blanket tightly around her. Meredith places her hand on her stomach, rubbing it a little as she's in a lot of pain.
Derek places a little bowl of yogurt in front of Meredith. "Why don't you try to eat some yogurt Mer? Maybe it'll help your stomach."
"It hurts too much." Meredith whispers. "And I'm too tired to eat."
"You had chemo two days ago. This will give you some energy." Derek says.
"Mama! What kind of yogurt do you have???" Maddie asks, climbing on top of her mom's lap which makes Meredith wince in pain as Maddie's body comes into contact with her stomach.
"Strawberry." Meredith says softly to her daughter. Meredith feels like she could fall back asleep at any moment, that's how tired she is. It doesn't matter that she's been sleeping all night and most of the day before, she's still completely fatigued.
"Mads, be careful with Mommy." Derek says.
"Otay. Mama, can I have some of your yogurt?" Maddie asks.
"Sure, baby." Meredith takes Maddie's empty cereal bowl and scoops some into her bowl.
"Tanks Mama!" Maddie says and starts eating the yogurt while sitting on her mom's lap.
"Mer, you need to eat your yogurt. I can get her her own yogurt if she wants but you need to eat yours." Derek says.
"I'm just not hungry." Meredith says, resting her head on her hand. "And I just want to sleep. I'm so tired."
"Can you try a little please? You need all of the nutrients you can get. We don't need you losing any more weight. You're already struggling enough to eat."
Meredith gives in and slowly takes a few bites of the yogurt. Almost immediately her stomach starts hurting her even more. "Oww." Meredith moans in pain, wrapping her arms around her stomach.
"Mama? You otay?" Maddie asks, twisting around to look at her mom.
"Maddie, can you go sit in your own chair please?" Derek gently asks.
"But Mama…"
"Mads,please." Derek says, getting up and going over to Meredith.
Maddie gets off of her mom's lap and Meredith immediately hunches over with her arms wrapped around her stomach to try to make the pain better. "It…hurts…" Meredith pants. "Make…it…stop."
So sorry for the delay! We really hope you enjoy! Happy New Year! Thanks to my co-writer _Ktje_