Since Scott had left their lives, the last few weeks had been a struggle for Meredith. She was comfortable in the routine they had but now everything had changed and she was left caring for her daughter alone, sure she seen Derek as much as possible but now they only had one source of income and Ellyse was constantly asking where Scott was, she was too young to understand what was happening and she was confused about the changes in both her and her moms life.
In a few weeks was the intern mixer and as a new second year resident, it was compulsory that Meredith was to attend, after all she would be the resident of these interns. The only problem was Derek was going to be there and now that she didn't have Scott, she had to find a babysitter to watch Ellyse. She wasn't the type of mother to just leave her daughter alone with a random stranger, not that she criticised parents who did it just wasn't her thing, she didn't trust the world enough to lose her most valuable commitment.
Meredith had spoken to Robert and had tried to figure a way around it, a way that she didn't have to attend the mixer, she tried to get him to change it to a breakfast mixer but he denied it. Robert was the chief and she hated it, he was the arrogant surgeon type, the type who's ego flew with the stars. So now she was sat picking at her late lunch in the cafe she was sat in with her daughter and her friend Charlotte, who was also a second year resident. The two had a lot in common and it wasn't just the blonde hair.
"I don't think mommy is listening to you auntie c." Ellyse giggled.
"She's not is she?" Charlotte rolled her eyes and smiled at the girl.
"She had too much coffee! Her brain gone to space." She laughed at her moms face.
"Should I take it off her?" Charlotte whispered.
Ellyse giggled and nodded her head before laughing her head off as she watched Meredith's head snap in Charlottes direction as she grabbed the iced coffee.
"Don't. even. think... about it." Meredith glared before smiling at her daughter.
"What's going on?" Charlotte giggled before her face turning serious.
Meredith took a quick look at her before turning to her daughter.
"Ellyse why don't you go and play in the play area while mommy talks to auntie c for a bit, okay?" she pointed to the child's area that was just next to their table, the girl got up and ran to the sandpit.
"Okay, seriously what's going on?" Charlotte frowned.
"It's nothing bad I'm just stressed." Meredith sighed.
"About what?"
"About everything, everything in my life is changing and I don't know what to do with it." She looked at her friend for advice.
"Everything happens for a reason Mer and maybe you will find something really good to come out of it. I can't tell you what to do, you need to work it out for yourself but I can tell you to be patient, go with the flow and see where it takes you." Charlotte put her hand over Meredith's.
"Thanks but the chiefs being a real ass." She huffed.
"He's always an ass but what's he done this time?"
"He's forcing me to go to this stupid intern mixer and now that Scott and I aren't together, I don't have anyone that can mind Ellyse."
"Why not send her to her dads for the night?" Charlotte offered.
"That would work if her dad weren't an intern." Meredith rolled her eyes.
"Oh." She nodded, "wait your older than her dad?" She asked.
"No, he's older. I just finished high school early and got into college on early acceptance." Meredith told her.
"Ah. I just thought you were a child prodigy." She joked.
"Shut up." Meredith laughed.
"What about the hospital day care? Night care? Whatever care, they have to have something in place for parents who work nights right? That way she'll be here when you are."
"That's a good idea, I didn't even know the hospital had a day care." She shrugged.
"I mean I think they do, my last hospital did." Charlotte had transferred half way through their intern year from LA.
"I'll find out." Meredith said before a text from Derek come from.
"I have to go." She said as she took her purse out to pay for her lunch.
"I'll talk to you later?" Charlotte asked as she hugged her.
"Yeah." Meredith smiled as she shouted her daughter who come running over.
"Bye E." Charlotte kissed her head.
"Bye bye auntie C." She said.
When she pulled up outside her apartment she saw Derek's car there too, himself leaning against the door.
"To what do I owe this pleasure?" She said with a smile as she approached him.
"I just wanted to see you, and Ellyse, where is she?" He looked around.
"She's in the car sleeping, she tired herself out at the park at the cafe." She laughed as she walked over to the car and grabbed her sleeping daughter out of her car seat.
"Let me get her." Derek said as Meredith carried her. She handed her over to him and watched as she stirred before getting comfortable with her head against his chest.
"Like mother like daughter." Derek joked as Ellyse started to snore.
"Shut it." Meredith laughed as they walked to her apartment door.
When they got into the apartment, Derek lay his daughter down on the sofa and laid a blanket over her, he watched her sleep for a minute before he went to the kitchen where Meredith was. He could tell something was on her mind just by looking at her but he chose not to mention it knowing it would only push her away.
"Have you been busy today?" He asked breaking the awkward atmosphere.
"Not really, we just had lunch with Charlotte after I had to talk to the chief." She sighed as she slouched down in her chair.
"I'm guessing it wasn't a good talk?" He asked.
"What makes you say that?" She quizzed as she turned go face him, her head resting in her hand that was propped up on by her elbow.
"You look stressed." He said bluntly.
"Yeah well." She huffed before letting her arms fall onto the table, her head following them.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered as he watched her.
"There's nothing to talk about." She muttered.
"Okay then, is there something you want to rant about instead?" He asked knowing how talkative she really was. Her head quickly lifted.
She stared at him for a few seconds, looking into his eyes completely.
"I'm just struggling with everything in my life at the minute, I feel like I have no control over anything. Scott cheated on me and then came back the next day and hit me and now I'm living with a 5 year old who need attention every minute if every day and now the chief is-" she said quickly before he stopped her.
"Woah, woah, woah, hold on. He hit you?" Derek frowned.
"What?" Meredith was shocked, how did he know that?
"You just said he hit you." He said.
Meredith looked at him, her mind going through every word she just said, "no I didn't."
"Yes, you did." He frowned as he looked into her eyes that were now moving 20mph around the room.
"Shit." She muttered.
"Why did he hit you?" He asked as he sat up, his hands tightening into a ball.
"We just got into a fight and he got angry, he was drunk, it's fine, it's doesn't matter anymore. He's gone for good." She sighed.
"Has he ever done that before?"
"No. I promise, he hasn't." She shook her head.
Derek watched her closely, both their eyes battling for control. After a few moments he nodded his head, his face still clearly painted with anger and concern, and what looked like a small amount of disbelief.
"What was I saying?" She asked.
"The chief." He replied.
"Right yeah, the chiefs being a real ass and he's making me go to the intern mixer in a few weeks at the hospital but that means I have no one to mind Ellyse because you have to be there too and all my friends are second year residents too, Scott's gone and I don't have anyone else." She breathed.
"That was a lot." Derek laughed as her face started to pale back to a normal colour.
"That was no help." She rolled her eyes.
"Why don't I ask my mom if she can mind her?" He asked hesitantly.
"You- your mom?" She frowned.
"Yeah." He said slowly.
"Your mom. Your mom as in Carolyn. As in the woman who's grandchild I took across the country?"
"Believe it or not that's still my mom after these past 5 years Mer." He joked nudging her elbow.
"I- I don't know Derek. Besides isn't she in Seattle."
"Yeah but she's coming here that weekend anyway to watch Ethan for Mark and Lexie." He told her.
"She probably hates me Derek, I can't ask her to do that. She doesn't owe me any favours." She shook her head.
"She doesn't hate you Mer, I mean she was upset with you but she doesn't hate you, your the mother of her grandchild." He offered.
"Does she even know that we met again?" She questioned.
"No." He breathed.
"So, there's one problem, are you just planning on springing our child on her?" Her eyebrows raised.
"Of course I'm gonna tell her Mer." Derek rolled his eyes.
"I can't believe I'm doing this but okay." She whined.
"Mommy?" A tired voice came from the door. They looked over to see a tired Ellyse rubbing her eyes and clutching the blanket to her chest.
"Hey, baby girl. Did you have a good nap?" She asked as she crouched in front of her.
Ellyse walked closer to her mother and put her head into her neck before nodding her head. Meredith hugged before until she felt her pull away.
"Look who's here." Meredith said raising her eyebrows as she smiled and moved to the right so Ellyse could see Derek.
"Daddy!" Her eyes opened wider and she ran to him.
"Hi Ells." He picked her up and kissed her head as she hugged him.
"Missed you." She muttered tiredly.
"I missed you more, did you have fun with your mom, I heard you went to the park?" He asked shocked to receive giggles from his daughter.
"Yeah and the sandpit." She nodded.
"I'm super jealous." He laughed as she wiggled go get down.
"You can come next time, right mommy? Daddy can come next time." She looked to Meredith.
"Sure, sweetie."
The three soon sat down on the sofa and watched a movie, Derek found himself the last one awake as both Meredith and Ellyse were asleep cuddled tightly together. He watched them and admired them both, he was glad that Meredith was the mother of his child, they might not be together anymore but she really was the best for his daughter. He kissed both of their heads and put a blanket over them before leaving the apartment and heading home to Addison.
"Where have you been? Oh, let me guess, you've been with Meredith and the kid." He heard Addison scoff as he walked into his apartment.
"Where are you?" He asked as he looked around and couldn't see her.
"I'm in the kitchen, not that you even care."
He walked into the kitchen and seen her standing against the sink, a glass of wine in her hand.
"What's going on?" He asked.
"You tell me Derek."
"There's nothing to tell?" He questioned confused.
"You we're with Meredith again?" She asked.
"I was with my daughter." Her clarified.
"And Meredith?" He repeated.
"Yes Addison, she is Ellyse's mother." He rolled his eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me." She snapped.
"I don't know what you want me to say or do? Tell me because I'm at a loss here. Ellyse is my daughter and I want to spend every minute I can with her because I've already missed 5 years and she-" Addison cut him off.
"Exactly Derek, you missed them 5 years because of Meredith." She shouted.
"I know that and we're trying to move forward and do what's best for our daughter." He said calmly.
"Why can't you do that with her not around?"
"Because shes her mother." He looked at her with a frown.
"And your her father." She retaliated.
"Yeah, that's how it works." He scoffed.
"So why can't you see the kid on your own?"
"Okay first of all her name is Ellyse not 'the kid' so have some respect please. And secondly, Meredith is a great mother and Ellyse deserves time with both of her parents."
"She took her away from you!" She shouted loudly as she slammed the glass into the sink and it smashed.
"We're not having this fight again." He sighed and walked out of the kitchen.
"Don't walk away from me Derek!"
"Goodnight Addison." He rolled his eyes and closed his door.
He heard her scream and stomp around the apartment before slamming the door. He didn't know where she went but in all honesty, he didn't care, if she was going to act like a child then he would berate her like one and let her throw a tantrum.