"Mommy's school," Everly chanted as Allison lifted her out of the car.
"Your chariot," Allison smiled as she put Everly in the wheelchair, strapping her in securly.
"No," Everly whined, "I walk. I want to walk."
"I have your crutches," Allison promised, "it's too far for you to walk."
"Allie," Xyuan greeted.
"Xyuan this is my daughter Everly," Allison introduced, "Ev can you say hi to Miss Xyuan?"
"Miss shoe ya," Everly tried.
"Shoe yan," Xyuan said slowly.
"Shoe yin," Everly tried.
"Close enough," Xyuan smiled, "Allie do you need a hand?"
"I'm good," Allison said, "Everlys bag hangs off her chair, her crutches click in the back and I have my bag."
"Coffee," Xyuan asked.
"I finished it at home," Allison replied.
"I'm hungry," Everly whined.
"You just had breakfast," Allison replied.
"Fishies please," Everly asked.
"When we get to my class," Allison replied.
"Is she really coming," Xyuan asked.
"Only because Ava is here and she loves auntie Ava," Allison said.
"Auntie Ava," Everly asked.
"We'll go see Auntie Ava," Allison promised, "Xyuan are you walking with us?"
"I can," Xyuan smiled. She was happy to finally meet Allison's daughter. They had had classes together for three years and Allison had never introduced her school friends to her daughter saying Ev just wasn't old enough yet.
"So you really brought her to child development today to talk about preschoolers," Xyuan asked.
"Dr Martin wanted to bring in a three year old and Ev is three so why not," Allison replied, "she's never come to school with me."
"No," Xyuan asked.
"A couple times as an infant someone would bring her to me to feed but I met them at the car and fed her in the car," Allison said.
"Asher couldn't feed her," Xyuan asked.
Ava joined them, "nope that was all Allie. And Hi Princess!"
"Auntie Ava," Everly beamed, "up?"
"Ask your mom," Ava said.
"Not until we get to class," Allison said firmly, "you can sit with me and auntie Ava."
"Auntie," Everly said.
"What am I," Allison asked.
"Mommy," Everly said.
Everly reached her hand to Ava, who took the little girl's hand.
"Mommy's school," Everly beamed.
"Yes mommy and my school," Ava said.
"Cookie," Everly asked.
"Not now," Ava said.
"Fishies," Everly tried.
"No," Allison replied, "you can have your apple slices when we get to class."
"No," Everly said.
"Apples or wait for lunch," Allison replied.
"No," Everly said.
Allison stopped pushing the wheelchair and crouched in front of Everly, "Princess I need you to cooperate with me. You're going into my class with me and I need you to be on your very best behaviour. It's like when we go to papa's church."
"No," Everly whined.
"You can have your apple and some fishies when we get to class," Allison offered.
Xyuan looked at Ava.
"She's three," Ava shrugged, "Allie is really good. She's an amazing mom. We have other friends with kids Eden and Carmen and they don't make it look that easy."
"I want to walk," Everly said.
"Not right now," Allison said, "you can walk inside when we get to the building where my class is."
"No now," Everly whined.
"That's not a choice Ev," Allison said, "you can walk inside. This path is too rough to have you walk."
"What if I carry you," Ava suggested, she knew Everly hated the wheel chair. But in the last few months she had gotten too big for a stroller but didn't have the stamina yet to walk from Allison's car to the building where Allison's class was. Everly was doing well in short bursts and in familiar places. But Ava had gone grocery shopping a couple weeks before with Allison while they were getting ready for a party and Everly had gotten tired halfway through the store and had ridden in the cart the rest of the shopping trip.
"No I walk," Everly pouted.
"Soon," Allison said, "five more minutes."
"Now," Everly whined.
"Wait 5 minutes," Allison repeated, "Everly it's not safe."
"No," Everly whined.
"Everly theres a big hill no," Allison replied. She knew her daughter wasn't ready for the big hill yet. They were working on the gentle slope in front of the house right now and going up ramps in the walker. She wasn't ready for ramps on crutches yet and Allison didn't have the walker with them today, it was in the car for physio later but it was too much to carry around campus.
"Walk," Everly demanded.
"You can ride or Auntie Ava can carry you," Allison said.
"Mommy carry," Everly asked.
"I have her chair," Xyuan said, she understood in the last 5 minutes walking to class more about Allison's life and determination then she thought possible. Seeing the little girl so determined to be independent and stand on her own two feet. She knew Allison's life was different from her own simply because she had her own family but actually seeing Allison being a mom was different.
Allison lifted Everly out of her wheelchair and carried her while Ava grabbed the wheel chair even though Xyuan had offered Ava grabbed it, having used it before when she was babysitting.
They made their way to Allison's class with Allison pointing thing out to Everly. Getting inside the building Ava passed Allison Everly's crutches and Allison helped get Everly set up on her crutches. They slowly made their way through the crowded halls to class.
"Miss Altman-Hunt," the professor greeted.
"Dr Jarrett this is my daughter Everly that we talked about," Allison introduced, "Ev can you say hello to Dr Jarrett?"
"Hi," Everly smiled.
The woman in her mid 40s crouched to greet Everly, "it's nice to meet you Everly, I'm Dr Jarrett."
"Doctor," Everly said moving closer to Allison.
"It's okay princess," Allison soothed kneeling beside Everly, "she's my teacher. You're not getting a check up today."
"Surgery," Everly asked.
"No," Allison assured, "you're just here to hang out so everyone can see how brave and smart and kind you are."
"No doctor," Everly said.
"No just listening," Allison said.
"Do you need a hand getting into class," Dr Jarrett asked.
"I'm good," Allison said, "Ava will help. Everly know's Ava really well."
"How so," Dr Jarett asked.
"We've been friends since second grade," Ava said, "I saw Ev for the first time when she was only 5 or 6 days old."
"Ava is one of the few true friends who stuck by me when I got preganant senior year of high school," Allison explained, "and the only one who's stuck with me as a mom and through everything with Ev."
"Your paper you turned in last week on early development in children with CP was very insightful," Dr Jarett said, "and you present today on the first three years."
"I do," Allison said, 'but I'm doing it my way. As a case study with my daughter. I'll present with her."
"How do you plan to do that," Dr Jarrett asked.
"I have two arms," Allison smiled.
"Your CP paper that wasn't just a case study from research," Dr Jarett said.
"It was a case study," Allison said, "but it's my life. My daughter."
"She's beautiful," Dr Jarett smiled.
"Thank you," Allison smiled.
"She looks like you," Xyuan said.
"I see Asher," Allison said, "my eyes but the rest she's daddy's girl."
They made their way into class and Allison settled on the far end of the front row with Everly in her lap. Everly was surprisingly petite for her age especially considering that both Allison and Asher were taller Allison was 5'8" while Asher was 6'3". Everly looked like she might be petite like Annie and Ellie, Heather was already almost Annie's height and would pass her mother soon.
Dr Jarrett started the class and called on Allison to present her case study, she got up and took Everly from Ava, the little girl having wiggled into her favourite aunt's lap seeing that Auntie Ava had mini oreos for her, a treat she only got with Ava.
"You brought a prop," a guy in the back row yelled.
"No," Allison countered, "this is my daughter Everly. Ev can you wave and say hi?"
Everly waved then hid her face in Allison's shoulder, Allison shifted her daughter to her left hip leaving her right hand free to run her presentation.
"Over the last few weeks leading up to the mid term we have been researching different developmental challenges in the first three years of a child's life. I chose to present on Cerebral Palsy because it is something my family knows well," Allison began, "I had my daughter in May of my senior year of high school. Everly can you tell everyone how old you are?"
"I'm tree," Everly said, holding up three fingers.
"She's nearly three and a half," Allison said, "and as you can see she is wearing full leg braces and has orthotics in her shoes. For us Cerebral Palsy, CP is a daily reality. Everly was diagnosed three years ago at 5 months old. It will be three years tomorrow that we got her diagnosis. With a lot of support she is thriving and we have been lucky."
"Your case study," a woman called out.
"I'm going to present a bit differently," Allison said, "I'm going to tell our story. My family's and our experience. While I was very young, just 18 and still in highschool when Everly was born, she is the best thing I've ever done. Our first picture is newborn Everly, there were complications at birth. Her umbilical cord was around her neck twice and it took nearly two minutes for her to breathe on her own."
Allison continued telling their family's story and finished with Everly walking on her own with the support of her crutches.
"You really brought your kid for show and tell," a man said.
"We have an appointment with the CP research group after class," Allison said, "she's part of a study between the UW medical school and the Fox Foundation. So she got to come to mommy's school today. She's been asking for over a year and it's the first time it's been a good day. It was good timing that she got to come for my presentation."
"Your friendships," a woman near the back, one of Ava's nursing classmates asked.
"I lost most of my friends," Allison admitted, "my fiance stuck around and Ava. i've made friends here and there's a couple other girls my age that had babies around the same time Ev was born. But there's times it's been lonely and only Asher understands."
"Who's Asher," the woman asked.
"My fiance, her dad," Allison answered.
"Cookie now," Everly asked.
"When we go sit down," Allison promised, "and your juice."
They returned to their seats and Allison got Everly's cookies and juice out of the bag before helping Everly settle in Ava's vacated seat so Ava could do her presentation.
At Grey Sloan Teddy called Annie into her office.
"Is everything all right sweetheart," Teddy asked.
"Ya," Annie shrugged.
"You've been distant," Teddy replied.
"Trying to decide what to do about something," Annie said, "and it could hurt you so I'm trying to do it my way."
"You and Josh have been arguing," Teddy observed.
"About this and telling you," Annie replied.
"The only things you hide are Leslie or Steven," Teddy observed.
"Josh and I argued about what to do with the money from the sale of Leslie's house," Annie replied, "I wanted nothing to do with it. It feels like blood money. Dad doesn't want it and Chris agrees it's blood money. We've put it in a trust account for now shared six ways. Our kids can have their share when they turn 30."
"Good plan," Teddy replied, "houses or a nest egg."
"Something like that," Annie shrugged.
"So this is Steven stuff your hiding," Teddy said.
Annie nodded, "mama I'm 47 it should not be affecting me like this."
"What is it," Teddy asked.
"Jacob, my youngest half brother," Annie said, "he's the same age as Henry. CPS contacted me."
"What do you mean," Teddy asked.
"His mom has been deemed unfit and Steven isn't the best choice," Annie said, "they want me to get to know him. I have four kids. Mama I can't. I don't know why they even gave my name. I've never met them Alexandra is a year younger than Ellie and emails me once in a while but I've never met them face to face. I need them to ask me. I have no relationship with Steven beyond the Merry Christmas email. I don't particularly want a relationship with that side. He spent 45 years denying my existence then this."
"It's messy," Teddy agreed, "what did you tell CPS?"
"The truth," Annie replied, "that I've never actually met my youngest siblings."
"You were open to raising ALlie and Leo if needed," Teddy said.
"But I had relationships with them," Annie replied, "I knew them, they knew me. I have a relationship with you and uncle Owen. It's not a stranger. These kids are strangers and how would that affect my kids?"
"That's something to think about," Teddy agreed.
"Allie and Leo, my kids know them," Annie replied, 'this would be more like fostering. Which Josh and I have toyed with the idea of it over the years. Steven hasn't exactly kept up on his end for the kids to meet me. They're looking for a placement for Jacob and possibly Lily. we don't really have the space for two right now."
"What has Josh said," Teddy asked.
"He spent time in foster care," Annie replied, "he thinks we should be short term. Their mom needs to go to rehab. We've been talking with CPS we could do the 3-4 months."
"Is it best for your family," Teddy asked.
"That's what we're trying to decide," Annie said, "I know these kids are blood but I don't know them at all. I've never had emails from either. I'm as much a stranger to them as they are to me. I don't even know if they know who I am or that I exist. It would be traumatising for them, my kids don't know the full story."
"What do your kids know," Teddy asked.
"They know that I was adopted by grandude and granny as a newborn and that you're my birth mom and we chose to connect when I was 19. They know that grandpa is not my father other than his and my choice. Ellie knows more. They know I have a biological father that exists but we don't have a relationship with."
"That they have other aunts and uncles," Teddy asked.
"They haven't asked," Annie replied, "we'll answer if they ask. I just don't know if we should get involved here."
"I don't get why they would call you," Teddy asked.
"Because I'm a doctor and the most stable relative they can find," Annie replied, "morally we should and it's probably not the best for Lily and Jacob. They should be with people they know. I wouldn't want my kids going to total stranges. They're with Steven's sister."
"Then leave it," Teddy replied, " you don't have to save the world Annie. It's okay to say no and have this boundary. You chose not to have Steven in your life so don't open that all up again."
"Is it wrong," Annie asked.
"No," Teddy replied, "you have to look after your kids."
"It would be too much for my kids," Annie said.
"Then that's why you tell them," Teddy replied.
"Josh and I have talked about fostering when Heather is in highschool," Annie said, "or after she graduates. We want to help vulnerable kids like he was help kids the way Nathan helped him."
"And you two do a ton of pro bono work for low income families and foster children," Teddy replied, "you help how you can."
"I want to meet them and will be someone positive and kind but I can't take on raising them," Annie said.
"That's fair," Teddy agreed.
"My kids have to come first," Annie said.
"Then you need to tell CPS," Teddy replied, "the local social workers will know your name and reputation."
"I can't handle it now," Annie said, "I'm still processing mom's passing and some of the stuff in her letter. Dad just got diagnosed with parkinsons."
"And nana is going into long term care," Teddy added.
"I can't do much more," Annie said, " Nana isn't doing well."
"She isn't," Teddy agreed, "the cancer is progressing."
"How's uncle Owen," Annie asked.
"It's hard but it's been a long time coming," Teddy replied, "she's refusing treatment. She says its her time and she just wants comfort care now."
"How long," Annie asked.
"Year, maybe 18 months," Teddy said.
"Allie's wedding," Annie asked.
"I hope so," Teddy said, "Allie wants her there."
"Nana will want to be there," Annie assured.
"I hope she'll make it," Teddy said.
"Are you okay," Annie asked.
"She's been a mom for me for longer than I had my mom," Teddy said, "I'll miss her."
"So will I," Annie said, "mom, grandma, grandmere and now nana."
"It's hard," Teddy agreed, "just focus on the good memories sweetheart and go soak up all the time you can with Nana."
"I will," Annie said, "and it's okay for me to say no to Steven's kids?"
"Totally," Teddy assured, "you've never had a relationship with any of them."
"He denied my existence," Annie said, "refused to believe it for 45 years. I don't owe him anything. And it wouldn't be fair to my kids or to you."
"You don't owe him anything," Teddy agreed, "and thank you for considering me."
At UW Allison fought Everly back into her wheel chair, the little girl being stubborn and not wanting to ride, she loved walking and her independence. When they finally made it out of the building, Everly shouted, 'DADDY!"
"Hi," Asher smiled.
"Ash," Allison said, "the science building is across campus."
"I thought I would say hi on my lunch," Asher said.
When they reached him Allison stood on her tip toes for a quick kiss.
"Messy," Everly said, pointing to Asher.
"Muddy day today," Allison asked.
"Yes," Asher said, "wiring in the basement and since theres no siding on the building yet and it's just the concrete and steel frame it's pretty dirty. How was your presentation."
"I think we rocked it," Allison smiled, "a couple people questioned Ev's participation but I had to bring her today anyway because we have the study appointment in half an hour."
"Lunch," Asher asked.
"Someone is a snack monster today," Allison said, 'but we do need to eat."
'Juice," Everly asked.
"You finished your juice," Allison answered, "you can have water."
"Juice," Everly tried again.
"We don't have any more," Allison answered, "you can have water."
They found a spot to have lunch together and were soon joined by Ava.
"Weekend plans," Asher asked Ava.
"Not yet,' Allison said, "any single friends?"
"No," Asher laughed, "want to babysit?"
Allison looked at him.
"Four years this weekend I thought we'd go do something just us," Asher said, "I was going to text Ava and surprise you but."
"We can do that," Allison agreed.
"I have a practicum shift on Friday night," Ava said, "I can do Saturday."
"Thank you," Allison smiled.
"Our anniversary," Asher said.
"It is," Allison agreed.
"You two enjoy," Ava said, "princess and I will have fun won't we. should we make cookies?"
"Cookies,' Everly beamed, "pease."
"I'll bring the stuff," Ava agreed.
"We have the stuff," Allison countered.
"I wanted to do sugar cookies with her and decorate them," Ava said.
"You don't mind," Allison asked.
"I'm happy to help," Ava smiled, "I always like time with Everly."