Baby Grey (Grey's Anatomy) ABANDONED

Twenty nine

"This is ready. Don't slosh it around, it's all about the presentation," Izzie told Meredith and Erin as she handed them dinner plates piled high with food.

"Come in and eat with us," Meredith said. Izzie rolled her eyes fondly.

"You need to bond with your people. People are what matters," she said.

"We hate people," Meredith and Erin said.

"Yeah, well, do your own talking," Izzie said.

"We talked. We talked hospital, we talked his research, we talked dead mother. I'm out," Meredith said.

"Ask about the baby, ask if it poos, people can go on about that for hours," Izzie suggested. Erin winced.

"Please never let me be the kind of mother that goes on about baby shit," she said to Meredith.

"I won't, don't worry," she said. Erin hummed.

"Come on," she said. Meredith sighed and they carried the food out to the dining room. Susan, Thatcher and Derek sat around the table in awkward silence and Erin had to resist the urge to break out the good alcohol this early on in the dinner.

"Oh, chicken looks delicious," Susan smiled.

"It's from the store," Meredith said, sitting down beside Derek. Erin sat at the head of the table awkwardly.

"Well, the green beans look great as well," Susan said, smile faltering.

"I didn't do those, either," Meredith said.

"It's beautifully presented," Derek said.

"Izzie did that," Meredith and Erin chorused.

"Oh," Derek whispered. The front door swung open and Alex walked in. Meredith jumped to her feet.

"Alex! Come, sit. Eat! We're eating. This is Susan and this is my father," Meredith pointed them out. He looked over with wide eyes and Erin moved her head, telling him to come over. He did slowly.

"Hi," Thatcher said.

"Cool," Alex mumbled, sitting at the other head of the table and beginning to make himself a plate.

"So, how are you? How was your day?" Meredith asked.

"Okay. Hungry," Alex mumbled, shoving food in his mouth. Erin sighed.

"How's the baby?" she asked.

"Great," Susan beamed.

"She's smiling now, sometimes. Looks exactly like Molly when she smiles. I mean, it's amazing. I've got this old picture of Molly and me when she was, I don't know, five and she's sitting on this red sled in the snow, this great big fir tree," Thatcher started rambling. Erin's stomach dropped. Meredith had told her about that photograph once and it wasn't Molly in it. It was Meredith.

"You know, I'm not sure that that-" Susan started.

"Yeah, no honey, it's a massive Douglas fir and in the picture, couldn't look more like the baby. I mean, incredible," Thatcher smiled.

"That's me. The red sled and the big fir tree and the park at the middle school and the ugly yellow wool coat. That's isn't Molly, it's you and me," Meredith said.

"Oh lord," Erin whispered. The lights flickered off and Erin groaned.

"Crap!" Izzie cried.

"Oh, great," Meredith said.

"Sorry," Izzie called.

"Sorry," Meredith rolled her eyes.

"I think I blew a fuse," Izzie said. Thatcher stood up as Meredith did.