You're not alone

Part 3

"How has she been doing lately?" Callie asked after they made sure that Meredith was really asleep. "Ellis still refuses to accept that she has ADHD. And I don't know what to do anymore because I risked too much to be with her. I really want to help Mer but I just don't know how to." Richard tried to explain.

"You know that she doesn't have a single friend?" Callie asked, focusing on the gips stripes, and adjusting them so that they would make a perfect print. "I know. She's taking the medication but Ellis doesn't want her to go to therapy although she could use an appointment at a logopaedics office to practise expressing herself but every time I bring up the topic I'm sleeping on the couch." Richard sighed, looking down at the tiny form of the little girl he had practically raised, still stroking her hair.

"Well, she won't learn how to deal with it like this." Callie said, not even hiding what she thought of how pathetic all of this was out of her tone. "I know that." Richard replied. "So, you plan on sending her onto a one-week trip in a bus full of little kids that are loud and ruthless?" she summed it up, receiving a glance from Richard.

"It's complicated." He replied. "No, it's not, it's simple. She is sick, she needs help. Untreated ADHD can lead to personality disorders, depression, anxiety, if she not already has developed some of them." Callie uttered, still not looking up.

They stayed in an uncomfortable silence as Richard watched Callie now taking off the print. "Okay, you can take her home now. I already told her she'll need crutches for the next few days, she wasn't happy. Just don't let her go home by herself on crutches and pick her up after school." Callie said, knowing how things were going in this household ever since Meredith became her patient.

"Okay." Richard said, picking Meredith up, placing her on his hip. Since she was so petite and didn't weight much it was easy to carry her around even though she was already ten years old. "Wait! Here, the cream, she asked for a new one." Callie said, giving it to Richard and laying her jacket around her shoulders. "Thank you." He replied, not wanting to look her in the eye as he walked out of the room, a sleeping Meredith in his arms.

________

Meredith woke up to the ringing of her alarm. Quickly turning it off she laid back down, pulling the covers up around her. There was no way she would go to school without her prothesis. No way. It wouldn't hurt if she would skip three days, she thought as suddenly the door opened. "Meredith! Why are you still in bed, get up lazy kid!" her mother yelled, slamming the door behind her.

But Meredith didn't move. She had a plan. After about ten minutes Richard came in. "Meredith? You need to get ready or you'll be late." He said, walking over to her after opening the curtains. "I'm sick." Meredith said, pulling the blanket over her head.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the edge of her bed. "Stomach hurts, and head." She said, hoping that he would buy it. But he of course did not. But in the moment he wanted to say something, what Callie had said to him yesterday crossed his mind. He knew that it wouldn't be easy for her to walk around on crutches and everyone would see that she was missing one leg.

"Let me feel your forehead." He said, carefully pulling down the blanket, making a decision. "Oh, yes, you feel warm." He said, placing his hand on her little forehead, feeling that she didn't have a fever. "I do?" Meredith asked, trying to hide how surprised she was by that statement. "Yes you do. I think you should stay home today and get some rest, maybe you'll feel better tomorrow." He said, tucking her in again.

"But mom?" she said, shocked at how easily that had went. "I'll talk to your mom don't worry." He said, before standing up again. "You just try to get some more sleep." He added, walking out of the room. As soon as the door was closed Meredith started to grin like an idiot. She hadn't thought that he would buy her lie. Now, completely content and happy she closed her eyes, falling into a restful sleep.

________

"Ellis, Meredith is sick, she's staying home today." Richard said, approaching his wife in the kitchen. "She's not sick and she's not your kid, that's not your decision to make." She replied, looking at him in disbelief. "Ellis, let her stay home for a day." He said, taking her hand. "Fine. We have a surgery together today." Ellis said, smirking at him. "We do." Richard replied, following her out of the house.

"How was the appointment yesterday by the way? Will she need a new prothesis?" Ellis asked as they drove onto the highway. "No, she won't need a new one, it's just being adjusted." Richard said, focusing back on the road. "That kid is causing nothing but trouble. She's just like her farther." Ellis uttered, receiving no comment from Richard this time.

"Thatcher always caused problems, too incompetent to take care of his own daughter." Ellis said annoyed, not noticing how ironically that sounded. "Don't think about him, today is supposed to be a good day." Richard said, looking over at Ellis. "You're right! Let's forget about Thatcher."

________

Meredith spent the day in her room, listening to music, drawing some pictures and reading a book, having the best time ever. At around twelve pm she got hungry, grabbed her crutches and started walking towards the staircase, a rope over her shoulder. Reaching the staircase, she sat down on the top stair and started tying one end of the robe around the crutches and the other end around the railing of the staircase. Now, pulling herself up at the railing she carefully rappelled the crutches until they reached the ground. She then sat back down and carefully robbed down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs she stood up and jumped over to her crutches, untying them and then walking into the kitchen, a proud smile on her lips.

She purred herself some cereal into a plastic bowl that had a cover, so it wouldn't spill when she would limp over into the living room. Ten minutes later she was sitting in front of the tv, enjoying her cereal while watching a cartoon.

About half an out later the doorbell suddenly rang. Meredith turned off the tv and laid down in front of the couch so that if someone would look through the window they would think that nobody is home. A few seconds passed before the person rung the bell a second time. Meredith sighed, hoping that they would just go away.

But after a third ring she slowly got up, grabbing her crutches and walking over to the door, opening it the tiniest bit so that only her head peaked through.

"Hey, I brought you your homework. Mrs Hunter gave me the address. You know that we live only two streets away from each other?" Andrew said excited, handing her a pile of paper. She leaned one of her crutches against the wall, taking the pile while still trying to hide both her crutches and her leg. "Thank you." Meredith said, confused at Andrew's sudden appear because no one had ever brought her her homework when she was sick.

"You're welcome, are you feeling better?" he asked and she nodded quickly, but suddenly she lost her balance. Standing on one foot, holding a pile of paper and trying to balance and hide behind the door wasn't exactly a stable position so that she fell down onto the floor, the papers spreading all over the floor.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked, opening the door a little further, wanting to help her up but she only backed away against the wall, trying to hide her leg from him. But he had noticed. He looked from her leg up to her and back down.

"Please go away." Meredith said, pressing her eyes shut, wanting nothing more than to just disappear as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm not going away." Andrew whispered, sitting down next to her and pulling her in for a hug. She was trembling slightly but that only made him tighten his grip around her.

"Please go." She said again but he didn't made any attempt to get up. "Are you okay?" Andrew asked, releasing the hug and sitting down next to her. "I- you- " she tried to say something, sniffling a little. He waited for her to say something but she wasn't able to structure her thoughts. She didn't know what to say and what not to say so she couldn't get out a single word, moving her eyes around quickly, trying to form her thoughts into a sentence. She always had difficulties getting out words when she was under pressure and right now she was too overwhelmed with the situation.

"Go away." She said again, still crying quietly. Andrew sighed, obviously hurt but he now stood up. "Okay. Uhm- see you at school then." He said before walking out, closing the door behind him. As soon as the door was shut Meredith burst into tears, she sat there against the wall, sobbing while Andrew stood outside, listening to her cry.