Little Shepherd

Chapter 45

"Do you want me to come with you?" Derek asks Meredith as she goes to leave the scrub room. "I don't know how much I'll be able to do, but I can be there. Hold your hand or something?" Meredith can't help but smile a little.

"Yeah, okay." She holds out her hand and he gladly takes it. They head toward the OR room where Christina is being operated on. It's not far from the one they just left. Meredith approaches the door, but doesn't get any further than that because Bailey sees her coming and stands in the doorway. Addison is operating with Izzie at her side.

"Need something?" Bailey asks her, knowing damn well why they were there.

"I'm coming in." Meredith tells her.

"No you're not."

"I am. I'm her friend."

"Exactly. She's lying on the operating table, naked, exposed. She's sedated but she's probably scared out of her mind. Now right now she's not a doctor. She's not your friend. She's a patient and she deserves to have all the privacy I can give her. You're not going in there." Derek gives Meredith's hand a soft squeeze. He knows it's not his place to butt in so he stays quiet, but the gentle show of support was enough to ground her. Meredith sighs in defeat.

"She went jogging this morning. I told her to go jogging. There's no way that could of?"

"No. It started out this way. Nothing caused it to happen."

"You have to let me in there." She tries once more.

"You can try. I'd have to take you down. Hey I might be short but you're pretty tiny. I could do it." Bailey jokes.

"Right now....Just in this moment....I hate you."

"Hmm, yeah well I can take it." Bailey retorts before closing the door and going back to Christina. Meredith grunts in frustration.

"I just want to be with her." She tells Derek.

"I know, I'm so sorry. At least you know she's in good hands." Derek may have his issues with Addison but there is no doubt in his mind that she is one of the best surgeons he's ever known.

Later that evening when things have finally begun to settle Derek decides to go take another look at the newborn he consulted on this morning. Christina is out of surgery and resting with Meredith by her side. She's recovering as well as could be expected. They weren't able to save the baby but Christina will heal in time. Ellis had her biopsy and there's nothing they can do but wait for the results, so what else could he do with his time? Seeing Addison operating on Christina made him think. She truly is an incredible surgeon. She has good instincts and even if her judgement is clouded by emotion who is he to shut her down without even a second look at the child. He watches over the tiny human.

"Look at that, BP is stable." Addison says as she joins him at the babies side.

"She's stronger since this morning." He takes her chart and goes to sit in a rocking chair on the other side of  the room. "There's no reason in the world why she should be stronger since this morning."

"She's really beautiful, isn't she?" Addie comments as she gazes at the child.

"I'll tell you what. If she makes it through the night, if she has a little bit more strength I'll operate." Derek tells her as he closes the chart.

"Really? You will?" She asks, surprised that he changed his mind. He nods.

"She deserves a shot."