(Shattered...) Dreams Fulfilled

Family Ties

"Hey, you don't want dessert?"

"Not really," she smiled and to appease him added, "but I might have some later."

"Are you ok," he asked, concern manifested in his tone, "we can leave, you look tired."

"It's ok. It's been nice, good we got to spend some time with Kathleen and Lexie.
I'm going to miss her Derek," she told him while becoming a little distant.

"I'm going to miss her too...speak of the devil," Derek said as the two women walked in the suite.

"I was absolutely stuffed, I needed to walk that off, so we went for a walk around the grounds here, they are quite beautiful, and you get a great view of the bay and the mountains, Derek it was a great choice for me to stay."

"Kathleen, hopefully next time...well not next time, since you said you'd visit with your husband pretty soon, but you know after that, our house will be built and you can stay with us, we'll have a guest room...right Derek, the house should be done."

Kathleen, who had not yet sat down, walked up behind Meredith and put her arms around her shoulders and hugged her, "I am going to miss you."

"Me too," she said becoming sentimental, along with Kathleen and Lexie who had her same propensity for watery eyes.

"Rambling...sentimental fools..." Kathleen smiled, "Lexie, I have no doubts Mom's going to be out here very soon, but if for some reason she is not, then I expect you to join Derek and Meredith when come home for their visit."

"That's nice...Kathleen, but I'm a first year resident, and time off is hard, and your family, I don't know...they get to meet Mer, but I don't know, they might think it's rude for me to assume, well it's a family gathering..."

Meredith was sitting next to her and reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping the familiar movement in the air, "you are my family, part of my family with Derek...I expect you can get the time off for that weekend and join us."

"Meredith...really..." she asked and in that moment her sister realized how very much they needed each other, "really," Meredith said and smiled.

"I can do that...I can get those days off..."

"Lex...I'm thinking...right after that, or before...depending on our schedules, since we'll be East...we can visit Molly...drive to Connecticut or take the train."

"You are..." she said as her eyes filled with tears, "that...that would be lovely...Mer...Mom would be so happy."

"We can...we can do a little shopping at FAO Schwartz...on the way...get some things for Laura...Derek can help."

"What..."

"You can help," Meredith said slipping her hand in his where he sat at the head of the table, "we should probably do that first, I'm sure there's at least seven or eight other kids we'll need to shop for before we get to your Mom's...and the teenagers, well you can give them money or ipods or whatever such things they like now."

"Why am I going to shop for them," he asked playfully.

"Because you moron, you haven't been home in ages, and the least you could do is bring gifts," Kathleen told him.

"Seriously..." he asked, "my visit is not enough?"

"Derek...don't be so brainless," Meredith teased him.

"I wanted to see what Mother hen over there would say...of course we're bringing presents...for fifteen kids...and Laura."

"Actually, Derek, you know I'm kidding...you don't have to and you should not be the uncle...and aunt... bearing gifts, it will make it a very expensive habit for the rest of us, you coming home is all we want."