Secret smile

12

Sophie smiled to herself as she filled out a chart at the desk. Her big brother was going to be here soon. She was finally going to see him again because somehow since he had moved here they had both been kind of crazy busy. But he had called her a few days ago and suggested they grab lunch and he had actually sounded kind of almost like the brother she had grown up with. He had laughed and teased her and said she better leave the kids and that he was planning on buying her alcohol so she better not be pregnant. He had sounded like the Derek she had talked to over a year ago on the phone, when he would grab Sarah and laugh loudly over the phone until his daughter begged for mercy. The person she had talked to on the phone had almost sounded like that guy. There had been something different, something slightly down or something just different but still, she expected that. She wasn't expecting him to be better already but he was laughing and joking and teasing and now she couldn't wait to see him. She knew this guy and she would be able to help him or something. He might be doing better but it was a long way still.

Nothing about this was easy. Amy's birthday was coming up and she knew Derek's day would go tumbling down at that point. He had always loved celebrating his wife's birthday, had always spent so much time and money on her. Last year, he had been curled up in bed and probably hadn't hurt as much. But now he was starting his life over and he was getting somewhere with it, she could only imagine how much worse that would make Amy's birthday. She had to remember to take the day off to be there, and she had to remind Mark. She had a feeling he would want to spend the day aloe in bed, which was okay, she got that. But it didn't mean that her and Mark couldn't be there, hanging out in the other room in case he needed something. She needed t be there. The whole point of him moving here was so they could be together.

"Hey, Dr. Shepherd?" a nurse, Pamela, poked her head in.

"Oh hi," she smiled up at her.

"Your brother's in the waiting room," Pamela grinned. "And he's...gorgeous."

"Oh god, please don't tell me you told him that," Sophie groaned.

"What? Of course not!" Pamela shook her head. "But I can think it."

"He looks like our Dad," Sophie shrugged as she stood up.

"That doesn't mean he's not gorgeous."

"He's Derek," Sophie laughed.

"Gorgeous," Pamela laughed. "If only I were a single woman..."

"He's not available," Sophie said quickly.

"Neither am I," Pamela laughed, opening the door for her.

"I know, I'm just.." Sophie sighed. "Long story."

"She's right here, Derek," Pamela smiled as Derek turned to look, his eyes sad.

"Hey Soph," he greeted.

"Hey, Der," Sophie grinned, walking forward and hugging him tightly. "Come back with me? I have to finish some paperwork."

"Of course," Derek nodded. "Running late?"

"A little, yeah," she sighed, leading him back. "One of my patients had the chicken pox, which he spread to all four of his siblings. And I'm now terrified I'm going to take home to the kids."

"Oh," Derek frowned. "That's hell."

"They've all had the vaccine but...you never know," she sighed, leading him into her office as she fell into her chair.

"Worst case scenario I'll crash on your couch and help you out," he offered.

"Thanks, Der," she smiled softly, flipping through her paperwork. "To make matters worse, one of the other pediatricians had to be at Grace this morning, as her brand new patient was born."