Little Shepherd

Chapter 50

"Is she okay??" Addison questions Mark and Meredith worriedly as she joins them at Josie's bed side.

"She's exhausted and upset, but she'll be okay." Mark answers.

"Why the hell didn't anyone page me!?" She snaps emotionally. "I had to hear from a chatty nurse that my daughter was seizing in the middle of the Emergency room??"

"You have every right to be upset, but please let's not do this in front of Josie." Addie scoffs.

"Now you think you know what's best for MY little girl?" Josie buries her face in her hands, curling her body into an even tighter little ball. Meredith has had enough. She grabs Addison's wrist and drags her half way across the room, out of Josie's earshot. "Let go of me." Addie yanks her arm away from Meredith's grip. "How dare you." It's clear how offended Addison is. She can't believe that Meredith had the gall to man handle her the way she just did.

"Can't you see the way that all of this is effecting her??" Meredith asks in awe that two of the most intelligent people she's ever met can be so stupid when it comes to their own child.

"How do you expect me to see anything if no one pages me when something happens?"

"You're right. We should have paged you. Everything was just happening so fast...she was seizing and Derek was in surgery..." Addison cuts her off.

"You're a surgeon Meredith. If you seriously can't keep it together when someone seizes, you should probably re-think your career choice." Addison is obviously upset about the whole situation, and Meredith just happens to be the nearest punching bag. Meredith gawks at her.

"It's not the same. You know it's different when it's..." Meredith pauses, unsure if she should continue.

"When it's what? Your child? That's the thing Meredith. She isn't. She isn't your child." Addison spits at her. Meredith clamps her mouth shut, willing herself not to lash out. "You're not her mother. You're nothing. You can play pretend all you want, but nothing you can do will ever change the fact that she's my baby." Addison turns and storms back to Josie's bed side leaving Meredith standing alone in the middle of the bustling emergency room. Tears well in her eyes and she's afraid if she moves she'll crumble.

"Hey baby, you doing okay?" Addison asks Josie softly as she sits beside her in the bed.

"I wanna go home." Josie whines. Addison runs a hand over Josie's shiny red hair.

"I know honey, you'll be out of here before you know it. Uncle Mark is going to take you to where we live so that you can get some rest."

"You're leaving too?" Josie asks her quietly without even looking at her.

"Baby I-" Josie cuts her off.

"Daddy left too." Addison rests her hand on one of Josie's arms.

"Jos, I'm sorry honey, but there was an accident. People are hurt."

"Yeah, I saw..."

"Some of those people had babies in their bellies and they need my help." Josie pulls her arm away so that her mother's hand slides away from it. "...But we'll have all weekend to spend together" Addison adds, trying to get through to her. Josie nods, but she's not in the slightest bit convinced that she'll actually get to spend time with her. Something will come up, something always comes up. She hugs her anatomy Jane doll to her chest willing herself not to cry.

"Where's Mama?" Josie whimpers. Addison takes a deep breath, triggered that she's sitting right here and her own daughter wants someone else.

"I'm sure she's around somewhere, maybe she had work to do." Addie offers lightly. Josie sits up, shaking her head.