Say you won't let go

Chapter 25

Author's note: just a warning, this is an intense chapter and I feel like this needed to happen for story progression. Plus I have extra time waiting for my ✨Covid✨ test results so I have plenty of time to spend writing in my quarantine 🤪🤪

When she was a little girl, the hospital was her safe place. She roamed the halls, every floor had a special place to her. This hospital was her first home, the place her mother had given her the love of medicine. She didn't remember much from her childhood, but the hospital was some of her best memories. She remembered all the good times as she laid on the sofa next to her son's hospital bed. He slept peacefully, his fever spiked again last night, they were on day three in the hospital.

"Hey," Derek whispered as he opened the door. He was wearing his scrubs as he was working that day. He had a few surgeries he had pushed back that had to be done. He couldn't ask Amelia because she had a full schedule herself.

"Hey you," she smiled sleepily at him. He had stayed with CJ most the day yesterday so she could go to one of the on-call rooms and sleep for a bit on something other than the uncomfortable sofa that was in the room.

"How's he doing?" Derek asked.

"He's doing. Alex mentioned if he could keep his food down today he could go home," Meredith sighed. She couldn't stand to see her children sick, the poor guy couldn't keep even crackers down.

"Has he ate breakfast yet?" He asked and answered his own question as he lifted the tray of hospital food that hadn't been touched.

"He is too scared to eat. He doesn't want to throw up anymore."

"I wish there was something I could do," he frowned. They tried nausea medication and that didn't help any.

"Me too," she sighed, looking at the fragile boy. He looked sick, he had definitely gotten worse but she was glad Amelia and Alex were both doing everything they could for him.

"I hate to go so soon but I have a surgery in thirty minutes," Derek frowned.

"I understand," she said to him.

"Page me if anything changes," he kissed her before leaving. CJ slowly started to stir in his sleep.

"Good morning," Meredith smiled at her son.

"Mama, I'm hungry," he whined.

"They brought you some pancakes and eggs if you want to try and eat," Meredith got up and moved the tray to him. She pressed the button to sit the bed up and helped him get comfortable.

"I don't want to throw up mommy," he cried.

"Just try to eat a few bites, if you start to feel sick you don't have to eat anymore," Meredith almost begged. She understood his fear of eating, his neck was still super stiff and hurt him so when he would vomit, he would scream in pain with every heave. With hesitation, he ate a few bites before he pushed the tray away from him. Meredith grabbed a plastic bag that they provided in case.

"Are you ok?" She asked after a few minutes.

"Mhm," he said without nodding his head as usual.

"Do you want to eat more?"

"Not yet, it has to settle on my tummy," he replied.

"Ok," she smiled a bit, she couldn't believe he was able to keep food down. After a few more minutes he started to eat more and stopped after a few bites to take a break.

"Mama I'm this full," he held his hand at the top of his neck.

"Ok, don't over eat. I'm so proud of you for trying," she said. It wasn't much but it was progress for sure. There was a knock on the door and Amelia opened it.