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14

"Okay, everyone ready?" Derek asked as he just finished putting on the PPE on the kids and himself

"Yep!" Bailey answered with a sassy attitude and Zola and Ellis had to laugh

"Come on, let's go see mommy" He smiled

Derek knocked on Meredith's room and saw that she was asleep

"I'll go wake mommy, wait here till I come get you" Derek said and led them towards a chair

He entered the sterile ICU room and sat down on the bed

"Mer" He whispered as he stroked her cheek "Mer, wake up" He said as his other hand grabbed hers

Meredith started to stir a bit and opened her eyes "Hi" She whispered and started coughing

"Here, drink some water" Derek said and offered her a cup of water

Her hand was so weak that Derek had to help her holding the cup as she drank small bits of water.

"Hmm.." She groaned in discomfort as she wanted to move a bit

"I got some visitors" Derek smiled

"Can I get out of isolation? Why are you wearing your PPE? Can I first see the kids, please?" She almost begged as tears sprung in her eyes

"You're still in isolation, Mer" Derek sighed

A tear left Meredith's eye "Okay" She sighed

Derek went out of the room and let the visitors walk in. Meredith gasped at the sight of her kids "Hey" She smiled widely "I missed you so so much" She said as a few other tears left her eyes

"Mommy!" The kids yelled and climbed on the bed with a little help from Derek.

"We've missed you" Bailey said as he wrapped his arms around his, now even thinner, mother.

"You need to come home" Zola wined

"We really miss you lots, mommy!" Ellis told her "Lots and lots" She sighed as she wraps her small arms around her mother

Meredith was now fully embraced by the kids and Derek and this was the only thing she needed. She needed her kids and husband, she needed them around her during these scary days, weeks, possibly months.

"How have you.. been?" Meredith asked, already wheezing from the effort

The kids looked away, feeling guilty for giving Derek, Alex and the others such a hard time

"What's.. wrong?" Meredith asked

Derek stood up and gave her the oxygen mask instead of the cannula "Who's gonna tell mommy?" Derek questioned

Meredith was frowning and needed an answer. She pulled away the oxygen mask and spoke up "Zo, tell me"

"We just didn't wanna go to school.. and we wanted to sleep with daddy" Zola told her

"But daddy wasn't always home" Bailey added

"We're sorry momma" Ellis said and started crying

Meredith's heart broke. She immediately embraced all three kids as they started sobbing

"It's okay, guys. We all understand. Maybe we need to make some sweet cards to say sorry to everyone?" Derek suggested

The kids nodded

"Sorry" Ellis whispered again

Meredith's fingers went through Ellis' dark blond hair

"Doctor Grey? We need to start your nebulizer treatment now" A nurse said as she entered the room in full PPE

"Would you mind if I take over today?" Derek asked

"No but make sure she ends it" The nurse smiled and left again.

Derek hooked up the nebulizer and sat behind Meredith

Bailey and Zola were resting against the food board on the bed while Ellis was half asleep

Derek helped her through the treatment and helped her with the thick mucus afterwards. Meredith hated this, even though it helped her feel better afterwards, it was a hell of feeling as if she was gonna stop breathing because of the thick mucus blocking her airway

"Better?" Derek asked as he kept rubbing her back as she was spitting out the mucus

"Almost" She replied and wiped her mouth after getting out a few last coughs

Ellis tightened her grip on Meredith

"Hey.. you doing.. okay?" Meredith asked her as she heard some small sobs leaving the small child's body

"I miss you" Ellis said as she looked up to her mother

"Hey.. you.. can't miss me.. I'm right.. here" Meredith smiled as she told her kids

"Will you always be here?" Ellis asked

"I will be here.. as long.. as possible" She said as she rubbed Bailey's arm, with the other one she was still going through Ellis' hair.

Zola was sitting in Derek's lap, he was holding her in his embrace as she needed some comforting too. Being the oldest one means that she understands the most. She understood that a lung transplant could go wrong, she could really understand that there was a chance that she would lose her mother

"We love you so so much" Meredith whispered as she felt her eyes starting to droop because of the exhaustion and the medicines

"We love you too" Zola said as she cuddled into her father's arms

Ellis and Meredith's soft snores filled the room. Bailey's arms kept wrapped around Meredith's waist and he was looking at her. Both Zola and Derek kept staring at Meredith's stats, showing them that she was okay for now.

"She's gonna be okay" He whispered to the kids "Mommy's gonna be fine" He smiled

"We need to do a part for mommy when she can go home. Maybe aunt Cristina will come too" Bailey's eyes lit up