Chasing Cars

Chapter 14

"Yes, you're a big girl! But they don't even allow even bigger kids up on that floor. Hopefully Mama will be out of the ICU soon and then you can see her."

Maddie frowns and crosses her arms. "But I wanna see Mama now." Her bottom lip begins to wobble. "Want Mama, Daddy."

Derek frowns. "I know sweetie. I know."

"Daddy! I gots idea!"

"What's your idea?" He asks with a smile.

"I can cuddle with Mommy! She always cuddles with me when I'm sick! I can help her!"

"Baby, you can't go up to the ICU."

"I can!" Maddie protests. "Mama needs me!"

"Why don't we try to call Mama?"

Maddie thinks this over for a minute. "Otay!"

Derek pulls his phone out and presses Meredith's name to call her.

"Hi." Meredith says weakly. She coughs.

"Hey Mer, how are you feeling?" Derek asks.

"Ugh. Not good. I wanna go home." Meredith says softly.

"I know. We need to get you better first." Derek tells her. "I have a big girl with me that would really like to talk to you."

"Me big girl!" Maddie says loudly. Derek chuckles.

"I want to talk to Maddie. I want Maddie." She whispers.

"Here she is." Derek hands the phone to Maddie. "Say hi to Mama, Maddie."

"Mama!!!! Hi!!!!" Maddie says loudly into the phone.

"Hi baby girl. How are you?" Meredith says, trying to not sound as bad as she feels. She doesn't want Maddie to be worried.

"I wanna see you Mommy! Wanna cuddle with you!"

"I know. I wish you could cuddle with me right now. But kids can't be in the ICU." Meredith puts the phone down to let out some deep coughs.

"Are you coughing Mama? You otay?" Maddie asks all concerned.

"I'm okay baby. Don't you worry." Meredith said. In reality she feels absolutely horrible but doesn't want Maddie to know.

"When you coming home Mama?"

"Hopefully in a few days sweetie."

"No! Need you to tuck me in and give me goodnight kisses and wead me bedtime stowries!" Maddie starts to cry softly. "I need you mommy!"

Meredith feels horrible that she won't be home to tuck her daughter in. "Daddy can tuck you in and give you goodnight kisses while I'm here."

Maddie's eyes fill with tears. "No!!! Want you! Want you Mama!" Maddie starts sobbing and Derek tries desperately to calm her down.

"Hey, it's okay baby girl. We can call Mama and she can read you a story and say goodnight to you over the phone!" Derek says.

Maddie shakes her head no. "No Daddy! Want Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama! Want Mama!" Maddie starts screaming Mama over and over again.

"Maddie, baby. It's okay." Meredith says to her little girl. "I'll be able to tuck you in soon. You and your daddy can have special daddy daughter days. I've just got to get better and then I'll be back home with you guys." Meredith says, struggling to control her breathing. She had taken off her oxygen mask that was covering her mouth and nose in order to talk to Maddie but now is feeling the lack of oxygen. Her voice is getting even more raspier due to the lack of oxygen,

Meredith's whole body aches and she feels very weak and sick due to the infection.

Derek can tell by her voice that she needs more oxygen. "Mer, we're gonna hang up now. Put the oxygen mask back on. You need it."

"I'm...fine... Der." Meredith gets out. She can no longer hide how she's feeling and Derek can tell by her voice how sick she is.

"Put the mask on." To Maddie he says, "Tell Mommy goodbye and that you'll see her later."

"No!" Maddie screams. "Want Mama! Mama! Mama! Mama!"

Derek quickly hangs up the phone to attend to his upset daughter.

Meredith puts her oxygen mask back on her face just as the oxygen monitor goes off. Bailey immediately runs into the room and sees the lower values. She sees Meredith putting the mask back on her face.

"Meredith, I need you to keep the mask on. You need it. If it goes any lower I'm going to have to intubate you." Bailey says. She sees that Meredith's oxygen levels stabilize after a few minutes.

Meredith falls asleep then.

Meanwhile back downstairs, Derek is having no luck calming down his screaming daughter.

"Daddy!!! Pweaze! Want Mommy! Pweeze!" Maddie sobs.

Derek decides to sneak Maddie up into the ICU in order to calm her down. "Mads, let's go see Mama. We're going to go look and see Mama through the window. Do you want to go see Mama?"

Immediately after Derek says she can go and see her mom, Maddie's tears stop. "I see Mama? Now?"

"Yes. Let's go see her. Let's dry those tears." Derek wipes her face. "I love you Maddie. Your Mama loves you so much also."

"I wuv you Daddy. And Mama." She says, resting her head on his shoulder as he carries her up to the ICU.

They get up to the ICU and manage to avoid any nurses. "Mads, look there's Mama."

"She's sweeping Daddy! She gots to wake up!" Maddie says.

"She needs her rest in order to get better, baby girl." Derek tells her.

"But Mama gives me kisses to make me feel better!"

"I know sweetie. Mama just needs lots of rest."

Just then Maddie notices all of the wires and tubes attached to her mom.

"Mama otay?" She asks with her eyebrows furrowing. "She gots lots on her. And gots somefing over her face." Maddie frowns. "Need Mama otay."

"She'll be okay sweetie. Don't you worry."

We hope you enjoyed! Thanks to my co-writer _Ktje_