"Carolyn, Dr Robbins is on the phone. Can you come here please?" Christopher called out to his wife. He had his phone in his hand.
"Okay! Be right there!" Carolyn called. "Amelia and Meredith, I'll be right back okay girls? We'll get you two ready for bed when I get back."
"Okay Mommy!" Amelia says.
"Okay." Meredith says softly, laying down in her bed. She's been in pain since she's gotten home and Caroyln gave her some children's pain meds to help her.
"Mer! Let's have a sleepover tonight! We can stay up late and play with our stuffies together! Ooh! We can have a pillow fight!!! Mer! I'm so excited!" Amelia quickly jumps into Mereidth's bed, not thinking about Meredith's pain. Amelia lays next to Meredith and gives her a big hug. "Mer, I'm so glad you live here! You're my bestest friend in the whole wide world!"
Meredith loves Amelia but she's in so much pain with Amelia being right next to her in bed, let alone the hug she's receiving from the girl.
"Melia! That hurts!!!" Meredith wails.
Amelia pulls away quickly with a scared look on her face. "Mer? Are you okay? Did I do something?" Amelia chews on her bottom lip nervously.
"It hurts!!!" The hug she got seemed to trigger more pain in Meredith's body. Meredith wailed in pain. She sobbed so loudly that the boys came running in.
"Mer! What's wrong?" Derek asked.
"Owwwwwwwww." Meredith moaned. "Want Carolyn! It hurts!!!" She sobbed.
"Derek, I'll go get your mom!" Mark said and ran out of the room.
Amelia retreated to her bed and sat on it with her arms around her legs. She is scared that she hurt Meredith.
Mark runs down the hallway towards his parents room. "Mom! Dad!" He hears his parents talking on the phone.
"'Mark, you need to wait honey. We're having an important conversation."
"But-" Mark is caught off.
"Mark, hold on." Christopher called.
"Dr Robbins, so you're saying Meredith has a chronic pain condition also?" Carolyn says sadly.
"Yes, unfortunately. I looked over the results multiple times and that's the only thing I'm seeing." Dr Robbins explained.
"Is it treatable?" Christopher asked.
Dr Robbins sighed. "There's no actual treatments. I'm going to prescribe her pain medications but even those aren't going to be able to help much. She is going to have good and bad days. Unfortunately, this is a chronic disease, meaning it will stay with Meredith for the rest of her life."
"Oh Meredith..." Carolyn gasped. "My poor child." Carolyn wiped away some tears.
Mark knocks on the door again as Meredith's cries are increasing in volume. "Mom! Dad!"
Meanwhile upstairs, Amelia is crying on her bed while watching Meredith be in pain. "I didn't mean to Meredith! I'm sorry!!!" She cries.
"Amy, it's okay. You didn't mean to. She knows that." Derek said, trying to comfort both of his sisters.
"I want Carolyn!" Meredith sobbed.
"Where is Mark?" Derek muttered. "She's coming Mer."
All of a sudden Meredith's pain increased dramatically and Meredith screamed out in pain.
Carolyn and Christopher are in conversation with Dr Robbins when they hear Meredith scream. They look at each other in alarm.
"Dr Robbins, we need to go! Meredith is screaming out in pain." Christopher said quickly. "We'll talk later!"
They quickly hang up and run out of the room. They see Mark by their door and he rushes upstairs with them.
They see Meredith thrashing around in pain on the bed, her cheeks bright red.
"Meredith, sweetie, what's wrong?" Carolyn rushes over to her.
"It hurts! Make it stop!" Meredith howls out in pain.
Carolyn puts her hand on Meredith's arm and starts to rub it when Meredith starts sobbing harder.
"Mommy, I hurt Mer!" Amelia cries.
"Oh honey, you didn't mean to! Meredith knows that you didn't mean to also." Carolyn soothes.
"Mer, I'm going to give you some pain meds." Christopher said, unable to see her in this much pain. He quickly grabs the medicine and injects it into her port.
——————
Meredith is laying in the big bed while she does her PT exercises with Carolyn. Carolyn gently moves Meredith's leg up and down and in circles.
"That hurts!" Meredith complains and makes a face.
"I know sweetie. I'm so sorry it hurts but we have to do this to keep your leg strength." Carolyn says to the little girl.
"Can we be done with it? Please? It hurts!!!" Meredith whines. "It hurts Mommy! Make it stop!"
Carolyn hears Meredith call her mommy and it makes her feel so happy. She loves this child like she was her own. "You called me Mommy." Carolyn said with a big smile.
"Yeah, you're my favorite Mommy. My other mommy left me. So did my other daddy." Meredith has a big smile on her face. But then the smile disappears as a thought comes to her. "Are you and my new daddy going to leave me also?"
Carolyn tears up hearing Meredith say this. "No! We will never leave you baby. We love you so much!" She wants to give Meredith a hug but decides against it as she knows that will give Meredith a lot of pain.
Just then Amelia runs into the room. "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"
"Amy! Amy! Amy!" Carolyn teases the energetic child.
"Hey!!!! You're teasing me!" Amelia giggles.
"Yes, I am. Come here sweetie."
Amelia goes closer and Carolyn grabs ahold of her daughter and starts tickling her.
"Mommy! Mommy! Stop! That tickles!" Amelia yells giggling non stop.
"Okay, fine. You win." Carolyn laughs.
"Mommy, where's Mer?" Amelia asks.
"She's right here sweetie. What do you mean?" Carolyn questions.
"She's not there!"
Carolyn looks over and sees Meredith has hidden herself under the covers. "What are you doing Mer?"
"Hiding." Meredith mumbles.
"Why are you hiding sweetie?" Carolyn frowns.
"Cause."
"Mer, you can tell me."
"I hurt from PT all the time and if I complain you and daddy will leave me. Amy never complains! Neither do Mark and Derek! I'm the only one that does! And I wake everyone up at night!" She whispers, starting to cry.
"Oh honey, it's okay! We know it's really hard for you right now. Nothing you ever do will make us leave you. And the other kids all have their things also sweetie. We love you sooooo much baby. We will always be there for you."
"Yeah Mer! You're the best!!! You will always be my bestest friend in the whole wide world!" Amelia says. She jumps up onto the bed, narrowly missing Meredith.
"Amy, careful." Carolyn warns.
"Sorry Mommy, sorry Meredith." Amelia says. Her eyes light up all of a sudden as she realizes something. "Mer! I just realized something! We're bestest friends and sisters now!!!!"
"Yeah!!!!! Meredith has a huge smile on her face. "You're my bestest friend and my sister too, Amelia!"
Carolyn is loving watching the two girls. She is smiling so much. She has so much love for all of her children.
"Okay, Amelia, we have to finish Meredith's PT now. You can stay and watch or go play with your brothers."
"We finished, remember Mommy?" Meredith said mischievously.
"We did not finish your PT yet, Miss Meredith." Carolyn says.
"Oh... right..." Meredith says softly.
"I'm gonna go play soccer! Bye!" Amelia runs off.
Carolyn finishes Meredith's PT and soon after the little girl falls asleep. PT takes a lot of energy out of the girl.
Carolyn picks up Meredith and heads towards the girls' room to put her in her bed.
Amelia runs past them on the way.
"Mommy! Mer! Come out outside! Me and Derek are playing soccer against Markie and Daddy!" Amelia yells and runs off again.
Carolyn chuckles at Amelia's energy. She decides to bring Meredith outside and she lays her down on the bench with her head on Carolyn's lap.
A little bit later Meredith wakes up and sees that she's outside. "Wh- what?" She says disoriented from her nap.
"Hey sweetie, we're outside watching everyone play soccer." Carolyn tells her softly, brushing her hair out of her face.
"Oh." Meredith looks down at the grass.
Carolyn notices Meredith looks upset at the fact that she can't play soccer. "But we're the cheerleaders! We get to cheer for them!"
Meredith looks up at Carolyn and smiles. "Yeah!"
"Go Daddy! Go Daddy! Go Daddy!" Meredith cheers loudly.
Christopher hears her and it's the first time he's heard her call him Daddy. He runs over to her and gives her a big kiss on the forehead. All he can do is smile at her.
"Hey! You're out of bounds!" Mark yells.
"I was just thanking our cheerleaders!" Christopher calls back.
We hope you enjoyed!!! Thanks to my co-writer _Ktje_