My Son the Unicorn: A Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice Fanfic Part 2

Notes: This is a fanfiction based on characters from the TV shows, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice. This rewrites parts of the latter half of Private Practice season five when Amelia’s pregnant and Addison has baby Henry. This fanfiction tells a different story where Derek comes to LA for Addison’s help with a patient and discovers Amelia’s pregnancy. This is the second part of a two-part story, so this will feature how it ends. If you haven’t read part one, please do because you’ll need the context to understand this story. It will all eventually go up on Archive of Our Own as a oneshot after it’s posted here. But it’s edited to include headings and images to improve readability. Thank you to @tivashepherd on Twitter for requesting this prompt and for naming this fanfiction as well.

My Son the Unicorn: Part 2

Later that day, Addison caught Derek finishing up on some patient notes at the nurse’s station.

“So, I guess this means you’re leaving now,” Addison said as she peered over at his notes. He still had the same scrawly handwriting he always had.

“Yeah,” Derek sighed. He wasn’t ready to leave yet. He couldn’t bear the idea of Amelia going through this tragedy alone. He knew she wasn’t really alone. Over the past three weeks that he’d been in LA, he could tell that she had people here. That all the doctors at the practice cared about each other, and that included Amelia. Unfortunately, Amelia didn’t seem to be letting anyone in. Well, other than Jake.

He saw how the other doctors would try to get her to open up, even if it was just to talk about their patients. But she’d just shut them out. Or when anyone tried to talk to her about the baby, namely Addison, Sheldon, or Derek, Amelia would snap back at them. He didn’t blame her for being angry. For being devastated and for needing someone to blame, even if it was unfair to Addison. But if that’s what she needed to cope right now, then fine. They weren’t happy being shut out, but they also knew she had to deal with this her own way. Even if it meant getting pushed out.

“You’re not ready to go yet, are you?” Addison sensed the frustration in his voice. She knew it’d been a tough couple of weeks. He missed Meredith and most of all, Zola, back in Seattle. He’d FaceTime them twice a day whenever he got the chance. But she also know he wanted to be here for Amelia.

Derek Reminisces

After Amelia crashed his car, he cut her off. Addison tried to sympathize with Amelia, became the person she could count on when the rest of her family couldn’t help but just be angry with her. But she knew that her family, especially Derek, felt guilty about practically cutting her out. Amelia’s sisters and her mother were still there for her in a large way after the accident. But Derek cleanly cut ties afterward. He couldn’t fathom how his teenage little sister could be so reckless.

Even though Addison had never experimented with drugs (other than the one time she tried pot with Archer and immediately regretted it), she could empathize with Amelia and her coping mechanism. It was a miracle Addison turned out to be so sane with everything messed up about her own family. It was part of why she fell in love with Derek and his family in the first place. They were so simple, so loving, and most of all, so drastically different from her own family. When she met the Shepherd’s, she fell more in love with Derek because being married to him meant that she’d get the family he grew up with. 

When they got divorced, losing his family was the hard part. Granted, her now ex-husband being in love with an intern and pretending to love her for months didn’t feel all that great either. But when Nancy showed up in Seattle, it sunk in how much she’d really lost. And then when Amelia showed up in LA, she was thrilled. She wasn’t super happy about the fact that Derek still wasn’t speaking to her, but she loved that Amelia was excited to see her. Even more so when Amelia decided to stay in LA.

Derek Talks to Meredith

“No, I’m not,” Derek said, sadly. Addison always did know how to read his mind.

“So, what are you gonna do?” Addison asked.

“I don’t know,” Derek sighed. “But I know I can’t leave yet,”

Later that evening, Addison fed Henry as Derek got on a video call with Meredith and Zola, as he had every night prior. 

“Daddy!” Zola exclaimed upon seeing Derek on the screen. Addison looked over and smiled hearing her. She’d never met Zola but had seen plenty of pictures. Plus, she caught glimpses whenever Derek video called them.

“Hi, baby!” Derek said back, his smile widening.

“So, how’s Courtney and the baby?” Meredith got straight to the point as she always did. Derek kept her updated on his patient’s progress for the past few weeks and she knew the baby’s surgery was today.

“Good,” Derek said, plainly. “Addie did great and the baby’s recovering. They’ll probably get to go home in a few days,”

“So, you’ll be back in a few days then,” Meredith said as she struggled to keep Zola still in her arms.

“Actually, I think I’m gonna stay in LA for a little longer,” Derek said, hesitantly. He knew Meredith wouldn’t be happy that he wasn’t coming home yet. Even more so that he was still staying with his ex-wife.

“Why? You just said that everything was fine,” Meredith said, slightly confused.

“I know but I can’t leave yet,” Derek said. “I have to be here for Amy,”

“I thought you said she wasn’t speaking to you,’ Meredith said back, slightly irritated.

“She isn’t,” Derek said. “But I can’t let her do this alone,”

Derek Insists on Staying

“Well, if she isn’t talking to you or anyone else, what difference does it make?” Meredith argued back.

“I don’t know,” Derek said, honestly sensing the tension in Meredith’s voice. “I just know I can’t leave her,”

There was a slight silence between them. Zola had already run offscreen so it was just the two of them, looking at each other through the computer screen. The silence continued until they heard something drop to the floor. Derek looked over at Addison, who bent down to pick up Henry’s sippy cup, which he’d dropped on the floor.

“What was that?” Meredith asked.

“Just Henry’s bottle,” Derek dismissed as he watched Henry giggle. Derek looked back to the screen to see Meredith sigh. He knew it couldn’t be easy with Derek here with Addison. Even more so that Addison was a mother now. With Derek around, he helped her clean up the dishes and watched him when Addison had to stay at the hospital for an extra hour or so.

“If it makes you feel better, he’s still not sleeping through the night,” Derek joked, trying to lighten up the mood. 

“Just like Zola at that age,” Meredith joked back, sarcastically. This was supposed to be their time together. It was supposed to be their family that he was taking care of. Instead, he was in LA with his ex-wife taking care of her baby, living the life that he probably would be living if Derek hadn’t left Addison for Meredith.

“I chose you, remember?” Derek tried to reassure his wife.

“Is that why you’re still playing house with your ex-wife?” Meredith asked, mockingly.

“I’m not here for Addison, I’m here for Amy,” Derek argued back. “Addie was just nice enough to let me stay with her,”

Meredith Gets Jealous

Meredith sighed. Something about how Derek called her Addie irked her. She knew it was just some dumb nickname, much like how Derek called his sister, Amy, even though everyone else called her Amelia. But still. All it did was remind her how much more history Derek had with Addison compared to her. She hated how she sounded like some dumb and jealous girlfriend, but she couldn’t help it. Especially now that Derek’s been staying with her for weeks on end, and was insisting on staying for longer.

“I just need to be here for the delivery,” Derek added. “I promise I’ll come home after I know she’s okay,”

“She will be,” Addison insisted as she picked Henry up out of his high chair. At the sight of Henry playing with Addison’s hair, she cooed and kissed his cheek to get him to giggle slightly.

Meredith sighed. It wasn’t bad enough that she got to have Derek stay with her and be her son’s father figure, but now she had to inject herself into their conversation now too?

“See? Even Addison thinks she’ll be fine,” Meredith argued.

“I can’t let her do this alone,” Derek said, referring to Amelia.

“She won’t be,” Meredith and Addison said in unison. After seeing Meredith glare at Addison, who was standing in the background of Derek’s screen, Addison knew she was starting to overstep. So she threw her free hand up in surrender, signaling to Meredith that she was sorry and that she could take it from here.

“It’s not the same,” Derek sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. He knew Meredith didn’t have the kind of family he did, but he still wished she understood. He’d already abandoned Amy once, he couldn’t bear to do it again.

Meredith Thinks About Lexie

“Look Mer, I know Amy’s got Addie and everyone else at the practice,” Derek started, trying to figure out the best way to explain this. “But I can’t not be here for her,”

Meredith sighed, knowing he was right. She didn’t understand the obligation he felt for family. She never had that growing up. Lexie was the closest she’d ever come to knowing what that felt like. But even then, it was different. Meredith and Lexie were adults already by the time they met. They had a sisterly relationship, but it was still different. It was an adult relationship. They talked about their shared interest in medicine and whatever was going on in their love lives. 

They didn’t tease each other about first boyfriends or weird childhood obsessions because they didn’t know each other then. They didn’t know what either of them had been like as kids. They didn’t play together. They worked together. They were doctors, professional doctors that had, for the most part, a professional relationship. She’d caught glimpses of Derek’s conversations with his sisters or even his mother. It was always laid-back, interwoven with inside jokes and promises to talk again soon. 

Meredith never had that growing up, she still didn’t. Derek was her only family now. And it annoyed her that he was away with his ex-wife and her new family, living the life that he probably should’ve lived had it not been for her. Even more so, it annoyed her to be reminded how much she relied on Derek and how little family she had without him.

“Please, try to understand,” Derek pleaded.

“You’re right,” Meredith finally surrendered. “She should have you there,”

“Thank you,” Derek said, appreciatively.

Zola Meets Henry

For the rest of their video call, they talked about their respective patients and Zola showed Derek a scribbled picture of what she said was a cat. As they continued talking, Addison held up a takeout menu for a taco truck she’d told Derek about the other day during dinner, to which Derek nodded his head yes in agreement. The only thing was this truck didn’t do deliveries so after ordering on the phone, she gave Henry over to Derek when she left to go pick up the food.

Meredith wasn’t too pleased to see Derek hold and play with baby Henry but Zola seemed pretty pleased to see another baby to say hi to. Derek introduced the two and held Henry’s hand to wave to Zola through the screen. Henry couldn’t talk yet but Zola was very talkative, saying hi to him and introducing herself (despite the fact that her dad already did). 

When Addison got back, Derek said his goodbyes and sat down to dinner with Addison and they continued with their routine. After Addison put the takeout bag on the counter, she switched with Derek, taking the baby out of his arms and putting Henry into his jumper to sit and play as Derek started setting the table. As they ate their dinner, they talked about what they should do moving forward with Amelia. Or more accurately, what they could do. 

Derek and Addison Talk to Jake

It wasn’t much of a plan that they came up with, but they decided the best idea would be to try to get to Jake. And since Jake obviously favored Addison over Derek, she agreed she’d try to use that to her advantage. However, when she tried to bring up the subject to Jake, he refused to divulge any information. He knew that she (and Derek, who he knew put her up to this) cared about Amelia and just wanted to make sure she was okay, but he also knew Amelia had to deal with this in her own way. But he assured her that he had everything taken care of in regards to Amelia’s pregnancy. And he added jokingly to tell Derek the same.

The next week was torturous for Derek. It was already hard before but at least then, he was able to shift his focus more on Liam, Courtney, and their baby. He was still working at St. Ambrose, thanks to Charlotte taking pity on him in regards to his lack of communication with Amelia. But they were never cases of interest. Amelia got those ones. 

He would ordinarily try to fight her for the more difficult cases, but he knew better than to fight her right now. It was already bad enough for her that he stuck around even after his patients went back to Seattle. In his off time, Derek hung around Seaside Wellness, getting to know the other doctors better. Cooper and Charlotte seemed like the most stable couple there but to be fair, Pete and Violet seemed to be having some marital troubles.

Derek Learns More about the Seaside Wellness Doctors

He’d heard from everyone at one point or another that they were separated but that they were now trying to make their marriage work. He’d heard that Pete was being a little stubborn about couples’ counseling but Violet thought it was necessary because no one (not even Pete and Violet) seemed to know what went wrong with their relationship. And Sam and Addison were clearly avoiding each other for the most part.

He felt for Sam. He knew he still loved Addison, but Derek also knew it was better that they weren’t together anymore. Addison wanted a baby, and now she had one. It was pretty clear that Sam didn’t. Though, he found it odd that Addison kissed both Sam and Jake on the same day right before she got Henry. When he asked her about it, Addison said that felt like a lifetime ago and that she’d told both guys the same. But she also clarified that she never kissed Sam, not really. She just didn’t exactly stop him when he kissed her. It wasn’t exactly better, but if anything, it made it clear to at least Derek that Jake seemed to have a hold on her. Both then and now. 

He saw Jake and Addison chatting in the hallways or the kitchen every once in a while and always caught a glimpse of Addison smiling and/or blushing. It was nice to see her happy again. And whenever Derek asked her about Jake (whether it was about their relationship or something Amelia-related), he could tell that she couldn’t help but smile when she heard his name. It’d been a long time since he’d seen her smile like this. She was starting to get everything she’d always wanted.

Addison Leaves Early, Derek Panics

He knew there was a time when he and Addison were happy together. A long time ago. But he also knew that they were anything but in their last few years of being married. I mean, she slept with Mark because of how unhappy she was. As angry as he was for Addison for what she did, he knew she wasn’t the only one to blame. He didn’t cheat on her until later on, but he knew that Addison and Mark’s affair wasn’t the only reason why their marriage didn’t work out. He knew he was at fault for pushing their marriage to the background. For dismissing her and spending every night he possibly could at the hospital because he just didn’t want to come home yet.

A week later, Derek came down and surprisingly found Addison already getting ready to leave. She was usually awake already by the time he came down and bouncing Henry up and down to help get him through his dreariness. But now, she was already getting to leave and her nanny, Keisha, was already here. He knew there was the occasional emergency patient, but this was the first he’d seen her rush out in the morning.

“Leaving already?” Derek asked, surprising Addison, who was grabbing her keys from the drawer with her free hand with Henry in her other arm.

“Yeah,” Addison said, slightly out of breath.

“Is everything okay? Did something happen?” Derek suddenly panicked, thinking that maybe Amelia went into labor. After weeks of hanging out at Seaside Wellness, it became clear that Amelia was close to her due date. Even if no one (other than Jake) seemed to know when the exact date was.

Jake Asks Addison Out

“Everything’s fine,” Addison reassured him as she handed Henry over to Keisha. “I’m just meeting Jake for coffee before work,”

“Ohhh,” Derek smiled. He knew it was only a matter of time before things would start to progress beyond some flirty comments between patients.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Addison asked, sensing his tone.

“I just mean, it makes sense now why you’re rushing out,” Derek chuckled as he poured himself a mug of hot coffee.

Addison shot him a look back, but she also knew he was right. She was excited to see Jake. The evening before, Addison stayed late at the office to finish some administrative paperwork for the practice and Jake stopped by her office. He didn’t say but she could tell Jake just talked to Amelia after he said what he said. 

He was finally getting how things worked at Seaside, that they weren’t just co-workers here. They were family. Jake was getting antsy over the fact that everyone was bothering him, trying to get him to tell them more about Amelia’s situation. But he wouldn’t budge. He still didn’t want to, but at least now he understood why they cared so much. At the sound of that, Addison couldn’t help but finally make her move. So she did just that. She walked up to him, sat on his lap, and kissed him. Just like that.

And last night after she’d already gotten home, Addison got a text from Jake asking if she wanted to grab coffee before work tomorrow morning. Which was now. She was excited to see him again, even though she cherished her mornings with Henry. But she sought comfort in the fact that she was at least there when he woke up and helped him fully wake up after his sweet slumber.

Jake and Addison’s Coffee Date

“So I’ll see you at the office later?” Addison asked, choosing to ignore Derek’s teasing about her feelings for Jake.

“Yeah,” Derek sighed. “It’s better than waiting around at the hospital,”

“Things will get better,” Addison reassured him as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. After leaving it there for another second, she left and gave Henry a quick kiss before leaving. When Addison got to the office, Jake was already in his office with two cups of coffee already on his desk.

“Morning,” Addison said, as she leaned against the doorframe.

“Morning,” Jake said back as he picked up one of the cups that sat on his desk.

Addison walked over and grabbed the coffee cup out of his hand, took a sip, and immediately put it back on his desk. Jake looked back at her, suspiciously. All Addison did in response was smile back at him.

“What?” Jake asked, still suspicious.

Addison’s smile widened as she leaned in to kiss him, to which he only returned by deepening the kiss. Soon, they moved over to his couch and were fully making out. And it continued for the next half hour before all the other doctors got to the office. But after some time passed, Jake couldn’t help but say something.

“What are we uhh..what are we doing?” Jake asked between kisses.

“We’re making out,” Addison replied, still kissing him back. “The same thing that we have been doing,”

“Just making out,” Addison put a finger up to make sure he knew that it wasn’t going any further. At least not yet. Not here.

Amelia Goes Into Labor

“I should probably close the blinds,” Jake said, letting go of her kiss to close the blinds after seeing Sam in the window. When Addison looked up, she saw Sam make a face and then walk away, knowing that he must’ve seen them together.

After seeing Sam, Addison knew it meant that the rest of the doctors were starting to arrive now, which meant their makeout session was probably over.

“Okay,” Addison said as she got up off Jake’s couch. Jake was still standing near the door, wondering what he could say next that could possibly make things less awkward right now.

“To be continued,” Addison added as she left his office.

For another minute, Jake stood at his door frame, smiling over their recent makeout session. He knew things were still awkward between Addison and Sam, but if this proved anything, it was that she was choosing him. Or at least he hoped that’s what it meant. After he walked back over to his desk, he was surprised to hear his office door open. Even more so when it was Amelia informing him that she was in labor.

After Jake took Amelia to the hospital and checked her in, he paged the rest of the doctors. He knew it probably would’ve been easier to just tell them all while they were still at the office but he was more concerned about Amelia at the time. As he talked to Amelia in her hospital room, Sam and Sheldon were already waiting outside when Addison arrived. But when Jake paged everyone, he didn’t tell them why he wanted them all to come.

Everyone Arrives at St. Ambrose

“What’s going on? Is there something wrong with Pete?” Addison asked as she walked into the waiting area. The night prior, Charlotte called the cops on Pete after he turned off his patient’s ventilator per his patient’s partner’s request. It was against his patient’s father’s wishes, who also happened to be his legal caretaker, but they’d been estranged for years. Regardless, Pete broke the law and Charlotte saw no choice but to turn him in. It was either that or the hospital would be subject to lawsuits all around.

“No, Amelia’s in labor,” Sheldon informed Addison as Sam turned to sit in a nearby chair. He was still annoyed at Addison after seeing her and Jake that morning. Especially since Sam was still deciding whether or not he’d be willing to be with Addison, baby and all. When Addison asked one last time, Sam couldn’t answer. It felt unfair to him that Addison moved on so quickly but Addison knew that Sam’s inability to answer meant that he didn’t really want to become a new father all over again. And she couldn’t just wait around to see if he’d ever change his mind.

“Oh, God. Okay, I’m gonna go see…,” Addison’s voice started trailing off as she began to walk towards Amelia’s room but Sam interrupted her before she got far.

“Jake says we should all stay here,” Sam said, irritated.

“Well he might need a consult,” Addison started to argue.

“Amelia made it clear that she doesn’t want you in there,” Sam argued back, trying hard to sound purely professional. But his annoyance at Addison couldn’t help but seep through.

“Really? Sam?” Addison snapped back, knowing what Sam was really angry about.

“Hey, hey,” Sheldon held his hands up to try to better facilitate.

Jake Reveals Amelia’s Plan

“I should at least call Derek,” Addison said, already pulling her phone out of her purse. 

After Addison made the call, Derek rushed over. When Addison came back to the waiting room, Charlotte just arrived.

“Is she in labor?” Charlotte asked as she walked into the waiting area.

“Yeah,” Sheldon confirmed.

After some small conversation over Pete’s legal troubles and Violet’s freaked response to it all, Derek finally arrived, anxious. Addison motioned him towards a chair for him to sit and Derek couldn’t help but feel shaken up. This was it, Amelia was going to give birth to a baby who wasn’t going to make it. Though it helped that everyone else was talking about Pete’s arrest and Violet’s reaction. It helped shift the focus, even if it was just temporary.

“Jake,” Addison said softly as he saw him enter the room. Everyone, including Derek, turned to look at him, waiting to see what he’d say next.

“Just, give me a minute,” Jake said as he tried to compose himself. This was the day he and Amelia were waiting for. The day they both dreaded.

“Okay first, I wanna say that as Amelia’s doctor, no one goes near her unless you’re sure you can be supportive,” Jake finally said as he sat down.

“Why wouldn’t we be supportive?” Addison asked, confused. 

“Yeah Jake, what are you talking about?” Sheldon asked. Jake waited another moment to answer.

“Amelia wants to donate her baby’s organs,” Jake finally said, plainly.

Everyone Reacts to the News

Derek’s face turned blank. So that’s why she was going through with this delivery. For weeks, he’d been confused as to why Amy didn’t terminate the pregnancy after hearing about his unfortunate situation. As a doctor, she knew that baby organs were hard to come by. As a mother, he knew she must’ve wanted her baby’s life to mean something. This was the one way she could make sure it would.

“How long have you known about this?” Charlotte finally asked.

“Since she chose me as her OB,” Jake explained, plainly.

“It’s murder,” Sam interjected.

“Sam, please. Do not get religious on me,” Jake responded, annoyed.

“This has nothing to do with religion. The American Academy of Pediatrics states…” Sam started to argue, fully prepared to recite it word for word.

“I know what it states,” Jake interrupted him.

“The declaration of brain death has to be made before procuring the organs,” Sam continued arguing. He wasn’t just annoyed with Jake and Addison’s blossoming relationship anymore. This was about medicine now and he was prepared to fight.

“And since there’s no brain in an anencephalic…,” Sam continued arguing, but Jake quickly interjected once more.

“And still medical ethicists are still split on whether it’s acceptable to retrieve organs from them,” Jake interrupted him again.

“Why not just…wait until the baby dies?” Sheldon asked, genuinely curious. It felt wrong to talk about the baby as if it were already dead, but he had to ask.

“Because by then, it would be too late,” Addison explained. “The organs will deteriorate and they will no longer be viable for transplant,”

Charlotte Consults the Lawyers

Derek continued sitting back in silence. He wasn’t happy about the fact that Amy was going through this, let alone insisting that she do it all alone. But he couldn’t help but support her already. It was tragic, but this baby was going to die whether anyone wanted him to or not. At least this way, the baby would go on to save other babies. He was amazed at how grown up his baby sister was. How she handled herself in the face of pure tragedy.

“I need to go consult our lawyers,” Charlotte finally said, getting up from her seat. She already had to talk to them yesterday about everything that happened with Pete. She wasn’t happy she had to do so again.

“Charlotte,” Jake pleaded. “We’re talking about Amelia here,”

“I know it’s Amelia. Which is why I’m not revoking your privileges and throwing you outta here,” Charlotte tried to stay calm. Jake looked back and realized he should’ve at least seen this coming. As much as Charlotte loved Amelia, she was still chief of staff at St. Ambrose, and this wasn’t a small ask.

“This is a person I love,” Charlotte reiterated. “I need to consult the lawyers that represent this hospital to see what they think because I think this is killing a baby,”

After Charlotte walked out, everyone sat in the waiting room, wondering what to do next. Or what they could do. They all wanted to be there for Amelia, but she made it clear she didn’t want them around. All they could do now is wait. Sheldon couldn’t help himself and tried to talk to her but she kicked him out soon after. 

Derek Waits for Amelia’s Delivery

Throughout the day, Addison went back and forth between the hospital and the practice as Derek sat in the waiting room. He couldn’t leave, but he couldn’t go in to talk to Amelia either. He felt stuck, almost like he was glued to his chair now. He wanted to get up eventually, but for now, he stayed sitting in that chair, trying to figure out what he’d say to his little sister. 

Sam also went back and forth between the practice and St. Ambrose. He still had some patients to check on from time to time, but he tried to be there for Derek. But he made it abundantly clear that he was against donating Amelia’s baby’s organs before he actually dies. Jake and Addison tried to argue with him, especially since Jake needed one more cardiac surgeon to retrieve the baby’s heart. But he wouldn’t budge.

Later, when Sam went to check on Derek, he still sat in the chair, with his hands clasped together staring at the floor. He knew it couldn’t be easy for him, but he found it hard to support him when he couldn’t support Amelia’s decision. So he settled for physically being there for him, even if he didn’t say anything. 

“You know, whatever happens,” Sam finally said as he sat down in the chair next to him. “She’s gonna be alright,”

“I know. I just wish that made it easier,” Derek sighed. Sam shot him a sympathetic look back. As great as it was to have his friend back, he could tell Sam was still irritated by all things Jake and Addison.

Derek Talks to Sam

“Distract me,” Derek said as he sat up. “Why are you mad at Addie now?” 

“I caught her making out with Jake this morning,” Sam groaned slightly.

“So? You guys broke up,” Derek chuckled slightly. 

“She asked if I was ready to go all-in with her just yesterday,” Sam pointed out. “And now she’s already moving on,”

“Yeah, but you didn’t say anything,” Derek argued, taking a sip of his coffee cup that Sheldon got him earlier. Annoyed, Sam groaned again.

“Look, you’ve made it pretty clear that you don’t want a baby,” Derek said, trying to be civil despite Sam’s best efforts to stay annoyed.

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t love her,” Sam argued back.

“So it’s better to lead her on?” Derek asked. Sam sighed, knowing that he was right.

“She’s happy,” Derek said. “And she’s a good mom. A natural,” 

“Yeah, I know,” Sam said back, defeated.

“You need to let her go,” Derek said. “Or go all-in with her. But only if you’re ready to give her everything she’s been asking for,”

Later, Sam went in to see Amelia, prepared to explain why he couldn’t help in her baby’s surgery. But he was surprised to hear that Amelia already knew it was coming. Instead, she told him all the reasons why Amelia was doing this. Why she was donating her baby’s organs. And it was like a lightbulb went off in Sam’s head.

Derek Goes In

As time went on, Derek knew it was only a matter of time before Amelia went into labor. If he was going to say something, it had to be soon. So finally, Derek mustered up the courage, got up from his chair, and made his way inside her room. When he came in, he just stood looking at his sister, who was on her knees in pain.

“Like what you see?” Amelia joked as she winced in pain. Derek couldn’t help but smile. She always knew how to lighten the mood, even when she wanted nothing to do with him. Instead of saying anything, Derek went over to sit next to her on the floor.

“What do you want Derek?” Amelia asked, exasperated. “I’m a little busy having a brainless baby here,”

“I can see that,” Derek said jokingly as he went to hold her hand. Amelia fought it at first but Derek held on tighter. With all the pain she was in, she couldn’t let go.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” Derek finally said, looking her straight in the eyes. With all the hormones and being in active labor, Amelia couldn’t help but cry even more than she had all day already.

At the sight of her crying, Derek pulled her in for a hug. He placed one hand on her head as he held her with his other arm and kissed the top of her forehead. With all the avoidance and arguing over the past month and a half, it felt good to finally hold his little sister. He knew it wouldn’t change the fact that her baby would die, but it was something. For Amelia, it was just nice to let all her sadness pour out all over her big brother.

Amelia Lets it All Out

As hesitant as she was in letting him in the room, she was glad he insisted on coming in. She was even more glad that he insisted on staying in LA, despite her best efforts to shoo him. They stayed hugging on the floor for another couple of minutes as Amelia cried into his arms. Then, another contraction came and she held onto him tighter. As much as it hurt, Derek let her grip him harder, hoping that it helped her ease the pain.

After that, Derek and Amelia finally let go of their embrace but Derek kept a hand placed on Amelia’s face.

“Dad would be proud too,” Derek added as Amelia just started crying all over again.

“I just stopped crying,” Amelia joked as she continued crying. Derek chuckled as he helped her move her hair out of her face.

Soon after, Jake came in and they both helped her back into her hospital bed. Her contractions were happening more frequently and the time between was shortening. As Jake continued taking care of her medically, Derek stayed by her bedside and held her hand, wincing every couple of minutes when another contraction came. Amelia had a pretty strong grip but Derek wasn’t going to give up so easily. 

After confirming that Amelia hit ten centimeters, Jake went out to talk to Charlotte who’d been talking to the lawyers. He wasn’t happy that the hospital hadn’t signed off on the transplant yet but he knew Charlotte was only doing her job. Then, Addison walked up from behind them to tell him that she wanted to go in to help Amelia deliver this baby.

“Jake,” Addison started as Jake turned around to face her. “I want to go in with you,”

“No,” Jake said.

Jake Tries to Calm Amelia

“Jake,” Addison started pleading.

“Until she asks for you, the answer is no,” Jake said. He was glad that Derek was with Amelia now but he also knew Addison should also be in there with them. But he was just trying to abide by Amelia’s wishes.

“Sorry Addison,” Jake said, sympathetically as he left to go back to Amelia’s room.

When he got back, the delivery nurses were preparing for the delivery as Amelia yelled out in pain. Derek tried to be there for her but she was still in a large amount of pain. Even though Jake told Addison no, she still stood outside the door, hearing her in pain. But then, it was time for Amelia to start pushing.

“Ohhh make it stop,” Amelia exclaimed. “I don’t wanna do this. I don’t wanna do this anymore,” Amelia said, slightly out of breath. Derek kept holding her hand and rubbed her back to try to calm her, but it wasn’t working. Meanwhile, Addison stood outside the door, pacing back and forth, wondering if she should just take the leap and barge in.

“You’re doing great, okay?” Jake tried to reassure her. “But I, I need you to stop pushing,”

“I can’t I have to, if I don’t push it hurts too much,” Amelia started to ramble. “This is a unicorn baby, I shouldn’t have to do this with a unicorn baby,”

At the sound of that, Jake looked confused. Derek looked over at Amelia lovingly and brushed some hair from her forehead, which was now drenched in sweat. He knew exactly what she meant when she called it a unicorn baby. 

Derek Tries to Calm Amelia

“I want this to be over,” Amelia said as she continued to squirm in her hospital bed. “Ryan should be here, I want Ryan,”

Derek only squeezed Amelia’s hand tighter. He never met Ryan but whether what they had was real or not didn’t matter anymore. She was having his baby and this baby was going to die. But it would go on to do magical things. Just like a unicorn.

“Amelia, you’re almost there,” Jake said, calmly, as he continued trying to calm her so she wouldn’t push.

“No,” Amelia strained. “No, it’s too hard, I have to push,”

“No, no, no. Not yet,” Jake said, quickly. 

“Amy, it’s okay, you’ve got this,” Derek chimed in, trying to help Jake calm her.

“Oh my God, it hurts!” Amelia exclaimed, still squirming. “I can’t, I can’t do this,”

Addison Barges In

“Yes, you can,” Addison walked in. When Derek saw her walk into the room, he was relieved. Hopefully, Addison would be just what she needed to calm down.

“Addison,” Jake said, softly when she walked in.

“I don’t want her here,” Amelia tried to argue. Though, she didn’t say it very convincingly.

“Yes, you do,” Jake and Derek said in unison. 

“I don’t,” Amelia tried to argue, but her tone still wasn’t very convincing. Addison went over to her and brushed her hair with one hand and held her hand with the other. As focused as Addison was on Amelia, Derek looked over at Addison. Just her presence seemed to calm her, even if it was just slightly.

“I don’t, I don’t want you here,” Amelia tried to argue again. But it was no use.

“Yes, you do,” Addison said, softly as she continued rubbing her head softly.

“Addie,” Amelia pleaded as she was on the verge of tears. “Addie, my baby’s gonna die,”

“I know,” Addison nodded as she continued stroking her hair with one hand. “And I am so so sorry,”

“I’m calling him a unicorn baby,” Amelia revealed.

“You are?” Addison’s face lit up. It’d been forever since she’d mentioned unicorns. “That’s great,”

“I have to push, if I don’t push, it hurts too much,” Amelia said, quickly.

“You need to control her labor,” Jake said.

“Okay Amelia, I know that you want to push but you have to wait,” Addison said, softly.

“No!” Amelia yelled out in pain.

“Amelia, yes,” Addison continued as Amelia kept whimpering and yelling in pain.

Amelia Holds on to Addie

“Okay, hold onto me,” Addison said as she climbed into the bed with her to let Amelia physically hold onto her body. Derek was astounded as he just squeezed Amelia’s other hand a little tighter. How did he not think of doing that?

“Addie, I wanna push,” Amelia held onto Addison as she tried to fight through the pain.

“I know, just wait, wait,” Addison instructed her as calmly as she could. “Wait, shhh,”

Addison waited to get the signal from Jake as she held onto her ex-sister-in-law. Derek darted his eyes between the two. She kept instructing Amelia to wait and shushing her calmly as she continued whimpering in pain.

“Amy, you can do this,” Derek said, trying to offer her some words of encouragement.

“Okay, now,” Addison said after getting the signal from Jake. “Amelia, push,” 

As Amelia pushed, she yelled out in pain. With some additional help from Jake, she continued to tell her to push and when. Derek watched Addison and Amelia in awe. It wasn’t just his and Addison’s relationship that was still intact. Somehow, through everything, Addison was still the person Amelia needed. He wished he were the one Amelia went to for things, the one she went to when she needed someone. Anyone. 

Addison and Amelia’s Relationship

He knew abandoning her after the car accident wasn’t great. He was angry and stubborn. He refused to speak to her, to even acknowledge her. All he saw when he looked at Amy from then on was his reckless little sister. He should’ve seen what Addison saw: a little girl in desperate need of help. One that wasn’t coping well with their father’s death. One that felt like the black sheep of the family. Even though he cut her off, Addison continued seeing her. She continued checking in, making sure she was okay and taken care of.

Their mother may never have liked Addison but even she was in shock by how close she and Amelia became. When they came to the Shepherd family home for the holidays, Amy would immediately go up to Addison to talk to her. She was the only person she was ever excited to see. The only one she’d willingly greet at the door. The second year Derek took Addison home, Amelia came up and gave her a hug. The first of many where Addison squeezed her tight and kept her hand on her cheek. It was maternal and sisterly all at the same time. And when they parted, everyone saw how their smiles widened.

Addison would continue saying hi to the rest of the Shepherd clan but none would come close in comparison. After saying her hello’s, Addison would schlep an arm around Amy and they’d walk into the living room, chatting. The boys Amy was dating, her friends at school, the drama going on in her friend group. Anything and everything. Derek’s other sisters admired the fact that Addie had such an impact on her. It was part of why they loved her so much, and part of why Derek proposed. 

Derek Cut Amelia Off

Then, when Amy crashed Derek’s car, everything changed. Derek and Addison still came over for the holidays but Derek avoided Amy at all costs. Addison tried to get him not to, but he wouldn’t budge. Despite Derek’s stubbornness, Addison and Amy remained inseparable. If anything, they were closer than ever afterward. Addison could tell that Amy was on a slippery slope when it came to her addiction. Derek, as well as the rest of the family, could see it too. It was hard to ignore. But they were dumbfounded in the face of it.

Addison seemed so poised in comparison. She still took Amy to the side and talked to her like everything was normal. It was shocking to the rest of the Shepherds how calm and collected she was. It was like she knew exactly what to say and what to do. When Derek asked if she’d ever dealt with an addict before, Addison said no. He could’ve sworn she would’ve said yes. But she did make a joke about how she dealt with Bizzy and the Captain for her entire life. And while they weren’t addicts, they did always have a steady stream of gin in their household. It wasn’t the same, but Addison argued she could use some of the same skills when dealing with Amy.

Derek Comforts Amelia

After the delivery, Amelia asked to hold him. Even after she initially insisted they take him away afterward. He was beautiful. She called him the most beautiful baby she’d ever seen. All anyone could do was look at her holding her baby boy. They couldn’t say anything that would make this better. There wasn’t anything to say. But when he started “squeaking”, as Amelia called it, Addison had to tell her he was going through respiratory distress. As much as they wanted to freeze the moment for her, they couldn’t. Not if Amelia still wanted to donate his organs like she said she did.

When Addison came out of the room, she was surprised to see Sam in scrubs, ready to do the surgery. Even more so when Charlotte agreed to go through with it despite the fact that the board didn’t sign off on the surgery. While Addison, Jake, and Sam worked on the transplant, Derek stayed with Amelia. As did Sheldon, who insisted on staying. 

“You did good,” Derek finally said as he squeezed Amelia’s hand.

“I hope so,” Amelia said back, her eyes holding back tears.

A Successful Surgery

All Derek could do was lean over and kiss her temple. There wasn’t really anything he could say to make any of this better. He could say things would get better, that time would heal all wounds. But it just sounded lame and cliche. He wished he could say something profound and wise. After all, he was the older brother. The golden child, as Amy always called him. But he had nothing. Nothing sage, nothing that would take away the pain he knew she was in. The pain she’d been in for the entirety of this pregnancy. So he did what he could. He sat next to her and held her hand, waiting to hear back about the surgery. And Sheldon, very aware that he too couldn’t say anything did the same.

Eventually, Jake and Addison came back to tell them that the surgery went well. When they told them, Amelia just held onto Addie’s hand and squeezed it tight. Derek watched her look away. She always did hate letting people see her cry. He didn’t want her to suffer more than she already had. Derek propped himself up onto Amelia’s bed and pulled her in for an embrace from the side while he rubbed her back gently. And from that, Amelia couldn’t help but let it out.

All he could think was, hasn’t Amy gone through enough? It wasn’t bad enough for her to watch their father get murdered over a watch in front of her. The world just had to tack on substance abuse, a dead fiancé, and now a dead baby. How much more would she have to go through? How much more could she go through. It broke his heart that she’d gone through so much heartbreak, so much tragedy.

Derek Catches Addison

The last thing he wanted was for her to look at the rest of her life as just more opportunities for pain. He didn’t want that for her. He wanted her to be happy, to be optimistic. It always amazed him how she kept her optimism and sarcastic humor over the years. 

It was clearly missed throughout the entirety of her pregnancy, but with her situation, it was understandable. It amazed him that she was still standing, that she didn’t let it kill her. She was so much stronger than the rest of the Shepherds. He wondered where it came from. If he were in her shoes, he didn’t know if he could take it, if he could survive it the way she had. Their mom would’ve said it came from their dad. He was the strong one, she would say. 

After staying with her for a while, Derek finally left for a bathroom break and left Sheldon to stay with her. By now, she’d fallen asleep but neither of them could leave her yet. Before he got back, he spotted Addison sneaking out of an on-call room with a small smile on her face.

“You look happy,” Derek commented as Addison closed the door behind her.

Derek and Addison

“Shut up,” Addison rolled her eyes but couldn’t help laughing a bit too. 

“So, uh, you and…Jake?” Derek nudged her with his elbow.

“Yeah,” Addison gave a happy sigh. 

“You look happy,” Derek said, flashing his signature smile and tilting his head slightly. The move that gave him the nickname, “McDreamy”.

“I am,” Addison confirmed, her smile widening slightly.

“You think Amy’s gonna be okay?” Derek asked.

“Yeah, I do,” Addison said.

“Hey,” Addison reached her hand over his after seeing Derek’s solemn face looking down. 

“She’s gonna be okay,” Addison said, getting Derek to look up at her. “I’ll make sure of it,”

“Thanks, Addie,” Derek said, appreciatively as he pulled her in for a hug.

“For everything,” Derek added as they pulled away.

“Just because we’re divorced, it doesn’t mean she’s not my sister anymore,” Addison joked.

“I’m well aware,” Derek chuckled. Nothing could tear those two apart. Not for long anyway.

There was a slight lull in the conversation. They didn’t have to say anything as the tragedy of this day hung in the air.

“Amy had a baby,” Derek finally said. “I had a new nephew for a minute there,”

Addison looked back at him and gently touched his shoulder as she was on the verge of tears. 

“Her unicorn baby,” Addison said, letting a stray tear fall down her face.

“Her unicorn baby,” Derek repeated.

Additional Notes

And that’s the end! Thank you so much to everyone that’s read this story in full and a big thank you again to @tivashepherd on Twitter for the prompt request and idea! The second half of this story definitely had a much more emotional pull and I tried not to copy too much from the Private Practice season five finale but it was hard to do because it’s literally one of my favorite episodes (if not my favorite). But I hope everyone enjoyed this story.