12.04

In the morning, Helena moved around the kitchen, hastily trying to get everything ready for the day. It was easier when she had Mark, and it'd taken her a good while to figure out how to deal with a two and a four year old all by herself.

But, now, they were a well-oiled machine.

"And there we go." Helena announced, as she finished packing up the kids' lunch, then moving to kneel by Cara. "Two lunch boxes down, getting your shoes on to go."

"." The girl repeated, in her mother's tongue.

"That's right, Good jobHelena smiled up at her, as she began putting the little sneakers on. "But you have to remember what we talked about yesterday, ok? I know you love speaking portuguese, but the daycare workers need you to speak English."

"Why?" The small girl whined.

"Because there are many wonderful languages around the world, and no one understands them all. In the daycare, they only understand English." She explained, finishing up in getting the girl's shoes on. At the pout the blond toddler gave her, she smiled. "Hey, Cara? It's like our own little secret, mine, Ali's and yours. Isn't that cool?"

"But I want Portuguese!" She tried once more.

"Then why don't I make you a deal?" Helena suggested, getting up and drinking the final gulp of her morning coffee. "You can say whatever you want in Portuguese, all of the time. You just also have to say it in English after. Deal?"

"Ok, mama." She agreed.

As Alice came down the stairs, she announced. "Look, mama! I got dressed all by myself!"

Smiling up at the brunette girl, Helena let out. "Good job, honey!"

However, as the girl came closer, the mother noticed her jacket was inside out. Not wanting to discourage the girl, she tried. "Hey, ?"

"Yes?"

"Why don't I teach you something, so that you can become better at it?"

——

"You're still not talking to Amelia?" Helena asked, as she and Meredith walked down Grey Sloan's halls.

"No." Meredith shook her head.

"Ok." Helena nodded, the two falling into silence for a moment. "So, Penny starts today. Do you want to talk about that?"

"No." She repeated.

"Ok. Then, when you want to, I'm here. Or if you don't want to, I'm here, too." Helena offered. "I'm just here."

"Thank you."

——

Later that day, Helena carefully covered a premature baby in the NICU, as April vented to her.

The redhead had brought to the hospital a little boy she'd met in Jordan, to try to get Jackson to operate on his tumors, on his hands. Problem was, she had lied about the severity of the case.

"And now Jackson wants to amputate." April told her. "He won't even try. He said it was hopeless. He- he asked me why I even brought Kamal to him." At that, Helena tilted her head, lifting a brow. "What?"

"April, come on... the scans were so bad you had to lie about them. You pretended they got lost. You . About a little boy, April." The brunette muttered, softly.

"I'm s- wh- what are you saying?" She narrows her eyes.

"Nothing..." Helena shook her head, walking out of the NICU and taking off her pink gown. Then, she took in a breath, before telling her friend. "I'm saying that I get it. I get what it's like when you feel like everything around you is falling apart, and you just need something to pull it together. Maybe not in the same way as you, but I get it. I just... if that's what you're doing, don't do it by giving a little boy false hope."

——

"Hey." Helena let out, finding Meredith at the hospital's church, Alex with her. "We were looking for you."

"Leave me alone..." She muttered.

"Since when do you pray?" Alex asked, each sitting on one of the blond's sides.

"I'm not."

"Or talk to God, or whatever." Alex shrugged.

"I'm not talking to God." She told them.

"Well, either way, I'd say it's a level up from talking to tequila." Helena judged her softly.

"I'm talking to Derek."

"Oh." Helena let out. "We'll go, then."

As they started to get up to leave, the general surgeon stopped them. "I'm trying. I've tried to rise. I've tried to teach her. But I just... don't think I can. I thought he might know what I'm supposed to do with her. Why she's here. I thought maybe he could tell me. So, I'm just gonna sit here and wait for some divine intervention or whatever."

"Ok." Helena nodded, moving Meredith's head closer to press a kiss to the top of it. "Ok."

——

"Gary, this is Dr. Campos." Owen introduced, DeLuca following her to the ER bed.

"Uh, Gary Walton, 14. Complaining of abdominal pain." The intern presented, handing the attending a tablet.

"Hi, Gary. I'm Dr. Campos, but you can call me Dr. C." She smiled, opening his file on the device. "How are we doing today?"

"This ball looks like a cherry." The kid pointed out, raising a small, red ball. "Do you like cherries?"

"Gary was born with some intelectual disabilities." The mother explained, behind him.

With a nod and a soft smile, Helena pulled a bench for herself. "I have to say, I'm more of a strawberry girl myself. Do like cherries, Gary?"