I've had this sitting around for a while on my desktop...I've decided that the year is 2011, and Christopher was born in mid June.
Meredith looked down at the tiny baby in her arms and smiled as she felt Derek's arm wrap around her. It had taken them almost nine months to get to the place they were now: holding their newborn son.
"I can't believe he doesn't have a full head of your dark hair. It's almost a letdown." Said Meredith, looking up at Derek.
"He has nice hair. It's just…not the hair I imagined he'd have." Said Derek, laughing, as he ran a hand over his son's thin, light colored hair.
"He is absolutely perfect, though. Even with out your hair." Whispered Meredith, as she pressed a soft kiss to the baby's forehead. The little boy's eyes opened and he looked up expectantly at Meredith. He opened his mouth, and made a soft sound.
"I love you, too, Christopher." Said Meredith, smiling widely at the baby. There was a knock at the door, and then Cristina entered.
"I walked by the nursery and didn't see him, so I figured he was here with you. He's gorgeous. Congratulations, both of you." Said Cristina, looking down at the little baby.
"Thank you." Said Meredith and Derek, together.
"He doesn't have the hair." Said Cristina, laughing as she ran a pinkie over the baby's soft cheek.
"It's disappointing, isn't it?" said Derek, laughing.
"I know. With you as a father, you'd think the kid would at least have perfect hair." Said Cristina, her laughter dying as her eyes focused on the baby in Meredith's arms.
"I know I didn't ask you sooner, but would you like to hold your godson?" asked Meredith, lifting the little boy off of her chest, and into Cristina's arms.
"Godson?" asked Cristina, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes. We want you to be his godmother. What do you say, Cristina?" asked Derek, smiling as Cristina expertly supported his son's head as she rocked him softly.
"I'd love to." Said Cristina, smiling.
"I can't believe you said yes." Said Meredith, amused at the fact that Cristina was excited about being a godmother.
"He's just—And I really—I don't know. I don't normally like kids, especially babies, but your kid is different—he's—you never told me his name." said Cristina, as she looked up at Meredith.
"Christopher Joseph Grey-Shepherd." Said Derek, placing his hand on Meredith's shoulder.
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Meredith sat down on the bench in the resident's locker-room, and rested her head in her hands. It had been a long day, and all she wanted to do was to go home and take a nice long nap with her baby boy, but she was on-call. Meredith sighed, and stood up, and walked over to her locker. She opened it and pulled out a small album. On the front was a small handprint, her son's from the day her son was born. Meredith placed her hand over the handprint, and then opened the album. The first picture was taken moments after Christopher had been born. She was holding him, and he was wailing loudly. Music to her ears, Meredith thought. She continued to flip through the dozens of pictures that she and Derek had taken over the last six months since they officially became parents. Meredith was so absorbed in the album, that she didn't hear the door open behind her.
Derek entered the resident's locker-room carrying his sleeping son, and saw Meredith sitting on the bench, pouring over one of their baby's albums. He walked over to her, careful not to make a sound. Once he was right behind her, he bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. Meredith immediately slammed the book closed and turned around, annoyance evident on her face. As soon as she registered that it was just Derek and Christopher, she smiled. She kissed Derek again, and then bent down to kiss her little boy.
"You look tired, Mer." Said Derek, running his thumb over her cheek.
"I am exhausted, but only ten more hours." She replied, looking at her watch.
"I know. And then we are off for a week to go to New York. It's going to be Christopher's first Christmas." Said Derek, handing the baby to Meredith.
"Our first Christmas with our little boy." Said Meredith, pressing a soft kiss to Christopher's forehead.
"Are you feeling any better since this morning, Mer?" asked Derek, getting up to sit on the bench beside her. He placed a warm hand on the small of her back, and looked directly into her eyes.
"Much better, especially now that I get to spend time with my boys." Said Meredith, as Derek kissed her on her cheek.
"So, I was thinking that maybe while we're in New York, you might be willing to let me coax you into leaving Chris with Anna or Kathy so that we could have a day just to ourselves." Said Derek, looking nervous. He knew how difficult it was for her to part with Christopher for long periods of time. He seriously doubted that she would have agreed to go back to work had Seattle Grace not had a daycare. She spent every free minute in the daycare with her little boy.
"I think that would be okay. What did you have in mind for the day?" asked Meredith, smiling.
"Well, you've only been to New York with me twice, and I never gave you the Derek Shepherd tour of the city." Said Derek, running his thumb over Christopher's hair.
"That would be lovely, Dr. Shepherd." Said Meredith, kissing Derek softly. She then rested her head on Derek's shoulder, and closed her eyes, only to be awakened by her pager moments later. She looked down and saw that it was the ER.
"I've got to go. It's the ER. Thank you for coming, and bringing him. It means a lot to me." Said Meredith, as she handed the baby back to Derek.
"No problem, Mer. Remember, only ten hours, and then you're officially on vacation." Said Derek, giving her a quick kiss as she slid the album back into her locker.
"I know. I'll see you when I get home." Said Meredith, slipping her lab coat back on.
"I'll be waiting." Said Derek, standing up.
"Bye, baby. I love you." Said Meredith, giving a quick kiss to Christopher. She then looked up at Derek.
"Bye, Derek. I love you, too." She said, giving him a kiss as well, before she headed for the door.
"Bye Mer. I love you." He said, as she slipped out the door.
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Eleven hours later, Meredith looked at the clock and sighed. It was a little after eight in the morning, and she was only just getting to the locker-room. It had been a long overnight shift, and she had felt a little under the weather in the morning. As she slid her lab coat into her locking, she felt a wave of nausea hit her. She ran over to the trashcan quickly, and emptied her stomach. She sighed, and then walked over to her locker, and changed into her street clothes, and threw her jacket on. She grabbed her tote, and then walked out of the locker-room, exhausted, but excited to have a little over a week's vacation time to spend with her family.
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Meredith pulled into the garage, and then entered the house. The smell of pancakes hit her as she walked into the kitchen. She smiled when she saw Derek leaning over the stove, cooking.
"Are you making me breakfast?" she asked, as Derek turned around to face her.
"Of course." He said, walking over to kiss her.
"It smells delicious." She said, as Derek gave her a second kiss.
"Of course it does. The pancakes will be done in about five minutes." He said, turning back to the stove.
"Okay." Said Meredith, walking into the living room, where her son lay on a blanket on the floor, sleeping soundly. She knelt down beside him, and scooped him into her arms. Almost immediately, the little boy opened his bright blue eyes and looked directly at Meredith.
"Hi, baby! Mommy missed you." She said, pressing a soft kiss to his feathery blond hair. Christopher smiled and reached up for Meredith's face.
"Mamamama." He babbled, pulling Meredith's finger into his mouth.
"Yeah, Chris, it's Mamama." She said, giving him another kiss. She stood up; Christopher balanced carefully in her arms, she walked into the kitchen.
"Did you feed Chris yet?" she asked, opening the refrigerator.
"No. I was going to wait until he woke up." Said Derek, picking up two plates of pancakes.
"Okay. I'll feed him, then." She said happily, taking a bottle of milk, and a jar of banana baby food over to the table, along with a baby spoon. She placed Christopher in the highchair, and secured a bib around his neck. She skillfully opened the baby food, and took a spoonful out, and slid it into Christopher's mouth, catching the excess puree, and sticking it in the baby's mouth again for a second mouthful.
"Mer, eat. I'll feed him." Said Derek, giving her a kiss on her cheek. Meredith looked from Derek to Christopher, and then down at her food. It had been over twelve hours since she'd eaten anything.
"Okay." Said Meredith, handing Derek the spoon and the food.
"You're all packed, right?" asked Derek, spooning more banana puree into Christopher's mouth.
"Yes. And our flight is at one, right?" asked Meredith, swallowing a bite of pancake.
"Yeah. So we'll have to leave here around ten." Said Derek.
"I plan on sleeping the whole flight." Said Meredith, devouring her pancakes.
"I think that's what Chris plans on doing, too. I'll bring along a couple crosswords and maybe a journal or two." Said Derek, as Meredith shoveled another mouthful of pancake into her mouth. Meredith smiled, and then reached into the center of the table, and grabbed the day's newspaper. She the opened it up, and began reading, taking her mug of coffee into her hands.
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Meredith had never felt so airsick in her entire life. Instead of sleeping like she had hoped, she was stuck in an endless loop between her seat and the bathroom. At the moment, however, Meredith was in her seat, resting her head on Derek's chest. He was holding her tightly, rubbing her back in circles, softly.
"Feeling any better, Mer?" he asked, as she relaxed into his arms.
"A little, yeah." She said, listening to his heartbeat and even breathing.
"You must have caught a nasty bug. It's been a while since I've seen you this sick, Mer. Not since early in your pregnancy with Chris." Said Derek, pressing a soft kiss to Meredith's hair.
"You're right…Derek?" she asked, sounding worried.
"Mer? Are you going to be sick again?" he asked, looking nervously at his wife.
"I don't think so." She said, her eyes meeting Derek's.
"Is something wrong, Mer?" he asked rubbing her cheek with his thumb.
"What you said a second ago, about me not being sick like this since I was pregnant with Chris. Do you think that maybe I'm pregnant again?" asked Meredith, fear very evident in her voice. Derek smiled, and tilted her chin so that she was looking at him.
"Would that be the worst thing in the world?" asked Derek, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"I don't know. Chris isn't even a year old yet. It seems kind of soon to bring another kid into the mix. But, I suppose it wouldn't be the end of the world." Said Meredith, smiling slightly.
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Christopher was fast asleep when they got into taxi that was to take them to the Shepherd house. Meredith was feeling much better now that they were on solid ground, and was more relaxed after getting five hours of sleep on the second flight. She was, however, still nervous about what Derek had mentioned to her on the plane.
"You're awfully quiet, Mer." Said Derek, kissing her softly as she looked out the window at the city.
"I'm just thinking." She replied, giving Derek a small smile.
"About the baby." He said, resting his hand on her stomach.
"Derek!" she said loudly, knocking his hand away.
"Mer, relax." He said, pulling her into him.
"I'm sorry, it's just that we don't even know if there is a baby. And you're already getting excited, I can see it in your eyes, and I would hate to see you disappointed if it turns out that this is all just a stomach bug." Said Meredith, as Derek ran his hands over her hair.
"I'll tell you what. Tonight, after we get settled in, I'll drop by the store. I'll grab a test, and we'll see what happens. But, I promise you, Mer, whatever the test says, it's okay." He said.
"That sounds—good." Said Meredith, closing her eyes.
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Hours later, after they had mingled with all of the Shepherds, and after Derek had run out to the store, Meredith and Derek were sitting on the floor of the bathroom connected to Derek's childhood bedroom. Derek's bedroom was their home for week.
"Has it been five minutes, yet?" asked Meredith, as Derek held her tightly.
"Almost, Mer." Said Derek, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Meredith sighed, and looked down at Derek's watch for the next minute and a half. As soon as she was sure it had been five minutes, she jumped up, and then sank back down.
"You'll look with me, won't you?" she asked, reaching for his hand. Derek nodded, and stood up, helping her up with him. Together, they walked over to the counter. Meredith looked away as Derek pulled the stick out of the container; it was positive. She wasn't looking when Derek's mouth turned up in a huge grin. He set the test back down, and picked her up and spun her once, and before pressing a deep, passionate kiss to her lips. He then placed his hands on her stomach.
"I take it we're having a baby." Said Meredith, a note of excitement in her voice.
"You have that right." Said Derek, laughing as he carried her into the bedroom, and placed her down on the bed.
"And you are excited." Said Meredith, in a statement, not a question.
"Of course, Mer. You know I love kids. I just hope that this time we get a little girl." He said, resting his hand over her stomach.
"A little girl with your hair." Said Meredith, smiling.
"A little girl with your eyes." Said Derek, as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He stood up and walked into the bathroom. He emptied the container and threw it out, and wrapped the test up and placed it in his suitcase, before shutting the bathroom light, and then overhead bedroom lights.
"You must be exhausted, Mer." He said, lying down next to her.
"I am. But I am excited, too." She said, as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands protectively over her stomach.
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Derek had his face plastered to the glass surrounding the nursery, staring directly at the little baby in the front left corner. Katharine Elizabeth Grey-Shepherd, he read, smiling as his little girl slept. Meredith leaned into him, and felt his arms wrap around her, and his lips press into her hair.
"She's gorgeous, Mer." He said, smiling widely.
"I know. And she has your hair." Said Meredith, laughing softly.
"And your eyes." Said Derek, watching as a nurse walked over to his daughter, and began to wheel the incubator towards the door. Both Meredith and Derek walked over, excited at the prospect of being with their little girl. The nurse opened the door, and was face to face with the two.
"I was just going to wheel her over to your room." Said the nurse, as she wheeled the baby out into the hallway and towards Meredith's room, with Meredith and Derek closely in tow. Derek helped Meredith into her bed, and then looked for the nurse's okay to pick up his little girl.
"I'll be back in a half-hour. Call if you need anything." She said, before ducking out of the room.
"Thank you." Called Derek, eyes glued to his little girl. He rocked her for a few moments before turning to Meredith.
"Would you like to hold our little girl?" he asked her, pressing a soft kiss to Katharine's hair. Meredith nodded, and received the little girl carefully in her arms.
"She's so perfect." Said Meredith, as she held tightly to the tiny baby. She wanted very much to share this moment with her little boy.
"Derek?" she said, softly, as to not wake the tiny baby.
"Yeah, Mer?" he replied, equally quiet.
"Can you call Cris? I want my little boy to be here for this." Said Meredith, smiling.
"Are you sure you're up to that?" asked Derek, unsure that having his 14 month old son up at the hospital was a good idea.
"Derek, he's my little boy. Of course I'm sure." Said Meredith. It had been nearly 30 hours since she'd last seen her son.
"All right. I'll call Cristina." He said, excusing himself from the room.
"It's just you and me now, Katie." Said Meredith, as she rocked the baby gently.
"You have the greatest older brother. He's lovely, and he's very handsome. His name is Christopher, but your daddy and I call him Chris most of the time. Unless, of course, Mommy's friend Cristina is with us, in which case we have to call your brother Christopher because Cristina has dibs on Cris. But Christopher is going to take such good care of you. He's Mommy's little boy, yes he is, and you are Mommy's little princess." Whispered Meredith, as she waited for Derek to come back into the room. As soon as he did, she felt him slide onto the bed next to her.
"So, I called Cristina. She says that she and Hunt will have him up here in five minutes. They also say that they are going to expect to see our little girl." Said Derek, giving Meredith a quick kiss.
"Our little girl." Said Meredith, smiling.
Should I continue, or leave it at this?