This is the sequel to my MD story, Waking Up in Vegas. Hope you like it! ;)
And you asked me what I want this year So take these words and sing out loud I need some place simple where we could live So take these words and sing out loud I wish everyone was loved tonight So take these words and sing out loud 'cause tonight's the night the world begins again
LYRICS TO THE GOO GOO DOLLS 'BETTER DAYS'
and I try to make this kind and clear
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'cause I don't need boxes wrapped in strings
and designer love and empty things
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again
and something only you can give
and that's faith and trust and peace while we're alive
and the one poor child who saved this world
and there's ten million more who probably could
if we all just stopped and said a prayer for them
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again
and somehow stop this endless fight
just a chance that maybe we'll find better days
'cause everyone is forgiven now
'cause tonight's the night the world begins again
Enjoy! And by all means, let me know what you think!
The first thing Meredith Shepherd had noticed when she woke up was the silence. She was awake, yes, but hadn't yet opened her eyes. She felt the warm rays of early morning sunshine peeking in through the horizontal blinds that covered the large picture window in the master bedroom. (That was one of the first things that she had learned in her five years in Seattle - it didn't rain nearly as much as it had been rumored. The second thing she learned was how surprised she was that she loved Seattle – she loved being able to work in the bustling city by day, and yet, every single night, she could return to their home in the woods - their own little corner of the world, that belonged solely to Meredith, Derek, the little boy who wasn't so little anymore, and his newborn baby sister.) She sighed as she heard the birds chirping happily outside, and for a moment, that was the only sound she heard. She rolled over and opened her sleep-filled eyes slowly, focusing on the alarm clock across the room.
8:30.
'Derek must be up with the baby,' she thought to herself as she stretched, pulling her arms over her head. In the two weeks since Ella had been born, Meredith's old habits of insomnia had resurfaced, and she stayed up with the infant at night, while Derek took care of her in the mornings so Meredith could rest. Not that she slept much – she constantly worried about everything. Things in their routine had definitely changed since Ella was born, but every change had been for the better – each time the baby cried, cooed and breathed was a constant reminder of that.
She relished in the silence – a rarity in the Shepherd household – for a few more moments. She lazily sat up and placed her feet on the wood floor, cool beneath her bare feet. She looked to the alarm clock again, 8:32, and took a deep breath, basking in the serenity of the calm Sunday morning before she felt suffocated and panicked. Something's wrong, something's wrong.
Deep breaths, she coached herself. Deep breaths.
It was calm and quiet… until it wasn't anymore.
It came in waves.
First, the baby's tiny, yet loud and strong, cry pierced the air, wafting down the hallway from the nursery. Second, the phone started ringing, followed shortly by the twelve-year-old boy, yelling that the phone was ringing, his feet pounding down the hallway. Next came the sound of a car horn, loud and insistent, and Meredith, after a few long moments, recognized it as the sound of the horn of the RV that they had purchased two years before for their trip to the Grand Canyon. And then the dog (Casey, a three-year-old Golden Retriever) started barking.
And though it was chaotic, Meredith was instantly calm, as her world fell back on its correct axis. She quickly pulled her bath robe on and padded across the room, choosing to tend to the screeching baby first.
"Ella!" Meredith cooed, her sleepy voice soft and melodic as she scooped the tiny baby up. "Hey, pretty girl," she added as she cradled the baby to her chest, breathing in the innocent scent of the baby – milk mixed with baby lotion, mixed with a hint of lavender, mixed with a touch of Derek's cologne – the perfect combination of all things that Meredith loved. "Shh, shh, you're okay," Meredith soothed as the phone finally stopped ringing.
"It's Aunt Jamie!" Christopher bellowed as he slid into Ella's nursery, sliding on the floors in his socked feet. Ella screeched louder in protest, her red face scrunching a bit more and turning purple, her skin warm and dampening with sweat. The little boy grinned at Meredith. "I'll trade you," he smiled as he cradled the phone between his neck and his ear, holding his arms out for his baby sister. "C'mon," he insisted when Meredith gave him a look, raising her eyebrow at him. "Trust me," he added, his lips folding into a pout.
Meredith finally relented. "Hold her head!" she coached as her stepson sat down in the rocking chair, cradling the baby girl – who weighed exactly seven pounds – close to his chest. "Hello?" she yawned into the telephone, and she listened to Jamie's immediate, anxious rambling as the baby, and the RV, continued screeching.
"Jamie, I'm gonna have to call you back! I can't hear you!" Meredith interrupted, "I can't hear you! Ella is screeching, Chris is freaked out, you brother is laying on the horn of that God awful RV! I can't understand a word you're saying!"
"Say no more." Jamie's soothing voice came across the line. "I remember when Sage was born, I get it," she added, clicking her tongue. "Give my namesake a kiss for me!"
"Will do," Meredith replied, and Jamie hung up the phone, leaving Meredith alone on the line with a click and then the dial tone. "Thanks, kid, for trying," Meredith said as she ruffled the boy's hair. She scooped the baby out of his arms, and he grinned at his stepmother.
"No problemo," he replied.
"Let's go see what your dad is blowing the horn about." Meredith cradled her daughter closer to her, gently kissing her head as the infant's wails continued. Christopher thundered down the stairs, and Meredith (and Ella) quickly followed.
X
"Derek!" Meredith yelled as she stepped onto the porch, the screaming infant squirming in her arms. "DEREK!" she yelled again, louder this time. He looked up and saw his wife, the screeching baby, and his son (who had an amused grin on his face). "What are you doing?" Meredith shouted as he hopped out of the driver's seat of the RV.
"What?" Derek replied as he crossed the yard toward his wife and kids. He stepped onto the porch, placed a kiss on Meredith's cheek, and scooped the writing baby out of his wife's arms. "Hey, there's my girl," he cooed as he kissed the baby's head. Her face was still red and crumpled, her skin damp and warm, but she was beginning to quiet down. "Did Jamie call you?" Derek asked as he grinned at Meredith.
"She tried, but I couldn't hear," Meredith replied. "Ella was crying, Jamie was rambling, and talking really fast, and you were laying on the horn on that… thing… which, by the way, why is it here?" she asked as she cocked her eyebrow at him.
"Jamie's getting married!" Derek grinned, and Meredith's mouth opened in surprised. "Weekend of the 17th."
"That's two weeks," Meredith calculated, exchanging a glance with her stepson. "And what, exactly, does Jamie getting married have to do with that thing?" she added as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Derek nodded at her. "I knew you'd ask. Which is why I have two words for you: Road. Trip."
"No. No. Absolutely not! No, Derek!"
"Aw, come one, Meredith, it will be fun. Kevin and I have it all planned out – he and Rachel and the kids are flying in from Portland tomorrow, and we'll all take the RV cross-country to Myrtle Beach for the wedding. And then I worked it out with Jamie so we can bring Sage back with us," Derek said with a smile.
"Are you out of your mind, Derek?" Meredith asked. "Ella's two weeks old, I'm breast-feeding for God sakes. Christopher has little league… and you honestly can't expect me to get everything ready to leave tomorrow!" she argued as Derek led her over to the wooden rocking chair swing. "Why can't we just fly out a few days before?"
"Because that's not an adventure, Meredith," Derek reasoned, his eyes sparkling. "And besides, EJ wouldn't like flying very much, would you, princess?" he asked as he sat down and cradled the now-quiet infant to his chest. "And we won't leave tomorrow – we'll leave on Tuesday. It's only a 47 hour drive."
"Don't call her EJ," Meredith mumbled, and Derek smirked in response. "And it's only 47 hours if you drive straight through, Derek! What about sleeping? Or stopping to pee? We need wedding clothes, Derek. And not to mention clothes to wear on the road. And food. And the RV has to be cleaned, I'm sure that thing is disgusting. And I'd have to make arrangements with a house-sitter…"
"I handled everything," Derek stated. "Alex and Izzie will watch the house and get the mail. Your sister and George are taking the dog. Cristina is coming with us," he added with a smile. Meredith cocked her eyebrow at him. "I had the RV cleaned – new sheets and blankets and everything – yesterday. I did the grocery shopping. I called Chris' coach, and we got a partial refund. And Jamie has your dress picked out for the wedding, along with outfits for both Christopher and I. And Ella, well, she could wear anything, though, if I know my mother, she's got a dress ready for her. And, if we leave Tuesday morning, which is the fifth, we have plenty of time to get there in time for the wedding."
Meredith sighed.
"I told you I took care of everything, sweetheart," he confirmed as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Don't you remember the last time we went somewhere in that… home on wheels?" Meredith asked, but only because she couldn't think of another argument. He really had thought of everything. "We got lost, and Chris got sick, and the tires," she whimpered as tears filled her eyes. "Sorry," she sniffled, "hormones."
"It's okay," Derek said softly as he wiped a tear off of her cheek with his thumb. "I pre-programmed the GPS, we've got spare tires all ready this time, we've got medicine and first aid kits… we're doctors, Rachel's a nurse…. Stop worrying, okay?" he whispered as he pressed his forehead against Meredith's. She nodded, and he kissed her nose. "Stop worrying."
"I'll try," she said with a timid smile. "I suppose we should start packing," she added with a sigh as she reluctantly pulled away from Derek.
He nodded in response. "I'll make breakfast, okay? Everything will be fine."
"It better be," Meredith mumbled as she leaned over and kissed Derek on the lips. "I love you, Derek," she whispered.
"I love you too," he replied as he kissed her again.
She pulled away and stood up from the swing. "Want me to take her?"
"Nah," he said with a devilish grin. "She's got to learn how to cook at some pointing her life… better start early!" he teased as he, too, stood from the swing.
Meredith shook her head and laughed as they made their way into the house to begin their busy Sunday morning.
*~*~*~*~*~*