The next few days passed by in a blur of routine. Be woken up by everyone doing rounds, have breakfast, Meredith would then have a marathon of morning sickness much to Derek's chagrin. The nurse would administer Derek's medication, and by that time the pair were ready for a nap together in Derek's bed. They'd be awoken in an hour by Carolyn, Bailey, and Zola, who were excited to see their parents; once the trio was gone they fell back asleep usually until around 11. 11 was when the nurse liked to try to get Derek up. Meredith hated 11 o'clock because she felt Derek wasn't ready, while Derek would claim he was. She knew he was forcing himself because he hated it here and he wanted to get the hell out of the hospital. She couldn't blame him for that in the slightest; they'd been there a week now and she was going crazy. Yet she knew she'd this do over and over for him.
So far Derek had been able to get up to the bathroom and back and bed several times since he'd been moved to a real room, which meant that the catheter had come out, which equaled even less pain for him. Owen had decided to back off the pain medication a bit to see how Derek was tolerating it. He was still in a great deal of pain, but he was somewhat grateful tat he could feel the pain now. Feeling the pain rather just knowing it was there was better than nothing. But today he was supposed to walk out of the room to the nurses station with nothing but Meredith and his IV pole.
The time had come for Derek to walk to the nurses station on his crutches and Meredith sighed as he swung his legs slowly around to the other side of the bed to a sitting position. Sitting had become much easier in the past few days, as had standing and walking to the bathroom with assistance from Meredith and the crutches, but now he had to do it with just the crutches, which were a pain in the ass in his opinion. Standing up, Meredith handed him the crutches and then backed away as he slowly made his way to the door, pain evident in his face but she knew he would never voice a complaint, and she knew she wasn't allowed to interfere. Derek made it to the door and paused, out of breath and exhausted just from getting to the door but he knew he had to do this. "You're so close Derek," she urged, moving closer to the door in case he fell, despite the nurse on his other side. She would never forgive herself if he fell and hit his head now, after everything he had overcome in the past week and a half. Grunting, he soldiered on taking those last few steps to the nurse's station that was about ten feet from the door of his room. Meredith couldn't help but smile, rushing to his side and giving him a kiss. "I'm proud of you," she murmured, rubbing his arm gently. "Come on, let's go back to the room and then you can rest," she smiled, as he began his journey back into the room. Once he was there, Mere helped the nurse get him back in bed, and another nurse came in with his next dose of pain medication. It had been decreased by a lot, but was still making him fall asleep, which she didn't mind. He was healing and every day he was improving by leaps and bounds. He just needed to make it to the end of the hallway and Meredith could take him home where he would be much more comfortable and be able to get so much more rest than in the hospital, with doctors and nurses coming in every hour or too. But for now, the pair were left alone and Meredith climbed into the narrow hospital bed with Derek, quickly drifting off to sleep with her head on his chest, careful to avoid any of his sutures.
Meredith and Derek slept like that for hours without disturbance. It wasn't like the ICU, where everyone was rushing in and out every hour to check things. The step-down room was on a quiet floor and Meredith was thankful that they were able to have some peace and quiet for the first time in nearly two weeks. Upon waking, Meredith checked her phone and was shocked to find out they had been out for five hours. Either they had been able to sleep through nurses rushing in and out, or they actually hadn't been disturbed. Either way, she was happy. Stretching out a bit she could feel him stirring beside her, his eyes flickering open. "Hey you," he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked, propping herself up on her elbows. Derek could only smith, brushing her hair back from her eyes. "Better now that I'm well enough to sneak naps with you," he laughed and she scrunched her nose up. It sucked that he was still in the hospital; he had been for two and a half weeks now, but at least he was progressing and not falling behind in his recovery. He still had a few more weeks with the casts on his arm and leg; they were both on the left side, but he could deal with the crutches and Meredith helping him do things until he was fully healed. He hated not being able to hold both of his children, and put both of his hands on Meredith's ever-growing bump – he swore it grew every day, over night even – but he knew when the casts came off and he had full use of the left side of his body, he was never taking his hands off the bump, and Zola and Bailey were only being put down to eat and go to bed. He had more time off from work to go to physical therapy and he planned on spending it with his kids. Zola was starting kindergarten in September and he wanted to soak up the last few slips of her being a baby. They were both growing up much too fast; Bailey was going to be three in October and Zola was already five. The new baby would bring chaos and yet somewhat of a balance to the house again, with a screaming baby, a babbling toddler, and a 5 year old going on 15. He couldn't help but smile and look down at Meredith, her bump curling against him, her eyes fluttering shut again as she snuggled back up to him. Besides being stuck in the hospital a bit longer from an accident that nearly killed him, he had to say he was pretty pleased with his life.
A week later Bailey stood in the hospital room, signing off on Derek's discharge papers. Meredith had pulled the car around downstairs and was waiting for the nurse to bring him down in the wheelchair. His mother was at home with both of the kids and Amelia would be home later; tomorrow they were throwing a party to celebrate his remarkable recovery and everyone from the hospital was coming, as usual. Meredith even had extended invites to the wonderful nurses who had taken care of Derek during his three and a half week stay.
Once he appeared in the wheelchair by the car, she hopped out of the drivers seat, more than willing to get him in the car and comfortable. Pillows had been brought for his arm and leg, and a blanket just in case. After moving Derek from the wheelchair to the car, Meredith rushed at the nurse with a huge hug, before breaking away and climbing back into the car. "You ready? Are you comfortable?" she asked, before Derek looked at her and laugh. "I'm fine, just drive Mere, I want to get home to Mom and the kids, and real food, and our bed, and our house," he said with a grin. She started the car and headed home, taking the way so they could bypass the ferry even if it took a bit longer, and in a little under an house she was parking in front of their garage. Carolyn walked outside with Zola and Bailey running out after her, and Meredith ran to the other side of the car so she and Carolyn could help Derek out. Of course, he was stubborn and would only let Meredith barely help him, relying on the crutches to get him inside and onto the couch, before allowing Zola and Bailey to climb all over him. Zola was more concerned with why his casts were so bare. "Daddy, Lily at school had a cast on her arm and we got to draw on it and write on it, can Bails and I write on yours?" Derek looked wearily at his mother and wife, mouthing 'save me' before looking back to his daughter. "Maybe later, Zo, I just want to snuggle with you and your brother right now," he smiled as he pulled both kids closer to him.
Meredith watched the trio for a few minutes with a smile on her face while Carolyn busied herself bringing things in from the car. The last time Meredith had been in the house was almost a month ago, she realized, that night the police came to the door to inform her of the accident. Carolyn must've cleaned, because the house looked much nicer than it had that night and finally she tore herself away and sought out her mother in law. "Thank you," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around her mother in law, letting the Shepherd matriarch comfort her. She'd been tough as nails for the past month, despite the raging hormones and her unpredictable stomach, and now she needed a chance to be a bit unstable. She refused to break down in front of Derek, but now in the small entry alcove she allowed herself to cry in Carolyn's arms, albeit quietly. "I've been so scared, it was terrifying, not knowing those first few days, and even then, I felt like he was going to slip away…" she breathed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Now that he was okay, she could have her break down, she could afford to cry. Their kids had two parents who were alive, she could be selfish and cry. "I hate that I was so mad at him, it was so many months of fighting back and forth, and then suddenly he was going to quit, and then the next thing he was dying in the hospital and I was the worst wife ever, and a month later we're here," she bit her lip, wiping furiously at her eyes. "Meredith, you aren't the worst wife ever. You're human. Hell, when Derek told me what he was doing I was mad at him, I couldn't believe the man had chosen a job over his family. Then Amelia called me and told me he was half dead in the hospital…." Carolyn sighed, holding her daughter in law even closer. "You two have come out of this stronger than before. You've come out the other side. Life will move on. Derek is completely here now, and he will be once he recovers. You' two are having another baby, you know he'll want to be here all the time, and he'll hover over you and be insanely protective and spoil you and the baby and the other two. But the point is that you two made it. You made it through months of commuting back and forth coast to coast, and you made it through a month of hell in the hospital," she soothed her, smoothing her hair back before looking at her tear-stained face. "Derek loves you and he'll always come back to you," she promised. "Now go be with your family," she smiled, giving her a little shove towards the couch, where Derek was already wearing a tiara and having a tea party with his son and daughter.
The next day was their party for Derek, or really, the celebration for his homecoming. Carolyn had sworn to Meredith that she had a handle on things, and by the time she came downstairs at noon, she was amazed by how many different foods littered the countertops, and the delicious smells that filtered through the house. Derek was still in bed; she knew he needed time to relax in his own bed, but Bailey and Zola were watching The Little Mermaid. Meredith grabbed a muffin from a cooling rack and settled in under a blanket with the kids, whispering her favorite parts of the Disney film to them and singing along with the songs – she never knew these things as a child but being a thirty-something mother she made sure to know everything she would've needed to know to make her kids happy. Bailey leaned his head against her bump; she was 11 weeks now and soon they were having their 12 week ultrasound.
Laying around the house all day was nice, with Carolyn cooking and Amelia returning around 4…with a herd of sisters and nieces and nephews. Meredith handled everything with the ease of a weathered veteran, having spent endless summer vacations, Thanksgivings and Christmases with Derek's four sisters and all 14 of his nieces and nephews. Zola and Bailey charged right in and found their favorites among the younger set, while Meredith slipped away upstairs to see Derek. She poked her head in their dark bedroom and smiled when she noticed he was awake. "Hey sleepy, the vultures have arrived," she smirked, and she laughed as he winced. She stepped into the room and shut the door, sitting on the bed next to him, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes. "Come on, let's get you dressed. You know they're just happy you made it," she said softly, pressing a kiss to his lips, then two to his cheeks, then one to his lips.
He eased himself up and wrapped his good arm around her waist, pulling her closer. He so badly wanted to have sex with her, but the two casts prevented that. Just two more weeks and he would be okay, and hopefully his left hand would be at 100%. "Mmm Mere, I love you," he said softly, gently nuzzling up to her. She couldn't help but smile as she ran her fingers through his hair while a small sigh. "I love you too," she smiled, before frustrating him by standing up from the bed and grabbing him a pair of jeans and her favorite red button up. "Here, change into this, I'll help you if you need me," she mused, as she disappearing into her closet, picking out something summery. A slightly loose, peachy dress was procured, something that hid her bump, and she took off the old shirt and shorts she slept in, just as Derek caught her by the waist. "Look at you," he grinned, his good hand placed on her bump. She was showing so much earlier than she had with Bailey and he loved it. He placed a million kisses on her bump before he let her throw on her dress, slipping her feet into a pair of brown sandals. It was a warm July day with the sun shining, rare for Seattle, where it rained almost 365 days of the year. She stood in front of the mirror and ran a brush through her hair, doing something with some makeup. She wasn't a makeup person; really, it was only when she had to do something fancy for the hospital was when she bothered with it. Other than that she usually dabbed on chapstick and went through life. Today though she managed with some eyeliner and eyeshadow, lipstick, and mascara, before turning around and helping Derek get his left leg into his jeans, and button up his shirt. "I have a hot wife," he smirked, and she rolled her eyes with a laugh. "Come on, the wolf pack is waiting," she teased him, handing him his crutches. Leaving the room wasn't a problem; the stairs weren't even too bad. It had taken him a couple of tries but he'd perfected a way to get up and down them.
When they reached the bottom, Meredith was grateful that he had designed the house with the stairs hidden away and not out in the open, because she knew they were going to be ambushed. When they made it to the living room, the wolves descended upon them and Meredith found it easy to smile and laugh with her sisters in law. It had taken awhile, but she loved the four women who shared her husband's hair and piercing blue eyes, not to mention her last name. They were as much a part of her family as Lexie had been, as much as Maggie was, as much as her friends at the hospital were. "Hey, let Derek sit down first before you bombard us," she laughed, Nancy hanging off her shoulders. The two women had grown close and even now, she could see the oldest sister staring down at Meredith's bump, which was slightly visible through her dress. Derek got himself to the couch and sat down, where Nancy, Lizzie, and Kathleen resumed fussing over him. Amelia and Meredith retreated to the kitchen and to Carolyn, to reflect on the sisters.
"How does Nancy do it? She has like, X-ray vision, like she can see into my uterus and see the baby swimming in there," she said, grabbing an apple and munching on it somewhat aggressively. "She just looked at me and I swear she just. She just knows," she said, scrunching up her nose. "And Lizzie always looks at me with remorse for the damn nerve I convinced her to donate, I'm pretty sure the only one who doesn't hate me is Kathleen. And you, obviously," she said with a small eyeroll as she turned back to the kitchen. "Your mother has been obsessively cooking since yesterday, is she okay?" Mere asked Amy. Amelia just shrugged. "She's nesting. Derek is hurt, you're pregnant, she wants to be helpful. I like it, her food is so much better than the crap you make," she said with a smirk, before the women joined the sisters.
Two hours later, everyone from the hospital started trickling into the house. Introductions were being made, people were mingling, drinks were going around. Everyone was quick to notice that Meredith wasn't drinking, although no one said anything outloud. Nancy and Arizona both kept their eyes on the woman, who's hand kept making it's way to her stomach, and the way she wouldn't stop glowing and radiating happiness. Life had sucked for the past month but Derek and Meredith were happily moving forward. Derek was still stuck on the couch but Meredith couldn't help but bend over, whispering something in his ear and giggling. All eyes were on the happy pair, struck down by bad luck but enduring everything together. "Nancy definitely knows. Along with everyone else here," she giggled, and he kissed her on the lips. "Except at this point, I don't think I care if everyone knows, because I'm happy and you're happy, and we're having a baby," she sing-songed quietly to him, the grin on his lips unmistakable. They were having a baby and everything was perfect.
I'm so sorry this took me so long to write! I had some pretty bad writers block so it was written pretty slowly, and I have some things going on in my life, but I promise I will never, ever, abandon this fic, or any fic that I write in the future!
PLEASE keep reviewing! I love waking up or coming home from work to new reviews! They make me so happy Suggestions make me happy too! Love all of you guys!
