CHAPTER NINE
A/N: I am ashamed. Seriously, so incredibly sorry for my absence here lately! I didn't mean to disappear like this, but my computer broke and I couldn't fix it, so now I wrote this is my father's computer instead. But don't worry, I'll try to make this more frequent, I guarantee you. Enjoy!
Storyteller: Meredith Grey.
I woke up by the sound of Bailey crying in the crib in our room. He had been crying for almost ten minutes and I hadn't noticed until I felt Derek getting up to get him. I really didn't wish to be tired, but I was. I don't remember it being as hard with Zola, but then again, I didn't get to spend these moments with her either. One way or another, being awaked in the middle of the night had never felt so good – except, of course, with Zola. Still, I whipped the tiredness that had been holding me back and got up altogether.
"Is everything okay?" I murmured, still as sleepy as an hour ago.
Derek seemed just as tired, but managed to smile at me with our "newborn" in arms. I couldn't help but smile back; tempted to press kisses all over our kid's cheeks – which I didn't do, in order to keep him sleepy and undisturbed.
Then, I came closer to Derek and held him from behind when Bailey stopped crying and was already in his crib. I got closer to my family as time passed by – probably post-plane-crash-symptoms – just to make sure they wouldn't leave. Seeing Derek and have him cuddled with me made everything a thousand times better, just as the fact that Bailey was sleeping in our room and Zola, the room next door. Knowing where they were and that I could trust them was my best medicine.
My husband turned himself to me and leaned down to kiss find my lips. It was funny the fact that he had to lean down in order to do so, and I didn't know if I was way too short or he was way too tall, but I liked it. It made it look like he could protect me and our family in a generic way. I don't know if he can, really, but I enjoy the thought. It relaxes me sometimes.
"Let's go sleep," Derek said as he pulled apart and I nodded in agreement.
It was indeed very late and we could really use some sleep to pull up with the energy – especially having to work the next day. I already missed the O.R.. Sometimes, that got me thinking: if I miss the O.R. doing my second best specialty, how would it be when I was actually in my best specialty? But then I waved the thoughts away, because soon enough I'd be finding out the feeling – the high – to be back in the O.R.s doing my favorite thing from day one.
Derek and I cuddled again and I turned off the lights one more time. It felt so safe to have my family around… I didn't have words to describe my happiness at that moment, so I simply closed my eyes and got back to sleep.
I got up, for once, the same time Derek did. We got trapped all night long by our cuddling and a few interruptions caused by Bailey, but nothing much. Still, we managed to wake up by the alarm – which I got used not to do. Even though it didn't feel like a good work day, we had to attend. We were both worn out by life in general and the fact that we had to leave Bailey with a babysitter.
"Derek, I don't want to leave Bailey here alone," I pouted, brushing my teeth.
Derek chuckled, probably thinking the same thing, but unable to say it. He always knew how to make me feel better, and one of the ways was to keep me entertained and busy. He knew – way too much – how to do that.
"Today's a big day for both of us, okay? I can't just pretend it isn't, but we have work and we know this babysitter. It's the one Bailey recommended you for Zola, remember?" He was now shirtless and I had my hair in a ponytail, hands on the top of my hair. As soon as I saw him there – shirtless, saying comforting things that I no longer listened to – I stopped listening. There was no way I could listen to his mind when his body spoke so much louder.
"Yeah, yeah, we're going to be fine," I immediately went to the sink and spit the last of the cream paste I had inside my mouth and moved my hands to his abdomen and started kissing his neck. He grinned in response and stopped me when I had both of us lying in the bed again.
"Mer, what are you doing exactly-," he couldn't finish his sentence when I took off my sleeping shirt. We both got speechless until he kissed me eagerly – when speeches aren't exactly required.
"Crap," I concluded, pulling apart. He frowned at me. "Our kid's in the room. And our other kid's in our other room?" Derek groaned, getting up from bed. "And the babysitter is probably on her way over?" I still couldn't believe anything I said. I needed him – desperately – but I guess we'd just have to wait.
"I promise to make it up to you," Derek put his shirt on and kissed the top of my head softly, moving to his dresser.
"I'll take you back on that promise," I sighed, getting ready to the hospital.
As soon as Derek and I got into the hospital, we ran into Cristina and a few other fellow attendings. Taking a look at the surgical board, I checked an appy and a liver transplant for that day. Nothing I couldn't handle – just routine. At the meantime, I checked what Derek had scheduled for that day as well – a tumor in the frontal lobe. A lot more exciting than my "routine" procedures.
"What time are you off today?" Derek came out of nowhere and asked.
"Um, I don't know… Maybe at 6:30p.m.. You?"
"Around 7. If you'd want to go without me, that's fine. We see each other home," he kissed my temple and disappeared, before I got a chance to say anything.
"Derek!" I yelled. He looked at me. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, I'm just in a hurry. It's a lot today and I'm not really in the mood to-," he meant to finish, but I interrupted him.
"I get it. You miss the kids; I miss them too. Especially today that Bailey's with someone new to him and that gets scary, I know…" I nodded. "Believe me, I know," I completed.
"I'm sorry, Mer. You're supposed to be listening to this and not saying it. It's- I'm sorry," he ran a hand through my – today wavy – hair, putting some behind my ear.
"Derek, you do a lot for me. Sometimes, it's more than fair if I do a little of that too," I kissed his cheek and walked away. This day wasn't easy for us.
The rest of the day in the hospital passed smoothly: I finished my surgeries successfully and so did Derek. We made it to the car together at 7:45p.m. – a little later planned, but nothing we couldn't adjust. After that, we picked up Zola at Callie's, where she'd been playing with Sofia. Derek then told me every detail of his surgery and how he managed to save the 17 year-old girl. I appreciated the details and got took mental notes, so I wouldn't forget about that for the near future.
As soon as we got home, I made sure to witness Bailey's excitement to see his parents and sister all at the same time, just as his babysitter left the house.
"Hi, baby. How was everything today, huh? Did you miss your mom and dad?" I couldn't stop giving attention to Bailey. Zola was getting a little jealous, I presume.
"It was quite a day," Derek murmured, putting Zola in the air. "Your daddy missed you, little girl," he admitted as Zola giggled widely.
I went into the kitchen and pulled myself a glass of water, with Bailey in arms. Derek followed me along with Zola.
"Mommy, you miss me?" She had questioning eyes, staring me with sadness all around.
"Of course I missed you, Zo," I said, as I handed Bailey to Derek, in order to give my daughter some attention. I grabbed her hand and walked her to the living room. "Do you want to watch Elmo with mommy?"
"Elmo!" She exclaimed, pleasure in her smile as she jumped up and down.
After what seemed to be a marathon of Elmo, Derek and I decided it was sleep time – for the kids, of course. I gently put Bailey in the crib and wished good night to Zola, kissing her until she was sure I loved her just as much as I loved Bailey.
"So, it's night time already," Derek induced, putting his sleep shirt on to come join me in bed.
"Yes, but," I started, "I believe you promised me something this morning," I rolled on top of him when he was in bed.
"Ah, did I?" He frowned, already kissing my cheeks. I gave in to him by giggling, until I remembered our kid's crib right next to us.
"I, um, as much as I love this," I pulled away from his kisses and stood up in front of him, "we can find a better place to keep this going."
"I guess so, yes," he couldn't help but laugh. "Let's go," Derek whispered, taking my hand and heading me towards the living room; baby monitor in hands.
"Why did you put that shirt on in the first place?" I asked, as he pulled them off. "I like you so much better when you're naked."
A/N: to those of you who know, yes, the last line was from a Grey's episode, 6x12, if I'm not mistaken. By the way, I'm trying to get chapters a bit longer, but I'm just not that creative! Haha I hope you liked it anyways. Please – pretty please – review? It means a lot! I love you, readers (:
