Plus 14 years

"There he is, go and ask him." Lexie gave her fourteen year old daughter a gentle push in the direction of her father.

"Ask me what?" Mark turned from where he was making notations in a chart.

"Dylan asked me on a date Friday night." Lucy told him trying to hold back the excitement.

"No." Mark stated.

"Daddy please."

"You're too young to date." He crossed his arms.

"But Dad..."

"No." He said adamant.

"It's ok Luce; I'll take care of this." Her mother rubbed her arm reassuringly. "Go down stairs and find Maria she'll let you know which kids need reading to today."

Lucy had come to work with her parents on a bring your child to work day and had spent the day reading to the children in the paediatric ward, a thing she now did a few times a week.

Once Lucy was gone Lexie looked at her husband.

"She's too young." Mark stated.

"Mark, she's fourteen. I know what you were up to at fourteen."

"Exactly, I know how fourteen year old boys think."

"Mark, you've know Dylan since he was two when they moved in next door. He practically lives at our house. He's Lucy's best friend." She reminded him.

"She's still too young."

"Mark she's growing, she's always going to be your little girl but she'll be off to college before we know it."

"You're going to let her go whether I agree or not aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm going to drop them off and Kathy will pick them up."

"Fine but he better not try anything."

"Yes dear." Lexie kissed him.

"Thank god the others are too young for me to have to work this." He walked off.

"So Lucy told him about her date." Meredith who had overheard some of the conversation commented.

"Yes. She's so excited."

"And I take it you haven't told Mark yet."

"Told Mark what?" Derek walked up.

"Lexie's pregnant." Meredith supplied.

"Four girls wasn't enough for you?" Derek inquired.

"I think you're partially to blame for offering to have the kids for the weekend so we could go away for our anniversary." Since their anniversary was the same day as Lucy's birthday they celebrated on Valentine's Day instead. "And I'm telling him tonight, I've given him long enough to notice." Mark had figured out that Lexie was pregnant with their youngest daughter Amelia before she had.

Later that evening Lexie sat on the couch her feet curled up under watching TV when Mark came to join her.

"They are all finally in bed."

"So do you think we've finally got a hang of this parenting business?" Lexie asked innocently.

"It's a work in progress."

"It's a good thing we're going to have another one to practice on." She waited for him to process.

"You're pregnant?"

"It took you long enough to figure it out, I've only been throwing up for two weeks."

"You said you had food poisoning."

"So I thought for a few hours."

"Hang on. Morning sickness? You didn't morning sickness with any of the girls." He realised.

"I know. That's why my gut instinct says this is a boy. By the way I booked you in for surgery on Thursday."

"Surgery?" Mark ran a finger around his collar.

"I had your four children without the benefit of drugs I think you can handle a minor outpatient procedure before I have the fifth one."

"Ok." He conceded before kissing her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

"I knew I should have bought you a bigger house."

"I love this house and it's plenty big enough. We move Lucy up into the attic, Zoe and Amy can move into Lucy's room since it's bigger and Hayley can stay where she is which gives us a spare room for the baby."

"You've thought this through."

"Of course. Now come here." She tugged on his shirt and pulled him closer and kissed him. She almost had shirt off when a voice from upstairs called.

"Daddy I'm thirsty."

"I'll be right there." He groaned.

"Parenthood, they never said it was easy."

"Stay right where you are and I'll be back." He told her.

"You'd better.

THE END