Chapter 10-

The day, secrets, fears-

June 5-

The days turned into weeks, and Meredith was content resting in the hospital. She had nurses and doctors at her beckon and call, and Derek would always stop in whenever he had a break or lunch, and would curl up with her on the bed when he needed a nap, or rest. Mark would come in and play card games with her to keep her amused, and Cristina would make sure to stop in when she was around to make fat jokes or give her the latest gossip. She was lying comfortably in her bed, staring blankly at the television, when she heard the door open. She knew that it was around lunch time, and she looked up to see a familiar face pop its way around the corner.

"Kathleen?" She said, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Derek's sister smiling in at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you up for some visitors?" She asked with a smile, her head still the only think that Meredith could see.

"Sure…" She said with a tilt of her head as she sat up a little and switched the television off. "Come on in…" The door opened wider, and Kathleen walked in, carrying two large bags full of packages. "What is…?" Meredith's eyes widened as Joann walked in next, carrying a couple of large packages, followed by Bethany and Nancy, each holding their own bags and boxes of gifts. The door opened again and Mrs. Shepherd came walking in, carrying another large bag of gifts. "What are you guys doing?" Meredith giggled as she looked at all of the gifts that the room was filled with, and the grins on all of the women's faces.

"Surprise!" Nancy said with a laugh. "Baby shower!"

"Baby shower?" Meredith laughed.

"Of course!" Mrs. Shepherd said as she pulled chairs in the room to accommodate all of them. "We figured that you and Derek haven't had a chance to get some things for the baby… and you're probably bored to tears in this hospital room…"

"… So… we… thought that you could use a little bit of fun…" Kathleen smiled.

"And some gifts to go along with it…" Bethany chimed in, watching Meredith grin brightly. "How have you been feeling? She asked as she slid onto the bed next to her. "How is our newest little Shepherd?" She asked as she smiled.

"He's doing well…" Meredith replied. "He really likes to move around… and he always kicks when Derek's around." She giggled.

"I'm sure you're trying to keep him away…" Joann teased.

"How has he been? Working too hard, I'm assuming…" Kathleen rolled her eyes.

"He is working hard… but he visits a lot… and if he's not visiting, there's usually someone else in here." She said softly.

"Did you get a bigger place yet?" Bethany asked.

"No…" Meredith whispered. "Derek's been looking at apartments, but he said he hasn't found anything that he's liked… he wants to get a house."

"I'm sure he'll find something, sweetheart…" Mrs. Shepherd whispered as she smiled, watching Meredith's eyes move across the room at the bags and boxes that they had brought in. "What do you say… we start opening some presents?" She asked with a smile.

"I would love that." Meredith laughed as she grinned.

"And when they're all opened, we can make Derek bring them home for you… and get everything put together and put away." Bethany confirmed as all of the girls giggled.

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The girls laughed and giggled as they opened the gifts and Meredith enjoyed herself so much as each gift was opened. There were outfits upon outfits, bottles, diapers, onesies, washcloths, blankets, a car seat, bassinet, stroller, sheets, socks and shoes, everything that they could ever possibly need for the baby, it was there for Meredith to open and exclaim her happiness at receiving. They were surrounded by all of the gifts as they visited and laughed, talking happily as they noticed the door open.

"Holy crap…" Derek said as he stepped into the room. "What did you…"

"It's my baby shower!" Meredith exclaimed with a laugh, watching Derek look around in surprise. His eyes moved over all of the gifts and a smile crept over his face as he watched his sisters laugh.

"You guys did this for her?" Derek whispered, his eyes falling onto his mother's smiling face.

"Of course we did, you silly boy…" Mrs. Shepherd laughed. "These are all things that she needs… you can't have a baby without the proper equipment." She laughed as she winked at Meredith.

"This is a lot of stuff…" he said as he looked around, lifting up a stuffed elephant that was sitting on the bed beside Meredith. He leaned down and kissed Meredith softly as he continued to look around in surprise. "I just can't believe that you guys did all of this… this is a lot… a real lot… you didn't have to do this…" he shook his head.

"Yes we did." Kathleen replied. "She's our sister… she needs our support."

"You guys are the best." Derek said with a smile, looking at Meredith's grin as he gave each of his sisters a kiss on the cheek while he checked out the items filling the room. "Wow…" he said as he shook his head. His mother stood as he approached her, and reached her arms out to encircle him in a hug. "Thank you so much… thank you for doing this for her…" He whispered as he hugged her tightly.

"She's my daughter, Derek… I need to take care of all of my children. I need to make sure each and every one of them are happy." She smiled.

"Your mother offered to stay at our place for a few days after the baby is born… if we need her… and… and when I start my internship in September… since we'll both be working, she offered to watch him for a few weeks until we feel safe with leaving him in daycare…" Meredith said, glancing at Mrs. Shepherd.

"You offered your grandmotherly services already…" Derek chuckled.

"Oh hush… you know that she's been waiting forever for you to settle down and give her another Shepherd." Nancy laughed.

"Well…" Derek said as he sat on the bed beside Meredith, leaning down to kiss her again. "Would you like to know his name?" Derek asked as he reached his hand down, touching Meredith's belly softly. Meredith glanced to him and he grinned when he felt the baby kick beneath his hand.

The girls all brightened up at the thought of finding out the baby's name and they all watched Derek proudly hold his hand over Meredith's belly. "Richard." Derek whispered, glancing to his mother. "Richard… Michael Shepherd." He said as he watched his mother's eyes fill with tears.

"Derek…" Mrs. Shepherd whispered, her head shaking as she watched the sincerity in her son's eyes, the pure and unspoken love that he was sending her as he slowly ran his hand over his fiancé's belly. The way that he tilted his head, she could see her husband in his face, in his smile, in his eyes. "Derek you…"

"After Dad…" Derek whispered the unsaid words as his sisters watched on in a captured moment of surprise. "And… Michael… after the person who brought us together." Derek said with a smile as he watched Joann cover her open mouth in surprise, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I can't believe that you…"

"It's alright… right?" Meredith whispered. "You don't… mind, do you?" She asked, glancing between Mrs. Shepherd and Joann, watching the surprise in all of their faces.

"No! No! I love it! I love it…" Mrs. Shepherd exclaimed as she leapt from her chair and swung her arms around her son as she began to cry, her happiness and pride just filling the room with such love and an electricity that just couldn't be explained. "I love it…" She whispered as Derek held his mother in his arms tightly, a soft smile on his lips as he reached one hand down and squeezed Meredith's, giving her a smile of happiness as he comforted his mother.

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June 8th-

Derek stood at the surgical table, his mind totally and completely at the task at hand. He was instructing an intern or two on the procedure as he performed it, his voice was strong and confident as he glanced up at the scrub room. He noticed that Ellis was standing at the sink washing her hands. He shook his head as he continued the procedure, chuckling to himself as he thought of her coming in to check on him. He continued and listened as he heard the door from the scrub room open.

He stood continuing the procedure, when he heard Ellis walk up beside him. "Dr. Shepherd. I'll take it from here." She said calmly as she watched his eyes. He was about to challenge this decision, but there was something in her voice that he couldn't quite get that made him hand the instruments to her. He took a step back and filled her in on the surgery, the patient's history and the procedure that he was performing. His voice was calm and reserved as he stood there, his eyes watching Ellis as she continued the surgery.

"Doctor Shepherd." Ellis said softly as she looked up. "You can go now." She said, her voice stern as he watched on, his eyes showing confusion. "Doctor Shepherd… you're going to want to go now…" She said softly.

Suddenly, the pager on the table went off and Derek's head snapped in its direction. "That's…"

"Doctor Shepherd…" Ellis said softly, her eyebrows raised as he watched the scrub nurse pick up the pager.

"Meredith Grey is in labor." She whispered as she looked up at Derek, her eyes passing to Ellis. "Doctor Grey…"

"Shit!" Derek exclaimed as he turned, running out of the operating room as quickly as he could.

Ellis watched as he scrubbed out as quickly as he could, shaking her head as she looked up at the scrub nurse. "I told him that he was going to want to go…" She said with a sigh as she continued the surgery, watching Derek take off out of the scrub room.

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Derek rushed as quickly as he could to the stairs, climbing them two at a time as he swung around the corner and smashed himself into the door to swing it open. He ran as quickly as he could down the hallway, swinging around the corner of Meredith's room. "Where… where… is she…?" He panted to the nurse who was changing the sheets on the bed.

"Delivery, Dr.Shepherd." She said as Derek took off down the hallway. He rushed down the hallway and listened as the nurse shouted which delivery room. He swung around into the delivery room, and could immediately hear Meredith's voice.

"Where is he?" She whimpered as she lay on the bed. "Where is he… didn't someone page him?" She was sobbing as he swung the door open.

"Meri…" He panted as he ran to her side, grabbing her hand, he placed his other hand on her face as she looked into his eyes with a look of pure fear. Her eyes were so frightened, her lips trembled as she focused on his face. "Meri… are you alright…?" He whispered as he glanced to the doctors as they examined her.

"I…" She said, suddenly screaming as she squeezed his hand as hard as she could.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Derek exclaimed.

"Do NOT say 'ow'!" Meredith exclaimed, her eyes narrowing as they filled with tears, her hand continuing to squeeze his tightly. "YOU do NOT get to say 'ow'!" She screamed as she panted. "Derek… Derek… help me!" She screamed as she turned her face from his, hearing the doctors as they examined her.

The screaming, shouting, pain, and pushing began at that moment. The frantic rush of the moment, the pride hiding behind the fear as Derek began to experience one of the most frightening, yet most wonderful things in his life. Meredith was in pain, and it was killing him. He had never, ever seen that look of pain on her face before. He had never, ever heard the loud angry voice that she was using, and he had never, ever heard the words that were being screamed from her lips, the anger and frustration in her voice as she pushed and shouted and screamed and cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks as Derek tried his best to soothe her. He gave her his hands, he touched her face, kissed her lips and could feel his own tears rolling down his cheeks.

Then he heard it.

"Shit." The doctor whispered.

Derek's attention went to the doctor at the base of the table. "Shit? Shit? You're bringing my child into the fucking world and you say shit?" Derek exclaimed.

"Derek… calm down…" Meredith said as she panted, the pain was becoming unbearable, but seeing Derek so unraveled was making her nervous.

"She's bleeding! We need to get her into surgery, NOW! The baby isn't coming…we need to do an emergency c-section! Get an OR!" The doctor exclaimed as he pushed past Derek and started pulling the gurney out of the delivery room.

Derek stood shocked for a moment, staring at the door as it closed behind them, his heart smashed into a million pieces as it rose into his throat. And all that he could think of was that there was absolutely no way in the world that he was going to let her go through this without him right by her side.

He took off running after the gurney, Meredith calling his name as they carted her down the hallway. He caught up with them and grabbed hold of her arm as they pushed her into the elevator. "Derek!" She exclaimed as she sobbed, grabbing hold of his arm, digging her nails into him as he wrapped his arm around her, kissing her hair, her face, her lips her ears, any part of her that he could until the elevators door opened. They pulled her down the hallway and Derek followed right behind, though as they pulled her through the operating room doors, one of the doctors grabbed Derek. The gurney kept going, and Derek was being pulled back.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He exclaimed. "I need to be with her! I need to be with her!" He screamed.

"Doctor Shepherd, she's being prepped for surgery… you know that you…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Derek exclaimed as he pushed the doctor out of the way and ran down the hallway after the gurney, swinging into the scrub room of the operating room as quickly as he could, he scrubbed in as if he were the one that was going to be performing the surgery. He needed to be there. He needed to see her face, feel her skin, he needed her more than she needed him. Everything was starting to blur together, so when the surgeon stepped into the room, Derek wasn't even paying attention. Derek turned to push his way into the operating room, when he heard her voice.

"Derek?"

Derek's head snapped to the side and her red hair caught his attention. "Addison." He swallowed hard.

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His eyes widened and he stared at her for a moment.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" She asked, her eyes confused at his presence in her scrub room.

"My… my… my…" He muttered as he pointed into the room.

"Your what? Your surgery? This is an ob/gyn case… what are you even doing in here…?"

"My son!" He exclaimed, pointing into the operating room where they were prepping. "That's my son in there…" He exclaimed as he broke off eye contact and turned into the operating room. He walked right up to Meredith as she lay on the table talking, the nurses were trying to calm her, and all she kept saying was Derek's name. "Meri…" He whispered, immediately grabbing her hand, her head turned as she looked at him standing there.

"Derek…" She whispered as she felt her hot tears rolling down her cheeks. "Derek… help me…" She whimpered as they both looked up as Addison walked in the room.

"Alright…" She said as she stepped up to the end of the table, she looked up at the terror in Derek and Meredith's face as they just stared at one another. His hand was gripping hers so tightly and their eyes never left one another's. The nurse was rattling off the vitals and any information that was needed from what had happened in the delivery room. "Patient's name?"

"Meredith Grey… twenty three years old…" The nurse said loudly.

"Grey… as in…?"

"Yes!" Meredith shouted. "Now please just help our baby… please!" She screamed at Addison, tears rolling down her eyes as she stared at Addison as she immediately started the surgery.

"Shh…" Derek whispered as he held Meredith's head, kissing her forehead. "There's no need to yell… they'll get him out…they'll get him out, baby… he'll be okay…" Derek whispered as he held Meredith the best he could.

Addison stared for just a moment at Derek, at the man that she had thought she had known, a man that she had dated for years and who had avoided her like the plague since their breakup years prior, only seeing her quickly in the hallway or if one of their surgeries overlapped. He rarely spoke to her and never, ever mentioned that he was seeing anyone, let alone having a child with anyone. He was so frightened as he held the tiny woman in his arms, his voice shaking and so scared, and when his eyes met hers, she could feel him pleading to help her, to help their child. Addison took a deep breath and made the incision.

Derek positioned himself so that Meredith could see him. "I don't feel him…" She whispered as she whimpered.

"They numbed you, baby… you're going to be alright… they're going to get him out… just focus on me… just focus on me and we'll get to see out little boy in no time." He whispered as he watched her try to smile through the stress and pain.

"I love you, Derek… I love you so much…"

"I love you, Meri… more than anything in the world, I love you."

"I hate you too… you know that I hate you too, right… for doing this to me…"

"I know you hate me too…" Derek chuckled as he brought her fingers to his mask, where his lips were.

"I love you and I hate you… you don't mind do you?" She asked as she tried to concentrate on him and only him.

"I love you and hate you too…" Derek laughed as he watched her give him a look of surprise.

"You can't hate me… only love…only love, Derek…" She whispered as she felt a sudden pressure and she tried not to break eye contact with Derek when she felt the movement of the doctors as she just looked at him.

"Only love, Meri. I only love you… and I love only you… You, me… and Richie…" he said with a smile as he watched her try to smile.

As if on cue, the sound of a screaming baby sounded through the room, soft and melodic as he screamed with all of his might.

"Derek…" Addison said, nodding towards the scissors as they held the baby in the air. Derek paused for a moment as he tried to knock himself into reality. "Derek… the cord… now…" She said sternly.

"Derek…" Meredith whispered, and suddenly, Derek snapped out of it, reaching for the scissors, he reached forward and grabbed them, snipping the cord on the screaming, wriggling baby as the nurse stepped forward and scooped him up with a blanket, They lifted him to show Meredith, letting her hold him for a moment before they glanced to Derek and watched him smiling down at the tiny, tiny baby. He was screaming so angrily and he was so full of life that Derek couldn't believe that the moment was finally here. They lifted the baby from Meredith just then, and brought him to check his vitals and weigh and bathe him.

"Everything looks good…" Addison said quickly as she glanced at them walking away with the baby. "We have some bleeding, a little tearing… we'll take care of all of that, and you'll be good to go… how are you doing, Meredith… are you doing alright?"

"I want him back…" She whimpered as she watched the nurses weighing the baby in the corner.

"We'll bring him to you as soon as you're in recovery, Meredith." Addison nodded, glancing at Derek, whose eyes were just staring down at Meredith in complete and utter amazement. Meredith was still upset at having the baby pulled from her, but Derek was trying his best to get her attention, to help her relax.

"Meri… Meri… look at me, baby… Meri…" Derek whispered as he ran his fingers through her hair, finally getting her to turn her head and face him.

"Did you see him? He's beautiful, Derek… he's beautiful… did you see him?" She whispered as her eyes remained on him.

"He is beautiful… he's beautiful, you're beautiful… two of the most beautiful human beings I have ever seen in my life." Derek whispered. "I'm so proud of you, Meri… I'm so proud of you… you're just… you're so amazing… you're so absolutely amazing… I love you, Meri… I love you so much." He continued to whisper as he leaned down and kissed her over and over, letting Addison finish closing her up so that she could be brought into recovery.

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Derek stood in the window of the nursery, his eyes were passing over the incubators with the babies lying comfortably inside. Meredith was being brought into recovery and had asked him to bring the baby to her. She didn't want anyone else to bring him to her, only Derek. He waited patiently as they cleaned him and checked him over, being sure that he wasn't in need of a ventilator. He stood there, his eyes moving over the fresh faces of all the newborns and he smiled as they yawned, cried, slept… he watched each and every one of them, though he still couldn't get the picture of his own son out of his mind.

He had been so red and so angry, his screams echoed in Derek's mind as he pictured that tiny naked form in front of him, the symbol of his and Meredith's true love for one another and his heart just ached to see him again. He felt someone step up to the window alongside him and could see her reflection in the glass.

"Staring at babies… Doctor Shepherd, is this what I'm paying you for?" She asked as she turned her head to look up at the man, so obviously in love as his eyes refused to leave the room as the door opened.

"There he is." Derek whispered, watching as the nurse held a baby to her as she tugged on an incubator to move him. "There he is…" He whispered again as she carefully lay the tiny baby within the incubator, his little blue cap so big, the blanket nearly covering his face as they swaddled him tightly. "That's him…" Derek whispered.

"Are you disappointed?" Ellis asked as she looked back into the room, and back up to Derek.

"Disappointed?" Derek whispered, glancing to Ellis as he gave her a confused look.

"Yes… disappointed, Doctor Shepherd." She said, nodding towards the baby.

"Why would I…"

"Because he's bald, Doctor Shepherd." She said as a smirk erupted onto her face. "I mean… he's your son… I'm very surprised that he didn't come out with his own line of hair products…" She shrugged.

Derek stared at her for a moment as very slowly, a smirk spread across his face as he shook his head at her. "Oh… you… just…" He chuckled as she smiled at him. "Why don't we go get him for Meri… and you can hold him before he's old enough to hate you…" Derek laughed as he shook his head, holding his arm out to Ellis, he listened to what he swore was a giggle as she latched onto his arm and followed him into the nursery.

"For that little remark, Doctor Shepherd… I don't want to see your face in this hospital for two weeks after they're released…" She shook her head as Derek only grinned as they entered the nursery to retrieve the baby.

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They stepped into the nursery, and immediately the nurse smiled at him. "Doctor Shepherd…" She said with a happy smile as she glanced to the door. "They called down and said you'd be bringing him down to his mommy…he'll be ready to go in just a minute." She said cheerfully as Derek nodded. He glanced to Ellis, who seemed to be fidgeting and thoughtful. He glanced to her and tried to get her to look at him.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, catching her eyes with his as she looked up at him.

"Me? No… yes, I'm fine… I… I'm fine… I heard about the delivery…" Ellis said, always more comfortable talking shop.

"Yes… Doctor Montgomery was there to save the day…" Derek nodded, his eyes shifting from hers as he glanced to the doors where the babies were.

"Doctor Montgomery…" Ellis nodded, watching him avoid eye contact. "Didn't you and Doctor Montgomery have a…"

"Yes." Derek said as he looked to Ellis. "It didn't end well… and that was a very long time ago." He said, his voice was almost stern as he replied. "But everything went well…and Meri is in recovery… and all we want now is to hold him." Derek replied, glancing to Ellis, and back to the door.

"Did you name him?" Ellis asked, watching Derek's smile appear slowly.

"We named him Richard." Derek said, watching as Ellis' eyes snapped to his. "After my father…" He said, watching as her stare relaxed and she dropped her eyes.

"It's a very noble name." Ellis replied as she glanced up at the opening door as they began to push the incubator into the hallway. "I should probably get back to…"

"No way…" Derek shook his head as he signed a sheet of paperwork to take the baby with him. "There is no way that you're getting out of here without holding him first."

"Derek, I can't…"

"Oh, hush…" Derek said as he pulled the incubator close to him. "Just take a look at him…" Derek said as he looked down at the tiny sleeping baby in the incubator. "Look at how little…" He spoke with a high voice as he took in the sight of his son, the tiny little bundle. "Look at how tiny…" he whispered as he reached his hands down to pull him from the incubator. He very softly, very carefully lifted the baby into his arms, cradling him carefully. "How can you resist such a beautiful creature… come on Ellis… he's your grandson…"

"Derek… making me feel old is not going to… oh my goodness… look at his tiny little nose…" She whispered as she stepped forward to softly run her fingertip over his cheek, his mouth suckling at the touch on his delicate skin.

"Richie… this is your Gramma Grey…" Derek whispered as he looked up at the awe and happiness in Ellis' face as she tried not to soften at the sight of her grandson. "She wants to hold you so badly… but she's too chicken to ask…" Derek whispered so sweetly that he chuckled at the expression that Ellis sent his way. "Oh yes… its true… you're going to be her worst enemy… all of the snuggles and hugs you're going to give her… you're going to turn her into a big ole marshmallow…" He whispered so delicately as Ellis reached her hands out for him.

"Let me hold my grandson." Ellis said sternly, hiding her look of amusement as Derek chuckled and very carefully lifted the baby into her arms.

"Don't forget to support his head…" Derek said with a joking tone as Ellis glared up at him.

"Do you think this is the first time that I've ever held a baby?"

"Meredith said that you…"

"Shut up…" She said, raising her eyebrows at Derek as she looked down at the baby. "Your daddy is such a smarty pants… isn't he?" She whispered sweetly to the baby as she held him close to her, looking down at his little smacking lips as he wiggled slightly in her arms. "Oh he is… he is… you're so sweet… so sweet…you are nothing like your dadd…" Ellis whispered as she looked up at Derek. "We won't speak of this?" She asked.

"Oh… I think you're stuck… there's no going back." Derek chuckled as he watched her cradle the baby so softly, her voice softly cooing at him. She held him for a couple of minutes, glancing up at the proud smile on Derek's face and sighed deeply as she smiled. "You should probably get him to Meredith." She whispered.

"You can come too…" Derek said softly.

"No." She said softly as she carefully placed the baby in the incubator. "It's time for you two to be alone with him… and I'll visit a little later… but you two have earned your time with him… I don't want to barge in on your family moment."

"You are our family." He nodded.

"Take your son to his mother…" Ellis replied, nodding towards the door. "I'll be in there later."

"Thank you, Ellis." Derek said as he looked down at his son.

"I haven't done anything for you, Derek." Ellis replied, shaking her head as she looked into his eyes. "There is no need to thank me."

"You gave me Meredith, Ellis… that's a million reasons to thank you." He said softly as he leaned forward to embrace her in a hug. "Thank you." He whispered.

"Alright…" Ellis said as she hugged him back. "Fatherhood has made you all mushy… you better get this out of your system before you come back to work…" She laughed as she broke from the hug. "Go on… before she thinks you kidnapped him and ran off…" She said as she nodded towards the door.

"We're on our way…" Derek said with a grin as he pressed the automatic button on the door, sliding the incubator out into the hallway. He started walking down the hallway with the incubator, a bright, proud grin on his face as he announced the Shepherd boy's trip to see mommy.

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Derek walked down the hallway with the incubator, there was a bright grin on his face as he passed everyone as he walked to the room. He stopped in front of Meredith's room and looked down at the tiny sleeping baby before him. "Are you ready to go meet that mommy of yours?" he asked softly as he carefully touched the baby's cheek, watching him move his head to the side. "I'm warning you… she's the most beautiful woman that you will ever meet… so you had better treat her right…" He whispered as he watched the baby wiggle a little. He opened the door slowly and watched Meredith lying in the bed looking off into space. "Meri." He said, her head turning and her eyebrows lifting as a grin spread across her face.

"Derek." She smiled, her eyes were tired as she waited, watching the door open further as he carefully pulled the incubator across the floor towards her. "I thought you were never coming back…" She said, watching him smile softly as he stopped moving the crib and walked up to her.

"Did you think I kidnapped him and ran off without you or something?" He chuckled as he felt her nod against him as he kissed her softly. "How are you?" He whispered as he looked into her eyes, searching for the sparkle that he always saw there. He found it, his eyes lost in hers for a moment that he almost didn't hear her answer.

"Sore." She whispered. "I'm sore… and sad…"

"Sad?" he whispered.

"I don't know…" She whimpered.

"Well…" He whispered as he kissed her lips softly, moving his fingers through her hair as he smoothed it back carefully. "I know what will make you happy again." He whispered as he glanced to the crib. He watched as her eyes lit up tremendously, following him to the crib, he never took her eyes off of her as he lifted the tiny bundle from within it.

"He's so little." She whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she watched Derek walk closer to her with him. "Derek, he's so tiny…" She whispered as she reached her hands out for the little one. Derek carefully put his hands out, hardly needing more than one to hold the tiny baby, she lifted him into her arms. "Oh…" She whimpered as she pulled him to her body. "Oh… oh my goodness…" She whimpered as she looked at the baby's face. "He's so little…" She whispered.

Derek carefully slid onto the bed, his head resting on her arm as he looked around it at the little tiny bundle. He watched as his face scrunched up and his eyes flickered for a moment as he moved his lips. "He wiggles his nose just like his mommy." Derek whispered, reaching forward, he pulled the blanket down below his chin.

"Oh, Derek…" She whimpered as tears began to roll down her cheeks as she held the baby so securely in her arms, so lovingly. "He's so tiny… how can I take care of someone so tiny?" She asked. "I mean… he's a little people… he's a me, a you… he's just…he…"

"He's our little boy…" Derek whispered as he watched the pride in her face through the tears. "He's our little boy, and we're going to do all that we can to make sure that he's the happiest little boy in the world."

"Derek, you have to call you mother… and… and you have to call my mother… where is she? She should have known that he was here by now, why isn't she here? Where is Mark and Cris… you have to call your sisters and…"

"Just relax…" Derek whispered as he shook his head. "Just relax… this is mommy, daddy, Richie time for right now… and then we'll get everyone here… but you need some rest… and Richie here is probably hungry… and I just want to stare at both of you for the rest of my life." He smiled as he watched her shake her head with a soft smile. "Your mother saw him." Derek said as he carefully ran his finger over the baby's cheek as he made a suckling motion with his mouth.

"My mother already…?"

"She held him…" Derek whispered as he looked up at Meredith. "I have a feeling that she's going to want to do that more in the future." Derek nodded as he tilted his head.

"She held him?"

"Yes… and she said she'll be in to visit you a little later." He nodded.

"Derek…" Meredith whimpered as she watched his eyes carefully. "Derek, you're just so… you're so amazing!" She exclaimed as she leaned sideways into him, allowing him to encircle her with his arms, as she held their sleeping son securely in her arms as they each held one another contentedly.

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Derek and Meredith rested with the baby for a while, a nurse came in at some point to help them feed and change the little one, smiling and laughing as they enjoyed their first moments with their son together, holding him, touching his tiny fingertips and arms, laughing at the sound he made when he cried, pouting when he would cry. Meredith began to tire, and Derek was starting to get hungry. He kissed her softly as they said an almost tearful 'see you later' to Richie as the nurse took him back to the nursery.

"You rest." Derek said softly as he kissed her forehead again. "You rest, and I'll go get something to eat… and call my mother and sisters… and tomorrow… tomorrow, maybe… we'll have some people come and meet Richie… and the doctor said you should both be ready in a few days to go home… and… I can't wait to take you home." Derek said softly, a sweet smile on his face as he watched Meredith tilt her head and smile at his soft words.

"I love you, Daddy…" She whispered as she smiled sleepily at him, her hand squeezing his as he smiled back at her.

"I love you, Mommy…" he said with a small chuckle as he leaned forward and kissed her lips softly. "Now you rest, my sweet thing… and I'll be back soon to love and cuddle." He said as he squeezed her hand softly and turned for the door. He turned to see her closing her eyes, already drifting to sleep as he turned the overhead light off and slipped out the door.

Just as he stepped out of the door, he nearly ran into someone coming into it. "Oh… sorry…" He said softly as he came face to face with Addison.

"Derek." She said, her voice was soft and saccharine sweet as she excused herself. "Derek…" She said again.

"Hi…" he said awkwardly as he wished he could just turn around and walk back into the room. "Were you just going in there? She… she's resting now."

"Oh." Addison said with a nod. "I was just going to go in and ask her how she is… you know… chief's daughter… we have to check on those things a few extra times than normal."

"She's fine." Derek replied, his hand still on the doorknob. "She's resting right now." He repeated.

"Are you… alright, Derek?" She asked softly, her head tilting as she watched his eyes give her a wary stare.

"I'm fine… and she's resting." Derek replied, glancing to the door.

"So I get it… she's resting… I should still…"

"You should let her rest." Derek replied. "I… am also a doctor… and there have been a dozen other doctors in there today… and I'm telling you… she is fine… and she is resting." Derek nodded.

"You don't want me to talk to her, do you?" Addison said, her voice was humored as she smirked at Derek, his jaw clenching as she stood there, settling on her heels as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"No." Derek said as he stared her in the eyes. "I don't want you to talk to her. I don't want you to look at her… Hell, Addison… I don't even want her breathing in the same air as you… and if I come off sounding like a complete asshole… well then… good, because that's how I'm intending for it to sound. Thank you for being there to help deliver our child… but that's as far as my conversation or her conversation will ever go with you… she is resting… do not interrupt her." He said angrily.

"Derek… you're not on the clock right now, so as far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but a visitor. She's my patient, I'm going to go in and…"

"Doctor Montgomery." Ellis' stern voice came from behind her, making Addison's eyes widen with surprise as she twirled around and grinned a fake grin.

"Doctor Grey." She said with a smile as she tilted her head. "How are you doing today?" She said happily.

"I'm fine." Ellis replied, noting the aggravated look on Derek's face. "Derek… how is Meri feeling?"

"She's doing well. She's sleeping right now." Derek said softly.

"Well that's good… and Doctor Montgomery? Were you planning on checking in on her?"

"Yes ma'am… I make it a point to have a positive personal relationship with all of my patients, whether emergency or not. They're all special people and deserve special care."

"This is not a social club, Doctor Montgomery. If Derek says that she's resting, she's resting. Unless you were sleeping through that C-section, you'll note that she gave birth this morning… I'm pretty sure that she's not in the mood to listen to your teeth rottingly happy voice and look at that stupid grin on your face… why don't you go on and find something more productive to do than disturb the patients that are doing fine and trying to heal." Ellis snapped as she watched Addison frown.

"I… I…"

"Have a good afternoon, Doctor Montgomery." Ellis growled as she watched Addison take off down the hallway. Ellis walked forward and turned around next to Derek, watching Addison disappear around the corner. She looked up at his still angered face and shook her head. "How you could ever fathom sleeping with that woman… I will never know…" She said as she shook her head. She turned and walked off down the hallway, leaving Derek with a smirk and a head shake as he headed to the elevator to go find something to eat.

--------------------

The next few days flew by quickly, and Meredith and Richie had more guests than they could have imagined. Derek worked the days that Meredith was in the hospital, so that he could take the time off that he needed when they were brought home. When the day finally came to go home, the room was nearly filled with well wishers, nurses, friends and family. Meredith was climbing from her bed when Derek walked into the room holding the baby carrier that Neil had helped him install in his car.

"Who is ready to go home?" Derek smiled as he looked around the room with a grin, watching Cristina roll her eyes as she leaned back against Mark.

"So you guys are just going to hole up at your place and vegetate for a few days?" Cristina asked as the nurses that were visiting Meredith left, leaving Derek's family and Mark and Cristina.

"We're going to settle him in tonight… you guys are welcome to visit this evening. Since you guys are in town for a few days." Derek said to his sisters and mother.

"We may take you up on that offer." Bethany said with a smile as she looked over at her newest nephew.

"He looks just like Timmy when he was that small…" Joann said with a sigh, looking up at Michael as he smiled down at her.

"I don't know how you're going to fit everyone into our apartment, Derek… all the kids and everything… you're crazy." Meredith sighed as she held the baby close to her, wrapped in his fuzzy blue blanket that Ellis had brought for him, and a little knit cap from Grandma Shepherd.

"We'll fit them in." Derek laughed as he reached his arms out for the baby, lifting him carefully into the carrier as everyone watched him shift a little. "Here you go, buddy… safe and sound…" Derek whispered as he latched the baby into the seat and looked up at everyone. "You ready to go, sweet thing?" Derek asked as he glanced to Meredith, nodding towards Mark, who had the wheelchair beside him.

"Do I have to ride in that stupid thing?" She mumbled as she glanced over at Derek.

"Hospital policy… get your little butt into that wheelchair." Derek laughed as he held his hand out for her, helping her from the bed. She gingerly got into the wheelchair and Mark pushed her along while Derek lifted the baby in his seat from the bed, and they were on their way.

-------------

They got into the car carefully, Derek latching the baby into the car seat base and Mark helping Meredith into the passenger side. Derek turned the car on, and in a couple of moments they were waving and smiling and saying their goodbyes to everyone outside the hospital as they made their way home.

"That was really nice of everyone to see us off." Meredith whispered as she turned her head to see the little mirror that Derek had set up on the back seat so that they could see the baby's face in his back facing car seat.

"It was." Derek replied.

"He's so sweet… isn't he? Our little guy… so snuggled in his seat…" Meredith said as she watched the baby. "I can't wait to get him home… snuggle him…"

"I'm sure he's thinking the same thing about you." Derek quipped as he smiled over at Meredith.

"We did it, Derek." She whispered.

"We did it…" Derek replied, holding her hand tightly as they drove on their way. "We did it…" He smiled happily as he watched her eyes as they locked with his.

She smiled at him as she watched his eyes twinkle with pride as they drove along. It took Meredith a moment, but she suddenly realized that they were no longer heading in the direction of the apartment. "Derek, where are we going?" She asked curiously as they rode along.

"Home, sweetheart." Derek said softly as he watched her eyes follow the scenery. He was passing through a very affluent neighborhood with trees lining the streets, large houses with big front yards.

"Derek… this isn't…" She said as she furrowed her brow as she spotted a mailbox ahead with three blue balloons hanging from it, in front of a large brick home. "Derek… no… Derek, tell me that you didn't…" She whispered, her mouth wide in shock.

"I did." Derek replied as he pulled up the long driveway, parking his car in front of the large entryway of a very large brick home. "We're home." He smiled as he watched her jaw drop in shock, her lip trembling, her hands trembling, her body trembling.

"Derek… Der… Derek…" She mumbled as she looked at the looming home above them.

"Four bedrooms… three and a half bathrooms… mud room, family room, living room… very nice backyard with a swingset and a slide… the best feature… is the family room… bay window…the perfect place to put our Christmas tree." He said as he watched her continue to stammer.

"We… Derek… I… we… we can't afford this…" She shook her head as she looked at him, her brow furrowed as he gave her a confused look.

"What do you mean we can't afford this?"

"It's… it's… It's huge… it's gorgeous… it's… it's perfect…" She mumbled. "When did you…?"

"A week ago…" he said with a smile. "All of the gifts from your shower are in there… along with a few extra things… the nursery is all set up, and everything is stocked up and ready to go. That's what I get for giving my mother and sisters free reign of it while I'm working…" he shrugged.

"They all… know about this?"

"Of course they all know about it… it's your graduation gift, Meredith. This house is yours." He said with a grin.

"Graduation… gift?"

"Yep… this is the residence of Dr. Meredith Grey and family." Derek said proudly as Meredith blushed. "Don't be so modest… you're perfect, and you know it." Derek said with a laugh.
Suddenly, Richard began to fuss in the back seat. The sitting in the driveway was becoming far too stationary for him. "Do you hear that? He wants to go see his new room…" Derek said excitedly as he climbed from the car and swung open the back door. He watched as Meredith remained in her seat staring at the house. "Are you coming too? Richie doesn't want you to miss a second of it…" Derek said with a grin as he watched her glance to him.

"I'm coming." She said with a laugh as she swung her door opened and climbed from the seat, staring in awe as Derek came behind her and grasped her hand in his.

"Home." Derek said with a smile. "Home at last…"

--------------------

Derek held Meredith's hand and Richie with the other as he walked her up the large porch wrapping around the one half of the house. Her mouth was agape with amazement as she saw the hanging bench on the porch. "That's for summer evenings on the porch…" Derek said with a smile as he watched her glance to him, her eyes still wide with surprise as turned to face the door. The door was a dark wood with stained glass side panels that she couldn't help but reach out and run her fingers along. He unlocked the door and swung it open, sending out a whiff of freshly sanded wood and pine sol. "Welcome home!" He exclaimed as he grinned at her, stepping into the house. He turned around and she was still on the outside of the doorway, staring inside.

"Derek." She mumbled as she stared in at the hardwood floor with the oriental welcome mat and the runner down the hall. The entryway was painted in a deep red with white trim, bringing out the brass fixtures.

"This is the entryway…" He grinned. "Just wait until you see the rest of the house." He said as he grabbed her hand and carefully set Richie's seat onto the floor. Meredith finally stepped inside and just stared around at the room. Derek crouched down and unclipped the seatbelt around his son, watching as he yawned a big yawn and closed his eyes again, his tiny forehead wrinkling as he was lifted from his seat. "Let's go see the rest." He said with a smile. "To your left… is the formal living room…" He said with a grin. "We don't have to keep it formal if you don't want to… it can be a play room if you prefer… anything you like… for now, we set it up as a living room. He said as he cuddled the baby against his chest, holding his bottom with one hand as he nestled against his father.

Meredith stepped into the living room, looking around at the furniture that was placed around it. Everything was new and untouched and her eyes traveled around the room. "Where did you get this?" She asked as she walked quickly across the room, her face turning to look at Derek as she touched the frame of a picture on the wall.

"Your mother." Derek replied.

The picture was one of Meredith as a little girl, a bright smile on her face, her nose wrinkled in the grin as her eyes sparkled. She was wearing a winter coat with fur around the hood and her hands were up as if she were showing off her brand new red mittens. "My mother gave this picture to you?" She whispered.

"Yes…" He said as he shook his head. "There are a few things that your mother contributed…" Derek said as he tilted his head, walking up alongside her. "You were such a cute little girl." He said as he looked up at the picture, leaning over for a kiss. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly, her lips moving down to her son, who was sleeping against his daddy's chest. "You'll recognize a few things…" He said with a smile.

"Next stop… family room…" He said as he reached out and took her hand, leading her back towards the entryway. As he lead her in, he discussed other details of the house that just made her beam. "There is a built in surround sound system… you can play music and hear it just about anywhere… you can control where you want the music playing… how loud in each room… it's a pretty remarkable system."

"You're pretty remarkable." She giggled as she walked into the family room. As soon as she stepped into the room, she gasped. Not only was the room filled with comfortable furniture, painted in a deep, soothing blue, but the fireplace on the one wall caught her eye, the mantle was large and ornate made of dark mahogany. The carpet was soft on her feet, her toes melting into the threads, and in the large bay window at the front was a large artificial Christmas tree, decorated and looming above them. "Derek…" She laughed as she stepped up to it. "Derek, it's June…" She laughed.

"So?" He shrugged as he stepped over to the wall. He flipped the light switch and suddenly the tree was lit up brightly, sending colors throughout the room and across their faces, their features, accentuating the beauty that he had fallen in love with such a long time ago. "I wanted you to see our new home in the same light that I see you in." He smiled. "I wanted to show you the full potential of where we live… under the lights of the Christmas tree, under the lights that I first found you." He said as he pulled her closer, cradling the baby against him, she enveloped both of them in a hug as he kissed her head. "My little grinch…" He whispered with a smile. "You stole my Christmas…" He mumbled into her hair as they stood beneath the tree, the three of them. Together, and never alone again.

--------------------

August 22

Derek pulled into the driveway of the house. It was fairly early and he had been looking forward to coming home all day long. His goodbye to Meredith that morning was quick, and she wasn't home when he called her in the afternoon, but was happy to see her car in the driveway. He walked up the sidewalk and towards the front door, and could instantly hear the music coming from inside. He shook his head as he walked into the house, hearing immediately the sound of the music, but over that, the baby crying.

He put his briefcase on the floor next to the door and kicked his shoes off, wandering into the living room, he found Richie sitting in his swing crying loudly. The swing was no longer swinging and his face was red with anger, his tears rolling down his cheeks. "Meri?" He called, lifting the baby from the swing, he bounced him a little as he tried to calm his sobs, unsure of where Meredith could have gone. He switched off the stereo and ventured through the house. "Meri, where are you?" He called as he walked in through the kitchen and dining room, finding no sign of Meredith "Meri?" He called.

"I'm down here!" Meredith called, her voice echoed up the stairs from the basement and Derek walked over to the door that she left open.

"Meri?" He called down the stairs.

"I'll be right up…" She called from down the stairs. "I'm just putting another load of laundry in…" She said as she peeked around the corner to see Derek standing at the top holding a much calmer Richie in his arms. "Oh… look who has you…" She said with a smile as she watched the baby grasp Derek's shirt. "I'll be right up, boys…" She smiled as she turned back around.

Derek carried Richie into the living room and sat on the couch, lifting the baby into the air, he watched his smile light up his face as he talked softly to him, laying down across the couch, he lay the baby on his chest, and watched as he lifted his head to look into his daddy's eyes. "What a big boy…" Derek smiled as he watched the little one grasp his shirt and play with the buttons on the front, his little tongue sticking out as he concentrated on it, his fuzzy dark hair sticking up in all directions as he looked up at Derek.

After a couple of minutes, Meredith walked up the stairs and slipped into the family room. She smiled when she saw the two boys lying on the couch, and both of them looked over at her. "Hey…You're home." She said with a smile as she walked over to the couch and knelt beside it.

"Hey." Derek said softly, watching her swoop down for a kiss. He turned his head and smiled into her kiss as it landed on his lips. "His swing stopped…" Derek said as he tilted his head. "How long were you downstairs?"

"Just a couple of minutes…" She shrugged. "He was alright though…"

"He was pretty upset." Derek said, his eyes going to the head of hair now pushed into his nose as Derek took a deep breath, the little boy looking at his mother as she let him grasp her finger with his hand.

"Aw… my poor little prince…" Meredith said with a pout as she kissed his fingers, rubbing her thumb softly across them as she leaned forward and kissed his tiny nose.

"Maybe you should take him downstairs with you when you do laundry…" Derek said as he watched Meredith's eyes going from the baby to him.

"He was fine, Derek… babies cry…"

"Yes… but what happens when he starts to crawl… walk… he could very easily fall down those basement stairs…"

"Derek… stop fussing over silly things… he's fine… he was just mad because his swing stopped…start the swing back up, and he's fine… he'll be as happy as a clam…" She said as she started to stand up.

"Meri…" Derek said as he grabbed her hand. "What do you do with him during the day? Does he just sit in that swing all afternoon while you're flitting around the house?"

"Excuse me?" She asked as she pulled her hand from his. "Flitting around the house? Your mother is going to be here in two days… I'm doing laundry… and the dishes… and cleaning the house… and doing the grocery shopping, not to mention taking care of the baby… If you think that you can…"

"Meri." Derek said sternly, sitting up a little, he pulled Richie into his arm, cradling him as he sat up. "I'm not suggesting anything… I'm just asking… does he sit in the swing all day."

"No." She pouted as she crossed her arms. "I'm going to go take a nap." She mumbled as he turned around and walked towards the stairs.

"Meri…" Derek said as he stood up. "Meri, please…" Derek said as he watched her ascend the first two steps and look back at him.

"What?" She mumbled. "Do you want to know if I hang him from the ceiling and use him as a piñata while you're at work?"

"Meri, stop being ridiculous…" Derek said as he watched her continue to pout. "Come over here and sit with us…" He said as he patted the spot on the couch beside him. Her eyes started to water as she watched him. "Come on… come over here…" He said as he smirked a little. "I've been waiting all day to snuggle with you…" He whispered. "All day long…" He said, burying his head in his son's hair as he gave her the saddest set of puppy eyes that she had ever seen.

Meredith closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as she slowly let it out. "You were mean." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes… I shouldn't have said what I said… and I'm sorry…" He said as he held his hand out. "Come on… snuggle with your boys…" He said as he wiggled his fingers at her. "We'll be good…"

"You'll be good?" She asked as she shuffled down the steps.

"A promise is a promise…" He said softly as he watched her shuffle across the floor towards him.

"I'm sorry your swing stopped, little one…" She whispered as she slipped onto the couch beside them, cuddling into Derek as he wrapped one arm around Meredith and cradled Richie with his other. "I'm sorry mommy's no fun…" She said as she gave his little nose a poke, moving her hand to run through his soft hair.

"Mommy is plenty of fun…" Derek said as he leaned forward and kissed her head.

"Mommy is going to have to leave her baby…" Meredith sighed, her voice was soft and a whimper as she sighed loudly.

"Ah…" Derek said as he leaned forward again, kissing her head. "That's what this is about…"

"What?" She whimpered.

"You're upset because you're going to have to go to work soon…and you're sad because you're not going to be around Richie all the time."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Meredith asked. "He's my little guy… mommy's little biscuit… mommy's little snuggle monster…"

"And he's daddy's little… what?" He asked curiously.

"Diaper change needer…" She grinned, looking up at Derek as he rolled his eyes.

"Daddy's little alarm clock…" Derek said with a chuckle as he kissed his son's head, shaking his head at Meredith. "My mom is going to look after him while we're at work… she doesn't mind at all… and she will go do her own thing when we're around… she just wants to help… and she'll take good care of him… look at how I turned out…" He grinned. "She couldn't have done such a bad job…" Derek laughed at her scowl and smirk that followed it.

"I just don't want to feel like someone else is raising him." Meredith sighed. "I don't want to turn into my… I want to make sure I have enough time to spend with him. I don't want to miss anything." She sighed.

"Speaking… of your mother…" Derek sighed as he glanced to Meredith. "Mark and I had the strangest conversation with her…" Derek said as he smirked a little as he kissed Meredith's head, running his fingers through her hair.

--------------------

Derek was sitting at the nurse's station writing in a chart as Mark walked down the hallway towards him. Mark leaned over the counter for a moment and sighed. "It has been a long… long day…" He said.

"You're telling me…" Derek shook his head. "Richie is finally starting to sleep through the night, but now Meri's having problems sleeping."

"How is she doing? Is she handling the baby alright?"

"She seems to be… she enjoys being home with him." Derek said as he finished the chart and closed it. He tossed it up onto the rack and pulled another one down. "Poor thing is going to be crushed when she has to come to work."

"That's probably why she can't sleep…" Mark replied.

"Probably…"

"You should try some relaxation exercises…" Mark said in a snarky tone, getting a look from Derek.

"You realize that the relaxation exercises are the reason that we have a son now… don't you?" He chuckled as Mark laughed. Derek heard his pager ringing out and looked down. "Shit… chief wants to see me…" Derek sighed.

Mark chuckled and suddenly his pager went off. He looked down at it and looked at it with a confused sigh. "Chief wants to see me…" Mark said as he glanced up to Derek.

"This can't be good." Derek said as he stood up.

"No… not good at all…" Mark said as he stood up straight and waited for Derek as they made their way down the hallway together.

They took the stairs up to the hallway where the offices were located and walked down the hallway, glancing at one another suspiciously the entire way. "What did you do?" Derek asked.

"What do you mean what did 'I' do? What did 'you' do…?" Mark asked as they rounded the corner and walked into the outer office. They smiled at the receptionist as she glanced at the two of them. "Doctor Shepherd, Doctor Sloan?"

"Yes." They said, nodding.

"Doctor Grey will see you now." She said as she nodded towards the almost open door.

Derek walked in first, smiling politely as he stepped inside the office. Mark followed him in, looking back towards the door as if he wanted to take off running.

Ellis sat at her desk, her eyes cast downward as she listened to them enter. "Close the door, please." She said, nodding towards the door. Mark glanced to Derek and walked over to close the door. He turned back around and Derek was standing in front of the desk, and walked up beside him. "Have a seat, please…" She said, finally looking up from her journal to look at the two men before her as they sat down. She closed the journal and pushed it aside, her stern glare on both of them as they looked at her expectantly.

"Alright." She sighed as she looked between the two of them. "There are a few things I'd like to discuss with you… meaning… I speak, and you two can discuss it together outside of my office… hopefully not within earshot of me." She said sternly, her cold glare shooting through them. "First of all… this is a serious conversation… I do not want to hear any jokes or conversations between the two of you while I'm talking… in fact… don't even look at one another… I think it's just better that way." She sighed. "I'm sure you two are wondering why I dragged you from your busy paperwork and nerf basketball that you boys participate in corners of the hospital that you don't think that I know about."

Mark turned to glance to Derek. "Doctor Sloan… me… I am talking… not Doctor Shepherd… well… this conversation is one about tact… alright… next week the interns will begin their orientation and there is a mixer next weekend in the lobby… I'm sure you both heard about it… you were most likely invited…" She sighed, watching as the two of them watched her intently, nodding their heads slowly. "I've become very distressed over the thought of my daughter interning here… Doctor Shepherd…" She said softly. "Very… very distressed… and it is distress for her safety, do you understand?"

"Yes." Derek nodded.

"She will most likely be ridiculed… and called a kiss ass… I am concerned that the other interns are going to bully her for being my daughter… either bully her or suck up to her… and I understand that you will… both probably feel the need to defend her in some way. Now I'm not saying that I want her to be ridiculed, and I'm not saying that she may not need assistance in some way, but I am asking both of you to please… please exercise tact in communicating with her. I understand both of your positions… and I understand that both of you are concerned for her wellbeing… but if the other interns were to find out about your relationship with her… at least before she had established herself on her own… it could spell disaster." Ellis said softly. "Do you understand that, Doctor Shepherd?"

"Yes." He nodded.

"Doctor Sloan." Ellis' attention went back to Mark as she glared at him. "You and Cristina are currently living with one another, is that correct?"

"Yes." Mark replied, nodding his head softly.

"I'd appreciate it if you keep your libido outside the front doors of this hospital. There will be no 'nookie' in the on call rooms, there will be now 'screwing' in the linen closets, and there will be no 'fucking' in the exam rooms… is that understood?" She said with a growl.

"Um… yes." Mark said, his cheeks turning bright red.

"Derek… same goes for you and Meredith. If you feel the need to sow your wild oats… I recommend that the two of you take it out to pasture. This is a place of business… this is a hospital… it is not a brothel… and if I catch either of you participating in hedonistic behavior under the roof of this hospital, then you will be punished accordingly… is that understood?"

"Yes." Mark and Derek both nodded.

"There will be no favoritism… no kissy face… no showing off… and absolutely… no hand holding…and if I catch either of you participating in 'eye sex'… so help me… neither one of you will see a surgery for a month." She said sternly as she looked down at her desk for a moment. She took a deep breath and released it slowly.

"Is there anything else, Doctor Grey?" Derek asked, watching as she tried to relax.

"How is Richard?" She asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at Derek.

"He's doing fine, Doctor Grey… growing every day." Derek replied. "I'll have Meredith bring him in before her internship starts. I'm sure he'll love to see you… maybe you and Meredith can have lunch together." Derek suggested.

"That would be very nice." Ellis replied.

"I'll tell Meredith when I see her this evening." Derek said with a soft smile. "Are we all done here?" He asked, glancing to Mark, who was still refusing to look at Derek.

"I think we're all done here." Ellis replied as she nodded her head, watching as Derek and Mark nodded their head. "Have a good evening, gentlemen." She said as they said their goodbyes and slipped out of the office. They said goodbye to the receptionist and walked out into the hallway. They were silent for a moment as they walked towards the elevator.

"That wasn't awkward at all…" Derek whispered as he sighed, The door to the elevator opened and they stepped inside.

"It's all good…" Mark nodded with a smirk.

"What are you smirking about?" Derek asked as they pushed the button to the elevator.

"She said we couldn't have sex under the roof of the hospital…" Mark replied.

"Yeah?" Derek said, a confused look on his face.

"She never said anything about sex 'on' the roof of the hospital…" he said with a grin as the two of them laughed as the elevator doors closed.

"My mother threatened you?" Meredith asked as she sat up, looking down on her sleeping son as his father ran his hand across his tiny back.

"Your mother threatened us." Derek nodded.

"She threatened you…"

"She threatened us… yes…" Derek laughed.

"She said no nookie in the hospital… seriously?"

"Seriously." Derek said with a chuckle. "Basically… she's saying that she's the one that signs the paychecks… so we have to do whatever she wants…"

"Ha… you're my mom's bitches…" She laughed as Derek shook his head.

"And you will be soon enough, my dear…" Derek laughed as he kissed his son's head as he watched the smile on Meredith's face.

"I think she's right though." Meredith said as she looked across the family room, thinking to herself. "I think she's right…"

"She's right?"

"Yeah…" Meredith sighed. "I mean… as much as I'm going to absolutely love being with you every day… I don't think it'd be a good idea if the other interns knew about us."

"Meri… we have a son together…"

"He won't be at the hospital at first…" Meredith replied. "Your mom is going to have him… at least for the first couple weeks…"

"We are going to drive to work together."

"Derek, we'll have different shifts… we're going to be taking separate cars…"

"We live in the same house…"

"But no one is going to see it… Derek, don't you understand how difficult it's going to be for me as it is… My last name is Grey…"

"Not for long."

"Oh great… yeah… so I trade in being the chief's daughter to being the Neuro attending's wife…" She sighed.

"We don't have to get married if you don't want to." Derek said jokingly, getting an angry glare. "I was kidding…" he shook his head. "The point is… who cares? I'm not going to be playing favorites… and your mother will probably end up just showing an example out of you…"

"Oh, so you condone her torture?"

"No." Derek shrugged. "But she's Ellis Grey… she is who she is… and if she has to 'prove' to the other interns that she doesn't play favorites with you… she just might… don't put it past her… I've felt the wrath of old lady Grey…"

"Don't call her that…" Meredith giggled.

"I thought it was funny…"

"It was…" Meredith giggled. "But I think she's right, Derek… at least for the first few weeks…"

"You think you can go a day without touching me?" He whispered deeply as he felt her snuggle against him.

"No." She whispered. "That's what this is for…" She said as she placed her hand on his, softly rubbing Richie's back as well as they relaxed comfortably on the couch together.

--------------------

Meredith took a deep breath as she stepped into the hospital. She had decided at Derek's urging to visit her mother with Richie, something that she had yet to do by herself. She called the secretary and asked when her mother would be available, making an appointment seemed to be the only way to get her mother's time, so she did that and was heading in through the front doors with the car seat in her hands.

She thought for a moment that maybe she should turn around and go home. Her mother was too busy to be dealing with nonsense, especially nonsense involving her. Why would she want to see her now? She would be seeing enough of her when she started working in a few days. She turned around and faced the doors to walk back out, when she heard a familiar voice.

"Damn." She whispered.

"Meri…?"

Meredith turned around quickly and grinned. "Mark…" She said with a fake grin that he could see right through.

"You're trying to escape, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Oh, you just have that look about you."

"Derek told you that I was coming to see my mother, didn't he?"

"Yes." Mark chuckled as he looked down at the baby looking up at him. "Hey there, little guy… hey buddy…" Mark said softly as he crouched down and tickled the baby, listening to him coo and babble. "How's my favorite Mini?" Mark asked. "Are you going to see your grandma? Huh? Are you? Mommy dressed you up so handsome…" Mark said in a sweet little voice.

"Should I see her, or should I just tell Derek that she was busy?" Meredith whimpered.

"You can't lie to Derek…"

"I know…" She said, glancing to the elevator. "Mark… I have not talked to my mother without Derek in the room in… well… years…" She sighed. "How do I know that she's not putting on an act? She's a pretty good actress… she could be putting on an act… there's no guaranteeing that when she's talking to me that it's not real… how will I know it's real… Mark? How do I know she's not just pretending to like her grandson… wanting to see him… what if I get up there, and she's not there? What if…"

"Meredith… stop freaking out…" Mark said as he stood up, watching Richie's eyes follow him. He touched her shoulder and she stared at his eyes for a moment.

"Where is Derek?"

"In surgery." Mark replied.

"He is not." She challenged, knowing that he'd tell her that either way.

"He most certainly is… just went in at one…"

"I hate you."

"I am aware of that." Mark nodded. "So are you going to leave and lie… breaking Derek's little heart, or are you going to be a brave little girl and face the beast nose to nose?" Mark asked with a smirk.

"How about I kill the guard at the door and take my goblin and run?" She raised her eyebrows.

"How about you get your ass on that elevator and not say another word…" Mark said with a laugh.

"I so hate you." She grumbled as she walked off to the elevator as Mark watched her glance back as she stepped inside with Richie.

--------------------

Meredith turned her head as the elevator doors open, looking to the front door and the fact that Mark was no longer in eyesight, she knew that if she ran for it, she could make it out of the hospital. She looked down at Richie, cooing away in his car seat and sighed. "Why am I such a chicken?" She whispered. "You're not afraid… you're not afraid of your mean old grandma… why am I so afraid of her?" Meredith whispered as she stepped into the elevator. She turned around and put the car seat on the ground for a moment as she pressed the button for the correct floor. "Your mommy is a big baby…" She mumbled as the doors closed. "No offense…" She muttered to Richie as she sighed loudly.

The elevator reached the correct floor and she grabbed the car seat and started walking down the hallway. The closer she came to her mother's office, the harder her heart was pounding. "Why do I let her do this to me?" She whispered. "Why do I let her affect me like this?" She mumbled. "I wonder if I could make it to the ground safely if I used a bed sheet as a parachute…" She muttered as she turned the corner to the outside office.

"Can I help… ohh… he's so precious!" The secretary exclaimed as she looked down at the baby as he fiddled with his blanket, his bright blue eyes sparkling as all attention was brought on him.

"I have an appointment…" Meredith said softly as she watched the secretary coo over the baby for a couple more seconds.

The secretary waved at Richie as she picked up the phone. "Doctor Grey, your one thirty is here…" She said softly into the line. She set the phone down and looked up at Meredith. "She'll see you now…" She smiled, waving at Richie as Meredith sighed as she stepped forward to her mother's office. She could feel her stomach knot as she turned the doorknob and stepped inside.

"You can close the door." Ellis said as she finished typing the memo that she had been working on.

Meredith closed the door and stepped inside, carrying the baby into the room, she set his car seat down and sat in the chair across from her mother.

Ellis put the finishing touches on what she was working on and looked up at Meredith for a moment, seeing her slouched in the chair as she stared at the front of her desk. "How many times did you think of turning around to leave before you made it up here?" Ellis asked as she watched Meredith's eyes raise to hers.

"Huh?" Meredith asked.

"Meredith."

"Two." She said as she glanced to the door. "Three…" Her eyes moved back to her mother.

"You didn't have to make an appointment, Meredith. You could have just come in."

"I don't want to disturb you." She said softly as she reached her hand down involuntarily to the baby, feeling his cool hands on her fingertips, she began to relax. Ellis gave Meredith an incredulous look as she stared at her.

"Don't act like I'm the bad guy here, Meredith. I asked Derek to have you come in to see me, that translates into the fact that I wanted you to come into see me."

"No." Meredith replied. "You asked Derek to have me bring Richie… you didn't ask about me."

"Oh, stop this 'poor me' business right this second. Why can't we be in a room for ten seconds without starting an argument?" Ellis replied.

"You're the one starting the argument." Meredith mumbled grumpily.

"Meredith… If you can't come in here with a decent attitude, then you're wasting my time."

"I'm sorry that I'm wasting your time!" Meredith exclaimed as she stood up and grabbed the car seat.

"Sit down now!" Ellis exclaimed, watching as Meredith stopped and stared at the door. "Sit… down… now…" Ellis said softly. "Please…" She said softly. Ellis watched as Meredith stood there, the car seat in one hand, the doorknob in the other. "Now you can leave and go home and expel all of the childhood angst and anxiety that I cause you on your fiancé and your son… or you can sit down right now… and have a civilized conversation with me. It's your choice Meredith… we can be friends, or we can be enemies… but we can't be both."

Meredith turned the doorknob as she contemplated leaving, her heart was pounding in her chest as she stared at the wood grain door. Her eyes passed down the door to her hand, and then down further to her son. He was looking up at her curiously, and all she could see was his father's eyes. "Goddamn you, Derek…" She whispered as she watched his eyes smile, the tiny baby's fingertips moved over the blanket that was covering him and watched his Mama struggle with her decision. She turned around and faced her mother. "Would you like to hold him?" She asked, looking over at Ellis as she turned her back on the door, pressing her body against it. "Would you like to hold Richie?"

"Of course…" Ellis replied, slowly standing up, she approached her daughter. She watched as Meredith nearly physically recoiled at her mother's approach, and placed the car seat on the floor. She slid along the door to the wall, watching as Ellis reached down to carefully unlatch the baby from the seat. Meredith watched as she very carefully lifted the baby from his seat. "Oh… my goodness, you're getting to be so big…" She said softly as she smiled softly at the little baby. Meredith watched as Richie cooed at his grandmother, his hands gripping her arm as she lifted him into a cradling position. "Oh my goodness, what a good boy you are…" She whispered as Meredith looked on. Ellis looked up at the anxiety in Meredith's face as she held him in her arms. "For heaven's sake, Meredith… get that terrified look off your face. He's far too young for me to corrupt with my evilness just yet." She said, watching Meredith's eyes meet hers. "I was kidding." Ellis replied. "Sit down…come and sit down…" she said as she motioned towards the small sofa in the room.

Meredith walked to the sofa and sat down slowly, watching as Ellis approached her with the baby. Ellis rocked Richie as she talked to him in a high, soft voice, smiling as she looked over at Meredith as she sat down. "How is his weight gain?" She asked Meredith, watching as Meredith looked surprised at the question.

"He's doing well… he's still a little small for his age… but he eats very well…"

"You were small for your age…" Ellis said softly.

"I was?" Meredith whispered as she looked on at her mother holding her son, watching as the baby grasped hold of her finger and pulled it to him.

"Yes." Ellis said softly. "Your father called you his little peanut for the first year of your life…" She smiled softly at the baby.

"My…"

"Yes… your father…" Ellis said as she looked up at Meredith. "You did have one of those, you know…" Ellis said softly. "But he stayed in Seattle… and I brought you here to Boston…"

"I know." Meredith whispered.

"But you were such a little thing… so sweet and tiny… a very well behaved baby…" Ellis said, glancing up at Meredith. "When you wanted to be." She said as Meredith smiled a little. "I can see a lot of Derek in him…" She whispered.

"His eyes are almost as blue." Meredith whispered as she looked down at her son, watching as he smiled at her. "His hair is going to be just as dark as Derek's…"

"And he has a lot of it now… which I'm sure Derek is happy about…" Ellis said with a small laugh as Meredith giggled beside her.

"He's a very good baby." Meredith said as she fiddled with his shirt, her anxiety rising again in her stomach.

"Meredith." Ellis said as she turned her head towards her daughter, watching as she avoided eye contact. "You're not me, Meredith." She said with a sigh. "You're not…me… you're going to be a wonderful mother… and you don't have to prove it to anyone but Richie…" She sighed. "I'm sorry… that I wasn't around more." Ellis said softly as she looked into her daughter's eyes. "I'm sorry."

Meredith continued fiddling with Richie's outfit as she listened to her mother's words. She could feel her stomach wrenching as she swallowed hard. She could feel tears rising up into her eyes. "Mom, would you like to go to lunch… or something?" She whispered. "Maybe… maybe outside the hospital… maybe we could go to that deli down the street or something?" She whimpered.

Ellis glanced to her desk, looked at the pleading look in her daughter's eyes, and looked down at her grandson. "You're not going to go find Derek and invite him along too, are you?" She asked softly.

"I don't need Derek for this." Meredith said softly. "This is something that I need to do for… for myself." She said as she cleared her throat. "Will you go to lunch with Richie and I?"

Ellis paused for a moment as she watched Meredith squirm just a little. She looked so anxious asking such an easy question. "Just let me get my purse…" She said softly as she reached her hand out to touch her daughter's as she stood up holding Richie in her arms. "And before we go… I want to show my grandson off to a few people…" She said with a sly grin as she walked over to her desk to find her purse.

Meredith could feel her heart lifting at her mother's words, the pride in her voice as she smiled just a little made her heart swell with happiness, and maybe a little bit of jealousy. But it was alright, Richie was worth it.

--------------------

Meredith curled her legs onto the couch, nestling Richie into her lap as she read through a children's book. His hands were playfully hitting the pages as she made the inflection of her voice go up and down. He smiled with her as she read, slipping into the book with her son, she felt so young and free, that she never wanted to get up from the couch.

She heard the front door open and close and waited for a moment to hear it. "It's too quiet in here!" He exclaimed as he waited by the door.

Richie's head turned towards the sound of Derek's voice and he squealed loudly. "Oh my goodness…" Meredith exclaimed as she felt him wiggling in her arms.

Derek's head popped around the corner and he noticed the eyes on him. He grinned. "Well look what we have here…a couple of bookworms" He said as he walked across the family room.

"Derek… shoes…" Meredith pointed to his feet, to which he kicked his shoes off in the middle of the room as he neared her. She gave him a bit of a scowl. "That's not what I meant…" She said as he reached his hands out for his son.

"How is my little man?" Derek asked as he lifted the baby from Meredith's lap, holding him up above him as he wiggled him in his arms. "How is my little man…?" Derek laughed as Richie giggled.

"You're going to make him sick…" Meredith giggled as she watched Derek swing him around into his arm. "Well if it isn't… 'I'm too busy to be around today'…" Meredith teased as Derek smirked at her.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means… that… I visited my mother… and you were busy all afternoon, so you missed seeing your son… who seems to be one of the most popular people in the hospital."

"You did it?" He asked, his eyes lighting up as he smiled at her.

"Yes." Meredith said, shaking her head. "Oh… and I'm not sure what I think about having you make Mark be the look out to make sure I didn't run out of here…"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Derek shrugged as he started to walk away with Richie.

"Hey… you get back here right now!" Meredith laughed as she chased after him as he entered the kitchen.

"So it went well?" He asked as he lifted the baby into his bouncer, blowing raspberries on his tiny belly as he watched him giggle.

"It went well…"

"Tell me more…" Derek said as he walked over to the refrigerator and started taking food out.

"What more is there to say… I didn't die, she didn't bite my head off… literally or figuratively…. And… she said that she likes you." Meredith shrugged.

"What?" He asked, turning his head.

"My mother… she likes you… she's never liked anyone that I've dated… but she said she likes you…she also told me not to tell you that… but I thought you should know." Meredith nodded. "She thinks you're a great surgeon… that I could learn a lot from you…"

"That was really nice of her…" Derek said as he smiled softly at her.

"Take what you can get, huh?" Meredith mumbled.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that…" Derek replied. "She's a talented woman… and despite all of her faults… she did bring you into this world… and that I love…" He said with a smile. "Did Richie have a good time with his Grandma? Huh? Did you? Did you?" Derek said, making faces at his son as he laughed loudly, squealing at his daddy's silly faces.

"He had a good time." Meredith nodded. "Now all we have to do is survive my first week of my internship." Meredith sighed with a nervous smile, sitting down, she could feel her stomach tighten.

"You worry too much." Derek whispered, leaning down to kiss her head.

"I don't want to leave him… look at him… he's so happy to have us around… he thinks that we're always going to be here… and now we have to desert him… now we have to just leave him all alone with someone who isn't his mommy or daddy…" Meredith pouted as she lay her head on her arms, staring into the counter. "Being a grownup sucks…" Meredith mumbled.

"Tell me about it…" Derek mumbled as he continued to make dinner as Meredith sulked.

--------------------

"I thought you were leaving." Meredith mumbled from beside the bed as she contemplated climbing under it.

"You're leaving too… now get dressed."

"I've decided that I'm not going." She said with a sigh as she glanced over the edge of the bed at him as he sat on the other side. All that he could see were her blue green eyes looking at him.

"You're going… all of the new interns are going to be there. Cris is going to be there… I'm going to be there."

"I'm not going to be there." She muttered as she turned around, her hand going to the little bouncer where the baby was sitting on the floor beside her, giggling at his mother as she tickled his toes. "I'm staying here… right here…" She mumbled. "With my bugaboo…"

"Come on… Mom is waiting downstairs…she's probably doing more laundry… she's here to take care of him when we're not around…" Derek said as he pulled his shirt onto his shoulders.

"But we're around…" She whined as she turned her head back around. "I'm here…"

"Alright… that's enough…" Derek said as he walked around the bed and watched her sit in her bra and panties, her legs crossed as she avoided eye contact. "Meredith… you have to get dressed… we have to go…"

"Derek, we can't even talk to one another… we can't go together… what's the point of even going? I want to stay here… let me stay here."

"I'm not letting you stay here… it'll turn from staying home tonight… into staying home every night… you'll quit your job, he'll quit school… live in this house, just you and Richie… he'll grow up to be a serial killer, bring home hookers and kill them, eat them and bury their bones in the backyard…" Derek shook his head. "It's messy, Meri, it's just messy…"

"I'll make sure he uses a bleach and water solution to get the blood out…" She mumbled as she continued tickling the baby's toes.

"Okay, buddy… it's time to go see Grandma Shepherd… so mommy moves her cute little behind." Derek said as he reached down to lift the baby from his bouncer.

"Nooo!' She screeched as she reached her hands out for the baby, whining loudly as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Meri, you have to stop this…" Derek said as he held the baby in his arms, looking down at her rolling into a ball. "I'm bringing him downstairs to mom… you better get down there soon, or I'll come up here and dress you… and trust me… you don't want that." He said watching her pout from the floor.

"It's not fair… Derek…" She whined.

"Hurry up, Meri." Derek said as he grabbed the bouncer with his other hand and swung the baby around, walking out the door, closing it behind him.

Derek walked down the hallway and bounded down the stairs with the baby in his arms, listening to him giggle as Derek kissed his cheek. "Mom?" Derek called as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen. He opened the door, finding his mother with her hands in the sink.

She turned her face and smiled. "Hi sweetheart." She said with a smile. "Oh… look who is awake…" She said with a grin as she dried her hands off with a towel and watched Derek as he held his son securely. She reached her hands out, glancing at Derek, who nodded as he handed the baby off to her. "Where is Meri?" She asked as she bounced the little one a little, running her fingertips through his dark hair.

"She's getting ready."

"Is she alright?"

"She'll be fine…" Derek sighed as he sat down at the barstool, watching his mother with his son as he grabbed hold of the button on her shirt, fascinated by it.

"She's feeling that separation anxiety…"

"Yes…" Derek nodded. "That, coupled with the fact that we're not supposed to be together at this thing… it's bugging her."

"But it's more the leaving her baby with someone thing that's really bothering her…"

"Well… yeah…" Derek shrugged. "I'd like to think she'll be missing me too…" he said with a small smile.

"Oh… you're missed too… but look at this face? How can you just not miss that tiny little nose, and those itsy bitsy ears… and that rumbly little tummy…" She laughed as she tickled the baby's tummy as he giggled. "She'll be alright, Derek. She just… has to get used to it… used to the idea of being apart from him. They've been together for three months… not to mention her being pregnant with him… you just have to put it into perspective." She said with a tilt of her head.

Derek nodded his head and looked up when the doorbell rang. "That must be Mark and Cris. Cris is taking Meri, and I'm taking Mark… since we're not allowed to go together…" He rolled his eyes.

"Just be sensitive to her, Derek… She's fragile…"

Derek nodded his head and sighed as he smiled slightly and stepped to the stairs. "Meri! Cristina is here… don't make me send her up…" He called.

"I'm… coming…" She mumbled from upstairs her voice still sounding agitated, but at least she wasn't crying.

Derek turned towards the door and opened it and Cristina walked inside. "Where is she?" She asked quickly, glancing to the family room, she saw Mrs. Shepherd emerge with Richie. "Hey Mrs. Shepherd, Hey little Dicky…" She said as Derek pointed to the stairs, watching Derek nod, she climbed up them quickly.

Mark walked into the house behind her. "I keep telling her not to call him that… that he'll get a complex or something… she never listens…" He sighed as he glanced to Derek's mother. "Hi Marion…" he said with a smile as he stepped towards the family room.

"Hello, Mark… how are you doing this evening?"

"Just fine, thank you." He said as he watched Richie get excited and giggle at Mark. "Well look at you… all happy to see your uncle Mark…" he said as he kissed the little boy's forehead.

"Meri, are you coming down?" Derek called.

"I'm coming down!" Meredith called.

"Don't worry… she's coming down…" Cristina called from above as well.

"Mark and I are going to get going, Meri… you and Cris had better leave the house!" He called.

"Bye, Derek!" Meredith called.

"We're going to circle the block, Meri… If you're not at the mixer by eight, I'm coming back here to get you…" he threatened.

"Bye Derek!" Cristina called.

"Goodbye girls…I love you, Meri…" Derek sighed as he walked towards his mother and kissed the baby's forehead. "You be a good boy for your grandma… she loves you so much…" Derek whispered. "Don't forget to give your mommy a kiss when she leaves…" He said with a silly face.

"If she leaves…" Mark mumbled.

"Bye mom…" Derek smiled as he kissed her cheek.

"Go and have fun… we'll be just fine here… " Mrs. Shepherd said as she waved to Derek as he slipped out the door.

--------------------

The lobby was decked out with decorations and mood lighting, there was a bar set up in the corner, and some background music as everyone milled around and talked. It was an opportunity for new interns to meet the attendings and other doctors, and one another. Derek sat at one of the tables, watching the crowd slowly mill about and Mark walked over with a drink. He set the drink in front of Derek and shrugged as Derek gave him a disgusted look. "Getting drunk on hospital liquor… not one of my favorite pastimes…" Derek muttered.

"Come on, man… you haven't had a drink since the baby was born…"

"Meri's breastfeeding." Derek said with a sigh, giving Mark a disgusted look as he plugged his nose and drank down the drink, nearly laughing at Derek's reply.

"She really does have you wrapped, doesn't she?" Mark chuckled.

"She doesn't have me wrapped…" He said, watching Mark's look of disapproval. "Alright… she has me wrapped… but only because that's the way I like it." Derek replied, looking away from Mark as Mark laughed at him. "I haven't had anything to drink because I… help with the… Where the hell is she, anyway?" he asked, looking at his watch.

"Why does it matter to you? You can't sit with her…"

"I need to be able to see her." Derek said, scowling at Mark's smirk. "She's hurting." He sighed. "This separation thing is killing her… and it's killing me…"

"I'm sure they're here…"

------------

"Just let me call one more time…" Meredith said as he grabbed for her phone.

"No! No more times! You're driving Marion nuts with your stupid phone calls… she's a mother… she's raised a child… or five… I am sure she can handle yours unless he comes with some supersonic death ray that you don't want him shooting at anyone."

"Oh! I forgot to tell her about the…"

"Supersonic death ray?" Cristina asked with an incredulous look.

"Television remote…" She mumbled. "If she uses the wrong one, it could mess up the satellite signal… it takes forever for that to get…"

"Shut up and get out of the car, we're here."

"Can I have my phone?"

"Later… after you get a few drinks in you."

"I can't drink, I'm breastfeeding…"

"Not right this second you're not…" Cristina said as she grabbed Meredith's wrist and dragged her towards the doors.

--------------------

"Hi." A perky blonde woman said as she walked up to Derek, reading his name tag. "Doctor Shepherd." She said happily. "I'm Izzie Stevens…" She said with a happy grin. "I'm one of the new surgical interns… you're the… Neuro attending, right?"

"That's right." Derek said, smiling softly as he tried to be polite, his mind drifting as he watched Mark smirk at him across the table.

"It's so very nice to meet you, Dr. Shepherd. I'm very excited about the internship… I've been studying so hard… I've never been to Boston before, this is like… my second day and I've been feeling so overwhelmed… I'm actually from a small town near Seattle, and this is like, my first time in the big city, you know? I've never been to the big city before."

"Uh huh…" Derek nodded, pretending to be interested as he noticed Meredith and Cristina walking into the building. Meredith was chattering on and as soon as Cristina caught Derek's eye, her eyes widened and she mouthed the word 'help'. "Um…" Derek said as he started to stand up. "Please excuse me, Izzie… I have to go check… on something… This is Doctor Sloan… he's one of the plastics attendings…" Derek said with a grin as Mark shot him a wide eyed glare across the table. "I'm sure he has some interesting stories to tell…" Derek said as he walked away, glancing over his shoulder at a frustrated Mark as he shrugged and walked directly towards Meredith.

"Doctor Shepherd." The voice physically and emotionally pulled him from his target, making him recoil slightly as he turned around quickly.

"Doctor Grey." He smiled as he noticed her standing beside him. "How are… you doing this evening?" He asked with a smile as he tilted his head and smiled.

"I'm doing fine, Doctor Shepherd. I hope you're finding this mixer to be helpful to meet your new interns."

"Oh yes… I already met Doctor Stevens over there…" He said, nodding towards the young woman talking Mark's ear off with an animated giggle as Derek watched Ellis turn back to Derek and sigh.

"Just… have a good evening, Doctor Shepherd… and don't forget the rules…" She said as she shook her head, walking away from him.

"You have a good evening too, Doctor Grey." Derek said as he grinned sheepishly. His gaze moved and he immediately noticed when Meredith's eyes met with his. Instantly he could feel the temperature of his body rise several degrees, his mouth go dry as he tried to muster a smile. "How does she do this to me…?" He whispered to himself.

---------

"How does he do this to me?" She whispered to Cristina as she stood beside her as Cristina ordered a drink.

"Who?" Cristina asked as she looked up, watching Derek as he not so subtly watched her from across the room. "Oh…" She rolled her eyes. "I say the hell with it… you want to be with him, go be with him." Cristina shrugged.

"That would not bode well for us, Cristina… for our careers…"

"Oh come on, it's not going to get any worse than being the chief's daughter." Cristina muttered.

"You're the chief's daughter?" A nervous male voice came from beside them and they turned to see a nervous looking curly haired man standing wide eyed at the two of them. He became even more nervous with their attention on him. "George… George O'Malley…. First year intern." He said with a smile.

"Meredith Grey." Meredith said, shaking his hand with a smile. "This is Cristina Yang…" Meredith said politely, pushing the glass of liquor from in front of her with a glare to Cristina as Cristina pushed it closer to her.

"Grey?" George replied. "You are the chief's daughter…" He said with a smile. "You're… you're… very… very beautiful." George stammered.

"Yes, yes… and you're a suck up…" Cristina muttered as George took a step back.

"Don't mind her… she growls a lot, but she doesn't bite…" Meredith said, poking Cristina as she pretended to snarl at George.

"So… you pretty much know all of the doctors here, huh?"

"Some of them, yes." Meredith said politely.

"Some better than others…" Cristina muttered, promptly getting an elbow in her side.

"Maybe we could… um… maybe we'll be on a case sometime together, that would be cool." George stumbled as he spoke, his eyes on Meredith's as she nodded with a smile.

"Yeah… maybe…" She nodded, hearing Cristina snicker from beside her, she sent another elbow her way.

"Well… I'm… going to go and kind of meet some people… it was nice to meet you… Meredith."

"It was nice to meet you, George." She said with a smile as she watched him turn around and make his way across the floor. She turned around to a giggling Cristina and pushed her shoulder into her. "Stop laughing…" She said with an amused smirk as Cristina continued to giggle.

"Someone has a crush on you…" Cristina teased as Meredith growled.

"I'm going to go call Marion…" Meredith said as she turned around, nearly running directly into someone. "Oh!" She said, her eyes shooting up directly into his eyes, the smell of his cologne taking over her senses as she tried to control herself. "Excuse me." She whispered, her eyes sparkling as he smiled softly down at her.

"I'm Doctor Shepherd." He said with an amused smirk, taking a step back, he reached his hand out to her.

She looked at his hand with a bemused expression, her head tilting as she smiled at him. "Doctor Shepherd…" She said, shaking her head, hearing gagging noises from Cristina behind her. "I'm… Meredith." She said with a smile. "Meredith Grey." She said as she tenderly placed her hand in his, feeling the warmth of his body on hers made her instantly relax. He shook her hand tenderly as he very softly ran his thumb over her hand, his eyes never leaving hers. "It's nice to meet you, Doctor Shepherd." She whispered, a smile suddenly taking over her face as she forgot what she was doing.

"The pleasure is all mine…" Derek whispered as he watched her hand slip slowly from his as she began to blush.

"I…have to go… call about my son." She whispered as her eyes reflected a slight sign of panic as she pushed past him lightly and made her way through the room.

Derek sighed as he watched her disappear and he walked over to the bar, sitting beside Cristina. "Hey." Derek said as he gave her a sad smile.

"Hey…" Cristina said as she sipped her drink. "I thought we were supposed that we don't know you…"

"It doesn't work when you just say it out loud…" Derek rolled his eyes.

"Whatever… how's Markie doing?" She asked as she turned her head, watching him laugh with Izzie at the table, she rolled her eyes and turned back around, ordering another drink.

"He's keeping himself amused… this just sucks… she doesn't want to be here… I don't want to be here… You don't want to be here... Mark… well, Mark doesn't care where he is as long as there is liquor present… why the hell are we even here?"

"Networking, my friend." Cristina said as she slammed the drink down beside him. "Network this down your gullet and get nice and fuzzy… and it all won't matter."

"I can't." Derek sighed.

"Why not?"

"Because I have to be here for Meri…"

"Derek… she'll be fine… one little drink isn't going to kill you…"

Derek looked at the glass in front of him, swirling it in the glass, he looked at the consistency and color as he held it up to the light. "Are you sure about that?" He said, giving her a grossed out look as he set the glass down on the bar, watching as Cristina shrugged and drank it down.

--------------------

Derek sat at the table with Mark again, several interns had come and gone, introducing themselves to them both and Derek watched as Meredith would talk for a few minutes, and run out of the room again to use the phone. He secretly thanked his mother for her patience, and knew that Meredith was probably driving her crazy with her questions and reminders. He wanted to just hold her, let her know that everything was alright.

"Your mother should be elected for sainthood by the time tonight is over…" Mark said as he watched Meredith make her way across the room again, her cell phone in her hand.

"Tell me about it." Derek sighed. "I know she misses him… but she can't keep doing this…" Derek shook his head. "She's turning into an insane person."

"She needs to rest and relax." Mark said as he gave Derek a sly grin.

"She does…she needs to rest…" He replied, standing up.

"Where are you going?" Mark asked, watching Derek glance to Ellis across the room talking with a few people, and back to the doorway where Meredith had slipped out.

"I need to use the restroom…" Derek said as he casually walked around the room, slipping out one of the doors as Mark shook his head and chuckled to himself.

Derek walked down the quiet hallway, listening for her voice. He smiled softly as he heard her talking, her voice was full of anxiety as she talked on the phone, her instructions were clear and concise and he could hear the tears in her voice. He followed the melodic sound of her voice down through the hallways to an empty lounge and watched her for a moment as she sat in the chair, her head down as she talked into the phone.

He took a silent step into the room, standing before her, he was sure that she could see his feet in front of her, and slowly, her eyes lifted, climbing up his legs, body, chest, and finally to his face, where she lay her tear soaked eyes on him. She mumbled something into the phone, and watched as he slowly reached his hand out for it. His eyes were tender and full of love, and she knew that he didn't want to hurt her, she knew that it was all for the best. She slowly lifted the phone and placed it in his hand.

He lifted the phone to his ear, and sighed softly. "Mom?" He whispered into the line.

"Derek, honey?" His mother said, her voice concerned.

"How is the little one?" He asked softly, glancing down to Meredith as her ashamed look began to shift.

"He's doing very well… I just put him down for the night." She said softly into the line.

"Please give him a kiss from mommy and daddy… tell him that we'll be home as soon as we can… and that our hearts hurt terribly that we have to be away from him…" Derek whispered, his eyes still on Meredith's.

"I'll tell him." She whispered.

"We will talk to you when we get home." Derek said, raising his eyebrows at Meredith. "Thank you, Mom."

"I love you both…" She said softly as she hung the phone up.

Derek closed the phone slowly, his eyes staring directly into Meredith's as he crouched down to her level. "I love you." He whispered.

"I know." She whispered.

"I want you to be happy." He whispered.

"I know." She whispered.

"Here…" He said softly as he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "I'll trade you… this phone… for this picture." He said as he carefully pulled out a laminated paper from his wallet.

She turned the paper around, and on the other side was a picture of Richie, sleeping in his crib. "Derek." She whispered as she looked up into his eyes. "I…"

"You take that picture… and every time you want to call my mom… take a look at it." He whispered. "Because that's exactly how he looks right now… sleeping like a little prince, dreaming of his mommy…" Derek whispered.

"I miss him." She whispered.

"Of course you do." Derek shook his head. "Are you going to trade me?" he asked, nodding towards the picture.

"I'll…trade you." She whispered cautiously, her voice tiny and nervous.

"Good…" He whispered as he slipped his wallet back into his pocket. "I love you, Meredith."

"I love you." She whispered, looking down at the picture, and back up into his eyes.

"I'm going to want that back…when you're done with it…" He said, nodding to the picture. She smiled softly as she nodded, looking into his eyes. "Now… why don't we… nonchalantly, not so obviously, subtly, sashay our way back to the party." He said with a smile as he tilted his head.

"You don't sashay…" She giggled, wiping the tear from her cheek as she continued to look into his eyes.

"I could sashay… if I wanted to…" He replied as he reached his hand up to cup her cheek while she giggled. "Your laugh warms my soul." He whispered as he leaned forward.

She leaned forward as well, softly dropping a kiss on his lips as she felt him smile against it. "Your kiss warms mine." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

--------------------

The evening went by slowly, and Derek watched Meredith across the room as she talked with a few other interns. He was sure that he even saw her smile or laugh a little as she periodically reached her hand into her purse. He knew that she was touching the picture, and it made him happy to know that he could do a little something to make things easier for her.

Mark had taken to walking around the room, talking with all of the female interns as Cristina shot daggers in his direction at every chance she could. He chuckled to himself each time she'd walk past him and 'accidentally' step on his toe. First he'd look offended and then throw her one of those 'jealousy is hot' looks that she'd just smirk at and turn around, shaking her head.

The evening wound down and before they knew it, it was finally time to go home. Meredith had one more full day before work started, so she had planned on getting up early and taking Richie to the park with Derek. She signaled to Cristina that she was ready to go, and Mark was grabbed by Derek to make their exit. They walked towards the cars in the attendings lot and the four of them exchanged a look as Meredith headed for Derek's car and Mark went to Cristina's. They said a quick goodbye and Derek opened the passenger side door for Meredith. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips as he smiled and closed the door when she was securely inside.

He walked over to the driver's side and slipped inside and was instantly grabbed by her hand and pulled roughly towards her. She smashed her lips against his, dipping her tongue into his mouth as he reached his hand up and touched her cheek, moving his fingertips along her jaw line as he moved his hand beneath her hair, listening to her soft moans against his lips. She pulled her lips from his and her lusty stare was piercing into him as she smiled sweetly. "I have wanted to do that all night." She whispered.

Derek attempted to catch his breath as he smiled at her. "You and me both…" He whispered as he leaned in to kiss her nose. "Let's get home." He said with a smile as he started the car and they were on their way.

Derek drove home, their hands intertwined the entire way as he gently rubbed his thumb along her hand. "I'm very proud of you, Meri." He whispered in a low voice, his eyes on her for a moment before they returned to the road.

"There's nothing to be proud of…" She said softly. "I was a nervous wreck… you had to bribe me to give up my phone…" She sighed.

"I'm proud of you for coming out tonight… even if you weren't next to me for it, at least I was able to go somewhere with you." He smiled softly as he watched her smile appear slowly. He squeezed her hand and felt her head lean softly on his arm. He glanced over and noticed that her eyes were closed as she turned her face and buried it into his arm, taking a deep breath. He pulled into the driveway, and sat for a moment before moving his hand to park the car, and he wrapped his arm around her while he kissed her hair. "You ready, sweet thing?" He asked her softly as he kissed her once again.

"Yes." She whispered as she sat up carefully, reaching for the door handle.

Derek leapt from the car and ran around it, watching as she giggled at him pretending to almost fall as he reached the door handle. He swung the door open and laughed, reaching his hand out to her. "You should never have to open a door…" He said with a grin as she rolled her eyes and grasped his hand, giggling as she carefully climbed from the car.

"This will get old some day…" She laughed. "And when that happens… it will be a sad, sad day…" She said as he laughed and grabbed her hand, leading her up the porch to the house.

------

They unlocked the door and stepped inside, hearing the television in the family room, they hung their coats up and ventured in that direction. They walked into the family room to find Mrs. Shepherd sitting comfortably on the couch with Richie sleeping soundly in her arms. Meredith glanced to Derek quickly, as if asking for permission. He nodded lightly as he watched her face light up. "Mom… thank you so much for watching him…" Derek said with a smile as he watched Meredith carefully lift the baby from her arms.

"That's what grandmothers are for… to look after and to spoil…" She said softly as she watched Meredith cradle the sleeping baby in her arms, kissing his hair as she took a deep breath. "He was a little fussy about a half hour ago, so I brought him downstairs… I figured you'd be home soon anyway and would like to put him to bed." She said softly.

"Thank you for watching him…" Meredith whispered.

"And you see that, Meri… he's all in one piece… just like you left him." Derek said, getting a glare from both Meredith and his mother. "Geez… tough crowd…" He mumbled with a laugh as he watched Meredith with the little one. She kissed his hair over and over, his little mouth suckling as he smiled in his sleep. "Well… I think we're going to get to bed…" Derek said softly as he reached his hand out to Meredith.

Meredith looked up at Mrs. Shepherd again and smiled softly. "Thank you again for taking such good care of him…" She whispered.

"He's a very well behaved baby…" Mrs. Shepherd said softly. "A very sweet little soul." She smiled.

"Thank you." Meredith whispered as she carefully stood up holding the baby. "Goodnight, Mom." Meredith whispered as she smiled softly, holding the baby to her as she turned and walked towards the stairs.

Derek watched her leave the room slowly, her motions on the stairs were quick as she ascended them quickly. "I hope that you're being patient with her, Derek." Mrs. Shepherd said softly.

"Yes." Derek said turning his head to face his mother. "I'm sorry that she…"

"She was fine, Derek…she's young… and she doesn't know what he's thinking… so she's going to think the worst until she figures out what's best for her. She'll get used to it…"

"Goodnight, Mom. Thank you again…" He said softly as he smiled.

"It's never a problem, sweetheart. I'm going to sit down here and watch a little television before going to bed. You have pleasant dreams." She said softly as she smiled at him.

"Sweet dreams, Mom." He said softly as he turned for the stairs and climbed up them quickly.

------

Derek walked down the hallway to the nursery. He stepped inside to find Meredith sitting on the rocking chair in the corner, cuddling Richie close to her as she kissed him softly. "Are you coming to bed?" Derek whispered.

"I'll be there in a little while…" She said softly. "I just… want to sit with him for a little bit."

"That's fine." Derek said softly as he walked towards her. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek, running his hand across his son's head as he leaned down and kissed him softly. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you." She whispered back, giving him a sad smile as she continued to rock in the chair. Derek backed out of the room and gave her a sad smile as he sighed, leaving her alone with the baby as he made his way to their bedroom alone.

--------------------

Meredith sat in the rocking chair, her son cuddled against her. His hand reached out at some point and latched onto her shirt as she shifted him in the blanket she had wrapped around him. She listened to his gentle breathing as he cooed in his sleep, his lips smacking as he snored a tiny bit.

"Oh… you make as much noise when you sleep as your mommy…" She whispered as she gently rocked, slipping her thumb across his cheek as she felt his tender skin beneath her fingertips. "You're so precious to me…" She whispered. "So, so precious…" She said as she closed her eyes, allowing her fingers to gently run through his soft, sweet smelling hair as she breathed in his scent.

The tighter she closed her eyes, the faster the tears began to roll down her cheeks. She tried to control the sadness, to keep it inside, to deny it entry to the open, but it was no use. She was crying, and there was no stopping it. She had wished that she asked Derek to stay. She had wished that he was there beside her to hold her through this, but she knew that this wasn't his battle. This wasn't his internal struggle, this wasn't for him to see, to experience. It was her pain, her worry, her sadness. She held onto that little bundle tightly as some of the most horrifying thoughts flashed before her mind.

Forgotten birthdays, lonely Christmases, summer vacations spent in the library. She thought of all the times she'd come home from school with a pretty picture or a project that she had made, only to be greeted by the nanny or some other person who was 'babysitting' her. She thought of all of the times she spent in the daycare center of the hospital, coloring, coloring, coloring… avoiding and not speaking to the other children, just coloring and minding her own business. She thought of all of those times alone, all of those times that she had asked her mother to sit with her, to talk to her, to explain something to her and all of the times that she had been dismissed, yelled at, all but spit on for asking a simple 'why?'. She thought of the way that her mother looked at her when she would fall down and scrape her knee, the look in her eyes when she would cry. She thought of the way that she spoke of her father, calling him weak and stupid, calling him a sad excuse for a human being. She thought of all of the times her mother had called her weak, all of the times that she said she would never amount to anything to anyone, all of the times she left her to be someone else's burden.

She cried so softly, her tears splashing against her sleeve as she gently rocked her son. Her eyes were closed tightly, and after a moment, she realized that someone was there with her in the room, someone was touching her hand.

Meredith opened her eyes and found herself looking into the tender blue eyes of Mrs. Shepherd. She was kneeling beside the chair, letting her cry as she gently held her son, rocking him back and forth as he slept. Meredith gasped slightly in surprise, not expecting anyone to be there. She said not a word, only held her hand on Meredith's as she waited.

"I don't want to be her." She whimpered, her face showing so much pain. "Please… please don't let me turn into her… I never, ever want to be her… I don't want to be her… please…" Meredith sobbed as she shook her head. "I never… I'm so sorry…" She whispered to the baby as she rocked in the chair, cuddling him even closer. "I'm so sorry I left you today, Richie… I'm so sorry… I am so sorry…" She whimpered as she closed her eyes tightly. She felt as Mrs. Shepherd squeezed her hand softly. "I'm so sorry…" She whispered as she opened her eyes and looked into Mrs. Shepherd's eyes. "I'm messed up…" She whispered, sniffling as she swallowed hard.

"You're not messed up, sweetheart." She whispered, shaking her head.

"Yes I am…" she said softly. "I can't leave him without having an anxiety attack…" She whispered. "I had to have driven you crazy today… calling you seven million times… I had to have made you hate me… or want to leave, or just go home where you can ignore us…"

"I'd never ignore you." She whispered. "And I don't think you were a bother at all." She shook her head. "You're his mother… you're the one that has been with him since the day he was conceived… you have every right to be attached to him…"

"But like this? I mean… to honestly consider giving up a career in medicine because I can't stand to be away from my son?"

"You're not going to give up on your career." She shook her head. "You're just afraid right now…" She whispered. "It may seem like the most logical option… your mother was in medicine… and she didn't have a lot of time on her hands to really be there for you the way that you wanted her to be… but you're not her, sweetheart… you're not anyone but yourself…I'm not saying that your mother didn't love you… and I'm not saying that she didn't want to take care of you… but she was alone… she was by herself raising a little girl who she wanted to be just as strong as she felt that she was. She always had good intentions, and she always wanted you to be happy… but I don't think she understood the way that a child's mind works… do you understand what I mean? Maybe it was her own upbringing… maybe it was the stress of being one of the first legendary female neurosurgeons…maybe…"

Meredith chuckled in her tears as she shook her head. "Legendary?"

"She wanted to be legendary, Meredith… she wanted to be better than everyone else and in her time, in her experiences, you had to be fearless… you had to be strong, and you could never, ever show any vulnerability…or someone would be there to pick up the slack, take it all away from you and say that you were no good." She whispered. "You love your son… and you want to be with him… that's a start… and you understand how important he is to you… and you understand how important your career is… and you have Derek… and he loves you… he loves you so much… that he would take any slack from you… any vulnerability… he's there to lift you right back up… not tear you down and take your place. But… deep down inside… you're not acting any different than any other first mother…" She said as she touched Meredith's cheek with her hand.

"I'm crazy…" Meredith whispered.

"Meredith… Nancy was my first…" She whispered as she shook her head and laughed. "The first day that I left her with a sitter… I circled around the block, parked a block away… snuck up to the window and watched them through the living room window… I was so scared." She said with a wistful sigh.

Meredith tried not to laugh, her smile was small as she felt her tears slowly disappearing.

"That's not the worst part…" She said with a giggle, shaking her head. "The babysitter saw someone peeking in the window and ended up calling the police…" She said as she laughed.

"You're kidding!" Meredith exclaimed in a whisper, her mouth open in surprise.

"No… no… and the next thing I know, they're trying to arrest me for peeking into my own house… I just wanted to watch my baby girl… I was so scared… " She said with a giggle as Meredith giggled. "So you see… as long as the police don't show up at your house… you're not doing anything wrong… just being a mother… that's all…" She said as she watched Meredith's grip loosen on the baby. "And besides… you should at least try the whole career thing… right? You love medicine… and as long as you and Derek try to balance your time out… you'll be able to provide Richie with an environment filled with love and affection… and give him all of the things he's ever wanted."

"I love you, Marion…" Meredith whispered. "I love you so much… I don't even know how to express it any other way…" Meredith said as she reached her free arm out, pulling Mrs. Shepherd into her embrace.

"You just keep being a good mom… and I'll be here to be a good grandmom…" She said as she hugged the young woman tightly, holding her securely in her arms.

"Derek was so lucky to have a mother like you." Meredith whispered as she pulled from the hug, looking her in the eyes as she whimpered a little.

"Derek… is lucky for a lot of things." Mrs. Shepherd said as she looked Meredith in the eyes. "But most importantly, he's lucky that he has someone who loves him as much as you do… and someone who takes care of his son and his heart… as well as you do. He loves you so much, Meredith… and you take care of him better than anyone that I've ever known." She smiled softly. "I love you too." She hugged her tightly as she looked down at Richie in her arms.

"I should get back to him." Meredith whispered, looking up at Mrs. Shepherd with a worried glance. "He's been taking such good care of me… I need to thank him…" She whispered as she looked down at the baby in her arms.

"Here…" Mrs. Shepherd whispered as she lifted the baby from Meredith's arms so that she could stand up. Meredith stood up and carefully lifted the baby from her hands and Mrs. Shepherd watched as she carefully placed him in his crib, covering him with the blanket. "Sweet dreams, little prince." She whispered as she looked up at Mrs. Shepherd smiling over at her.

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about, Meredith. He's always going to know that he's loved." She said, giving her a squeeze as she smiled at her. They walked together out into the hallway and Mrs. Shepherd smiled softly at Meredith. "Sweet dreams, Meredith."

"Goodnight, Mom." She said with a smile, a little bit of a happier smile as she took a step down the hallway. "Thank you…" She whispered. "Thank you for everything…"

Mrs. Shepherd smiled as she watched the young woman move quickly down the hallway towards her bedroom, smiling softly, she turned towards her bedroom to settle in for the night.

Meredith stepped into the bedroom quietly. He had left the bedside table light on so that she could find her way to her side of the bed. She smiled softly as she slipped out of her clothes and into a pair of sweats, and a sweatshirt, and stood above him for a moment. He was laying on his side, his mouth slightly open as he snored a bit in his sleep. She smiled at his sleeping form as she rolled onto the bed, switching off the bedside light. She hadn't even gotten close to him yet and she felt him move, his arm instantly around her as he pulled her into him.

"How did you know I was here?" She whispered.

"I could feel you." He whispered softly into her shoulder as she curled into his arms.

"I like that." She whispered softly.

"I do too." He replied, nuzzling her neck as he kissed her softly as they settled into a peaceful, love filled slumber.