Short filler, but the baby has a name! This is my SECOND UPDATE TODAY, so make sure you don't accidentally miss any chapters :)
Derek raised an eyebrow at his wife when she plopped down in the passenger seat of their car and immediately ripped her shoes off. Relief flooded her features as soon as the offending items hit the floor.
"I can't stand shoes anymore," she announced.
"Not even the ones that were helping before?" he asked.
"None. My feet don't want to be trapped. All shoes are just…extremely uncomfortable," she explained.
"Because your feet hurt, or is it something else?" Derek wondered.
"My feet always hurt, that part I'm used to. But they're very…sensitive lately. It's like I can feel my shoes at all times. I don't know how to explain it," she shrugged.
"That does seem extremely uncomfortable," he agreed.
"It is. I like to run them along your calves though. That feels good," she smiled at him.
"Hmm, come to think of it you have been doing that a lot lately," he realized.
"Yeah, I think it's the hair. It's all soft and fluffy," Meredith sighed.
Derek smiled at her. While she'd become increasingly more cuddly over time, lately Meredith wanted to have some sort of contact with him all the time. He wondered if she wasn't just more sensitive in general lately.
They discussed the day's surgeries on the ferry ride, and Derek was just about to take a left towards their land when Meredith stopped him.
"Go to McDonald's," she demanded.
"McDonald's?" he nearly cringed at the idea. He wasn't as much of a health nut as he once was, but McDonald's was a line he wouldn't cross.
"Yes," she nodded firmly.
With a sigh and a chuckle, he turned right and headed towards the drive through.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"A 10 piece McNugget, a McDouble, a medium order of fries, and an Oreo McFlurry," she stated eargerly.
"Okay then," Derek chose not to comment on how much food that would be. He simply placed the order, paid, and handed the bag to his very eager wife.
She moaned the second she bit into the burger, "God, this is what I've needed all day."
"McDonald's and bare feet? You're an easy woman to please today," Derek joked.
Meredith giggled, "Shut up. I'm having your child, you have to be nice to me."
"I just bought you McDonald's, I'm perfectly nice to you," he pointed out.
"Yeah, but you're nice then you mock me," she argued.
"If you weren't so adorably worthy of mocking, I wouldn't have to," he stated.
"Just bring me home," she laughed.
"Yes, dear," he replied with a smile.
Later on, Derek found himself snuggled very close to his wife. She was rubbing her bare feet along his calves, just like she'd mentioned earlier, while he was following Tater's kicks around her belly. Their baby had gotten stronger since he'd first felt her, and feeling her kick had become his favorite way to unwind after a long shift.
"What are we going to name her?" Meredith asked.
Derek shrugged, "Do you want to go through the list again?"
"I still like Charlotte," Meredith admitted.
"I'm a fan of Danielle," Derek countered.
Meredith thought for a moment before she met Derek's eyes, "This one isn't on the short list, but I can't get it out of my head."
"What is it?" he encouraged.
"Sarah…well, Sarah Anne," Meredith told him, biting her lower lip.
"Sarah Anne Shepherd," Derek tried it out.
"I like it a lot, but it's okay if you don't," Meredith assured him.
"Sarah Anne…I think it's absolutely perfect," he beamed.
"You do?" she smiled.
"I do," he promised.
"So our baby has a name, then," she reveled.
"Our baby girl has a name," Derek confirmed.
Meredith rested a loving hand on her abdomen, "Hi, Sarah. Mommy and
Daddy can't wait to meet you."
"Okay, Mer," Cristina began as she sat at the cafeteria table Meredith was occupying, "the shower is going to be February 21st."
"Sounds fine," Meredith agreed.
"Do you have any opinions on the guest list?" her friend asked.
"No," Meredith shook her head, "I trust you to figure it out."
Cristina rolled her eyes, "You're immensely helpful."
"And you're the one who's throwing the shower. You'll figure it out. I have faith in you," Meredith laughed.
"Why are you so giddy today? Aren't you supposed to be fat and exhausted and set against wearing shoes?" she quipped.
"Because my baby and I are happy and healthy. I have a wonderful husband who's been going out of his way to make this pregnancy easier on me, and now my baby has a name," she gushed.
"She has a name? What is it?" Cristina demanded.
"If I tell you, you can't tell anyone. I don't want to hear anyone's opinion on it, and I definitely don't want you incorporating it into the shower," Meredith informed her.
"Fine, fine. I won't tell," Cristina swore.
Meredith looked up and saw Izzie, George, and Alex moving toward their table. She'd have to make this quick.
"Her name is Sarah. Sarah Anne Shepherd," Meredith spit out.
Cristina's features softened, "It's a pretty name. It fits."
"You think?" she smiled.
"I do," Cristina nodded.
Their other friends slammed trays onto the table before anything more could be said.
"You guys, it's been so long since we've all had lunch together," Izzie beamed.
The rest of the table's occupants were far less excited, but they all nodded in agreement.
"How are you feeling, Mer?" George asked politely.
"I'm good, George. My baby and I are both healthy, and that's really all I can ask for at this point," she shrugged.
"Speaking of your baby," Izzie began only to be cut off by everyone at once.
"Cristina is in charge of the shower," they stated.
Izzie's jaw practically hit the ground, "I wasn't…that's not."
"Cut the crap, Iz. That's exactly what you were bringing up," Alex insisted.
Izzie sighed dramatically and stood, "I just want to make sure the party is fun and not a dark twisty mess! I have patients to check on."
She stormed away without saying anything more.
"That's gotta be a new record," Cristina quipped.
"For sure," Alex agreed.
"I don't think she made five minutes today," George added.
"You think she'll ever stop doing the storming off thing?" Meredith asked.
Everyone at the table laughed. They knew she wouldn't, but they also wouldn't have it any other way.