Hello, everyone! Once again I'm very late with an update, but my original document got deleted and before I could rewrite it my finals began. Anyway, I will be posting several chapters in the next few days and hopefully I'll be able to keep it up this summer. Anyway, without further ado, here it is!

Chapter 21

Derek woke up early the next day. Michael had been restless during the night and he now saw that the kid had managed to twist himself the other way round and was sleeping with his head slightly hanging over the edge of the bed. He gently lifted him to a safer position and went to brush his teeth. He then changed, made himself a cup of coffee and went outside to watch the dawn. Though most of the puddles had dried during the night, the air was thick with the smell of dew.

Savoring his coffee, Derek had thousands of thoughts racing through his head. Now that he spent time with Michael he knew he wanted more. He knew he could never make up for the 3 years spent apart. Then he thought of Meredith. His anger with her has all but vanished. He could not go on condemning her. This was about Michael. Still, there was a bitter taste in his mouth when thinking she kept Michael away from him for the first few years. "Idiot! You never returned her calls!" he thought. But then another thought crossed his mind. "But she just gave up. She should have tried harder. I deserved to know!" he thought savagely. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He was getting a headache. He took another sip of coffee. It had turned cold.

The sun had risen by now. The air was becoming warmer. Derek still sat there, lost in thought. It was becoming harder to separate his emotions now. He was feeling torn between his anger at Meredith and a lingering feeling of love. Was it love? Maybe it was just a weird bond they will always have. But what if...

"Mornin' " said a voice from somewhere behind him.

Derek turned around. Barefoot, sleepy, rubbing his eyes, Michael had come out to check on him. "Hey, there, sport! Don't come out here until you get some shoes on." He looked at his coffee. His cup was still half full and completely cold. He took Michael by the hand, threw away the remnants of his coffee and helped his son wash and change.

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of cereal each. Michael had some trouble because of his hand and spilled milk all over himself and the table. After cleaning up and giving his son a change of clothes, Derek sat down to plan the next few days with him.

"So, we could go to the park, or the zoo. How's that sound?"

"Yeah, I want the zoo! I've never been!"

"You've never been to the zoo?!" Michael shook his head. "Well, we better change that pronto!" Derek smiled at the expression on Michael's face.

They called Meredith, she wished them to have a good time and Michael basically flew into the car. Derek forgot to pack a sandwich and Michael soon said he was hungry. Apparently car rides caused him hunger for some reason. Derek managed to find some chocolates and gave them to him. They only made him even more excited and loud. He began spouting out facts about animals at an alarming rate. Derek didn't mind though. He was surprised to see just how much he knew. He laughed as the 'Are we there yet?' questions began.

Eventually they were there and Michael all but jumped out the car while it was still moving. In retrospect, the candy might not have been such a great idea. Derek bought the tickets and allowed Michael to drag him through the entrance. They consulted a map depicting all the animals in the zoo.

"Where do you want to go first?" Derek asked. Michael pointed to the left of the map. The big-cat enclosures. "Lions it is!"

"And tigers! And leopards! And cheetahs!" with each new animal Michael would jump.

"OK, OK! But I'm gonna want to hear more about that camouflage thing!" Derek smiled

Meredith was walking down the hallway when she saw Lexie coming the other way. She raised a hand in salute and opened her mouth to speak, when her sister dashed sideways into the bathroom, looking rather pale. Startled, Meredith followed her in and heard retching noises coming from the nearest stall. She swallowed hard and leaned against a sink.

Finally, there was a flushing sound and Lexie came out looking even paler. "That was horrible." she whispered and went to wash her hands and mouth.

"Morning sickness?"

Lexie groaned. She threw some water over her face. "It's just getting worse."

"Oh, yes...I remember that. Don't worry, it will pass in a couple of weeks."

Lexie stopped halfway through wiping her face. "A few weeks!?" she turned to look her sister in the eye. "I can't keep doing this for a couple of weeks! Yesterday I had to run out of a surgery because...you know...oh, you get the picture!" she threw the paper towel with rather shaky hands.

Meredith put an arm around her. "Relax, Lexie. Nothing's gonna happen. So you will miss a few surgeries? Big deal! You'll still be the best resident in your year and kick everybody's ass."

Lexie still look dejected. "I'm still scared as hell...Does that ever go away?"

"No. It never does. Because that baby is a part of you, the most important person in your life. And you will always want to keep him safe. That's why you are afraid now and that's why you will be even more so after he is born. When Michael broke his hand I was scared out of my mind. I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant because I wan't sure I could do it on my own. But I did and it's the best thing I've ever done. So, the fear may never go away, but it's more than worth it. And you will not be alone. You have Mark and me and Izzie and Christina and everybody...and Michael's already going on and on about helping out with the baby." she added with a smile.

Lexie smiled despite herself. "Thank you." she said quietly. They hugged.

"OK, let's get out of this smelly bathroom and get something to eat."

"Oh, God, please nothing with chicken in it!"

"You love chicken!"

"Well...the baby doesn't."

Meredith laughed. "Deal." They walked together to the cafeteria, discussing Derek spending the weekend with Michael.

"So, has he driven Derek nuts yet?" Lexie asked.

"I don't think so. They both sounded pretty happy. Anyway, if he hasn't he probably will soon. Derek's taking him to the zoo."

"Oh, yes." Lexie nodded knowingly. "Michael really does love animals."

"Yeah, I think it's cute."

"Well, it is! I mean, he's a smart kid! I love listening to him! And trust me I was way worse when I was his age. Drove my sister up the walls on a daily basis. Derek should be fine"

"Just as long as they don't get into trouble."

Derek and Michael managed to stay trouble free the whole day. After the big cats they went to the ape enclosures and then viewed a variety of exotic birds. After that they grabbed lunch and a peacock nearly ate Michael's fries, which the 3-year-old found very amusing. Before going to the petting zoo, Derek bought him an ice cream and Michael got to feed all the baby animals and ride the ponies. Then followed some herbivores, including zebras. One of the got really close to the fence and people could reach out and pet it. Derek held Michael up in order for him to reach. The youngster got thoroughly excited.

Despite a few protests, Derek took Michael to the reptile house. The humid air, dark spaces and creepy crawlers were giving Derek the chills and he was keen to get out of there sooner. Michael wouldn't budge until he saw all the snakes, lizards and iguanas. Derek physically shivered when a particularly large boa constrictor slithered right up to the glass which, in Derek's opinion, was too thin to be safe. He backed away slowly.

Fortunately for him, the next animal, the crocodile, was the last one and they were finally out in fresh air. After a few steadying breaths Derek led his son to the aquarium to see dolphins, sharks, stingrays and a myriad of multicolored tropical fish. Michael once again launched into details about all the species he saw. It was getting a little hard for Derek to pay attention as the kid rarely paused. He began to doubt he even took a breath. A few people were listening in and smiled rather impressed towards Derek, who felt himself swell with pride.

They finished the day by watching the tiny meerkats prepare their burrow for the night and the giant elephants throwing water over their backs. It had been an oddly warm day for this time of year. Derek was becoming increasingly desperate for a shower. He bought his son a balloon in the shape of a lion and other souvenirs and they went home. Michael was a little tired himself and was rather quiet in the car. Derek thought he fell asleep when he eventually spoke up.

"Will you and mommy get together?"

Derek was entirely caught by surprise. He watched Michael in the rear view mirror. He looked rather sad. "Hey, why the long face? Today we had fun, right?"

"Yeah...but kids were there with their mommy and daddy and I want you to be together to. So...?"

Derek chose his words carefully. "Well...buddy...the situation with your mom and I is kinda complicated."

"That's what everyone says." he looked back at his hands. "I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?"

Without looking up, Michael went on. "Well, kids are suppose to come when mommy and daddy love each other. Mommy loves you, but I met you only now and you are not together."

Derek swallowed hard. "Meredith loves me?"

Michael shrugged. "She said so. I heard her talk to aunt Christina." Silence fell between them. "Do you love her?" Michael said eventually.

"That, son, is a good question" Derek thought. "I guess...I do" he looked again in the rear view mirror. Michael was now staring at him expectantly. "Listen, I care about your mother very much and who knows what may happen one day." he surprised himself with that last part. Did e really want that?

Michael looked ad again. "I'm just scared for you to go away. We always have so much fun and you're my daddy!"

"Exactly, we have a lot of fun!" he wanted to reach out and comfort his son, but seeing as he was driving it was impossible. "Today was the best day of my life, I'm being serious! And I'm sorry I've been absent for so long, believe me! But don't worry, I'll be around for a long time now. And in the meantime, we have another whole day together. We can go to that new theme park up North! So, come on, cheer up. I'll order a pizza and we can watch the stars tonight."

"OK!" Michael said with a smile.

They had pizza outside, watching the sun set over Seattle. Michael was fascinated by the gigantic network of lights that came on at nightfall. Stomachs full, they lay on their backs for a while and Derek pointed out various stars and constellations to Michael before ushering him to bed.

Derek couldn't fall asleep. Once again, his head was full of questions. He looked towards his son, sleeping peacefully. Yes, this was all about him now. He had to do his best to offer him a proper family.

I wrote this rather quickly so if it seems rather rushed I apologize. I was going to add more scenes with Lexie and Mark, but I decided not to in order to have more in the next chapter. I'm keen to move this story further so very soon, so very soon it might skip a few months later. Also, there's going to be some more cute scenes with Derek, Meredith and Michael.

Hopefully I will update within the next 3 or 4 days, I just need to plan out few chapters.

Hope you liked this one! :)