"And your nausea has gotten better since you've entered the second trimester?"
"Yes," Meredith said from the exam table, one hand gripping Derek's as the other hand rested on her belly that was already slightly swollen.
"Excellent," Dr. Cooper smiled as she made a note in Meredith's chart. "Let's get to the fun part, shall we?"
"Definitely," Derek said, smiling at Meredith as she settled back on the table and lifted her shirt over her stomach.
"I see you're already showing a bit," Dr. Cooper smiled as she covered Meredith's lower stomach in cool gel.
"I am," Meredith smiled, looking over at Derek. "We still haven't told anyone. We want to make sure that everything is okay."
"Well, we'll take care of that right now," Dr. Cooper smiled as she turned the monitor to face Derek and Meredith. "Alright, this is your uterus, and right here...is your baby."
"Oh, Mer," Derek breathed, feeling his heart constrict in his chest. They'd seen the baby a couple months before when it was no larger than a spot on the screen. But now he was looking at an actual baby. His baby, inside of his wife.
"He's beautiful," Meredith whispered, reaching for his hand without taking his eyes off of the screen. "Look at his hands, Derek."
"They're moving," Derek whispered. "This is…amazing."
"Would you like to hear the heartbeat again?" Dr. Cooper asked.
"Is that a question?" Meredith breathed.
Dr. Cooper smiled warmly and flipped a switch, causing a soft wooshing sound to fill the room. "Good and strong."
"He's so strong, Mer," Derek breathed, turning to press a kiss to her cheek. "Listen to that."
"And he has a spine," Meredith breathed.
"A perfect spine," Derek nodded in approval.
"Everything looks perfect," Dr. Cooper nodded. "Baby Shepherd is on track for development, heartbeat is steady. You're about fourteen weeks along, looking at a due date of July 15."
"July," Meredith nodded. "That's so far away."
"He needs a chance to grow," Derek whispered.
"I'll take some pictures for you," Dr. Copper said, clicking a few more buttons.
"I want to keep watching him," Meredith said, watching her baby's arms move slightly.
"I'll tell you a secret," Dr. Cooper smiled. "One of the good things about being a doctor is that you can come up whenever it's quiet to look at your baby."
"Which we will be doing frequently," Derek smiled softly.
"And at your next scheduled appointment we'll do another ultrasound to determine the sex of your baby," Dr. Cooper smiled.
"It's a boy," Meredith nodded. "I can feel it."
"Mothers are usually right about these things," Dr. Cooper said as she shut the machine off and reached to wipe the gel off of Meredith's stomach. "Do you have any other questions for me?"
"She's been working a lot," Derek commented. "She's less exhausted right now, but I'm still worried that she's putting too much stress on herself."
"And I keep telling him that I'm fine," Meredith rolled her eyes. "He just worries too much."
Dr. Cooper smiled as she reached for Meredith's chart again. "A lot of fathers to be worry a lot," she said. "And I trust Meredith to know her limits. It's not just you anymore. If your body is telling you to slow down it means your baby needs the rest too. Take it easy, try to get a stool in the OR if it's a long surgery. Taking care of yourself will take care of your baby as well."
"I know," Meredith nodded. "Bailey just had a baby so…she gets it."
"Good," Dr. Cooper nodded, reaching out to pat Derek on the shoulder. "Hang in there, Dr. Shepherd, you have nothing to worry about. Your fiancé and baby are both in excellent shape."
"Thank you," Derek smiled at her as she reached for the door.
"I'll see you in a few months," Dr. Cooper said before she disappeared out the door.
"Wow," Meredith sighed as she pulled her shirt back down and shifted to sit in Derek's lap, both of their hands automatically moving to rest on her stomach. "We just saw our baby."
"And he's perfect," Derek nodded.
"Do we have to go back to work?" Meredith whispered.
"We do," Derek said. "But tonight…tonight I can spend all night enjoying these."
Meredith giggled as his hand moved to cup her breasts. "They're not sore today," she whispered in his ear. "Which means they're all yours to play with."
"Hmmmm," Derek sighed, nibbling gently at her neck.
Meredith leaned her head back, allowing pleasure to wash over her body at his touch. He'd taken to touching her a lot more since they'd found out about her pregnancy, and she loved it. It had been hard at first when she'd been sick all the time and her breasts had been so sore it hurt to put a bra on. But now she'd started feeling better over the past couple weeks, and since she'd given Derek permission to touch her again the sex had been completely amazing. She'd felt more pleasure than she'd ever felt in her life, and she knew that Derek was enjoying the changes in her body as well.
Before they could get too involved in what they were doing a beeping interrupted the room and Meredith looked down at her pager. "It's Christina," she said.
"She can wait."
"No," Meredith giggled. "It's a 114."
"What's 114?" Derek frowned, pulling back from her.
"Backwards for 411," Meredith said, standing and rearranging her shirt. "It means she has gossip."
"You'd rather get gossip instead of sex?" Derek asked.
"Sex later," she promised, kissing him deeply before pulling him to his feet. "Gossip now."
"Fine," Derek laughed, following her out of the room and to the concourse looking into Richard's office.
"Christina!" Meredith cried when she saw her best friend looking over the concourse into Richard's office. "What's going on?"
"Major case just came in," Christina said without taking her eyes off of the scene before her. "Some hot shot doctors from New York are here, Richard's been locked in his office with one of them all morning."
"What's the case?" Meredith asked, trying to peer into the office to see the mystery guest.
"Neuro," Christina said. "Some kid. I'm surprised they haven't paged you, McDreamy."
"I'm not technically on today," Derek said as he frowned down at his pager. "Came in for our… to see Mer and decided to round on some patients."
"Oh my God," Meredith said suddenly, and Derek immediately turned his attention to her.
"What is it?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
"I…I'm fine," Meredith nodded, shoving his protective hand off of his stomach. "I just…water. I'm thirsty. Can you get me some water?"
"Sure," Derek nodded slowly. "You sure you're okay?"
"Fine," Meredith nodded. "Just thirsty. Really really thirsty. Please hurry?"
"Okay," Derek nodded before he turned to walk away from them.
"Whipped," Christina rolled her eyes.
"He's not whipped," Meredith said, biting her lower lip carefully.
"Why'd you get rid of him?" Christina asked. "You're thinking and you obviously were trying to get rid of him, so…what's going on?"
"That's Mark," Meredith almost whispered, looking straight into Richard's office at the sight of Mark Sloan. He looked different somehow, but she couldn't focus on that right now. The only thing she could think about was how Derek was going to react when he found out Mark was in his hospital.
"Who's Mark?"
"Derek's former best friend," Meredith said. "He slept with his wife."
"Ouch," Christina said. "Does this mean that McDreamy's going to become all tough with McSteamy?"
"Mark is not steamy," Meredith rolled her eyes. "And…I'm not sure how Derek will react."
Before Christina could respond, Meredith straightened her stance, her eyes wide as she looked at the door to Richard's office where Mark was shaking hands with the chief. And then Mark Sloan was on his way towards her. He stopped as soon as he saw her, their eyes meeting for a long moment, and Christina laughed from beside her. "This is too good," she said. "All we need is McDreamy to show up."
"Christina," Meredith rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as Mark stopped in front of her.
"Dr. Grey," he nodded.
"Dr. Sloan."
"I um…" Mark was silent for a moment before his eyes landed on her left hand. "You and Shep are doing well?"
"We're fine," Meredith said curtly. "What the hell are you doing here? Derek is going to freak out."
"It's not what you think," Mark said softly. "We didn't…"
"We?" Meredith snapped. "Addison's here too?"
"Yes, but…"
"So you thought you could just come out here to Derek's hospital and show him how happy you are with his ex-wife?" Meredith demanded. "Did you bring a bunch of pictures of your precious daughter that you got his wife pregnant with? Do you want to make him miserable? Because he's finally completely happy, he has everything he's ever wanted and you're going to ruin that for him. I can't imagine what could possibly be worth making a good man miserable."
"My daughter has a brain tumor!" Mark exclaimed.
That she hadn't been expecting. Meredith stopped in surprise, her hand automatically going to her stomach, imagining how traumatized she would be if her baby would ever grow a brain tumor. "A brain tumor?" she whispered.
"Yes," Mark said. "We checked her in, and Addison's with her now. We found her…" his voice trailed off slightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose tightly. And Meredith recognized that as the same thing Derek did when he was trying not to cry. "We found her seizing in her crib. We took her to the children's hospital in New York and they told us that we should go to Seattle to see the best neurosurgeon in the country. Derek Shepherd."
"It's that bad?" Meredith whispered, suddenly feeling compassion for the man she had always hated because of the pain he had caused Derek.
"She's eighteen months old," Mark breathed. "And she has a brain tumor."
"I'm so sorry," Meredith whispered.
"And the worst part is," Mark breathed. "Is that one of the only people who can save her hates both her mother and I."
Meredith nodded slowly before she reached out to place a hand on Mark's arm. "Derek won't let her suffer," she said. "Not when…well, he won't let an innocent girl suffer."
"You think so?" Mark asked, hope springing into his eyes.
Meredith opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything there was a fist swinging in front of her and Mark was knocked to the floor.
"Derek!" she cried.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped.
She blinked in surprise before she realized what he must have thought and shook her head vehemently. "No," she said. "Derek…it's not like that."
"What the hell are you doing here?" Derek shouted as Mark stumbled to his feet. "Did you get bored with my ex-wife and decide to come after my fiance?"
"Derek," Meredith cried, pushing him out of the way. "Stop!"
"Why are you defending him?" Derek demanded.
"She didn't do anything," Mark said. "And I came to see you."
"You have got to be kidding," Derek snapped. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that I never wanted to see you ever again."
"I need your help," Mark insisted. "We need your help."
"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Derek said. "You must be completely delusional."
"Derek," Meredith said softly. "Listen to him."
Derek glanced between her and Mark for a moment before he shook his head. "I can't believe this," he said before he turned and walked away from them.
"Derek!" she cried, trying to follow him. "What are you doing?"
"Leaving before I say something I don't mean," Derek snapped. "I can't…I need to think."
"Derek, nothing is going on…I don't…you can't possibly think that anything is going on between Mark and I," she said. "I haven't even seen him in two years. I love you."
"I know," Derek nodded. "But I…what the hell were you doing with him?"
"I just saw him in the hall," Meredith whispered. "But Derek…he really does need your help."
"I'm not doing anything for him," Derek said firmly. "Or Addison. Ever."
"Derek," she sighed, stopping as he hurried ahead of her, obviously not wanting her to follow him.
"I can't," his voice came over his shoulder. "I just can't."
Meredith sighed as she looked up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to figure out how her day had possibly gone from so good to so bad in a matter of minutes. It was less than an hours ago that she and Derek had seen their baby and been ecstatic. Now his life had just been turned completely upside down and she wasn't sure if he was going to let her in to help him deal with it.
She was still for a moment before she turned and headed towards the children's wing, hoping that when Derek calmed down he would come to her. And if he did, when he did, she would need to have answers.
"Chart for Alissa Sloan, please," she requested. When it was given to her she glanced through it for a moment before she noted the room number and quickly made her way to the room. She hovered in the doorway for a moment, peeking around the corner to see Addison lying in bed with a tiny girl in her arms. Her daughter was a baby, sleeping quietly as Addison stared down at her and gently stroked her silky red hair.
It was probably her pregnancy, but Meredith felt a sudden burst of emotion at the sight before her. And she could only hope with everything inside of her that she would never be in the position that Addison was right now.
With a deep breath, she stepped into the room and smiled hesitantly at Addison.
"Meredith," Addison said, looking up from her daughter. She was still for a moment before she slid off of the bed and stood before her. "I um…I heard that you were out here with Derek."
"Yes," Meredith nodded. "I um…I just saw Mark. I'm so sorry about your daughter."
Tears filled Addison's eyes. "We need Derek," she whispered. "I know…he has every reason to hate us. What we did to him was so horrible, and I know that he hates us. But our baby…she's everything. She's so perfect, and she doesn't deserve to suffer because her parents are horrible people."
"I know," Meredith nodded. "And once he calms down Derek will realize that too."
"He knows?"
"He didn't get past the part of punching Mark," Meredith said.
"He punched Mark?" Addison's eyes widened.
"His temper hasn't changed a bit," Meredith said with a soft smile.
"Apparently not," Addison sighed, turning back to the bed as she heard a soft whimper. "It's okay, sweetheart."
"Mommy…"
"Mommy's here."
Meredith was silent as she watched Addison press a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. When Alissa had settled down again, Addison turned back to Meredith. "Is Mark okay?"
"He's fine," Meredith nodded. "He's…well, I think he needs to talk to Derek."
"You need to talk to him," Addison corrected. "He trusts you. He loves you. He'll listen to you."
"I tried," Meredith said. "When he calms down I'll try again."
"Thank you," Addison whispered, fear evident in her eyes. And in that moment, Meredith couldn't help feeling sorry for the other woman.
XXXXX
"Can I come in?"
Derek didn't stop pacing as he looked towards his open door, seeing his former best friend hovering in the doorway. His hands were shoved in his pockets, the right side of his face swollen and puffy, and Derek wasn't sure that he had ever seen Mark Sloan looking more deflated.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
That was all the invitation Mark needed, and he took a cautious step into the room. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know we never talked about it, but I really am sorry about what happened."
"You mean you sleeping with my wife?" Derek snapped. "Or me catching you?"
"Both," Mark said. "But…Derek we need your help. And you know that I wouldn't be asking you for it if it wasn't important."
"I don't care how important it is," Derek snapped. "You have some nerve coming here and asking things of me."
"It's for Alissa," Mark said softly. "She needs surgery."
Derek froze, images of his own unborn baby flashing through his mind as he looked more carefully at Mark. He looked exhausted, large bags under his eyes and his stooped posture making him look older than he actually was. His eyes were filled with worry and fear. This wasn't the carefree, manwhore Mark who had been his best friend for twenty years.
"What's wrong with her?" Derek asked.
"She has a brain tumor," Mark said. "She's been seizing, and if she doesn't get the tumor removed from her left parietal lobe she'll die in the next three months."
Derek was silent as he lowered himself into the chair behind his desk, knowing what he was going to do. What he had to do.
"Meredith's pregnant," he finally heard himself say.
Mark looked confused and surprised for a moment before he nodded. "That's wonderful," he finally said. "Congratulations."
"If my baby needed plastic surgery," Derek said. "I'd want the best. I'd ask you, because I know you're the best."
"That's why we're here," Mark said, finally understanding where Derek's thought process was going.
"I'll do it for her," Derek said. "Not for you, not for Addison. For her. Because she deserves a chance to live."
"Thank you," Mark said, relief filling his voice. "Derek…you will never know how much this means to us."
Derek shook his head. "We're not friends," he said. "As far as we're concerned, I am your daughter's doctor. I will keep you informed of her medical condition, but that is all we have to discuss. Is that understood?"
Mark nodded slowly. "Of course," he said.
"Alright then," Derek nodded as he stood. "I will go review her chart right now."
"Thank you, Dr. Shepherd," Mark murmured as he followed him out of his office.
As soon as they reached the pediatric ward Mark disappeared into a patient's room and Derek leaned against the desk for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. This was going to be hard, he had no idea how he was actually going to be able to do this. But he had to, for the sake of a tiny little girl who deserved a chance to have a good life.
As he opened his eyes to ask for Alissa's chart, a very familiar presence appeared beside him, one that he was very grateful for.
"Are you okay?" Meredith asked softly.
"I don't know," he answered honestly.
"I knew you would do it," she said, reaching for his hand and placing it on her stomach.
"You did?" he asked.
"I did," she smiled up at him. "Because that's the kind of man that you are. And I know that if there was ever something wrong with our baby, you would want Mark or Addison to fix it. Because they're the best at what they do, just like you're the best at neurosurgery."
"I am the best," Derek smirked slightly. "And I'm sorry. For storming off like I did."
"I understand," Meredith nodded. "Look, I know you're not supposed to play favorites with the interns or anything. But if you want me to assist on this case…"
"It's yours," Derek nodded. "Please, Mer. I need you on this."
"I'm there," Meredith nodded. "And so is Baby."
Derek offered her a brief smile, running a soft hand over her stomach before he took a deep breath and put his doctor face on again. "Let's get this over with, Dr. Grey," he said.
Meredith followed him down the hall to Alissa's room, stopping close to him as he entered the room and stood at the end of his bed, trying to maintain a professional demeanor.
"Derek," Addison said softly from her place beside Alissa.
"Dr. Montgomery," Derek nodded to Addison before he turned to Alissa, placing a very fake smile on his face as he took in the little girl. "Hi princess. How are we feeling?"
"Head," Alissa said.
"Does your head hurt?" Derek asked, kneeling down beside her bed to shine his pen light in her eyes. "My head hurts a little too. Do you mind checking my eyes?"
Alissa giggled as she reached for his pen light, shining it in his face for a moment before waving it around the room. "Thank you, sweetheart," Derek laughed, letting her keep the pen as he reached for her scans.
"It's a large tumor, but it should be a fairly routine surgery," he said.
"She's so small," Addison whispered, and Derek turned to look at his ex-wife for the first time. He'd never seen her look like this, with her hair pulled up in a pony tail, her face stripped of any make up and dressed in sweats and sneakers instead of designer skirts and blouses. She looked like…a mom, which was something he had never expected. "Will she be okay to go under? Will she have any developmental problems? What are the side effects?"
"Her brain is still developing," Derek nodded as he turned back to the scans. "She'll probably have a little delay in understanding what certain words mean, and she may have some vision problems, most likely with depth perception, right after the surgery. But with the proper care she should be able to catch up to be at a normal intellectual level, if not above average. I've operated on children younger than her before without any complications from the anesthetic. It says in her chart that she's not allergic to any medication?"
"Not that we know of," Mark nodded.
Derek nodded. "We'll do everything we can," he said. "Dr. Grey will be assisting. I'll schedule the OR for tomorrow morning."
"Okay," Addison said, looking down at her daughter. "Thank you, Der…Dr. Shepherd."
Derek nodded. "An intern will be rounding on her later tonight," he said. "And we'll see you in the morning."
"Thank you," Mark said with a grateful smile.
"It's my job," Derek nodded, turning to smile down at Alissa again. "Alright, princess, I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Bye!" Alissa giggled, handing his pen light back to him.
Meredith dutifully followed Derek out of the room, closing the door behind her and moving to his side as he sank against the wall. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"Yeah," he sighed, reaching to pull her closer to him. "I just…God, I need you."
"Let's go home," she whispered. "We'll get in bed, put on a movie, and Baby and I will take good care of you."
"Thanks," Derek breathed, pulling her into his arms and inhaling her scent deeply. "I love you."
"I love you too," she smiled. "And you did promise me some hot sex tonight. I expect you to deliver."
Derek laughed, never more grateful than now to have Meredith to support him when he felt dark and twisty. She knew that he needed to distract himself from the surgery he was to perform tomorrow, and he couldn't think of a better way to be distracted.
"Oh, I'll deliver," he smiled. "With that pregnant body of yours…I'll deliver multiple times."
Meredith giggled as they walked down the hall, her hand held tightly in his. And in that moment, his life wasn't falling apart at the seams; instead, it was perfect.