How can a knock out change your life
Chapter 21 – What an ugly baby!
Their new house was finally done, painted and decorated. Per total, it had four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs, a large kitchen, a living room and a small office, serving more as library, downstairs.
If anyone would have asked them which part of the house is their favorite, then they all would have agreed that it was the back yard, with it lake in particularly. Of course, Sandy would have added her room too, which ended up painted in shades of purple.
It was two days before the wedding and two days before Sandy's fifth birthday, and the house was full with people and very animated by all the hustle almost the entire day.
Meredith opened her eyes slowly and met the dim light from her room. As she reached out an arm over Derek's bedside, she found he had left the bed and judging by its coldness, he had left it for some time. She flipped onto her back stretching her arms and legs under the huge white silk quilt; she smiled wide as she realized that she woke up again where she had just dreamed to wake up one day… in her dream house, to her dream life… to her own fairytale. Returning on her side, Meredith glanced over the clock from Derek's nightstand.
5:57 the red flashing numbers were indicating. It was still very early, since neither she nor Derek had to go to hospital that soon.
Grabbing one of Derek's pillows, Meredith dragged it and brought it in her arms. She snuggled against it and closed her eyes back with a content smile on her face.
She contemplated for a while over the turn that her life took almost three years ago. It was just like a fairytale… sad at first and then the happy-ending came. At least that is how that period from her life ended. She was smiling happy at its ending, but new dreams started to fill her mind about what was to come next; maybe a new fairytale.
She pushed Derek's pillow back on his bedside and she rolled over on her side to face the two big windows and the glass doors from their room's balcony. The sun had sent already a few rays over the town and Meredith could see its weak orange shine. She removed the quilt away from her, sending its entire length over the other side of the bed.
Her feet slipped in her puffy pink slippers, which Sandy had bought for her, and yawning and stretching her back, she walked towards balcony. She twisted the metal doorknob and opened the door as she made the first step outside on balcony.
From the first step she made outside, a gentle wave of chill wind brushed her face and made her rub her bare arms. She returned in bedroom just for a second to grab her white flannel jacket from a chair, and then she returned outside wrapping the jacket around her.
Leaning over the railing, she breathed in the chill air of May and her eyes enjoyed the view that the balcony's placement was offering. Their bedroom and Sandy's were both overlooking the lake. It was the perfect image to watch before starting another hard day of work.
Meredith giggled as she saw two men by the lake. It was not hard for her to recognize Derek and his father; both were looking as if they were laughing while they were sitting down on grass with the fish pools in their hands. Since his parents arrived in Seattle, in each sunny morning Derek was up early starting his day with his father at fishing.
She watched them smiling for a while until she heard the door from her bedroom opening and a sleepy voice called her name.
"Mommy?"
Meredith turned around and leaned against the doorframe looking at her daughter. Sandy was rubbing her eyes with intensity and her brown hair was all a mess in her head; her entire look was messy; from head to her crumpled pink pajama.
"I am on balcony" Meredith answered and held out a hand for her. "Come here."
Sandy walked to her and took the hand she had offered her. Meredith led her outside on balcony and sat her in front of her, so that she can see outside though the metal rails.
"What's with you up so early?"
Sandy leaned her head against Meredith's now big bump. "Mia kicked me out of bed and I fell." She said with a whining voice.
Meredith giggled as she started to brush her hair using her fingers. "See? I told you… you should move in the other room if you want to share the same bed. Your bed is too small for all three of you."
Sandy shrugged sleepy as she turned with a grumpy face towards her. "Pick me up" She asked her pleading and held both arms up to Meredith.
"Sweetie, you know I can't carry you now. You are such a big girl and with this bump I can't hold you in my arms."
Sandy had fixed Meredith's bump, since Meredith mentioned it. She smiled as she neat Meredith's white shirt around the bump and pressed her ear on it.
"The baby is sleeping now." She stated looking up at her mother.
"Yes, I think it's sleeping." Meredith smiled as she rubbed her tummy with one hand and Sandy's cheek with the other one.
Into a corner of balcony, was a sat a lounge chair and a small coffee table. It was just one chair, because Derek said they would not need more than one. Another reason for that was of course, the small space from balcony.
Meredith took Sandy's hand and led her to that chair. At first, Meredith sat down, laying her legs along it, then she gestured to Sandy to come and sit down next to her. Sandy didn't go to the place which her mother was patting for her to come, and she climbed up on her. She mounted her legs; when she was doing that, it was a sign that she wants to lay down on her mother for some cuddle; just that this time, as in many other days, Sandy found an obstacle… Meredith's big bump. She frowned disappointed as she held both hands on Meredith's tummy.
Meredith giggled when she saw her daughter's disappointment and took one of her hands. "Come and seat here next to me."
Sandy did as her mother told her and climbing down from her, she moved right away next to Meredith.
It wasn't their first morning on that balcony, so there was already a blanket from the previous mornings. Meredith took it and unfolding it, she spread it over them.
Sandy had snuggled in her mother's chest already and after Meredith covered them, she shivered a little, then the hand she was keeping on Meredith's chest, moved down to her bump.
"Mommy, I found a name." Sandy said as she looked up at her mother.
"You did already?" Meredith smiled as she tried to sound surprised and impressed, though she already knew that Sandy was looking already for the right name for baby, toys she would share with it and how to paint its room.
Sandy smiled with a grin and nodded. "Jessica." Of course, all her plans for baby were built around the hope that she would have a sister.
"Jessica?! Like our neighbor's name?"
Jessica was a few years younger than Meredith and she and her husband, both newly weds, had moved 1 minute away from their house in the same week with their moving. Because of Sandy's friendly character, Jessica and Jack became friends with them since the day one.
"I like Jessica." Sandy stated with a nod as answer to Meredith's surprise.
"Jessica is nice and I like the name, but what if the baby is a boy?"
Sandy shrugged a little disappointed. "Maybe Mark."
Meredith started laughing as she heard which name came in Sandy's mind first. "Mark?"
Sandy answered with a nod from her head. "Today we'll find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Sandy asked her.
"Today"
"How?"
Meredith smiled knowingly; she already knew where the question 'how' would lead. "We go to hospital and Izzie will check." Meredith hoped that this would be enough to answer to Sandy's question.
She just hoped, because she already knew that Sandy would not be satisfied with it. "How?" Sandy put the question that many times made Derek and Meredith think that from all the things you have to do to raise a child is to answer to 'how?' and 'why?'
"Ask Izzie when we'll get there." Meredith wasn't very proud of herself, but sometimes she chose to take the easiest way out.
"Isn't this heavy?" Sandy accepted Meredith's answer, so she moved forward with the next question.
"Not very heavy."
"I don't like how it looks like." Sandy looked up at her with grimace on her face. "I can't even hug you."
Meredith smiled kindly as she kissed her forehead. "This will go away in a few months; it has to look like this because the baby grows inside." Meredith informed her. "And you can still hug me."
Sandy shook her head; for her, a hug was if she was wrapping herself around Meredith, not when she hung just a little on her neck.
Meredith smiled with sympathy. "We can still cuddle each other."
"Mommy, will I have a big tummy too, when will have a baby?"
"Yes. Every pregnant woman has a big tummy while the baby is still inside."
"I like babies. I want to have many babies." Sandy stated as she put her head back down on Meredith.
Meredith smiled. That was one of the moments when Sandy was sounding a lot like Clara. "And you will have, sweetie."
Snuggling Sandy closer to her, Meredith put her head down on Sandy's head and shut her eyes, embracing the moment.
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Meredith woke up when she felt Sandy's warmth and weight leaving her side. As she opened her eyes, she saw Derek placing a sleepy Sandy on his shoulder smiling down at her. "Morning"
"Morning" She whispered.
"What are you two doing here at this hour?" Derek asked her amused.
"Sleeping?" Meredith laughed as she realized that they had fallen asleep. Then she held out a hand so that Derek can help her up.
Derek took her hand and slowly, he dragged her up.
"What time is it?" She asked him stretching her back.
"It's time for us to get ready for work and for this little one to get back in her bed." Derek said. "Why was she up so early?"
"Mia kicked her out of the bed."
"Oh" Derek smiled as if that wasn't a surprise.
They walked inside and Derek placed Sandy in the middle of the bed; he covered her with the quilt and then he gave her a kiss on forehead.
Meredith sat down next to her and with difficulty, she managed to bend down and kiss her. She stayed longer than it should have smiling down at the sleepy form from under covers as she slowly was brushing her forehead.
"Mer" Derek called her name in whisper to make her come back from the trance she had fallen into.
Meredith looked at him and smiled. She had an attempt to stand up, but immediately, Derek's help came up. He took her hand and easily he helped her stand up.
"Is everything alright?" He asked her in whisper as he made a few circles on her back.
Meredith nodded smiling as answer.
Derek smiled back and wrapping her hand on his arm, he motioned his head for her to follow him out.
"It's just that …" Meredith spoke up after a second and a step. She stopped and paused as she looked at Derek with some worry on her face.
Derek turned around at her and letting his arm go, her hand fell and he could rub gently her shoulder. "What is it?"
"I don't want anything to change … I don't want Sandy to change." Meredith walked over to door and stopped in the doorway looking back at Sandy.
Derek had followed her there, so at this point, he was holding her waist with his arm. He brushed the hair out of her cheek and kissed her. "Some things will change… Sandy will change too, because she grows up." He said tenderly, guessing which might was her worry.
"I don't want my feelings for her to change." Meredith stated looking into his eyes. Her eyes had been starting to form tears in them already since her hormones were playing with her emotions again.
"Come" Derek smiled and led her outside the bedroom. He shut the door slowly and leaned Meredith against it. "You won't love her less; you cannot love her less. I swear!"
"Are you sure? I mean … what if the idea of…" Derek covered her lips with his finger and smiled confident. "I swear it won't change. Trust me."
Meredith nodded and smiled a bit embarrassed by the situation she had put herself into once again with her crying. "I trust you."
"I know." Derek chuckled as he pressed a kiss on her lips. "She will love her little sibling." His hand was already on Meredith's bump as he said that.
"She wants to call the baby Jessica." Meredith giggled now more light up.
"It's not a bad name; we might let her add it!" Derek laughed. "And I guess that if it will be a boy she would want to call him Jack."
Meredith giggled and shook her head.
"No?" Derek asked her a bit surprised. Meredith shook her head again.
After a split second, a thought struck him. "Mark" He said almost laughing.
"Mark" Meredith laughed as she confirmed.
"Why does she like Mark? Sometimes I really can't understand you girls." Derek stated with jealousy.
Meredith cupped his face and leaned to him dropping a kiss on his lips. "Because he is Mark!" She stated as she pulled away. "I will go shower." She grabbed the doorknob to open it again, but Derek's hand stopped her from twisting it.
"Because he is Mark?!?" Derek looked at her confused unable to interpret her answer.
"I need to shower, Derek! I don't want to be late today." Meredith smiled satisfied at his jealousy and removed his hand from her arm.
Derek knew she was making fun him, so he gave up and shook his head smiling. "Do you want to eat anything in particularly?"
"No" Meredith smiled grateful. He always whiled to give her and Sandy whatever they wanted.
"Mark" Derek let out a groan as he shook his head and turned around to walk down on hall.
Meredith giggled watching him leaving and then she slowly opened the door and walked back inside the bedroom. Sandy was sleeping in the same position that Derek had left her as sign that she had been disturbed by their whispers and giggles.
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When she walked in kitchen, Meredith found Derek, his parents and his two sisters, Nancy and Kathleen sitting around the table.
Their heads titled towards her, when they felt her presence. "Good morning, Meredith!" echoed for two seconds in row and Derek was the one who stood up and pulled out the chair next to him.
"Morning" She saluted them back and took the seat that Derek had offered her.
"How is she?" He asked her as he stood up and went over the counter to bring her the breakfast. Derek didn't trust in Meredith to let her feed herself and Sandy, so now it was a regular, for girls to come down in kitchen, sit down on table and wait to be served.
"She is still sleeping. She didn't even move from the position you put her on." Meredith stated.
"She was kicked out of bed?" Kathleen asked them amused, guessing what must have happened.
"Yes" Meredith laughed. "She came whining in our room earlier and she fell asleep there."
"These girls." Nancy shook her head smiling at her plate with scrambles eggs.
In the meantime, Derek had brought the same thing to Meredith together with a bottle of yoghurt and set them in front of her.
"You are the one to talk?" Kathleen burst laughing with sarcasm at her sister. "I can't even imagine how many times you did that to me."
"Me?" Nancy leaned to back in defense. "I might have done it, but just because you were snoring so loud and I wasn't kicking you out. I was just hitting you."
Kathleen rolled her eyes annoyed, as she knew that she had overreacted by accusing her unfairly. "Liz was worse than you." She muttered without looking at her sister.
"OMG she was horrible. She wasn't worse than me… she was the worst person you could have slept with." Nancy stated with an exaggeration of her tonality.
"I still remember how I broke my wrist falling out of bed because of her." Kathleen joined her sister's flashback with the same intensity as hers to remember those times.
"Oh and when she pushed me out of mom and dad's bed and I fell hitting my head on their nightstand." Nancy came with another memory.
In all this time, Meredith and Derek, Helen and David were looking at them amused. It was as they were 5 years old again.
"Ok… enough you two." Helen clapped her hands to get their attention, in the same manner she used to do in those times. "All four of you girls had fussing sleep and despite all the kicks you received from each other, you continued to share your beds."
"Derek was the nicest baby comparing him with you." David stated as he smiled proud at his son, who had taken his seat back next to Meredith. That statement brought a complete silence on table and not some pleasant looks from his daughters. "He was crying only when he was hungry or wet or when he was having colic. He didn't need 45 minutes of rocking to fall asleep and then to hover around his crib to make sure that after 5 minutes he wouldn't start crying again." David continued with narration about baby Derek. "The position you were settling him in, it was the position you were finding him."
Meredith smiled during David's tell and as David finished, she looked at Derek and leaned to him and kissed him. "He didn't change at all."
"David, that wasn't nice of you!" Helen admonished him. "The girls weren't that bad."
"Yeah… thanks a lot dad." Nancy protested offended.
"Yeah … you and your precious boy." Kathleen protested together with her sister glaring Derek.
"You are jealous, huh?" Derek straightened his shirt on him as he smiled extremely proud at his sisters.
Nancy was the first one who opened the mouth to respond him, but Helen was faster and cut her off. "That wasn't nice of your father, but it was so true."
"Mom" Both women jumped when they saw their mother taking Derek's side.
Everyone else laughed at that scene, which annoyed Nancy and Kathleen even more.
"Stop acting childish you two and let's finish the breakfast!" During that morning, Helen was the only mother in there and once again, the mother made peace between her children… her grown-up children. "Derek was a good baby, but once he made his first steps, he became a little devil during the day and an angel during the night."
"Mom" Now it was Derek's turn to protest. "How can you call me a devil?"
Helen rolled eyes smiling. "Right now, at this hour, all three of you are having 5 years old. Seriously!"
Derek sniffed pouted when Meredith rubbed his back to soothe him. "Sandy is exactly like you." She stated with a giggle as she leaned to him and kissed his cheek.
Derek looked at her keeping his pouted face, but as Meredith gave him a pity smile, he smiled back wrapping his arm around her neck and brought her into him to kiss her properly. "Did you just call her a little devil?" He asked her as he pulled back from a kiss and showed her a faked offended look.
"As a baby she was just like your mom described you and now… she the description matches perfectly." Meredith got back on her seat smiling. "I hope the little one will be like baby Derek and baby Sandy only and then, after it starts walking, it will be like its mommy." Meredith giggled as she rubbed her tummy. Then she felt a little kick from inside. "Good morning to you too!" She giggled speaking with her tummy. "You have to promise me that you won't have the same behavior as your daddy and your sister."
Derek knew that the baby must have kicked, so he leaned on her chair and put his hand on her tummy. While Meredith asked the baby that, Derek could feel another kick. "Are you happy now?" He asked her laughing. "The baby promised."
"I am happy now!" Meredith stated with a smirk. Their eyes were sparkling and smiling at each other. They didn't even notice the silence that had fallen over the others.
Derek took her face into his hands and pulled her to kiss softly her lips. Then he let her go and when they both looked around them, they saw their family staring at them smiling. Meredith and Derek looked at each other and giggled as they realized they were in the center of their attention.
"You two look so happy and so excited about this baby, but none of you beats Sandy on that." Helen stated with a giggle. "She just can't keep her mind away from this and keeps talking about it."
"I know." Meredith laughed. "She already started to choose the clothes for it; the other day when we went shopping she begged me to buy some baby clothes."
"She even bought a teddy bear for it. She says it is her gift for it." Derek added with the same thrill in his voice and is Meredith's. "And she doesn't use it. She put it back in her closet to keep it for baby."
"And apparently she has some names for it too." Meredith continued, informing them. "Jessica or Mark."
"Mark" Nancy shook her head laughing. "All of the sudden, all the kids love Mark… and I can't see why."
"That is exactly what I am asking myself. Why?" Derek burst, obviously not very thrilled, especially after Meredith had told me that Sandy wanted to name his son after Mark.
"Are you jealous, Derek?" Kathleen laughed at his brother. "How cute!"
"Yeah." Meredith joined her at his teas and rubbed his back laughing.
"Not jealous." He muttered nervous.
"Jealous or not, we all have to admit that Mark changed a lot and he might become a great dad." Helen stated more serious than her children and her daughter-in-law.
"He did change a lot." David agreed with his wife.
"Enough with Mark." Kathleen suggested. "Letting Sandy to involve in baby's preparation and its birth is the best thing you could do. Like this, you won't have to be afraid that she will feel excluded and you can also be sure that no jealousy will interfere between them."
"Yeah, that is exactly what we are trying to do." Derek stated.
"I didn't have the chance to tell you, Meredith, but last night I spent some time with the girl drawing…" Kathleen stated. "And I even had a little talk with Sandy about her parents."
"You did?" Meredith looked at her surprised. "She said anything?"
"She did." Kathleen answered with a calming smile; while Meredith smiled wide at Derek, "We started talking about how we were as kids and what we liked to play with the most. Then I told them that I used to have the same color on hair as Sandy's just like her, except for the fact that mine was curly and… as I said that, I have to admit that I was taken off guard by Sandy's statement." Kathleen continued telling them how her small chat with Sandy went and judging by the excitement from her voice, everyone could tell that she had been very surprised by that indeed. "She stated, in a very casual manner, that her other mommy had chestnut hair, but her was shorter; then she added she likes to have long hair like her mommy and I guess she meant you, Meredith." She looked and pointed towards Meredith. "In my opinion, she is not avoiding the memory of her parents; she just tries to feel normal and part of her new family. My advice… as long as you show her that she is not different than you and you will keep showing her that she has a lot in common with you as she has with her other parents, then she will be more open about this."
"She does have this disturbing habit to bite her lower lip when she is nervous or when she did something wrong, just like Meredith." Was Derek's disapproving remark at something that he was trying to change on those two, being unable to understand why they liked to torture their lips in that way.
He was approving their habit, but he chuckled as he found it cute too. His chuckled stopped fast, when Derek saw Meredith staring at him offended and shooting him a glare.
Derek smiled rubbing her back. "It's charming" He looked at her with a soothing smile as he leaned to her and kissed her pouted lips.
"Then stop bugging us with that." Meredith pulled back turning her face from him as an offended child.
Derek found her gesture very cute and amusing and he was about to open his mouth and continued to tease, when Kathleen cut him off and continued with her professional conclusions about Sandy. "Like you said it yourself, Sandy has the same sleeping style as Derek, so try and bring this up to her and then tell her something like… how her mother liked to sleep in … pink night clothes, for example. You will see she will not frown at it anymore and maybe one day she will come to you with questions willing to find out more about them. Just don't pressure her, let her be the one who comes to you for more."
"So, taking her to cemetery is wrong?" Meredith had listened carefully at what Kathleen told them and she did find reasonable her explications.
"No, no. That is something that you should never stop doing. It's the best way to respect their memory."
"She is just… so cold and distant each time we go there."
"Maybe this year it will be different, because now she knows she has a real family. I say you should take her there at least once per year; make her feel it as something normal in her new life and don't force her to cry or say something about that. Maybe she says something and cries inside of her, but it's her way to feel comfortable; after all, a cemetery is not such a pleasant place. Her silence there is not disrespectful as long as you know that she thinks on them. She is just five years old anyway and all these might be confusing to her. You should get worried in about 10 years if nothing from these will change, until then keep showing her that she is a normal child with a normal family; this has to be your main concern for the next years."
Kathleen's advices did bring more peace in Meredith's heart. The thought that Sandy might forget her birth parents was something that Meredith refused to let happen. Everything that Kathleen had said seemed reasonable and Meredith could see her point. She just answered with a more confident nod at Kathleen's last speech.
"I could bring her today to hospital at your appointment." Kathleen suggested. "I could try and talk with her more."
"Yeah, that would be great, but… are you ok with it, Helen?" Meredith asked her. "I know you wanted to be there too so…"
Helen smiled and shook her head. "It's ok; I have to stay here and help the others. Apparently, no one can prepare an event without me." She bragged in such a non-Helen style.
"Of course no one can. You are priceless!" Her husband leaned to her kissing lovingly her cheek and filling the kitchen with some 'aww's from the younger ones.
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"Meredith, I can't understand… Derek is feeding very well, but you are still under the normal weight for this stage of pregnancy." Izzie stated confused and some worry, thinking that something might be wrong with Meredith. "Do you feel any weakness in your body? Are you sleepy?"
While Izzie was questioning herself more than she was asking Meredith, Meredith rolled over on the exam bed and letting her legs down, she managed to get in the sit up position. She rubbed her bump as she was panting because of the effort. "I am fine, Izzie!" She hadn't seemed to pay attention to Izzie's concerns, but she did and wanted to assure her that she was fine. "I am just pregnant and the hormones are crazy and you know… the crying consumes many calories."
Izzie rolled her eyes amused as she disposed her gloves to trash. "Maybe you should see a specialist about that."
Meredith gasped as she heard Izzie. "Are you saying what I think you are saying?"
Izzie started laughing and shook her head. "You are not crazy, Meredith." At her statement Meredith nodded in approve. "But it's not normal to cry your eyes out each time someone says something nice to you or when Derek and Sandy tell you I love you."
"Do you think I like it? I feel extremely embarrassed each time I burst into cry, especially because I can't control and make it stop."
With a compassionate smile, Izzie rubbed her friend's back as comfort.
"Are you sure you can deal with both of us?" Meredith smiled up at her grateful.
"I can't leave you on some else's hands, so I have to deal with you."
"Is Alex still avoiding the baby topic?" Meredith asked her knowing how hard Izzie was trying to convince Alex to start a family together. When their relationship started, Izzie agreed with him to take it slow, but when her both friends announced their pregnancies, Izzie started to feel a little jealous wishing that she could bring their babies not very apart from each other.
Izzie's look darkened as she let out a sigh through a reluctantly nod.
"I am sorry, Izz!" It was now Meredith's turn to sooth her friend. She was more than her doctor and friend… she was her sister, together with Addison and Christina.
That was supposed to be a happy and exciting day for Meredith, so Izzie thought it would be better if they change the subject. "Christina is dating someone."
"Someone else than Burke?!?" Meredith almost laughed, suspecting the possibility that her friend was secretly sleeping with Burke once again.
"No, no" Izzie cut her off with a knowingly smirk.
"What do you know?" Meredith gasped when she noticed a new gossip.
"Burke has a new girlfriend. I don't know who she is. I don't think she works here, but I saw her visiting him very often at office and he started to have the lunch in there with her."
"So it's not Burke." It was Meredith's shocking conclusion. At that, Izzie nodded. "Then who is she sleeping with?"
"I don't know" Izzie shrugged. "Maybe she will bring him to your wedding."
"She has to tell us as…" But Meredith went quiet, when a familiar voice could be heard on hallway.
"Hi Olivia! Hi Alice!" Sandy's friendly and cheerful spirit was making her presence noticed on the hospital's halls.
"Hey Sandy! How are you sweetie?" One of those two nurses asked her.
"We are going to see the baby." Sandy almost yelled in excitement. "Izzie will tell us if it's a baby girl or a baby boy."
"Let me guess… you want it to be a baby girl."
Knowing her wish, Meredith and Izzie could see Sandy's image nodding her head excited as she added "We will name her Jessica."
"Oh my, I like this name."
"My sister's name is Jessica."
The two nurses knew how to make Sandy's giggles unstoppable.
"Sandy, sweetie we have to find mommy now! You can chat later with your friends." Her aunt Kathleen suggested. "Do you know where we can find her?"
"She is right in that exam room with Dr. Stevens." One of the nurses directed her. "We have to go back to work now! We will see you around, Sandy." The other one said their goodbye."
It was just a second of silence after Sandy's "Bye" and the door opened wide as the two of them showed up in its way.
"Mommy" Sandy giggled when she saw her mommy and ran towards her. Meredith popped down so that Sandy can reach to her. "Hey baby!" Meredith welcomed her with her arms wide open, but immediately she noticed Sandy's wet hair. "Why is your hair wet, Sandy?" Meredith put the question looking at Kathleen in particular.
Kathleen smiled a little embarrassed. "It's raining outside and she ran from me without umbrella."
Meredith looked down at Sandy accusingly and tried not to smile when she saw Sandy was biting her lower lip guilty. "What did I tell about this? Running away from the adult you are with? And why did you let yourself get wet? Do you want to be sick on your birthday and our wedding?"
Sandy looked at her guilty and sticking a finger into her mouth, she shook her head.
"I will give her a rag." Izzie laughed as she went over to the supply shelve to take a clean rag.
"Where is Derek?" Kathleen asked noticing Derek's absence.
"Where is daddy, mommy? He is not coming to see the baby?" Sandy asked too after her aunt made her noticing her daddy's absence.
"He is into a surgery, but he should be here in any second. Izzie gave me a routine check and now are waiting for everyone to be here so that she can do the ultrasound." Meredith told them and then, with Kathleen's help, she got up on bed again.
"My feet hurt, mommy!" Sandy whined asking to be taken up there with Meredith.
Kathleen picked her up and placed her on bed next to Meredith. When she found herself there, Sandy wrapped both arms around Meredith and rested her head on Meredith.
"I wonder why your feet hurt." Meredith stated amused. "Could it be because of the run?"
Sandy looked up at her grinning and nodded. She gave her mommy her best "I didn't do anything. I am innocent" look and Meredith caved. She squeezed her cheek gently as she leaned down and kissed her nose. "You are such a naughty girl. One day you won't trick me with your grin."
While Sandy put her head back down on Meredith, Izzie brought a rag and started to dry Sandy's hair. "Izzie" Sandy was caught by her presence in front of her. "Where is the baby?"
"What baby?" Izzie asked confused and looked at Meredith hoping that she might understand what Sandy was talking about.
"Mommy's baby." Sandy raised her voice a little, exasperated by Izzie's clueless.
"Watch your tone, Sandy!" Meredith did let her be rude with Izzie.
Sandy avoided her mother's glare, but she did feel guilty of that and got quiet staring at Izzie.
"The baby is still in mommy's tummy." Izzie answered.
"So how are we going to see it? Will you take it out?" Sandy's eyes almost grew in awe.
"No, sweetie." At her cute question everyone laughed. "We will use a machine to watch through mommy's skin." Izzie let her know about that procedure.
"Really?" Now Sandy was entirely fascinated by all the information she was receiving. "Will you see what mommy has eaten?"
That brought harder laughs from the three women.
"No baby; because what we eat goes in stomach and the stomach is behind the baby, so the first thing that the machine will see, will be the baby." Meredith answered.
Sandy huffed annoyed by Izzie's persistent movements through her hair and Izzie laughed as she realized she had over dried her hair. Sandy started to rearrange her hair with Meredith's help, both of them brushing it using their fingers.
The door opened again in a hurry as Derek bust in.
"Daddy" Sandy screamed excited as she saw her daddy there. She held out her arms to him calling him to go to her first.
It took him a second to realize what was going on there, but when he saw that they had waited for him, Derek sighed with relief and went to answer the girl's call. "Hey Sandy" Derek picked her up from bed taking her into his arms.
Immediately, sloppy kisses started to land on his entire face.
"Now I am jealous." Meredith jumped pretended hurt by the greeting that Sandy had made to Derek. Sandy stopped and looked back at her confused. "I didn't get all these kisses from you when you came here and I am the one who will give you a little sibling."
"Actually, I have a very important contribution on that." Derek stated smirking as he walked towards her. He leaned to her and kissed her forehead, and then he placed Sandy back down next to Meredith. "That wasn't nice of you, Sandy! You should share the kisses with both of us." Derek pretended serious as he said that to Sandy.
Meredith kicked him with her leg, knowing that he was making fun of her.
Sandy responded to Derek's advice and raised her face to Meredith putting up both lips so that Meredith can get her kisses.
Meredith laughed at her cute look and leaned down to get what was hers. Just that, this time Sandy wasn't in the mood to give more than two kisses on her mother's cheeks, so she soon gave up and started to look around her balancing her legs as she studied the surroundings.
In the meantime, Meredith laid down on bed and rolled her hospital gown to expose her big bump.
"Are you all ready?" Izzie asked them.
Sandy came back from her trance and as she looked down at her mother and saw her bump, she smiled and got on her knees to get closer to Meredith. She ran a hand over her tummy and then she bent down to it and pressed her lips against it. Sandy kept her lips there lot a little longer than a regular kiss and when she pulled back she did it fast and covering her mouth.
"What is wrong?" Derek asked her noticing her sudden change.
"The baby hit me." Sandy muttered through the palm that she was covering her mouth with it. "I think it broke me a tooth." She put up a hurt face at her mother.
"Let me see it!" Meredith laughed as she took Sandy's hand away from mouth. Sandy showed her teeth and Meredith shook her head smiling. "You still have them all."
"Ok you, come here so that we can avoid any other accident." Derek picked her up and took her in his arms, then he moved at Meredith's top to be beside her.
"What is that?" Sandy questioned pointing on the tube that Izzie had taken in her hand.
"This is a jelly that helps us see the baby." Izzie gave her an answer that made Sandy giggle hard.
"What's so funny?" Derek asked her.
"We have jelly home." Sandy continued with her giggle. She didn't have to say more, because the others already knew what she was thinking of.
"Sweetie, this jelly is different from the one we have home. This one is for medical exams and that one from home is for eating." As he said that, Derek moved Sandy from an arm to another. She was indeed getting a big girl.
"Oh ok" Sandy seemed to have understood what Derek explained her, so she got quiet and watched how Izzie spread the jelly on her mommy's tummy. She noticed how Meredith winced slightly when Izzie first poured it. "Does it hurt, mommy?" Sandy asked her a bit worried.
Meredith saw the frowns from Sandy's forehead and shook her head smiling. "No, but it's very cold."
Sandy let out a discreet sigh as if she had been holding her breath of worry.
"What's that?" She soon put the same question, this time pointing to the machine that Izzie was dragging closer to Meredith's bed.
"How I love this kind of questions." Kathleen started laughing as she shook from her head.
"Me too" Meredith replied with a laugh.
"Smart children put a lot of questions." Derek kissed Sandy's temple and glared Meredith and Kathleen. "That one is a machine that helps us see the baby. Do you see that monitor?" Derek pointed it to her and Sandy nodded. "On that screen we will see the baby."
"How?" Sandy asked confused trying to understand how that machine can show them the baby.
"I told you. We will see in on that screen." Derek answered back.
"No" Sandy raised her voice exasperated. "How will the machine show us the baby?"
"See? She is smart?" Derek smirked at the others.
"Let's he how smart you are and answer." His sister pinched his arm.
Sandy looked at him curious waiting for an answer. "Well…" Derek dragged his voice as he tried to find the best explication for a 5 years old child. "Through that jelly the machine sends some ultrasounds … like some vibrations that will scan the inside of your mommy's tummy and build up an image."
Sandy remained speechless and completely dumbfound.
"Derek, she is not that smart … yet and apparently you aren't either." Meredith made fun of him.
"Well, at least I tried. You don't even have the courage to try when she asks you something like this." Derek didn't get offended, already knowing how to pay it back to her.
Meredith opened the mouth to protest, but Izzie stopped her fast. "Ok, people we are here to see the baby not to give lessons of neonatology. Sandy, are you ready to see what is inside of mommy's tummy?" Izzie knew how to distract her curiosity.
"I do, I do!" Sandy giggled excited. "Can you make it be a baby girl?"
"That's not up to her, sweetie." Derek laughed.
"That's right! If it is baby boy, then you can blame it on your daddy." Kathleen whispered to Sandy's ear, but loud enough to make herself heard by Derek.
"Boys can be fun too." Derek snapped back at her very unhappy with the comments and teases he was receiving.
"Everybody, quiet now!" Laughing, Izzie cleared her throat and yelled at him. The silence fell over the room immediately and Izzie smiled satisfied. "We are about to hear the baby's hear beat."
Izzie found its heart easily and soon everybody could hear a loud heart beat. Sandy was thrilled to hear a heart beat that loud, without being very impressed that it was her brother/sister's heart.
"The heart sounds perfect; now let's see how it has developed so far." Izzie froze the image for a few times to measure segments from baby's body. "Everything looks great, so we can see what do we have here."
Izzie grinned as she looked back at Meredith and the other. She turned the monitor so that they can see it better.
"Is it? Really?" Meredith laughed when she saw its sex.
Same as Meredith, Derek chuckled thrilled and hugged Sandy tighter in his arms.
Kathleen wasn't a doctor and Sandy was too little to be able to read the image, so they were the only ones left clueless and curious.
"It's a baby girl, Sandy." Derek smirked happy at her.
Sandy's face was now covered by the huge smile that grew on it in the second that Derek said baby girl. Everybody expected to see her shouting, but instead, Sandy remained quiet and wrapped tight both arms around Derek's neck.
Derek knew from the shakes of her body, that she was giggling silently and laughed as he hugged her tighter. "Are you happy?"
Sandy lifted her head and grinned at him. "I am"
"Good. I am glad then." Derek kissed her cheek and then he bent down to Meredith and kissed her lips. He hovered for a while above her face, both just staring at each other with content smiles on their faces.
They broke the gaze only when Sandy started to tug Derek's scrub top to make him look at her. "What is it?"
Sandy leaned to his ear "I can't see the baby." She whispered.
"Let me take you closer then." Derek stated and made a step aside to move closer to the monitor.
"Derek" Meredith stopped him immediately and looked at him smiling. "She doesn't understand the image. She expects to see a real baby image."
"Oh" Derek laughed embarrassed.
"Look over here." Izzie said to Sandy as she touched the screen with her finger. "Here we have the baby's head… do you see this take looks like a ball?" Sandy nodded hesitant. "And here it's her body and her legs. We can't see the baby for real… not yet."
Sandy looked disappointed at that monitor and then she looked at Derek with sadness. "What an ugly baby!"
"Aww sweetie." Same as the others, Derek started laughing at Sandy's sad conclusion. "You will see how pretty she is when she will come out of there."
Sandy looked at him with distrust.
"I promise. As Izzie said, this is not a real picture. Look, next time we will come and ask Izzie to make us a 3D scan and then you will have a better image of your sister." Derek tried to convince her that her baby sister is not ugly.
"Ok" Sandy smiled a little as Derek did manage to convince her of that.
"I will print an image." Izzie stated as she looked at Meredith and handed her some napkins to clean her tummy.
Meredith cleaned it and then with Derek's help she stood up.
"Mommy, mommy" Sandy called her fast.
"What?"
"Can Izzie put some jelly on my tummy and see if I have a baby inside?" Sandy asked her patting her tummy.
"No way." Derek turned around immediately "You don't have a baby in there, I can assure you of that and you won't have any very soon either." He stated a little harsher than it was supposed to sound like.
"Derek" Meredith snapped at his tone.
Derek understood he had over reacted and as he looked back in his arms at Sandy, he saw how sad and scared his burst made her. "I am sorry, Sandy!" Derek brought her head so that he can kiss her. "I didn't mean to scare you, but you can't have a baby now, because you are too little."
Sandy sighed disappointed. To save the situation, Meredith proposed to go and have lunch together and talk more about wedding and Sandy's birthday party. She changed back into her scrubs and they were about to walk out, when Addison came in.
"So? What is it?" She asked them excited.
"A baby girl, Addie!" Sandy, who was still in Derek's arms, held out her arms so that she can go to Addison.
Derek put her down and stated "She can't pick you up now." Sandy sighed very unhappy with the fact that after her mommy, now Addison couldn't take her up in arms either.
Addison took her hand and pulled her to her. "Congratulations! In this case, we will have a pair."
"So yours it's a boy?" Meredith asked her smiling.
"A boy." Addison stated with a huge smile on her face, while she continued to rub Sandy's back.
"My sister's name is Jessica." Sandy grinned up at Addison.
"We haven't decided that yet." Derek stated, but Sandy ignored him and continued to grin up at Addison. "Can I name your baby?"
"Sure" Addison was thrilled to hear Sandy's proposal.
At that, everyone else giggled already knowing Sandy's choice.
"Mark"
Addison started laughing too "Do you want to name Mark's boy, Mark?"
"Yes" Sandy answered very proud and confident.
"Don't you like other name? It will be weird to call both of them, Mark."
"Baby Mark" Sandy came with the solution fast.
"Aww how cute!" Addison kneeled down at her level and kissed her cheek before bringing her into a hug. "But still, try something else."
Sandy pulled away from hug and started to think "Derek" She smiled at Addison.
Addison looked up at Derek smiling. "It's not such a bad idea. We will see."
"Now seriously, why does everyone love Mark that much? He doesn't even like children." Derek protested, though Sandy was having his name as favorites also.
"Derek, please don't start again!" Meredith put her forehead on his shoulder exasperated by Derek's problem. "She chose your name also."
"Yeah, but I am supposed to be her only favorite man." Derek pouted and wrapped an arm around her.
"Grow up, Derek and let's go and eat something." Meredith patted his back and they all walked out from the exam room.
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This was an extra chapter, because I realized I should let you know about the baby's sex. I like the way it came out and I hope you enjoyed it too. :D
The next chapter will be the day before the wedding/birthday party and as usual, Meredith will take Sandy at her parents' grave. That one should be a very short one, so it is very possible to be up in a day or two.
I will try to end this story before Christmas, because I might leave the town for Holidays.
Comments are very welcomed and encouraging. Thank you,
Dana
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