N/A: Hi, I hope you remember this fic. I finally finished the next chapter. I don't know why has it gone so slow. Now it's here and I hope I won't have trouble writing the next chapters. I hope you like it and accept my apologies for the delay.
Oh and I am going to change the rating for this fic because some chapters are not suitable for any age.
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Chapter 36 – Crybaby
The water poured down her body, caressing each part of her body under the hot stream; she ran her fingers through her hair, letting the water massage her scalp as well. The day was rewinding her day, but one part in particular. Everything that her mother had told her helped her understand her childhood better. It was painful to hear and remember all her words, but it was soothing to think of Mark and his presence there. She made circles around her baby bump; she had to assure her baby the best future and the most blessing childhood.
Meredith turned off the water and grabbed her towel as she stepped out of the shower. Wrapping herself in a towel, she walked to the sink; she leaned over the counter as she watched her face in the mirror. As she looked at her tired eyes, Meredith thought she heard voices and laughs coming from downstairs.
Walking out of the bathroom, Meredith recognized her friends' voices. She suppressed a groan as she walked into her room to put on some comfortable clothes. She gathered her hair into a messy bum and then left to meet her friends.
As she made her way down the stairs, her friends' laughs and scoffs were getting louder. She wasn't in the mood for them, but probably that's exactly what she needed to get her mind off her mother's words.
Meredith stopped in the doorway and watched Calvin and Cristina sitting on the couch and Izzie and George sitting on the floor beside them, all of them laughing loudly.
"Meri!" Calvin was the first one who saw her, beaming and holding out an arm for her.
"You better not be drunk," Meredith couldn't help but giggle at his charming smile and walked to him, taking his hand and she nestled under his arm.
"I am not," Calvin wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "My favorite Mommy," he chuckled and caressed gently her baby bump.
"You're just saying that because you need something," Cristina rolled her eyes, grumbling.
"Yeah," Calvin admitted. "I need to get my mind off my mother's illness so I won't get mental," he said; though he was still smiling, his voice had a note of irony.
Three glares turned toward Cristina in an instant. "Sorry," she muttered as she became aware of how inappropriate her comment had been.
Meredith put a hand on his chest as she looked up at him. "You know we would help if you need us," she said softly.
Calvin smiled down at her, tracing the line of her jaw with his finger. He leaned to the table beside the couch and took a cup with ice cream. "Strawberries with slices of bananas," he grinned at her; his eyes still reflecting the pain behind the smile.
Meredith smiled at him. "I won't share it with you," she warned him.
Calvin acted displeased. "Not even a bite?"
Meredith giggled and grabbed the spoon out of his hands. "Maybe just a bite," she said as she shifted her position, leaning her back against Calvin's torso and placing her legs onto Cristina's lap. She took a full spoon of ice cream and started licking it meticulously.
"What time is Mark due to arrive home?" Izzie asked, half of her attention turned to the T.V.
Meredith rolled her eyes, displeased. "Not soon, so those of you, who don't live here, don't mope around for too long," she grumbled.
"Burke was supposed to let me scrub in today to a valve replacement, so I get to mope around as long as I want," Cristina retorted.
Meredith looked at her with a glare. "What's with you? There's nothing interesting happening here. You don't like this kind of reunions," she pointed out to Cristina.
"True," Cristina smirked. "But it worth it to see McSteamy's face when you give him his present."
Meredith grinned sarcastically. "I won't give it to him today then."
"Oh no," Calvin said, alarmed. "That's not possible. I bought you ice cream and you also have tones of fast food in your refrigerator, so we have to stay."
"What's such a big deal with his reaction?" Meredith frowned. "It's just … a thing I bought for him."
Everyone turned and smiled at her comment.
"I bet he will look precious when he sees your 'gaga' present," Calvin chuckled teasingly.
Meredith pursed her lips and elbowed him between ribs.
"I don't care for Sloan's reaction," George laughed as he shifted his position on the floor to look at Meredith. "It's not about playing with dolls here. It's about practicing for a real baby and that was a good idea, Mer."
Meredith rolled her eyes, smiling. "Thanks"
"I think it's stupid," Cristina replied. "A rubber doll is not the same thing as a baby. It just makes you look… gaga, cradling a doll at your middle age."
Calvin laughed and nodded. "That's true, but Meri, do whatever makes you feel better. You have the right to be a little gaga while you're pregnant."
"Thank you," she smiled sarcastically at him and then to her friends. "Then why don't you just leave now before he gets home?"
Everyone smiled.
"Because we want to see Mark being…" Izzie had started explaining, but Meredith cut off her words.
"Whatever. After all, you are going to have to suffer if you laugh at him," she shrugged.
Calvin took Meredith's hand she was holding the spoon with and brought the spoon to his mouth. "Hey," she protested.
"You said you would share," Calvin smiled.
In that moment they heard the front door opening and everyone –except for Meredith- turned towards the doorway, waiting for Mark to walk in.
"Hey, don't lick it!" Meredith whimpered and pulled the spoon out of Calvin's mouth.
Right then, Mark walked inside and frowned as he saw the scene between his girlfriend and her friend. "That's not sanitary," he scowled at them.
Meredith smiled and took another full spoon of ice cream. "Hey," she greeted him, licking the ice cream.
Mark narrowed his eyes and a crooked smile crept on his lips. "Hi."
Meredith's eyes wandered around her and saw the smile on the other's faces, alike with Mark's. "What?" she asked.
"You could learn be more subtle when you are in public," Izzie giggled.
Just then she realized how dirty her gesture had looked for the other. She stuffed the spoon back into the ice cream and brought her legs down as she stood upright.
Mark walked behind the couch and leaned down, reaching to Meredith's baby bump. He circled her abdomen once and dropped a kiss on Meredith's cheek.
"So what are you gossiping about this evening?" Mark asked them.
"You," everyone answered in unison.
Mark raised his brows, surprised with the answer. Instantly he frowned and glared at them. "I'll remember this starting tomorrow."
Meredith laughed as she reached out for his hand. "I told them to behave themselves."
"But in the end you decided to join them," Mark scolded, but she knew from the tone of his voice that he wasn't pissed off on her. "And what's this?" he snapped, grabbing the spoon off her hands. "Sharing germs with people while my baby struggles to develop healthily?"
"No harm done," Meredith rolled her eyes.
"Yet," he glared in return.
"Besides, he bought it," she retorted defensively.
"For you or for himself?" Mark frowned.
"Mark," Meredith groaned. "You're getting on my nerves."
Mark opened his mouth to retort but his jaw remained hanging. There was a sound of crying from upstairs.
The room became quiet, everyone watching Mark's reaction.
"Is someone else here?" he asked them, confused.
Meredith bit her lip and looked away, shrugging. "Kind of," she said.
"It sounds like a baby crying," Mark muttered and watched, confused, how Meredith stood up and walked out of the living room. "Meredith?" he asked her as she didn't answer to his mutter.
Meredith smiled as she walked out of the room.
"Meredith?" Mark shouted and darted after her, pausing in the doorway to glare warningly at her friends, who were almost on their feet, ready to follow him. He caught up with her when they reached upstairs. There, the sound was clearer. That was certainly a baby crying. "Meredith, what's going on here? Whose baby is this?" he asked her.
Meredith smiled at him as she grabbed the doorknob. "Ours…. Kind of," she answered quietly.
"But you're still pregnant," Mark pointed out and then looked suspiciously, "Are you?"
Meredith giggled as she opened the door. "Of course I still am."
She flicked the lights on as she walked into her bedroom, with Mark right behind her. Mark started laughing nervously as he saw a baby doll, between pillows in the middle of the bed. He watched how Meredith walked over to the bed and carefully picked the baby doll into her arms.
"I hope you haven't gone mental," Mark frowned when he saw her rocking the doll back and forth.
Meredith glared at him and looked back down at her doll. "It's for practice," she answered.
Mark let out an exasperated sigh and closed the door. "Are you playing with dolls now?"
Meredith rolled her eyes, sitting down at the edge of the bed. "These dolls have more of the habits that a real baby has. They cry at the same period of time as the babies. It helps you learn how to cradle them when they cry and need attention."
"A rubber doll is not the same thing with a real baby," Mark pointed out.
Meredith rolled her eyes in annoyance, that being the second time she heard that line.
"I am telling you one thing. You're not going to play with that in public," he scolded.
"Of course I won't," she retorted. "I'll take off the batteries while we are not home. We'll keep them on during the night too."
"We?" Mark snapped. "Are you expecting me to play with a doll?"
"No," Meredith snapped back. "I am expecting you to start practicing if you really want to be prepared for the baby."
"My baby doesn't have a quality check stamp on its butt," Mark frowned.
"Good, then you are free to go," Meredith sniffed and turned her back on him, still rocking the baby doll.
Mark watched her, dumbfounded. She seemed serious in what she said. Mark refused to believe that her idea was real. "I'll go take a shower. Maybe your hormones chill down in the meantime."
"Yeah," she grumbled- her back still on him. "Maybe a good shower will help you process what I said."
He briefly closed his eyes, surprising a groan, and shrugged out of his jacket, throwing it on the bed beside Meredith as he walked to the bathroom.
As the bathroom door shut, the bedroom door opened. Meredith turned her head to see her friends' head sneaked inside. She put the baby doll back on the bed, tucked two pillows around it and stood up.
"He'll come around," she muttered and closed the door. Neither of her friends said anything and Meredith heard them heading downstairs in silence.
She returned to her bed and crawled up on the pillows, bringing her knees to her chest. Her eyes lingered on the rubber doll for a while, until she felt her stomach like growling. She looked down at her swollen abdomen- which was now big enough to press against her legs and make her feel sitting in an uncomfortable position. Meredith stretched her legs and her arms hugged her baby bump. "He'd better accept it," she muttered, talking to her stomach.
Meredith leaned her back against the headboard and closed her eyes, sighing. "I am hungry again," she muttered under her breath and looked down as her hands circled the baby bump. "Am I not feeding you enough, because I've eaten a lot today?"
Her stomach growled in response. "There, there," she said, patting her belly. "Wait for your Daddy, because I am too tired to get off the bed right now."
Soon, Mark walked out of the bathroom, wearing just a towel around his waist. He frowned as he saw the doll was still on the bed. "So you haven't changed your mind," he grumbled, displeased.
Meredith frowned. "I can see that you haven't changed your mind either."
"About playing with dolls? Oh yeah, I am very excited about that thought," Mark replied sarcastically.
"Nothing wrong will happen if we try for a while. I'll take care of it this night. Actually, I will take care of it each night if that makes you feel better. None has to know about our practice," Meredith tried to explain.
"None besides your friends," he said, rolling his eyes.
Meredith pursed her lips, upset- a gesture that made Mark groan. A discreet smiled crept on her lips as she saw he was about to give in. "Look," she said and reached out for the doll. "I even bought a boy for you," she smiled as she held it out to him.
Mark rolled his eyes and looked away. "Not encouraging enough," he muttered. Then he let out a sigh and came to sit down on the bed beside her. "If any of those morons says anything about this within the hospital walls, I kill them."
Meredith smiled brightly. "I know."
"Good. I hope they know it too,"
"They do," she giggled and leaned to him, dropping a kiss on his lips. "Thanks."
"Yeah, yeah. I am a very nice guy and you take advantage of my weakness."
"Ok," Meredith laughed teasingly. "I am hungry now," she said and leaned against the headboard again.
"Didn't they feed you?" Mark frowned.
"They did," she answered, her hands circling her baby bump again. "I don't feel hungry but my stomach keeps growling."
Mark put his hand on her baby bump, caressing it slowly. As he did that, Mark smiled at the sensation he felt against his hand. His smile turned into a laugher.
"What's so funny?" Meredith frowned.
But Mark didn't answer. He kept laughing as he lay down beside her, his head on her chest. "So you're hungry, huh?"
"Yeah," Meredith frowned, displeased to see Mark mocking her.
"Did you hear that?" he asked, talking to the baby. "She's hungry," he laughed again.
"What the heck is so funny?" Meredith snapped, angry.
Mark grinned at her and then back to the baby bump. "Maybe you should kick harder."
"Is she kicking?" Meredith asked, staring at him like dumbfounded.
"No," Mark looked at her. "He is kicking."
"Whatever," Meredith rolled her eyes and pushed him off her so that she could caress her belly. "Is this how it feels?" she asked herself.
"That's how I feel it," Mark answered and came to lean against the headboard as well. "I bet your rubber doll doesn't kick like this," he teased.
Meredith elbowed him playfully. "Wow," she laughed, looking at him.
"I know," Mark smiled and his hand followed the trace left by hers.
"I am not hungry anymore," she smiled at him.
"I know," he smiled back.
"But I think I am tired so please put some clothes on," she giggled.
"Are you serious? I didn't even dry myself, just to turn you on," he grinned.
"Shut up," she laughed and slapped him playfully. "Put the baby on the couch and tuck a pillow beside it,"
"You mean the rubber doll," Mark corrected her, grimacing as he remembered Meredith's idea.
"Whatever, just do it," she rolled her eyes.
Mark sighed and reluctantly stood up. As he grabbed the doll by its arm, the doll started crying. He jumped, scared, and dropped the doll.
"Is this how you're going to move your baby from one place to another?" Meredith scolded.
Mark groaned and leaned down and picked the doll up.
"Now calm him down," Meredith ordered.
"Calm it down," Mark snapped. He untied the towel from around his waist, grinning as he saw her face turning red. "Do you want me to do it now? Because it's getting cold naked," he grinned.
Meredith shook her head, clearing her mind and glared her. "Just give it to me."
Mark grinned smugly at how easy he got off from that. He gave the doll to Meredith and left to get ready for bed.