Chapter 72: Happy Anniversary (Part 2)

"Mer?"

"Yes?" She asked and stretched, trying to ease the discomfort in her back. It was still their anniversary and they were relaxing on the beach. She wiggled around in her beach chair trying to get comfortable.

"Are you okay?" Derek asked with a slight frown.

"Is that what you wanted to know?" Meredith questioned with a small giggle.

"No," he answered seriously and sat up beside her, "but it is now."

"I'm a little uncomfortable and my back is aching. It's nothing new at this point," she sighed.

Derek moved to a squatting position next to her and grabbed her arm to wrap it around his shoulders. He said, "Come on, let's go for a walk." Then, because he knew she wouldn't be able to manage it on her own, he put his arm around her waist and helped her to stand up.

Meredith reached her arms in the air to stretch again. She looked at her husband, smiled and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping me to get my fat ass out of that chair. There's no way I was going to be able to do it on my own."

He reached out and took her face gently in his hands and kissed her. When he pulled back, he asked, "Will you please stop with the fat ass comments about yourself?"

"Why?" She asked with a smile. "They're true."

"They aren't true," he relied adamantly. "You are pregnant, not fat. And you," he said and placed another little kiss on her lips, "are the most stunningly beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Oh," she sighed and happy little tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "Well, when you put it that way."

"I'm putting it that way. I'm asking you to please stop making the degrading comments about yourself. All right?"

Suddenly Meredith grinned and giggled. She grabbed Derek's hand and placed it on the side of her stomach. "Our son agrees with his Daddy," she said as Ian gave a couple of good-sized kicks.

"Of course, he does," Derek grinned, feeling those amazing kicks.

A few moments later, once Ian had settled again, Meredith said, "All right, I'll speak kindlier about myself. Now, what were you originally going to ask me?"

Derek grinned and answered, "I was going to ask if you're hungry."

"I'm always hungry. You know that," she giggled.

"Yeah," he grinned and captured her hand to lace his fingers with hers. "Come on, let's go for a walk and get a snack."

The walk on the beach was nice. Plus, it helped to ease some of Meredith's physical discomfort. The food at the end of the walk definitely made her feel better. At one point she almost made a fat ass remark. Then she looked at her grinning husband and kissed him instead.