Chapter 26: Aubrey Kate
Derek was in such a deep sleep. Or so he thought he was. After he had gone out and gotten Meredith wings, they had ended up having sex for a while, hoping it would induce labor. When it didn't, they were both exhausted and fallen asleep on the spot. But now Derek was sure something was happening. He didn't know if he was dreaming but he could hear a voice and it took him a second to realize that it was Meredith trying to get him to wake up. "Hmm...sleep..."
"Derek...something is happening." Meredith shook him again, one hand firmly and protectively on her stomach. "I...I waited an hour to wake you up but..."
"What?" He breathed, trying to open his eyes and get accustomed to the light in the room.
"I think it's time."
"I...time?" He sat up quickly.
"They just started about a little over an hour ago." Meredith rubbed her eyes "Seven minutes apart."
"Okay...um...the bag is...and the doctor..."
"I just called Dr. Stein before I woke you up...she says to come on in."
"I guess the wings and the sex worked."
"Probably the sex...the last time I had an or...ohh..." Meredith stopped, gripping his hand as the pain hit her.
"Alright. Time to go."
"That one was only six minutes from the last one."
"I'll get your bag...and the diaper bag...do you need help getting down the stairs?" Derek asked.
"I need to change first." Meredith ignored him.
"We need to call my mom too."
"Call her and I'll put pants on."
"Okay. Good idea."
"Okay..." Meredith waddled over to the closet. She figured getting up to put pants on because she was in labor was perfectly acceptable. Meredith reached for a stretchy pair of jegging's and leaned against the wall to slide them on. As she slid one foot in, she suddenly felt something warm and wet. "Oh god..."
"What?"
"Damn it."
"Oh gosh..." Derek breathed, turning around. "Okay um...we just...sweat pants."
"My water broke." She gasped.
"We need to go."
"Aubrey breaking my water before I get to the hospital is bad...very bad and messy. Very messy." Meredith ranted, reaching for her black sweatpants.
"I'm going to take these to the car." Derek helped up the bags. "And then I'll come back up and help you."
"Everything is wet!"
"Don't worry about that. We need to get to the hospital."
"Ooh..." Meredith grasped the doorway.
"Deep breaths..." Derek whispered,
"Oh boy..."
"Hold onto my arm."
"Shit that hurts."
"Just breathe through it..."
"Okay...okay..." Meredith pushed her hair back.
"Let's go." He whispered, starting to walk slowly out of the bedroom with her holding on to his arm.
"Can I ground her at birth for putting me in pain?" Meredith joked.
"I don't think so." Derek laughed.
"I'll just do something motherly like cuddle her or something."
"Down the stairs...slowly..."
"I can walk."
"It's a good thing we live close to the hospital." Derek laughed nervously.
"We have time." Meredith said, her voice full of ease and calmness.
"I think we've got everything..."
"Pink diaper bag...did you get it?"
"Yes."
"Good..." Meredith braced herself on the railing of the steps. "Oh..."
"I wish I could do this part for you." Derek sighed.
"I'm fine." Meredith bit her lip as she finished passing the contraction.
"Okay." He kissed her cheek. "To the car."
"Car." Meredith nodded, grasping his shoulders.
"We're going to have a baby, Mer."
"That we are, Dr. Shepherd."
"Hmm..." He smiled, getting them to the bottom of the stairs.
"No work for you tomorrow." Meredith wrapped her arms around him.
"Nope." Derek chuckled, kissing her forehead.
"Wait...quick bet." Meredith gasped. "Brown hair or blonde?"
"Blonde."
"Huh...interesting." Meredith sighed.
"You think brown?"
"Maybe."
"We'll see soon enough."
"We will."
"Love you."
"I love you too." Meredith kissed him softly before they made their way out of the house.
"Okay...we're good to go." Derek replied, helping her to the car and up into the front seat.
"Good." Meredith sighed, sliding the seatbelt on.
"We're having a baby." He grinned, starting the car and backing out of their driveway. Aubrey was coming and there was no stopping it now. After nine months of waiting, stress, and arguing, they were finally going to be able to hold their daughter in their arms. There would be no question about whose eyes or whose nose she would have or what color hair she would be born with, they would finally know.
It was so hard for Derek to watch Meredith in so much pain. It wasn't that long of a labor, but it hadn't been an easy one. If Derek could have done it all for her, he would've. However, it the end, it was all worth it. They're baby girl was born healthy and everything that they went through in the past nine months, bed rest, and the arguing, were all worth it. They were so overjoyed and in love with each other and their little girl, it seemed as if none of it had ever even happened.
Aubrey was the most perfect baby with her big blue eyes and black hair. She came out screaming and crying and neither of them had ever been happier to hear a screaming baby than at that moment. She weighed only five pounds, seven ounces, but the doctor told them that she was perfectly healthy.
"Thank goodness she didn't get my nose." Derek laughed quietly, sitting as close to Meredith's hospital bed as he could. Meredith was holding Aubrey in her arms and neither of them could take their eyes off her.
"I have to say I am rather relieved." Meredith giggled, running her hand over the small baby's head of hair.
"Hmm...you and me both...because when she gets older it would have been one more thing, she could get mad at her dad for."
"She's absolutely perfect."
"You did...amazing."
"No..."
"Yes."
"She's so tiny."
"I can't believe we were sitting in this room months ago...afraid she was going to born and now she's here." Derek breathed.
"She is." Meredith giggled as the baby stretched her arms. "Aubrey Kate..."
"Aubrey Kate Shepherd."
"Oh Aubrey...everything about you is...you're perfect." Meredith swallowed.
"I hope it's normal to feel overwhelmingly worried all of the sudden." Derek laughed softly. "I just want to protect her."
"I feel it too...I don't want her out of my sight."
"She looks like you."
"She has your hair." Meredith's voice was the lightest he had ever heard it as she removed the baby's cap.
"I really thought she would be blonde."
"Be happy...it would be a lot harder to dye brunette hair hot pink like I did my blonde hair."
"I'm glad we don't have to worry about that for sixteen years."
"Yeah..." Meredith moved her finger's gently over the baby's cheek as tears came to her eyes.
"What?" Derek whispered, kissing Meredith's head.
"I just...I didn't expect to feel like this. I thought I would be happy, and I am so happy but this...I've never felt like this before." Meredith murmured. "Gosh I'm so tired."
"You should get some rest."
"No...then I have to stop looking at her."
"My mom will be here soon."
"She is going to love her."
"That's when you can sleep. Because she won't give her back to you for hours." Derek joked.
"Are your sisters coming?"
"Not yet."
"Okay." Meredith looked back down as Aubrey scrunched her nose. "Even asleep she makes the cutest faces."
"You do that all the time." Derek laughed, running his hand over Aubrey's head.
"Do you want to hold her?"
"Yeah..."
"Okay." Meredith kissed Aubrey's soft skin before handing her to Derek.
"Hi baby girl." Derek whispered, grinning as he took his daughter in his arms. "Hey..."
"Her hands are so little."
"She's..."
"Yeah." Meredith agreed without him even saying what he was thinking.
"I'm never letting her out of my sight." Derek breathed.
"I feel like a little kid with a new toy...I'm excited."
"Hmm..." He smiled, kissing Aubrey's forehead. "I have something else for you."
"For me?"
"Uh huh."
"What?" Meredith giggled.
"It's nothing big." Derek laughed, giving Aubrey back to her and grabbing a box from one of their bags. "Here..."
"I...can you help me open it?" Meredith breathed, nodding down at Aubrey.
"Yeah..." He whispered, opening the box and pulling a necklace with a small pendant with the letter A engraved on it.
"Oh Derek..."
"So, you can always have her with you...and if...when we have more kids you can add to it."
"Derek...this is...great."
"You deserve it."
"I don't know what I ever did to deserve this."
"The last nine months..."
"They were hell and amazing at the same time." Meredith breathed, as Aubrey curled into his chest.
"You both need to get some sleep." Derek whispered.
"I...yeah."
"What?"
"I'm exhausted."
"You both have been through a lot in the last few hours."
"It was a long night." Meredith laughed.
"Do you want to keep her here in the room?"
"Where else would she go?" Meredith asked. "I mean I know your Mom will probably be here soon."
"She's on her way."
"Maybe I'll shut my eyes until she gets here."
"Okay." Derek smiled.
"And you can enjoy Aubrey."
"Oh I will." He laughed, taking her in his arms.
"Derek..."
"Hmm?"
"I know I'm really hormonal but...I love you so much." Meredith wiped at her eyes as she watched Derek kiss their baby girl's head. "And just...thank you for everything. For Aubrey and...just everything."
"I love you too."
"Will you help me put the necklace on?"
"Yeah..." Derek smiled, placing Aubrey back on her chest and taking the necklace from the small box.
"She's so little and...warm." Meredith beamed as Derek pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
"There you go." He whispered, putting the necklace on her.
"I love it." Meredith held the pendant as Derek lifted the baby.
"It wasn't completely my idea by the way...I can't take all of the credit."
"Oh...?"
"Lexie said I was supposed to get you a push gift...but the necklace was my idea."
"Well...I love it."
"I'm glad."
"I should have gotten you a gift for being so patient."
"This little one is a gift in itself."
"She is pretty amazing."
"Hello..." Carolyn's voice came through the partially open door. "Can I come in?"
"Hi!" Meredith's face lit up.
"Hey Mom." Derek smiled.
"Oh, let me see my beautiful grandbaby." The older woman gasped, sitting flowers and a gift bag on the table.
"Here she is." Derek whispered.
"Oh Derek...Meredith she is precious." Carolyn gasped.
"Isn't she perfect?" Meredith swallowed.
"Want to hold her?" Derek asked, lifting her up so his mom could take her.
"Yes, of course." She said, taking Aubrey into her arms. "Have you guys picked a middle name?"
"She has Derek's dark hair." Meredith replied.
"But not my nose." Derek laughed.
"She's gorgeous."
"Thank you." Meredith smiled like a proud new mother.
"Why don't you sit?" Derek offered, standing up so she could sit down.
"Thank you Dear."
"She's going to be spoiled." He laughed.
"Amelia sent a box to the house of gifts." The older woman shifted the baby in her arms. "She said she's flying in next Friday."
"Is anybody else coming?"
"Nancy is coming tonight to see you guys...Kathleen has a family dinner to host at her house for Lauren's soccer team so she can't come until tomorrow morning." His mother responded, admiring Aubrey. "Your other sister plans on coming out sometime today."
"Then, Meredith really does need to get some rest."
"You really do Meredith." Carolyn beamed. "If you want I can rock Aubrey and care for her while you two get some shut eye. The nurse said there is an area in the nursery where we can sit with her and listen to music."
"Are you sure Mom?"
"Of course...she and I have bonding to do."
"Okay." Derek smiled, looking over at Meredith.
"I...yeah that would be great." Meredith breathed, knowing she trusted his mother with Aubrey no matter what.
"If you need us..."
"I've done this plenty of times...you two just get your rest."
"Thank you Mom."
"This is what I am here for." Carolyn grinned as she walked to the door with the baby. "Rest well."
"Thank you." Meredith leaned her head on Derek's shoulder.
"My pleasure. We'll see you later." His mother smiled.
"I miss her already." Meredith giggled as the door shut.
"You feel that too?" Derek laughed.
"Yes."
"I guess it's something we're just going to have to get used to."
"Hmm...nap quickly so we can sleep before she has to eat again?"
"Sounds good."
"Great." Meredith yawned, curling into him.
"Hmm...love you." Derek whispered.
"I love you too Derek Christopher Shepherd."
"Thank you...for our daughter." He breathed, closing his eyes as they laid together in her small hospital bed. After the pre-term labor scare, the bed rest and the hours of labor, their daughter was finally here. It was hard to believe even when she was lying in their arms looking up at them. It would be a few days, but Derek couldn't wait to take her home and show her their home and the great life that they built for her.
THE END