Chapter 27: Results
When they were alone, Derek finally spoke. "Wh…what's going on Addison? Is this about the lab results?"
Derek felt Meredith scoot closer, and he put an arm around her, showing he would be strong, that no matter what, he'd be there to hold her.
Addison stared down at the papers in her hand before looking back up and taking a deep breath.
Derek felt Meredith tense in his arms, and he swallowed, struggling to keep his emotions in check. No matter what Addie said, everything would be fine. They'd overcome whatever the results showed.
Addison's face remained serious as she pulled her glasses off slowly and carefully placed them in the front pocket of her white lab coat. She finally let her eyes meet the two anxious pairs across the room as she began.
"First of all… the results of the rape kit came back….negative."
Derek and Meredith let out breaths they both were holding and Derek squeezed her reassuringly. He closed his eyes and let up a heartfelt thank you to whatever higher power was watching out for her. He felt Meredith's body immediately relax against him in pure relief and he kissed the top of her head, feeling a weight being lifted.
"There's something else."
Both heads snapped back to Addison, as her face again was void of expression and Derek felt his heart lurch.
She studied them both carefully before once more addressing them as professionally as she could.
"I also got your blood work back Meredith." Addison paused, stretching the tension out longer than necessary.
Derek and Meredith sat up slightly and exchanged an uneasy glance, both having no idea where this was headed.
Addison struggled with a serious expression until she could hold it no longer. Her face split into a jovial grin and her eyes sparked. "You're pregnant…. About seven weeks along according to the HcG counts."
The silenced echoed through the room and the shock could have been cut with a knife. Both expecting parents sat motionless, playing the words over and over in their minds, afraid that a single movement or sound would shatter this perfect moment, destroy the incredible news.
Meredith was the first to find words, even then her voice coming out as a shaky squeak. "Wh..what?"
Addison's smile widened even more. "You're pregnant Meredith. You guys are going to have a baby. Congratulations."
The room erupted in ecstatic laughter. Tears of joy snuck from all sets of eyes as Derek turned to Meredith and stared at her beautiful face. He placed his hands on both sides of her face and fought for something to say. No words could describe the euphoric feeling invading his soul. No words could do justice the elated emotions swirling through his head.
Derek felt his chin tremble a little as Meredith looked up at him, her green eyes shining, unashamed tears finding their way down her perfect cheeks.
Not trusting himself to speak, he pulled her face closer, so her lips were pressed firmly against his. He kissed her long and hard, showing his gratitude and love in the physical act.
Meredith eagerly returned the kiss, pulling away only for air. As she smiled and tried to wrap her mind over everything that was happening, Derek busied himself with kissing her face. He kissed the tip of her nose, her cheek, the other one, and let his lips linger on her forehead as he drank in the pleasure of the moment. With all the sad and distressing events of the last few weeks, it seemed this pure emotion of contentment was lost and he was enjoying the reconciliation.
He was becoming lost in Meredith's addictive giggle, relishing in the warmness of her smile, when a dark cloud seemed to settle over her features. The giggle silenced, her smile dropped, and face paled.
"A..Addison?" She asked shakily. "Is the baby okay? I mean… with everything that just happened…and all…"
Addison sobered a bit and nodded slowly. "I'm sure everything's fine Mer. The baby's still small, your uterus hasn't moved out of your pelvis yet. But just to be on the safe side, I ordered an ultrasound, the tech should be here any second."
Meredith nodded and let Derek rub a reassuring hand on her back. She was a doctor. She knew that at only seven weeks the baby was roughly the size of a peanut, and it took sever blunt trauma directly to the uterus to even constitute concern. Still, the mother part of her worried, causing her hands to tremble slightly.
A knock at the door saved Meredith from her troubled thoughts and Addison hurried to answer it. She greeted the ultrasound technician and held the door open so he could maneuver the large cart with the huge computer like device into the room.
Derek sat up and gently slid to the opposite side of the bed, assuming a sitting position. He kept his left hand locked with Meredith's small right one in a protective gesture.
The technician busied himself with buttons and technical things, getting everything set for the sonogram. Addison warmed a tube of lubricant on the counter before joining the tech on the side of the bed and picking up the device that would be their window to the tiny new baby nestled in its warm cocoon.
"I can take over from here Ian, thanks."
The young man hesitated confused. Dr. Montgomery-Sloan was the head of her department and a world-renowned surgeon, she didn't do tedious tasks like running labs and ultrasounds. That was for the guppies. The nobodies. People like him.
"It's okay Ian. They're good friends of mine. Family."
Understanding registered in the young man's eyes and he nodded to the occupants of the room before hurrying out, leaving the trio alone.
Addison busied herself with the machine, pressing a few buttons and adjusting some controls, as Meredith lifted her gown up to stop just above her stomach.
Derek frowned at the rapidly forming bruises he noticed on her pale skin, but Meredith squeezed his hand, reassuring him she was fine.
Addison squeezed the warm gel on Meredith's flat stomach and set the large wand on top. She pressed firmly and moved it down deep near Mer's pelvis, shifting it slightly around until a loud quick whoosh whoosh filled the room.
"Awww, there we go." Addison smiled satisfied as her eyes took in everything from the screen.
Meredith sighed and rested her head back relieved on her soft pillow, closing her eyes and smiling as her baby's heartbeat echoed around her.
Derek couldn't fight the smile that battled his conscious and gave in to the tremendous thrill just seeing the curiously odd shape on the screen brought. The tiny heart fluttering in the middle was too obvious to miss and he found himself captivated. That was his baby. Something he and Meredith created. Together.
The sharp pain of sorrow and regret of missing Meredith's first pregnancy was momentarily dulled knowing that, this time, he'd be there every step of the way. Through the morning sickness and fatigue. The cravings and crabbiness. The pounds gained, the figure lost. Feeling the life he created move inside the woman he loved. Being there for the birth to hold her hand and take whatever verbal abuse he figured would inevitably be flung his way.
He welcomed it all.
Meredith felt her hand being squeezed tighter and opened her eyes to see tears streak down Derek's stubbled cheeks. Her heart leapt and she stifled a sob with her free hand. She had seen him cry before, but this time it was so different.
She disentangled her hand from his and reached out and pulled him closer, wiping his tears with her slender fingers. Her fingers softly traced his strong jaw line, and her eyes studied his face as she tilted her head, trying to read what was going through his mind.
Derek stared back at her; her own eyes wet with tears as well. He labored to find the right words. To express to the woman he loved all that he was feeling.
"I.. uh… it's just…" He shook his head and cleared his throat, inwardly chuckling at what a mush he'd turned into the last few months. "I was just thinking how sad I've always felt that I missed seeing your big round belly when you were pregnant with Carwyn… and how I missed her birth… and everything…" he sighed. "But not this time. I'm not going to miss one second of this. I feel like I'm the luckiest man alive…and it's all because of you. You've given me the perfect daughter… and now you're giving me another child… and whether girl or boy… I know it's going to be perfect. So thank you Mer….thank you for everything."
Meredith stared back speechless. Nothing she could say could express how she was feeling, so instead she closed the distance between their two mouths and kissed him hungrily. Derek laughed surprised but didn't pull away, slipping his own hand behind her head to keep her close.
Addison watched awkwardly until the kiss became more heated. She turned and busied herself with turning off the ultrasound machine and wrapping up cords to return the equipment. When she turned back, she saw they still hadn't come up for air, and tried clearing her throat when she noticed Derek's hand start to wander.
The heated couple was completely oblivious that Addison was even in the room still as they continued to go at it. Sighing in defeat, Addison shook her head humored and pushed the cart to the side of the room to wait for the tech to return it upstairs. She shot them one last glance before hurrying out of the room and shutting the door securely behind her, momentarily wondering if she could find a Do Not Disturb sign to put on the knob, as she hurried away laughing.
