Chapter Eight

"Derek has plans," Meredith repeated for what, according to Cristina's count, must have been the millionth time in the hour since Cristina and Burke had arrived at her house.

"We've established that," Cristina said, looking up at Meredith from her spot on the floor. "What are you going to do? Run? Because you're not going to-."

"Get very far; yes I've heard that joke once or twice in the past week. And I know I'm hopelessly annoying because I repeat things incessantly when I'm in shock. I am aware of that, but he has plans Cristina. We're talking about the man who, just under a month ago, had a wife and now he has plans. With me."

"He's not the first. Finn had plans," Cristina said, and then instantly wished she hadn't. Not that she was going to take it back, but Finn was not a good subject to bring up. As she expected, Meredith's face immediately went dark and she looked away from Cristina towards the stairs.

Cristina pushed herself up onto the couch next to Meredith as Burke came in carrying water glasses and handed one to Meredith. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up McVet, but I'm just saying that you are a person that guys have plans with. End of story. And chances are these plans will end up being a good thing for you. Don't fight it."

"Are you sure you're talking about me?" Meredith asked, and Cristina glared at her. Why did she have to be such a perceptive person when things were going well for her? Sure, one McDreamy problem and the girl was totally self-centered, but smooth things out and the rest of the world became her feeding ground for drama.

Burke cleared his throat and they both turned to him. "So, Meredith, have you decided what your specialty will be? I heard the chief is demanding answers."

Meredith nodded, shifting on the couch so that she was looking out the window. "I have. Thought about it that is, and I think I'm going to go into neurosurgery. It's not because of Derek," she added quickly, "It's because of my mother, it's because the brain is such a mystery. It's because…. I don't know…. There's just something absolutely incredible about fixing someone's brain, make them be able to see again, to walk, to talk…." She shrugged. "I guess…. I guess I have decided." She smiled.

Cristina wished that she had this certainty. Alex had known for years that he wanted to go into plastics, and George was going into cardio, but she just was not sure.

"Has Izzie heard from the chief yet?" Burke asked, and Cristina focused on the conversation going on around her again.

"No. He said he'd let her know in a day or two. I think he'll let her continue on: probably he'll let her go straight into residency but have Addison…. Treat her like an intern, I guess, for a while. I mean, she's missed six months. It's hard to believe we're actually going to be residents…." She trailed off, but in her voice was everything Cristina had been feeling lately. Were they really ready?

Just then, the door opened and in came George carrying a take-out bag. "Someone order Chinese?" he asked, grinning.

"Me!"

Cristina stared at her. "Meredith? You hate Chinese."

"I know," Meredith said, pulling up on George's arm and walking with him to the kitchen, "Normally I do, I was just craving it today."

Cristina shook her head, and Burke followed the other two into the kitchen. Cristina stayed there on the couch for a moment, thinking, and Burke came back in and sat next to her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, taking her hand.

"Yeah, of course. Meredith's right, it's kind of weird that we won't be interns any more."

"You're going to be great, you know," Burke said, "Whatever you choose, whatever you do."

Cristina nodded, and then took a deep breath. "Burke? About the kid thing. No, let me talk, it's not that I don't want kids. I didn't for a long time, but I think, with you, I could possibly handle it. Just not yet, okay? Let's just wait a little while, okay?"

He nodded and smiled softly at her. "Okay. You know, that's the closest thing to a commitment you've ever given since you admitted that this was a relationship?"

"Shut up," she said, and then got up to go into the kitchen.

"You're not walking downstairs," Derek commented as Meredith sat on the bed, fully dressed and watched him pull a sweater over his head.

"What?"

"You've been doing great, but there's only so much you can do without putting stress on the baby. Hence the fact, I'm not letting you walk up or down the stairs now."

"How exactly do you plan to stop me?"

"Like this," he said, and the next thing she knew he had scooped her up and was heading towards the door.

'Derek! Put me down!" she said, laughing.

George's door opened and Callie came out, watching them. "Why are you guys so cute, so early?" she asked, scowling at them. George came into the doorway behind her and grinned. Meredith met his eyes and she knew; he was just glad that she was happy. And she was. Happy. It was a nice change.

Derek deposited her on the couch. "There, you're now free to go any where that you want, that's on the bottom floor of this house."

Meredith grinned at him, and then looked around the room in shock. Bags from Izzie's favorite yarn store were everywhere; she knew Izzie had gone out the night before, but this seemed like overkill, even for her.

"Why has an entire sheep farm exploded in your living room?" Callie asked, coming downstairs.

"Ask Izzie," Meredith replied, and then she looked up at Derek. "Shouldn't you be going to work?"

"I am," he grinned, "But I'm coming home for lunch." He raised his eyebrows.

"Am I going to hear about the plan?" she asked, trying but failing to sound as if she was just inquiring politely.

"Maybe," he said, and then leaned down to kiss her. "'Bye."

"'Bye," she said. He left as Izzie came downstairs. "Izzie? What's up with the Cat Heaven theme down here?"

Izzie grinned and sat down next to Meredith on the couch, pulling a bag onto her lap and digging out three skeins of yarn and needles. "You and I are going to knit baby stuff."

Meredith raised her eyebrows. "Izzie, I'm not the best at knitting, remember?"

"Yeah. But you have time now, so we're going to try again. No time like the present. It just helps that at the present you've got plenty of time on your hands."

George came in then, handing them each a cereal bowl. "Callie and I are having dinner with her mom tonight, so we won't be back 'til late," he said, sitting on the floor with his own cereal bowl.

"George, I'm not your mother," Meredith pointed out. "The big bad heart surgeon doesn't have to report in." George smiled self-assuredly and shrugged.

"Says the brain surgeon," he replied, grinning at her. "Did you let the chief know?"

"Yeah, I called him." It had been a rather awkward call, really, but she had let him know her decision and that was what mattered.

Not long after George and Callie headed to the hospital and Meredith was alone with Izzie, who was attempting to teach her how to knit again. By lunch time she had managed to get started on a little baby hat, without throwing the needles across the room more than once. Izzie was already making good progress on a tiny sweater, and Meredith kept flashing her envious looks whenever she finished the stitches on a needle. They worked in companionable silence for a while until the phone rang, startling Izzie so much that she dropped one of her needles and Meredith laughed.

"Hello?" Izzie said, sticking her tongue out at Meredith who had a throw pillow pushed up against her face to keep her laughter from being heard on the other end. "Oh, hi Chief Webber. You what? Oh, yes. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yes, I'll be there. Thank you! Thank you so much! Yes sir, good bye!"

Izzie's grin was huge as she clicked off the cordless phone. "Well?" Meredith said, even though she knew that it had to have been good news.

"We need to rework the Operation Meredith schedule, because starting next Monday, I'll be working!"

Meredith laughed. "Oh Izzie, that's great!"

"Yeah," Izzie said, still grinning, but peering at her knitting in a way that made Meredith, none-too-reluctantly, put down her own needles and reach out to put a hand on her friend's arm.

"You okay?"

"Mmhmm. It's just that it's been so long, and I really thought I wasn't right to be a surgeon…."

"Izzie, maybe there are some parts of surgery you don't like, and who knows, you could decide to just operate a regular practice, but there will be times when you can save more than by operating. You'll be saving lives of people who haven't even lived yet, giving them a chance. The rest of us, well, we're just giving second chances."

Izzie looked up at Meredith and nodded. "Yeah. You're right. I can handle this."

"Yeah, you can. Now get over here and show me how to decrease, I'm not planning on having a cone-head for a child."

Izzie laughed and showed her. Meredith watched as she did, watch as Izzie expertly worked the yarn and suddenly she wondered something.

"Izzie? When did you learn how to knit?"

Izzie paused, mid-stitch, and looked up. "When I was sixteen," she answered after a moment's thought. "I…. I wanted to knit things for my baby. I mean, I couldn't send much with her, but they were always willing to accept little hats and things."

Meredith nodded and they worked in silence after that.

Fifteen minutes, or so, later the front door opened and Derek came in. Meredith was concentrating on the hat and didn't look up at him at first. "I hope this doesn't mean you're attempting celibacy again," Derek teased, pushing aside one of the paper bags of yarn.

"Hey. No, although having this baby might. Izzie and I are just knitting stuff for it."

He nodded. "Okay. Ready for lunch?"

"Yeah, what are we—oh come on, not again!" he hadn't waited for her to finish her sentence before picking her up off of the couch and carrying her to the door.

"Izzie, you now have the afternoon off."

"Because, you know, babysitting me is such a burden--."

Izzie laughed. "Well, I think I'll go visit your mother then. Want me to tell her anything?"

Meredith shrugged. "If she's lucid, explain things to her, I guess. I-." but she didn't get a chance to finish, because Derek was taking them both out the door and down the townhouse steps. He loaded her into his car and away they went.

"Where are we going?" Meredith asked, watching him. He had the strangest smile on his face, and it made her very suspicious. "Are you taking me to meet your harem? No? In that case we must be taking a ferryboat to your private island. Jetting off to the Caribbean? Having tea with the queen?"

He just shook his head and clasped her hand in his.

"Mr. Secretive. McPrivate. Haha, I've seen your McPrivates…. I'm going to continue to talk this way until you give me an answer, I can be very annoying when I want to be. Ask my mother, or every housekeeper that she attempted to hire and keep. Kind of like the mom on that show… Gilmore Girls. With the maid. Yeah."

"Mer?"

"Yes?"

"Stop rambling, I'm not going to tell you and you're going to sit there and wait."

"McBossy." Meredith said, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. She looked out the window and suddenly realized where they were heading. "Derek? Why are we going to the trailer?" he reached over and put a finger to her lips.

"Patience is a virtue."

"Because we're the most virtuous people ever," Meredith grumbled, but she sat back and let him drive. When they reached his land she started to get out of the car but he had come around and was picking her up before she could so much as get out of the car.

She sighed and put her arms around his neck. The weather was gorgeous, for a change, and she looked up at the clear blue sky, with the sun just showing through the trees on Derek's land. "I can walk to the trailer, you know."

"I know. And if we were going to the trailer, I'd let you walk."

Meredith's curiosity was peaked but she didn't say anything, just allowed herself to relax, feeling safe in his arms. They walked past the trail that they used to take with Doc, into the woods a little and they reached the top of a hill and Meredith's breath caught in her chest. There was a picnic laid out on the grass, with a beautiful view of the stream behind it. Derek set her gently on the blanket and sat down next to her opening the basket.

"Sparkling grape juice," he said pulling out the bottle, "Eggsalad, chips, fruit, carrots and brownies." Meredith stared at him in awe as he laid it all out and the wind ruffled his hair. "All of this is for eating, you know," he commented handing her a sandwich. She bit into it, and stared at him for a few moments longer before she could really accept the fact that they were indeed having a picnic.

Only then could she look around and appreciate the incredible view. "Derek, this is gorgeous," she breathed.

"Isn't it? It's my new favorite place on the land. I had to share it with you. There's a lot I want to share with you." She looked at him, sidelong, but didn't comment, just sipped the juice which he had poured into wine glasses.

They talked about small things for a while, the hospital, the knitting, George and Callie. He told her about his appointment with Burke that day, that he seemed vastly improved. As they talked Meredith wondered how it was that they never ran out of conversation, but they never did. Their silence wasn't awkward, it was just them. Being together.

It was only as she finished a brownie that she remembered. Derek had plans, but before she could say anything he seemed to remember too. He reached over for her hand. "Meredith? I know I've made mistakes, mistakes that have hurt you and me and Addison. Mistakes that could have and should have been avoided. And I'm not stupid, I know that you probably shouldn't have forgiven me. That you should be happy and I shouldn't be. However, I tend to prefer the 'both of us happy' option. And Mer? You make me happy. I was never happy during the time we were apart. I tried. Damn did I try. But nothing worked. Because I love you.

"Finding out that you were pregnant, it was a wake-up call for me. I realized that this was a sign; this was the choice I should have made. I love you and I want to be with you. I'm never going to leave you, if you want me. I know that may be hard for you to believe, because I don't have the best record for staying with people, but I love you like you wouldn't believe. I can't imagine you doing anything that would make me stop loving you."

Meredith watched him in shock as he reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, and suddenly she knew what was happening, she knew, and all she could do was stare. He pulled out the small ring box and opened it, and she knew that she was supposed to exclaim over it, but all that she could do was watch his eyes and drown in them.

"Meredith Grey, would you marry me?"

She was aware that she was nodding, but barely, as she started to cry and held out a shaking hand for him to put the ring on. He kissed her after putting the ring on, and it was perfect, so perfect. She absolutely couldn't believe that this was happening.

"You want me?" she asked, when she could speak. "You really want me?"

"Yes," Derek answered solemnly. "I want you. I think that I have always wanted you. Now, about the rest of the plan." He grinned. "See the land just below here? Where the trailer is and to the right of that? That's where our house will be. I've already talked to some people about it; they can break ground in three months, just after the baby is born."

"We're building a house?" Meredith said. "We're building a house?"

"Yes. We're building a house. You'll still have your mother's house, but we'll also have this house. Our house."

Meredith didn't know what to do, so she laid her head in his lap and smiled to herself, fingering her engagement ring. His fingers ran through her hair, and she looked over the land where their house would stand feeling completely content.

"Meredith?"

"Yeah?"

"I have something to tell you. Don't get mad, okay?"

"Like I could be mad at you right now? Seriously?"

"You may, over this. Here's the thing: the other night? When I was working on the plan? I went to your father's to ask him for your hand."

"You what?"

"I know, it sounds insane. I know, all the daddy problems, and he left you. I know. But I saw him that day at the hospital, and I thought he would want to know. I was thinking, you've said that you didn't want the baby to not have a father, and I was thinking about how it must have been for your father to be willing…. Well I couldn't give you up and I'm just in love with you…. So I went."

"You're nuts. Have I told you that? Completely nuts. Seriously, completely nuts. Utterly, seriously--."

"Okay, I get it. Mer. He wants to see you."

"Oh, yeah, now he does."

"He seemed really sincere, I think since your sister had a baby—"

"Half-sister."

"He's realizing that he doesn't want to lose you and your baby. Kind of like me."

"There's a difference. You're here."

"But I almost wasn't. Maybe he made the same mistake. He just realized it a lot too late."

"Okay. I'll see him. I just—it's so hard. I mean, I spent years dreaming of the day I'd find him. And then, I did, and he didn't want me. It's like he was afraid to know me. He had to ask George about me."

"Don't cry, Mer. It'll be all right. If he upsets you again, I'll kill him, but I don't think he will."

"Going to punch out my father too? Or just attack him with a scalpel?"

"Where's Meredith?" Ellis Grey asked Izzie. She was sitting at a table looking agitated and tapping her fingers against a saucer.

"She's—Dr. Grey?"

"Yes, what is it? I've got to report to the chief in an hour."

"Okay. Meredith's sick, Dr. Grey."

The woman met Izzie's eyes, and Izzie saw concern in them. "I need to talk to her. Get me a phone, I'll call her."

Izzie was shocked, but she knew that the best thing to do would be to appease her, so Izzie pulled out her cell phone and dialed the house, wondering if Meredith was home yet.

"Hello?"

"Mer? You okay?" she sounded strange, as if she had been crying but there was a note of happiness in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll tell you when you get back. What's up?"

"Well," Izzie said slowly, "I'm here with your mom and she wants to talk to you."

"She what?"

"I told her you were sick and she wants to talk to you, okay?"

"Um, okay."

Izzie handed the phone to Dr. Grey and she could just hear Meredith say, "Hi, Mommy," and then she listened to only the mother's side of the conversation.

"Meredith honey? Are you all right?" Izzie watched as Ellis Grey's face turned soft/ "Good. You're taking fluids, right? Okay. Order out if you have to, I don't trust that new woman's cooking skills. Okay baby, get some rest. Love you." She handed the phone back to Izzie and just as suddenly her face retained a familiar glazed expression.

"Mer?" Izzie said softly.

"Thank you," Meredith said quietly and Izzie could hear fresh tears in her voice this time. "I think I needed that."

Izzie looked back at Meredith's mother and saw that a small smile was on her face. "I think you both did," she commented. "I'll be home soon."

Izzie stayed for a little while longer, talking to Dr. Grey who only occasionally seemed to hear her, but she left earlier than she usually did. Her head was filled with thoughts about the fact that on Monday she would be working again.

She would also be spending a lot of time with Addison Shepard, something that she had yet to mention to Meredith or Derek. She wondered if she was really ready. The thought of Denny still made her throat constrict, but she didn't burst into tears every time she thought about him. She didn't feel guilty when Alex kissed her, only as if she was making progress in her life.

It was hard, but Denny had said once that she was a great doctor, and she intended to continue in this fashion.

It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't told Alex. Maybe she wouldn't. She'd surprise him.

This thought, the thought of his face when she walked into the locker room, made her smile.

She pulled into Meredith's driveway and was surprised to see that Derek's car was still there, he must have really taken the entire afternoon off. In the living room, he sat with his arm around Meredith. They were watching Casablanca on the TV, but Meredith muted it when she saw Izzie.

"That movie," Izzie said, sitting on a chair. "Is really, strangely, apt for you all."

"Except, not, because I was nowhere near as classy as Humphrey Bogart, I didn't let them fade into the distance, in case you haven't seen him around lately," she indicated Derek.

"Yes, but Humphrey didn't have the 'win her back by getting pregnant' option," Derek commented. Izzie thought that this might bother Meredith, but Meredith only whacked him with a pillow.

It was then that Izzie saw the ring on Meredith's finger.

"Mer?" she asked, "Something you want to share?"

Meredith blushed and then looked up at Derek. "We're… We're getting married, Izzie," she said it carefully, as if she though Izzie might get upset. But she wasn't. Jealous maybe, because it should have been her and Denny, but she was also happy for Meredith and Meredith was obviously happy.

"Congratulations!" she said heartily, hugging Meredith, but as soon as Meredith looked away she gave Derek the 'if you hurt her you will die' look that Cristina had perfected. Izzie had tweaked it to include a huge smile, with the death look only in her eyes.

George came home alone after the dinner with Callie, her mother had insisted that Callie go with her to talk. He entered the living room quietly, expecting the whole house to be asleep, but to his surprise one floor lamp was on in the living room and Meredith sat there in her Dartmouth T-shirt, fingering a ring on her finger. A new ring.

George went into her and sat on the couch. "What are you doing up?"

"Waiting for you. I didn't want to go to bed, and Derek apparently trusts you to help me up the stairs."

"Are you ready?"

She shrugged.

"Nice ring."

A smile crept over her face and her eyes lit up. "Thanks. I think so." She looked up at him. "George? I need an honest answer. Am I being a fool? Are things about to blow up in my face?"

"If it does there are at least six people I can think of that will form a mob and chase Derek out of town."

Meredith laughed aloud and the smile returned. "Where's Callie?" she asked after a moment, seeming reassured.

"With her mom. They were getting on so well they wanted girl time." He smiled. "She's happy, you know. Her mom said she hadn't been this happy in a long time."

"I bet Callie was totally embarrassed by that one."

"Yeah, she was," he said quietly.

"George?" Meredith said suddenly. "You're thinking about breaking it off, aren't you?"

"What? How did you-? I mean, why would you think that?"

"Because, you're speaking in that tone, the 'I've fixed it now I'm moving away' tone that guys get when they think they're done with a girl." He must have looked obviously confused or she was just going into a Meredith-rant, because she continued. "I've known plenty of them. There have been guys that thought that they could fix me, Finn was one of them. But that time we were both damaged, but whoever fixed who first was bound to move away. And that time it was me.

"You're that type, George. Olivia looked fragile and shy, but she wasn't. She had been with Alex. You thought that you could fix me, because I was so obviously hurt on the night you met me. But here's the thing: Robin Hooding doesn't work with girls. It's great for a surgeon, bad for relationships. Callie loves you, George, and I know you love her. Don't step away just because you think that now that she's happy she doesn't need you. Because she does. I do—." she clapped a hand over her mouth and George watched her deciding to go ahead with what she was saying.

"Just because I have Derek now doesn't mean that I don't need my friends, just like because Callie's happy doesn't mean that she doesn't need you. Okay?"

George nodded and knew that she was right.

"Okay." she looked down at her ring again. "Okay. George?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you help me to bed now?"

She stood and he offered his arm out to her, but before she took it she wrapped her arms around him. He felt the baby against him and Meredith's breathe against his neck, and he knew. What Alex had said long ago was true. She was like his sister. With that knowledge, he hugged her back.

It was ridiculously early in the morning when Cristina's cell phone rang, and it was in the living room. Somehow she managed to get out of bed without disturbing Burke and get to the phone before it stopped ringing, both feats of which she was proud of.

"Hello?"

"Hey, did I wake you?"

"Well, Meredith, it is six o'clock in the morning on my day off…" Cristina replied flopping onto the couch.

"Sorry. I wanted to call you before Derek woke up. I need to talk to you."

"Okay, talk," Cristina sighed, wondering how she had managed to like someone who was one of those people who called to talk at dawn.

"Derek, asked me to marry him. I said yes. I want to marry him. I just can't help thinking that--."

"That you could be the next She-of-the-Salmon-Scrubs?" Cristina asked knowingly.

"Yeah. Something like that. Am I crazy? 'Cause I think I'm crazy. I mean, the man of my dreams, father of my child and I are engaged and I'm flipping out!"

"Okay, first of all, for you this is not flipping out. Secondly, his track record is such that I fully support all worry. Finally, and you know I'm not McDreamy's biggest fan, but Mer? You should probably talk to him about it. Try it. It works."

"You? You Cristina Marie Yang are telling me to talk to someone instead of talking to everyone else behind their back? I'm shocked."

"Shut up." In the other room, Cristina could hear Burke beginning to stir.

"We're going to build a house together, Cristina. That's permanent. He's planning on permanency." There was wonder in Meredith's voice, and Cristina knew, she wasn't willing to rock the boat.

"Talk to Derek, Mer. He'll understand."

"Cristina!" Burke called from the other room, and Cristina jumped at the tone of his voice.

"Gotta go," she said, hanging up with Meredith.

"Cristina!"

A/N Review please!