Chapter Eight
A chill hung in the air as Meredith slammed her car door, trying to balance everything that she was holding and balance on the curb, as she opened the door for her daughter.
"C'mon, Lyddie," she said, holding the door open, and nearly dropping the flowers that she was holding. Lydia stepped out of the car, and reached for her mother's hand. Meredith gave it and pulled Lydia up onto the curb. She stood upright, without crutches, braces still velcroed to her legs. "Got your balance?" Meredith asked and Lydia nodded. "Okay, let's go."
They began to plod through the mud of the graveyard, dead leaves crunching under their feet. It would have been, all together, depressing, if the sun had not finally been shining in the winter sky, and Lydia in a pink dress was not walking along ahead of her.
The grave to which they were going was three rows down, one column over, from where Meredith had parked her car. It was still painful to come here, and yet Meredith came often. Fairly often, anyway. She had not gone, for a month or two after the service. Then Lydia, always innocent Lydia, had said: "But can't we still talk to Grandma Ellis?"
So Meredith came, still hoping that some part of her mother could hear her.
She squatted in front of the grave, working hard to keep her butt from landing in the mud. She was wearing jeans, but she did not want to have to go home and change.
"Hi, Mom," she said, as Lydia stood by her. She placed a hand lightly on her daughter's shoulder.
"It's me, and Lyddie. We just came to say hi. I mean, it's Thanksgiving, so I figured we should come. It beats going to Aunt Miriam's, don't you think?"
"Mommy, who's Aunt Miriam?"
Meredith was snapped out of her thoughts by Lydia's voice. "Oh. She was Grandma Ellis's sister. She died in a car accident a long time ago. She has kids though, you met Roald, at…. In May, remember?"
"Oh yeah. I 'member," Lydia murmured, and then she walked off through the grass.
"Don't go too far, Lyddie, we have to go soon," Meredith called after her, and then she turned back to the gray stone. The Grey stone. Stop being morbid, Meredith, she chastised herself. But that was difficult in a graveyard.
"So, I guess Aunt Miriam's driving you crazy again, now, huh?" Meredith smiled. She glanced around at the other graves. Once she had thought it was odd to linger at a graveyard, had understood when Izzie stopped visiting Denny except for, maybe, once a year. She had moved on.
But Meredith wasn't going to move on. She liked things this way. It was as if, during that long time of limbo, she had finally come to peace with her mother and she didn't want to lose that.
"Mommy, look at me! I'm an angel!" Lydia called. Meredith glanced up, and became aware that her hand was tracing the letters on the grave. Lydia was standing on the top of a small hill, and running down it, with her arms outstretched. Her run was off-balance, a kind of skip, and Meredith's breath caught, worried that she'd lose her balance, but she didn't. She arrived at the bottom of the hill, her cheeks as pin as her dress.
"You are an angel, sweetheart," Meredith said with a smile. "Come on over here, it's time to go home."
"Yay! Party!" Lydia exclaimed, and Meredith scooped her up off the ground. "Bye, Grandma Ellis!" Lydia called.
Meredith lingered for just a moment. "See you later, Mom. I love you."
Derek suggested once that Lydia wouldn't understand going to see her grandmother's grave, but she seemed to understand that Grandma Ellis was gone. Her Sunday school teachings had taught her well. It was funny, Meredith had objected to the Sundays at her father's at first, but it had proved valuable when…. When her mother died.
She loaded Lydia into the car, sitting her in her new booster seat, and then got into the driver's seat, glancing over and smiling at the bright purple flowers in front of the grave.
"Mommy!" Lydia cried.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"I forgot to tell Grandma Ellis that I made an 'A' on my reading test!"
Meredith smiled, and pulled into traffic. "I think that she knows that, baby, I think she knows."
Lydia nodded, her bouncy black curls falling into her face. "Okay," she said, placidly.
They drove to their house, where several cars were already parked. Meredith saw Izzie's car, and Alex's, meaning that they were having another argument about the color of the flowers or something equally insignificant. The only thing that they had completely agreed on had been that Lydia would be the flower girl in their wedding the next June.
Bailey was there, she assumed with Tucker and William. Lydia got very excited when she saw there car. She did not see much of William, since they were in different school classes, and so there were always numerous play-dates scheduled and the occasional on-call room sleepover when parents were on-call.
George and Callie hadn't arrived yet, nor had Burke and Cristina, but that was expected. The latter couple had been told that the party began an hour after it actually did, to allow everyone else time to set it up.
Meredith got out of the car as Lydia went ahead, met by Spock, who was barking at all of the excitement. The little girl threw the door open and went inside, and Meredith smiled watching her. She had come so far. She might never be without the braces, but it didn't matter. She was happy.
"Hey, Mer! Are you planning on, oh, I don't know, coming in?" Derek called from the open kitchen window.
Meredith laughed. "I might just stay out here and enjoy the view!" she called back.
"You won't be enjoying it long, Joe and Walter are about to run you over."
Meredith looked back and shrieked. Their car was practically on her ass. She stuck her tongue out at Joe, (she wanted to flip him off, but who knew if Lydia or William were watching somewhere), and darted into the house.
"I didn't want to have to operate on you on Thanksgiving," Derek said, wrapping his arms around her as she entered the kitchen.
Meredith leaned against him and murmured in his ear: "Ass", before going over and grabbing a carrot away from the ones that Izzie was chopping.
"You're eating," Izzie commented, in slight surprise. "Flu over?"
"Yeah. I think so. Hey, anything I can do to help?"
"No!" Alex and Derek said at the same time, and Meredith pouted.
"Actually," Izzie said, "You can help Bailey string the letters up.
"We're not…." Meredith said. "That's so corny."
"Says the woman who married the king of sap," Alex muttered from where he was checking the turkey in the oven.
"Want me to get you an apron, Betty Crocker?" Meredith shot back at him, before flouncing into the living room.
"That's gotta be some kind of record," Bailey said, from her seat on the couch. The kids were sitting at her feet, helpfully holding up letters.
"What?" Meredith asked, sitting on the sofa next to Tucker.
"It only took five minutes for you to be thrown out of the kitchen this time."
Meredith scowled. "Mean. Nazi. Mean Nazi."
"I think that mean is included in the definition of the word Nazi," Joe commented, coming into the kitchen.
"Whatever," Meredith said with a sigh. "Where the—where are George and Callie? They should have been here by now."
"I know a secret!" Lydia piped up, searching for an "H".
"And what would that be?" Meredith asked curiously, sliding down to the couch to be on level with her daughter.
"Can't tell. It's about Uncle George." Lydia said, with a smile.
"What about Uncle George?" Meredith asked, "Come on, you can tell me. I can keep a secret."
Joe made a noise behind her.
"What?" she said, turning to him, "When I'm sober I can. Do you see me drinking? I'm not the Thanksgiving downer anymore."
"That's true," Walter piped up. Meredith smiled. He rarely spoke up at their gatherings; he seemed to be a little bit intimidated by them.
"Come on, Lyddie, what's the secret?" Meredith asked, just as the doorbell rang. "Don't they know better than to do that?" She asked, pushing herself up off of the floor and going to the door. George and Callie stood there, holding hands.
"Hey you guys, where have you been?"
They looked at each other, a look that Meredith recognized, and held their hands out. There was a ring glistening on Callie's finger.
"Seriously?" Meredith exclaimed. "It's about time."
George and Callie both started laughing, and she hugged Callie, then turned to George. "Didn't I tell you to keep her?" she whispered in his ear as she hugged him.
"Yeah," George agreed. "You did."
She led them into the house, but before she let them loose on the others she turned back to George. "By the way, you told my five-year-old this?"
George went crimson. "She found the ring in my room last week when I was babysitting her."
Meredith laughed and shook her head at him.
It was exciting as everyone else discovered the new development, and Meredith sat on the couch and watched them exclaim over the ring and congratulate the couple. Perfect, this was perfect.
The last to arrive before Burke and Cristina had been specifically invited by Izzie. Addison stood awkwardly in the kitchen with them, a brightly colored scarf wrapped around her head. She was doing well, and planned to work again in a couple of months. It was somewhat odd to have her there, but Meredith found that she no longer bristled when Derek said something that made Addison laughed, which may have been because his arm was around Meredith's waist at the time. That, and she knew the sadness in Addiosn's eyes, showing loss.
Meredith knew that a part of it was still in her own eyes, because of her mother. But it was someone else who Addison had lost. It was Mark. In July he had drifted completely away from her, and she had never had to make the choice. That was something, Meredith supposed, to be thankful for.
It was another half-hour before the party really began. The turkey was still in the oven, and would remain so for a while, but Burke and Cristina were due to arrive any minute.
"Don't make a big deal about us," George whispered to Meredith just as their car pulled up. "This is their day."
"I know," Meredith acknowledged. She watched as Burke parked the car. Cristina got out of the passenger seat and opened the car door, getting the newest edition to their group out of the car. Joshua was two, adopted from Guatemala two weeks before. Their adoption had, according to all sources, been incredibly fast. This suited all who knew Cristina well, since they knew how impatient she was.
Meredith held onto her daughter's hand as she watched her best friend carry her new son up the steps. Cristina glanced at the "Welcome Home, Josh", banner strung over the porch and scowled. Meredith laughed. "Not my idea!" she called to Cristina from the doorway, and the silence that had hung over the place was broken.
Izzie ran out to help Burke with the over-filled diaper bag, and Lydia and William bounced over, begging to play with Joshua, who looked over everything with big brown eyes. When they were all back in the house, Cristina put Josh on the floor surrounded by toys and he grinned, amiably holding up a truck to show William.
"What is that, Joshua?" Cristina asked him, settling on the couch next to Meredith. "Use English, please."
"Twuck!" he exclaimed happily. "Vroom!"
Meredith laughed. "Proud of that, huh little man?" she asked, and Joshua nodded solemnly.
"Twuck," he repeated.
"So how do you like being a Mommy?" Meredith asked Cristina, teasingly.
Cristina smiled. "You should have told me how much fun it was. I'd have done it sooner."
"I did," Meredith insisted, watching as Lydia introduced Spock to Joshua. "You just didn't believe me."
"Details," Cristina said, with a laugh. "Joshua! Spock can't eat trucks!"
"Wanna bet?" Meredith muttered, reaching over to grab the dog's collar and pull him away.
Maybe an hour later, those allowed in the kitchen announced that the meal was ready. Cristina went to pick up Joshua, but Meredith held out her arms. "Come on, give Aunt Meredith a chance. It's been a while since I had a little one."
"I'm little!" Lydia piped up, at Meredith's elbow, as she took Joshua into her arms.
"Yes," Meredith agreed. "But not as little as Josh. He can't read Amber Brown yet, can he?"
"Guess not," Lydia agreed. "Can I sit by William?"
Meredith looked at Miranda over Lydia's head, and then shrugged. "Why not? It's Thanksgiving."
"Yay!" both kids exclaimed, and they darted into the dining room, which had been built large for their extended 'family.
"Did your dad invite us again this year?" Derek asked coming up to Meredith and putting his hand in hers.
"Yeah, I told him we'd do a dinner in early December, and Christmas Eve. He does understand."
"That's good. Hey there, Josh, how are you?" Derek smiled at the little boy, who seemed content in Meredith's arms, but who was continually looking around for his parents and keeping them in his sights at all times.
"He's good, aren't you buddy?" Meredith said, settling him in the high-chair they'd put next to Cristina's chair. "Are you hungry? Ready for your first American Thanksgiving?"
"'Anksgiving?" Joshua said, putting his empty spoon into his mouth.
"That's right!" Meredith said. "Hey, Miss Lyddie, how about you wait until everyone else is sitting down?"
Lydia dropped the roll that she'd had halfway to her mouth sheepishly. "Yes Mommy," she said.
"Good girl." Meredith smiled at her daughter and kissed her on the top of the head as she walked by her to get to her chair.
Derek carved the turkey, which he was amusingly not as good at as he was at surgery. Meredith found herself gazing around the table instead of eating or talking during most of the meal. She watched happily as Burke and Cristina fussed over Joshua, and as Alex and Izzie gave each other glances that thoroughly proved that whatever problems they may have had, they were over.
Callie's ring sparkled as she lifted her water glass, and George kept giving her proud looks. Meredith smiled at him when he caught her eye. It all seemed right. Meredith knew that they all probably had trials to come, but for now it was nice.
People stayed at their house long after the meal, until Joshua had fallen asleep in Burke's lap, and Will was curled up on the floor next to Lydia, watching The Little Mermaid, which he usually hated. Alex and Izzie were the first to drift away, and Meredith smirked at them. They had the townhouse to themselves now, and she knew that they were about to take advantage of that. As soon as Izzie left, Addison did as well, and Derek walked her to her car.
Then Joe left, with Walter, to open the bar. He made some crack about 'seeing Meredith later' and she threw a couch pillow at him. Tucker and Bailey took Will home at the end of the movie, and Lydia hugged her friend sleepily.
"Are we still going to Chuck E. Cheese with William next week?" she asked Meredith as they walked the family to the door. Meredith winced, and nodded. Only for Lydia.
Burke and Cristina and George and Callie left at the same time, Joshua not even stirring as he was buckled into his carseat.
"He really is gorgeous," Meredith told Cristina, and then she hugged her. "Congratulations, Cristina."
"Why are you hugging me?" Cristina asked, with a smile, pushing her off.
"Because I'm still your person," Meredith said, point-blankly.
"Details, again," Cristina teased, and then got into the car.
Meredith sent Lydia upstairs to change into PJs and went into the kitchen where Derek was putting tinfoil over the uneaten pumpkin pie.
"Hey," she said, putting her arms around his waist.
"Hey," he said, smiling. "It was a nice day."
"Yeah, it was," Meredith agreed. "I'm glad Addison's doing well." She grabbed a plate and began to load the dishwasher/
"Me too. Me too." Derek echoed, thoughtfully.
"Josh sure is a cutie," Meredith said, attempting to broach another subject.
Derek smiled. "Definitely that. Burke and Cristina were glowing."
"You're so not the right person to mock that. You glowed for months before and after Lyddie."
"This is true," Derek acknowledged.
Meredith rested her head on his shoulder and then said offhandedly, "How'd you like to glow again, say seven months from now?"
"Huh?" Derek said, caught off guard and looking at her.
Meredith grinned. "Derek, a brain surgeon should be able to do math."
"Mer," he breathed, putting his hands on her waist. "You're….? You're pregnant?"
"Yeah," Meredith said, with a smile. "I am." The words were taken out of her mouth by Derek's kissing her. She laughed when he finally let her go.
"Why didn't you tell everyone today?" he asked, pulling her to him.
"Because, today was for Cristina and Burke, and Callie and George. They needed to be happy. They'll find out about this soon enough. Maybe Christmas." She leaned up and kissed Derek. "But for now, it can be our secret."
"Mommy! Can you tuck me in now?" Lydia called from the stairs. Meredith broke gently apart from Derek and went to her daughter, resting one hand gently on her belly.
"I hafta say my Laura Ingalls prayer," Lydia announced, as Meredith entered the room. Meredith smiled and sat on the edge of the bed as Lydia folded her hands. "Now I lay me down to sleep/ I pray the lord my soul to keep/ and if I say before I wake/ I pray the lord my soul to take." Lydia snuggled under her covers, and Meredith lay next to her.
"They said that 'cause it was dangerous on the front-tier." Lydia said with a yawn. "It's not so dangerous here."
Meredith smiled, at the innocence of her daughter's words, twirling a lock of black hair around her finger. Lydia drifted off to sleep as Meredith held her. Meredith lifted her head a little to kiss the small cheek, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the room. An hour later, she was dozing when she heard Derek come into the room. Gently he lifted her and carried her into their bedroom.
"I love you," she said sleepily as he lay her in their bed. He climbed in next to her and put his arms around her waist.
"I love you too, Mer," he replied, kissing her neck. She smiled happily as she went back to sleep.
A/N Review, please.
So that's it for this one. I have a one-shot that will be up soon, and the finale of In My Daughter's Eyes, and then Season Three shall begin. I will probably post one-shots during the season, so stick around. I really kind of wanted to pull things full circle and end this next weekend, but I decided I wouldn't do that to you guys.\