The sound of airplanes surrounded Meredith as she sat at the baggage claim. Cristina was returning from a medical conference in Switzerland and she agreed to pick her up. She hadn't told Cristina yet about there being twins inside her, she hadn't talked to Cristina much at all the past few months. She had became very distant, focused on her work to keep her mind busy. Meredith missed how close the pair use to be, she remembered a time when bad things happened and Cristina was her person. She still is her person but they are at a turning point in both of their lives and Meredith knew Cristina loved her but she was so career driven it shaded her views on life. Cristina ate, slept, and breathed Cardio.
"Oh wow, you are massive," Cristina commented as she came from her gate. She wheeled her carry-on behind her.
"Thanks Cristina, so I have something to tell you," Meredith said as she grabbed her bag and helped her wheel them to her car.
"Me too, you first," Cristina said.
"So there's more than one baby," Meredith nodded.
"I'm not surprised, are you happy?" She replied.
"I am. It was such a shock. I thought Derek was going to pass out," Meredith laughed.
"How's Lexie doing?"
"A lot better. She is walking really good now which is good. She should be back to work in a few week or so."
"Good to hear, I'm glad."
"We all are. So what's your news?"
"I got offered a job. Head of Cardio with my own research lab," Cristina looked over at Meredith. She was scared of her response.
"That's amazing, John Hopkins or Mayo?" Meredith asked, those were the top two hospitals in the United States and she knew they would kill for someone like Cristina.
"Switzerland," Cristina muttered.
"What?" Meredith stood shocked.
"I accepted. I just don't see more in Seattle," Cristina said honestly.
"I just wish you would have talked to me," Meredith sighed. She was going to lose her person, but she realized she had already lost her.
"You had your own things going on Mer. I will call you every week and text you everyday," she promised.
"You hate texting."
"But I will for you Mer."
"I hate this, I wish I could do something to make it better here for you."
"This is the end of Seattle for me, I don't have anything to hold me back from my career in Zurich."
"I hope you find your happiness," Meredith wiped the tear that fell from her cheek. Cristina shook her head a tad bit before hugging her.
"I'll be here for the birth," Cristina said in her ear.
"Good. You've been here for everyone. I don't think I could do it without you bossing around everyone," Meredith chuckled.
"I would hate to miss Derek passing out," Cristina laughed. They both got into her car as she drove them to Cristina's apartment.
"I leave in a week, I need a sleepover with my girl before then," Cristina said to her. She knew she was talking about Scarlett. She may not be a good mother but she was a great godmother to her daughter.
"Of course, you know this is going to be hard for her. I'll make it as easy as I can," Meredith promised. She never expected Cristina to love her children the way she did.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Cristina waved as she got her things out of Meredith's car and she went into her building. Meredith started crying, Cristina was just as dark and twisty as Meredith. She got her in a way no one else did, it was her best friend and though they weren't as close as they use to be it was still going to be hard not to just see her in the hospital every day and just be a phone call away.
She drove home in silence, her mind was racing loud enough. She still couldn't believe she would be having twins, two babies. She would be going from a mom of three to a mom of five in a matter of minutes and she had so much preparation. She hated to think about it but they needed a bigger house. Her three bedroom home was big enough for the five of them but adding two more would just be overcrowding the space. That was the house she grew up in, her internship year she shared it with her friends and then Lexie moved in and Charles moved in and it was hectic until everyone moved out after Scarlett was born. The house meant so much to her, she hated to sell it. She thought about Cristina buying it but that idea was destroyed and she knew she had to sell it.
As she pulled into her driveway, she heard kids playing in the backyard which just warmed her heart. She opened her door to smell something delightful filling the air. She saw Derek moving around in the kitchen, she loved how well he cooked and didn't mind it.
"What you cooking?" She asked, he had a smile that faded slightly when he saw her face.
"What's wrong?" He knew immediately.
"Cristina is moving to Zurich. They offered her the head position with her own research lab," she held back tears. She didn't want to cry. She was truly happy for her person to find happiness.
"Oh Mer," he dropped the wooden spoon and pulled her into an embrace.
"It's ok, I'll be fine," she breathed.
"You know, it's ok to be upset. She's your best friend," he whispered in her ear as he held her.
"Thank you, for being you," she buried her face into his collar. The smell of his cologne tickled her nose but it was the most amazing smell she had smelt in the world.
"So the babies up for chicken parm?" He asked, rubbing her belly. He let out a small gasp of excitement as he felt a small kick from inside her.
"I think he says yes," she chuckled, holding his hand against her stomach.
"That's my boy," he smiled from ear to ear. He reluctantly let go of her belly and continued cooking.
"Need any help?" She offered.
"Unless you want to see the fire department today, you can grate that parmesan," he laughed.
"Not funny! Have you thought about name?" She offered, laughing along with him as she picked up the block of cheese.
"I thought that was your doing?" He asked.
"What? No! I suck at names. Charles named both the kids, Scarlett's middle name is after his mother of course and CJ is after himself, " she laughed. She could never make up her mind on what she wanted to name each kid. Scarlett was the hardest, they didn't have a first name until the day they left the hospital. Her middle name was picked out the day they found out the gender.
"Oh. Yeah Rose picked out Zoe and I picked out Sebastian for a boy if she was a boy."
"Oh no, we are not naming our son that," she laughed.
"It's a strong name!" He said.
"Ok, fine. You get the boy's name and I'll make a list of girl names, but Sebastian is off the table," she said.
"Ok," he laughed.
"Mama, my head hurts," CJ said as he came inside from the backyard.
"Oh no buddy, you probably got too hot. Drink some water and go cool down," she grabbed him a glass of water and helped him to the couch. She sat down next to him and he laid his head in her lap. She felt his head and it was a little warm, most likely from the heat.
"Is anything else bothering you bud?" She asked.
"No, I'm sleepy," he yawned.
"I think you just played too hard, take a nap here and I'll wake you up to eat?" She said, kissing his forehead and covering him up. She returned to Derek as he was breading the chicken.
"Everything ok?" He asked.
"Yeah, just a little case of a played out little boy," Meredith smiled. She was terrified after his diagnosis that she might not get to have her baby forever but after the surgery and how well he recovered it was like he never even had a tumor.
"That kid, man he has so much energy," Derek laughed.
"He does. If I had half the energy he does I would be able to get everything done I need plus more," she chuckled and continued to help in the best way she knew how with her inexperience in the kitchen.
"I could use a glass of wine," she murmured, she wasn't really a wine drinker but when she couldn't have it was when she wanted it most.
"You can have as much wine as you want in a few months," he shook his head, slowly walking and putting his arms around her waist, leaning down to her ear.
"I love this view," he murmured in his ear, placing a light kiss against her ear. A shiver fell down her spine as she felt his breath on her ear.
"Me too," she put down the spoon she had stirring the pot of bowling pasta. She wrapped her arms around his as well. She fell into his embrace, she felt so safe in his arms. Her world froze as she heard a painful scream from her living room. She quickly pushed him backward as she rushed in to see her son grabbing his neck.
"Mama it hurts," he cried in pain, she ran her hand over his head to push his hair out of his face. She felt the burning temperature on his forehead, she knew immediately something was wrong. Thousands of diagnoses ran through her brain.
"Derek," she pleaded at him.
"I'll grab the girls," he was quick to run out their back door.
"Hey buddy, let me see something," she carefully removed his shirt to reveal the bright red against his chest and shoulders. She felt sick, noticing all his symptoms and she was quick to put his shirt back on. He continued to scream in pain, unable to hold in the screams. She had never heard him act like this, she could tell how much pain he was in. He was holding his head, she knew he had suffered from headaches but not one had ever made him act like this. Derek quickly returned with two girls who were confused and worried.
"What's wrong bubba?" Zoe was quick to react, she was very caring and loved CJ.
"Head," he winced.
"Derek," Meredith looked over at him, she didn't know she was holding it together.
"Hey buddy," Derek reacted, quickly scooping him up and putting him in the car.
"I'll call Lex to get the girls," Meredith said quickly grabbing her phone and dialing the number. She quickly explained to Lexie what was going on and asked her to meet her at the hospital.
"Derek," Meredith whispered under her breath, she grabbed his hand and he glanced over.
"It's not what you think, it can't be," he whispered back. He knew exactly what she was thinking. He sped through the parking lot straight to the emergency room doors. Meredith jumped out and grabbed CJ, carrying him inside. She hadn't carried him in so long, she didn't realize how heavy he had gotten.
"Mama," he pleaded in her ear. She rubbed his hair as she tried to calm him down.
"I know buddy," she quickly made it to the front desk.
"What can I do for you Dr Grey," one of the nurses asked.
"My son, he's running a high fever and he's complaining of a headache and he has a rash all over him. Date of birth is July 15th 2015," Meredith said and the nurses imputed his information and quickly lead her to a room. They took his vitals after Meredith laid him on a gurney.
"Page Karev and Amelia Shepherd," Meredith ordered. The young nurse nodded and was off. Derek soon walked in, he went right to CJ's side. Meredith watched the pair as Derek tried his best to comfort the boy. She absolutely adored the love that Derek had for her son, it was unreal. Alex was this first to come into the room, he had a calming look on his face. He was so amazing in pediatric's, all children absolutely loved Alex.
"Uncle Alex," the boy whimpered.
"What's up buddy, so what's going on?" Alex asked him.
"My head hurts and right here," he rubbed the back of his head near his neck.
"I'll get you some medicine to make that feel better. Anything else?" Alex asked. CJ shook his head, whining and letting out a cry of pain. It was killing Meredith to see him in so much pain.
"He's also got a rash," Meredith mentioned, helping him take his shirt off to show the bright red rash across his chest and back.
"We'll run some test and see what's going on," Alex patted the boys leg before motioning for Derek and Meredith to follow him outside.
"We will be right back," Meredith said and he grabbed Derek's hand.
"No, I don't want to be alone. I want dad to stay with me," he whimpered. Meredith looked at him, Derek almost had tears in his eyes. He was quick to blink them away and looked at the young boy looking innocently at him.
"I couldn't ever leave my main man," Derek smiled at the young boy. Meredith followed Alex out of the room to the hallway.
"Meredith, I don't want to scare you," Alex started. They stepped to the side as a nurse passed them with medication for him.
"Alex, I am a doctor too. This is classic meningitis. I just don't know how he got it," Meredith shook her head.
"We will get the test," Alex started as Amelia quickly came around the corner.
"What's wrong?" Amelia asked.
"CJ, he most likely has meningitis. We will see if it is viral or bacterial and go from there. I just need you to keep an eye on him especially with his medical history," Alex asked.
"Yeah, I'll go do an evaluation. I'll order a head CT after his spinal tap," Amelia said, "how are you?"
"I am ok. As long as he is ok. It just happened so quickly. He was outside playing with the girls and came in and it was like within thirty minutes he was in extreme pain and we rushed him here," Meredith breathed. She was terrified.
"He will be fine. He has a team of doctors that are the best," Amelia hugged Meredith. Neither of them were huggers but Amelia knew Meredith needed it.
"Let's get this boy feeling better," Amelia smiled hopeful, she went into the room to see Derek now on the hospital bed with CJ on his lap, he was asleep on Derek.
"I hate to wake him up," Amelia murmured.
"It's ok, hey buddy," Derek whispered as he rubbed the little boys arm.
"I'm sleepy," he whispered. They had given him a low dose of Motrin which had obviously eased the pain enough for him.
"I know CJ, but I have to check you out," Amelia slowly approached him.
"Am I going to have to get my head cut again?" He quickly changed his tone.
"No, no buddy. I just want to do a little check up like we did a couple months ago," Amelia quickly assured him.
"Ok," he mumbled as he moved off of Derek slowly. Derek stood up and went over by Meredith while he watched Amelia give him a quick neuro work-up.
"You passed bud," Amelia said happily as she gave him a high-five.
"No surgery?" He asked.
"Not so far. We are going to have to do some other test that you've had before and did so great with," Amelia smiled at him.
"Ok," he nodded.
"I'm going to get someone in here to give him a sedative so we can do the spinal tap and then send him for a head CT," Amelia informed them.
"Ok, thank you," Meredith smiled weakly at her.
"He's a trooper, he will bounce back in no time. I'll be back in just a second," Amelia said as she went to order the sedative before returning. The nurse had returned and gave him the sedative as he slowly drifted off into a sleep.
"Do you want to stay in here?" Amelia asked them as she started to prepare for the spinal tap. Normally she would leave it up to the anesthesiologist but she knew she had to be the one to do it.
"Yes, of course," Meredith was quick to respond.
"Ok, I'm about to get started," Amelia said before she started. It took less than five minutes for her to prep him and quickly get what she needed.
"I'm taking this to the lab myself and putting in a rush. We will have the answers soon and get the treatment plan started," Amelia smiled at them.
"Thank you Amy," Derek said to his sister. He was always hard on her but he could tell how far she had come and he was proud.
"I love that little dude, I'd do anything for him," Amelia smiled as she left.
"He's going to be ok Mer, I am so glad we have such an amazing family here to take care of our boy," Derek pulled her into an embrace.
"Me too," she was finally able to breath. She felt like she was holding her breath for the past hour and a half. But she knew he was in the absolute best care. She had a family that loved her and her children as if they were their own blood relatives. The pair sat down on the couch next to one another as they watched the sleeping boy.
"I just feel like I can't catch a break," Meredith said honestly. The past year had been so rough, something that would have broke any normal person.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I mean like it's one thing after another. First it was Charles dying, CJ's surgery, Lexie's accident, Cristina is leaving and now this," she couldn't keep in the tears. Her hormones were a complete mess.
"Hey, it's ok. We survived. You survived, you are the strongest woman I know," he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
"I'm terrified. I'm scared something is going to happen to these babies and I can't control it."
"They are in the best hands Mer, you have to look at the good. CJ's tumor is far gone, Lexie is alive, and Cristina is finding her happiness like you have. Plus we have started this beautiful family that is just growing. You are the best damn General surgeon I know," he replied in her ear.
"I know. It's just hard to be positive," she breathed. She hadn't told him but she felt like she was slowly drowning and she just kept her happy face on.
"I know, but we will survive," he kissed the side of her head and squeezed her shoulder.
"Thank you. I don't think I tell you how much you have saved me. You know I use to be dark and twisty and somehow Charles changed me and I swore if I ever lost him I would just go back to that but you showed me that I could be loved again," she wiped the tears that fell down her cheek.
"I never told anyone but you have been my light at the end of the tunnel. You know spending all those years alone I thought I was just forever going to be a single father and I didn't mind. I love Zoe with everything I have but it got really lonely. When I saw you, i felt sparks. I have always believed in the fairytale love story and I found my happy ending," he assured her.
"I am glad I found you,"she whispered to him, looking into his eyes.
"Me too," he placed a quick kiss on her lips. It was soft and secure. She felt safe in his arms as he held her. She didn't realize how exhausted she was until she heard the door open and one of the residents were there to take him to his CT. She was almost asleep against his shoulderX
"I'll go," Derek stood up as they wheeled the gurney away and Derek followed. Amelia appeared with her tablet just as they left the room.
"So?" Meredith asked.
"It is viral meningitis. Since there is really no treatment we will just treat the systems. I do want to keep him overnight just to make sure his fever is under control and we keep the pain down," Amelia said in relief.
"Ok," Meredith released a slow breath.
"He's going to be just fine Mer," Amelia assured her.
"I know. I never properly said thank you for caring about him the way you do," Meredith said.
"He's my nephew. Of course I care about him, plus he's my little buddy," Amelia smiled. Meredith knew Amelia would make an amazing mother one day if she ever wanted to have kids.
"He's lucky to have you," Meredith said honestly. She was never close with Charles sister and it was definitely a new ground.
"I'd do anything for that kid, for any of your kids really. They are great kids. I can't wait to get my hands on these two little bugs," Amelia laughed as she patted Meredith stomach.
"Oh these two are going to have everyone wrapped around their little fingers," Meredith chuckled as she rubbed her stomach.
"You got that right," Amelia winked.