-

"I'm pregnant!"

He froze. Caught unaware of her announcement, of her revelation. His heart's beating started to race and started to be so loud he felt like he had to cover his ears to stop it from messing with his senses. He looked at her and he looked at him, both their eyes wide. He couldn't make himself move for some reason. And the next thing he knew, Meredith has already started her car and drove away.

"Meredith!" he finally got his senses back. He tried to run after her car but he stopped after a few steps knowing he can't do anything else. "Shit!"

He ran as fast as he could towards his car, fumbling for the keys inside his pocket and almost dropping them down in the process. It was probably four solid minutes before he got out of Mercy West's parking lot and by then Meredith's car was probably a mile away.

He pulled out his phone, managing to flip it open before his beeper started to beep. He growled in frustration, reading the page. 911. Only this kind of shit happens to him. He threw the beeper on the passenger seat and dialed Meredith's number.

-

She drove as fast as she could knowing she probably had a few minutes before Derek got his senses back and run after her. She was already in a safe distance in which she knew he wouldn't be able to follow when her phone suddenly started to ring.

She knew it was Derek. She didn't even have to look at the caller ID to know that it was him. She let out a sigh before deciding to answer the phone call. It was better than being face to face with him.

"Meredith! Where are you?" Derek's voice came from the other end.

"None of your business, Derek. Just leave me alone!"

"I'm going to go to the hospital, I got paged. But we need to talk later. Please, Meredith."

"No," she shook her head a little despite knowing he couldn't see her. "Whatever you need to say, say it now."

"Meredith!" he said her name in protest.

"Derek, say it now."

"Fine," he huffed. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes. "I already told you that, didn't I?"

"I need you to say it again," he huffed in one breath.

"What?"

"Say it again!" he exclaimed.

"Fine! I'm pregnant, okay! Our sex and mockery thing wasn't as smart as I thought it would be."

"How did this happen?" his voice softened.

"God, Derek, you're a doctor, a freakin' brain surgeon! You know how it happens!"

"It's just that…" He paused for a very hefty period of time before he let out a small whisper. "Meredith, what does this mean?"

"It means I have a choice to make," she told him what he told her months ago. "It means if I make the choice it's either you'll hate me for the rest of your life or you'll thank me for the rest of your life. But whatever it is, Derek, I don't want you in my life anymore."

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"If I have this kid, I want you to be there for him. Just for him. Not for me, Derek."

And with that she shut her phone close and as she reached a stoplight, removed the battery all together.

-

He was distracted, it was evident. He reached the hospital, all the while trying to reach Meredith through her cell phone again. But she turned off her phone and he kept going straight to voicemail.

"Dr. Shepherd?"

Derek looked up from the sink and realized he's been scrubbing his hands far too long.

"The patient's ready for you," the nurse informed him.

"Thanks," he nodded.

Thoughts were still running through his mind as he worked on his patient. He knew it was unfair for his patient to have a doctor with a troubled and confused mind as he has. And he was thankful it was just a simple procedure, something he has done almost a hundred times in his career.

"I'm guessing you found out," Cristina, who was assisting him in the procedure, spoke in a hushed tone.

"You know?" Derek glanced at her momentarily.

"Of course I know, I'm her person," Cristina spoke as if it was a law of the world that everything Meredith Grey knows Cristina Yang also knows.

"I-Is she going to…" he couldn't finish the sentence. It hurt too much to event say it.

Cristina shrugged. "I don't know. She's the only one who knows that."

"Is she doing okay?"

"I've got her, you've got nothing to worry about," Cristina told him off.

"Yeah," Derek muttered. "Everyone's got her but me."

-

"What the fuck's wrong with you?" Mark entered Derek's small office room, half an hour later after his surgery.

"Nothing," Derek shook his head, not looking at Mark.

"You want to go to Joe's after work?" Mark sat down on the lone chair across Derek's desk.

Derek let out a small sigh and closed his eyes shut before shaking his head.

"Seriously, Shep, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I'm going to be a father," he spoke in almost a whisper.

"What!?" Mark's surprised voice made him open his eyes. If he were drinking, Derek's desk would be wet now.

"I'm finally getting something I've wanted, Mark. I want it but not like this…" he ran his hand through his hair, wanting to pull it out of frustration. He wasn't supposed to feel this way when he just found out he was finally getting something he's always dreamed of ever since. He was going to be a father. It was supposed to come with happiness, not this anguish he was feeling right now.

"Grey's?" Mark asked.

"Who else's?" he couldn't help but glare at his friend for thinking otherwise.

"I dunno," Mark shrugged. "You're having a kid with the woman you love. Then what's the problem? Why does it look like someone ran over your kitten?"

"She doesn't want us to be together. But she wants me to be there for the baby. And I do want to be there for the baby. But what I want most is to be with her, Mark. I want her to know I'm there for her. Not just because of the baby. But because I love her. Because I want to be his knight in shining whatever. She's it for me, Mark. I-I want her. The baby… It's just an added bonus."

"You really are a sap," Mark looked at him with disgust but he didn't care. "Did you tell her that?"

"You know her, Mark, she doesn't want to hear these type of things. She's determined she's going to be dark and twisty all her life."

"Well, maybe the whole everyone's let her down thing's jaded her."

"She knows I won't let her down."

"No offense, man, but you chose Addison over her. Don't you remember that?" Mark pointed out. "I think you really have to show her what's it like to be not let down. Make her see that she's worth something. That she is something."

"She is something. She's everything."

"Geez, stop with the sappiness, Shep. You're creeping me out," Mark grimaced. "Maybe you should lessen your drama and the sappy stuff. Be realistic. She's won't be growing up pretty soon, Shep. She still has a lot to learn about life. I told you, she's still an intern. Give her time to grow."

"Maybe having this kid would help her grow. Or it could make her even be darker and twister if she messes up our kid's life…" he pondered out loud. This could make or break Meredith. He just realized that now. Whatever happens, it would affect her. This could be something that'll further widen the gap that was between them.

"She'll be a good mother," Mark broke into his thoughts with the announcement.

"How do you know that?" he looked at his friend curiously.

"Remember a few weeks ago? That earless kid? She was great with him. Natural, if you ask me. She'll be alright…"

"That's different," he shook his head.

"It's a kid, Derek. Caring for one the way she cared for that boy's either present on someone or not. And it's present on her. She'll be alright. You've got nothing to worry about."

Derek nodded, going along with Mark's thoughts, hoping he was right.

"I'll be named godfather, right?"

"And have my kid end up with you if something happens to me or Meredith?" he raised his eyebrow at his friend. "No thanks, man. I'm thinking George."

"What? You're gonna choose that wimp over me to take care of your kid!?" Mark asked in mock disbelief.

"Better than having a manwhore raise him," he countered back.

"Whatever," Mark stood up and headed for the door. He stopped before stepping out completely and turned back to Derek again. "Oh. I forgot one more thing, Shep."

"What?"

"Her friends… She's probably new to this having friends that are always there thing because she grew up in the mountains or something… But they're coddling her, she might think she's got a good backbone in her friends, but she needs to have her own backbone. Tell her that. And tell her that she's not like her mother, she's her own self. And tell her that you're nowhere near what his good-for-nothing father is. Make her see that!" Mark boomed and with one last grin at him, Mark left his office, leaving him alone once again.

Surprisingly, Mark was right.

Meredith is not her mother. Derek is not like her father.

He needed to make her see that.

-

Okay... Mark is just a box full of wonders. :D

I really appreciate the feedback I've been getting. Thanks!