Chapter 4

"Meredith, I think you should see a doctor."

Izzie said as they got out of the car. She stepped onto the blacktop of the Seattle Grace Hospital parking lot. "Izzie, I'm not sick!" Meredith said and she slammed her car door. George, who was quiet the whole way there, quietly pushed his door shut and swung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Meredith! For the past week, every freaking morning me and George have listened to you puke! Forgive me, for being concerned about my friend!" Izzie yelled. This was true. A few more days had passed, and Meredith was still throwing up. The smell of coffee still made her nauseated. Yesterday Meredith had unplugged the coffee maker to stop it from automatically setting off at 4:15. Last night everyone went to Joe's; Meredith couldn't stand the smell of her tequila so she remained sober. This morning she had thrown up again, but her roommates still hadn't complained. Except yesterday. Izzie really liked coffee in the morning.

When the three of them reached the hospital entrance, Meredith ran to the elevator, hoping Izzie and George would take the stairs. That would be a negative. Izzie ran after her, trapping her in the elevator. Whoever invented that technique deserves to be in an elevator with man-hungry crocodiles. Meredith thought. Oh, wait. That was Derek.

"Ha, now you're trapped." Izzie said, and she pressed the 2 on the pattern.

"Izzie, I'm not going to a doctor."

"Then, at least get a consult from Bailey or something."

"No, because I'm not sick!"

"Oh, whatever!" Izzie rolled her eyes. "So it's natural to get sick every morning?"

The door arrived at the second floor, and they both stepped out.

"Meredith, just get a consult!" Izzie yelled as they walked through the white hallway.

Meredith made a quick exit and ran into the door of the bathroom. She stepped in a stall and threw up.

"George, we have to do something." Izzie said as she put on her scrubs beside her locker.

"Like what?" he looked at her and he thought up different things in his mind.

"I don't know. Maybe… I don't know. I think she might be-"

"No, she can't be."

"How do you know? You been in her uterus lately?"

He didn't say anything. He hated it when people made obscured comments like that.

"That's what I thought." She closed her locker and walked to the door.

Alex walked up to Christina, who was unnoticed on the other side of the lockers.

"How long do you think Shepard's gonna keep me on the vagina squad?" he exaggerated toward her, she took the stethoscope off of the hanger in the locker. His locker was next to hers.

"Probably until you learn not to be an ass."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you need me to spell it out for you?" she laughed a little.

"You're hot when you're feisty." He smiled.

"Shut up Evil Spawn." Christina closed her locker and walked on over to George.

"What was that all about?" Christina asked him. She was referring to the conversation him and Izzie had.

"Meredith has been sick and Izzie's mad at her because she won't see a doctor."

"What kind of sick?"

"Well, let's see… she's throwing up, unplugging the coffee machine and won't drink her tequila."

"Gees, I didn't ask for a diagnosis."

Christina looked down and began walking.

"Maybe she's-" Christina started.

"No she's not!"

"Okay, Bambi. But if she's sleeping with McDreamy again,"

"She's not. Trust me." George said seriously and stated as though he actually knew it was true. He hoped it wasn't what Izzie and Christina kept saying. He really did.

This morning during rounds, Alex was assigned to a case for Dr. Montgomery-Shepherd, which was a pregnant woman with 10 other children. This reminded Alex of his family; growing up with 6 brothers and 2 sisters, which there were 9 kids altogether. 4 boys and 1 girl were adopted, the rest were "natural", as he put it.

This pregnant woman had 9 all-of-her-own children, all different ages, one adopted. And now she was about to give birth to twins.

"Me and my husband just wanted a big family. We had no idea that three sets of twins and one group of triplets would be so much." The woman to Alex and Addison as Addison was squirting gel onto the woman's bare overgrown stomach. Addison continued the ultrasound and when she spotted the twins, she gasped. "Whoa, that doesn't sound so good, you know." The mother told Addison and glanced up at Alex. He stared at the monitor and walked over to Addison. "Well, the fetuses are… uhm… They are… together." She said to the mother. "What does this mean, can you fix it?" the mother was dumbfounded. She had seen these on the news and on different miracle shows but never imagined this happening to her. "Kerev, go check on the procedure and see what the treatment was." Addison told Alex, and he walked out of the door.

At lunch, Meredith didn't say anything to anyone. Everyone at the table stared back at her, pretending to eat their food whenever she looked up.

"Meredith, just go get one." Izzie pleaded again.

"Why does everyone want me to get a consult?!"

"Because. You are sick. Or-"

"Izzie! No, I'm not!" Izzie and Meredith kept arguing while everyone stared and made their own conversation.

"Seriously?" Christina looked at George.

"Seriously." He whispered.

Alex scarffed down the last bite of his large sandwich and looked over at Christina.

"Do you guys think she's pre-"

"Yes." Christina said fast before he could finish.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." Christina said back and looked over at Derek and Addison.

"Wanna make bets?" Alex asked.

"Ten bucks says she's pregnant." Christina put in two fives on the center of the table.

"Fifteen says McDreamy's."

Meredith fell asleep in the on-call room not too long after she had worked roughly 29 hours. Her dream was creepy and weird, with a lot of blurry images. George and Izzie and George kept telling her to get a consult; Bailey had kicked her out of the program because she slept with Derek. Then she kept hearing Addison say in her dream that there would be a lot of babies and that Meredith was a lucky mother. When Meredith woke up, she remembered the dream, and it wasn't a dream that was very pleasant either. She knew she had to get a consult. Why was she so scared to? Was it because she really knew she wasn't sick? Or was she just denying it? She looked up at the ceiling from the top bunk. She needed a consult. She needed to get one today. But who could do it? Addison would be to humiliating. Izzie would tell Christina. Christina would make fun of her. George wouldn't do it anyway. Bailey would be too busy. That leaves one person who could do it. Alex. Meredith sighed and stood up, almost hitting her head on the ceiling. She needed to find him.

She eventually found Alex in another on-call room sleeping. "Alex." She said and she poked him in the shoulder.

"What?" he moaned.

"Alex, I want a consult."

"Tell Izzie to do it."

"No. She'll rub it in my face that she was right."

"I don't do chick consults."

"C'mon Alex." She pleaded.

"Fine." He sat up and looked at her.

"Thanks."

When they got to an exam room, Meredith shut all of the blinds. She had all the stuff to do an ultrasound. "So, why am I doing this?" he asked.

"Because I'm sick and need a consult."

"No, I mean an ultrasound. Why am I doing a chick thing?"

"Because. Just to be sure. And, it could just be an ulcer or something."

"Right…" he pointed for her to get on the bed and he wheeled over the cart with the monitor. He knew how to do this; he had done it many times on the Vagina Squad, a.k.a for Addison. She laid down and pulled her top up below her breasts. Alex squeezed out the cold gel onto the lower half of her stomach and pressed the thing that transmits video down below her belly button. He searched around, and finally spoke up.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!" he said, and he looked at her.

"What?" she asked. She actually knew the answer and prepared herself for it.

"Sorry, Mere, but you're…uh, you're pregnant."

Tears formed in Meredith's eyes. "Seriously?" she screeched.

He nodded.

"Damn it." She cried. He honestly hadn't predicted what her reaction would be. He finally decided not to be an ass and turned off the monitor. He sat down beside her. Tears were rolling down her cheeks; she began to sob a little harder. He grabbed her and lifted to his chest. He didn't say anything; he didn't try to say anything. He just acted like he wasn't an ass. And it was working.

A minute had passed and Meredith was still crying. Alex was still holding her against his chest, not knowing what to do. This was such unlike Meredith.

The door swung open, and it was Izzie. She stared for a second and then realized what had happened. Or at least what she thought had happened.

"Meredith." She whispered. "Meredith are you-…"

Meredith didn't say anything, she just kept crying.

Izzie looked up at Alex. "Alex, is she-…" she whispered. "Pregnant?"

He nodded.

"Seriously?" she asked. He nodded back at her again. "Oh my gosh…"

Izzie walked over and took Meredith and freeing Alex from the tears. She sat with Meredith against her chest, in the same position as Alex had, and stayed there until Meredith was finished crying. Oh, Meredith… what have you gotten yourself into? Izzie thought almost crying herself.