thanks for all the reviews...here's the next chapter...hope you enjoy!
7 years later
Derek leant against the back wall of the elevator, waiting for it to get to the ground floor. He was exhausted, really exhausted. It had been one hell of a day.
The doors opened and he and the rest of the people inside spilled out. He checked his watch. It was 8. He was meant to have been done by 5 but with the car crash victim that came in at the last minute, he'd been kept back.
He smiled as he saw Meredith approach him. She was carrying Josh, who was leaning against her shoulder, sleeping, and Anna who was carrying a picture. Olly was trailing behind her.
"Hey" she said as he leant over and kissed her.
"Hey" he took Anna from her arms, "Hello, Princess, what you got there?"
"Picture" she said and wrapped her arms around his neck
"Hey, Olly" he greeted his son, "How was school?"
"Ok" Olly replied, "I got a gold star in Math"
"Well done" Derek ruffled his dark hair and took his hand as they started to walk to the car
When they were on their way home, kids quiet in the back, he looked over at Meredith, "I'm sorry for being late"
"It's fine" Meredith told him, "I took the kids to that burger place…they were getting hungry"
He looked back at Joshua, "When did he fall asleep?"
"Just after he finished his chicken nuggets" Meredith told him
Anna started humming in the back and Derek smiled and glanced at Meredith before setting his eyes on the road again.
They'd gotten married a couple of months after Olly was born and Anna was a product of a lot of Jamaican rum, a honeymoon suite and their first week alone without having to get up in the middle of the night. Unlike Olly, who'd been born prematurely and with a tiny heart, she arrived after 9 months. It had been very hard juggling a one year old and a newborn with their demanding jobs but with some maternity leave and their friends helping out they'd made it work. Despite his traumatic birth, Olly was a healthy kid. He looked exactly like his father so much so that when Derek's mother brought over some old photos it was scary to see the likeness. Anna, on the other hand, looked just like her mother. For a couple of years, it was just Olly and Anna and then, when Anna was nearly 3 and Olly 4, Meredith discovered she was pregnant with Joshua. She wasn't sure if they could handle it. But when she told Derek, he promised her they'd be able to. A couple of months after he was born, they decided to get a nanny. Though Meredith felt a little like she was giving up, Derek assured her that it was perfectly normal and a good idea. And it paid off. Besides, both Meredith and Derek tried to spend as much time as possible with their children.
Derek pulled the car into the drive and got out. He pulled Anna, who was half asleep, into his arms and let Olly out. On the other side, Meredith gathered Josh into her arms and shut the door.
The nanny had cleaned the house; they noticed when they got inside. She'd left a note on the table by the door.
Silently, they all went upstairs. Meredith took Josh into his room and started to get him ready for bed while Derek took Anna into her room.
Once they'd put them all to bed and said good night, they went downstairs.
"Mmm, there's some leftover pizza" Meredith said, staring into the fridge, "Or some pasta salad"
Derek pulled a face, "I'll cook something"
Meredith smiled, "Fine by me, I'll sit here and drink wine"
He began chopping up an onion while she poured them each a glass of wine. He kept stealing her glances and thought about bringing up something that had been on his mind for a while.
"What?" she asked after a while
"Huh?"
"Why do you keeping looking at me?"
Derek started frying up some vegetables, "No reason"
"I know you" she told him "I might be tired but I'm not off….what is it?"
He said nothing but instead finished cooking. It was only once they were sitting at the table that he said anything.
"What do you think about having another kid?"
Meredith laughed
"I'm serious"
She dropped her fork and looked at him, "We've got 3 and you want another"
"Yes"
"Seriously?"
"Why not? I love the kids we've got and I love being a dad… and 4 is a nice round number"
"You want to have more kids because 4 is a nice round number?"
He smiled and laughed a little, "Ok, that's not the only reason why I want more kids"
"What is?"
He put down his fork, "Honestly, I don't know…Olly's getting older, so is Anna…and Josh is 3, he isn't a baby any more"
"So you want another?"
He smiled, "I do…come on, don't you think it's great having a baby in the house? And it's not like we can't afford it…come on"
She looked into his eyes and could see how badly he wanted this. "I'll think about it" she said
He leant across the table and kissed her on the lips, "Thank you"
They spent the rest of the evening talking about work and the kids. They were getting ready for bed when they heard Anna.
"Mommy…Mommy…Daddy…"
They opened the door to find her standing in the hallway, crying
"What's wrong, Princess?" Derek picked her up and brought her into their room
"It's gonna get me!" she told him and wrapped her arms round his neck and buried her face into his neck
"What's that, sweetie?" Meredith asked
"The bogeyman" she sobbed
Meredith rubbed her back and took her into her arms, "Why doesn't Daddy go check your room for you?"
Derek smiled and went off to "check" while Meredith comforted their little girl.
When he came back, he promised Anna that there was nothing in her room and they carried her back to her bed.
They tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead. As they were leaving she whispered, "I love you, Mommy, I love you, Daddy"
"Love you too, Princess"
"Love you too, Anna"
They shut her door and went back into their room. After they'd finished getting ready for bed, they got into bed.
Derek turned off the last light on and put his arm around Meredith and pulled her close to him.
He started kissing her neck when she said, "Ok"
"Ok?"
"Let's have another baby"
He looked into her eyes, "Really?"
"Yeah, I think I want another one"
He smiled, "And you know it's going to be fun making it"
She laughed, "Yeah, I guess it will be"
He went back to kissing her neck, "I'll show you "I guess"…"