First of all, I'd like to thank you all those people following my story. Seriously thank you so much. I've never thought I was good in writing something other than dissertations. This is my first time and I can't believe I'm good at this. So, having said that, let's get into business. In here, we go a little back word, precisely after Derek's and Liz's surgeries.
Chapter 3 – Visiting the Shepherds – part 1
Meredith was resting in her bed, Zola was sleeping in her cot in her parents room. Meredith was thinking to what happened in those days: Liz's first and second's visits, the one way talk she had with her sister – in – law, Derek's and Liz's surgeries, Adele's death.
But her thoughts were focused on Liz. Her sister – in – law, with her being "pushy", pushed Meredith in an territory she was unfamiliar with: family. Surely, she created a family with Derek, Zola and now with her unborn baby. With her friends. With Lexie. But not with her husband's family. When she was an intern, she met two members of her husband family: his mother, Carolyn and his sister Nancy. Regarding his mother, she tried to be different from she really is, a smiley and bright person. But at the end she showed herself as a dark and twist person. She believed she didn't make a great impression. With Nancy the thing went a little different. She didn't have time to know her better because the moment she came to visit was a wrong one, Derek was on the verge of divorcing from Addison; Nancy wasn't friendly towards Meredith.
But now the things were different. She had a family, a daughter and a baby on the way. The things Liz told her during her first visit were coming back. She had a daughter now and she had the duty to let her daughter knew her grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins. But at the same time she was reluctant to make this happen. She was the result of a wrong family. She want to protect her baby daughter. She didn't want Zola to suffer of rejection.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise coming from the cot near her bed. Zola was awake. She got up to pick up the baby.
"Hi baby girl!" she said to her daughter.
"Mama!" replied the baby.
"Did you have a good nap?" she asked her daughter.
Zola nodded only and then curled up around her mother. Her head on her mother's shoulders. With her daughter in her arms, Meredith went in the kitchen to fix a snack for her baby girl. She put Zola in her high chair and then peeled a banana, sliced it and put into a dish and began to feed Zola. Zola happily chewed her banana, demanding more when the dish was empty.
"Another banana, baby girl?" Zola nodded happily at her mother's question. Meredith peeled another banana and fed Zola again. After her snack, Meredith changed Zola.
"Let's go and see daddy" said Meredith while finishing comb her hair.
"Daddy!" exclaimed Zola.
Amused, Meredith took hers and Zola's coats, went to the hall. After she helped Zola into her coat, she put hers, took her bag and keys and with Zola hand on hers, she went out.
With no heavy traffic, they arrived at the hospital quite quickly. She parked in her designed post. She took Zola from her baby seat and with her in her arms, she entered in the hospital. Walking in the crowded hallways, she found her husband resting.
She looked her husband. He was sleeping peacefully. She was relieved that the surgery went well. He was going to operate again. Her husband was back. She 'd love him even if he had become a professor, but she knew he wouldn't be happy teaching. His life was inside an OR. She put her finger in front of her daughter's mouth. She wanted to surprise his husband. Without making any noise, she entered in the room, she sit at the bed, with Zola on her knees.
She whispered in her daughter's ear to kiss her daddy's cheeks. Zola nodded smiling and she crawled towards her daddy carefully supported by her mother's hands. She reached her father's face and she sloppy kissed him. Derek stirred. He opened his eyes and saw his baby girl.
"Hi Zozo" said Derek smiling.
"Hi daddy" replied Zola.
Carefully not to move his just operated hand, Derek hugged his baby girl, smiling towards his wife. Meredith leaned towards him and kissed slowly on his mouth. The two looked each other in complete devotion. She was his and he was hers. And this would never change; even if there will be struggles and difficulties. Lingering on their kiss, they stared each other in the eyes, carefully exchanging their love.
"How 's the pain?" asked Meredith.
"Manageable" replied Derek. Meredith looked at him, knowing that his pain was much more intense that he told her.
"Daddy buu?" said Zola looking down at her father's bandaged arm.
"Yes, baby girl", replied Derek.
Zola kissed her daddy's arm and said smiling "No buu daddy!" Derek smiled at his daughter. He loved her so much. He loved her at the first sight, when she stopped crying in his arms.
"Yes, baby girl, daddy has no buu, now" said the proud father.
"Do you want to go and see Liz?" asked Meredith putting Zola back in her arms. Derek nodded. Meredith stood up and even if Zola was in her arms, she helped Derek got up. She put Zola down and slowly the couple walked towards Liz's room, with Meredith supporting Derek. Zola was walking happy before her parents. When they arrived, Zola was standing near the door, watching curiously the woman in bed. When she sensed her mother near her, Zola touched her legs and Meredith, once Derek was sitting inside the room, picked Zola up and went sitting near him. Liz was sleeping and they went in without making any noise. When Liz stirred, she was Derek in her room. She smiled at him. She wasn't surprised in seeing Meredith beside him. She was surprised when she was the little Zola in her mother's arms.
"Is she …?" she asked.
"Yes, she is, " replied Derek. "She is Zola, your niece" went on Meredith. Derek looked Meredith with a bit of surprise. He knew Meredith was reluctant to get Zola in contact with his family. Meredith changed her mind and he was curious to know why. Liz's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"She is really beautiful. She is really is," said Liz looking a rather shy Zola.
"Yes, she is" replied Meredith looking her daughter. "Zola says hi to auntie Liz", went on Meredith looking Zola. Zola said hello to her aunt moving her hand. Liz mirrored the baby girl's gesture. The three of them went on talking for a little longer. Derek began to be tired and so Liz, so they said goodbye and they parted. While walking towards in his room, Derek was studying his wife. She was changed, a little bit, but she was changed.
"Can you tell me what's going on?" Derek asked Meredith in the safety in their bedroom the same evening he was sent home. Meredith was lying in her part of the bed, on her back. She turned her head towards him. He was watching her carefully.
"Nothing is going on. Just something I have in mind. Something Liz told me", said Meredith watching her bedroom's ceiling.
"What she told you?" asked Derek.
"She told me that I am family. Her kids wanted to know their little cousin", said Meredith.
"What did you say?" asked Derek.
"I said that if she want not to donate her nerves, it wouldn't matter. But after your surgeries, on my way out, I went to Liz's room and I showed her the sonogram of our baby," she said touching her belly.
Derek watched her wife and she nodded. "I said her not to tell anyone", she added.
"Do you want to go to New York and see your family?" she asked after a little while.
Derek hesitated before answering. He wanted to go and see his family but on the other hand he didn't want to force Meredith to do something she didn't want to.
"I'd like to go but I don't want you to force to do something you don't want. I'd like Zola and baby to get to know my side of family," he replied.
Meredith was silent for a second. "When you're better we can go and see your family if you like," she said. Then, she curled towards him and slept hugging him.
The words "family" and "trip" were spoken few month after Derek's surgery. Meredith's pregnancy was going very well and now she was showing her baby belly. The words went out one evening, after Meredith and Derek put Zola to bed. They were relaxing on the sofa in the living room.
"So", began Meredith. Derek watched her while she tried to gather her thoughts. "About we go and see your family" she said raising her gaze to her husband.
"About we go and see my family?", he asked her. He didn't know what to think. His wife had been changed since she knew his sister. She began to change after the talk she had with Liz. He knew that his sister put some doubts into his wife. Doubts that Meredith already had.
"Yeah. Well. I mean your mom saw Zola only by email and also your sisters", she said. "And with the baby" she went on touching her belly, "I thought that your family should know about the baby from us", she added. "It could be a family vacation", she concluded looking at him.
"We'll go only if you're sure", said Derek looking her directly in her eyes.
"I am", Meredith said.
"We have to decide the period and to ask some days off", replied Derek.
"We can ask Owen tomorrow if we can have some days off. Maybe a weekend. We can spend Christmas at your family", said Meredith.
"We can ask and then we can decide", said Derek.
To my beloved grandma. Grandma, I'll miss you.
4