"Karev. You, uh, you think you'll be hungry tomorrow?" Addison asked as the two met in front of the elevator.
Alex laughed. "What needs to be put together now?"
"A bookcase. And the light fixture needs to be hung, and a few other little odds and ends." She paused when she noticed him staring at her belly. "What?"
"You're showing." She'd had a bump for a while, but unless you knew she was pregnant, it wasn't noticeable under her scrubs until now. It still wasn't huge, but it was big enough that it could no longer be concealed by a scrub top.
"I know! Isn't it great? Maybe now people will stop asking if I'm actually pregnant. Do they really think I'd lie about that?"
"They're just jealous that you're twenty-eight weeks along and still totally hot," Alex explained, making her blush.
"Oh, would you stop that?" She was playfully shoving him away when the elevator stopped on the maternity ward and they found themselves face to face with Meredith.
"Oh good, just the person I'm looking for." Meredith sighed, looking relieved.
"What's up, Mere?"
"Not you. You can go take care of babies or whatever." Alex gave her a confused stare and she shooed him away. "Go!" Once he was halfway down the hall she turned to Addison and started rambling nervously. "Okay, so, Adams is my doctor, but she's scrubbing in for surgery right now and I'm bleeding. It's probably nothing, but -"
Addison interrupted her. "You're...pregnant?"
"Yeah. Ten weeks. I'm not cramping or anything, but I went to the bathroom and there was blood. Not a lot -"
"Probably just spotting, but let's go see," Addison said reassuringly as she steered the younger woman towards an empty room, grabbing a gown on the way. "Get changed. I'll be back."
A few minutes later Meredith was changed and Addison returned with the ultrasound machine. "Addison, what's wrong?" Meredith asked as Addison stared intently at the screen.
"Nothing." Addison bit her lip as she moved the wand around, then grinned. "That is your baby," she announced, pointing to a little blob. "And that," she pointed to another blob, "is your other baby, and both are just fine."
"Other baby?" Meredith choked out, looking pale.
"You're having twins. Congratulations."
"Twins. There's...two?"
"That is what twins means, so yes."
"Two babies."
"Doctor Grey, are you okay?" Addison was glad Meredith was lying down, because she was pretty sure the woman would have fallen over if she was standing.
"Yeah I just...when Derek and I started talking about having kids, this never even crossed my mind! Two! At the same time!"
"Surprise. So, everything looks good but I'd like to do a full exam just to be sure. Is that okay?"
"Yeah."
A few minutes later the exam was over and Addison was positive Meredith was just spotting. "Everything's fine. You, uh, you want me to page Derek and we can break the news to him?"
Meredith nodded. Addison was waiting at the nurses' station when he arrived. "What do you have?" he asked curtly. They still hadn't spoken since the day she told him she was pregnant.
She fought back the urge to snap at him. "I have to show you something. Follow me."
"Show me something? I thought I was here for a consult. I'm busy, you know."
"And I'm busy too! Now just shut up and come with me." She dragged him down the hall and shoved him into the room.
"Meredith."
"Hey."
"What...what's wrong? Is everything okay?" he stammered as he rushed to her side.
"Everything's fine. I was bleeding, but Addison says it's just spotting."
"You're sure?" he asked Addison as she got the machine set up again.
"Very sure." She turned the screen so he could see it. "Your wife and both of your babies are just fine."
For the first time in nearly four months he smiled at her. "Both? We're having twins?"
"You are. Congratulations."
"Oh my God! We're having twins!" He bent down and kissed Meredith, then rounded the bed and embraced Addison. "We're having twins! And they're okay!"
"Yes. Twins. And they're fine," she repeated as she backed away. "Now, uh, if you'll excuse me I have patients to check on." She hurried out of the room, but Derek was hot on her heels and cornered her at the end of the hall. "Derek, this is not the time or place for this," she whispered ferociously, afraid of what he was going to say, but when she finally met his gaze his eyes were soft.
"Addison, please. I just want to apologize for...that day. It...you caught me off guard. It's not your fault. We both messed up. I overreacted, and I'm sorry."
"Okay. I...forgive you. And, uh, my lips are still sealed. As far as anyone knows, I got a sperm donor. Except Callie. She found out before I had time to come up with anything so as far as she knows it was a one-night stand with some guy I met in a bar."
He nodded appreciatively. "Thanks. Okay, I better go. I'll, uh, I'll see you around." He headed back to Meredith and she went to round on her patients, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
The next morning Alex arrived at Addison's house and presented her with a box of jelly buns. "Hey, I'm supposed to be feeding you. You play handyman, and I buy the food. That's how this works," she protested.
"Yeah, well, they're not for you, they're for Ella. They're strawberry."
"Oh, well, in that case how could I refuse?" She went to the kitchen, got out two plates, poured two cups of coffee - she offered to make regular for him but he insisted decaf was fine - and sat down. "Oh my God. These are amazing," she gushed as she wiped a blob of strawberry filling off her chin. "Ella says thank you." Suddenly she laughed and grabbed his hand. "She really does like it!" she said as she placed his hand on her belly.
"Whoa! I think you have a soccer player in there! Is this the first time you've felt her move?"
"She's been moving around for a while, but it's the first time I've felt her kick like that. You know, you'd think being pregnant would be the most mundane thing after working with pregnant women for so long, but then something like this happens and it just blows my mind. It's amazing. It's so ordinary, women get pregnant all the time but it still feels like a miracle." Her cheeks were glowing as she laughed again and rubbed her belly.
Her joy was contagious and he had to smile. "You are so beautiful," he blurted out. "I must say this whole pregnancy thing really suits you."
Her radiant glow turned to a deep blush as she turned away and took another bite of the donut. "You're still not getting in my pants."
"Not yet. But I am a very patient man," he retorted as he reached over and brushed powdered sugar off her cheek.
She swatted his hand away and scowled. "Just eat your damn donut and go put my bookshelf together," she barked with mock sternness.
Alex laughed and stuffed the rest of the jelly bun in his mouth. "You know you love me," he boasted after washing it down with his coffee.
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." But she didn't argue because he wasn't wrong.
Upstairs he gravitated towards the box containing the bookcase, but she stopped him. "Here, can you hang there first?" she asked, handing him a couple of shelves. "These two go over the crib, and I want those three over the changing table," she added, pointing to three smaller shelves. "I already marked out where I want them, you just have to put them up."
It didn't take Alex long to hang the shelves, and then he moved on to the bookcase. While he assembled it she pulled some bags from the closet and started setting framed art prints, a floral arrangement, and knick knacks on the shelves, then hung an ornate, gilded mirror above the dresser.
Alex finished the bookcase and set it in place before admiring her handiwork. "Bunnies, huh?" he asked as he examined two antique ceramic rabbits on one of the shelves. Several of the prints featured rabbits, and there were bunnies on the crib sheet as well. "I thought you didn't want any tacky animal theme," he teased, as she'd told him the same thing she'd told Callie.
"They're not tacky. They're subtle. And cute," she informed him.
He had to agree that the nursery was anything but tacky. Done up with shades of pink and ivory, with gold accents, it looked worthy of a magazine spread. The light fixture he would be hanging next, which was actually a small, antique, crystal chandelier, was the perfect finishing touch. While he tackled that she quickly filled the bookcase with stacks of books and toys. "Wow. This is amazing. You do good work."
"Yeah, well, I have a good helper," she admitted as she threw an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, let's go eat. Ella's hungry again."
Okay, there you have it. A little merder surprise, some more lowkey Addex flirtation...what do you think? Only twelve more weeks to go for Addie! I'll probably squeeze in a few more chapters before Ella makes her big debut. Thoughts? Suggestions? Predictions?