Derek felt Meredith's hand tighten around his. He didn't squeeze back. He didn't want to convey a sense of false hope. He was a little worried. In a split second things would be changing for them. At first thought, this custody thing was no big deal. He was doing it for Meredith. But after meeting Anna, after seeing how special she was, he wanted her to come with them. If she didn't disappointment wouldn't even cover it. And Meredith, he knew she would be a mess. He looked at Carol, willing her to make eye contact. Finally she did.
"We have decided to place Anna with both of you." She said with a smile.
A wave of emotions washed over both Meredith and Derek. They each let out loud sighs of relief. He looked over at Meredith. She was on the verge of tears. He, himself was near tears. He had never felt so happy, so relieved.
"Really?" Meredith asked in shock.
"Yes. But this isn't like a puppy. You don't take it home and take the best care you can of it. You are first required to attend an orientation session in person or view orientation videos and take an orientation quiz. After that, you must take 30 hours of Pre-service Training and a First Aid/CPR and Blood Born Pathogens course. The fact that you are both doctors does not change this." She scolded as she looked through the paperwork.
"Of course. Whatever we need to do. We are fully committed to this." Derek said with a grin.
"I'm sure you are." She said with a smile.
"So what happens next?" Meredith asked with a soft face. Her inside were still churning.
"You have a lot of training and classes ahead of you." She said frankly. She handed them paperwork to look over and sign. They began scribbling happily.
"Anna will be brought to your home tomorrow. What time is good for you?" Carol asked.
"Anytime." Meredith said happily. She didn't care, she would take off of work if she had to.
"Five works best for me." Carol said as she looked in her organizer.
"Sounds good." Meredith said quickly.
"I will see you both tomorrow." She said as she stood up from behind her desk.
"Okay, I will see you tomorrow at five."
"Thank you so much." Derek said as he stuck his hand out.
"Thank you." Meredith said with a grin.
Meredith and Derek walked out of the building hand in hand. Meredith could hold the hot tears that were willing their appearance. She finally let them fall, tears of joy. The minute they walked outside, Derek pulled Meredith close. They stood them in each other's arms.
"I can't believe it!" Meredith said happily.
"I know. Our lives just changed. We blinked, and they changed." He said softly.
"I think they changed for the better." She whispered in his chest.
"I know they did." He whimpered into her hair. "Come on..." He said as he pulled her to the car.
"What?" She asked, surprised at his haste.
"We have a lot to do!" He said as he opened he car door and she climbed in.
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"Where are we going?" She asked again.
"You'll see..." He said with a chuckle.
Derek was so happy. He couldn't even began to show how happy he was. He looked over at Meredith. She looked so content. This meant so much to her, and he knew it. Her face lit up when they pulled into the parking lot of the nearest furniture store. He looked over at her, she turned her head and met his gaze with a smile.
"I think there is a little girl who needs a bed." He said as he opened his car door.
"Oh my God!" She said with a sudden realization. "Nothing is ready, Derek. We have nothing." That was when panic set in.
"Calm down!" He said as he grabbed her shoulders softly. "Mer-calm down. We can do this." He said, shaking his head. She shook hers in agreement. "Lets go." He said as he led her into the store.
Looking around, it was overwhelming. There was so much. She had no idea what she wanted. She also knew that there wasn't much time. They had more to do than could be imagined. They began walking around, hand in hand looking at the various bedroom pieces.
"What about that?" He asked as he pointed to a mahogany wood slight bed.
"You're kidding, right?" She asked as she looked at him.
"Um, no." He said seriously.
"She's a little girl, Derek. She needs little girl stuff. But not pink. I don't like pink. She likes purple. So lets do light and dark purple." She said, as she thought. "And a white bed. Or off-white." She said as she walked over to the children's bedroom outfits. "This is perfect!" She exclaimed as she pointed to an antiqued off-white set. It looked like a bed that a princess would sleep in, she thought. After all that Anna had been through, she wanted her to feel like a princess.
"You think?" He asked, scanning his eyes over it.
"I know." She said as she looked down at the bed.
"Then that's, the one." He said. He walked off and and grabbed the nearest salesperson. "We want this."
"Just the bed?" She asked Derek.
"No, everything. The whole set." He said as his arms motions broadly.
"Right away." She said as she quickly walked off. She quickly came back. "The soonest we can deliver this is Wednesday." She said as she walked up.
"No, no." He said quickly. Meredith looked worried. "We need this tonight."
"Tonight?" She asked, he nodded. "Sir, we close soon. There is no way we could get this delivered tonight."
"I need this tonight. I will also need the best mattress you have in your store to go with it. I am sure you would be happy to get the commission off of this sale." He said quickly. She nodded. "Well, if you want to make this sale, you will find someone to deliver this tonight. I don't care if it is your bother's uncle's cousin. I need it tonight." He demanded. She shook her head in understanding.
"Let me see what I can do..." She said as she walked off, once again.
"And I want it in one piece when it gets there!" He shouted as she walked.
"Derek!" Meredith said as she nudged him.
"What, Mer? We need it." He explained. "She is not coming home to an empty room." Meredith's heart melted when he said home.
"No, she's not." Meredith agreed. She looked at the saleswoman's smiling face as she returned.
"I talked to our manager. He said he will personally bring it over when we close. Is that okay?" He asked with a hopeful eye.
"That would be great. Now lets check out. We have a lot more shopping to do." He said as he shot Meredith a grin.
Derek happily flashed his credit card, completing the sale. They climbed in the Land Rover and and and began driving, not sure where they were going. Meredith pointed to a Bed, Bath and Beyond and Derek quickly pulled in.
"She needs bedding." Meredith said as she jumped out of the car, on a mission.
They walked around and found the dark and light purple sheets and comforter. The comforter had butterflies all over it. Meredith was hoping that Anna would like it. She knew she would. They continued grabbing various items for her bedroom. Finally they made their last stop. Their cart was full, so full, Derek had grabbed another. When they got to the checkout, Meredith pulled out her credit card. Derek shot her an appalled look and cocked his head. She quickly tucked it away. They filled the car with toys, books, stuffed animals and nearly anything a six year old would want. It looked like they had taken a whole zoo. She remembered at Anna's favorites where horses and dogs, but they got one of everything just in case. On Derek's instance, of course.
"What was that?" He asked as they got to the car.
"What was what?" She returned as she looked at him innocently.
"The credit card." He said quickly.
"Derek, this isn't all you. I can help." She said as she laid her head back on the seat.
"We are together, Mer. I pay." He said sternly.
"No you don't." She returned quickly.
"I am a surgeon--" He started.
"So am I." She snapped.
"You are a surgical intern. You make peanuts." He said. "I make four mil a year."
"Oh really?" She said sarcastically. "I have my own money."
"Meredith, it's no big deal." He said with a chuckle.
"It is! You aren't my meal ticket. I can pay my own way, and that includes Anna too." She explained.
"Okay. Next time we do something, I am making you pay." He said finally submitting.
"Good." She said with a huff.
"So we are going on a month long vacation in france." He said with a chuckle.
"You're an ass." He said with a laugh.
"I know." He agree.
The minute they pulling into the driveway, they saw a big truck pull in behind them. The delivery man was here right on time. Meredith quickly went to the front door and opened it. Soon after the delivery men were carrying the pieces of furniture. Izzie and George both came downstairs and watched.
"What's going on?" Izzie asked with a yawn.
"Anna is coming tomorrow." Meredith said happily.
"You got her?" Izzie asked as she began jumping around happily.
"Wow, Mer." George said in shock. "So we are going to have a little kid living with us?"
"Yes we are." She said happily.
"As if there weren't enough woman in this house. And I have a feeling the young one is going to get whatever she wants." He said as he motioned to a beaming Derek.
"I think you're right." Meredith agreed.
Izzie and George helped move all of the old furniture out of the room. Some of the pieces went in the garage, and some went it in the attic. They both finally retired to their rooms, claiming to be tired. Meredith just laughed and kept working. Derek was struggling to put the bed framed together.
"Luckily she is a kid." Meredith muttered.
"Why is that?" He asked, looking up. His face was flustered.
"Because the way you are putting that together, if wouldn't last two minutes of us being it in." She said with a laugh.
"Funny." He muttered.
"Why don't you go get the bedding out of the dryer?" She asked. "You look like you need some water."
"I am doing this." He stated firmly.
"Please? I am so tired. I don't think I can make it up and down the stairs again." She said quickly.
"Okay." He moaned as he walked out.
Meredith began working on the bed right away. She knew she could do it. It wasn't that hard. Derek was just trying to be to manly. He wasn't thinking. She quickly grabbed the tools and began tightening everything up. She wrestled the mattress onto the frame. She sighed a breath of relief as she sat down on the bed. Derek walked in and shook his head.
"You amaze me!" He said as he threw the bedding on the bed.
Together they put the sheets on. They stood there, Derek's arm around Meredith and looked around the room. It looked so perfect. The bed and matching furniture was all in it's place. There were hundreds of stuffed animals all over. Meredith looked up at Derek and smiled.
"It's perfect!" She said.
"Yes, it is." He said in amazement.
"It's just missing one thing." Meredith said with a grin.
"And she is coming tomorrow." He answered as he kissed her on the head. He quickly walked out of the room to get her a water. He smiled when he came back in, and there she was, out like a light, on Anna's bed. He walked over, gave her a kiss and laid down next to her. Life is good.
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Meredith spent the day getting things ready. She was never one to fuss, but every time she passed by Anna's room, she moved one thing or another. She couldn't believe that she and Derek had slept in the tiny twin sized bed. She had been so exhausted, both emotionally and physically, that she had just collapsed. Derek was nearly late for surgery because they didn't have the alarm set.
Because Meredith had worked a double shift, and had been on-call, she had today off. She knew she had to go talk to the chief. She hadn't thought that Anna was going to be awarded to she and Derek. She hadn't made plans. She knew that Anna still wasn't back to school, and she obviously wouldn't be staying at home everyday by herself. She had a lot to figure out.
After getting the house clean and looking through the cupboards and refrigerator, she knew that she had to go grocery shopping. It was hard to believe that just a month ago, it was she and Ian who were shopping. She sighed at the thought. Her life had done a complete one-eighty. She grabbed her purse and jumped in her Jeep. When she went to shut the car door, it didn't.
"Shit!" She shouted loudly, as it flew back open.
She pulled it as hard as she could, it did the same thing. She knew she couldn't drive down the road with an open door. She quickly jumped out and ventured off into the garage. This was a man's area. She was not. George and Derek were surgeons, they didn't bother with cars and tools. They thought about scalpels and MRIs. She looked around for a quick fix. Everything in the garage had been her dad's. They were the remnants of a past life. Finally she spotted a bungee cord hanging on the wall. She quickly pulled it off the wall and jogged back out to her jeep. She climbed in and tied the strap from the handle on the door to the handle on the back door. It stayed. She shook her head as she drove off down the road. She was feeling pretty proud of herself. When she got up to speed on the freeway, she could hear it flapping. She sighed when she pulled into the hospital parking lot, with her door still intact.
Her meeting with Richard Webber wasn't for another half an hour. She decided to go to the gallery and watch Preston Burke do an coronary bypass graph. She sat down and and stared.
"What are you doing here?" Derek asked as he came up from behind and kissed her on the cheek.
"I am just lucky I got here!" She laughed.
"Why?" He asked.
"Oh, I had to bungee my car door shut!" She said with a laugh.
"You're kidding, right?" He asked with a laugh.
"No." She said with a straight face.
"We need to get you a new car." He said.
"No, we just need to get my door fixed." She argued as she shook her head. "I have a meeting with the chief." She said simply as she continued to watch Preston work.
"What for?" He asked dumbly as he sat down next to her.
"Well, in case you have forgotten, we are gaining custody of a smile child today. A small child who has recently had a bone marrow transplant and can't be in school. I need to stay home with her for awhile." Meredith said as she looked over at him in smile. "In case you forgot." She repeated.
"Oh, how could I forget?" He said as he leaned in and kissed her. "I thought maybe you had already talked to Richard."
"I didn't want to get too ahead of the game." She said quickly.
"Well, I can take some time off." He suggested.
"You're busy." She said sympathetically.
"Meredith, I am in this." He said. "She means just as much to me, as she does to you, because she means so much to you."
"What?" Meredith said with a giggle.
"I will take some time off..." Derek smiled. He looked around the gallery, which was empty. "I think we could have some fun in here." He said with raised eyebrows.
"No, Derek." She said sternly. "No!"
"Oh, come it. It would be fun." He said as he leaned over to her and kissed her. She felt his hands slide of her shirt.
"Derek!" She said. He moved his kisses to the spot on her neck that made her melt. He pulled her onto the bench with him. "I am not having sex on the bench."
"Come on..." He moaned as his kisses deepened.
"Oh look, I have a meeting with chief." She said as she pulled herself up. "Good day, Dr. Shepherd."
"Dr. Grey." He muttered with disappointment.
"Five o'clock, you better be there!" She said as she shut the door and walked out.
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"Meredith..." Richard Webber said as she walked in his office. "What can I do for you? Please, sit down." He said as he motioned to the chair in front of his desk. The cold leather crushed under her.
"I need some time off." She said as she looked into his familiar eyes.
"Okay. Is everything okay?" He asked as he looked at her with concern. She looked around his office, seeing a picture of herself. It was a small picture from high school. She had never noticed it before. She winced at her appearance. Here hair was hideous.
"Huh. Oh, yeah, everything is fine." She said as she snapped back to reality. "I just-- Well, Derek and I are now the temporary parents of a six year old girl. I need to some time to get her settled." Meredith said, not explaining much.
"You and Derek?" Richard said with a somewhat surprised tone. "Not that I-- I had no idea that you were interested in children."
"The little girl is Anna Livingston." Meredith explained as her eyes once again drifted to the picture.
"Oh!" Richard replied quickly. "Well, that is wonderful. Congratulations!"
"Thanks." She returned as softly as she could. "We aren't telling people. People know. Please, just don't tell my mom, not yet." She pleaded.
"Meredith..." He said with sadness.
"I'm just not ready for the backlash." She said sadly.
"I understand. It's not mine to tell." She gave him a smile of thanks. "As for the time...take as much as you need."
"Probably a week." She suggested.
"That's fine." Richard said as he sat back in his chair.
"Thank you, Chief. I had better get going, I have a lot to do." She said quickly.
"Meredith?" He asked. She turned to face him. "When do I get to meet my granddaughter?" He asked with a bit of hope in his voice.
Meredith's heart jumped to her throat. She had spent so much of her time hating Richard Webber. Hating the man who made her dad leave. The man who would come to their house, sleep in her dad's bed. A man who had a wife, and a mistress. But now, it seemed so unimportant.
"Maybe you could come over for dinner when she gets settled in." She said as she walked out.
Richard sat there with a satisfied smile on his face. He did catch that she said you, no mentioning her mother. He wished their relationship wasn't so strained. He had always thought of Meredith as a daughter, and now she had a child. He was overjoyed to be a grandfather. He knew Meredith would do a great job.
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Meredith paced back and forth. She had already left a thousand messages on Derek's phone. At first she was just worried. She was afraid that he wouldn't get there on time. Then she was irritated. She told him no sex, ever again. Next she was mad. She yelled that she would never be the mother of his children if he couldn't be here on time. And then of course, she called and apologized. She knew that he was probably saving someone's life and he couldn't help it. Thus, the pacing continued. She just about jumped through the window when she saw Derek's Land Rover pull in.
"Oh thank God!" She said as she jumped into his arms. "I'm so sorry."
"Meredith, I know you well enough to know you were flipping out. Calm down. I was in surgery." He said as he kissed her and walked in.
"She is supposed to be here in ten minutes!" She said as she began pacing again.
"No wonder you're so skinny!" He laughed as he watched her pace. "I am getting a sore neck just watching you." Meredith jumped when the doorbell rang. They both walked to the door together. They smiled when they saw the small child standing there, holding her suitcase.
"Meredith!" Anna said exuberantly as she jumped into her arms.
"Dr. Grey, Dr. Shepherd." Carol said as she stood there.
"Please, come in." Meredith said with a faint smile, as Anna held her tightly.
Carol did a once over of the house, as Derek walked her through. She was thoroughly impressed. Anna sat in the kitchen with Meredith, talking her ear off. After a while Carol and Derek came down, and Derek saw Carol out. Derek walked in the kitchen, and looked at Meredith talking to Anna. A big smile crossed his face.
"So, do you want to see you room?" Derek asked.
"I have my own room?" She asked happily. "I had to share a room with Leah. She was mean and she made me stay on my side. And then we had a fight and I pulled her hair, but she couldn't pull mine cause I ain't got any." She rambled in. Derek shook his head, thinking she rambled just like Meredith.
"Let's go." Meredith said as she began her walk upstairs. Anna followed quickly. Meredith opened the door.
"Wow..." Anna muttered in shock. She ran right in and began looking at everything. Derek and Meredith both looked at each other with smiles on their faces. "I'm gonna name this one Sam, and this one Kayla, this one Princess..." She went on as she named her stuffed animals. She looked at the of the toys, and finally jumped on her bed. They had never seen a child so happy.
"Do you want to stay here and play, or do you want to help make dinner?" Derek asked her.
"I wanna help!" She said as she jumped up and bounded down the stairs.
Derek, Meredith and Anna all worked on the spaghetti. Anna had a big apron that was rolled up and tied twice around her waist. She kept telling everyone she was the chef. Derek was showing her how to stir the sauce "just like his mom does." Anna was so happy and content. Meredith just sat back and watched the two of them interact. They were just like father and daughter, and that suited her just fine.
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Did you really think anything else was going to happen? Things will be peaches and creme for a while, but you all know I can't keep them that way. I just don't have it in me!