"Mama, when are the babies coming?" Anna asked from the back seat of Meredith's BMW X5. Meredith looked down at her abdomen and back up at the little girl in the back.
"Not soon enough." Meredith said with a moan. "In about four and a half months." She quickly revised.
"You're not gonna get crazy, are you? Molly said her mom was crazy after she had her brother." Anna said with a worried tone.
"Anna, it will be fine." Meredith said as she glanced in the mirror again.
"Oh. Molly's mom wasn't." She argued as she played with her toys.
"I'm not Molly's mom. We will be fine. We'll just have to get used to it." Meredith said with a sigh. She didn't like this. Anna seemed distracted about the twins. Worried. Concerned.
"Where do babies come from?" Anna asked as she stared at her mom. Their eyes locked.
"My belly. The babies are in my belly." Meredith said quickly. Crap. This is not going in the right direction.
"I know that. We've been over that." She said, emulating Derek. Derek always said that phrase to her.
"Oh! We've been over that, huh?" Meredith said, matching Anna's irritated tone.
"Yes. And I want to know how they got there." Anna snapped as she looked out the window.
"Anna, don't take that tone." Meredith warned. She heard Anna huff loudly. "Ask daddy. He's smarter than I am." Meredith finally answered.
"That's what daddy said. He said to ask you, cause you are smarter than him." Anna explained.
"Damn..." She muttered softly. Now what? She quickly exited the highway.
"I know! I'll just ask Uncle Drew!" Anna finally said. "He knows everything!"
"No! No...you don't want to ask Uncle Drew. He doesn't know. He'll be embarrassed if you ask him and he can't answer. You know who would know...Addison." Meredith said as she pawned this situation off on her friend. She wouldn't let it get that far. She would definitely have to talk to Derek about this. They needed a plan.
"Okay. We'll ask Aunt Addison. She's super-smart!" Anna said exuberantly.
"Yes she is." Meredith agreed with a head nod.
"I'm hungry." Anna said with a moan.
"Didn't you eat lunch at school?" Meredith asked as she looked back.
"Yeah. But I threw my sandwich away." Anna said frankly.
"You threw away your sandwich? Why did you do that?" Meredith asked quickly.
"I don't like peanut butter anymore." Anna said with a shrug.
"You liked peanut butter yesterday. We ate it on celery. In fact, you loved it." Meredith said with irritation.
"Yeah. I don't like it anymore." She told her with a giggle.
"You can't just stop liking something." Meredith told her as they pulled into the neurology center.
"I can." Anna argued.
"You can't." Meredith explained as she put the car in park.
"I did." Anna said with a smile. "Why are we here?" Anna asked as she looked around.
"I'm leaving you here." Meredith told her quickly as she opened up the car door.
"What?" Anna said with a worried voice.
"Yep. Leaving you here." Meredith said with a faint smile as they began walking to the door. Anna grabbed her hand and began crying. "Anna, what's the matter?" Meredith asked as she stopped and looked down at her.
"You're gonna leave me!" She whined as she looked up. Her eyes quickly pooled with tears. Her body was tense. Her face was full of panic. "I'm sorry... I like peanut butter!" She said as she held on to Meredith. "I didn't mean it!"
"Anna. It's okay! I was kidding. This is daddy's work. I promised daddy that we would come by and see it." Meredith said as she knelt down and pulled Anna against her.
"You're not leaving me?" Anna cried as she looked into Meredith's eyes.
"No. I would never leave you!" Meredith said as she kissed her on the head. "Never. I was kidding."
"Really?" Anna asked as she looked up.
"Of course." Meredith said as she stood up and led Anna to the door.
"I was scared." Anna admitted. "I don't want to leave."
"And you never will." Meredith told her.
"That's daddy's name." Anna said as she pointed to the door.
"Yes it is." Meredith agreed as they walked in. Meredith smiled as she looked around. It was beautiful. It was perfect. There were several people sitting in waiting chairs. They looked busy. It looked so professional. It far exceeded her expectations.
"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked as she looked at Anna and Meredith.
"I'm here to see Derek." Meredith said with a smile.
"Who?" She asked with confusion.
"Oh, uh, Dr. Shepherd." Meredith clarified as she read her tag.
"Do you have an appointment?" Crystal asked as she looked at Meredith.
"I'm--" Meredith started. She looked through and saw Derek. He glanced up and smiled as he walked over towards the door. Meredith quickly walked over to the door and opened it.
"Ma'am?" Crystal asked as she looked at her. "You can't..."
"Hey!" Derek said with a smile as he walked up and gave her a kiss.
"Hey. It's...wow." Meredith said with a smile.
"I know..." Derek said as he looked around.
"Oh!" Crystal said as she walked up.
"Crystal, this is my wife, Meredith." He said as he introduced her.
"Hi, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Crystal said with a warm smile as she shook her hand.
"No, it's good. I would hate to think random women walk in to see my husband." Meredith joked, Crystal laughed.
"Daddy... I'm here too." Anna told him as she walked up.
"Hey baby!" She said as he gave her a hug. "This is my daughter, Anna. Anna, this is Crystal."
"Hi." Anna said as she looked up.
"Hi, Anna. It's nice you meet you." She said warmly as she shook her little hand.
"You look like you're ready to pop!" Crystal said as she looked at Meredith's abdomen. Meredith's smile quickly turned to a frown. "How far along are you?"
"Um. Four an a half months." Meredith said sadly.
"Oh. I--" Crystal said in shock. "I'm sorry. I-"
"Twins." Derek quickly clarified.
"It's fine. I'm huge. I just get bigger everyday." Meredith said as she rubbed her abdomen.
"You're glowing." Crystal said with a smile.
"Thank you." Meredith returned warmly.
"Well, I need to get to work. It was nice meeting you." Crystal said with a nod.
"You too." Meredith responded. "So..."
"How would you like to look around?" Derek asked as he pulled her close and they all walked off.
Meredith's eyes stayed wide the whole time. It was amazing. It was everything she would have wanted. It was state of the art, and everything was so new and perfect. As they walked along, she could hear everyone talking about she and Anna. She secretly wondered if it was like Seattle Grace, just on a smaller scale. She was sure it was, and she was feeling left out. She was missing working with her husband.
"And this is my office." Derek said as he led her in. It was huge, and had a wonderful view of the skyline.
"Wow." Anna said as she looked around. "Here's me and mommy. And the twins." She said as she pointed to the sonogram.
"I'm so happy for you." Meredith said as she looked around. He had so many family photos around. It was perfect with his big leather and large glass desk. She walked up to the wall and looked at an older picture of them, that she didn't even know he had. She felt his arm wrap around her.
"It won't be complete until you are in the office next to mine." He said as he kissed her temple.
"It's amazing. It really is." She agreed.
"You shouldn't have brought Anna." He whispered into her ear.
"Why?" Meredith asked as she looked over.
"I was really hoping to break in that desk." He said with a chuckle.
"Damn." She muttered as she looked over.
"Do you think we could lock her in the closet?" Derek asked.
"Considering she freaked out today when I told her I had brought her here to leave her. I'm thinking not..." Meredith said with a frown.
"I thought her eyes were red." Derek said as he looked over. "She cried?"
"Uh huh. We just need to be really careful with what we say to her." Meredith told him. "She's really sensitive lately."
"Yeah, she is. She's been through a lot." Derek said as he looked over at the little girl who was walking around looking at everything. Derek looked down at his watch. "I have a patient. And you have mad me late. But it was worth it..."
"We need to go, anyway." Meredith said as she looked at the clock.
"Oh, by the way, the security guys should be at the house when you get home." Derek said with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Meredith asked as she looked at him.
"We're getting a gate. And a fence. Drew and I were talking about it..." He said, Meredith had panic flowing through her. "It's just a good idea. We are in the middle of nowhere."
"Derek..." Meredith said, rolling her eyes.
"Nope. No arguing." He said as he crossed his arms. "I want peace of mind."
"Fine. Whatever makes you feel better." She laughed. "I'll see you tonight, okay?" She said as she kissed him softly.
"Love you." He said as he kissed her. "See you later, Anna Banana."
"Bye daddy." Anna said as she walked out with Meredith.
Meredith began driving home. Maybe it was a good idea. Maybe they did need security. Maybe it would ease her mind. Maybe she wouldn't worry about a certain someone who gave her the creeps. She thanked god that Drew hadn't said anything to Derek. She trusted him. He was a trustworthy person. She shook her head when she pulled up to the house, seeing the men taking measurements. She pulled into the garage and walked out to meet with them.
"Hi." Meredith said as she walked up. "I'm Meredith Shepherd." She said as she stuck out her hand.
"John Duvall, from MBT Security. We should be done any moment." He said with a smile. "You've got a lot of property here, but I think it can be done." He said with a smile.
"Well, that's good, I suppose." Meredith said. She heard a familiar voice come across the man's phone, direct connect. Her blood ran cold. Her stomach turned into a gigantic knot. She was mistaken, surely she was mistake.
"Yeah, boss. We're coming in. We're almost done at the Shepherd house." John said on the speaker.
"Do a good job taking those measurements. They are special customers." The man said back. "I will see you when you get here."
"Sorry. That was the boss. The owner, actually." He said with a smile.
"What's his name?" Meredith asked with worry.
"The boss? Marty. Marty Tanner." He responded. Oh my god.
Meredith was taken aback. Maybe she she misheard. Maybe she was wrong. She was sure that was his name, but maybe not. Maybe she was wrong. It couldn't be. This couldn't be happening. Fear. Bad feelings. Instinct. Intuition. What was she going to do.
"Did you say Marty Tanner?" Meredith asked as soon as she regained thought. Her heart rate was through the roof as the blood surged through her body.
"Yes I did. Do you know him?" John asked "Well, I assume either you or your husband does, by the way the boss spoke."
"Um, well kind of. He's engaged to Franceasca?" Meredith asked, praying he would say no.
"Yep, that's him." John said with a nod. "If you'll excuse me, I really need to get back to the office." He said with a smile.
"Yeah. Of course." Meredith replied in a trance.
Meredith stood there. What to do? She watched as the two trucks travelled down the driveway slowly. This was bad. She couldn't let this happen. She didn't want to sabotage Derek. He deserved to have it all work out. Addison's words rang in her head. Marty is harmless. God she hoped so.
"Anna, what's your mom doing?" Drew asked as he pointed at Meredith.
"Standing there." Anna said as she ran up to the window and looked out.
"She's been standing there a long time." Drew pointed out as he stared.
"Uh huh. Can I go swimming?" She asked as she cocked her head.
"Um, I guess. Do I have to watch you?" Drew asked.
"Yep." Anna told him. "And now you have to cause you said yes."
"Fine." Drew said distractedly as he continued to watch.
He tore his eyes away and walked up the stairs and into the guest room. He looked out the window, seeing Meredith still standing just below. He threw on his shorts and slid a tee shirt over his smooth, perfectly muscled chest. He looked out again and jogged down, followed by Anna. Drew gave Anna the go ahead as he walked up to Meredith.
"Are you okay?" He asked as he approached her. He watched as she continued to stare. "Meredith!" He said as he put his hand on her. "Are you okay?"
"What? Um...I...yeah, I'm fine." She said as she looked up at him.
"No you're not..." He said as he looked into her fearful eyes.
"I am. I'm just...distracted. Are you going swimming?" Meredith asked as she looked at his swim shorts.
"Yep. You want to join us?" He asked with a hopeful grin.
"And show off this body? I don't think so." Meredith said with a frown.
"Oh come on..." He whined as he gave her the puppy dog eyes.
"Nope. I'll sit out here and watch." Meredith said as she walked to the adirondak chair and plopped down.
I need to tell Derek. I have to tell him. I can't let this happen. It's stupid. But I'm being stupid. I am way overreacting here. What do I do? If I tell Derek, he'll be mad that I didn't tell him sooner. If I don't, maybe Marty will go away, and Derek will never have to worry about it. That's it. Just hang on for the ride. This is business. Just business.
"What the?" Meredith yelled as she felt two strong arms pick her up. "Drew! Get your hands off of me!" She yelled as he ran towards the water. "Don't you dare!" She yelled as his legs hit the water. Then it came. He threw her into the water. Into the dark abyss. She stayed there momentarily until she couldn't any longer. Meredith came up with a gasp.
"You son-of-a-bitch!" She yelled as she hit Drew in the arm angrily. The tears quickly welled up in her eyes.
"Mommy! You said a bad word!" Anna yelled with wide eyes.
"Mer, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Drew asked as he looked into her eyes. The tears quickly pooled and then poured over, running down her face. Her hair was hanging wet on her shoulders. Her face was in distress.
"Oh..." She moaned as she began to sob. She felt his strong arms wrap around her. She let herself succumb to his grip and her whole body went limp.
"Mer...What's wrong?" He asked again as he rested his face against her head.
"I-- I-- I can't take it." She cried out, as sobs wracked her body.
"Tell me..." He muttered into her hair.
"Mommy? What's wrong?" Anna asked as she swam up to them. She could sense the worry that Meredith was radiating.
He couldn't believe it. In the back of head, he wondered. His wife. His cousin. He watched as Meredith collapsed against him. Drew placed his face against her head. Derek swore his lips kissed her head. His hands, stroking her back. He had never seen Drew like this, and he wasn't going to let it happen.
"What the hell is going on?" Derek yelled angrily as he walked up.
Oh man! I guess we'll see what happens!