"Mmmm, morning." Meredith said as she looked up into Derek's eyes. She had missed his deep blue eyes. She missed his pokey morning stubble.
"Morning." He said with a smile as he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "How did you sleep?"
"Better than I have in a week." She said with a smile as she buried her head into his chest.
"Me too. We can't be apart ever again. It's bad for our heath." He told her frankly as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I think I proved that to be a fact." She said with a giggle. "So what did you do while I was gone?"
"Things." Derek said with a smile as he rubbed her shoulder.
"Things? What do you mean, things?" Meredith said as she looked up at him.
"Work. Mostly work. I did some stuff around the house. Cutting grass, cleaning up the trail." He said with a shrug.
"First of all... You cut grass?" She said with a chuckle.
"Of course I cut the grass. You know, it's really stupid to pay someone to do something we can do." He said quickly.
"I hate cutting grass. Cutting grass is horrible." She said with a scrunched nose.
"Fine. You don't have to cut the grass, I will cut the grass. I will have all the fun to myself." He said with a shrug.
"Good." She said quickly. "So it doesn't sound like you had a great time."
"No. I nearly cried myself to sleep every night." He said, feigning sadness.
"You did not!" She said with a chuckle.
"Maybe not, but I wanted to." He said as he kissed her forehead. "How are we feeling?" He asked as he rubbed her stomach.
"Like we have to pee!" She said quickly. She slowly threw her legs over the side of the bed and waddled to the bathroom.
"Do you need help?" He said as he jumped up.
"Unless you want to wipe for me, no." She said as she shut the door.
"I would. If you needed me to, I would." He said quickly.
"I don't want you to, believe me. Not to mention, you would find someway to dirty it up!" She said through the door.
"Dr. Shepherd." Bailey said as she walked in with George, Izzie, Cristina and Alex.
"She's in the bathroom." Derek said as he walked away from the door.
"We figured that. Either that, or you've gone insane." Bailey snapped as she watched Meredith walk slowly out of the bathroom. "And how are you?"
"I feel good." She said as she attempted to pull herself on the bed. Derek gave her a sympathetic look and helped her up.
"Meredith good. Or good good?" Izzie said quickly.
"I feel okay. No contractions. No pain. Nothing. Just ready to go home." She said as she looked at her friends.
"You know, I knew you were stupid, but to fly home. Now that is stupid." Miranda said, shaking her head.
"There was no way I was going to get stuck over there. No way." Meredith said as she crossed her arms across her stomach. "Where's Addison, I'm ready to go home." She snapped.
"Someone's a little hormonal." Alex joked.
"Screw you, Alex." Meredith said loudly.
"Yang, find Dr. Montgomery. We need to get her out of here." Miranda said as she looked at her and shook her head. "I'm glad that everything turned out okay." She said with a faint smile as she turned and walked out.
"I hear you're raising hell." Addison said as she looked over her glasses.
"Always." Derek said with a chuckle.
"I'm feeling fine. No contractions. Everything is normal. BP, temp, heart rate. All normal. Now let me out of here." She said as she threw her legs over the bed.
"Mer, I think you know well enough that I am going to give you a thorough exam. And if every thing is not just right, you aren't going anywhere." Addison warned.
"Where is Anna?" Derek asked quickly as he realized she wasn't there.
"She's at my house, with Stan." Addison said warmly. "He's going to bring her over when she gets up, which should be pretty soon. Now lay back, I want to check your cervix." Addison gave Meredith a thorough check-up and then looked up with a smile.
"Everything looks good." Addison told her. "You were right. But I want you to take it easy."
"Okay." Meredith said with a quick smile.
"I am serious. Bed rest for a week. You either lie on the bed, or lay on the sofa. No lifting. No walking. No physical activity. I want you back here in a week, and I will check you again. I am not playing here, Meredith. Not after your last adventure." Meredith nodded her head sheepishly.
"Okay then. I will have them get your discharge papers ready." She said with a smile as she walked out.
"I can't wait to get home." Meredith said with a smile.
"Home. To the sofa." Derek reiterated. She gave him a frown and nodded her head.
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Derek turned down the driveway. Meredith had never been so happy in her life. She was going home. She made sure she examined every tree as they drove down the wooded drive. Home. Home was where she was comfortable. Home was peaceful. She never wanted to leave again. She looked back at Anna, who was playing with her toy horse. She looked at Derek who had a growing smile on his face.
"Why are you so happy?" Meredith asked with a chuckle.
"You'll see." He said with a growing smile. "Anna...Look out the window." Derek told her quickly. Meredith and Anna both looked out the window.
"What is that?" Meredith said in shock. She looked again. "Oh god, what did you do?"
Meredith's gaze fell upon the structure. It was big. It was pretty, but it was big. Set off to the side. There is was. A barn. He had a barn built. Why would he have a barn built? There was only one likely answer. He had gotten her a horse. He had gotten Anna a horse without talking to her.
Derek pulled up in front of the barn instead of making his way to the garage. Anna looked over in awe. It hadn't quite hit her yet. She was thinking it was a garage. Maybe it was a place to keep Meredith's jeep. Then her eyes got wide. Really wide.
"Daddy! It's a horse! A horse and a pony!" She squealed as she jumped out of the car.
"Anna! Wait!" Meredith said as she jumped out of the car and followed behind her.
"Mer, you are supposed to be resting." Derek said firmly as he walked up and placed his hand on the small of her back.
"A pony! A horse!" She cried as she started to climb through the fence.
"No! Anna, we never climb through the fence. Ever." Derek said as he pulled her back through.
"But I wanna see them." She cried out.
"Let's get some treats, and maybe they will come to the fence." He said as he grabbed her hand and they walked into the barn.
Meredith stood there and looked at the horse and pony. Two palominos. Two palominos in her back yard. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that he didn't ask her. He didn't discuss it with her. He made a huge decision, by himself. She turned on her heel and marched to the house. Some homecoming.
Derek and Anna walked out to the paddock. He glanced around, Meredith was no where to be found. He looked at the car, it was empty. Then his gaze fell to the house. There she was, opening the door. He was in trouble, and he knew it.
"What are their names daddy?" She said as she held the treat in her hand through the fence.
"Paige and Sandy." He said as he pointed to the two. They ambled over slowly, taking the treats from Anna's hand.
"Daddy...who's horses are these?" Anna asked with a faint smile. She was hoping she knew the answer.
"Well, Paige is Jane's horse. But Sandy... Sandy is yours." He said with a huge grin.
"Mine? I have my own pony?" She said as she jumped around.
"You have your own pony." He said with a nod.
"Oh thank you daddy!" She said as she hugged him tightly. "Can we ride them? Can I brush them? Please?" She begged with pleading eyes.
"Anna, we really need to go in and check on mommy. But I promise we will come back out and brush Sandy. Maybe Jane will come out and show you how to brush Sandy and you guys can ride." Derek suggested,
"But she's my pony!" Anna said loudly. "And I want to brush her."
"Not now. Now we need to check on mommy. She isn't feeling good and we have to make sure she's alright." He said as he grabbed his hand.
He knew it was cruel. He was teasing her. Dangling the pony in front of her, but not allowing her to do anything with it. She frowned as she climbed into the car. Derek quickly flipped the phone and called Jane. He was praying she could come over. He was praying she would save him from the wrath of Anna.
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Meredith laid on the sofa. Anna was at school. Jane was home. And Derek was in surgery. She hated being on the sofa. She hated being stuck in the house. She just hated it. This was only day two of bed rest. She hated bed rest. She hated the number two. She hated everything at the moment.
She'd never admit it, but she did enjoy looking at the horses out the picture window. It was peaceful. It was quiet. they just lazily grazed all day long. Their golden coats matched perfectly, looking like mother and daughter. Yep, she liked looking at them. But she'd never admit it.
She heard a faint knock on the door. A reason to get off the sofa. She had never been so excited in her life. She slowly rose to her feet and waddled to the door. He face lit up when she saw him standing there.
"Hey." She said as she motioned for Ian to come in.
"Hello, Love. How are you doing?" He asked as he looked down at her stomach. He sat her luggage on the floor.
"Good. I feel a lot better." She said with a smile as she waddled back to the sofa. "You have to sit in the chair. I'm on bed rest." She said as she rolled her eyes.
"You have to be going crazy." He said with a chuckle.
"I think I am." She said with a huff.
"So this is a nice place you have here." He said as he looked around.
"Yeah. I like it." She said with a smile.
"It's kind of in the middle of nowhere, don't you think?" He said with a chuckle.
"It is. But I like the stars. And the quiet. I love the quiet." She said with a smile.
"And you have horses." He said as he looked out the window.
"Yeah. My shit-head husband's bright idea." She muttered. "A coming home surprise for Anna. He didn't even ask me!" She said loudly.
"I'm sure he was just trying to be a good dad." Ian said quickly.
"Or an dumb-ass. God, we can barely take care of ourselves." She said as she shook her head.
"Just let him be. Anna's a good kid. It will be good for her." Ian said quickly.
"I hope so." She grumbled.
"So, my plane is leaving in awhile. I just came by to drop of your luggage and say goodbye." He said with as smile
"You're leaving?" She said in disappointment.
"I have to go home. I have a company to run." He said with a grin as he walked over and gave her a soft kiss.
"You do." She agreed. "Thanks, Ian. Thanks for everything."
"No problem. And don't worry, I'll be back. I want to see these rug-rats." He said as he patted her stomach. "Bye, Mer."
"Bye, Ian." She said with a smile as she watched him walk out.
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The silent treatment. Three days. Meredith was giving him the silent treatment. She refused to talk to him. She refused to look at him. She just sat there, on the sofa, reading a baby book. He knew he messed up. He knew he should have asked her. But he wanted ti surprise her. He wanted to make Anna happy. He never thought it would make Meredith so unhappy.
"Meredith." Derek said as he walked over to the sofa where Meredith was laying, her nose in the book. She flipped the page and kept reading. "Meredith." He said again as he looked at her. She read on, not even glancing up at him. Then she flipped another page.
"Damn-it Meredith!" He said as he ripped the book out of her hand and tossed it to the floor. "Look at me!" He said as he tipped her chin. "What is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with me? You made a decision without even consulting me! You built a barn. A freaking barn. And then you got her a pony. As if she isn't spoiled enough as it is. She is spoiled rotten, and now she has a pony. How could you not ask me?" She said loudly.
"I thought I was doing a good thing. I thought with the twins coming-- I thought it would make her happy. I thought that it would give her something to focus on. The twins will take a lot of out time. And Anna, we will try to give her all the attention she needs, but you know they are going to drain us. It's not as if we don't have help. That's why Jane's horse is here. She is company for Sandy. And Jane can teach Anna everything she needs to know. I thought I was doing a good thing." He said with a sigh.
"Do you know what you've done? Ponies can be nasty. They can bite and kick. And they seem to be more ill tempered than a horse. It's because they are small. Adults can't ride them and they get away with everything. And Anna could be hurt. Have you not see Gone With the Wind!" She yelled as she glared him.
"Sandy is a sweet pony. Jane looked everywhere for her. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body. As long as Anna knows the rules, she will be fine." Derek said as he looked at her.
"What about founder? Laminitis? Cushings? She is more likely to get those things. Do you really want to have to put the pony down because we didn't know what we were doing? Damn-it, Derek! You didn't think about this. You didn't research. You didn't ask me!" She said loudly.
"You little shit." Derek said, shaking his head.
"What?" She said as she looked at him innocently.
"You were going to get her a pony. That's how you know all of this." He said as he shook his head with a smile.
"I was not!" She said quickly, a grin playing on her face.
"You were too. You know too much. I can't believe you. Just admit it." He said with a chuckle.
"Fine. Fine! I was going to get her a pony. That was until I realized how much work they were. That was until I realized that we are doctors and barely have time for ourselves." She spat.
"You were going to get her a pony." He said in disbelief. He glanced over out the window and smiled. He motioned for her to look. They both looked out, seeing Anna and Jane driving Sandy in the yard.
"She looks happy." Meredith said with a smile.
"She is happy. She loves that pony." He said as he watched them. "So are you still mad? After seeing your daughter's smiling face?" He asked with a grin.
"No. I'm not mad." She grumbled as she looked out the window. She looked over to see a smug smile on Derek's face. "I can't believe you."
"What?" Derek said innocently.
"Our twins don't even have a chance." She said as she shook her head.
"You're right about that." He said with a chuckle.
So Anna got her pony! More to come. This isn't over yet!