Meredith was sitting in the courtroom the next day, freaking out. She should be happy, as Derek wasn't playing dirty at all: he hadn't brought up her drowning, her mother's death or her drinking. The judge was seeing things her way, she could tell. But Meredith couldn't help but wish Derek would bring it up. She looked over at him and the pain on his face was clear to anyone. Then Derek glanced at Meredith and she saw what she was doing to him and all her reasons for keeping Derek away from Ella, suddenly seemed so selfish. Yes, it would hurt to have Derek back in her life, but Ella deserved a good dad and Derek would be the best.
Meredith sighed and calmly reached into her purse and pulled out her check book. She wrote a check for her lawyer handed it to him and got up and walked out of the courtroom right in the middle of Derek's lawyer's speech.
"Meredith, Meredith wait!" Derek called as she chased her outside.
"What?" she said, turning round to face him.
"What was that?"
"You win," she said helplessly. "I give in."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that if you're willing to be reasonable we can work things out between ourselves," said Meredith. "It shouldn't have gotten this far."
"I can see her?"
"Yes, you can see her," sighed Meredith.
"Thank you," said Derek, clearly relieved. "When can I see her?"
"You see her today, if you want."
"Yes, today, right now," said Derek, unable to keep the smile off his face.
"I have to go and pick her up, but if you want, you can come to the house in an hour."
"I'll be there," said Derek. "Thank you Meredith, really I mean that and I'm sorry about everything. I hope we can be…friends."
"We'll work something out," said Meredith. "I gotta go."
"What's going on?" asked Rose as she caught up with Derek and Meredith.
"I'm going to see Ella," said Derek.
"Did you get the…" started Rose.
"You can have your DNA test," Meredith interrupted. "Cheek swab only, you're not taking her blood."
"That's not necessary," said Derek. "Really, I know she's mine."
"But…" said Rose. "You need to be sure."
"I am sure."
"And I'm a whore," muttered Meredith.
"Meredith…" said Derek, not wanting to upset Meredith, especially since he knew that she wasn't. "You're not."
"I'll see you in a hour," said Meredith, then she started to walk away but thought better of it. "I don't know you that well Rose, so I don't like you or dislike you. You seem like an intelligent person though, if he wasn't Ella's father why would I try to keep him away from her? Surely if I was a money grabbing whore I would take advantage of him thinking he was, and milk it for every penny."
"Meredith, she didn't mean it like that," said Derek.
"I'm sure she didn't," said Meredith. "I just thought I should clear that up just to make things less awkward."
"Meredith," said Derek.
"I really have to go," she said.
"I'll be over soon," said Derek, making sure she hadn't changed her mind.
"Alright."
"What was that?" said Derek angrily to Rose.
"What? I was just trying to protect you," Rose protested. Derek had never gotten angry with her, but he seemed more than angry now he was livid.
"I do not need you to protect me. She gave in and I do not need you pissing her off, Meredith is the mother of my daughter and I can't have both you at each others throats!"
"What are you saying Derek?" asked Rose, panicking a little.
"I'm saying that… I don't know what I'm saying," he sighed. "I'm going to see my daughter now, I'll call you later."
"Alright," said Rose, leaning in to kiss him but he turned his head so that she ended up kissing his cheek. "I love you."
"Yeah," said Derek gruffly, then he just walked straight to his car without looking back.
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"Hi. I'm not too early am I?" asked Derek eagerly.
"No, not at all," said Meredith letting him into the house. "Ella is still asleep but she should be awake soon."
"Okay," said Derek. "I'm sorry about Rose earlier."
"No I'm sorry, I was out of line. It's none of my business. You can have a DNA test…"
"And I told you, that isn't necessary."
"Right well… the offer is still there," said Meredith awkwardly. "The, uh… lawyers are drawing up joint custody papers for us to sign."
"Alright."
"I'll go and wake Ella, if she sleeps much longer she won't go to bed tonight," said Meredith. "I'll bring her down."
--------------------------------
"Is she asleep?" Meredith asked. Derek had spent all afternoon with Ella, then he had helped give her a bath and then put her to bed.
"Yes," said Derek. "She's sound asleep now."
"Good," said Meredith, taking the baby bottle out of Derek's hand. "Did she drink it all?"
"Everything except what's left," he said.
"Did you burp her?"
"Yes I burped her, got a little vomit on my shoulder too," said Derek. "Don't you trust me?"
"Sorry, I'm being a pain, aren't I?"
"A little," chuckled Derek.
"Sorry, nobody has put her to bed except me before," she confessed. "I'm just a little overprotective."
"Well, I'm very honored," said Derek charmingly.
"You should be," smirked Meredith.
"When do you come back to work?"
"A month," said Meredith. "I'm starting to interview nannies tomorrow."
"A nanny?"
"Yes, I'm a single mother and a surgical resident," said Meredith. "I don't want different people looking after her, so yes I hiring one nanny to look after her when I can't."
"I can look after her," said Derek.
"Yeah, alright you can," said Meredith. "But the fact is there will be a time when neither of us can look after her, so it's only practical that I have a nanny."
"I guess you're right," sighed Derek.
"I am."
"When can I see her again?"
"You can see her whenever you want, I don't go back to work for another month so just call and give me a few hours notice," said Meredith. She had watched how Derek and Ella bonded and she knew without a doubt that she had made the right decision.
"Tomorrow? I don't have a surgery until eleven," said Derek eagerly.
"Tomorrow is fine," said Meredith.
"I better go," said Derek. "Thank you again."
"You're welcome again."