Well, I guess the appearance of Thatcher in the last chapter wasn't what you were hoping for. Thanks to those of you that left your reviews...hopefully the appearance made here will make all of you happier!

Chapter 30 - It's Time

Meredith propped her feet up on the couch in the resident's lounge, and ran her hand over the swell of her abdomen. "Oh, sweetie, you're giving your mother a hard time today...you must be getting ready to make an appearance soon."

Izzie popped into the room then, and smiled at Meredith. "Guess what?"

"You're going to give me a C-section?"

"Why? Are you due? You should be home then...where's Derek?"

"Relax...I'm not due for awhile yet, and Derek's in court today. I'm just feeling big and round and ungainly..." Meredith smiled, despite herself. "Sorry, you had something to tell me?"

"This!" Izzie thrust her left hand out proudly, presenting the large diamond engagement ring on her finger. "Mark asked me to marry him last night..."

"...and you said yes!" Meredith's eyes sparkled at Izzie's obvious happiness. "Oh, Izzie, that's wonderful!"

"I wasn't expecting it, really, but...he totally shocked me at dinner last night, and I couldn't say no."

"Couldn't say no to what?"

"Cristina! I'm getting married!" Izzie nearly bounced in her excitement, waving her hand in the air.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"She can't get married till I can fit into a decent dress..." Meredith spoke up.

"Oh don't worry, Mer...I want my maid of honor to be ready to party," Izzie grinned. "You too Cristina...you're both in the wedding party."

"Oh, Iz..." Cristina frowned. "I don't do all that..."

"You will. And you can bring that hot boyfriend of yours."

Cristina smirked. "He is hot, isn't he?"

"What's the prognosis on your relationship? Going strong?"

"Despite the fact he lives in Canada, and I live here...I'd say it's going strong," Cristina replied, shrugging into her lab coat. "Or maybe it's the reason why it's working, but yeah...it's good..."

At that point, Bailey popped her head in the door. "Let's go people...we have casualties coming into ER. Big pile up on the freeway!"

Meredith groaned, and eased to her feet. "Crap.."

"It's like Christmas all over again," Cristina smirked. "So many surgeries, so little time..."

"Yang, try to show a better bedside manner." Bailey rolled her eyes. "Grey, maybe you should stick to the less strenuous cases today. You look like you're close to having that baby."

"I'm fine."

"Mmhmmm...well, if you feel tired, make sure to let me know."

Meredith nodded. "Absolutely."

"I'll keep an eye on her," Izzie offered.

"I'm not stupid," Meredith protested. "I know my limits, and I can still help."

"Good, let's go..."

By mid-afternoon, Meredith was suturing up one of the last patients from the accident. Her back was aching, and she placed one hand there for a moment to ease the twinge.

"You okay?" Izzie called out from across the room.

"Fine..." Meredith replied, giving her patient a reassuring look at the same time. "There...that's it. Just take it easy here for a few minutes before we release you."

"Thank you." The patient, an elderly woman, peered at Meredith knowingly. "You should be the one resting, dear. You look a little pale."

"It's just been a long day so far," Meredith admitted, stripping off her gloves. Then her eyes widened, as a sharp pain took her by surprise, and she gripped the railing of the bed. "Ohmygod..."

"Doctor! Over here!"

Izzie sprinted over, and put her arm around Meredith's shoulders. "Mer..."

"It's okay...it's..." Before she could say another word, she felt the sudden rush of moisture seeping out of her.

"Oh hell, you're having the baby, Mer...where's Arizona?"

"Call Derek...I want Derek..." Meredith whispered, sucking in a deep breath.

"Yes...let's just get you into a wheelchair." Izzie waved Olivia over, who hurriedly assessed the situation and grabbed a chair on her way. "Take her up to OB and I'll find Arizona! I thought this was too early..."

"I guess she's...oh god...impatient..." Meredith gasped. "Just find Derek...my cell phone in my cubby..."

"I will...just go...!" Izzie took off to page Arizona, crossing her fingers this wasn't a bad sign. Babies had their own timetable, she reminded herself...right?

Derek glanced at his cell phone tucked into his briefcase on the table in front of him, as he listened to the judge give his final decision on the case in question. Normally, he wouldn't have the phone turned on, since this judge was a bear about that, but he'd taken to leaving it on, set to vibrate instead of ringing since Meredith was pregnant.

"Mr. Shepherd...is your client prepared to meet these requirements?" the judge inquired, peering over his glasses.

"Yes, sir...we're good." Derek stood up, straightening his tie. "Thank you."

At that moment, his phone vibrated, the light flashing to indicate an incoming call. His eyes darted to the phone, as he took his chair again, and he managed to palm it unobtrusively. Then his attention was riveted to the text message, realizing it was from Meredith's phone.

Derek...Mer's having the baby...get here asap...Iz

That was all it took, and he shot to his feet, snapping the briefcase shut and his phone at the same time. "Sorry, but I have to go..." he said, his brain focused on getting to SGH as fast as possible.

"What is the problem, Mr. Shepherd? You aren't finished here yet." The gavel banged loudly on the desk in irritation, but Derek didn't stop.

"My wife's having our baby..." he called out over his shoulder. "My apologies to the court, but I've got to be there!"

He kept on his mad dash through the building, not stopping until he was in his car. Starting the engine, he took a moment to reply to Izzie's text message, letting her know he was on the way. Then he grinned, despite the urgency and the surprise that the baby was obviously making an unexpected arrival...soon he would be holding his daughter in his arms...

Meredith looked up at Arizona who was checking the baby's progress. "Well...this is a surprise..." she panted, suddenly overwhelmed by the moment and the impending birth. "I wasn't...oh my god...expecting this today..."

"Neither was I, Meredith," Arizona murmured, "but she's definitely wanting out of there."

"Mm...yes, oh god...where's Derek!" Meredith moaned, just as Izzie joined them, holding up Meredith's cell phone.

"He's on the way! I've sent Mark to wait for him at the front doors, so he'll make sure Derek gets up here pronto...d'you need anything else right now?" She hovered by Meredith's side, unsure what to do.

"Nooo...just my damn husband that put me in this predicament..."

Arizona chuckled softly. "That's the usual comment. I'll be back shortly to check on you...just let the epidural take effect, okay, Meredith?" She patted Meredith's hand. "This will be all over soon."

"Not soon enough..."

Derek sprinted through the parking lot at SGH, and found Mark waving at him from the front doors. "Thank god, Mark...where is Meredith?" He'd ripped his tie away, his jacket abandoned in the Porsche that he'd taken to new limits on the freeway in his haste to get here. His hair was looking more rumpled than usual, from running a hand through it repeatedly at each red light he'd encountered.

"She's fine, according to Izzie...up in the birthing room. I was sent to make sure you get there."

"Thanks, Mark...god knows I'm not usually easily rattled, but..."

"Hey, no problem."

Derek nodded, as they made their way up to the OB ward, and through the corridor to the birthing rooms. "Here you go...good luck..."

"Thanks..."

The nurse stopped him before he could get to Meredith, however. "Sir...?"

"My wife, Meredith..." He tried to see around her.

"Oh, of course...you need to put this on..." She handed him a gown to slip over his clothes. "She's going to be happy to see you."

At that moment, Meredith called out his name, hearing his voice. "Derek! Get in here…!" He flashed a grin at the nurse, dragging the gown on quickly as he headed towards his wife.

"Yes, I'm here…" he assured her, taking her hand and kissing her quickly. "I got here as quickly as I could without getting arrested. Are you okay?" He scanned her face, meeting her eyes that were wide with anticipation.

"I couldn't do this without you here," she murmured, squeezing his hand with all her strength. "You got me into this…"

"I'm pretty sure you were a willing participant…" he whispered.

"Not…funny…" she sighed, as Arizona joined them.

"Well, here we are…and I think your little girl is close to joining us…"

"Everything's okay, right?" Derek demanded. "This is early…"

"She's fine, just going to be tiny. We may need to keep her for a couple extra days, but I'll know more once she's born…"

From that point on, Derek lost track of everything but the feel of Meredith's hand squeezing his, and helping her to breathe and push when she needed to. Only when they heard the first wailing cry of their daughter, and their eyes met, did the rush of adrenaline disappear and his knees went weak.

"We have a daughter…" he murmured, kissing Meredith's tear streaked face. "I love you so much…"

"I love you…" Meredith replied weakly, physically and emotionally drained. "She's okay?"

"Perfect…" Arizona handed her over, beaming with happiness herself. "You have a name picked out?"

Derek nodded, almost unable to speak. "Yes…" He looked at Meredith as he spoke, and she smiled softly at him. "Gabriella Anne Shepherd…welcome to the world…"

Meredith was curled on the bed, cuddling the baby against her, listening to the patter of rain on the bay window. It was a warm spring evening, and the window was open slightly to bring in the fresh scent of rain. Gabriella stirred and yawned contentedly, her adorable little mouth wide. She had just finished nursing, and Meredith was just happy to sit and look at her, marvelling at the sight.

"Well, my sweet little girl, you are certainly sleepy, aren't you?" she cooed softly, touching the cap of black hair, dark as Derek's. Gabriella's eyes, wide and blue-grey, fringed with impossibly long lashes, regarded Meredith for a moment before sweeping shut in response.

"How are my girls?" Derek asked from the doorway, where he'd stopped to watch them for a moment.

"Derek…you're home…" Meredith smiled, as he crossed the room quickly to join her on the bed.

"I wrapped up all my cases today, and I've taken the next two weeks off to spend with you," he grinned. He kissed her cheek, and then looked at their baby girl. "Asleep already…"

"Just…" Meredith eased her onto the bed between them, and the baby opened her eyes then, looking up at Derek. "Oops…Daddy's little girl, aren't you?"

Gabriella gurgled happily, wrapping her tiny fingers around Derek's pinkie. He chuckled softly, exchanging an amused look with Meredith. "I can't get over how perfect she is…from the tip of her nose to her tiny, ineffectual fists…to her little feet…she's a miracle…"

"She is."

"And I love you both so much," Derek leaned over to kiss Meredith again. Her fingertips drifted along the back of his neck, twining into his thick hair. His tongue slid in between her lips subtly, tasting and teasing, just enough to send quivers along her spine. For a moment, she surrendered, before the baby intervened, dragging her attention away.

"Let me put her in the crib…I think she'll be able to sleep for a bit now…"

"I'll take her, honey. You just rest, and wait there for me," Derek grinned, gathering his daughter into his arms. "I am capable of doing this, you know."

Meredith watched him as he tenderly laid the baby into the crib they had brought into their bedroom for the time being, arranging the blankets around her. For a long moment, Derek stood still, making sure that she was indeed drifting back to sleep, before he turned back to Meredith.

"You realize it's too soon for sex…" Meredith teased him, as he joined her on the bed again. Only two weeks after the birth, she still felt tired and uncomfortable at times.

"I'm well aware of that, but I just want to spend time with you. I can wait…" His blue eyes twinkled at her. He pulled her closer, propping up on one elbow beside her. His lips drifted down to her throat, finding the sensitive spot at the side, and he nibbled softly until she gave a faint moan.

"Derek…"

"I know…stopping now," he assured her, pulling his own desire firmly back under control. "I have something for you…"

Her lips twitched, feeling the hard length of him against her. "That's kind of obvious, honey…" Her hand stroked him and he shook his head.

"Besides that. Be right back."

Meredith closed her eyes, feeling the bed shift as he moved away, listening to the sound of his footsteps on the hardwood floor. Almost asleep herself, when bed dipped again, and she felt him beside her again. The familiar scent of his aftershave surrounded her as he pulled her into his arms, and she sighed happily.

"Meredith, you have no idea how amazing I think you are, and how much I adore you and the baby you gave birth to…" he murmured hotly, raining sweet kisses along her jaw, and her throat, finding the soft hollow where her pulse was fluttering. She opened her eyes, finding him gazing at her with an intense passion that made her pulse jump even faster. "I wanted to give you something to celebrate this…something that will be a special reminder of how much I love you always…"

"Derek, you don't need to give me things." Meredith touched his cheek. "Just being with you is all I want…you and our baby…"

"I know, but indulge me…"

"You know I can never deny you when you say that…" she sighed.

"I count on that," he grinned, reaching behind him to hold up a small box. "Now…I know you can't wear a lot of jewelry when you're working, and yet I wanted something that you can keep close to you. I think this will be just right."

She eyed the distinctive blue Tiffany & Co box, topped with a large white bow, as he handed it to her. "Spoiling me again…"

"You deserve it…and I'll do the same thing to Gabriella."

"Not too much, or she's gonna wrap you around her pinky finger…" Meredith giggled.

"Too late…I'm devoted to being a family man and nothing is going to change that."

"Some people would call that emasculated…" she observed, working the ribbon open carefully.

"Never."

"Hmm…okay…" She opened the box and drew in a shaky breath. "God, Derek…it's gorgeous…"

"It's an anklet…you can wear it always, even at work, and no one will know except you…."

She held it up, and the delicate platinum chain set with round, brilliant diamonds caught a sudden shaft of sunlight from the window, setting dancing little beams everywhere. Her eyes flooded with sudden tears, and she reached up to pull him closer. "It's perfect, thank you…"

"You're welcome…" Derek murmured against her hair, cradling her against him, his arms tight around her body.

"Help me put it on…" She sniffled a little, handing it back to him, and leaning against the pillows. He sat up, and took one foot in his hands, thumb rubbing the arch gently for a moment before putting the anklet on her. "How's that?"

"Wonderful." Then her eyes widened, as Derek leaned in to kiss the curve of her calf, his lips trailing along dangerously, His tongue traced circles on her skin, his breath warm on the dampened flesh. He kissed and licked, up to her knees, and then her inner thighs, where her robe parted. Then he groaned softly, realizing he couldn't do this, not yet...

"Soon honey..." Meredith smiled, as he moved back up to kiss her instead.

"Not damn soon enough..."

A word of thanks and credit here...the idea for the gift for Meredith was suggested by dakotalady, and it's actually from a fic by another author who was kind enough to give me permission to use it here as well. So thanks to Sher at Surgical Language - it's a very clever idea!