A/N- so I suck a lot. I knew I had a busy couple months but in no way did I think that real life would be taking up this much of my time! Needless to say I can't be sure of my updating schedule over the coming months. I can only try and get them to you as soon as possible, though the dates or times are unlikely to be consistent so apologies in advance. I have every intention of taking this story to the end so have no worries there!
Waking before the alarm, Meredith rolled over to take in the sleeping form of her fiancé, his breathing rhythmic and peaceful. She watched him for a few moments, admiring the feint lines on his face and the light stubble that adorned his face and neck. She was still in awe of the fact that he'd chosen her over all the other women in the world, not only to be his wife, but the mother of his child as well. And she got to build a life with him unlike anything she'd experienced or even dared to dream about. Before too long her bladder forced her to head to the bathroom to empty it, one side effect of pregnancy that she would be glad to see the back of. Once she was finished she took in the sight of her bump in the mirror, officially at twelve weeks gestation and protruding above her pyjama pants for the world to see. She'd been able to hide it thus far, scrubs it seemed were very forgiving. She found herself sharing a few secret glances with Lexie and Bailey but had stayed true to her promise not to tell anyone else until after their appointment later that day. As she strolled back into their room she watched Derek stir and roll onto his back before settling once again into slumber. Meredith would normally have left him to sleep on a day off but as her nausea had waned her sex drive had gone off the charts, her hormones making her want sex almost 24/7. With hours before their appointment and their roommates all heading off to work, she planned to take full advantage of the empty house and clear schedules.
She tiptoed to his side before throwing one leg over his torso, shifting herself so she was straddling his waist, grinding against him as he opened first one eye then the other, grinning as she leant down to kiss him, pressing her breasts into his chest as she did so. He moaned in appreciation, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and marvelling in the beauty of his future wife and child, almost glowing in the dim glow of the lamps at their bedside. He returned the kiss, deepening it, his hands reaching out to cup her pyjama clad butt, before wrapping his arms around her, holding her close as he flipped the two of them over.
"Morning," he said, brushing the hair from her face and kissing her again, unable to resist her look of utter relief that came purely from reaching this date. He smiled at the bliss on her face, kissing her again before rubbing her bump, never wanting to miss what had become his morning ritual. Meredith's gentle sucking of his neck pulled him back to the task at hand continuing his slow, sensual appreciation of her incredible body making sure to give attention to all the erogenous zones he had discovered over the past year and a half, relishing the sound of her moaning. His hands reached her breasts, still somewhat tender, but not so much that she didn't appreciate his fingers rubbing against her taut nipples. Meredith had finally given in to her ever expanding breasts the week before, buying a number of maternity bras. They weren't quite as sexy as her usual choices but they were comfortable and gave her the support she needed without making her look like a porn star in the process. Derek didn't mind though, just knowing that their bee was growing and healthy was more than enough to make up for having to watch her suffer through whatever pregnancy threw at her and being powerless to help. He did however appreciate the fact that several of them undid at the front, making it easier for him to set her breasts free from their lacy prison.
Derek moved lower, his hands moving to her thighs, pulling Meredith's pants and panties down kissing her bump before moving to her inner thighs. Her hands found his hair and began pulling his curls softly as he nipped and pecked his way back up to her lips raising his hips so that she could shimmy down his boxer shorts with her feet, his throbbing erection pressing against her, ready for action. If days off all began like this, then they would both happily never go back to work again.
MDMDMD
After a pregnancy compatible, Meredith approved breakfast they headed out to the hospital, hoping that they could sneak up to the fifth floor without too many people noticing. They got as far as the third floor of their elevator ride before Lexie entered, heading straight towards them with a knowing grin on her face.
"Is today the day?" She gushed excitedly gesturing to Meredith's stomach, almost jumping up and down when the pair nodded. They were surprised that Lexie had managed to keep the news of Meredith's pregnancy to herself for so long. She was undoubtedly relieved to finally be one step closer to being able to talk about it. She knew the plan was to tell everyone after the appointment, when the celebrations could really begin. The elevator crawled to the next floor where Lexie got off, a definite spring in her step. "Good luck you guys, I expect pictures later." Meredith giggled as her sister skipped away from the doors, almost flattening an orderly as she did so. She sucked in a breath and grabbed onto Derek's hand and squeezed.
"Nervous?" he asked and squeezed back reassuringly. She nodded gently before looking up at him.
"A little. I just want everything to be okay. I already love bee so much I just don't think I could take it if they say she's anything less than perfect. Or he isn't."
"I promise everything will be fine. You've had no worrying signs, clearly bee is growing. Everything the books have said about everything so far has been exactly right. The doctor will tell us that bee is just as perfect as we think he or she is. It's normal to feel a little nervous, but as soon as you see bee on that screen it will all go away just like last time." The elevator doors opened once more letting the pair of them out towards the waiting room.
"You promise?" Meredith asked him as they sat down after signing in for their appointment.
"I promise." He answered kissing her head as they sat down. "Everything will be perfect."
It wasn't long before a nurse called them into a room making a quick note of Meredith's weight and blood pressure before Dr. Dewing came in to join them.
"Good morning Dr. Grey, Dr. Shepherd." She greeted as she looked at the notes the nurse had made. "Your weight is going in the right direction Meredith which is good. Are you seeing a lull in the nausea yet?"
"Definitely." Meredith confirmed. "I'm hungry all the time instead now so I make sure to eat every couple of hours or so when I'm not in surgery."
"That's really good, you might even see signs of the odd craving here and there, but just go with it if it's something that's safe to eat. And I'm going to suggest you add more calories into your diet for the next few weeks. Your weight is increasing just the way it should, but as you were slightly underweight before your pregnancy I'd like to see it increase a little more just to be on the safe side."
"Should I be worried?" Meredith asked, her grip on Derek's hand tightening a little.
"Not at all," Dr. Dewing confirmed. "Keeping to an optimum weight can reduce the chance of complications slightly and increase the likelihood of you having a healthy pregnancy. But based on what I've seen so far, and your blood pressure today, I don't see any worrying signs, it's as much for your piece of mind as anything else. The books can focus on weight from time to time which can be worrying for someone tiny like yourself. In all honesty I can't see too much of an issue as you have always been thin but just don't cut back on anything just because it's not perfectly healthy. Be careful but don't deny yourself the odd extra cookie or two." Meredith breathed a sigh, nodding in agreement.
"Okay, I'll stop cutting back on the Oreos." She joked, making both Derek and the doctor chuckle.
"Good plan." Dr Dewing told her. "Now if you want to lay back for me, I'll just have a feel of your abdomen and then we'll have a look at your little one." Meredith did as she asked, biting her lip and looking at Derek as the doctor gently palpated her abdomen feeling for her uterus, smiling slightly when the doctor nodded approvingly.
"I can definitely feel your uterus which is really good, your pregnancy is right on track and it means the foetus is growing, though that little bump probably told you that anyway. I think we'll try an abdominal ultrasound this time and we can see how they're getting on in there." She adjusted Meredith's shirt, sliding her pants down a little lower so that she had the ideal place to spread the gel that she was rolling in her hands in an effort to warm it up.
"It'll be quite cold I'm afraid," Dr Dewing warned as she squirted a little of the gel onto Meredith's lower abdomen, Meredith's intake of breath confirming that it was indeed far below the ideal temperature. She set the transducer on top of the gel, moving it around a little and pressing a few buttons on the computer until the picture appeared on the screen.
"Here you go," she said gently. "Right there is baby's head, then the spine and tiny little legs." Meredith choked back tears as she watched the tiny figure on screen stretching its tiny limbs and rolling slightly as if showing its parents that they were right that he or she was utterly perfect.
"Is… is it waving?" Meredith asked, pointing to what appeared to be a tiny hand moving backwards and forwards on the screen. Derek's jaw dropped when he spotted what Meredith was pointing to.
"It certainly looks that way." Dr. Dewing smiled. "Someone's pleased that mom and dad can see them."
"Oh wow," Derek shook his head in awe. "Can I, er… can we get that on video?"
"Of course you can, I'll have a DVD made for you when I print off the stack of photos that dr. grey is already mentally flicking through." Meredith giggled, wiping away her tears only for more to fall as the doctor turned up the sound sending bee's heartbeat galloping around the room.
"One very healthy heartbeat. If you continue this way, I see no reason that you won't be here delivering little one in 28 weeks or so. So unless either of you have any questions for me, I'll see you in around three weeks." The pair looked at each other before shaking their heads. What hadn't been covered by OB rotations or the many pregnancy books they had accumulated was answered by Carolyn or Bailey. "Well should you need anything feel free to call. I'm going to grab you some information on prenatal testing to look through and think about and if you could let me know what you decide so we can get things booked if we need to. And as well as that you might want to start thinking about whether you want to know the gender. 15 weeks is a little early but we may be able to see by then." She handed Meredith some tissue paper to wipe away the gel before leaving to grab the pictures and literature.
"I told you," Derek said, pressing a kiss to Meredith's temple. "Bee is absolutely perfect."
"You were right. I'm gonna be a mom, Derek."
"You already are, beautiful. And I'm going to be a dad, and we are going to be a family." Meredith smiled and grabbed a tissue for her new stream of tears.
"Just like I always wanted."
"Just like the one you deserved to be a part of."
MDMDMDMD
With a fresh stack of photos, the pair headed for the elevator. Meredith's stomach was rumbling so rather than head straight home, the pair decided to head to the cafeteria in the hope that they might be able to tell some of their hospital family straight away. Meredith sent a quick text to Lexie, informing her of their plans to eat, finding her sitting down to lunch before they even arrived. Lexie immediately waved them over to the table, holding her hands out for photos before Meredith had even sat down. Derek placed a kiss on the cheek of each sister before joining the queue for food, knowing that Meredith would by now be hungry for peanut butter and Cheetos in any form that she could get them.
He looked back as he stood in the queue, the pair flicking through the stack and pointing out every perfect detail of bee's blurry form, Meredith's smile make her look even more radiant than usual. Lettuce was still high on Meredith's current favourite foods along with Cheetos and Oreos so he added the three with his turkey sandwich along with a bottle of water and a lime soda for Meredith. He had barely even sat down before Meredith had taken the ketchup flavoured Cheetos from the tray and begun eating them, moaning in appreciation in a way that made Derek blush slightly. He was glad that Lexie already knew about the baby, as he had no doubts that the rest of their hospital family would be more phased than the brunette appeared to be.
"Oh, it's going to be such a beautiful baby." She gushed, spotting George and waving him over. "My niece or nephew is going to be so perfect."
"Is Molly having another baby?" George asked as he sat down next to Lexie, glancing at the photo she was holding.
"No," Meredith told him without looking up. George nodded and looked back at the photos before looking up at Meredith and Derek who were grinning almost as wide as Lexie was.
"Oh my god, you guys are having a baby? When are you due?"
"I'm 12 weeks today," Meredith smiled, handing over the stack of photos that Lexie had already gone through. "Bee's due in September."
"Congratulations," he smiled standing up to hug Meredith and shake Derek's hand. "That's such great news. Everything's okay so far, right?"
"Absolutely perfect." Meredith confirmed, "We thought it was a good idea to tell everyone before Lexie caved and told everyone herself." Lexie gave her a disapproving look before focussing once more on the images of her future niece or nephew.
"Does it change your wedding plans at all? You'll be around five months won't you?"
"Not really, I mean all the heels Izzie picked for me are out but…"
"Why are the heels out? With the shoes that Derek wears you'll be almost the same height. You'll barely see the difference."
"Iz, it's not about the height difference." Meredith insisted, taking a sip of her soda. "I'm pregnant."
"Wait what? You're pregnant?"
"12 weeks."
"Oh my god that's fantastic, but what are you doing about getting a dress, they'll need time to adjust it and your bump will be pretty big by then."
"Oh, I have one, let me find the pictures…"
Derek watched the two of them animatedly discussing the dress and the shoes and how Meredith being pregnant changed things yet made things so much more beautiful. Mark was the one to break the silence, sitting down next to Derek, the coffee in his hand signalling that he'd just gotten out of surgery.
"Wow, day off and you come to the cafeteria for lunch. Dude, that's sad." Derek chuckled as he sipped at his water.
"We had an appointment upstairs, we figured that our day off would be the best day to go."
"Is everything okay? You're not sick? Or Meredith isn't?"
"Oh no, nothing like that. She's having my baby." He couldn't hide the grin on his face as the news dropped on mark.
"Man that's great!" He exclaimed as he reached out to hug Derek and pat him on the back. "Mom must be psyched."
"Over the moon, she really is. And I have to tell the girls later."
"So you can expect a houseful of baby crap by the end of the week."
"Oh god I hope not. I didn't even think of that." Derek frowned at the thought of the plethora of baby items that would inevitably come their way once the sisters knew.
"Well while you ponder that can I steal you for a consult? Weller isn't available and I don't want to take the guy to theatre until someone has done a neuro exam." Meredith looked up at the pair of them for a second during a slight lull in the conversation. "O'Malley, come." Mark instructed.
"Go," she prompted, "I'll be here when you get back." He gave her a quick kiss before following Mark, George hot on his tail.
"Who has a house full of baby crap?" Alex asked as he put his tray down on the table, paying little attention to anything but Izzie's mouth as he kissed her.
"Meredith will in a few months." Izzie told him between kisses.
"Mcdreamy knocked her up?" he purred back into her lips.
"Mmhmm, so we get to play aunty and uncle and give it back when it gets grouchy or smelly."
"I like the sound of that." he grinned against her lips. "And I know something else I like the sound oh…" he moaned when Izzie's pager sounded.
"I have to go but if you come with me maybe I can find twenty minutes to get some supplies." She teased grabbing Alex's hand "Congrats on the baby Meredith, its awesome news."
"Yeah congrats Mer," Alex managed to get out before he rushed after Izzie. Lexie glanced at her watch, grimacing when she saw the time.
"I should be going too." she told her sister. "I'm with Torres and she's hit a wall with her research and so she's not in the best mood today. Keep me updated about baby Shepherd though. I know we work together and see each other every day but I want to know about all the little things too."
"You got it." Meredith nodded, spotting Cristina grabbing a sandwich, clearly in somewhat of a hurry. "Every bout of heartburn and routine blood test, I'll call you." Sensing the sarcasm Lexie pouted.
"That'd be good thank you." She replied, the pair of them giggling as she put away her tray. Cristina darted out of the door and almost into Derek as he came back.
"You and Bee ready to go?" He asked kissing her and rubbing her stomach before picking up her near empty tray. She nodded and grabbed his hand, glad to finally be able to go home and revel in the news of their healthy baby. They headed for the doors, but once again her bladder had other plans, even a healthy little bee didn't quell her annoyance at having to pee twenty times a day.
"Hang on," she asked Derek. "I have to pee again."
"Ok, I'll wait right here." He grinned taking a seat in the waiting area as Meredith ran to find a toilet.
Breathing a sigh of relief at having made it in time, she exited the stall and began washing her hands. Mere seconds later Cristina emerged from a neighbouring one and began mimicking Meredith's actions.
"So I'm pregnant." Meredith ventured trying to break the awkward silence that was enveloping them.
"I heard, congratulations." Cristina replied, her gaze never leaving the sink.
"I wanted to tell you but I don't know…" Meredith faltered
"You thought you'd upset me? Or you thought I'd tell you to get rid of it?" Cristina looked up at her friend and frowned.
"Well, yeah." Meredith admitted.
"The only thing that upsets me about any of this is that you thought I couldn't look past what I went through long enough to be happy for you. What reason do I have to be anything less than happy for you?"
"We were both always surgery above everything else. We're not white picket fence, soccer mom types." Meredith admitted, staring at the floor. A moment of silence passed between the two of them.
"Except that you are." Cristina said softly, finally catching Meredith's gaze.
"What? I'm still planning on being a kick ass surgeon same as you." She defended.
"I know that, but Mcdreamy unleashed this whole other side of you. One that doesn't necessarily need a man to bring home the bacon or tell her what to do, but wants one to love and be equal with, you're someone who wants a family to come home to, in a house with a pool and a grill out back and a minivan."
"I am not getting a minivan. Nancy has one and it is awful, I mean I was embarrassed to be parked beside it. I…" Meredith rambled, her tension easing as her friend spoke
"Mer, it's not a bad thing. Your mom chose surgery over her family, and you're not willing to do that, but you're not willing to give it up either. You want it all and you'll do whatever it takes to get it. I don't know when it happened, but somewhere between the Burke fiasco and Derek getting down on one knee you transformed into this extraordinary person that sees beyond surgery and beyond just getting pregnant. I don't have that. Surgery is my life, I don't know how to want more than that. You Meredith Grey are going to have this baby and bring it up knowing that it's okay to want a family and a career, that having it all is possible too."
"And you'll be there when I freak out and think I can't do it?"
"Damn right I will, that kid needs a godparent that isn't a Shepherd clone with creepy perfect hair or the Ken doll."
"Thanks Cristina, it really… it means a lot that you're on board with this."
"I'm your person, it's my job. You get knocked up, I teach your kid the right priorities. You rob a bank, I'll help you leave the country. You kill a guy and I will be the one helping you bury the body. You're my person Meredith, nothing changes that. I'm not going anywhere. I'm proud of you Meredith." Meredith wiped the tears that were in her eyes, her hormones seemed to hit whenever there was any semblance of emotion.
"You are?"
"Yeah, I'm really proud. I'm gonna give you a hug."
"But you don't do hugs."
"I didn't want a person either until I met you. I…"
"You what?" she paused for a second frowning slightly before lighting up. "Oh! You love me?"
"Yeah yeah I love you, now can we get out of here before anyone gets any ideas." Cristina said quickly, a slight blush reaching her cheeks.
"Fine, but just for the record, I love you too Cristina Yang."
MDMDMD
They spent the next few hours simply relaxing, silently celebrating that bee was happy and healthy and would be out to meet them in six months or so. A quick call to Carolyn had her squealing in delight at the fact that her sixteenth grandchild was, as she suspected, utterly perfect.
As the afternoon wore on Derek began to text his sisters to try and find a good time to conference call them all. Having collectively decided on six pm Seattle time, they grabbed an early dinner and snuggled up on the sofa with a movie.
"Okay, I know my conference call line isn't great, but Derek had a better one put in for the new house, but we wanted you all to know at the same time." Meredith began once all four girls were on the line, trying desperately not to simply blurt out their news.
"With the wedding plans keeping us busy it seemed best to tell you all at once, and we didn't want anyone to think that I don't love you all the same." Derek joked, his sisters scoffing at him from their respective lines.
"What we're trying to say is that we have some news, and as family, we wanted you to be some of the first to know." Meredith clarified as the sisters began to quieten down Meredith took a nervous breath, looking to Derek to deliver the news.
"Keep September free because there will be a new Shepherd gracing us with their presence." Derek pushed the phone away from them as all four sisters began to squeal with excitement. After several minutes the four began to calm a little, their shrieks evolving into questions.
"So when are you due?" Lizzie demanded to know as if mentally arranging for time off.
"September 17th." Meredith informed her the date having been written on every item she owned with a calendar.
"Aw a fall baby." Amy cooed.
"How's the size?" Nancy asked, channelling her OB side. "Is the placenta in a good place?"
"Everything is right on track," Derek confirmed, trying to quell Nancy's medical questions and avoid scaring Meredith. "Everything is where is should be and exactly as it should be for the dates. Bee is absolutely perfect just like we thought."
"Oh, I'm so pleased for you both," Kathleen beamed, "How's pregnancy treating you Meredith?"
"I was sick a lot to begin with but it's a lot better now. I have a tiny bump too which Derek seems to love. And I certainly feel a lot better now that we know he or she is definitely doing okay so I'm just excited now. The wedding and the house are so close to both being finished. This is the icing on the cake of a perfect year."
"You sound so happy." Lizzie chimed in. "I miss those early days, it's so special. Enjoy it, it'll all be over before you know it! Have you felt the baby move yet?"
"No, not yet." Meredith pouted. "But I've been told it feels kinda like guppies so I'm hoping they'll come soon."
"Guppies?" Derek frowned in disbelief.
"Oh God yeah," Kathleen confirmed. "Guppies or popcorn. Weirdest most beautiful feeling ever. And it's too feint to feel on the outside so you get this incredible bonding opportunity. It's absolute magic." The line went quiet for a second, the girls clearly reminiscing a little before Amy broke the silence.
"So big brother, are you freaking out yet?" She teased. Derek furrowed his brow and pouted.
"I don't freak out. I'm thrilled actually, as if my life couldn't get any more perfect, the most beautiful woman in the world agreed to marry me, build a house together and have my baby in the same year. I am the single luckiest man on the planet. I love our little family more than I even thought possible. So no Amy, I am not freaking out."
"Don't listen to her Der. Listen I have to go but Meredith if you need anything and you don't want to disturb mom then just holler, we've all been through it enough times that we've had just about every weird feeling or craving and Nancy has dealt with everything that the rest of us haven't at work so she can certainly put your mind at ease."
"Thanks so much." Meredith answered, grateful that Derek had so many nieces and nephews.
"And Derek?" Lizzie cut in before they said goodbye. "When you freak out, and chances are you will at some point even if it's just a little bit, the guys have been there, they get the urge to run and hide. If you get in over your head just talk to them."
"Listen to the wise ones big brother." Amy instructed. "Their uteruses have been occupied so frequently that they are now gurus and will lead you down the path of self-enlightenment in the stroke of a stretchmark."
"Thanks ladies, I'll keep that in mind, there are six months for me to freak out and I have a wedding and a house to finish before then."
"Yeah but Derbear, how will you cope with the fact that mom will have a new favourite once that baby gets here?" Amy joked making Meredith giggle.
"Well seeing as I am responsible for helping to create that baby, I'm sure she'll be just as proud of me as always, the rankings won't change don't worry." He quipped back, Meredith's eyes rolling.
"On that note, I'm heading off." Lizzie announced. "I need to rescue my baby from whatever is keeping the rest of them so quiet."
"And you have all of that to look forward to in a few years." Kathleen reminded them, the others making sounds of agreement. One by one they hung up wishing them the best and demanding any and all updates when they happened. Derek placed the phone back in the cradle and looked over at Meredith who was grinning sleepily, the hospital tiring her out more than she'd like to admit.
"Early night?" He suggested.
"Early night or early night?" Meredith asked raising an eyebrow.
"Whichever you want." He told her his dreamy gaze melting her in seconds.
"Naked massage in bed?" she requested, biting her tongue sensually.
"Done." He told her, scooping her up from her place on the couch and running towards their bedroom, Meredith's giggles echoing around the entire house.
Derek began searching for massage oils, making 100% sure they were safe for use during pregnancy whilst Meredith headed into the bathroom to freshen up. As he sat on the bed glancing through the small print on each bottle he'd extracted, Meredith's voice rang out in a tone that he didn't recognise, sending his heart racing.
"Derek!" she called, somewhere between elation and panic, hand safely over her stomach as if she was further protecting their child. He burst through door searching for signs of pain or bleeding or anything to be concerned about.
"What is it? Is it the baby? Are you bleeding? Where does it hurt?" Meredith's eyes remained trained on the swell of her stomach, her breathing long and deep. "Meredith?" he prompted searching her face for any signs of discomfort. "Mer?" She looked up at him, a sheen of tears in her eyes that stopped Derek's heart in his chest. He looked at her concern filling his eyes as she broke out into an enormous smile. She kissed him softly on the lips before looking once more deep into his eyes before announcing.
"We have guppies."
A/N- I hope that was enough to keep you going until I get back from interviews and graduations and all of the other little things that are draining my time. Reviews make me really happy!