Fluffy fluff and mostly filler, happy Addek and hints as to where this is going.Please review, suggestions and requests are always welcome!
ADDISON ' S POV
She stumbles out of the OR - she's losing her edge , six hours on her feet at three in the morning and she's exhausted - and scrubs out in a haze .
Down in her office, the calfskin couch she had put in last week - what, she likes her office to look nice, reflect her tastes. She can't understand why Derek and Mark won't stop sniggering - beckons to her, but so do the crowd of interns and residents who are considerably louder, so she goes on rounds first.
She's standing just inside a patients room
watching O' Malley set up the ultrasound ; nice normal pregnancy except for an excess of amniotic fluid, not like the horror show that had flown in at three this morning from a county hospital, when she receives a kiss on the cheek and a steaming cup of coffee with a little muffin sitting on the lid.
" Morning, Dr. Shepherd. "
" Mmm. I remember why I married you. " she inhales the aroma of the coffee.
" For my perfect, perfect hair. And because you love how good I am in..."
"Derek." she hisses, gesturing to the patient with her eyes.
" What happened this morning? "
" Ugh. 29 weeks pregnant, placenta previa, starting bleeding so they flew her in, the baby was lying transverse and did not want to come out, I did a crash C section but ended up doing a complete hysterectomy it was just...Murphy's Law , every bleeder I clamped just magically sprouted like two more..."
He makes a sympathetic face, steals a bite of her muffin. " Stevens any good?"
" She was great, actually. I think I may have a protégé on my hands."
She seemed a little off though, didn't she, when I asked her to retract a little more she barely heard me, staring at the corner like she could see something there.
Interns. They're weird.
" Lucky you. I have Yang this week - she's some sort of cardio savant, but she's so disinterested in Neuro she's boring me to sleep in my own OR."
"Speaking of Yang, I need to go shopping for the wedding. "
" You do not. Can't you wear one of your three million other dresses? You look amazing in all of them."
" Thank you dear husband, but not for me. For you. Since you've become a wood chopping - "
" Flannel wearing fisherman." He finishes.
" - you don't have anything to wear. So get out of surgery by 7 tonight , because I'm taking you shopping. And to dinner."
" Date. "
"Date. " she says, turning back to go inside.
" Addie? Be my date to the wedding? " he asks, that teasing smile she knows so well on his lips.
" Love to, Dr. Shepherd " she flirts back, kisses him goodbye on the cheek, only to have him turn his head quickly and her lips brush his.
She blushes slightly, pushes him playfully in the direction of the OR board.
"Go save lives."
" On it."
" Dr. Montgomery - Shepherd? "
" What is it O ' Malley? "
" Could you, uh , take a look at this?"
She takes the probe from him, angles it expertly on the patient's belly, hoping that what she sees on the screen isn't real but just a figment of her exhausted imagination.
" Get Dr.Shepherd in here as soon as he can come." she murmurs softly to O' Malley .
" What is it, what's wrong with my baby? Is something wrong?" says the patient - Audrey Brandon , that's her name - in a voice high with fear.
" Mrs. Brandon, what I'm seeing on your ultrasound is that your baby has a condition called spina bifida. It means that the bones and the membranes around your baby's spinal cord , they haven't closed all the way, and the cord is exposed."
" Oh my god. " she says, shuddering with tears .
"My husband is in the cafeteria, he thinks we're about to have a baby, and you're telling me my baby is - what? Dying? Paralysed? Dr.Montgomery-Shepherd, please just tell me before he comes, I can't ...I can't look at him when you tell him, so just tell me now , please."
" Mrs . Brandon, there are things we can do, surgeries , - "
" You can't deliver my baby, he's too little, I'm only 20 weeks, he'll die, he's too little ! "
" - we're not going to deliver your baby." she says gently, shifting into the patient's bed and laying a hand over hers, which is placed protectively on her belly like she can hold him in.
" We can do a procedure called an in utero repair; we only partially deliver your baby, fix his spine, put him right back where he should be, and you get to meet him a few months later when he's bigger and stronger. "
"You can do that?"
"It'll mean fewer surgeries when he's older, better chances of carrying to term and of your baby having normal function of his spine. "
" We want the surgery. " she says, looking at the doorway where her stunned looking husband is now standing, paper bag of food in hand.
" Are you sure ?" he's not asking his wife, he's asking Addison.
" I mean , have you done this before?"
" I have performed three of these procedures, Mr. Brandon, and two were successful. "
" What happened with the third one?" she understands he doesn't mean to be so harsh ; he's worried for his baby.
" We had to deliver two weeks after the initial surgery .The baby didn't make it.".
Best to give it to them straight.
"We want the surgery. " Audrey says firmly.
" Honey, maybe we should -
" I want our baby to have a normal life, Tom, I want him to able to run and play and be a normal little boy, you heard Dr. Montgomery - Shepherd ; two out of three is good odds to me."
" I'll leave you to discuss it, it's a big decision , but just so you know, 20 weeks is the ideal gestational period for this surgery, so I'll need your decision as soon as you can make it." she says gently, sensing argument brewing and having no desire to be in the room when it happens.
I've had enough of that for a lifetime.
"Also, she's one of four surgeons in the country who does this surgery, and she has the highest success rate. " says a familiar voice from the doorway.
She turns around to see Derek there, arms folded looking at the couple huddled on the bed .
She clears her throat. " This is Dr. Shepherd, our head of neurosurgery. If you do decide on the surgery , he'll be the Neuro consult on the case. "
" Whoa, another Shepherd? " asks Tom.
" We're married actually. " he says, moving in closer to the foot of the bed where Addison is standing and peering at the chart over her shoulder.
Audrey smiles , a frantic too-wide smile that instead of masking her anxiety just makes it more obvious, and Addison wishes fervently that they didn't have to go through this.
It always happens to the good ones, the ones who take the vitamins and do the yoga , the ones who don't deserve it, and on the other hand there are people who drink and shoot up and don't care at all and abandon their babies when they're born perfect despite everything .
"Look at you two, everyone must hate you. Gorgeous pair of married surgeons - you just have it all." she teases.
"Do you have kids ? Oh they must be beautiful - and they won't have missed out the brain genes either..."
It's like being sucker punched in the gut, she feels like the air has been knocked out of her, and through the corner of her eye she can see the almost imperceptible tightening of Derek's jaw, the way he grips the chart just a little tighter.
" Yeah. Yeah, we're pretty lucky." He manages.
" Addie - call me when you have a decision. " He looks at her, squeezes her hand and mouths it's okay.
DEREK'S POV
That damned woman, just assuming they had children.
It breaks his heart to see that look in Addie's eyes, that longing , that she gets whenever she looks at babies and little kids, their nieces and nephews.
Maybe we should try again.
She's hardly going to want to after what happened last time. Still, it can't hurt to bring up the topic.
He smiles a little to himself, imagining a little girl , who likes to fish and shop.
Then we really would have it all.
" Dr. Shepherd! "
"Yes Dr. Bailey? " he closes his eyes and braces himself.
"If you're done smiling like a loony could you come down to the pit ."
" Yes Dr.Bailey ." He manages straight faced.
" She's cracked, that one. " comes a deep gravelly voice behind him.
" Shut up Mark, she'll hear you and then you'll get it. "
" Get what?"
" The Bailey Look." He remembers it too well.
"When are you getting started on that house anyway? I could use something to pound on, preferably not Grey, even though she's driving me crazy. And not in a good lusty- intern way. "
Derek snorts " Why , what happened?"
" She's so freaking miserable she's infecting me with her misery. "
" Not going well with the vet?"
" How do I know? I don't do girlie chitchat sessions with my interns.
Speaking of girlie, where's Addison? Stevens is looking for her. Torres too."
Derek shrugs. "She was up on the maternity ward a while ago, dunno where she is now."
" Dr.Shepherd ! Have you seen your wife?"
" No, Stevens , I haven't. Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
The blonde intern looks flustered, sweaty and breathing hard. "Nothing." she stammers , and then takes off running.
The two men stare after her, confused.
" I liked her better when she wasn't allowed to touch , speak or breathe. " says Mark, going back to his journal.
" Yang is the one who won't touch , speak or breathe these days - she either hates me for the whole Meredith thing or she just really hates neuro. She's actually being quiet in surgery these days - it's weird. "
" Maybe it's wedding jitters. " Mark says sagely.
" Excuse me, what? " Burke asks. " Did you just say wedding jitters? We're getting married tomorrow evening, she hasn't said anything yet . "
" Uh...I was just joking, Preston, don't worry. "
" Yeah, what would he know about wedding jitters anyway. " Derek chimes in.
" It's Dr. Burke, please. " Preston says with a cool glance at Mark.
" How come Derek gets to call you Preston and I have to - "
" Hee-ey Addison. Good to see you." He greets the tall redhead cheerily.
" And you call her Addison ?" Mark demands, enraged.
" She is my friend." Burke says coolly.
" And I'm not? "
" No." says Burke, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
" Anyway - Derek, will you be my best man?"
"Me? Really?"
" Yes. You're what I would call a friend, I guess, especially after what happened with the bomb and all."
"Of course - I'm. ...honored. " and they do the awkward man- hug thing, Addison snickering at him over Burke' s shoulder.
" I'd be a great best man! I write really fun speeches !"
"Oh no you don't, you write horrible vulgar lists of embarrassing moments." says Derek, remembering all too well the speech he'd given at their wedding.
Addison mm-hmms in agreement, punching Mark in the shoulder.
" I write songs too! "
At that he and Addison burst out laughing, and Burke looks completely unimpressed .
" I don't care if you dance, too, Sloan." And he picks up a chart from the rack and disappears into a conference room.
IZZIE'S POV
She needs to find Dr .Montgomery - now.
She's going crazy isn't she, has to be , because no way no way is this possible.
It can't be. They were careful , for gods sake, they're doctors, they're not stupid.
But it feels like it might be real, so she need s Dr. Montgomery.
She finds the woman passed out on her ridiculous couch, heels kicked off and one arm flung over her eyes.
"Dr. Montgomery. Pssst. Dr. Montgomery. "
" What."
"I need a little help? "
" None of our patients are in active labor, the NICU is peaceful and quiet and I don't have any surgeries or consults till this afternoon, so this better be good."
Izzie pulls the little vial of her blood out of her pocket.
" I need you to test this."
" Give it to the lab, Stevens, why are you carrying around a patient's blood in your pocket?"
" It's. ...mine."
Addison's face softens ."Izzie. Are you sure?"
"Pretty much, yeah. "
Addison slides off the couch and puts her shoes back on.
" I'll have the results by tonight. "
" Thank you. " she whispers.
DEREK'S POV
He has missed this. He pretends to hate it and complains every chance he gets, but he is secretly enjoying that the trip meant for him has evolved into a full - blown Addison shopping session.
Mainly because it gives him an excuse to stare at his wife while she tries on sexy shoes.
He's just thinking about how much he likes the strappy black pointy heeled ones when his phone beeps with a text.
Help me.
It's a moment before he remembers that this is Mark -speak for I'm on a bad date, please call me with a fake crisis.
Who is it?" Addison pokes her head around the shelf she's browsing through.
" Mark. He needs me to bail him out of some bad date. "
Addie gets an evil gleam in her eye. "Leave him to rot. I used to do that to him all the time, it's so much fun the next morning. "
" As much as I'd like that, I owe him ."
" What? Derek Christopher Shepherd, do you mean that you asked Mark to bail you out of dates with me ?"
" No ! No way , Addie - in fact, the SOS texts only stopped when I met you. He used to tease me about turning into an old man, but no , I never had to escape from you."
He pulls her close , kissing her just being her ear, relishing being able to do this, touch her and hold her whenever he wants.
" In fact, dates with you were my favorite part of the day; Mark used to hate whenever we went out cause he said I'd fuss like a girl over how I looked before I'd see you."
" Now that I cannot imagine. Anyway -" she turns her head and whispers the next part against his lips in a way that makes him wish they were at home in bed - " You always look perfect to me. "
" Now text him back before he dies of boredom and Burke has to be your best friend, because I don't think he'd appreciate the opportunity. "
"What should I tell him? I'm rusty, I used to be really good at thinking of stuff for this."
" Tell him to meet us at the apartment in twenty minutes, we can get takeout and you two can go over the blueprints and talk boy stuff about the house while I and Callie do wedding stuff.
Callie's a bridesmaid and she forgot to tie little gold ribbon on the wedding favors ; she has to do them before 7 tomorrow morning before Momma notices."
" Who the hell is Momma ?"
" Preston 's mother?" Addie asks, eyebrow quirked.
" He never told me anything -"
" Huh. So much for being friends." and she goes back to comparing two seemingly identical sandals.
He goes back to his assigned spot on a leather stool in the corner, texts Mark to come right now it's an emergency and also to bring food.
It's the least he can do, Derek thinks sourly, after ruining his evening plans, which involved Addison's new shoes and privacy.
This was for all the people who requested happy Addek - hope it was good even it involved a few other characters because of where the fic is going to go.As always, please review!Pretty please.