Addison and Derek finished moving into the apartment that week. It was a few blocks away from the hospital and located in a busy area of Seattle.
They were on the eighth floor. It was a very spacious place. It had three bedrooms: the master bedroom, the baby's room, and one they would probably use for guests or storage.
It had a very bright kitchen connected to the living room, two bathrooms –one next to the living room and another one in the master bedroom– and a small balcony that Addison had decorated with colorful plants.
"Addie, are you ready?" Derek asked as he entered the room. They had an appointment that afternoon with Sophia for their 18-week check-up.
"Almost," she said, finishing fastening a necklace around her neck. He approached and kissed her cheek, as he always did.
"Ready to see Daddy and Mommy's beautiful baby?" he placed one of his hands on her belly.
"Let's go," she grabbed her bag and they both headed to Sophia's office.
~•~
"Well, look what we have here, how much this baby has grown," Sophia said as soon as the image appeared on the ultrasound.
It was their first 4D ultrasound, and everything could be seen with much more clarity than before. It provided a much more realistic view of the fetus.
"Is it sucking its thumb?" Derek asked when he saw it.
"Yes," Addison smiled. It was a common sight for fetuses, but seeing it in their own baby was much more exciting.
"It's flexing its legs, which are actually quite long," Sophia said, measuring with the mouse cursor.
"Takes after its mother," Derek smiled.
"It's measuring approximately 5.5 inches in length and weighs 0.33 pounds, which is a very good weight and measurement for 18 weeks..." Sophia continued moving the ultrasound. "Its heart is already divided into four chambers and four valves, and it's pumping blood at a perfect rate..."
"It's kicking!" Derek exclaimed excitedly.
"That's right... Haven't you felt it yet, Addison?"
"Not yet... you know, first-time mothers take a bit longer to feel it..."
"But look at how it's moving, it looks like it's kicking a ball. Don't you feel it, love?"
"No," Addison laughed.
"Do you still want to keep the decision of not knowing the baby's gender?"
"Yes," Addison firmly responded and turned away when she saw Sophia approaching the baby's legs.
"Well... I don't know how much longer we can bear not knowing..." he said.
"Derek, don't look," Addison covered his face with her hand and made him turn his head.
"Can you tell what it is?" he asked, trying to remove Addison's hand.
"Oh, yes. I can clearly see what it is, the genitals are already formed," Sophia laughed.
"Okay, change the screen, quickly!" Addison demanded, starting to feel impatient. She obeyed.
"Here we can see its face..."
Both of them looked back at the screen.
"That's Addison's nose. And those are its eyes."
"Look at those cheeks, I'm head over heels..." Addison smiled.
"Everything looks normal, the baby is developing perfectly. The amount of amniotic fluid is very good, and there are no complications at the moment. The anatomy exams came out fine and can be corroborated with these images of its spine and skull... Nevertheless, at 24 weeks, we need to do the glucose test to rule out possible gestational diabetes, but other than that, everything is going well. Let's weigh you."
"Okay..." Addison finished wiping the gel off her belly and with Derek's help, she got on the scale.
"Alright... 148 pounds. You've gained a total of 9 pounds, which is within the expected range. You know that."
"I know..." she sat back down on the examination table.
"Have you noticed any changes or felt any discomfort that we should be concerned about?"
"I think my bladder, yes... definitely. I go to the bathroom much more often."
"This is a normal reaction of the body related to hormonal changes and the physical pressure of the expanding uterus on the bladder. We shouldn't worry, except if you feel a burning sensation or difficulty urinating. You know that urinary tract infections are common at this stage, and if you experience any symptoms, you must come in to prevent the baby from getting the infection."
"I know. For now, I haven't felt anything alarming."
"Should we be concerned about... sex?" asked Derek timidly. Addison looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Do you experience any discomfort during sexual intercourse?" Sophia asked.
"No, actually, I don't understand this question, Derek."
"I ask because... I... my intention... I mean... we had... I don't want to be indiscreet but..."
"We had sex. We have a lot of sex," Addison said, looking at Sophia. She was starting to get annoyed with Derek.
"Okay, it's normal. As long as you maintain positions that don't put pressure on the fetus, everything is fine. You should only worry if you notice any abnormal bleeding or pain in the area."
"Is there no way to...?"
"You're not going to touch the baby with your penis if that's what you're afraid of, Derek."
Sophia remained silent and Derek was surprised by Addison's direct response.
"Okay... I'll print the ultrasound images so you can take them with you and I'll be right back with you," the doctor said, leaving the room.
"Seriously, Derek? Did you have to ask my OB that?"
"It's just that for a moment I thought..."
"I'm an obstetrician! Do you think I'd do anything that would endanger my baby's life?"
"No... but..."
"Don't you trust my medical judgment?"
"Addison, of course, I trust you. It was just a moment of doubt... I don't know."
"And the doubt arises after having sex for a whole week?"
"Well, actually I've always had it but..."
"Oh, you're something else."
"I don't understand why you're angry."
"You're a doctor, I'm a doctor. And you couldn't think of a better idea than asking Sophia if it was okay to have sex? Especially after you've already done it?"
"Well... here are the printed images... I hope the grandmothers like them," said Sophia, entering the room and feeling the tension in the air.
"Thank you," Addison took them and left the office without looking back.
"She... you know, pregnant women's mood swings. It's not personal," Derek said, embarrassed.
"I understand. See you next month."
"Thank you."
~•~
"Would you like to go for ice cream?" Derek asked Addison as he approached her, sitting in one of the chairs in the waiting room, looking at the images.
"No..."
"Are you very angry? Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"I think that nose is Bizzy's..." she said without taking her eyes off the ultrasound.
"Bizzy's?"
"I have her nose, don't I? It's hers."
"So the baby's Forbes..."
"I didn't want to give it the Forbes last name. Montgomery Shepherd is already enough."
"You know that, for me, it can have as many last names as you want."
"I know, it's not about that..." she sighed, "I'm sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have reacted that way."
"It's okay, it's nothing."
"I didn't like that you doubted my medical and motherly judgment."
"I don't doubt you in any aspect, Addie. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. To me, you're the best obstetrician-gynecologist and neonatal surgeon in the world. I trust you blindly."
"Okay..." she put the ultrasound back in the envelope.
"Do you want ice cream?"
"With french fries?"
"At the same time?"
"Yes!"
"Alright, let's go."
Addison and Derek were returning to their building after stopping by McDonald's. She had insisted that Derek try the combination of fries with ice cream and chocolate sauce that she had ordered, but he refused. Their cravings were increasingly diverse in terms of foods that he would have never combined.
The elevator doors opened, and they found a man with his back against the wall cornering a woman. They were kissing so frantically that they didn't even notice when Addison and Derek entered the room. Both of them looked uncomfortable, not knowing what to say.
"Oh, babe, this is just the beginning..." the man whispered.
"Mark?" Addison asked, recognizing his voice.
He turned around quickly, startled.
"Addison? Derek?"
"I can't believe it," Derek rolled his eyes.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor, and both couples got off.
"What are you doing here, pervert?" Derek said when he saw him walking behind them.
"I could ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?"
"We live here."
"No... are you the couple who rented apartment 8A?"
"Don't tell me you live here... can you stop stalking me?"
"I've been living here for two months! How was I supposed to know that you would also live here?"
"Burke recommended the building to me."
"He recommended it to me too! He and Cristina live in 6D."
"And Callie lives in 7C," Addison added, taking a bite of her fries.
"Oh, this is just perfect," Derek complained.
"Well, I guess we're neighbors," Mark laughed, "I'm in 8B."
"It's unbelievable how once again, I'll have to endure moans from the other side of the wall... no offense," he said, looking at the girl accompanying Mark.
"Hey, Derek, can we talk?"
"No. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you at my workplace, I don't want you in my building, I don't want you in Seattle. Get a life and stop trying to copy mine."
"Listen for a moment, you piece of resentful egotist. I have no intention of chasing after you. You're not the center of the world. You can't blame me for living in the same building when you're the one who just arrived. If it bothers you so much, go back to your stupid trailer."
"Of course, I will, before having to witness another depraved scene in the elevator of my building. Come on, Addison."
"Derek, you're overreacting," she said.
"Excuse me? Are you going to take his side, this sex-obsessed freak?"
"Screw you, Derek. You need it," Mark said, turning around to enter his apartment.
"Oh, I assure you that I'm very well screwed."
"I can imagine, I know your wife already."
Derek followed Addison inside and slammed the door angrily.
"What was that all about?" Addison said, indignant.
"He ruins my life! I never want to see him again. Is it so hard for him to go back to where he came from?"
"Derek, calm down."
"I can't calm down when I feel like smashing that son of a bitch into a thousand pieces."
"He didn't do anything to you this time, he wasn't even planning on meeting us today."
"Twelve floors, sixty apartments... and we end up next to Mark Sloan's? Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"Maybe you could take the opportunity to make peace with him."
"Never."
"Are you really never going to forgive him? He was your best friend."
"That's exactly why, he was. He'll never be again."
"I know deep down you still care about him, but you have such a thick layer of pride that it doesn't let you see beyond that."
"Oh, sure. Now I'm the problem. Because everything always ends up with me being the one to blame for you two sleeping together."
"Can you please not bring up that topic again and again? It's over, Derek. It's in the past. I thought we were going to move on from it. I thought all the things you told me that night in the trailer were true, I thought you were in love with me and wanted to change. But it seems like it was a lie and that you still hate me for what happened."
"I don't hate you, just because I forgave you doesn't mean I forget it, and... Mark being here just makes me think about it."
"Are you afraid it'll happen again?"
"No..."
"Are you afraid that if you come home late from work one day, I'll go to the apartment in front and sleep with Mark? Is that it?"
"No, Addison... God, I'm not thinking about that."
"Then why are you reacting this way upon finding out he lives across from us?"
"Because I didn't want to see him anymore. That's it."
"Oh, I hate to disappoint you, but you see him every day at the hospital. We'll only be here for a year. Grow up and accept it."
Derek stayed silent for a long time as Addison went into the room. Perhaps she was right, and he had overreacted unnecessarily.
~•~
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made a scenel," he said as he entered the room. Addison was lying down, reading a book, already ready to go to bed.
"Mmm..."
"Are you angry?"
"I don't know, should I be?"
"I will talk to Mark... I... I don't want you to be upset..."
"It's not for my sake that you should talk to Mark, it's for yours. It's because of the years of friendship and brotherhood you have. He wants to get closer to you, but you don't give him the opportunity."
"I know, I promise I'll make an effort to change that."
"Okay..."
"What are you reading?" he approached her.
"The Kama Sutra."
"What?" he laughed nervously.
"It's a neonatology book, Derek."
"That's too bad... the other sounded more interesting."
"Oh yeah?" She took off her reading glasses and placed them on the nightstand.
"We could do a live-action version of the book..."
"Do I have to ask my obstetrician for permission first?" she raised an eyebrow and smiled sideways.
"Oh, come here," he held her in his arms and brought her close, pressing her against him and kissing her lips.
~•~
Derek woke up the next day to a phone call. He checked the caller ID and it was his sister Nancy. He sat up in bed, trying not to wake Addison, and answered.
"Nancy, what's going on?"
"Hello, Derek. Good morning first of all, right?"
"It's 6 a.m. in Seattle. What's going on?"
"It's Mom's 70th birthday this weekend."
"Oh..."
"And we're organizing lunch at her house with the girls. You know, the kids will be there, her nursing friends, the neighbors, the family... Derek, it's an important date. You have to be there. We will all be present."
"I know, but... It's Thursday, should I travel on Saturday?"
"I don't know, but you can come this weekend. It will be important for Mom to have you here. It's been a year and a half since we last saw you at home, Derek. Besides... you have news to share. News that I don't know how long I can keep hidden..."
"Alright. We'll come over."
"Ohhhh! I'm already excited to see you. Shall I pick you up at the airport?"
"Whatever you prefer."
"Okay, see you on Saturday then."
"See you."
Derek ended the call and Addison looked at him with half-closed eyes.
"Who were you talking to?" she whispered, still half asleep.
"With Nancy. Mom turns 70 on Sunday."
"Oh... right, August 25th... we have to get her something special."
"Addie, we're going to New York this weekend."
"What?"
