The Seventh Sense is Love

Sapphires

The day after having Ian, Meredith was able to get up and walk around a little - with assistance from Derek. It was a strange feeling to walk around slightly hunched over and with tiny, almost shuffling steps but it couldn't be helped. Her incision was still new and - even though she was getting pain medication - very tender. She fed, held, and admired Ian. She counted his fingers and toes. She took his little knit cap off and ran her fingers over his smooth, bald head and laughed as Derek rolled his eyes at her.

"You've picked up my eye rolling habit."

"Have not," he mumbled and turned from her to hide his smile.

"He has," Meredith loudly whispered to Ian. "Daddy rolled his eyes at me for admiring your cute little bald head. Really, he's just miffed because you don't have a head full of perfect hair like him."

"Hey," Derek protested and came over to sit with Meredith and Ian. He reached out and ran his fingers along his sons head and said, "Mommy's just teasing. I love you no matter what. I don't care that you came out mostly bald."

Meredith giggled and carefully sat Ian up to lean across her forearm. She kissed the soft hair on the back of his head. "You have a hair spot instead of a bald spot."

"Meredith," Derek sighed and made her laugh hard. She immediately gasped in pain and stopped laughing. Derek put his hand over Meredith's on Ian's back to offer a little extra support. The teasing playfulness went out of him at seeing her face pale in pain. "Do you want me to take him?"

She nodded her head yes and took a very careful, deep breath. A moment later she said, "Okay, I have to be careful about laughing too much on top of everything else. And I'm tired again, which is really irritating, by the way."

"I wonder why," he said. "Do you think maybe sixteen-and-a-half hours of labor, major surgery, hormone drops, breast-feeding and too many visitors might have anything to do with your exhaustion?"

"Smart ass," she said and smiled at him, grateful for him on so many levels. He was standing up with Ian after putting the little cap back on his head and wrapping him in the blanket. "Why haven't you mentioned your improved eyesight to anyone?"

Derek looked from Ian to Meredith and said, "There's plenty of time for that. Everything is about Ian and you right now. That's how it should be - that's how I want it."

"Okay," she agreed, "but promise me you'll let Webber or Livingston examine you soon."

"Yes," he replied, "before we take Ian home. I have something for you."

"Really?" she asked, unable to keep from smiling at him as he put Ian back in the bassinette. Then he went to his bag and pulled out a tiny box, wrapped in white paper. "What's that?"

He handed her the little box and then picked Ian up again. Then Derek and Ian sat on the edge of Meredith's bed again. "Open it."

Meredith smiled, unwrapped the paper from the small box and opened the top. "Oh," she sighed and then giggled a little. "It's beautiful, Derek." Nestled inside the box was a twenty-four-carat gold flip flop pendant, encrusted with dark blue sapphires and diamonds

"I wanted you to have something," he told her, "but other than your wedding rings - you're not really a jewelry person. That seemed like it'd suit you perfectly, though."

"Sapphires," she said and looked at her husband and child. "Ian's birthstone."

Derek handed Ian to Meredith and took the box from her. He removed the pendant from the box - which was attached to a matching gold chain - and clasped it around her neck. Then he leaned down to kiss her quickly, but Meredith had another idea and put her free hand on the back of his head to hold him in place. She put her heart into kissing him and he returned her enthusiasm. When she pulled away, she smiled and said, "Thank you, it really is beautiful."

"You're welcome," he sighed and sat back down to hold Ian with her. "We're a family."

"We are," she replied, a little teary eyes. She reached up to touch her necklace and asked, "When did you get this?"

"After we got back from Maui," he grinned. "Lexie helped me pick it out at the same store where I got your engagement ring."

"What if Ian had been born in August or even July?" she asked teasingly.

"Now who's being a smart ass?" he laughed. "For your information, the jeweler had the pendant ready with the diamonds set-in but not the sapphires. They were waiting to hear from me about his birth. I called on September first when it became obvious that sapphires were the only choice."

Meredith leaned down to Ian and kissed him then said, "That's your Daddy - always thinking ahead."

"That's right," Derek nodded seriously but with a smile for his little family. "I've even got all the information for us to start his college account."

Meredith laughed but did so carefully. She grabbed Derek's hand and said, "Have I told you today that I love you and Ian?"

"Yes," Derek grinned, "and I love you both, too."