Family

She'd really been looking forward to her day off. A lot. It had gotten her through the last couple of hours of her shift, the idea that she didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn. He'd already said he'd get the kids ready and into day care so she could get as much sleep as possible. She'd made it home at almost ten the night before, checked in on her kids and fallen into bed with her husband, curled up against his side as he lay against the headboard, reading one of his journals. He'd wrapped his arm around her, greeted with her with a quick kiss and carried on reading as she lay her head on his chest, finally relaxing as his fingers ran through her hair.

But now it was three in the morning, and someone was crying. Bailey. Bailey was crying. She felt Derek's lips touch her forehead as he murmured about handling it, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep until he returned. She listened over the baby monitor as Derek calmed Bailey, hearing the well-known sniffles and slight cough coming from her son, and Derek murmuring about him having a temperature. He was sick, which meant her day off to sleep and relax was effectively cancelled. She felt a slight ache in her chest as she heard Bailey asking for her, and she moved to sit up in the bed as Derek returned to their room, holding the almost two-year-old, with an apologetic look on his face.

"It's okay, bring him here," she said with a soft smile, pulling her loose hair back into a ponytail out of the way.

"Mommy's here, Bailey," Derek murmured to their son, his hand rubbing the small boy's back as he carried him over to the bed and sat beside Meredith, Bailey immediately reaching over to her.

She lifted him and brought him against her chest, rubbing his back gently as his face buried against her shoulder, whimpering softly.

"Someone is far too much like their daddy when they're sick," she murmured softly, smirking slightly at Derek over the top of Bailey's head.

"Hmmm, I'm just going to go and get the medicine," Derek chuckled softly, running his hand over the back of Bailey's head and kissing Meredith quickly before leaving the room.

She lay back against the headboard, her fingers running through his short, dark hair as her other arm held him securely against her. His small hands gripped at her top as he continued to whimper softly, his face rubbing against her shoulder. Derek came back in with the medicine in hand, sitting beside them again as he filled the small syringe with the liquid.

"Alright, Bails, daddy has the medicine," she murmured softly.

She tried to shift his position so that she was cradling him against her, but he kept a tight grip on her top, his whimpers getting louder. Derek shifted so that he was behind her slightly, gently trying to get him to take the medicine.

"This will make you feel better, I promise," he said gently, frowning a little as Bailey continuously turned his head away, "Okay, maybe you had a point."

"This part was actually much easier when he was a baby," she sighed softly, taking the syringe from Derek, "Is there anything we can distract him with?"

"I didn't even think of that," he groaned softly, lowering his forehead on to her shoulder, seeming slightly exhausted.

"I'm just going to have to do it, but he's probably just going to cry louder," her eyes looked to their bedroom door that was still open from Derek going to get the medicine, "I don't want him to wake Zola."

"I've got it," he said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder before getting up again and disappearing out of the room for a moment, she assumed to check on Zola.

"Just me and you, Bailey," she murmured, running the back of her fingers over his warm forehead, brushing his blonde curls out of the way.

"Ma," he whimpered, his hand tugging her top slightly.

"I know, I'm trying to make it better, I promise," she said, slowly moving the syringe toward his mouth, hoping that her slower movements would work.

She could feel Derek's eyes on her and figured he was back and waiting by the door, not wanting to startle Bailey while she tried to get him to take the medicine. He was still whimpering as she managed to get him to take the medicine, his small hand hitting against hers. She adjusted him again as she lay back against the headboard, holding him against her chest as Derek re-joined them.

"Zola's sleeping," he confirmed, gently rubbing his hand over Bailey's back, "and I brought the monkey."

"Oh good," she laughed softly, taking the stuffed monkey from him and bringing it closer to Bailey who grabbed for it, "You need to sleep, you're up again in a few hours."

"I'll be okay a little longer," he smiled, reaching to the side table to grab a pack of baby wipes and taking one out, "He's about to get fussy again."

"He's going to be fussy for a while yet, like I said before, he takes after you when he's sick," she pointed out as Derek tried to wipe Bailey's face, being met with a slight cry of protest from the youngest Shepherd.

"I'm not that bad," he laughed as he threw the baby wipe into the bin.

"You really are," she laughed with him.

"Mama," Bailey whimpered, nuzzling his face against her chest.

"I know, mean daddy cleaning your face," she pressed her lips against the top of his head a moment.

"Don't be turning our son against me now," Derek teased, "Do you think he's going to sleep soon?"

"I'm not sure," she said, turning her face away as she yawned a little, "Go back to sleep, Derek."

"I'm not going to sleep if you're having to stay up with him," he murmured as he moved his arms around the two of them, pressing a kiss against her cheek, "You should be the one sleeping."

"I can sleep when he's sleeping," she sighed, leaning into his hold, her hand rubbing Bailey's back as he coughed a few times.

"And I can stay up with a bit longer," he rested his chin on her shoulder, "Hmmm."

"What?" she whispered.

"Just... he won't be the baby for much longer, that's all," she could feel Derek's grin against her neck as his hand moved to her abdomen.

"He still has six and a half months of being the baby, don't take that away from him," she grinned with him at his words, "and hopefully the next baby won't take after you when they're sick."

"See, I don't think that's genetics. I think it's nurture, and it's a good thing," Derek stated quite over-confidently.

"You think the way we raise him means he's clingy when he's sick? And it's a good thing?" she raised an eyebrow at him, their voices almost a whisper.

"You know when you say it back to me, it does make what I'm trying to say sound questionable," Derek frowned, his hand running over her slightly raised abdomen, "What I was trying to say, is that you love it when he's clingy because you can cuddle him more, which is a good thing. And he's clingy when he's sick because he wants to be comforted and he knows that you'll comfort him."

"I know, but I'd rather he wasn't sick," she laughed slightly, running her fingers over Bailey's hair as he started to settle against her, "I'm going to walk around with him a bit while he falls asleep."

"Okay, I guess that's you telling me to go to sleep again," he chuckled as she moved out of the bed, holding Bailey close to her as he started to fuss again.

"It definitely is, because you know what else Bailey inherited from you? Being cranky when he's tired," she smirked, her hand resting on the back of Bailey's head lay on her shoulder as she leaned over to kiss Derek quickly.

"Are you sure he didn't get that from you? You're being mean tonight," he pouted playfully.

"Go to sleep, Derek. I love you," she smiled toward him.

"I love you too," he smiled back, gently squeezing her thigh with his hand before she headed out the room, Bailey held close to her.