iLove

Chapter 37

Meredith was starting to think Derek's bit of advice sounded good by the end of the day. She didn't know how she was still moving but she was. Her body was aching for rest, her stomach was sore from throwing up all the time and she was exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally. She had one more patient to check on and she was done. She grabbed the chart from the nurses station and headed down the hallway.

"Meredith!" she heard in a voice she always dreaded.

She gulped and turned around to see her mother coming towards her pulling her purse over her shoulder, she was actually leaving the place. Addison and Derek were trailing behind her as if she were giving them instructions.

"Yes?" she said in the perkiest voice she could muster.

"I need you to watch one of my patients for me tonight." she said.

"What?" Meredith mumbled in disbelief that she was actually asking her to do something but also strain that she would have to work more. "But I've been here almost 48 hours as it is!"

"And?" Ellis sneered "When I was an intern I worked week long shifts!"

"But." Meredith mumbled, trying not to let her voice break.

"Dr. Grey." Derek said "Perhaps you should ask someone else, someone who would be of better use."

"No." she said "I want Meredith to do it, she needs to buck up, she's being too lazy. Consider it weight lifting, you don't get stronger by sitting around doing nothing."

"Lazy?" Meredith gritted through her teeth "Nothing!"

"Anyways," Ellis said ignoring her stress "the patient is in critical condition in the NICU and I want him alive when I get back in the morning." Meredith gulped, Ellis narrowed her eyes "If he's not it's your ass!"

Meredith felt tears in her eyes as she saw no way out of it and Ellis's threats. Addison and Derek seemed to share a glance and Addison stepped forward.

"Come on Meredith, I'll show you." she said calmly.

Meredith could barely nod but followed Addison and could hear Ellis snicker as she walked off. Addison went around the corner and past the NICU to an office with a large oak desk. She walked in and flipped the light on, Meredith walked in and she closed the door behind her then walked around the desk and opened a drawer. Meredith watched with tired curiosity as she dug through it and then pulled out a small white paper bag and set it on the desk then slid it towards her as well as a box of tissues. She just then realized that she was crying and looked at Addison confused but grateful.

"Thank you." she sniffled and wiped her eyes. "What's in the bag?"

"Pre-natal vitamins." Addison smiled. "Take them daily on a full stomach."

Meredith's spine stiffened as she looked at Addison with horror.

"You know!" she gasped "How do you know?"

"Meredith." Addison smiled "I'm an OB/GYN, I can tell by a look in a woman's eyes."

"Oh." she said a little relieved "Do you think anyone else does?"

"If by anyone else you mean your monster of mother? No." she said "And I don't think anyone else is the wiser either...not yet anyway." she looked at Meredith with a slight look of concern "You need prenatal care."

"I know." she gulped "It's just been such a shock."

"This was unplanned then?" Addison asked, not wanting to give away the fact that she already knew about it.

"Very." she nodded "I wasn't sure I was going to keep it, but well the guy is going to be there."

"Good." she smiled "Would you mind if we did a little appointment now?"

"I guess." she sighed "I could use a minute to lie down."

Addison smiled and led her out of the office and down and across the hall to an empty exam room. Meredith put on a gown and climbed up on the table, Addison started palpating and examining her. She smiled when she was done.

"Everything looks good, and you have nice birthing bones." she said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you should do fine in delivery." she said "Of course that's not saying you have a ten or eleven pound baby."

"Oh god." Meredith groaned.

"When was your last menstrual period?"

"Um, I can't remember." she frowned "September 13th maybe?"

"Let's do an ultrasound." she said. Meredith nodded as Addison rolled the machine over and then squirted some jelly on her stomach. She started rolling the wand around across her abdomen, then froze the screen and pointed to something. "See that little peanut shaped dot?"

"Yeah." Meredith said.

"That's your baby." Addison smiled "I'd say you're about nine weeks along, which puts your due date around June 20th,, heart rate is 156 which is very strong."

"That's my baby." she said in awe as she looked through her tears at the screen, Addison nodded "My little flu bug."

"That's got a nice ring to it." Addison giggled "But I think it might get teased in school for it."

Meredith giggled and wiped her tears away, Addison reached down and then handed her two papers with the picture on it. Meredith looked up at her incredulously.

"One for you," she smiled "And one for the father...it sounds like he might want one."

"Yeah." Meredith nodded "He probably will."

"Look," Addison smiled "I know your mother is a nightmare, and I know you're probably not going to tell her for a while. But your health is important to me as a doctor, and we can do this discreetly. I won't tell anyone anything. So please, if you have any problems or questions come see me. I want you and your baby to be healthy."

"Ok." Meredith nodded "Thank you Addison."

"Not a problem." she smiled "Now I want you to be resting at every opportunity, as an intern it'll be hard but you need to. Your body is growing a human being and you need to treat it delicately."

"I'll try." she nodded.

"I'll let you get dressed, try to relax tonight. The best you can. There's a nice cushy rocking chair in the NICU that has your name on it."

Meredith nodded and waited for Addison to leave the room. She sat up on the edge of the table staring at the little figure in the picture and felt tears well in her eyes. But this time not of fear or stress or fatigue...tears of joy.

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