Christmas Lights

11.

THREE YEARS LATER

I surprised myself as much as I did her when I popped the question...but it felt right, it felt good, it was all I could think to do at the time. And she went with it-another of the many, many things that I loved about the woman.

I wasn't stupid, or deaf, I heard the whispers and rumors in the hallway...they said we wouldn't make it. They said it was too fast, too sudden....well, fuck them.

I stepped down as Chief of Surgery three months after we got engaged. I couldn't balance the responsibility of running a hospital and being a part of a family, and frankly, I didn't want to. I stepped down to Head of Neurosurgery and I am happier in my career than I have ever been. I'm able to do more surgery and less paperwork. Less juggling, less meeting and less ass kissing. The only ass I want to kiss is the one I come home to.

We were married that fall in a quiet, intimate, sunset ceremony overlooking Elliot Bay with friends and family there to witness. It was the best day of my life so far....but another was soon coming.

"Have you seen Kennedy's scarf?"

I looked up as my wife waddled around the living room in search for a bright scarlet scarf. I smiled as I grabbed it from hanging off the banister and held it up. She smiled with relief and rubbed her large belly as she moved towards me through the living room of our family cabin-the same place where it all began.

"What would I do without you?"

"You'd be on the floor searching for a scarf." I chuckled "Wondering how the hell you're going to get up again."

She giggle and swatted my chest "Shut up."

I caressed my hand over her sweater clad belly and softly kissed her.

"You're not going out there with them are you?" I

"No." she snickered "I can't walk with balance on flat ground, much less in three feet of snow."

"It's really coming down out there." I observed as I glanced out the window.

"I've never seen it like this. The weatherman said it's only going to get worse."

"Good thing we're here for a week. Hopefully the baby doesn't have any wild ideas."

"Oh no." she smirked as she held her hands over her belly "This kid is staying put until I can be in a place where I can enjoy plenty of drugs as he or she comes into the world."

"You have no shame."

"When you grow a vagina and push an eight pound child out of it...you can shame me."

I laughed as the door opened and five kids came barreling in with my mother behind them. She panted as she shut the door behind her and locked it.

"It's a blizzard out there." She said "I can't even see the driveway anymore...I think we're snowed in."

"Great." I sighed.

I heard a soft splash and Meredith groaned next to me "Not great..."

I whipped my head around to look at the floor underneath where she stood and saw a puddle of clear fluid, my eyes widened as I looked at the panicked expression on her face.

"Shit!" she shrieked.

"Oh God." I gasped, "Can you hold it in?"

"Not for long!" she squawked. "You'd better start shoveling!"

"What! I can't go out in that storm, I'll get lost!"

"I can't give birth. I can't give birth like this, its' not supposed to happen like this. My last two were hellacious drug free births that my veterinarian douche bag scared me into having with horror stories of drugged up babies and complications...I know better now, this one is supposed to be beautiful and quiet and lots and lots of pretty warm fuzzy drugs!"