Secret smile

45

Everyone was calm, which was normal when it came to Shepherds having babies. Derek couldn't help but almost laugh as he watched Mom sit down with a cup of coffee and a book, Mark reading charts, and then Meredith. Meredith was pacing back and forth all over the place, her eyes wide as she chewed on her fingernails. She had been freaking out for well over an hour now, and he wanted to laugh. He had told her to calm down. His mom had told her to calm down. Both Mark and Sophie had told her to calm down. Even Lexie had tried although she didn't look too much calmer than Meredith, she was at least sitting still. But Meredith wouldn't listen to anyone and seemed to think that Sophie having a baby was the most stressful thing that ever happened. It was cute. It was just about the cutest damn thing he had ever seen. She was pacing and breathing shallowly and biting her nails and...she was just so damn cute. When she had called him to tell him Sophie was finally in labor, he had just laughed and told her to call her if Sophie actually pushed the baby out on the way to the hospital. She had called him an idiot and then hung up on him just as Sophie screamed.

Now he really couldn't talk to her. He had tried, but she just gave him the look that she always gave him when she thought he was being an idiot and he was pretty sure whatever he said didn't even sink in. She was freaking out about nothing. Sophie was an expert at having babies, all of the Shepherd women were. He'd be worried if Sophie was worried. But when Brian had come out twenty minutes ago, he had been laughing and saying Sophie wasn't even squeezing his hand that hard this time. He had been joking and saying the baby was coming fast. So Meredith had absolutely no reason to worry at all. But she was, and he just watched her over his magazine. "How long has it been?" she demanded breathlessly.

"It's been twenty minutes since Brian came out," Derek sighed.

"And that's normal. I know it's normal but he said it was coming fast and it's not here yet."

"Fast is kind of relative with babies," Derek laughed softly. "We might be here for a few more hours."

"Oh...yeah..."

"Everything's fine, dear," Mom smiled. "Brian would tell us if something was wrong."

"Would...something could go wrong, right?" Meredith murmured.

"Something could always go wrong, Mer, but she's in good hands and her body knows how to do this," Derek smiled. "Come sit."

"Can't."

"You can. It just so happens these seats are really comfortable."

"Derek, she went into labor at work! Her water broke on the rug in my office!"

"You're going to want to get that cleaned."

"Derek!"

"What? It's true."

"That's not the point, Der."

"Yes. The point is calm the hell down. And sit."

"I'm fine, Derek."

"Okay," he nodded. "But if that hole you're burning comes out of my paycheck, you're buying the pizza for the next month."

"People can't actually burn a hole in carpets."

"And you're testing it out just in case."

"Shut up. Shut up, Derek."

"Okay, sorry," he nodded, smiling at his best friend. Now she was quite possibly cuter, she made the cutest face when she was mad at him.

"Meredith dear," Mom smiled softly, "women have been having babies since the beginning of time, and Shepherd women have been having babies for nearly that long as well."