Where You Belong

101

Meredith woke up feeling warm, loved and undeniably safe. It was a feeling she had gotten used to slowly over the past year, and had even come to seek and expect, but hadn't been exposed to for long enough to be tempted to take it for granted. After a lifetime without it, she sometimes wondered if this feeling would ever become something normal and expected.

She was grateful every time she awoke feeling the way she was feeling now, and was even more grateful for the man making her feel it. Although he was asleep behind her, Derek's chest was still pressed against her back and he was still holding her tight. Meredith could feel his soft exhales against the back of her neck. She rubbed her heel against the hair-brushed shin of one of his legs and then smiled when he shifted and pressed his leg between hers.

Six weeks, now, he had been her husband. Six weeks. And she hadn't been lying the day before when she had told him he was giving her high expectations. Her schedule at work was actively interfering with their life – was preventing them from spending time together and was inhibiting their ability to find a place to live – and even though she knew his patience was running as thin as hers, he hadn't once made her feel bad, hadn't once complained. That's residency for you, he'd say, before assuring her things would get better, her schedule would get lighter and they'd find their perfect new home. And now, knowing she could only manage a few days off work, he had ensured her time off matched his so he could take her somewhere special, forgoing all house hunting plans to celebrate her birthday.

Her birthday.

It wasn't something she had ever celebrated or even made much effort to recognize in her adult life. As a child, it had only led to disappointment. As a teenager, and through her college years, it was an excuse to get drunk. The previous year things with Derek had been new and a mix of exciting and terrifying. She hadn't told him about her birthday because she hadn't expected him to care. She hadn't expected anyone to care.

This year, she had lost track of the dates. Too many all-nighters and too many shifts that ran long and kept her in the hospital for days at a time had left her unable to tell day from night if she wasn't near a window, let alone be able to give the date, or even the day of the week. When Derek had caught up to her earlier in the week – what day, she wasn't sure – and asked if she wanted to go to the trailer for the weekend, she had agreed, and in adding up the days she believed to have passed, she came to the conclusion that her birthday was still another week away. And knowing that he knew about it this year, she had expected him to do something – dinner, probably – but she had never expected something like this.

He shifted behind her, waking up to the light of late morning. After making out in the parking lot the night before, they had checked in and then celebrated her birthday into the early hours of the morning. Meredith didn't know how late it was when they had finally given in to sleep.

Derek shifted again, his hold on her tightening as his mind found consciousness and he became aware of her presence.

"Morning," she offered, patting his hand.

He moaned something incoherent into the back of her neck, released her and rolled away.

Meredith rolled to face him, smiling at the sight of her husband, usually annoyingly chipper in the morning, sprawled on his back with his left forearm draped across his face. "Did I wear you out last night?" She teased as she tucked herself against him, resting her head on his chest and laying her arm across his abdomen.

A moment a passed. And then another. And then the arm that had been protecting his face from the light moved to wrap around her. "Happy Birthday," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She smiled into his chest. "Thank you."

He ran his hand along her back. "What time is it?"

"Eleven."