This Life

Chapter 28

Derek glanced at the alarm clock on his bedside table. 4:45am. Derek smiled it was Christmas morning and in a few minutes the alarm would go off and both he and Meredith would get dressed and look presentable before his nieces and nephews would burst into the room to see if Santa had left any presents.

Derek thought back to last Christmas where both he and Meredith had been working all day and then came home and made love for the first time. He didn't think anything could top that, but it had. Meredith told him last night that she wanted to have a baby. His baby. They had agreed that once they were settled into the new house that they would properly start and Meredith would come off the pill.

Derek had insisted that they start practising straight away and as Meredith fell asleep after their lovemaking Derek was wide awake. He was too excited and to anxious to sleep.

All he wanted was them to be a family. A proper family. He wanted to marry Meredith and for her to adopt Beth and have another child or maybe more. There was nothing Derek wanted more today was to propose to Meredith.

But he could not. He was still technically married, and he wanted to be married to Meredith especially now. Call him old fashioned but he wanted to be married to her when she gave birth to his child. He had a few months to try and find Addison and get her to finalise the divorce.

He had been excited when Addison told him she wanted to try for a baby but looking back there was no joy on Addison's face when she said it, not like there had been on Meredith's face.

God he could not wait to hold their baby in his arms.

Derek rolled over and switched off the alarm and kissed Meredith on her shoulder to try and waken her.

"Um, go away," Meredith muttered

"Wakey wakey," Derek said as he started to tickle her

"Time to get up?" Meredith groggily asked

"Yes, I'm expecting the stampede in less than ten minutes," Derek said as he kissed her "I can already hear Noah moving about next door. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas!" Meredith smiled back "I better get dressed then," Meredith said as she got out of bed.

A few minutes later and they were both dressed in their pyjamas and Derek was making the bed when they heard the bedroom door open.

"Uncle Derek!"

"Did Santa come?"

"Merry Christmas!"

Meredith looked on top of the bed to find Noah, Regan, Charlotte and Clara bouncing on top of the bed. They were literally bouncing with excitement and Derek loved every second of it. She walked out of the bedroom and into the neighbouring room and lifted Beth who was singing her heart out.

When she walked back into the hallway she saw a very tired Jennifer come out of one of the other bedrooms and ask "Have you seen my daughter?"

"Clara is currently jumping on top of Derek's bed along with her other cousins," Meredith smiled.

"Is it too much to ask to have one Christmas were we not woken at 5am?" Jennifer whined.

"I seem to remember you used to waken us at 3am Jennifer Frances," Michael Shepherd stating as we walked down the corridor smiling.

"Merry Christmas sweetheart," Michael said as he kissed his daughter before kissing Meredith and Beth.

Derek finally emerged from his bedroom with the children following behind him and lifted Beth from Meredith "Merry Christmas princess," he said kissing his daughter.