Dreams On Fire

How You Get The Girl

Two weeks at home with Derek passed quickly. They spent quality time together with Zola and Bailey, and more importantly, with each other. Carolyn was there to take care of the kids, and Meredith and Derek worked hard on repairing what had slipped away in the past months and in no time they were back to normal. Finally the day came for Derek to get his casts removed, and they had scheduled Meredith's 12 week ultrasound for right after, which they were excited for.

Heading to the hospital, they stopped in ortho first, where Callie removed the casts and did x-rays on both the leg and arm. Luckily, the bones had healed in the past 6 weeks in both body parts, and Derek would regain full use of his hand after some physical therapy. In the meantime he was supposed to walk with a cane so that he could continue to give his leg some rest. He scoffed at it, not wanting to be an old man, but a warning look from Meredith shut him up. They slowly made their way to OB, where they were called back quickly and Meredith found herself once again in the stirrups, laying back somewhat relaxed. Dr. Ryan entered the room and smiled at the pair. "Derek! It's so good to see you up and about again, I'm so glad you're doing well," the doctor smiled at both of the Shepherds. Derek just smiled and nodded, taking hold of Meredith's hand as the gel was squirted on Meredith's little bump. In a few seconds, the woosh woosh of their baby's heartbeat filled the room and tears formed in Meredith's eye. Once upon a time, Meredith never wanted any of this. A husband, a family, children, a happily ever after. But now she couldn't picture anything else. Dr. Ryan turned the screen towards them with a smile, their baby perfectly outlined and no longer looking like a tiny alien. "I'll give you guys a few minutes," she said, leaving the room as they listened to the heartbeat and looked at the image onscreen. They could see the head and both hands, all the way down to their baby's stomach and Meredith couldn't stop smiling. "I think it's a girl," Mere said matter-of-factly as she looked up at Derek, squeezing his hand tightly and swooping in for a kiss. He indulged her and wrapped her in a hug. "You just want to outnumber me and Bailey," he teased her, kissing the tip of her nose and smoothing back her hair.

Next up was a Derek's first session of physical therapy, where Meredith gave him a kiss goodbye and went to work. Despite the fact that in the past, she and Derek had decided that they couldn't work together, they had talked and it had been decided that she was going to start a Neuro fellowship. She was more than capable and had logged so many hours as both an intern and resident, that it was only natural. Besides, she loved Neuro far more than she loved general, and being a general surgeon made her feel increasingly like her mother and it drove her crazy. The only thing Derek was worried about was her being pregnant and logging all of the hours, but she knew that she could take a few weeks off before coming back to the fellowship after having the baby. She had seemed satisfied by his answer, and today was the first day where she was working with Amelia. She changed into her indigo scrubs and pulled her hair back into a bun, tying her shoes and pulling on her lab coat. She needed to get a new one, one that said Dr. Meredith Shepherd, but she figured she'd drop Owen a note on that one. Plus she still needed to change her name officially. She had told Derek to page her when he was finished, but she knew he'd be in physical therapy for hours. Looking at herself in the mirror in the attending's lounge, she deemed herself ready for work and sought out Amelia.

After a grueling but satisfying day with Amelia, where they'd done three surgeries and consulted on several other people, with plans of surgery for tomorrow, Meredith made her way back to the attending's lounge to change into her regular clothes. With her scrubs, her 13 week bump didn't show much, but in her maternity jeans and sweater, her bump was on display. She walked through the hospital, people eyeing her and noticing the bump, but she honestly didn't care. She was pregnant for the second time and she was happy; no one could take that away from her. She made her way down to physical therapy and watched Derek through the window; from her vantage point he was doing a great job with his hand, but she had only been there for a few minutes. She stepped inside the room and took a seat, waiting for him to be finished. About ten minutes later he shakily made his way to her and she stood up and smiled, quickly giving him a kiss. "How did it go?" she grinned, taking his hand and leading him towards the front of the hospital. It was raining lightly outside but neither of them cared as they walked to Meredith's car. Soon enough they were home, and Zola and Bailey were climbing all over them. "Mommy mommy, did you do anything fun at the hospital today?" Zola pestered her, as she bent over and swooped the five year old into her arms, the little girl shrieking with joy. "I did, miss Zola, Aunt Amelia and I saved some people," she grinned, pressing kisses all over the girls face before passing her to Derek. Derek, to his delight, realized he could hold his daughter with both of his arms again. He held her tightly before putting her on his hip. "I missed holding you, Zo," he whispered to her, before she wiggled out of his arms to go play with her toys. It was August now and it was almost time for Zola to start kingdergarten. After dropping her things in the bedroom and changing into something more comfortable, Meredith rejoined Derek and Carolyn in the kitchen, eyeing Zola. "Can you believe she's going to actual school in a month?" she questioned, putting a hand on her bump absentmindedly. Her little girl was growing up, and Bailey was already three. They'd be busy with the new baby come February or March but it still made her hormones crazy to know that her little baby was already five. Carolyn, meanwhile, had whipped up another delicious meal and the five Shepherds gathered around the kitchen table to enjoy.