78. A Reason to be Grateful

Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be freaking out over this season finale. Seriously, if Meredith and Derek are having a baby, my biggest dream will have come true. I cannot even comprehend the amazingness of this, guys! Here's to hoping!

Another Thanksgiving was upon them. A day filled with too much eating and too much family time. But as Meredith and Derek walked up the front steps of his childhood home, 7418 Applewood Lane, all either of them could do was smile. Life had blessed them in a huge way this year, and they were constantly reminded of that every time they looked at Meredith's belly.

"Nervous?" Derek asked, his right hand in hers and his left on the doorknob, ready to enter the house.

Meredith shook her head. "No, not this time," she said softly.

"Good." As soon as Derek turned the knob, his mother ran into in the foyer, anxious to greet them, and to sneak a peek at the newest family member whose current residence was Meredith's uterus.

"Meredith! Derek!" Linda greeted, tossing her dish towel over her shoulder and immediately pulling them both toward her for a hug.

Derek smiled widely at his mother's embrace. This moment made him glad they flew across the country at dawn on Thanksgiving to come visit. "Hi, Mom."

"How are you doing? I'm sorry; you two must have gotten up so early to make it here. But I'm so glad you came," she said, kissing each of their cheeks.

"It's fine," Meredith assured her, running her hand over her belly.

Linda's eyes were instantly drawn to it and she gasped. "Oh my goodness!" she said, in awe of her daughter-in-law's pregnant belly. "Look at you; you look beautiful, sweetheart."

Meredith blushed a little and bit her lip. "Thank you."

"Can I...?" Linda asked, placing a tentative hand in the air before she placed it on Meredith's barely there bump.

"Oh, sure," Meredith agreed. She looked over to Derek, who grinned proudly at her. These days, she was used to people touching her belly. Izzie did it nearly every morning at work. And she knew that the bigger she got, the more hands would be magnetized to her belly.

Tears gathered in Derek's mother's eyes and she smiled. "Can you feel the baby move sometimes?"

"A little, yeah," Meredith nodded. "It's the most incredible thing I've ever felt."

"I remember Derek kicked me a lot. So watch out for those legs," Linda laughed, wiping a tear from her cheek.

Derek trailed his fingers up and down Meredith's back, noticing how she leaned into him, her body tired from traveling. Just as he was about to suggest they go relax upstairs for a few minutes, a flock of family members came in from outside.

"Derek! Meredith!" Kathleen said happily, balancing four year old Morgan on her hip. "It's so good to see you guys."

"Hi, Kath," Derek said, kissing his sister's cheek. "Hey, Morgan. You got so big! How old are you now? Thirteen? Fourteen?"

Morgan laughed and her blonde pigtails swayed as she shook her head. "Uncle Derek, I'm four."

"No boyfriends yet, right?" he asked with a serious face.

"No," the little girl shrieked with laughter. "Boys are gross."

Derek grinned at his niece. "Yes, we are. We're covered in cooties. Don't ever forget that, 'kay?"

"Okay," Morgan agreed.

"You look beautiful, Meredith. Congratulations, you guys," Kathleen said with a genuine smile. "You brought ultrasound pictures, right? We're all dying to see them."

"Yep, we did," Meredith replied. "We have about a million."

"Aunt Meredith, when you have the baby, can I hold it?" Morgan asked with hopeful eyes.

Meredith giggled. "Sure, sweetie."

The rest of the family said their hellos and gave hugs, one by one. Nancy, Liz, Amy, husbands, nieces and nephews. By the time they made it through the group, nearly an hour had passed and Meredith's feet were shifting back and forth with the need to sit down, not to mention the fact that she really needed to pee.

Derek managed to find a break in the midst of the conversations going on all around them and excused himself and Meredith for a few minutes while they settled in upstairs. He grabbed their shared suitcase and Meredith's tote bag, and followed her up the steps into Derek's childhood bedroom where they'd be spending the next two nights.

As soon as they entered, Meredith kicked her shoes off and made a beeline for the bathroom. Derek chuckled; she was an incredibly tolerant pregnant woman, given their baby was calling all the shots twenty-four seven.

When she emerged, her jeans were still unbuttoned and she pulled them down her legs. "I think I need to buy new pants. Do most women have bellies like this at thirteen weeks?"

"You're cursed with a petite frame," Derek chuckled. "I love that you're showing so early, and we get to see what we made."

Meredith smiled at her husband. "Yeah, me too," she said. "But I need to wear pants to Thanksgiving dinner..."

"Here, what about these?" Derek suggested, pulling a pair of her comfy gray track pants from their suitcase, ones that she typically wore to bed. "No one ever gets dressed up for Thanksgiving here. Exhibit A, Amy's NYU hoodie."

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked.

"Mer, you're pregnant. You have more of an excuse than anyone," Derek pointed out, chuckling.

Meredith bit her lip and accepted the pants from him. "Fine," she agreed, hopping into them. "But if Nancy makes a comment, I'm blaming you."

"Don't worry about Nancy. She doesn't care what you wear. She likes you," he countered.

She laid back on the bed and yawned. Waking up and getting on a plane before sunrise had worn her out. If it weren't Thanksgiving, Meredith knew she'd be asleep by now. "Okay," she said incredulously, reaching for the picture of a five year old Derek and his dad from the nightstand.

Derek reclined onto the bed next to her and smiled sadly. He knew his father would have loved Meredith, and would have been thrilled about their baby on the way. It was all very bittersweet.

"If we have a boy, I hope he looks just like you," Meredith said softly, smiling when Derek lifted up her shirt a little and placed his warm hand on her abdomen.

"And you," Derek chuckled.

He kissed her cheek and she inched closer to him. "I'm glad we decided to come. It's...I like seeing you with your family...how happy you are."

"I would have been happy no matter where we were. As long as I'm with you and Blueberry, life is good," Derek grinned.

Meredith's smile brightened a little and she turned her head toward Derek's. "Week thirteen now." She reached over the side of the bed, grabbing the pregnancy week by week book from the bag and flipping to the next section. "Do we have time to read?"

"We snuck up here sight unseen. I doubt they even know we're gone," he joked, wrapping his arm around her as they sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"Okay," Meredith laughed. "Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, marking her unique from the rest of the world. Her organs and veins are visible through her still thickening skin. And the size of her body is starting to catch up with her head. Additionally, nearly all her teeth have formed in her gums, and her vocal cords continue to develop. If your baby is a girl, she now has more than two million eggs in her ovaries. At thirteen weeks gestation, your baby is the size of a peach, is approximately three inches long, and weighs almost an ounce," she read aloud.

She set the book on her lap and stared down at her belly. "I think I have a whole fruit basket growing in there sometimes," Meredith giggled. "I'm already a blimp and the baby is the size of a peach..."

"You're not a blimp," he reassured her.

"Well, I will be," she upheld. "It's weird...you learn all of this in med school, but when it's your own baby, you're proud of things like fingerprints and teeth and ovaries and all of these amazing things the baby is doing," Meredith sighed contentedly, resting her head on Derek's shoulder.

"It's incredible," Derek whispered. He pulled their wooden frames from Meredith's tote bag, the pictures they kept on their nightstands at home, and handed her one of them. "I'm so in love with our peach-sized baby," he chuckled.

Meredith smiled as she admired the 3-d picture in the frame. "Me too."

Derek could see her eyelids becoming heavy, her body exhausted from the long trip, so he smiled at her. "Dinner isn't until five. Why don't you sleep for a while? It's only two; I'll wake you up," he offered.

"You sure?" she asked.

He took a flannel blanket from the bottom of the bed and draped it over her. "Positive," he said. "And here, I know how much this amuses you..." Derek pulled his old Spiderman-pillowcased pillow from beneath the made bed and handed it to Meredith, who giggled when she saw it.

"I do love this," she said with a sleepy smile, hugging onto it and breathing in the boyish scent that remained in the threads. "Thank you."

"Do you want me to stay with you? 'Cause I will," he offered.

Meredith shook her head and reached for the picture frame, resting it on top of the pillow. "No, I'm fine. Go chat and bond and be Uncle Derek," she giggled.

"Okay." Derek leaned down and kissed her lips a few times, then kissed her forehead for good measure. "If you need me, I'm right downstairs."

"'Kay," Meredith yawned. "Love you."

"I love you, too," he said softly.

Derek gently clicked the bedroom door shut and walked down the steps, the hustle and bustle infiltrating his ears as soon as he reached the landing. He smiled; despite the noise, it was good to be home with his family for a few days.

He dropped down on the couch next to his sister, Amy, who was holding one year old Kyle on her lap.

"Where's Mer?" she asked. "She okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Just taking a nap. The baby wears her out," Derek chuckled, running his hand through the dark curls on Kyle's head, ones that were inherent to the Shepherd DNA.

"I can imagine," Linda said sympathetically. "Is work okay? You both look so tired, dear..."

Derek nodded. "She's trying to cut back a little at the hospital. Easier said than done, but it's tough. She's a fourth year resident; time off isn't easy to come by," he sighed. "I'm trying to work more so I can build up vacation time for when she has the baby. We still have six months to go, but I want to make sure I'm able to take off, too."

"You get paternity leave, right?" Amy asked.

"Yeah. Because we both work at the hospital, Mer and I are both entitled to time off. Normally, extended maternity leave is five weeks, but Richard was able to pull some strings and get us two months, which is...a lot, so we're really lucky. There's a new neuro guy transferring to Mercy West from Hopkins, so he's going to fill in for me until the spot is ready for him over there, so it works out for everyone."

"Oh, that's good!" Linda smiled. "Those first few months are precious. Exhausting, but something you definitely don't want to miss a second of."

"Yeah, that's why we wanted the time off. We still get paid, thankfully. With a newborn, we definitely need money coming in," he chuckled. "But honestly, they could fire me, and I still wouldn't want to miss out on that time. The baby comes first. And Richard...he owes Meredith that much," Derek said.

Linda took a sip of her coffee and nodded. "Well, that's good. You both should take off as much time as you can."

"Are you excited about becoming a daddy?" Amy asked with a smile.

Kyle reached out his arms to Derek, who scooped him up and put him on his own lap. "Of course," he grinned, kissing his nephew's cheek. "I'm excited to see Mer and the baby together. She's gonna be such a good mom." Derek felt the tears well up in his eyes, and he tried to blink them away before his sister or mother noticed.

"Oh, sweetheart," Linda said softly. "I'm so happy for you two."

Derek smiled a little. "You know, I gave up on kids years ago. Addie...she never really wanted them. So I sort of resigned myself to the idea that I'd never be a father. But then...Mer, she just, she changed all of that. For the first time in...a long time, I had hope. She gave me hope," he said, glancing down to the wedding band on his finger. "And now she's pregnant, and I just..." A few tears sprung to his eyes and he let them fall down his face, no longer concerned about who saw. "I love her so much. And our baby."

His mother wiped his tears away with her thumbs and kissed his temple. "We love them, too."

Linda cleared her throat and paused before speaking again. "Does...Meredith's father know?" she asked gently. "It's just...I know they don't have the easiest..."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, we told him last week. He was thrilled." He glanced down at the floor somberly. "I know he's always felt guilty about not being there for her when she was growing up. So this is his chance to make things right again. We're not gonna keep the baby from him. If he wants to be involved, do the grandpa thing, then we want it, too. Plus, Mer's half sister and her husband have a daughter. She's almost three. So having a cousin close by will be nice," he explained.

"Good," Linda said encouragingly. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure it's not easy for Meredith, but you all seem to be making the effort, which is wonderful."

"Mer's been great about it. I left it up to her--you know, as far as letting her father be part of everything, and she really wants him to be. For the baby's sake, I think it's a good thing," Derek said, slipping Kyle's sock back on after it came off.

Amy nodded in concurrence. "It is. It's good for kids to have family. You guys are doing the right thing." She patted Derek's knee and smiled. "I can't believe my big brother is finally having a baby of his own. Took you long enough."

Derek laughed. It was true, but still, he wouldn't change anything. He and Meredith waited until the right time, and they couldn't be happier. "Saved the best for last," he teased. All fifteen of his nieces and nephews were perfect in Derek's eyes, but he knew already that his and Meredith's baby--and the ones to come later down the line--would take the cake.

...

They were all gathered around the large Shepherd family dining room table. Meredith held Derek's hand on her lap as they said grace, and afterward, he pressed a comforting kiss to her cheek. She looked noticeably more rested since getting in a nap, and for that, they were both grateful, seeing as they were probably going to be put on the hotseat during dinner because of the excitement over the baby, and because Mark wasn't here, they would more than likely be answering all of their Bridget questions.

Sure enough, before anyone could even say 'pass the stuffing,' Kathleen jumped right in. "So...this Bridget? What's she like?"

Derek rolled his eyes amusedly at his older sister. "Jeez, Kath. My plate is still empty and you're already grilling us," he joked. "She's great. Good head on her shoulders, really sweet. I think they're perfect for each other."

"You think so?" Linda asked hopefully.

Meredith nodded, smiling at her husband as he spooned some mashed potatoes onto each of their plates. "I do. He's different around her. And the way he talks about her...I've just never seen him that way before. We really love them together."

"Thank God." Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. "You never know with him, but if you two think she's the one, then I'm sold."

"Is that sarcastic Nancy, or genuine Nancy?" Derek asked. Because really, even to this day, he could never be sure which was which.

Nancy scoffed. "Shut up. Of course I'm being serious. You care about him just as much as we do. So if you feel good about it, then so do we."

"Okay, then," Derek smirked. "Just checking."

"They're flying out for Christmas, so we'll finally get to meet her," Liz said as she filled up her daughter's juice cup.

"You'll love her," Derek assured the rest of his family. He knew Mark would defend him if the situation was reversed, so as annoying as the questioning was, he had no choice but to be Mark's representative. Still though, he was relieved when Amy moved the conversation elsewhere.

"So do you think you're gonna find out the sex?" Amy asked them with a smile.

"I don't know. That's still...open for discussion," Derek chuckled. "We want to have everything ready...you know, the nursery and clothes and pinks or blues and all that stuff, but it would be fun to be surprised, too."

"Any preference?" John, Nancy's husband, asked.

Meredith shook her head honestly. "No, boy or girl, we're happy." She laughed. "When I'm in labor, that'll probably be the last thing on my mind."

"Derek was a big baby," Linda added. "Eight pounds, twelve ounces. But he slimmed out as soon as he was born. He had these tiny little chicken legs--"

Derek groaned in embarrassment. "Mom, please..."

"Oh, we're your family. It doesn't matter," Linda pointed out.

Meredith giggled, patting Derek's thigh. "I love those pictures. I told Derek that if we have a boy, I hope he looks just like him. He was adorable."

"Uncle Derek, what're you gonna name the baby?" Sammy asked from her place next to her Aunt Meredith, whom the little girl adored.

"We don't know yet, hun," Derek smiled at his niece. "What would you name the baby?"

"Uh..." Sammy thought long and hard for a minute before she spoke. "Cinderella."

"We'll definitely add that to the list," Meredith assured her, not that they had even begun to think about names yet.

"Cinderella Shepherd. That's very pretty," Derek grinned, winking at Meredith.

"No Derek Jr. if it's a boy?" Liz asked.

Derek shook his head. "Life is hectic enough. That'll just cause mass confusion," he chuckled. "He can have his own name."

"Any names picked out yet?" Tom asked as he fed Kyle.

"So far, Cinderella is our front-runner," Meredith giggled, taking a bite of turkey. She felt the barely noticeable popcorn popping inside her, always the tell-tale sign of the baby wiggling around, and her hand went to her belly.

"Moving around in there?" Derek asked. It didn't matter how many times a day it happened; everything their baby did made them proud.

Meredith smiled down at her tiny bump under her shirt. "Yep."

"Can I feel?" Sammy asked excitedly.

"Sure, sweetie." Meredith took her niece's hand and placed it a little beneath her belly button. "Right here," she said, gently pressing Sammy's fingertips into her skin. "Feel that?"

Sammy gasped and her eyes grew wide in surprise. "I feel it! I feel it!"

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Derek asked, a wide grin on his face.

"Yeah," Sammy whispered in awe. "Does Cinderella do that a lot?"

"Every day," Meredith giggled. "Cinderella is very busy."

Derek wrapped his arm around Meredith's shoulders and kissed her temple. "Cinderella likes to make herself known every once in a while," he said jokingly.

"You brought the ultrasound pictures with you, right?" Linda asked.

"Upstairs," Derek replied. "Those took up nearly half the suitcase," he teased.

"Already proud parents," Kathleen said, smiling at her little brother and his wife from across the table.

Meredith leaned into Derek and sighed contentedly. "We are."

...

"Oh, these are adorable," Linda beamed, as another ultrasound photo was passed to her from the rest of her family sitting around the living room, taking turns looking at all of them.

Derek sipped his coffee, the grin never leaving his face. "Cute, right?"

"Very," Nancy agreed, handing off the current picture to John and receiving one from Liz. "Oh wow, you can see the baby's butt in this one," she laughed.

"Yes, Mark was quick to point that out to us," Meredith giggled, strumming her belly with her fingers as she sat next to Derek on the couch.

"Very cute butt," Derek said boastfully, taking a bite of the cherry pie resting on his lap.

"So if you wanted to find out the sex, when could you?" Rob, Kathleen's husband, asked them.

Meredith let Derek answer as she chewed on her slice of apple pie. "Two weeks from now. Our doctor said it might be a little early, but we might get to sneak a peek if we want to."

"You should find out," Amy blurted.

"Yeah? And why is that?" Derek chuckled.

"So we can send you things...like pink dresses or tiny baseball jerseys. Making us wait until May would just be cruel," she tried to point out convincingly, though Derek knew how excited his sisters would be to go shopping for their brother's baby.

"We're torn," Meredith sighed amusedly. "We'll probably just end up flipping a coin the day of the appointment."

"Your dad and I found out with all of you," Linda told them nostalgically. "Imagine our surprise when we saw a penis on the screen after two consecutive daughters..."

All five of the Shepherd children groaned, and Derek's mortification was written all over his face. "Mom, why?" he said pitifully, pinching the bridge of his nose in horror.

Meredith rubbed Derek's back consolingly, trying to keep from laughing. "Oh, relax," she couldn't help but giggle. "You're a doctor in a room full of doctors."

Derek ran his hand through his hair and heaved a heavy sigh. "And you wonder why I don't visit more often..." he joked.

Family. They drove him nuts, but still, he loved them.

...

"I'm exhausted," Meredith said as she and Derek walked out of the attached bathroom leading into Derek's bedroom. "We definitely would have had shower sex if we didn't fly across the country today."

"That's okay. Showering with you, sex or no sex, is still fun," he smiled. "Besides, when your mother mentions your penis in front of an entire living room full of people? Kinda kills the mood..." Derek hoisted the suitcase full of their clothes up onto the bed so they could rummage through for something to wear. It had been a long day, and finally getting the chance to crawl under the covers was all they could think about.

"Aww." Meredith pulled her panties, socks, a pair of pajama bottoms and a tee shirt of Derek's that she'd packed for herself from the suitcase then dropped her towel, letting it pool at her feet. Derek looked over and smirked at her. She wasn't trying to be sexy, but still, he loved when she did that.

"Don't even think about McDreamy-ing me into sex," she warned teasingly, pulling her panties up her legs, followed by her pants.

Derek laughed as he slipped on some boxers. "What? I didn't do anything."

"Mmhmm..." Meredith said disbelievingly. She unzipped the side compartment and took out her tub of cocoa butter. "I'm too tired to rub this on myself," she giggled.

"I'll do it," Derek offered, pulling his tee shirt over his head.

She smiled cheekily at her husband. "Probably not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because that would lead to sex. And I'm way too tired for sex," Meredith said, scooping some of the lotion into her palms, then massaging it into her breasts and belly to prevent stretch marks. Not the most glamorous nighttime routine, but a necessary one.

"Me too," Derek admitted. "For the record, though, you look beautiful right now."

Meredith looked to him incredulously. "I'm rubbing cream on myself. Not the sexiest visual," she laughed.

"Still sexy," he corrected, peeling back the covers on the bed.

"I have a belly full of Thanksgiving food. And a belly full of baby," she yawned. She capped the lid on the cocoa butter, put on Derek's shirt, and crawled into bed next to him.

Derek hugged her close under the covers. After a long day, there really was nothing better than alone time with Meredith. "I love you," he whispered into her hair.

She tilted her chin towards Derek, kissing him a few times in succession before pulling back and smiling at him. "I love you, too."

"I'm glad we came," Derek said. "It's nice to see everyone. And Blueberry Cinderella is clearly the new family favorite," he chuckled, running his fingers through her damp hair from showering.

"Well, obviously," Meredith laughed. "Because our baby is awesome."

"Very."

Their hands went to her belly, and stayed there while they slept. Thanksgiving was a time to count blessings, and not a day went by where they weren't grateful for the little miracle growing inside her.