77. Hearing the Heartbeat

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but I do not.

Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them! School ends this coming week, so I should definitely be able to write and post a lot more. As always, I appreciate your patience. Anyway, enjoy.

Meredith slowly opened her eyes, letting them get adjusted to the little slants of light pouring in through the closed curtains of their bedroom. It was Saturday, that much cherished day off, and it was early. Usually, she'd just roll over and fall back to sleep, but the only thing Meredith could concentrate on was waking up her husband for some sex. Morning, noon, or night, come fire or flood, she craved it. And Derek was always happy to grant her wish.

Meredith bit her lip and scooted toward Derek's side of the bed, hoping that he'd be willing right now, too, given it was a lazy Saturday, one that normally was spent sleeping in until noon. She brought her lips to his neck, and kissed right above the collar of his tee shirt, then slowly began working her way up his jaw, stopping to suck on his skin and take teasing, gentle bites with her teeth. Derek let out a sleepy groan of pleasure as he came to, and his blue eyes peeked out from behind closed lids.

"Morning," he whispered, smiling. "Why are you awake? It's only..." he looked over at the clock on the nightstand, next to the sonogram of their baby in the wooden picture frame. "...eight o' clock."

"I'm horny," Meredith shrugged. "And I can't go back to sleep unless I get it."

Derek smirked tiredly at his pregnant wife. She was glowy and beautiful and getting rounder every day. Pregnancy agreed with her, and neither of them could remember a time when they were happier than this. "Okay, then." He dipped his head down and trailed his tongue down the line of her throat, taking in the way her body reacted to him. Within seconds, Meredith was covered with chills, and her back was arching off the bed in pure need.

She smiled when he pulled her shirt over her head, leaning her head back on the pillows and letting him work his magic on her body. "Derek," she sighed in contentment when he ran his hands over her slightly fuller breasts, taking in their weight and softness. When he pulled a nipple into his mouth, she moaned. "Oh God..."

"Hmm..." Derek laughed against her skin. He quickly pulled his shirt over his head, followed by his pants and boxers, then leaned back over her. "Love you."

"I love you," Meredith said softly, closing her eyes in bliss when he hooked his fingers through her pants and panties and pulled them down her legs.

"Do you...on top?" he asked as he kissed her barely-there, swollen belly tenderly and ran his hands over her flesh. If it was possible to do nothing for the next six months but stare at her growing belly, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Her body, with their tiny little miracle inside, fascinated him.

Meredith traced her fingers down her chest and shook her head. "No, I'm good."

"Okay." Derek slipped his fingers between her legs, smiling when he felt how ready she was. All of the hormones were amping up her sex drive to an unimaginable level, even for Meredith.

She smiled up at her husband as he gently pushed into her. These moments of intimacy, the ones only shared by the two of them, were enough to bring Meredith to tears. Derek. Baby. Love. The thoughts swirled around in her mind and left her feeling nothing but bliss. Inch by inch, Derek scanned her eyes, gauging for signs, waiting for his cue to move.

"Derek," Meredith breathed, anchoring her hands in the curls of his hair, smoothing it between her fingers.

He ducked his head down to the dip between her neck and shoulder and inhaled deeply. "Hmm," Derek hummed in agreement, reading her mind without words.

"Yeah," was all she said. Her eyes slowly slipped shut and Meredith felt him breathing against her skin. She let herself succumb to the bliss, and arched her back with each thrust. Derek moving inside her, his skin against hers, the two of them wrapped together in a cocoon under the blanket.

Derek kept the pace slow, drawing out their pleasure as long as he could. Meredith's legs wrapped around his waist and she pressed the heels of her feet into his ass in an attempt to get him to move faster, but he wouldn't give in.

"Derek, please," she all but begged. She could feel herself teetering on the brink, and wished more than anything that he would just freaking let her get there.

"Please what?"

Meredith laughed despite her frustrations. "Do it faster. You're killing me."

"Someone's impatient," Derek chuckled, only increasing his pace by the tiniest bit.

"I blame you. You're the one who got me pregnant and turned me into a sex machine," she pointed out. He sped up for a few moments and Meredith whined in pleasure. "Keep doing that!" she said.

"You're no fun," Derek teased, but still relenting and doing it her way. He leaned down and kissed her, threading his fingers through her hair. When Meredith snaked her tongue into his mouth, Derek moaned. Any chance of him slowing down again was effectively out the window whenever her tongue was in his mouth.

"I...woke you...up...for sex," Meredith said between kisses. "I'm plenty...of fun." When she squeezed around him, Derek let out a tortured groan and she giggled. "See? Fun."

Derek's breath caught in his throat as she did it again. "Evil," he choked out.

"Fine, I'll be nice." Meredith released her hold on him and he resumed moving within her. All cognitive thought escaped her when he gently threw her legs over his shoulders. "Derek!"

That'll do it.

The change of his angle sent her spiraling over the edge, and her body was blissfully overcome with wave after wave of pleasure, which had her moaning and thrashing against the sheets. The feel of her, and the way her body glowed beneath him was too much, and Derek rested his forehead against Meredith's as he came, too. Their breathing mingled as they rode out the last waves and came back down to earth.

Moments passed before Derek regretfully rolled off of her onto his side. Pregnancy had made her breasts tender, and the baby between them made it hard to rest atop her. "Better now?"

Meredith swallowed hard as her breathing returned to normal, and she smiled up at the ceiling. "Yes." She felt her eyelids becoming heavy again, her sex craving now satiated, and she curled up against her husband, resting her head on his chest. "Thanks for servicing me," she said with a tired giggle.

"Servicing you?" Derek echoed, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her closer to him.

"I'm a sex fiend. I just need it," Meredith admitted. She draped her hand over her belly and smiled contentedly. "It's like scratching an itch. I swear, my sex craving is worse than my food craving."

Derek grinned. "Happy to help."

"My appointment is at two," she yawned sleepily. "We should go back to sleep..."

"Okay," Derek whispered.

"Hmm...love you," Meredith said before her eyelids slipped shut, her hand still over the bump that was their baby.

He pulled the blanket snugly overtop of them and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I love you both."

"Me, too."

Derek held Meredith's hand as they walked through the automatic front doors of the hospital. Today was their twelve week ultrasound, the day they got to hear their baby's heartbeat for the very first time, and neither could contain their excitement. Seeing their baby was the most thrilling feeling in the world.

"It's weird coming here, and not having to work," Meredith giggled, pressing the button for the elevator.

He laughed in agreement. "Kinda nice," Derek said.

The elevator doors opened and Mark smiled widely when he saw them. "Hey, you two," he greeted as they stepped on.

"Hey," Derek smiled, pressing the button for the third floor.

"Going to check out the McNugget?" Mark asked.

Meredith rolled her eyes amusedly. "Yeah, we are. Twelve week appointment today. McNugget is definitely bigger than an actual McNugget by now."

"I wanna see pictures," Mark said as the doors to the third floor opened.

Derek gave his friend a thumbs up and grinned proudly. "Will do."

They entered Dr. Halloran's office, and after filling out the usual paperwork, they were taken back to a patient room, where the nurse proceeded to check Meredith's weight and blood pressure. As soon as she stepped onto the scale, she held her breath in anticipation. The number was going up, which she knew was a good thing, but still. It bugged.

"Good. You've gained two pounds since your last visit," the nurse said encouragingly, writing it down in Meredith's chart.

Meredith winced over at Derek, who simply smiled at her sympathetically. But then she just shrugged, as if to throw caution to the wind and let her body do what it had to do. For their baby, she'd gain as much weight as need be. "Okay," she said.

She hopped up onto the table so the nurse could take her blood pressure, and Derek walked over and stood beside her. Meredith smiled at him; most men probably didn't enjoy being dragged along to these visits, but there was no way he'd ever miss one. He was always by her side, every step of the way.

"120 over 80--perfect blood pressure," the nurse nodded. "Everything is looking great, Meredith. You're right on track for twelve weeks. I'm going to let Dr. Halloran know you're waiting."

"Okay; thank you," Meredith replied, trailing her fingers over her belly nervously.

After the nurse left the room, Derek turned to Meredith worriedly. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just jitters, I guess. I'm more excited than nervous, though. Don't worry," she giggled as she ran her thumb over the back of his hand.

Derek pulled his wallet from his back pocket and removed their first ultrasound photo from the picture slot inside. "Still nervous?" he asked, handing it to her.

Meredith smiled at their blobby little baby, tracing her fingers over the outline of his or her tiny face. "No, I'm not," she whispered. No matter how many times she looked at photos of their baby, she was still overcome with awe.

Dr. Halloran knocked briefly, then entered the exam room holding Meredith's chart. "Hello again," she greeted happily. "How are you doing? Twelve weeks now, right?"

"I feel good," Meredith said, holding onto Derek's hand. "No spotting. Morning sickness tapered off a little, which is a relief. And there's...definitely a bump this time," she smiled.

"Excellent. Pregnancy really seems to be agreeing with you," Dr. Halloran complimented as she washed her hands off.

Meredith giggled a little. "Good."

"So you've gained two pounds, which is normal. Now that the baby is really starting to grow, you'll probably be gaining an average of two or three pounds per month," she explained. "And now that you'll be entering the second trimester soon, I'd like to schedule more frequent visits. Every three weeks now instead of four, just to keep on track."

"Okay," Meredith agreed. "That's fine."

"Feeling any movement yet?" Dr. Halloran asked as she turned on the ultrasound monitor.

"Sometimes. Like tiny popcorn popping " Meredith replied, smiling at Derek, whose face was covered with pride. Even wiggling around in utero was worth a medal in their eyes.

The doctor nodded encouragingly. "That's great. Once those little legs grow, expect lots of stretching and kicking," she laughed.

"Can't wait," Meredith said.

"At this stage, we should be able to see everything on an abdominal ultrasound," Dr. Halloran said. "If you'd like to lie back, we can get started."

"Okay." Meredith laid back on the exam table and lifted her shirt just below her bra, gasping as the doctor squirt the gel onto her abdomen. Derek squeezed her hand in anticipation, jitters getting the best of both of them.

Dr. Halloran moved the wand around her lower belly, focusing in on her uterus. "Here we go. I'll turn on the 4-d video so we can see a clear image," she began. "Baby's right here, definitely much bigger than last time, about the size of a lime."

Derek gazed at the screen and smiled. "Blueberry isn't really a blueberry anymore, Mer."

Meredith wiped a tear from her eye and giggled. She was never one to cry at stuff like this, but one look at their baby moving around inside her, and the waterworks turned on immediately. "Blueberry actually looks like a baby."

"Oh, look at that!" the doctor said. "Baby is moving its arms back and forth."

Two little arms waved back and forth across the monitor, clumsily up and down. Tiny lime baby, hard at work. "Oh my God," Meredith whispered, staring intently at the screen. "Is he...she...the baby rubbing her eyes?"

"Yep," Dr. Halloran nodded. "The baby is just becoming sensitive to light, so when they rub their eyelids, it's their way of getting used to the new environment and learning reflexes" she explained.

"That's incredible," Derek said softly. "Even the face is clear. God, Mer, look at that," he gasped.

"The baby has prominent facial features now. But it's still too early to tell whether he or she looks like mom or dad yet," the doctor said, smiling. "Baby's muscles are much more developed now; see how the knees are bending a little?" she pointed.

Meredith took the tissue Derek handed her and dabbed at her teary eyes. "Wow," she choked out. "There's really a little human in there."

"A perfect little human," Derek whispered, pressing a kiss above her ear.

"Umbilical cord and placenta are getting plenty of blood. The baby's bladder even started making urine this week," Dr. Halloran said with a smile. "Impressive, huh?"

Derek and Meredith both laughed in unison. "Very impressive," he agreed, wiping his own tears from his face.

"Genitalia is forming, but right now, it's mostly internal, so sneaking a peek between the legs isn't going to show us much just yet," the doctor explained. "Baby is right on track developmentally. Heartbeat is strong and healthy," she said, pointing to the flashing white flicker in the baby's chest. "Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes, please," Meredith replied eagerly. She turned and smiled at her husband, and he kissed the top of her hand.

Dr. Halloran clicked on the vicinity around the baby's chest, and a fast-paced, constant woosh woosh woosh filled the exam room. Both Meredith and Derek gasped audibly at the sound, and a flood of tears fell from both of their eyes. This moment was everything to them. The sound of their baby's heartbeat was beautiful. Proof that everything they'd ever been through was worth it, even for this one moment.

"Meredith," Derek breathed, his eyes focused on the flicker and his ears on the thudding echoing all around them.

"I know," Meredith whispered. If it weren't for the cold blue gel on her belly, she would have reached down and splayed her fingers over it, silently connecting with their baby. Instead, she just held Derek's hand tighter and kept her eyes on the monitor, watching every movement and listening to the continuous, comforting beating heart beat inside their baby's chest, inside her. The reality was so much better than anything they could have ever thought of themselves.

Dr. Halloran palpated Meredith's abdomen, softly pressing her fingertips into her skin for measurements. "I can definitely feel your uterus now. It's starting to protrude over your pubic bone. Good shape, good size. Baby, too. Everything looks great," she approved, gently wiping the gel off Meredith's abdomen.

Meredith sat up on the exam table and smoothed out her shirt. "Great, thank you," she smiled, wiping away the last of her few lingering tears.

"My pleasure," Dr. Halloran replied. "Pictures and another DVD?" she assumed.

Derek laughed. "Yes, please. If it wouldn't be too much trouble."

"Not at all," she said. "And it even has sound, so you can hear the heartbeat over and over again."

"Really?" Meredith asked hopefully.

"Absolutely. That's a huge hit with parents," she winked.

"I'd imagine so," Derek agreed, kissing the top of his wife's head.

Meredith leaned into him and smiled. "So, we'll see you again for week fifteen?" she asked the doctor.

"Yep. You might even get to find out the sex. Fifteen weeks is early, but sometimes, we get lucky and are able to determine the gender--that is, if you want to find out," Dr. Halloran explained.

"We haven't decided yet," Derek chuckled. "We might have to close our eyes if we want to be surprised."

"That works, too," the doctor laughed. "Okay, I'll be right back with your video and pictures." She scribbled her name down in the chart and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Meredith hopped off the table and Derek immediately wrapped his arms around her. "Our baby is amazing, Mer," he murmured into her hair.

She smiled against his chest. "Hmm...I know."

"I love you so much," Derek said, trailing his fingers up and down her spine. "And our little lime baby that rubs her eyes."

"Me too." Meredith tilted her chin towards his and kissed him, savoring the feeling of their lips pressed together.

He laid his hand on top of her belly, which was just starting to show through her shirt the tiniest bit, and felt her heat radiating onto his palm. "We made a person, Meredith."

Meredith giggled. "Crazy, isn't it?"

"Very," Derek agreed.

"Here you go," Dr. Halloran said upon entering the room again. "3-d images and your 4-d video."

Derek smiled graciously. "Thank you."

"Not a problem," she said. "So, I'll see you in three weeks. That puts us into the second week of December."

"Sounds good," Meredith nodded, slipping her coat on before grabbing her bag off the chair. "Just call and let us know what day works for you. I'm sure we'll be here anyway," she giggled.

Dr. Halloran laughed. "Okay, see you then."

Meredith and Derek walked down the OB floor toward the elevator, flipping through their stack of pictures when they bumped into Bailey, who was just coming out of a patient room. "Oh. Hi," Meredith greeted, smiling at her former resident.

"Just coming from your ultrasound?" she asked, shifting her chart from one arm to the other.

Derek nodded proudly. "Yep. Our child is perfect, by the way," he grinned, showing off one of their many new photos.

Bailey smiled as she looked at the ultrasound picture he handed her. "Looks like a beautiful baby to me," she concurred. "Did you get to hear the heartbeat?"

"Yeah," Meredith breathed. "I still have goosebumps from that..."

"One of the more profound moments in life," Bailey said.

"Really is." Derek kissed Meredith's temple and accepted the photo Bailey handed back to him. "Working all day?" he asked.

Bailey shook her head. "No, half day. Tucker and I are taking little Tuck to get his three year old pictures taken. You're still a little far off from that. Those are the easy pictures," she laughed, pointing to the stack of ultrasound photos in Meredith's hand. "No crying or refusing to smile or pulling shoes off. Enjoy it."

Meredith giggled. "We are, believe me."

"Alright, I'll see you both on Monday. And congratulations. You made it to three months without killing him," Bailey said, cocking her head toward Derek.

"We're both grateful for that," Derek joked.

He and Meredith finally got into an elevator and pressed the button for the first floor. "I could never kill you," Meredith smirked. "Then who would feed me and give me sex?"

"Good point," he chuckled. "Are you hungry? We can stop and get food on the way home."

"Actually, all I want to do is go home, eat pickles out of the jar, have sex a few times, and watch our baby rub his eyes and listen to his heartbeat," Meredith said as she slipped the video and the pictures into her bag to protect them from the November rainstorm going on outside.

"Now it's a boy?" Derek asked amusedly.

Meredith patted her small bump and smiled at her husband. "I don't know; I change it every five minutes."

The elevator doors opened on the second floor, and once again, Mark was there to greet them. "Do you just ride the elevator all day and cash your checks on payday?" Derek teased, stepping over so Mark could stand beside him.

"The hospital is crazy today. Be grateful you're both off," Mark countered, running a hand through his hair. "How's my in-utero protégé?"

Meredith rolled her eyes and giggled. "She's good. Growing and moving around. Making pee. And rubbing her eyes," she added proudly.

"Let's see," Mark prompted, holding out his hand and waiting for pictures.

She handed him the stack from her bag. "Notice the bent knees," Meredith pointed. "Our child is clearly a genius."

"Obviously," Mark agreed, grinning. "You two gonna find out what it is?"

"We're not sure yet," Derek answered. "What's your vote?"

"The anticipation would drive me crazy. I'd probably find out," Mark shrugged, looking at each and every picture. "Hey, look at that!"

Meredith's eyes grew curious. "What?" she asked as they stepped off the elevator.

"You can kinda see the baby's ass if you squint a little," he said, pointing to a slightly turned image of their baby.

They both peered at the picture and smiled upon seeing the aforementioned body part. "Of course you'd notice that," Derek chuckled.

"That's adorable," Meredith all but squealed, holding it up to the light for a clearer view. "Der, our baby has butt cheeks," she smiled boastfully.

Derek laughed and pressed a kiss to her temple as she examined the picture. "I'd hope so," he said. "This one is definitely going on the fridge."

"Oh, by the way, Mom called. She said she tried calling you but she couldn't get through," Mark said.

"I turned my phone off during the appointment. What's up?" Derek asked.

Mark looked at another of their many photos and shrugged. "Something about going there for Thanksgiving."

Derek's eyes went wide at how nonchalant Mark was in his mentioning. "Oh, that's all?" he said sarcastically. "Well, what did you say?"

"I told her I already made plans to eat with Bridget's family that day, but that I didn't know what you two were up to," Mark explained. "I bought you some time."

Meredith bit her lip and looked to Derek. "Thanksgiving is next week," she said. "Do we--should we go?"

"Uh..." Derek stalled. "I dunno. Up to you."

"Well, I know your mom probably wants to see us, especially now," she said, gesturing to her belly. "But I don't even know if we could."

Mark finished proudly admiring the photos of his little niece or nephew, then handed the pile back to Meredith. "Well, I have to be in surgery in twenty minutes," he said. "Even if you decide not to go to Thanksgiving, at least call Mom back so she knows I relayed the message..."

"Okay," Derek chuckled. "See you later." He turned to Meredith and sighed. "Are you up to traveling?"

"Yeah, I don't mind that. It's just a matter of getting time off," Meredith frowned. "The Chief is already going easy on me since we told him I'm pregnant. I don't want to take advantage."

"We can make it up. It's not a big deal," Derek said simply. "But if you just wanted to have a quiet Thanksgiving at home, that's fine too. Either way, I'm happy."

Meredith knew how important family was to Derek, and now his family was her family, too. And Derek's mom would be thrilled to see them, and the new addition growing inside her. "Let's go. It would make your mom happy."

"Are you sure?" Derek asked.

"We should see them before I have the baby, and I'd rather fly out there before I'm huge and ready to push it out," she giggled. "As long as we can get a flight, I'm fine with it."

Derek leaned in and kissed her, then laced his fingers through hers. "Okay."

"While I'm consuming an entire jar of pickles, you can book the flight. Then we can have sex, then watch our baby video," Meredith said as they braced themselves for the cold rain pouring down in sheets outside.

"What is it with you and pickles?"

"They're amazing," was all she said.

"Okay..." he said mockingly, putting up the umbrella when they reached the foyer.

Meredith ducked beneath it with him and kissed his cheek. "They are," she insisted.

Derek chuckled. "Okay."

I turned 21 on Wednesday. Reviews make awesome gifts. Just saying… ;)