83. Christmas Shopping

Disclaimer: I only wish I owned it. But the truth is, I don't.

It was only a few days before Christmas. The house was festive, the stockings were hung, and the tree was decorated. Nothing over the top; just something low-key and relaxed that they could appreciate. And Meredith was honing in on seventeen weeks pregnant, almost halfway there. Her belly was beautifully popped and tiny, and their daughter was growing more every day.

These were the thoughts going through Derek's mind as he woke up later than usual on a weekday, thanks to the few days off they got around the holiday season. He smiled sleepily and reached over to Meredith's side of the bed, expecting to be met with her warm body under the covers. Instead, he was met with empty sheets.

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced over at the clock. 9:57. That was late for him, so it was unusual that his wife would be up before he was, especially given her pregnancy. Housing their daughter meant she needed extra sleep, and she took advantage of it as often as she could.

Derek rolled out of bed and walked toward the stairs. He smiled when he heard Meredith downstairs in the kitchen, happily doing whatever it was she was doing. She was fascinating, really. The hardcore nesting phase hadn't kicked in yet, but there were traces of it every now and again. Flipping through magazines to find nursery ideas, coming home from work with a new shower curtain and matching toilet seat, even arranging their DVDs alphabetically. She was adorable.

"Hey," Derek said upon entering their kitchen.

Meredith spun around to face her husband and smiled. "Hey. Hungry? I'm cooking."

"You're cooking?" Derek reiterated. "Since when do you cook?" he asked amusedly, sitting down on one of the stools at the counter.

"I woke up and I really wanted cereal, which is weird because I never crave cereal. So I came downstairs, noticed the pancake mix sitting next to the Lucky Charms on the shelf, and decided to make those instead. I'm putting chocolate chips and bananas in them. Want some?" Meredith asked, reaching for a bowl.

Derek eyed his wife curiously. "Sure, sounds good."

"So do you still want to go shopping today?" Meredith asked as she poured the powder mix into the bowl.

"Yeah," Derek nodded, hopping off the stool to get the eggs from the fridge for her. "Christmas is four days away. We should probably get some shopping done soon," he chuckled.

"I want to get her a stocking," Meredith said, patting her belly gently. "I mean, technically, we could wait until next year, but I want her to have one. She's our daughter, even though she'll still be living inside me for the next few months."

"Our daughter definitely needs a stocking," Derek agreed, his stubble tickling Meredith's cheek when he kissed her.

"We can get her name embroidered on it later. You know, once we pick one," Meredith giggled.

Derek grabbed a banana from the bunch sitting on the counter so he could chop it up for the pancakes. "We have five months. We'll think of something."

"Last night, I was thinking about the name Chelsea. But then I remembered I had a roommate in college named Chelsea, and she was kind of a slut," Meredith sighed. "So…not Chelsea."

"No, not Chelsea," Derek echoed, laughing. "Where's the book?"

Meredith narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Uh…oh, on the side table in the living room."

"Okay."

Derek left the kitchen and entered again seconds later, their baby name book and a highlighter from the drawer in hand. "I guess we can save our boy name list for the next one," he said, flashing her a grin.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Baby number one has to exit before we can even start thinking about baby number two," she said, dumping a small handful of chocolate chips into the batter.

"Okay, so far we have…Abigail and Emmeline highlighted. I think that's it," he said.

"Pick a letter," Meredith suggested. "We can start there."

Derek opened to a random page in the book and smiled. "L."

"L could work with Shepherd," she nodded. "Anything good?"

"Hmm…Lacey?"

Meredith shook her head. "Nah."

"Okay, what about…Leah?" Derek said, looking up at her, watching as she attempted to pour small pancake circles of batter into the frying pan.

"I really like Leah," Meredith agreed. "That's definitely a contender."

Derek glided the orange highlighter across the name and smiled. "We'll keep that in mind," he said. "Lucy?"

Meredith looked up from the stove and bit her lip contemplatively. "I love that, too."

"L is a good letter," Derek laughed, highlighting Lucy too. "What about Lyla?"

"Lyla," Meredith said slowly, letting it roll over her tongue. "Lyla Shepherd. Leah Shepherd. Lucy Shepherd. I love all of those."

"Shame we're not having triplets," Derek joked, popping one of the banana slivers into his mouth.

"You'd really want triplet daughters?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at her husband. "That'd be a whole lot of estrogen…"

"True, but…it would be fun. Can't deny that," he pointed out humorously. "Although, I'd never win an argument ever again."

Meredith smirked, a hand gracing her belly. "Don't worry. Even with just the two of us, you won't."

"I know," Derek concurred as he set two plates on the table for them. He smiled happily. "And I'm fine with that."

...

"Derek!" Meredith called out from their bedroom just as he was stepping out of the shower.

He slid open the glass door and grabbed his towel off the rack. "Everything okay?"

"I need help. My damn jeans won't button—or zip!" she replied in a huff.

Derek bit back a laugh. For a few weeks now, he'd been watching as her clothes got more and more snug. Her shirts still fit over the belly, but pants—especially tighter ones—weren't fitting so well anymore. And Meredith was determined to stay out of the maternity stores as long as she possibly could.

"Okay, give me a second," he called back. He quickly dried off, wrapped the towel around his waist, and exited their bathroom. Derek resisted the smirk that came over his face when he saw Meredith, lying on the bed, arms outstretched in defeat.

Again…adorable.

"Meredith," Derek sighed in amusement, leaning over the bed and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I can do it. I just need your help," she said.

Derek pulled on a pair of boxers from his drawer, flung his towel into the hamper, and walked over to her, who was still staring up at the ceiling. "Mer," he chuckled. "I think—"

"Don't even say it," Meredith warned, pointing her finger at him. "They'll fit."

"Fine," Derek conceded. He reached for her hands and helped her into a sitting position. "Okay, let's see…" Derek found the zipper of her jeans with one hand, and with the other, he pulled the material together so the zipper would go up easier. Or try to, anyway. He could tell just by looking that all the manpower in the world wouldn't get her jeans zipped and buttoned.

Meredith sucked in a breath and held her shirt away from her belly so the material wouldn't snag. "Pull, Derek."

"Trying," Derek said, his thumb throbbing from the zipper digging into his skin. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he heaved a sigh, and braced himself for what he was going to say next. "Mer, they won't zip. I tried."

"But Der, I need to wear pants," Meredith protested, a last ditch effort to get him to try again, though she knew it was a lost cause.

"You have other pants," Derek pointed out encouragingly, walking over to her closet. "What about these gray ones? They'll show off your curves."

"My curves?" she echoed playfully. "You mean my bump and my fat ass?"

Derek tried again. "Meredith, you're pregnant. Your body is changing. Honestly, I wouldn't even know you were pregnant unless I saw your belly. You're still as petite as you always were."

She stared at him, an incredulous look written on her face. "Are you just saying that because you have to?"

"No," he replied.

"I'm only going to get bigger, you know," Meredith warned him, arms crossed over her belly.

Derek smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. "I know…and you'll be beautiful then, too. And when you're…in labor. And when…both of us are up…in the middle of the night…with a crying baby. You always will be," he said between kisses.

Meredith wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him close to her. "I love you," she whispered into his neck.

"I love you, too," he said softly, kissing the top of her head.

When they eventually pulled back, Meredith reluctantly took her black track pants from hanger in her closet and dropped them onto the bed. "No more jeans for a while," she sighed, shimmying them off her legs.

"They sell maternity jeans, Mer," Derek offered helpfully. "We're going shopping today. You could buy some new things—maybe just some pants."

"Hmm…" Meredith groaned reluctantly, hopping into her pants. "Fine. I guess I don't have a choice."

"They sell sexy maternity clothes," Derek said, regretfully taking a pair of his own jeans from his closet. Somehow he felt guilty that his jeans still fit, but hers didn't.

Meredith eyed him up in the mirror as she brushed her hair. "Liar," she smirked.

"They really do," Derek insisted, laughing. "You'll see."

"I might need a Cinnabon from the food court after this ordeal…" she told him.

"What is it with you and Cinnabon?" Derek asked, humored.

Ever since getting pregnant, Meredith insisted on having Cinnabon at least twice a week. Apparently, pastries drizzled in glaze were as necessary as breathing.

Meredith giggled, running some chapstick over her lips. "Because it's the greatest food chain ever invented. Well, next to Taco Bell. I can't choose. Speaking of which, I'll probably be requiring Taco Bell today, too."

Derek pulled a long sleeved shirt over his head and smiled. His wife was the most adorable pregnant woman he'd ever known. "Okay."

...

They'd been in the maternity store for twenty minutes, and Meredith was hesitant to pull anything off the rack. The clothes were actually stylish and sexy, but still, she wanted nothing to do with it.

"Mer, come on," Derek chuckled. "There has to be something in here you like."

Meredith looked at him in disbelief. "Okay, name one thing in this store you think I'd consider wearing," she challenged him.

"Alright, uh…here. How about these?" he asked, holding up a pair of khaki shorts.

"It's December, Derek. By the time I can wear khaki shorts, it'll be late April when I'm eight months pregnant," she reminded him.

"Yeah, you're right," he sighed, moving on to the next rack. "Okay, here we go. Skinny jeans. And they don't even have an elastic band. They're just stretchy. They grow with you," Derek said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, hoping his attempt would pay off. Because really, if she said no to these, he had no Plan B.

Meredith considered for a moment then shrugged in agreement. "These could work."

"Really?" Derek asked, holding back his joy.

"Yeah." She searched for her size, pulled a pair from the rack, and smiled. "Let's go."

"You want me to go back to the dressing room with you?"

She took his hand and they walked toward the back of the store to the dressing room section. "Well, you wouldn't be my first choice, but since Cristina and Izzie aren't here, you need to be a girl for me."

"Okay," Derek laughed, dropping down onto the bench outside one of the changing rooms. "Nice to know where I stand on the totem pole."

"Just for clothes shopping. Everything else, you're at the top. Don't worry." Meredith smiled and kissed his cheek, then went into the dressing room.

While Derek waited, he silently wished that these jeans were a winner. Meredith was only three and a half months pregnant, and he knew there would be more trips to this store before the baby was born. That's why today had to go well.

She emerged a minute or so later, an unsure smile on her face. "So…"

"Mer, these look great on you," Derek replied with honest enthusiasm.

"Yeah?" Meredith asked. "Are you just saying that?"

"No. Mer, you look hot," he chuckled. "Seriously, you do."

"You can't tell they're maternity jeans?"

Derek looked his wife up and down, unable to keep his eyes off of her. "No, I can't. They look just like your other jeans," he said. "Are they comfy?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want them?" he asked, waiting with baited breath for her answer.

Meredith studied herself in the mirror, chewing on her lower lip as she tugged at the waistband. "Yes."

"Alright then. Success," Derek grinned. "Wanna keep looking? Maybe you'll find other things you like, too."

"Yeah, we can," she replied nonchalantly, though Derek knew she was excited that she'd found something she liked. "I think I saw some cargo pants I want to try on…"

Victory.

Maybe getting her to come back to the maternity store wouldn't be so hard.

By the time they'd walked out of the maternity store, Meredith had purchased two pairs of jeans, a pair of cargo pants, and a stretchy pair of lounge pants. She looked great in all of it, and Derek could tell she felt good wearing them.

At the Victoria's Secret next door, there was more retail therapy. More lounge pants, two zip-up jackets, some shirts and tank tops, and new panties and bras. Meredith rarely let herself splurge, so this was way overdue. And now, Derek could wrap it all up and give it to her for Christmas. Win win.

Of course, Derek got new things, too. New clothes, and other little odds and ends he wanted. That's why Meredith insisted that he help her pick out his gifts—he was unquestionably the hardest person on the planet to shop for.

And now, they were headed for the Christmas store to pick out a stocking for their daughter, the highlight of the shopping trip. This time last year, any baby talk was hypothetical, just a "when we do." But now, they had a daughter on the way. And next Christmas, she'd be here.

They walked into the store, decorated in reds and greens and smelling of cinnamon and pinecones. Meredith spotted the stockings lining the wall. "Over there," she said.

Once they reached the display, Derek looked over at her. "Red?"

"Hmm…" Meredith ran her fingers over a red stocking when a rack of pink ones caught her eye. "Oh, they have pink ones, Der," she said excitedly. "Look, there's a little snowman on it, too."

Derek pulled it from the shelf and grinned. "This is adorable."

"There's room at the top, too. So we can get her name embroidered on it," she pointed out. "We should get this one."

"Definitely," Derek said in agreement. "I love it."

"Our first baby item," Meredith smiled, tracing over the snowman on their daughter's stocking with her finger.

Derek laughed. "First of millions, I'm sure."

"Of course," she giggled, one hand holding the stocking and the other on her small bump. "I want her to have everything…all the stuff I never had."

"She will," Derek whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple as Meredith leaned into him.

They came across an aisle full of ornaments and stopped to browse. When Derek saw one that doubled as a picture frame, he pulled it from the tree it was hanging on. "We can put one of her ultrasound pictures in it," Derek said proudly, already the doting dad.

A smile came over Meredith's face that reached her eyes and she bit her lip. "We have to get it."

"And next year, we can get a 'Baby's First Christmas' ball," Derek said with a grin. "It can be our thing."

"Our thing?" she echoed.

"Yeah. Ornaments for the Christmas tree. Stuff she makes at school, and ornaments we buy in Disney World or whatever," he shrugged as they continued down the aisle.

Meredith smiled at her husband. Futures filled with school art projects and family vacations. Things she never thought she'd have—or even want—and now, it was real. "Yeah," she said softly. "I'd like that."

"Oh look, they have gates that wrap around the Christmas tree," Derek chuckled, gesturing over to the display. "We'll need one of those one day. Not next year, but definitely the year after."

"She'll only be six months old next Christmas. But when she starts toddling around, we're baby-proofing everything," Meredith said, pulling a granola bar from her bag.

"Hungry?"

Meredith peeled back the wrapper and bit into it. "Getting hungry. This is just my warm-up."

"Okay," Derek said, resisting the need to laugh. She always packed travel food with her these days; just another thing he loved about pregnant her. "Wanna go pay for this? Then we can go get Taco Bell and Cinnabon."

"Are you mocking me?" she asked with a mouthful of chocolate chip granola.

"No." He shook his head, pulling his wallet from his back pocket as they walked toward the check-out line with their pink stocking and frame ornament.

Meredith smiled. "Okay, then."

She bit into her chocolate chunk cinnamon bun from the food court and moaned. First tacos and nachos, now this for dessert. It didn't get much better. "Oh my God, this is better than sex," she sighed contentedly. "Okay, well, not really—but damn close."

"I'm glad you changed your mind on that," he chuckled. "Otherwise, I would've been very offended."

"Really though, we need to get a recipe for these. This is amazing," Meredith said. "Seriously, have a bite."

Derek took a small bite of the cinnamon bun and nodded. "It's good."

"That's an understatement," she corrected, wiping some glaze off her fingers with a napkin. "Can we stop at Toys 'R' Us? I want to get something for Laura."

"Sure," Derek replied.

They saw the store approaching on the left and walked inside then they reached the front doors. "Wow," Derek said. "There's a lot of stuff in here."

"Lexie said anything with Dora the Explorer on it will do. Apparently, that's Laura's new thing," Meredith smiled, discreetly taking another bite of her cinnamon bun, pretending to be oblivious to the No Food or Drink sign posted on the front door.

"Well, let's head for the pink section," he said, lacing his fingers through hers. "We may as well get used to it…all the pink and sparkles."

Meredith laughed as she took in all of the pink cuteness. "This is what our house will look like when there's a little girl in it."

"I'm sure it will. And I can't wait," Derek agreed, kissing her temple.

"Here's some Dora stuff. We can get her something off this wall," she said, surveying the endless toys and clothes with the little cartoon girl's image on it.

"What do three year old girls like?" he asked, picking up a plush doll and flipping over the box.

"I don't know. You're the one that grew up in a house full of girls," she pointed out.

"Yes, but you are a girl," Derek said.

Meredith smirked at him. "Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing."

"Hmm…" Derek grinned, a naughty glint in his eyes. "I notice. Remember last night? I noticed twice."

"Derek," Meredith gasped. "We're in a toy store. No porny talk."

"Just saying," he said in defense of himself. "Okay, three year old girls. Anything with pink or purple." Derek pulled a toy from the shelf and showed her. "Here, what about this?"

"That's a backpack."

"Yes, it's Backpack," Derek nodded.

Meredith eyed him curiously. "What does that have to do with Dora the Explorer?"

"It's Backpack," he repeated. When she continued to look at him blankly, he elaborated. "You know, Dora's friend, Backpack. Then there's the Map and Boots and Swiper…"

"Wow. Very impressive," she said proudly.

"Nine nieces, remember. Well, ten, counting Laura. I know way too much about Nick Jr.," he sighed amusedly. "Don't worry; you'll know all of this stuff soon enough."

"Yay," Meredith said jokingly, though really, the thought of watching cartoons with their daughter did warm, gooey things to her insides. She was already a mom, through and through. "Okay, so…Backpack?"

"He's popular. She probably already has it," Derek said. "We can keep looking."

"Ooh, Dora's Princess Adventure Playset. It comes with blocks and those…people you mentioned," Meredith said with a smile. "Can you grab that from the shelf?"

"Yeah." Derek pulled the plastic purple box from the shelf above their heads and held it in his arms so they could examine it. "Looks good. If I was a three year old girl, I'd love it," he chuckled playfully.

"Okay, good. We can get this. I think she'll enjoy it," Meredith said. She bit her lip in admiration when she came across a rack of toddler-sized nightgowns. "Der, look…tiny clothes," she squeaked. "Look how cute they are. We need to get her one of these." Meredith pulled a pink, 3T Dora nightgown from the rack and folded it over her arm.

Derek smiled at his wife. "Wait until you see the newborn clothes. Socks as long as my thumb. Way tinier than this."

"We're probably going to lose a lot of her little socks then," Meredith teased, one hand over her small belly. "Do they have baby stuff in here? Just to browse a little?"

"Yeah, in the back of the store there's a baby section," Derek replied, setting the playset down on the shelf. "We can come back to this once we're done so I don't have to lug it around. It's kinda heavy."

"Okay." Meredith took his hand and they walked toward the back of the store. When the bright, flashy colors slowly turned into the soft pastels of the baby area, she squeezed his hand a little. "Wow."

"What?"

Meredith shrugged. "Nothing, it's just…exciting. That's all."

Derek leaned in and kissed her, pumping his lips against hers. "Hmm…it is."

They walked down an aisle full of baby swings and she stopped to survey them, tapping her fingers against her belly. "Should we buy gender neutral stuff? I mean, I know we're having a girl. But what if we have a boy next? Do we make him use the pink baby swing?" Meredith asked humorously.

"We can get two different ones; no big deal," he said simply. "We can just save it for when we have a girl again."

Meredith let out a dry laugh. "I'm not a baby factory. Two kids, Der."

"You say that now," he winked.

"I love this pink and purple flowery one," Meredith said, reading the description on the tag of the baby swing. "Plays ten songs, has five nature sounds, six swing speeds, and four reclining positions. Jeez, do they make couches like this? Look how cushiony it is. I want one," she joked.

"Me too," he chuckled. "Look, it swings from side to side instead of back and forth. I like that. Looks really sturdy and safe, too."

"There's even a matching pack and play, stroller and baby carrier," Meredith read from the tag, nearly gasping in excitement. "Is it bad that I want to buy this right now?"

"If you want to, we can," Derek said.

Meredith rocked back and forth on her heels, biting her lip in contemplation for a few moments. "No, we can wait. I'm sure they'll still have it—or something similar to it—in a few months. I want to have the nursery painted and everything before we buy any furniture."

"Okay, that's fine."

"That's another thing…yellow nursery or pink?" she pondered aloud.

"Pink, definitely," Derek grinned. "No reason to do a neutral theme when we know we're having a girl. I'll just paint it again if the next one is a boy, that's all."

"It would be so much easier just to have two girls," Meredith giggled, walking toward a rack of little baby booties.

Derek picked up a pink pair, smiling at how soft they felt in his hands. "I hope so—I mean, I'd love a boy. But having two daughters—think about how close they'd be. Always having her sister there; they'd be best friends."

Meredith smiled at the thought and rubbed her hand over Derek's back. "I'd love that, too," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

"Let's get these," Derek said of the pink booties. "They're cute."

"Yeah," Meredith said.

Derek splayed his hand over her belly. "We're already spoiling you," he told his in-utero daughter.

"People are going to think we're crazy, taking to my belly in the baby booty aisle."

"Let them think that," Derek replied. He kissed her forehead lightly and chuckled against her skin. "She'll be calling us embarrassing parents when she's a teenager. May as well get used to it."

"You'll be the embarrassing one; not me," Meredith said cheekily.

"And why is that?"

"Because," she shrugged. "You're the dorky brain surgeon that knows all about Nick Jr."

"You're also a dorky brain surgeon that's going to learn all about Nick Jr. after she's born," Derek pointed out, handing her the pink booties.

Meredith smirked at her husband. "Shut up."

...

For those interested, I posted a new one shot, "Grilled Cheese With a Side of Bribery," too. You can find it in my story list! :)