85. A Good Year to Come

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but I don't. So sorry I haven't been able to post more. Between work and vacation and getting sick, writing took a bit of a back seat. I'm doing my best to bank as many updates as I can before school starts again in a few weeks. :)

Another New Year's Eve was upon them. And like last year, Meredith and Derek were working instead of reveling in the holiday at home like nearly everyone else. But because of Derek's skillful planning, he only scheduled two surgeries for the morning, so that the rest of the day would be theirs.

Surgery number two was done by noon, and Meredith walked to the nurses' station to deposit the patient's chart. Just as she was about to turn around and head for the resident lounge, she stopped in her tracks.

"Hi, Mehdif!" she heard a tiny voice call out.

Meredith spun around on her heels, then felt a slight tug on her scrub pants. She looked down and smiled. "Hi there," she giggled curiously, meeting the eyes of her three year old niece.

Laura waved up at her. "Hi," she repeated.

Lexie was standing a few feet away, frantically scribbling something down in a chart. Meredith bit her lip, trying to piece the puzzle together, but came up with nothing. "Uh, is she…what are you…?" Meredith asked, gesturing to Laura, who was dancing in little circles on the tiled floor.

Lexie looked up from her chart and sighed. "Oh, Mer. I'm glad you're here. Could you page George for me? Or Izzie? I would, but I'm swamped and I have to see if one of them can watch her for me while I'm in surgery."

Meredith eyed her sister suspiciously, waiting for more of an explanation, and Lexie ran a hand through her hair. "I'm babysitting. Or I was babysitting. See, I had the day off today, so I volunteered to watch her. Molly and Eric haven't had a New Year's Eve to themselves since before Laura was born, so I offered to watch her for the day and they were going to pick her up tonight. But then I got paged for surgery, and I…"

Meredith crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at her sister amusedly. "And you're planning to let her dance around in the OR?" she laughed, watching as Laura continued to twirl around carelessly, a Dora the Explorer doll in her hand.

"Well, no. Of course not. I just…" She paused. "Okay, I admit. I haven't thought this through all the way. But Dr. Robbins has this amazing surgery and I couldn't pass it up, so I just brought her here. Please stop looking at me like that. I didn't expect to get paged today."

Meredith saw the desperateness in her face, and decided to step in and lend a hand. That's what sisters did, and she knew Lexie needed help. "My shift is over in ten minutes. Why don't you let Derek and me watch her for a few hours?"

Lexie shook her head. "No, I couldn't. It's New Year's Eve. I'm sure you and Derek have plans," she said.

"No, we don't," Meredith replied. "Unless you count grocery shopping."

Lexie narrowed her eyes at her sister, as if waiting to see what 'grocery shopping' was code for. Meredith laughed. "Pregnant, remember?" she said, pointing to her belly. "Derek and I are homey now. Not really going clubbing or anything."

"So that's really all you had planned?"

"I've been craving brownies and ice cream all week, but we have neither, so we're going to pick up some things after work. Then I plan on making Derek cook stuff for me," Meredith giggled. Not really a thrilling New Year's Eve, but it worked for them. And honestly, she really just wanted brownies.

"I don't know…" Lexie said hesitantly.

"If you don't think Molly and Eric would be okay with it, that's fine. But I—" Meredith started.

Lexie shook her head quickly. "No, no; it's not that. They trust you guys. You're family. But I just feel bad putting you out."

"Really, it's no big deal," Meredith reiterated.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Meredith nodded, a hand draped over her growing bump. "Derek and I could use some practice now that we have a baby coming."

"Okay," Lexie gave in. "But if she gets to be too much, just bring her back here. I'll watch her."

Meredith waved her off. "We'll be fine, I promise."

Lexie knelt down on the floor and smiled at their niece. "Laur, how would you like to spend a few hours with Aunt Meredith?"

"And Dewek?" the toddler asked, her green eyes wide in excitement.

"Derek, too," Lexie laughed. "Sound like fun?"

"Uh huh," Laura nodded enthusiastically.

Meredith smiled when the girl took hold of her hand and squeezed it. "Hey, Laur. I like your doll."

"Dora," Laura told her, holding the doll out for Meredith to see.

"Oh, I know all about Dora. And Boots and Backpack and Swiper," Meredith said proudly, recalling when Derek had given her the 411 on the cartoon. It came in handy, especially now.

Laura's eyes lit up and she laughed. "Uh huh! She's on my shirt, too," she pointed.

"Very cool," Meredith played along. "What do you say? Want to go find Uncle Derek? Then we can go shopping, then we can watch Dora?"

"Yeah," Laura clapped. "We goin' now?"

"She's very easy going," Lexie said, humored by her niece's carefree demeanor. "Here's her backpack."

"Oh, it's Backpack," Meredith said, recognizing the purple backpack from the cartoon. She really had to remember to thank Derek for sharing his extensive knowledge of kid shows with her. Otherwise, her niece wouldn't find her nearly as cool. Lexie looked at her strangely and Meredith laughed. "There are fifteen nieces and nephews on Derek's side of the family. He knows things."

"Aah, got it," Lexie said. "Okay, here are my keys. Her car seat is in the backseat, and there's some toys in there, too. Just drop the keys off in my cubby when you're done."

"Okay, no problem," Meredith said, though she wasn't so sure herself. "Oh, and she's…is she potty trained?"

Lexie nodded. "Yeah, she is. And she's pretty good about telling you when she has to go."

"I go on the potty now. I a big girl," Laura announced proudly.

"Yes you are," Meredith agreed seriously. She looked to Lexie again and smiled reassuringly, perhaps more for her own benefit than Lexie's. She never babysat a toddler before, but she knew that with Derek there, they could handle it. "We'll be fine, really," she said once more, putting the backpack over her arm. "Come on, Laur. Let's go find Derek."

"Bye-bye, Lex," Laura said with a smile, giving her aunt a wave before happily walking down the hall with Meredith.

"Bye, sweetie," Lexie replied. "And Mer, call me if there's any problems. I should be over to pick her up around five, no later. Thank you. Really, I owe you for this one."

Meredith looked from their little niece to Lexie and smiled. "Hey, I'll be doing it soon enough anyway once she's born," she said, nodding to her belly. "It'll be fun."

She reached the elevator and lifted Laura into her arms, so she was sitting on her hip. "Want to press the button?"

"Uh huh," Laura nodded, pointing her finger. "Up?"

"Yes, up," Meredith giggled. "So we can go see Derek and I can get changed."

"Dewek?"

The elevator doors opened and Meredith stepped inside, carrying her niece, the backpack, and her own daughter inside her belly. On the job training of motherhood if she'd ever experienced it. "Yep, to see Derek. Okay, press the four."

"Four," Laura echoed, pressing the correct button and watching as it lit up.

"Very good," Meredith praised.

The elevator ascended up the next floor, and Meredith stepped off and headed toward the resident lounge so she could change out of her scrubs and pack up her bag. She smiled when she saw Derek leaning against the wall next to the lounge door waiting for her. "Hey," she said.

Derek looked up from his phone and smiled confusedly. "Hi," he returned. "What are you…?"

"Hi!" Laura said, waving to him.

"Hey, sweetie," Derek chuckled. Laura reached out for him and he took her off Meredith's hip and scooped her into his arms.

"Lexie was watching her, then she got paged into work, so I offered to take her for a few hours. You don't mind, right?" Meredith asked.

Derek shook his head. "No, it's fine. We always have fun, right Laur?" he asked.

Laura smiled up at him and nodded. "Uh huh," she said sweetly.

Meredith pulled Lexie's keys from her pocket and handed them to Derek. "I have to get changed. Would you mind getting her car seat out of Lexie's car and putting it in ours? Oh, and there's toys in there, too."

"Yeah, sure," Derek replied. "Want me to take her with me?"

"No, it's okay. I'll bring her down once I'm done and meet you in the lobby," Meredith said. "Thank you, Der." She leaned in and kissed her husband's cheek as he handed Laura back to her.

"Good practice, right?" he grinned.

"Yep, that's what I said," Meredith laughed. "Okay. See you downstairs in a few."

She walked into the resident lounge and set Laura down on one of the benches so she could get changed. When she pulled her scrub top over her head, she heard her little niece let out a gasp. "What's the matter, hun? You okay?"

"Baby," Laura whispered in awe, pointing to Meredith's pregnant belly, which had been slightly obscured by her scrubs. But now, with only her tighter fitting blue shirt underneath, the bump was far more noticeable.

Meredith ran her hands over her belly and smiled. "There is a baby in here, Laur," she agreed. "A baby girl."

"Baby girl?"

"Yeah, so when she's born, you two will be cousins," Meredith explained as she quickly changed into her stretchy black lounge pants.

Laura looked up at Meredith excitedly. "Cousin?"

"Yep. And you can look out for her…like a big sister. How's that sound?" Meredith said with a smile, tossing her scrubs into the bin.

Laura cradled her Dora doll in her arms and she giggled. "And I can hold her?"

"Sure, sweetie. You can hold her," she replied. She slipped her coat on, grabbed her bag off the hook, and helped Laura off the bench onto her feet. "Okay, all done. Let's go."

As they were taking the elevator down to the first floor, Cristina got on, an amused smirk covering her face as soon as she saw Meredith holding the hand of her niece. "Oh, this is priceless," she teased.

"Shut up. I'm being sisterly," Meredith retorted.

"Lexipedia owes you for this one, huh?"

"Hi," Laura greeted, waving up at Cristina.

"Hi," Cristina replied, managing to smile at the toddler. "So you and Derek are getting a taste of parenthood. Do you have her all night?"

Meredith shook her head. "Until five. Then Lexie's picking her up. We're gonna make brownies," she said cheekily.

"Well, at least you can still ring in 2010 with some s-e-x after she leaves, right?" Cristina pointed out, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. The elevator doors opened and she stepped off. "Have…fun."

"Oh, we will," Meredith assured her. "Happy 2010."

"Yeah, you too," she responded.

When the elevator stopped on the first floor, Meredith gave Laura's hand a squeeze. "Okay, let's go find Derek."

They walked over to where Derek was waiting for them in the lobby, and he stood up from his chair. "Hey. All set?"

"Yeah. I just need to button her coat. Can you carry her out to the car? The parking lot is busy and I'd rather her not walk," Meredith said, kneeling down and zipping up Laura's pink coat, then putting up her hood to protect her from the December cold outside.

Derek watched as Meredith went into Mommy mode, and he couldn't help but smile widely. Seeing her with their niece was a glimpse into their future, what it would be like when their own daughter was born.

He picked Laura up into his arms and kissed her cheek. "Ready, Laur?"

"Where we going?" Laura asked, wrapping one of her arms around Derek's neck as the three of them walked outside.

"To the food store," Meredith answered. "Even though going to the food store on New Year's Eve is probably not a good idea…"

"But Aunt Meredith has had a craving for brownies all week, so if we don't go, she'll yell at me," Derek joked, winking playfully at Meredith as he opened the car door and set Laura in her car seat.

Meredith slid into the passenger seat and glanced to the backseat, giving Derek a smirk. "Yes, well, I crave something else a lot these days, too. And Uncle Derek never minds fulfilling that one for me."

"And I never will." After Laura was strapped safely into her car seat, Derek walked around to the driver's side and slipped into the seat.

Meredith smiled at him as she turned on the heater. "I know," she said. "And I appreciate that."

"Hmm…" Derek hummed, leaning over the console and kissing her cheek. "Any time."

"So, how do we entertain a three year old in a food store?" Meredith asked as she tapped her fingers against her belly.

"Usually cookies do the trick," Derek chuckled. "Or the free cheese slices they give out at the deli counter."

"Ooh, cheese. We need to buy some of that. String cheese. And some Velveeta, too. Which means we need tortilla chips," Meredith said, pulling a notepad and a pen from her tote bag at her feet and writing down a makeshift shopping list.

Derek laughed. Cheese was another of his wife's cravings, and he found it adorable. "Okay."

"I love cheese!" Laura squealed from the backseat, her pigtails bopping back and forth as she wiggled around in her car seat.

"You do?" Meredith giggled.

Laura nodded. "Uh huh."

"Definitely your niece," Derek teased. "She looks just like you, you know, in those pictures from when you were little—especially the ones from your third birthday."

"Well, the Grey gene seems pretty dominant then," Meredith giggled softly. She looked down at her belly, popping out a little from beneath her jacket, and smiled. "I guess we know what our daughter is going to look like—only, half you, obviously. And with the Shepherd hair."

"I'd love it if she looked just like you," Derek said, taking her hand in his. "Only with my hair."

"Good. At least if she's born with thick, dark hair, we can put a bow in it for her newborn pictures," Meredith said, excited just at the prospect of finding out what their little girl would look like, even if they wouldn't know for months yet.

Derek let out a breath and chuckled softly. "God, she's gonna be beautiful."

"Yeah, she is." A few unexpected tears slipped from Meredith's eyes and she laughed embarrassedly, grabbing a tissue from her coat pocket.

"You okay?" he asked, pulling into the parking lot of the supermarket, which was only a few blocks from the hospital.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded. "Pregnant. No emotional censors." She patted her cheeks dry and looked over at her husband. "In a few months, we'll have a daughter in the backseat, in her own car seat. It's just crazy. In the best possible way."

Derek parked the car in a spot near the entrance and leaned over to kiss her. "I can't wait."

Meredith wiped away the last of her tears then glanced back at Laura in the backseat. "Want me to get her?" she asked Derek.

"You're already carrying one little girl. I can carry the other little girl," he winked.

"Okay."

They gathered up Laura and a few of her toys to keep her occupied, got a cart and entered the store. And the first thing they noticed: it was crowded. Last minute shoppers were racing around for their New Year's Eve items. Food, beverages, party hats, and the like. Not the most ideal day for a shopping outing.

"Stay with me. It would be bad if we got separated in this madhouse," Meredith told Derek as he sat Laura in the front seat of the cart, securing the buckle around her waist.

"Okay," Derek agreed. He handed Laura her doll and smiled. "There we go. All set."

"First thing on the list: brownie mix," Meredith said. Pregnancy cravings were serious business, and if she wasn't eating the baked good by midnight, she thought she might lose her mind.

"Okay," he chuckled, amused by how fervent she was. "Aisle eight."

They passed by the fruit section on the way there, and Meredith patted Derek's arm so he would stop pushing the cart. "Wait. Bananas, Der."

"What about them?"

"I want to get some." Meredith grabbed a bunch from the display and put them in a plastic bag. "Ooh. And fruit dip. Where's that?" she asked, getting some strawberries too for good measure.

"Fruit craving?" Derek assumed, smiling at her.

Meredith nodded, running her hand quickly over her belly. "We both like fruit. And fruit dip."

Derek spotted it on the shelf and reached for the jar. "Here you go."

"Thank you."

"I'm hungry," Laura said, looking at them expectantly to do something about it.

Meredith laughed. "Okay, let's go find something for you."

They continued the trek to aisle eight, weaving through carts and people that seemed to take over every inch of the store. "Must be nice being three. You say you're hungry and people cater to you immediately," Derek chuckled.

"I'm thirty three and you do it for me," Meredith reminded him playfully. "That's why we're out buying brownie mix on New Year's Eve. And when we get home, he's going to make them for us, Laur."

"I love brownies," the three year old giggled.

"You do? Do you like ice cream, too?" Derek asked, as they finally made it to the aisle with the baked goods.

"Yes," she nodded. "Chocolate."

"Hmm…you and I are definitely related," Meredith said, standing in front of the shelf and surveying the variety of brownie mixes to buy. "Double fudge?"

"Yes!" Laura cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.

Meredith put the box in the cart then kissed the top of her niece's head. "Okay. Double fudge it is."

"Cookies?" Laura asked, pointing to the other side of the aisle, complete with shelves upon shelves of them.

Meredith looked to Derek and bit her lip; he laughed. "It's New Year's Eve. If she wants cookies, I say give her cookies. Right, Laur?"

"Right," Laura echoed.

"Well, we know when our daughter's born, she's going to play you like a fiddle," Meredith giggled. "You're such a pushover."

"I can't say no to pretty girls. What can I say?" He pressed a kiss to Meredith's cheek then turned his attention to Laura. "What kind, hun? We've got Oreos, Chips Ahoy, E.L. Fudge…"

"Uh…Oreos," Laura decided, pointing to the blue cookie bags on the shelf. "I have some now?"

Meredith smiled as she took them from the shelf. "Yes, you can have some now." She opened the bag up and handed one to her niece before taking one out for herself. "Because I want some now," she added.

When Derek looked over at her and smirked, she nudged his hip with hers. "Okay, you can stop with the face. I see food; I eat it. Pregnancy, Derek. It's a strange thing…"

"What? I wasn't making fun. I love pregnant you." Derek leaned in and kissed her, his hands snaking around her waist.

Meredith moaned against his lips, resisting the urge to push him up against the shelves and French the hell out of him. But with their three year old niece watching, not to mention a store full of people, that probably wouldn't be the best idea. And when Laura took notice, time was up.

"Oooh!" Laura squealed, amused by the two of them kissing each other.

"Busted," Derek murmured against her lips, sneaking in one more kiss before pulling back.

Meredith ran the hand that wasn't holding the bag of Oreos through her hair in an attempt to recompose herself. "See? This is why we shouldn't kiss in public," she said breathlessly.

"That won't stop me," Derek countered, grinning at her. He brushed his cheek against hers and she felt his stubble against her skin. "And I plan on making it up to you later."

Meredith blushed, a light shade of pink burning her cheeks. "Derek."

"It's New Year's Eve. It's all about the celebration," he reminded her.

They continued walking down the aisle, heading for the frozen foods section to pick up the ice cream Meredith insisted on, and she leaned into him, smiling at how happy Laura looked munching on her cookie.

When they were out of earshot of anyone around them, Meredith spoke, quietly enough so that Laura couldn't hear. "Well, we don't need c-o-n-d-o-m-s this year, seeing as you knocked me up and all," she giggled.

"Hmm...we stuck to our resolutions," Derek said proudly, kissing her temple. "We made a baby."

Meredith splayed her fingers over her belly and sighed contentedly. "Yes we did."

...

Back at the house, it was a little after four when Derek took the brownies from the oven. Still eight hours until midnight and both he and Meredith were exhausted.

Meredith sat at the island, Laura sitting on her lap, as she scooped ice cream into three bowls, one for each of them. "Don't the brownies smell good, Laur?"

"When can we eat them?" she asked, looking up at her aunt.

Meredith smiled at the little girl. It was like looking at the spitting image of herself, thirty years ago. "In a few minutes. They're still too hot."

"But we can eat the ice cream now," Derek grinned, grabbing three spoons from the drawer.

"Before it melts," Laura added smartly, adjusting herself on Meredith's lap, which wasn't so easy to sit on with the growing bump getting in the way.

Derek noticed and propped Laura on his own lap. "That's better. Aunt Mer's growing a baby in her belly. We'll give her a break," he chuckled.

Meredith spooned some ice cream into her mouth and smiled at her husband. "Thank you."

"I gonna be a cousin," Laura informed Derek before taking her own heaping spoonful of ice cream.

"Yes you are," Derek nodded. "That's a very important job. Are you going to come visit us once the baby is born?"

"Uh huh. And I gonna hold her," Laura said. "Just like I hold my dolls."

"Oh, well okay then," Derek chuckled. "Sounds like you'll be a good cousin."

Meredith slid the brownie pan and knife in front of her, deciding they'd waited long enough for them to cool down. When she felt the heat rising off of them, she just shrugged. Hot brownies and cold ice cream. Didn't get any better.

"I've been waiting for these for a week," Meredith said as she cut slices for the three of them. "You really have no idea how excited I am."

Just as Meredith was about to bite into her brownie, Laura looked over at her, a slight panic in her eyes. "I gotta go potty!" she announced.

Parental instinct took over and Derek set the little girl to her feet; Meredith reluctantly dropped her brownie onto her dish and smiled. "Okay, I'll take you sweetie. Come on," she said, taking hold of Laura's tiny hand.

Derek grinned with pride as Meredith scurried out of the room with their niece to the bathroom. It never ceased to surprise him how good she was with kids. Back when they first got together again, she'd claimed a baby would never want her. But the truth was, any baby would be lucky to have her as a mom. He glanced over to the array of ultrasound pictures on their fridge and smiled. Their daughter would be the luckiest little girl ever.

...

"Mer," Derek whispered, softly rubbing Meredith's arm to wake her up. It was 11:50, just ten minutes to midnight, and they'd both fallen asleep. By some stroke of luck, Derek woke up and glanced at the clock, surprised to find out that they'd nearly missed 2010's grand entrance.

As it turns out, an afternoon out with a toddler was a lot of work. But still fun, nonetheless. Lexie's surgery ran late, and it was after six when she could finally come by to pick her up. And by the time they got her packed up to go, cleaned up the kitchen, showered, ate dinner, and got a chance to relax, it was already eight. Relaxing on the couch probably wasn't the best idea, considering that as soon as they sat down, sleep was quick to follow.

Meredith's eyelids opened slowly and she looked up at her husband, adjusting her head on his lap. "Hmm…what?"

"It's almost midnight," Derek informed her, running a tired hand through his hair.

"Crap. How long were we asleep?" Meredith asked as she slowly sat up. She pulled the throw blanket over them and rested her head on Derek's shoulder, Charlie on the other side of him, carelessly sleeping the night away.

"Almost four hours," he chuckled.

Meredith rolled her eyes and sighed amusedly. "And to think, we were going to have marathon sex tonight," she said. "We've turned into that couple—the ones that can't even stay awake until midnight on New Year's Eve," she giggled.

"Well, with Laura here all afternoon, can't really blame us for being tired," Derek pointed out, stifling a yawn as he un-muted the TV in preparation for the Times Square coverage that was being rebroadcasted for the west coast viewers.

"I really do want Laura and our daughter to be close. I mean, she's the only cousin on this side of the country," Meredith pointed out. "I just think it'd be kinda nice if they grew up together."

"See, family isn't so bad, is it?" Derek chuckled, earning him a playful nudge with her hip. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you and your dad are making it work. You and Lexie are close. And Molly and Eric are great. You deserve a family - an extended family, I mean. You'll always have the three of us forever," he smiled, referring to himself, their daughter, and Charlie.

"Good," she whispered, kissing his cheek. She looked at the countdown clock on the TV and sighed, humored by their four hour nap they didn't mean to take. "Guess that means we'll definitely be asleep next year then. We'll be even more exhausted with a six month old," Meredith smiled, as she ran a hand over her blanket-covered belly.

"Hmm," Derek hummed, a grin coming over his face. "Next year, she'll be sleeping in between us."

"Curled up in our bed with us." Meredith took his hand and rested it on top of her belly, laying her own hand right next to his. She met Derek's eyes and he noticed the tears threatening to spill over her lids.

"You okay?" he asked.

Meredith nodded, her voice cracking as she spoke. "Yeah," she said. "It's just…I'm happy. Really happy, that's all."

Derek kissed her temple. "Me too."

"You know, today, with Laura being here, it just hit me. That's our life from now on—or it will be once the baby is born. And three years ago? That would have scared the crap out of me. The idea of being married and having a baby in a few months…I would have run far, far away," she said, managing to laugh.

"I wouldn't have believed it either," Derek concurred. "But I wouldn't trade this for anything."

"I don't know how I couldn't have wanted this. When I look back at how things were, and how they are now…" She wiped a tear that slipped down her cheek with her hand. "I'm just grateful, that's all. Grateful for you, and Charlie, and her," Meredith said softly, looking down at her bump.

"Me too," Derek whispered, leaning in to kiss her, showing her just how much he loved her. When they pulled back, he lifted up her shirt a little and kissed her swollen belly, growing rounder each day as their daughter grew inside her.

The muffled cheering coming from the TV escalated as the ball dropped, and they could hear fireworks cracking somewhere off in the distance. Derek smiled against her skin. "I love you," he said to her belly, then raised his head to meet hers. "And I love you."

Meredith rested her forehead against his and took in this moment, surrounded by her family. Her husband, their sweet potato-sized daughter inside her, and their dog. "We're having a baby this year," she said in awe as the realization that 2010 was here.

The countdown to May 29th was getting closer than ever now.

Tears burned in Derek's eyes at the thought and he grinned at her. "We're having a baby this year," he echoed.

Only a minute into the New Year, and they already knew, it was going to be a year they would always remember.