90. Pink Paint and a Middle Name

Disclaimer: Only in my dreams. In reality: no. But how awesome were Mer and Derek on Thursday? I'm loving this season. Oh, and once again, thanks for being patient with me between updates. I'm doing my best to bank chapters. :)

"Childbirth is scary," Meredith said as she and Derek walked back to their car after their first Lamaze class. Now that Meredith was twenty-eight weeks pregnant, Dr. Halloran suggested they register themselves for classes. Only now, Meredith was wishing she was simply left in the dark.

"You've delivered babies before," he chuckled. "You already know what to expect. That's an advantage that not a lot of people have." Derek opened the car door for her and she dropped down into the passenger seat, instantly kicking her shoes off her slightly swollen feet. Derek walked around to the other side and slid in, handing her the folder that contained their endless Lamaze pamphlets and class schedules.

Meredith laughed. "Yes, I know. But this time, it'll be my vagina. Not someone else's," she pointed out as she shuddered. "Seriously, showing us the childbirth video at the first class? Who does that?"

"Think of all us expectant fathers in the room. It wasn't much fun for us either," Derek said, wincing. It wasn't that he was grossed out by it; he just knew that when the day came, seeing Meredith in pain would be hard on him, knowing that there was nothing he could do to take it away.

"Wanna trade places?" Meredith teased.

"I couldn't do it," Derek admitted as they pulled out of the parking lot. "You have a much higher pain threshold than I do."

"Hmm, that's true," she agreed. "I managed to work for two hours before I found out I had appendicitis. And you need me to cuddle you when you have a stomach ache," Meredith smirked.

Derek grinned, lifting her hand that rested on his lap and kissing the top of it. "See? Way more badass. Childbirth will be a breeze... fine, maybe not a breeze, but you'll do awesome. And we still have another twelve weeks before that happens anyway."

"Twelve weeks," Meredith echoed, her breath catching in her throat. "Holy crap. That means there's only three months left."

"Plenty of time," Derek reassured her. "Did you want to go to the paint store? If you're tired, we can go home. There's always tomorrow," he said, hoping it didn't sound like he was being hover-y and annoying.

"No, we can go. I want to get some paint swatches. Apparently, there's a thousand different shades of pink, so I want us to narrow it down to at least a hundred by Friday," she teased.

"Okay," Derek chuckled. "Sounds like a good plan."

Meredith felt Lilly gently nudge her in the side with what she supposed was the heel of her foot and laughed. "You okay, Lilly?" she asked.

"I still love how that sounds," Derek grinned, happy that they decided on a name. They'd picked it three weeks ago, and had been calling their daughter by it ever since. And over that time, it had become her name. She was Lilly now, through and through.

"Me too," Meredith said softly. "We still need a middle name."

"Does it have to have Izzie's stamp of approval?" Derek teased as he switched lanes.

Meredith smiled. "Well, when we told her that we're naming the baby Lilly, she practically did cartwheels. She definitely loves that name. Everyone else does, too. Although Cristina said that Lilly wasn't a hardcore surgeon name. But I told her that when our daughter walks across the stage at her graduation from medical school, she'd change her mind," she stated proudly.

"Yes she will," Derek nodded, making a right into the parking lot of the home improvement store to pick up paint swatches. After he pulled into the closest parking space he could find, they unbuckled their seatbelts and Derek waited for Meredith to slip her shoes back on before they got out.

"I'm going to need a lot of foot massages over the next twelve weeks," Meredith told him. "Just so you know..."

"Okay," Derek happily agreed. Foot massages, back massages, shoulder massages... ninety-nine percent of the time, those activities led to sex. So of course, he was hardly opposed. He took her hand once they exited the car, and walked into the store, heading right for the paint department.

"Over here," Meredith said when she spotted a thick booklet full of color choices. She flipped through it, smiling when she reached the section with the pinks. "This looks good. And it's perforated, so we can tear out the ones we like."

"Looks good to me," Derek echoed. "Do we need anything else?"

"Are you building her crib?" Meredith asked.

Derek eyed her curiously, then shook his head. "Wasn't planning on it," he chuckled.

"We're done then," she giggled.

...

"Fairytale pink," Meredith said, reading the name of one of the hundred pink shades they'd pulled from the paint color book.

"I like that," Derek replied. "Put that in the Maybe pile."

Meredith did so, then showed Derek another one. "Very berry."

"Too dark." He slid the tray of cookies into the oven and closed the door; Meredith craved them all day, so Derek was commissioned to whip up several dozen upon returning home. He found her spontaneous cravings adorable, though he could feel himself gaining weight right along with her, only she had an excuse.

"Yeah, you're right." She tossed it into the No pile, then hopped up off the stool. "This is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"A lot of these are really pale. Like this one," he said, holding one of them up to show her as she browsed the fridge. "Pink Whisper. It's practically white. Something like this would be better." Derek picked up a darker shade and held it up. "Coral passion."

Meredith giggled. "That sounds like a porn name," she said, pulling a bottle of juice from the fridge and two glasses.

"True," Derek chuckled. "But still a nice color."

"Oh, the one next to the pepper shaker is nice," she said as she poured them both some apple juice, something else she craved these days.

Derek picked it up off the countertop and read the name. "Pink peony," he read. "My Aunt Helen's whole house was painted this color. I can practically smell her musky perfume when I look at this," he teased.

Meredith smirked at him. "Okay, I'm supposed to be the picky one; not you."

"I'm just saying. I don't want to walk into our daughter's nursery and think of my aunt's perfume every time. I gag just thinking out it," Derek laughed, before taking a sip of the juice Meredith poured for him.

"Fair enough," she consented. "What about... oh, this one."

"Cotton candy," Derek read. "This is nice."

"If we have a boy next, we're going to have to do this all over again. Only with a table full of blue instead," Meredith said, popping a chocolate chip into her mouth that was leftover from the cookies.

Derek grinned confidently. "I think it'll be another girl. You know, once we make another one."

"Uh huh," she giggled. "You sound pretty sure of yourself."

"Well, I was right about this one, wasn't I?" he pointed out.

"Lucky guess," Meredith teased. "Your psychic skills are very sexy."

"Hmm, I try," Derek whispered against her skin as he kissed her cheek. "All part of my plan to be constantly impressive."

She laughed. "Well, you're very good at it." Just as he was about to kiss her lips, Meredith spotted a color swatch she liked and turned her head. When Derek was met with her cheek again, he gave her a disappointed look and she smiled. "Sorry. I didn't mean to deny you. I just saw a pink that I really like."

"Which one?" he asked.

"This." Meredith reached across the counter and picked it up. It was a cheerful pink, not too dark, light, or bright. Perfect for a little girl's nursery. She smiled when she read the name. "Sexy Pink."

"Sexy?" he asked, waiting for confirmation. "Does Victoria's Secret have a line of interior paint now?" Derek chuckled.

Meredith giggled. "I love this one. It reminds me of springtime... or whatever."

"It is nice," Derek admitted. "Very cheerful."

"This could be our winner," Meredith said, smiling at him. "What do you think?"

"Definitely the best one in our Maybe pile," he said. "'Sexy Pink' really isn't the color I thought I'd be painting our daughter's nursery."

"Just... ignore the name. The color is good, right?"

"Yeah, it is. We could always buy a sample size and test it out first, just in case. But this looks like our winner," Derek agreed with her. "Sexy Pink it is."

"The more you say it, the more I like it," Meredith told him. "Her room will have character."

Derek kissed her, making sure to catch her lips this time. "Hmm, true," he murmured.

"Now if we could choose a middle name, we'd be ahead of the game," Meredith replied, weaving her fingers through his curls.

"Katherine?" Derek suggested.

"No."

"Olivia?"

"Syph nurse. No," she reminded him. "Danielle?"

Derek contemplated for a few seconds. "Maybe."

"Madeline?" Meredith said.

"Another maybe. You're good with middle names," he complimented. "Elise?"

"Elise," she repeated, biting on her lip. "I like that, too."

"Grace?" When she looked at him, incredulous, he decided to elaborate. "Not because of the hospital. I just really like that name."

"Yeah?"

He nodded. "I've always liked it."

"Grace," she said. "Non-hospital Grace."

"Non-hospital Grace," Derek chuckled. "Just Grace because we like it... or do you not like it?"

"No, I do. I really do. I just never thought about it before," Meredith admitted. She smiled at him. "Lilly Grace."

"I like it," Derek grinned.

"You say it," she said. "So I can picture you calling her that."

"Lilly Grace," Derek said softly. "Lilly Grace Shepherd."

Meredith felt goosebumps prick her skin, and she smiled at Derek. "Yeah."

"Yeah?"

"I love it," she said.

Derek cupped her cheeks in the palms of his hands and kissed her. "So do I."

"So... we just named our daughter. And picked a paint color."

"It's a good day," Derek said.

"You know what would make it even better?" Meredith asked playfully.

Derek smirked. These days, there was usually only one answer to this question. "Sex?" he assumed.

"French onion soup," she answered. "Like the kind they give you at restaurants. You know, with the cheese spilling over the bowl."

"There's cookies in the oven," Derek reminded her.

"Yes, those can be for dessert. But I really want French onion soup. Oh, and Pop-tarts. You know, the S'mores kind? I used to eat them all the time in college, and they sound so good right now," Meredith rambled off to him.

Derek heaved a heavy sigh, hoping she'd take pity on him and change her mind so he wouldn't have to trek out to fulfill her cravings. But Meredith just smirked at him, unmoved. "Okay, remember that childbirth video we saw today? That'll be me in twelve weeks, all sweaty and panting and screaming as our baby works her way out of me. Still want to deny me?"

Rather than anger the pregnancy gods, Derek conceded, smiling at her. "No, I don't. Anything else?" he chuckled.

"No, just the soup and the Pop-tarts," Meredith said sweetly, knowing he was too nice to say no. She could ask him to go fishing off a ferryboat and come back with a cooler of trout, and he'd do it with a smile on his face. As far as husbands went, she knew she'd kind of hit the jackpot. "You're sure you don't mind?"

"Nope, not at all." Derek walked over to the oven, slipped on the oven mitt, and took the tray of cookies out. "I'll scrape these off and put them on a plate. Then I'll go."

As he worked at the counter, Meredith wrapped her arms around him as best she could with her belly between them and kissed his neck. "You're getting dirty, hot sex tonight."

Derek glanced around and smirked at her. "Hmm, well, I probably do deserve it," he joked.

"Yes," she giggled. "You do."

He deposited the last cookie on the plate and tossed the pan and spatula into the sink. "I'll be back as soon as I can," Derek said before kissing her forehead.

"Thank you," Meredith replied, munching on a cookie. "We appreciate it."

Derek chuckled. "Don't drag our daughter into this. She doesn't know what French onion soup is. Or Pop-tarts."

"No, but she's the reason I want them. Pregnancy, Der. It does strange things to a person," she explained as they walked to the front door.

"Okay," Derek relented, deciding that agreeing with her was probably better than the alternative. After putting on his coat and taking his keys off the hook in the foyer, he kissed her. "Love you. And you," he said to her belly.

"We love you, too," Meredith said softly, watching him as he walked out to the car in the driveway and began his trek for her food. She patted her belly proudly and smiled. "That's called manipulating Daddy, Lilly. Don't worry; I'll teach you how it's done," she said to their in-utero daughter, taking the last bite of her cookie.

As she was folding a basket of clean clothes fresh out of the dryer, Meredith's cell phone rang from its spot on the end table, and she reached over, checking the caller ID before picking it up.

Izzie.

"Hello?" Meredith answered, folding one of Derek's tee shirts on her bump of a belly, which came in handy while folding laundry, she'd noticed recently.

"Hey," came Izzie's voice on the other end. "Whatcha up to?"

"Laundry. And wondering how apples and ranch dressing would taste. Does that sound gross to you?" Meredith pondered out loud to her friend.

"Yes," Izzie replied. "But hey, you're the pregnant one, so have at it."

Meredith smiled. "That's what I figured."

"So I was just wondering where you and Derek signed up for your baby registry," Izzie said. "Babies 'R' Us? Baby Depot?"

"We didn't do a baby registry," Meredith said.

"Meredith," Izzie whined.

"What?"

Izzie sighed into the phone. "You're supposed to. That's what people do for firstborns. So that the baby shower guests know what gifts to give you."

"Baby stuff is expensive, Iz. I don't want you guys buying our car seat or a Diaper Genie or my breast pump," Meredith said.

"How about little things then?" Izzie attempted to compromise. "A box of diapers, or little pink dresses and hairbows, or even pacifiers. Just so you have gifts to open."

"Fine," Meredith agreed quickly. She knew that arguing would just be futile. "Derek and I both have this weekend off, so we'll go tomorrow. Babies 'R' Us."

Even though she couldn't see her, Meredith just knew Izzie was smiling in victory. "Thank you."

"So, uh, when is this baby shower?" Meredith asked, trying to sound casual.

"Nice try. Not telling," Izzie said, upholding her wall of secrecy. "But I will tell you that it's co-ed."

"Co-ed?" Meredith questioned in disbelief, folding a pair of her panties. "Do co-ed baby showers even exist?"

"Well, I know you said you wanted Derek to come, so I convinced Alex to stay, too, once I told him there'd be food and beer. Cristina told Hunt about it. Well, I made her tell Hunt about it. And then Sloan got wind of it, and pretty much invited himself. By the way, Bridget is coming. I called her already. And George knows, too, and he's in."

Meredith laughed. "What the hell are they going to do at a baby shower?"

"Eat and drink. I'm buying hot dogs and hamburgers that they can grill, so they can feel manly," Izzie explained, proud that she'd managed to get men to attend in the first place.

"Nice work," Meredith complimented. She hoisted herself off the couch and walked toward the kitchen. "So you're seriously not gonna tell me when this is, so I can prepare for it?"

"Well, it's soon, obviously. Look at you. It's not too soon, but before your water is set to break," Izzie offered.

Meredith smirked, pulling the bottle of ranch dressing and a green apple from the fridge. She couldn't resist. The cravings were just too damn tempting. "That narrows it down," she said sarcastically. "Derek knows, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he knows. And I've sworn him to secrecy, so don't even try to get it out of him by using sex," Izzie warned.

Meredith giggled. "He still wouldn't tell me, don't worry."

"Good," Izzie said. "Oh! Before I forget, how's ''Project: Middle Name' going? I still want to get stuff printed with Lilly's name on it, but I want to use her middle name, too."

Meredith took a knife from the utensil drawer and began cutting herself apple slices, the bottle of ranch dressing waiting patiently on the counter. "Oh, well, we actually chose one an hour ago," she said excitedly. "Grace. But not because of the hospital. That would be so tacky. And cheesy, and bad. Derek and I just really love that name, and we think it fits with Lilly," Meredith rambled. "Anyway, yeah. Lilly Grace."

"That's beautiful," Izzie beamed on the other end. "And she's obviously going to be beautiful, so that name will suit her well."

"Thank you, Iz," Meredith said softly. She saw the paint swatches sitting on the countertop and smiled. "Oh! And I'll make you even more proud of me. We chose a paint color today, too."

"Good!" she practically cheered. "Pink, right? Please tell me you're not doing the gender neutral thing."

"Yes, it's pink. Derek said he'd repaint if the next one is a boy," Meredith told her as she bit into an apple slice.

"What if you have a girl after the boy?" Izzie asked.

Meredith opened the bottle of salad dressing and shook her head. "Two kids. That's it. Then Derek goes back to wearing a condom."

"Mmhmm..."

"What?"

If Izzie were in front of her, Meredith knew she'd be giving her a look of incredulity. And it was probably the face she was making now. "With the way you two go at it, I'm guessing you'll have no fewer than five."

Meredith nearly choked on her apple slice as she laughed. "No way. Two. If we survive two, we'll entertain the idea of a third."

"So no fewer than two?" Izzie said.

"No, we definitely want her to have a brother or sister. Being an only child sucked. We want them to have each other, you know? Oh, and cousins, too. So get working on that," Meredith teased as she dipped a piece of her apple in her small bowl of dressing and ate it. She nearly moaned at how good it was, though she knew that if Derek saw what she was eating, he'd probably gag.

"Two years or so, I promise," Izzie responded. "Alex and I want to wait until residency is over. You're lucky you married an attending. Attendings have much better schedules than we do."

"Believe me, I know," Meredith said as she chewed. "Sometimes, I think the only reason Derek goes into work is because I'm there, and he'd be bored sitting at home all day by himself," she joked.

"Wouldn't put it past him," Izzie agreed. "You two are sickeningly sweet these days," she mocked playfully.

Meredith took her snack into the living room and dropped down onto the couch, her plate resting on her belly. "He was always cheesy. I blame my hormones. Seriously, Iz. Wait until you're pregnant one day. You'll want sex twenty-four-seven. Oh, and cuddling. And food. Weird food."

"Are you eating that disgusting apple and ranch dressing concoction now?" Izzie guessed.

Meredith licked some dressing off her finger and smiled. "Yes I am. And it's delicious."

"You're crazy now..." Izzie decided.

"You should serve these at the baby shower," Meredith suggested. She heard Derek's car pull into the driveway and she got up to open the front door for him; it was the least she could do after she'd sent him out on his travels. "They'd be a hit."

"Yeah, okay," Izzie said mockingly.

"Well, my fancy attending is home now with my food," she said.

"You sent him on a food run?"

Meredith shrugged. "Only for two things. I didn't send him across town or anything," she said in her own defense.

"You live in the wilderness. Everything is across town," Izzie pointed out.

"I promised him dirty, hot sex tonight. He'd fly across the country if I asked him to," Meredith replied, knowing Izzie couldn't deny that one.

"Okay, I'll let you go," Izzie laughed. "Oh! And don't forget about the baby registry."

"We won't."

"Otherwise, I'll go there myself and do it..." Izzie warned her, only half kidding.

Meredith huffed, holding the front door open for Derek when he walked into the house. "We're doing it tomorrow. You have my word."

"Okay," Izzie said. "Talk to you later."

"Bye," Meredith said with a smile, ending the call. She took the brown bag that contained the soup and Pop-tarts from Derek, and a plastic bag from the home improvement store. "What's this?" she asked.

Derek grinned as he hung his coat on the hook. "Sexy Pink," he replied. "I passed there coming home from the restaurant where I got your soup, so I swung by and picked up a sample. We can test it on the wall to see how we like it."

"You did?" Meredith asked, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth as she smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you."

"I figured you'd send me out for that later, so I saved myself a trip," he chuckled, taking the bags from her and following her into the kitchen. "Who called?"

"Izzie. Apparently, we have to do a baby registry or we'll disrupt the balance of the universe..." Meredith said sarcastically, giggling. "So I told her we'd do it tomorrow."

"I don't want them to have to buy us anything big. Baby things are pricey," Derek said as he took the soup and Pop-tarts from the grocery bag and set them on the table.

Meredith grabbed a spoon and pulled off the lid to the soup container, eager to dig in. "That's what I told her," she said. "But she said we could just do little things. Stuffed animals or onesies or whatever. Maybe while we're there, we can order furniture, too. We can move it all in after we paint."

"Sounds good," Derek nodded. He shuffled through a drawer and pulled out a pen and a notepad. "We should make a list of what we need. Otherwise, we're gonna be overwhelmed in there."

"Well, a crib, obviously," Meredith said as she twirled some of the mozzarella cheese from the top of her soup on her finger. "By the way, thank you for this. And the Pop-tarts. Your crazy, pregnant wife appreciates it."

Derek kissed her cheek and laughed. "Happy to do it," he replied. "Okay, crib. Changing table. Rocking chair. Dresser." He scribbled the items on the paper then looked to her for more.

"Uh... oh, one of those baby tubs. And a bath seat for when she's a little older," she said. "Bedding. Lots of blankets and clothes. Bibs. Bottles. Towels. A bassinet for our room."

"Uh huh," Derek agreed, writing them all down. "Swing. Stroller. "

"Car seat. Baby sling," Meredith dictated. "Oh, and one of those rocky seat things... you know, those things that vibrate to help her sleep. Diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, powder... we should probably buy that stuff in bulk."

"Okay," Derek said. "Um, oh, play pen. Baby monitors."

"All of the things I'll need for breastfeeding," Meredith remembered. "A pump, a nursing pillow, all that."

Derek wrote quickly to get them all written down, and Meredith smiled. "Good thing you bring home the big bucks," she giggled. "That's just some of what we need."

"That's okay," he shrugged. "I want her to have the best of everything... from diaper rash cream to party dresses," Derek beamed.

Meredith glanced down at her belly and smiled amusedly. "Hear that, Lilly? Even your tiny little hiney is going to be pampered."

"But we're not going to spoil you," Derek added.

"No, definitely not spoiling her. She's just going to be happy. And rash-free," Meredith said, giggling.

"Definitely rash-free," he guaranteed. "That's very important."

"You know, I've only changed, like... three diapers in my whole life," she said.

"I've changed tons. Don't worry, you'll be a pro by the time we bring her home from the hospital. Besides, we're in this together. The only thing I can't do is breastfeed. Or, you know, give birth. But everything else? I'm right there."

"So if she poops in the middle of the night, you'll pop right out of bed and change her?" Meredith asked, handing him her spoon so he could have some of her soup.

He accepted the spoon, chuckling. "Well, maybe not pop. But I'll trudge happily and do it, yes."

Meredith opened the box of Pop-tarts and smiled at her husband. "Fair enough."