100. Any Day Now

Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but it belongs to Shonda. By the way, how awesome was yesterday's episode? Meredith Grey is amazing. And there need to be subtly porny MerDer scenes like that every week. Just saying. Anyway, enjoy the chapter! :)

"Inhale slowly, allowing your spine to lengthen. Now exhale. Touch your fingers to your toes. Feel the stretch as it rolls through your body. Now slowly raise your arms over your head, reaching your fingertips high for sky…" came the soothing womanly voice from the TV.

Derek shivered as he entered the foyer. The first thing he noticed was the temperature. It was an unusually warm June day in Seattle, around seventy-eight degrees, the perfect weather for opening the windows and letting in the breezy air. But not for Meredith, who had the air conditioner blasting on a chilly sixty-seven.

"Mer?" he called out, walking into the living room.

Meredith stood there in a pair of his boxers and a tight camisole that barely covered her belly, doing some fancy pose. "Hey," she said, keeping her eyes focused on the girl on the TV screen.

"What're you doing?" Derek asked, dropping down onto the couch.

"Yoga," Meredith replied. The video instructed her to inhale through her nose while going into dog pose, and she did so surprisingly gracefully with her belly in the way.

Derek watched as she bent down and raised her butt up into the air. "Wow. Still flexible," he said, impressed.

"Yeah. No. Not for this pose," Meredith said, dropping onto her knees before sitting on the floor. "Too much belly burn." She paused the DVD and smiled at him. "How was work?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone thought somebody was chasing me, but other than that, not too bad," he chuckled, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "It's freezing in here."

"Really? I'm working up a sweat," Meredith said. "Why did people think you were being chased?"

Derek handed her the bottle of water sitting on the table. "Because I was afraid that while I was at the hospital, you'd be here, going into labor."

"You were only gone for two hours," she said, taking a sip of water.

"Still. I'd rather not leave you here, knowing your water is going to break at any given minute," Derek said.

"I'm six days late, Derek. Clearly she plans on camping out until Christmas," Meredith giggled.

"It's Friday. If you don't go into labor by Sunday, they're inducing you. Not too much longer," he reminded her. "So… yoga?"

Meredith shrugged. "Izzie suggested it. It's been known to induce labor. Did you know there's actually a yoga channel? Literally, it's called "The Yoga Network." Anyway, I've been doing this since you left."

"You could always fake labor. I mean, you're already overdue. They're not gonna turn you away at the door," Derek suggested, making her smile. "Might be fun. We could make up this whole skit… you in a wheelchair, me pushing you frantically down the hall…"

She laughed, taking his hand and pulling him down onto the floor next to her. "We'll call that Plan B."

"Hmm, what's Plan A?"

"Sex," Meredith said. She pressed her lips against his and gently pushed him onto the padded yoga mat. "Fiftieth time's a charm."

Derek watched as she started unbuttoning his shirt, laughing. "So you're basically using me for my penis?"

"No," she countered. "I happen to love you."

Derek smirked beneath her.

"And your penis," Meredith admitted.

"That's all I'm saying."

…

Later on, and still no signs of labor in sight, Meredith sat out on the patio in the backyard with a pineapple flavored popsicle, watching as Charlie ran around on the lawn amusing himself.

"I see you've emerged from the igloo?" Derek joked, sliding open the glass door leading from their kitchen, freshly showered and wearing his Bowdoin hoodie keep himself warm, given the blizzard going on inside the house.

"I thought some fresh air could do me some good," Meredith said. "This is my life, Derek. Eating popsicles in the sunshine."

"Can I have some?" Derek asked.

Meredith handed it to him and he took a lick of it, his face contorting when the sour taste hit his tongue. "What kind is this?"

"Pineapple," she replied. "Pineapple is supposed to help induce labor, too. Some enzyme in it is supposed to soften the cervix."

"You do realize this is just a popsicle, right?" Derek laughed, handing it back to her. "All sugar, no enzymes."

"That's because we don't have an actual pineapple. I figured I could at least pretend it would do something," Meredith explained as she bit the top of the popsicle off and chewed on it. "Plus, it's tasty."

"So, mind over cervix?"

Meredith narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Okay, if your freaking sperm would just do its job and soften it, I wouldn't need to eat popsicles…" she said.

"My sperm did its job nine months ago," Derek defended. "It's your stubborn amniotic sac that refuses to break."

"Let me win this one, please?" she requested.

Derek laughed. "Fine, you win," he said. "Would a gift cheer you up?"

"Maybe," Meredith shrugged.

He pulled a newborn-sized black tee shirt from the pocket of his sweatshirt and handed it to her. "It was delivered to my office today. I ordered it a couple weeks ago."

"You got Lilly a tee shirt with The Clash logo on it?" she giggled. "This matches the scrub cap I got you for your birthday."

"I know. I did that on purpose. Now we can match," Derek grinned. "Like it?"

Meredith leaned over her chair and kissed him. "It's adorable; I love it," she said softly. "Where'd you find this?"

"An extensive Google search," he replied. "It was shipped from some trendy baby store in California. Worth every penny."

"You just want to show her off," Meredith pointed out.

"Of course I do," Derek admitted, holding up the tiny shirt to admire it. "I'll wear the scrub cap and she'll wear the shirt, and everyone will know she's my kid."

"Everyone will know she's your kid. She's gonna look just like you," Meredith said, smiling.

"Maybe when she's a baby. But when she gets older, I have a feeling she'll be a mini version of you."

"I wish we could just see her already," Meredith sighed, looking down at her belly. "You're supposed to be six days old, Lilly. If you were here, you could've worn your new tee shirt today, even though The Clash is horrible."

"If I knew you hated them that much, I wouldn't have bought you those "Rock the Casbah" panties…" Derek said.

"You did not."

Derek grinned. "Gold lettering, right on the ass. I couldn't help myself. Those were on back order, but should be here by Monday."

"At least I don't have to wear those in public," Meredith said, finishing off the last bite of her popsicle. "For your eyes only."

"I'd appreciate that," Derek smirked.

Meredith neatly folded the small shirt on her belly. "Despite your crappy taste in music, she'll look really cute in this."

"I think so, yes?"

She leaned back in her chair and breathed in the fresh, breezy air. It was sunny and quiet and made her believe that if one could actually live in harmony with nature or whatever, here was the place to do it. She glanced over at Derek. "You really bought all of this land sight unseen?"

"Well, technically, I saw pictures online. I didn't see it in person until I bought it though," he replied. "I needed a fresh start… figured buying acres of land would help."

"Did it?"

"Not as much as you did." He smiled at her. "Which is why I was so nervous about bringing you out here for the first time."

"I already loved you by then. You could've shown me a cardboard box and it wouldn't have changed that," she told him.

"I loved you then, too."

Meredith smiled back at him. "When did you know you loved me?"

"Well, that's a loaded question," he chuckled.

"Just asking," Meredith said.

"The night I met you."

She looked at him incredulously. "Cheesy."

"True," he countered. "That was the start, anyway. I knew I wanted to know you, even before the sex happened. You were just so…"

"What?"

"I don't know. You made me happy. And I hadn't been happy in… a very long time," he said.

Meredith reached out her hand and he took it. "I know you weren't," she replied. "I'm sorry you went through that, Derek."

"Don't be," Derek said, shaking his head. "You know, it's the best thing that could've happened. If Mark and Addison hadn't… if that didn't happen, who knows where I'd be today."

"Me either," she smiled, rubbing her hand over her belly where Lilly was busy wiggling her foot.

"The universe was looking out for us in its own twisted way, I guess," he said.

"I'd say so," Meredith giggled.

"That, and all the alcohol we consumed that night in the bar. If you hadn't gotten me drunk and taken advantage of me, my initiation to Seattle wouldn't have been nearly as memorable."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Well, I'm glad I could help with that."

"So what about you?"

"What?"

"When did you know you loved me?" he asked.

Meredith chewed on her lip as she thought it over, then glanced over at him. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I can't remember not loving you, which is even cornier than what you said. But I remember the morning I realized I already loved you."

"When was that?" Derek asked, intrigued.

"The first time you slept over and we didn't have sex," she said. "We just slept, like this totally normal couple that shares a bed. I'd never done that with a guy before. When I woke up in the morning, you were still right there sleeping next to me, and I just watched you sleep. I wanted you there. That's how I wanted to wake up every morning. That's when I knew I loved you."

Derek just smiled at her. "Hmm…"

A blush crept over her cheeks. "What?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "It's just… you."

"Me?" Meredith asked as he threaded his fingers in her hair.

He leaned in and kissed her. "Mmhmm." After he pulled back, Derek leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you."

"I love you," she echoed.

"You too, Lilly. And I promise, life outside the uterus isn't that bad, although I understand how nice it must be," Derek laughed.

"She has to be getting claustrophobic, right? And uncomfortable," Meredith said, looking down at her very swollen belly beneath her shirt, then to Derek. "You're a good wooer. Talk to her. Convince her to be born."

"We're both stubborn, which mean she inherited double the stubbornness in her DNA. Good luck getting a kid like that to do anything without a fight," he said, amused.

Meredith smirked at him. "So we're basically screwed?"

"That, or someone made a clerical error when calculating your due date," he joked.

"Haha," she said wryly.

"Labor or not, this time next week, we'll have a baby in the house," Derek said optimistically.

She smiled. "Yeah."

"Are you scared?"

"About giving birth?" she asked. Derek nodded. "I'm not looking forward to the pain, but other than that, no, not really. I don't think I'll be scared until we bring her home. Then it's just you and me. And my experience with newborns is nonexistent," she laughed.

"That's what being a parent is all about. We won't be experts on day one, but we'll learn. And soon enough, it'll feel like she was here forever."

"I'm glad I get to do it all with you," Meredith said. "You know, even if I'm the one pushing the baby out and you aren't."

Derek laughed. "If I could do that for you, you know I would. But I don't have the right… equipment."

"Exactly. And when I'm in the stirrups detonating a baby, you'll be thankful for your penis," she told him.

"I get to watch, right? The birth, I mean. I can… look?" he asked.

Meredith sipped from her bottle of water. "Of course. Why wouldn't you?"

"I dunno. Just figured I'd ask before you're in detonating mode," Derek said, amused by her word choice.

"Yes, I definitely want you to watch her being born," Meredith nodded. "I want to watch, too."

"Really?"

Meredith smiled. "Hell yeah."

"I swear, you're the most relaxed person I've ever known when it comes to giving birth," Derek said.

"I don't really see the point in being scared of it," Meredith shrugged. "I mean, I hear so many horror stories about the pain and everything, but I've never heard anyone say it's not worth it. If a few hours of pain is the tradeoff for having our daughter, then I'll do it."

"Wow." He smiled at her. "That's… more women should have that approach," he said genuinely.

"I have an advantage: unstable childhood. Plus, I've held a bomb. And drowned. That makes childbirth seem like a walk in the park."

"Hmm," Derek considered. "Good point."

…

"So what's on the fun-filled agenda for tomorrow?" Meredith asked, making sure he caught the smirk on her face as she rubbed lotion on her legs.

Derek dropped down on the bed and lay beside her, closing his eyes. "Sleeping in."

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Sure," he said, smiling. "Banana pancakes, right?"

"I crave them practically every morning, which is weird because I barely ever ate pancakes before I was pregnant," Meredith said, setting her lotion on her nightstand and lying down in bed, trying to find a comfortable position on her side.

Derek slid a pillow under her belly to prop it up, then rested his hand on top. "If I wasn't here to make them, you'd be out of luck."

"I just let you think I'm incompetent in the kitchen so you'll cook for me," she joked.

"Oh, really?"

Meredith draped her leg over his for back support and hugged him to her. "Yeah," she yawned.

"Using me as a human pillow?" he chuckled.

She yawned again. "Yeah."

"Okay."

When Derek started trailing his fingers up and down her back, Meredith smiled. "Keep doing that."

"Feel good?"

"Very," she laughed sleepily.

He kissed her forehead. "Sleep."

"Okay," she whispered, her eyes slipping shut slowly. "Love you."

"I love you, too," he said.

An hour or so later, Meredith woke from a deep sleep, limbs still tangled up with Derek's. There was a slight pain radiating from her back all the way around to her belly, and she opened her eyes. It was a feeling she'd only read about, but never experienced until now.

She smiled. "Holy crap."