104. The First Few Hours

Disclaimer #1: Still not mine.

Disclaimer #2: So, the baby is finally here, and Meredith and Derek are new parents, trying to figure it all out. I hope you enjoy what I have planned, and don't mind all of the gross, adorable baby things, like bodily functions, etc. We all watch Grey's, and have dealt with much more than dirty diapers and spit up. Also, I'm not a parent, but have been babysitting the cutest little girl ever since she was a newborn. She's two now, and I think I've seen it all: the good, the bad, the completely adorable, and the gross, and she's given me tons of material for this fic, which I'll thank her for one day. ;) Anyway, enough with the rambling. Enjoy!

Lilly Grace Shepherd. Born June 5th. 3:47 PM. 6 lbs., 7 ozs. 18 in. Mother: Meredith. Father: Derek, read the information on the small pink card tucked into the plastic holder inside Lilly's bassinet where she slept.

After her feeding, the baby fell asleep in Meredith's arms, and Meredith began to come down from the energy of the day, and her eyelids slipped shut, too.

Derek took the baby from his wife and cradled her, eventually putting her into the bassinet at the bedside. Sleep when the baby sleeps, advice passed down from his mother, and every baby book ever written. After making sure Lilly was comfortably sleeping, Derek got back into the bed next to Meredith and slept.

Two hours passed in silence until Lilly began wriggling around in her blanket. She let out a small cry and both Meredith and Derek's eyes flashed open, already overtaken by parenthood.

Meredith swung her legs over the side of the bed without thinking and grimaced at the sudden movement. "Ouch," she winced.

"Mer, I can get her," Derek said as he sat up.

"No, no. I got her," Meredith replied, walking around to the other side of the bed to the bassinet. "I'm supposed to be up walking a few hours after birth anyway. I'm fine." She scooped Lilly up from the bassinet and bounced her in her arms.

"Hi," she whispered. "Did you sleep well, Lillybug?"

Derek smiled. "Lillybug?"

"She needs a nickname," Meredith said, fixing the waistline of her sweatpants. "I think it fits her."

"I love it," Derek chuckled, moving over to the other side of the bed so Meredith didn't have to walk back around.

Meredith sat back down on the bed and brushed her finger over the baby's soft cheek. "I think she got even cuter while she slept," Meredith giggled.

"She really did," he grinned, watching as Meredith took Lilly's pink cap off. "What're you doing?"

"Looking at her hair," Meredith said, gently smoothing her fingers over Lilly's head of soft dark hair. "Just like yours."

Derek looked down at his little girl and shook his head in awe. "I could literally stare at her all day," he said.

"Little pieces of both of us… which makes sense genetically, I guess," she teased. "But still. Without us, she wouldn't be here."

"Hmm, we make beautiful little human beings together." He pressed his lips to Meredith's temple and smiled. "We should just retire. Spend all our time making more babies."

"I want another one," Meredith said. Derek looked at her like she had two heads and she laughed. "I don't mean we have to get started right now, obviously. If my you-know-what could talk, it would be ranting. But I already miss being pregnant. It's weird having her on the outside."

"Well, you got seven extra days," Derek pointed out. He let Lilly grab onto his finger. "You were a full week late, Lillybug." He grinned at Meredith. "Yeah, that nickname's gonna stick."

"Good, right?"

Derek laughed. "Very good choice." Meredith's phone blinked as she got a text, and he reached for it on the nightstand. "Izzie," he said.

"What'd she say?"

"Up for visitors tonight?" Derek read from her phone. He turned to Meredith. "Up to you."

"Yeah, they can come. At least for a little while," Meredith agreed. "They've been waiting patiently all day. I want to nurse her again, then they can stop by. Ask if they don't mind waiting like forty-five minutes."

Derek typed back the message into the phone, and got a reply seconds later. "She said okay, with an exclamation point and a smiley face," he laughed.

"Okay, good," Meredith giggled. She fitted Lilly's cap back on her head. "Mommy's going to feed you, then you're going to meet a few very overexcited aunts and uncles," she told the baby.

Lilly blinked at her and stuck out her little tongue. Derek felt his heart skip in his chest at how fascinating his daughter was, and reached for her while Meredith adjusted her tee shirt. "God, I love you," he said, kissing the baby's cheek.

Meredith bit her lip and smiled. She always knew that Derek would make an incredible father, but to actually see him with their daughter, hugging, kissing, and talking to her, literally took her breath away. "I've never seen you like this before."

"I've never had a daughter before," he said softly.

She saw the tears in his eyes and rubbed her hand along his arm. "Yeah."

Derek handed Lilly to Meredith so she could nurse, smiling at how at ease and in control Meredith was already. She just seemed to know what to do, even though no one told her how. Incalculable amounts of love and pride welled up inside him.

"Alright, other side this time," Meredith said. "Ready, Lilly?" It took a few tries, but Meredith finally got Lilly to latch on, her tiny hand resting on top of Meredith's breast again.

"You two are really good at that," Derek complimented.

"Teamwork," she replied. "That, and she's clearly a genius."

Derek wrapped his arm around Meredith's shoulder, careful not to jostle Lilly while she nursed. "Smart and beautiful, like you."

Meredith laughed. "Are you flirting with me, Dr. Shepherd? Remember, I'm celibate for six weeks."

"Doesn't mean I can't flirt, especially when what I'm saying it true," he upheld. He kissed the top of her head. "Love you."

"Love you too," she whispered, rubbing her hand up and down the baby's back while she ate. "Look at how tiny her fingernails are."

"I know. And her little hands." Derek brushed his finger along the back of Lilly's hand gently as it sat on top of Meredith's breast. "These are surgeon hands. They run in the Grey lineage."

Meredith smiled sadly. "Yeah."

"Hey, you okay?"

"What? Oh. Yeah. I'm fine; it's just… I kind of wish my mom was alive to meet her. I think she would've been proud." Meredith shook her head. "Or, I don't know. Maybe."

"She would have."

"You think so?" she asked.

Derek looked at his daughter as she peacefully nursed and he smiled. "How could she not have been? Look at her. She's incredible."

"Yeah. She is," Meredith agreed. She weaved her fingers through Derek's. "I know you wish your dad could be here, too."

"Yeah I do," Derek admitted. "It's okay, you know. It's okay to be sad about it. But just because they're not here doesn't mean Lilly won't know who they were. We'll make sure she knows all about them."

With her free hand, she put her hand on his cheek and kissed him. "Okay," she whispered.

"Is she sleeping?" Derek asked.

Meredith looked down at Lilly, her squishy, warm body snuggled against her own. "She's still sucking, but I guess she might be," Meredith said before smiling. "She has really long eyelashes."

"And dark, too," he noticed. "We both have dark eyelashes, but the length she got from you."

"I think she's a good mix of both of us," Meredith said. "How weird is it that we made a person?"

Derek laughed. "I know. I never even really thought about it, but it's…" He shook his head. "Yeah. It's unbelievable."

When Lilly decided she was finished a few minutes later, she unlatched on her own and yawned widely. She stared up at them, a content expression on her tiny face. "All done?" Meredith asked, wiping the excess off the corners of the baby's mouth with her fingers.

"You're a good eater," Derek said. He took the baby while Meredith readjusted her shirt, propping her over his shoulder to burp her. "Can you burp for me?"

"She might spit up on you," Meredith warned him playfully. "Use this," she said, grabbing a dry wash cloth on her nightstand and draping it over his shoulder. "There you go. Now you can spit up."

"Oh, yeah. Encourage spitting up," Derek laughed. He kissed the baby's cheek as he patted her back. "It's okay; you can. Daddy won't mind."

"I really need to pee," Meredith said, gently stepping over the side of the bed and putting on her flip flops. "Wait for me to come back before you do anything cute," she told Lilly.

"Take your time," he replied. "Lilly and I are just fine, aren't we?" he said to the baby. Lilly let out a tiny burp and a grin spread over Derek's face that creased his eyes. "You burped!"

Meredith turned around on her slow walk to the bathroom. "She did?" Meredith asked in surprise. "Good job, peanut."

"We're gonna celebrate everything you do, so be forewarned," Derek advised his daughter. "Me, especially. You know, pulling out the potty pictures when your boyfriends visit. You won't be using a potty for a couple years. Just enjoy the diapers for now. And boyfriends? We'll save them for when you're twenty. Okay?"

Lilly made a gurgling sound and hiccupped, and Derek smiled. "That's it, get out all the bubbles in your belly. Once Mommy gets back, we'll change you."

Meredith shuffled out of the bathroom, careful not to move too quickly because her body still felt a little worn out after delivery. Derek glanced up at her. "Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah. I was a little afraid, but I'm fine," she said.

"Afraid?"

Meredith laughed slightly and waved it off. "I know you're my husband, but anything I said would be TMI.."

Derek frowned. "What? Why?"

"I pushed a baby out of my body a few hours ago. I'm sore, that's all," she shrugged. "Plus, I was afraid to look."

"Everything goes back to normal. It just takes a few days," Derek comforted her.

"Says the penis-owning man," Meredith smirked at him as she took a fresh diaper and a onesie from the stack on the shelf under Lilly's bassinet. "How is she?"

"You mean since you saw her two minutes ago?" he teased. "She's good. Still perfect."

Meredith eased back into the bed and leaned into him. "Good," she said softly. "They're going to be here soon, so we should probably—"

Lilly let out a rumbling sound from underneath the blanket, and both of their mouths went wide in awe and amusement. "Whoa," Derek chuckled.

Meredith laughed. "Did you just fart on Daddy?" she asked the baby. "I wish that was on tape or something."

"I think I just fell even more in love with you," Derek said, hugging Lilly to him and pressing kisses to her forehead. "That was impressive."

"Do you feel better, huh?" Meredith asked as Derek gently laid the baby down on top of the bed between them. "Parenthood really throws all modesty out the window... and she got that from you, you know. The gassiness."

"Me? What about you? You're like a trucker," Derek argued.

"I am not."

Derek snorted. "All the Taco Bell you consumed in the last nine months?" He smiled down at Lilly as he unswaddled her from her blanket. "Mommy will deny it until she's blue in the face, but believe me, Lilly. It's true," he whispered loudly so Meredith would hear.

Meredith smacked him lightly with her hand. "Shut up," she smirked. "You can do it all you want, Lilly. Just because he teases me doesn't mean he'll tease you."

"I wasn't teasing."

"Uh huh. Okay. Just wait," Meredith said.

Derek laughed. "Wait for what?"

"I don't know," Meredith shrugged. "I'm tired. It's an empty threat," she said, unpeeling the adhesive on Lilly's diaper. "Can you get the wipes?"

"Yeah." Derek leaned over the bed and grabbed them off the shelf under the bassinet. "Did she pee?"

"Yes, she did. Good job," Meredith said softly, rubbing Lilly's stomach with her finger. She took a wipe from the pack Derek handed her. "Can you hold up her legs?"

"This is our first real diaper change," Derek grinned, gently holding up the baby's legs while Meredith cleaned her.

Meredith smiled. "Not so hard."

Lilly started to cry when the cold air touched her wet skin, and her forehead scrunched up with wrinkles as her face reddened. Meredith finished wiping her and pulled out the used diaper from underneath her bottom. "I know. You're okay," she cooed.

Derek slid the fresh diaper under the baby and they quickly fastened the sides together. "She's even cute when she cries," he said, unsnapping the crotch snaps on her tiny white onesie so they could dress her in it.

"She's going to make me start crying," Meredith replied. "Here, I'll lift her up. You slip it over her head."

"Okay," Derek said, gently easing the outfit past Lilly's head.

They each took an arm and delicately maneuvered them into the long sleeves, and Meredith pulled it over her belly, careful not to rub the fabric against her belly button clamp. She snapped it between her legs with ease, then examined their efforts, making sure Lilly was comfortable.

"Either you had a kid you forgot about, or you're a natural at this," Derek said, reaching for a pair of socks.

Meredith picked Lilly up and hugged her to her chest. "Well, I had to do it fast. Seeing that sad, gummy cry is enough to kill me. Seriously, I'm surprised my boobs aren't leaking," she teased, bouncing the baby soothingly as her crying dwindled down and eventually stopped.

"All clean and warm now," Derek said while slipping Lilly's tiny feet into the small cotton socks.

There was a short knock at the door, and Izzie poked her head in tentatively. "Hey," she said softly. "Can we come say hi? If you'd rather we come back tomorrow, that's fine."

"No, no. Come in," Meredith smiled as she wrapped Lilly back up in her blanket. "We just got done changing her."

Izzie opened the door and walked in with a handful of pink balloons, followed by Alex, Cristina, and George, all of them stopping in mid-step when they saw the baby snuggled to Meredith's chest.

"She's so tiny," Izzie whispered, peeking over the bed to see Lilly. "Oh, you guys, she's beautiful."

"Thank you," Derek replied. He waved everyone else over so they could get a better look at the baby. "Who wants to hold her first?"

"Izzie called it months ago," Meredith said, kissing Lilly's forehead before holding her out to Izzie. "She's sleepy, so she probably won't cry."

Izzie accepted the baby into her arms and smiled down at her. "Hi," she said. She sniffled back tears. "Okay, seriously, she's the prettiest baby I've ever seen." Lilly blinked her eyes open and yawned.

"Her eyes are really blue," Alex commented as he stood next to Izzie. "I don't do that chick crap, but yeah, she's pretty damn cute."

Meredith laughed. "Thanks, Alex," she said. "Oh, and I want you to hold her, too. Don't think you're getting out of it."

"How do you feel?" George asked.

"Like I shot a watermelon out of my hoohoo," Meredith replied. "But having an awesome baby totally makes up for that. She even learned how to nurse already."

Izzie brushed her finger over Lilly's cheek. "That's because you're smart. And so freaking cute," she cooed. "I don't know who she looks like more. She looks a lot like both of you."

"Still not ever doing it," Cristina maintained, leaning against the nightstand.

"Oh, shut up and hold the baby. I swear you'll change your mind," Izzie said as she gently passed the baby over to Cristina.

Cristina held Lilly at arm's length and Derek laughed. "She's not gonna explode. Hold her like a baby, Yang."

"I'm not good with babies," Cristina replied, moving Lilly closer to her chest. "Please don't spit up on me." Lilly stretched out her hand from the blanket and yawned, and Cristina smiled.

Meredith noticed the look on her friend's face. "See? Pretty good, right?"

"Fine, she's cute," Cristina admitted, looking down at the baby. "You know, I have lots of stories about your mom. When you turn twenty-one, we'll go out for a drink and I'll clue you in."

"You will not," Meredith giggled.

"Oh, almost forgot. Sloan said he'd stop by tomorrow," Izzie said. "He asked me to pass the message along on his way out."

"He probably just wants to meet her without having to share with anyone else," Derek joked.

"You're hogging her," George said, reaching out his arms to Cristina. "I want a turn."

Cristina reluctantly handed Lilly over to George, who looked like a kid on Christmas morning. He smiled widely and bounced a little on his heels. "Hi. You're so cute. Yes you are," he cooed in his signature baby voice. "I'm your Uncle George, by the way. It's really cool that you're here. I'm gonna teach you lots of stuff. Like... oh! Like how to do an appendectomy without almost killing the guy. I took out your mom's appendix, you know."

"Big deal. I can teach her how to do a heart transplant," Cristina countered.

"You can all teach her all of that stuff. We just need to get through tonight first," Derek chuckled.

"Did she sleep at all for you?" Izzie asked, motioning for George to hand the baby over to Alex, who was the only one who hadn't yet had his turn.

Meredith nodded. "She slept for two hours, then she was hungry again. She's a very good eater."

"Please, don't tell us about your boobs," Cristina winced. "It's creepy enough thinking she came out of your girl parts a few hours ago..."

"Yeah, because I was going to pop a boob out and feed her with all of you standing here," Meredith said sarcastically.

Alex whistled. "That would be hot," he said, carefully taking Lilly in his arms when George finally passed her over. "Hey there," Alex said with a smile. "She looks a lot like you, Mer."

"Take the hat off," Meredith said.

Alex peeked under Lilly's pink knit cap and laughed. "Yeah. Okay. The hair is definitely yours, Shepherd."

"That was a given. Creepy perfect hair has to be passed down in the DNA," Cristina pointed out.

"When are you being discharged?" George asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon sometime. I could stay until midnight, but that would be stupid," Meredith shrugged.

"I'll stop by your house tonight after work and put all the food I made in the freezer," Izzie said. "Lasagna, chicken, pasta, things like that. Oh, and I made you a few desserts. I wanted to make sure you had enough since you won't feel like cooking."

"She didn't even share it with me. I had to eat leftover pizza," Alex said, laughing a little when Lilly stuck her tongue out at him.

Cristina scoffed. "You made them all that food just because they had a baby? Jeez, maybe I should have a kid."

"We appreciate it, Iz. Thank you," Meredith smiled.

Lilly let out a small fussy sound and blinked sleepily around the room, her eyes staying on Meredith once she spotted her, as though she sought the security of her mother's arms again. Alex walked over to the bed to pass the baby back to her. "She's pretty awesome," he said. "Congrats, you guys."

"Thank you," Meredith said softly, hugging Lilly to her chest once again. Lilly turned into her and tucked her little fist under her chin, her eyes slowly slipping shut.

"You're such a mommy already. I wanna cry," Izzie practically gushed as she watched Meredith cradle the baby.

Cristina let out a puff of air and sighed. "Congratulations, universe. You actually turned Meredith Grey, queen of tequila and one night stands, into Motherhood Barbie."

"I owe the universe fifty bucks," Alex joked, opening the door as the group got ready to leave for the night.

"We're so happy for you. She's gorgeous," Izzie said. "If you need anything, let me know," she offered, sneaking one last peek at the baby before walking toward the door. "And congrats again."

"Thanks, guys. And thanks for stopping by. It really means a lot," Derek said sincerely, wrapping his arms around Meredith's shoulders.

Izzie smiled. "We love you guys," she said. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye," Meredith waved with her free hand.

Once the four of them trailed out and the door clicked shut behind them, Meredith leaned into Derek and yawned. "I'm glad they came by."

"Hmm, me too," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Tired?"

"Yeah, but I don't wanna sleep. She might need me," Meredith said.

"We both like to sleep. Maybe she'll be a good sleeper."

"You just jinxed that one," Meredith smirked. "I know she's tired though. She might just wake up to eat a few times."

Derek ran a hand through his hair and kicked off his shoes onto the floor. "It's been a long day," he said. "A long, happy day."

"Very happy day," she said softly. "I wouldn't change a minute of it, even the pain."

"I love you," Derek said, pressing his lips to hers. He gently leaned in and kissed Lilly's forehead. "And I love you," he whispered.

"We love you, too."

"Want me to lay her in the bassinet?" Derek asked.

Meredith smiled down at the baby, her tiny body comfortable and relaxed in her arm. "I just want to look at her for a few more minutes."

"Me too."