136. New Year's Eve

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

As always, sorry for the delay! I hate making you guys wait so long. And I start nursing school on Monday, so I'm going to be pretty busy. But writing this fic will probably be the only thing keeping me sane, so even if it takes a little longer to post, I promise I'll never abandon it! Enjoy! :)

The smooth glide of Meredith's pen scratched jaggedly across the paper she was writing on as Cristina jumped up onto the counter at the ER nurses' station, and the unexpected movement sent Meredith flying backward in her swivel chair.

"Jeez, you scared the crap out of me!" Meredith gasped as she scooted her feet forward to where she was. She picked up her pen and glanced at the post-op note that had gotten interrupted, now decorated with an unintentional zigzag line. "Awesome," she said, rummaging around the desk for the bottle of Wite-Out.

Cristina took a bite of her cereal bar. "Someone's in a mood," she accused.

"Sorry, I've been here since yesterday afternoon. I miss my Lilly," Meredith said as she brushed the Wite-Out sponge over the mark on the page. "One hour and fifty-four minutes to go."

"Any good surgeries come in last night?" Cristina asked.

"Burst appendix, femur fracture, and a second degree burn from a firework mishap," Meredith said. "The guy was celebrating the eve of New Year's Eve. Apparently, trying to light a firework while heavily intoxicated is not a good idea."

"I love working New Year's Eve. You see this Mer?" Cristina said, gesturing to the ER with both hands. "Everything the light touches is my kingdom tonight."

Meredith laughed, tossing the Wite-Out bottle back into the drawer. "Did you seriously just quote The Lion King?"

"What can I say? New Year's Eve down here is magical. Owen's letting me run the ER tonight. One of his Christmas gifts to me," Cristina said in excited anticipation.

"Romantic," Meredith teased.

"By the way, props for knowing that was a Lion King quote," Cristina said before taking a sip of her coffee. "I didn't think you'd know what the hell I was talking about."

"I watched it with Derek and Lilly a few days ago," Meredith said, wishing more than anything that she was home with them right now, instead of being stuck at work. "You sure you don't wanna come over tonight? Izzie, Alex, George, and Lexie are going to Joe's, but Mark and Bridget are coming; we're going to watch the Giants-Patriots game, and I could really use an ally."

"And miss Trauma-Palooza?"

"Yeah, stupid question," Meredith relented, checking her watch for the umpteenth time in a row. "I wish Derek were here. We would always spend our free time having sex in his office."

"Go call him up and have some phone sex. You two are kinky like that," Cristina said.

"That's flattering, but he's home with Lilly. Not sure phone sex would work when he's in the middle of singing the ABCs and changing diapers," Meredith said, fixing her ponytail. "Lilly's so close to getting her first tooth, too. She's like a little adult. It actually makes me cry."

Cristina spun around on the counter and stared at her friend blankly. "She's six months old, Mer."

"Five days from now, she'll be seven months old," Meredith said. "I feel like she should still be kicking me from the inside. I miss that."

"Have another one," Cristina shrugged simply.

Meredith smiled. "Sometimes I think about it. Not that I want to start the baby-making tomorrow or anything; I just think about having one sooner rather than later. Derek and I planned to start trying again a little over a year from now, but sometimes, I think we should just go for it, you know? Why wait? Especially now that..." she said before stopping herself, almost spilling the beans about Bridget's pregnancy when she swore to keep it a secret.

"What?"

"Now that residency is almost over," Meredith corrected.

"Makes sense," Cristina admitted.

Meredith cocked her head and smirked. "Do you mean that, or are you mocking me?"

"No, it does. If we still had a few years of residency ahead of us, I'd ask if you were high on something, but I get it. Not the whole desire to house a mini human for nine months and then push it out of my vajayjay, but I see where you're coming from. Did you tell Derek any of this?" Cristina asked.

"No. I think he's probably thinking the same thing I am, but he's afraid to say it because I'm the one who has to do the housing and the pushing," Meredith said.

"Tell him, then. Chances are, he does feel the same way. Knowing you two, he'll knock you up tonight," Cristina said.

Meredith shook her head. "There will be no knocking me up for at least a few months. And that's only if we talk it over and decide to have one sooner. Right now, this is all just hypothetical. Maybe I'll talk to him tonight, get a sparkly game plan in motion for the New Year," she said.

"Did you just say sparkly?" Cristina asked in disgust.

Meredith leaned back in her chair and giggled. "I've been in the ER for eighteen hours. I'm getting delirious."

...

At home, Derek lay sleeping on the couch, making the most of Lilly's nap time by taking his own. Lilly was snoozing away on top of him, her head on his chest. The sound of his heart beating and the rhythmic inhale and exhale of his breathing always lulled her to sleep, something that came in handy when trying to combat her teething woes.

Just as Derek was adjusting his position to get more comfortable, he heard a knock at the front door, and he opened his eyes. "Hang on, Charlie. I'm coming," he yawned, getting off the couch and following the dog. He gently maneuvered Lilly so that her head was resting on his shoulder, hoping she would stay asleep.

He padded into the foyer and saw Mark standing on the other side holding a large cardboard box. Derek put his finger to his lips to signal that he needed to be quiet, then opened the door for him.

"Hey," Derek said in a hushed tone.

"Morning, sunshines," Mark said just as quietly as he set the box down on the floor. "All of your boat equipment keeps getting sent to my house because Meredith had it shipped there so you wouldn't see it. Figured I'd come by and drop it off because I was getting tired of looking at it."

"Thank you," Derek said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Lilly and I got up early to deal with teething drama, so we had a longer than normal nap."

Mark followed Derek into the living room, smiling at all of Lilly's Christmas toys, still sitting under the tree. "She finally opened all her presents, huh?"

"Yeah. It took her a few days, but she did it. Mer and I were very proud," Derek grinned.

"Where is Mer?" Mark asked.

"She was on-call last night, but her shift's over soon, which is why I'm glad you woke me up. I dropped her off yesterday because it was snowing, and she hates driving in snow, so I need to go pick her up," Derek said, carefully laying Lilly in her swing then buckling her.

"Bridget's up there now to see Halloran. I could see if she could hang around to give Mer a ride, so you wouldn't have to drive up there," Mark offered.

Derek looked at Mark in concern. "What's the matter? Is Bridget alright?"

"Yeah, she's just getting a routine blood test. It's not for an ultrasound. I wouldn't miss that for anything," Mark said as he dropped down onto the couch.

"Better than any movie, isn't it?" Derek said with a smile, kissing Lilly's tiny forehead.

"Hell yeah it is."

"Sure, you can give Bridget a call. If she doesn't mind, I'll call Meredith and ask her. I doubt she'd care either. If Bridget's already finished, tell her to check the ER. I'm sure Mer's looking for a reason to bolt out of there," Derek chuckled.

"Okay," Mark nodded, pulling his phone from his pocket. He got up off the couch and headed for the kitchen to avoid waking Lilly, but by the time he got there, Lilly's blue eyes peeked open, scanning the room for her dad. When she saw him folding a blanket, she made a tired babbling sound at him.

Derek turned around when he heard his daughter's sweet, little voice. "Hey, Princess. You look refreshed," he said. "Guess what? Mommy's gonna be home soon."

Lilly smiled when she heard the word 'Mommy,' and Derek knelt down to unbuckle her from the swing she'd only been laying in for a few minutes. "Yeah. I bet she can't wait to see you, either. She always misses you when she's at work. How about while we're waiting for her, I give you a bath and put you in your Giants outfit. It matches my shirt; Uncle Mark's, too. I can't wait to see Mommy's reaction to that."

Lilly giggled at him as though she understood, causing Derek to laugh, too. "Okay, then. That's what we'll do."

Mark walked back into the living room, sidestepping Lilly's toys. "Bridget was actually talking to Meredith when I called. Mer was heading toward the resident lounge to change just as Bridget was walking to the elevator to leave, and they bumped into each other. They should be here soon," he relayed.

"Okay, good; thanks," Derek said gratefully, handing Mark the remote so he could turn on the TV. "Lilly needs a bath, so you can hang out down here if you want. I won't be long."

"What, you think I can't handle bath time? 'Cause I can," Mark said as he set the remote on the end table. "Plus, I'm gonna be a dad in a few months. I could use the practice."

"Like baby boot camp? Fine, I'll let you do it. I'll supervise," Derek challenged.

Mark nodded in agreement. "I can do that," he said, following Derek toward the stairs. "Wait, does she like baths? Or is she one of those babies that freaks out at the sight of water like a cat?"

Derek laughed. "She loves the tub, actually," he said. "But it's all about the timing. If you leave her naked too long before getting her in the tub, she'll get cold and pee on you. I've been peed on enough to know."

"Maybe you should do it," Mark said, unsure he wanted to risk getting peed on and suffer Derek's subsequent mocking.

"No turning back now. You'll be fine. It's easy," Derek said. He led Mark into the bathroom, then pointed to Lilly's baby tub sitting on the counter. "Okay, fill that up halfway with water that's a little warmer than lukewarm," he instructed.

Mark turned on the faucets, putting his hand under the water stream until he found the right temperature. "Is this okay?" he asked.

Derek stuck his hand under the faucet, then nodded in approval. "Yeah, that's good."

"Okay," Mark said, starting to fill up the pink tub. "You know, I'm glad you have a kid. Makes it easier on me. You're like the walking encyclopedia of fatherhood."

"Soon enough, you will be, too," Derek said as he unsnapped Lilly's pajamas. "I remember how nervous I was before Lilly was born. The more Meredith's belly grew, the more real it became. Before I knew it, she was in labor, and after a few pushes, there was Lilly. The second I saw her, all of the fear went away. Parent mode kicked in, and all I could think about was how much I loved her. The same thing will happen to you."

"You think so?"

"Yeah I do," Derek said sincerely, holding Lilly close so she wouldn't get cold. "And in the meantime, Lilly is happy to help you practice your parenting skills."

"Alright, come here, Lilly," Mark said, holding his arms out for her. "Please don't pee on me."

Derek decided to help him out, taking Lilly's diaper off before handing her to Mark, lessening the chance of an accident. Mark quickly placed her in the tub, making sure her body was covered by enough water to keep her warm. He went right to work, taking the tiny bucket and gently pouring water over her upper body.

"See? I didn't even have to tell you what to do. You're a natural," Derek complimented, leaning against the bathroom counter. "To do her hair, just lean her forward and tip her head back a little so you don't get water in her eyes."

"Got it," Mark said, following Derek's instructions carefully. Lilly babbled up at him as her toes splashed in the water, and Mark smiled at her. "You're a little heart breaker, kid. I mean, I'm the last one to ever pump your Dad's ego, but I'll give credit where it's due."

"She's such a sweet baby. Happy, easygoing, funny, smart. She makes me want to have a dozen more," Derek said, handing Mark Lilly's baby shampoo.

Mark squirt some into his palm and set the bottle on the counter. "Why not? There's enough room in this woodland mansion you built," he said.

"Not sure how Meredith would feel about popping out twelve more. After seeing her go through childbirth, I'm surprised she even let me have sex with her again," Derek chuckled. "We definitely want another one. Maybe we'll go for a third at some point."

"Go for it, man. Lilly wants a sibling. Don't you, Lilly?" Mark encouraged.

"I'd have another one in a heartbeat, but I don't know if we're ready. Lilly's still so young. Mer and I planned to wait until she was around eighteen months," Derek said.

Mark leaned Lilly forward and rinsed the shampoo from her hair, careful not to get any of it in her eyes. "Eighteen months is still young," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess. It really doesn't make a difference to me how long we wait, as long as they're close in age. If Mer wanted to start trying tonight, I'd be happy. If she wanted to wait until Lilly was two, I'd be happy. It'll happen when it's supposed to," Derek shrugged, smiling when Lilly squished some sudsy bubbles in her hand. "How many do you and Bridget want?"

"We wanna see if we survive one, especially if it's a boy. If he's anything like I was, we'll have our hands full," Mark replied, taking the washcloth Derek handed him.

"You mean doing things like putting my favorite frog into the microwave?" Derek asked.

"I never pressed start," Mark said in his defense.

Derek laughed. "You would have if Mom hadn't caught you," he countered. "Anyway, the Shepherds are female-dominated, so chances are, even if Mer and I did have a dozen kids, they'd all be girls. Might be nice if you and Bridget had a boy to throw into the mix."

"She thinks it's a boy. I'm leaning toward girl. Either way, I doubt my kid will have my hair like Lilly got yours. Bridget's a redhead in a redheaded, Irish family. I don't think even Sloan DNA can compete with that," Mark replied, gently cleaning Lilly with the soapy washcloth.

"Well, your redheaded kid will most likely be born between both of my dark haired, blue eyed ones," Derek said.

Mark grinned as he rinsed the soap off Lilly with the bucket. "They'll be a cute bunch," he said decidedly.

"Yeah, they will be," Derek agreed, taking Lilly's towel from the shelf. "All done, Princess? I have Mr. Duck ready to dry you off."

"Mr. Duck?" Mark echoed, little drops of water dripping off Lilly as he scooped her up out of the tub.

Derek smiled, wrapping her in the duck towel with the beak hood. "Baby language doesn't come with an off switch. When I was in surgery last week, I almost asked Bokey for Mr. Scalpel. I think I watch too much Elmo's World."

"Yikes."

"Yeah, just you wait. Stuff like that will be coming out of your mouth in a few months," Derek warned him.

Mark dumped the tub water into the sink and squeezed the excess from the washcloth. "Looking forward to it."

"Okay, let's go get you dressed before Mommy gets home and vetoes your outfit," Derek said, walking out into the hall with Mark following behind him.

"Why? What are you putting her in?"

The two went into Lilly's nursery and Derek opened one of her dresser drawers. He reached into the back of it and pulled out the article of clothing he'd hidden there. "This," he said, holding up Lilly's baby-sized Giants cheerleading uniform that Bridget and Mark had gotten for her.

"Excellent choice," Mark said in approval.

"I think Mer forgot we even have this. I hid it behind other clothes, so it wouldn't mysteriously go missing. She couldn't care less about sports, but when it comes to rivalries, she still has Boston in her blood," Derek said, laying Lilly down on her changing table. He patted her bottom dry, then slid a fresh diaper under her. "I can't wait to see the look on Mommy's face, Lillybug."

Mark leaned against Lilly's crib. "You dress her in that, and there's a good chance you won't get laid tonight. I mean, worth it, but still."

"Oh, I'll get laid. It's a holiday. Holidays and sex were practically written into our wedding vows," Derek joked, slipping the Giants dress over Lilly's head. "This finally fits you, Lilly," he said. "Mark, there's a pair of red leggings in her second drawer. Can you get them?"

"Yeah." Mark opened the drawer and searched for the correct pair, pulling them out when he finally spotted them. "Jeez, she has a lot of clothes. There's like a rainbow's worth of leggings just in that drawer."

"Meredith got really girly during her pregnancy. I thought it was the hormones at first, but she just really loves having a little girl. We both do, but the fashion is all up to Mer. The outfits, the shoes, the headbands, all of it. Between her, all of our friends, and my sisters, Lilly's gonna need a second closet soon," Derek said, shimmying the red leggings up the baby's chubby legs and around her waist.

"A closet full of New York pride," Mark amended.

"Yeah, I'll do my best. Meredith would buy a closet full of Boston stuff just to annoy me," Derek laughed. He sat Lilly up on the changing table, then reached for her baby brush before gently combing her wet curls of dark hair.

"Giants, Yankees, Rangers, Knicks. Those are your teams," Mark told Lilly.

"Imparting your godfatherly wisdom on her?" Derek asked.

Mark nodded. "Damn right. It's part of my job. I'll tell the same thing to my own baby. Oh, and arena football is not real football, kiddo," he added.

"Okay, now that we've established that, look in that purple bin full of her hair stuff for two blue bows," Derek requested as he scooped one side of Lilly's hair into a pigtail.

"And you say pregnancy made Meredith girly?" Mark mocked, rummaging in the bin.

Derek rolled his eyes. "What? I have a daughter. Dresses and pigtails are part of the package. Right, Lilly? Tell him," he said.

Meredith entered Lilly's nursery with Bridget by her side, both of them looking on in amusement. "What did we just walk in on?" Meredith laughed, her eyes traveling to Lilly's outfit. "You did not!"

"We had to. But come on, look how cute she is," Derek said, securing one of Lilly's pigtails with the bow Mark handed him.

Meredith walked over to Lilly and picked her up, hugging her close to her chest. "I missed you so much, peanut. Being on-call is no fun," she said. "Sorry Daddy and Uncle Mark dressed you in this before I could stop them."

"Now all three of us match," Mark said, gesturing to the Giants shirts he and Derek were wearing. "And minus the pigtails, she's the spitting image of Derek."

"She does look adorable," Meredith admitted, setting Lilly on her hip so Derek could do the other half of her pigtails. She kissed Lilly's cheek and breathed her in. "And you smell so good."

"Mark volunteered to give her a bath. He did great. Lilly had no complaints," Derek said as he finished the other pigtail.

"Really? I'm impressed," Bridget smiled, one hand over her stomach with its still nonexistent bump.

"She didn't pee on you, did she? Because I swear she pees on Derek like once a week," Meredith said.

Mark shook his head. "Nah, she went easy on me."

"I guess she saves the peeing for her Daddy," Meredith said, holding Lilly's foot so Derek could slip her sock on.

"I hope our kid saves the pee for him," Bridget said jokingly, pointing to Mark. "It's only fair after suffering through all the morning sickness, which sometimes lingers into the afternoon and night. The only thing that helps is the graham cracker-ginger ale combo you suggested. That's literally all I eat some days."

Derek chuckled as he put Lilly's other sock on her. "Sounds like Meredith. She carried an emergency supply everywhere we went."

Bridget opened her purse and pulled out a small bottle of ginger ale and a Ziploc bag of graham crackers. "Same here. The baby doesn't like when I drive for more than twenty minutes at a time, so I have to force myself to chug ginger ale or else pull over and puke on the side of the road."

"It gets better," Meredith promised. "Believe me, once the constant nausea wears off, the horniness sets in. And that's way more fun."

"Counting down the minutes. Today, I'm feeling pretty good, though. I was actually able to handle a yogurt without hurling," Bridget said.

"And on that note, how about we head downstairs and get the pizzas in the oven before kickoff time?" Mark said in an attempt to change the subject.

"If you can't handle a little puke talk, maybe we should pop in the extreme childbirth video we got from Lamaze class during halftime," Derek suggested, putting his hand on the small of Meredith's back as they walked into the hall.

Mark nodded in acceptance of the challenge. "I bathed a baby for the first time today, unassisted, without getting peed on. I can handle anything."

...

The football game was underway, and the score was tied going into the fourth quarter. Always true fans, Mark and Derek watched closely, yelling at the TV when the referee made a bad call, or celebrating when the Giants scored. Meredith and Bridget didn't really care who won; it was amusing enough watching two grown men make such a big deal over it.

"Intercepted! Ha!" Meredith cheered when Brady caught the pass meant for the other team. She clapped Lilly's little hands together in victory and Lilly let out a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah. Lucky catch," Mark said, biting into a slice of pizza.

"Lilly's been our good luck charm so far. They'll win," Derek said confidently.

Bridget smiled at Lilly, who sat in Meredith's lap. "I think she's more interested in the snow outside. She's been watching it the whole time."

"If it were deeper, I'd love to take her out in it. Shame it's only a dusting so far," Derek said. "As much as I want her to stay a baby, it'll be fun when she's a little older. We can go outback and make forts and snowmen and stuff. Remember the snowmen we used to build when we were kids?" he asked Mark.

"Yeah. I remember that time we made one with huge boobs and put Nancy's bikini top on it. Mom wanted to yell, but all she could do was laugh. Nancy Pants was pissed," Mark recalled.

"For the record, the boobs were Mark's idea," Derek said. He leaned over and kissed the top of Lilly's head. "Don't worry; Uncle Mark won't corrupt the snowmen we build."

"I didn't corrupt it; I made it better," Mark countered.

Bridget tapped her stomach with her fingers. "Yeah, if there's a little boy in here, I'm in trouble. He'll be putting boobs on Frosty by the time he's a toddler."

"Lilly will keep him in line, won't you, peanut?" Meredith said, letting Lilly suck on her finger, the thing she loved most to help soothe her sore gums.

"Mer's always been good at that. I'm sure Lilly will be, too," Derek said with a smirk.

Meredith smiled wryly. "Yeah, it's you against Lilly and me... and the Girl Scout troop I'll likely give birth to."

"That's okay. I'll use my charm for leverage," Derek teased, tickling the bottom of his daughter's foot. "After all, Lilly's sitting there wearing a Giants cheerleading outfit, isn't she?"

"That may be true, but the Patriots are about to get a touchdown, so it's all good," Meredith said, pointing to the TV.

Mark and Derek promptly turned toward the screen, both of them dropping their heads in defeat when a member of the team managed to run the ball back fifty yards to score a touchdown. "Come on! That was too easy!" Mark said in frustration.

Derek sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Why didn't they tackle him?"

"Looks like Lilly needs a Patriots uniform," Bridget laughed.

Meredith smiled, giving Lilly a high five with her free hand. "I think she does."

...

It was only a few minutes until midnight, and the start of the New Year. Mark and Bridget left a few hours after the game ended so they would beat the holiday traffic getting home, which meant the house was quiet, or would be until the fireworks started going off and inevitably woke Lilly from her sleep.

Meredith made sure her penguin footie pajamas were fully zipped, then swaddled her up in a thick blanket. "Okay, let's go, Lillybug," she said softly, hoping the baby would stay sleeping.

She opened the sliding glass door and walked out onto the balcony attached to their bedroom, where Derek was pouring them each a glass of sparkling cider, their nonalcoholic, celebratory drink of choice because Meredith was nursing.

"Hey," he greeted, Charlie sitting by his feet. "Still sleeping?"

"Yeah. Can't promise that when the clock strikes midnight, but for now, she's snoozing away," Meredith nodded, making sure the blanket shielded Lilly's head from the cold.

Good," Derek said. He wrapped his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Hmm, this was the best year ever."

"It really was."

"And it's only gonna get better. First steps, first words, first teeth, and you, finally finishing your residency," Derek said.

Meredith picked up her glass and clinked it with his. "Sounds like a good year to me," she said before taking a sip. She set the glass back on the ledge, then put her hand on his cheek. "I love you."

Derek smiled as he kissed her, her lips warm against his own. "I love you, too."

Just as they pulled away, the whistle of a firework sounded, and there was a faint pop followed by an explosion of color behind the Space Needle, visible from the back of their home. They both watched in awe for a moment, then glanced down at Lilly, whose startled, blue eyes peeked open.

"Happy New Year, Lilly," Meredith said softly, running her finger over Lilly's cheek.

"We love you, Princess," Derek whispered.

Lilly gave them both a sleepy smile and yawned, her thumb finding its way into her mouth as she went back to sleep.

"She hates thunder, but fireworks don't faze her. You're something else, Lillybug," Derek chuckled. "Happy New Year, Mer."

"Happy New Year," she echoed. "You too, Charlie."

Derek rubbed his hands together for warmth, then gathered up the glasses and the bottle of cider. "Wanna head back inside? We can open the curtains and watch the fireworks from bed."

"Yeah," Meredith agreed. She slid the door back open and stepped inside their bedroom after Charlie trotted back in, where it was toasty thanks to the crackling fireplace. "I know I tease you about being woodsy and all that, but I really love living out here."

"Pretty great, isn't it? The view, the privacy, the twenty acres of backyard. I wouldn't trade it for anything," Derek said.

"Me either."

Meredith unwrapped Lilly from her blanket cocoon, then gently climbed into bed, where Charlie had already made himself comfortable. "I think we're going to need a bigger bed," she said.

"Especially after you pop out that Girl Scout troop," Derek grinned, getting into bed next to her.

Meredith giggled, recalling the conversation she'd had with Cristina. It had been playing over and over in her mind all day, and although she didn't know what Derek's opinion was on the matter, she knew it couldn't hurt finding out. She laid Lilly on her chest and smiled.

"Derek?"

Derek muted the New Year's coverage on the TV and turned toward her. "Yeah?"

"Are you—I mean, did you... ever think about having a baby sooner? I know we agreed on trying again a little over a year from now, but I just—" Meredith said before Derek interrupted what was sure to be an adorably long ramble.

"Yeah. I have," Derek said, laughing slightly. "I was actually talking about it with Mark earlier."

Meredith blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. We were just talking about how Lilly's getting older, and I mentioned wanting to have another one. Why? Have you been thinking about having another one, too?" he asked.

"I was talking to Cristina this afternoon at work, and told her the same thing," Meredith said, running her fingers over Lilly's back.

"I guess we both had babies on the brain today," Derek said. "Let's talk about it, then. New Year's is as good a time as any, right? When were you thinking we should start trying, ballpark?"

"I don't know. Definitely not before I'm an attending. I think that would just be too much; you know, with my boards and everything," Meredith said.

Derek nodded in support. "I'm with you on that. You've worked so hard these past five years. I don't want you to feel stressed out or distracted, like you were juggling too much at once."

"Maybe once my boards are over, then? Sometime this summer?" Meredith suggested. "What were your thoughts on it?"

"How about August? You go to San Francisco for your boards in mid-June, and you'll start your neuro fellowship in mid-July. If we start trying in August, you'll have had some time to get settled into being an attending. And if August rolls around, and we decide it's not a good time, or that we're not ready, we can always hold off. No pressure," Derek said.

"You're seriously on board with this? You're not just giving in because I'm the one with the uterus?" Meredith asked.

"Yes, I'm on board; and no, not because you have the uterus," Derek promised. He reached for her hand and squeezed. "So, the game plan is this August instead of next winter? Is that what you wanna do?"

"Why wait, right? I mean, we always said we wanted Lilly and baby number two to be close in age, and now, as long as you knock me up as efficiently as you did before, they'll be even closer," Meredith said.

Derek laughed at her word choice. "I'll do my best to be just as efficient as last time."

"Okay, then. We'll pull the goalie in August, and see what happens," Meredith said excitedly, letting out a breath. "This is kind of a huge decision. You're not freaking out or anything, are you?"

"The only thing I am right now is happy," Derek said honestly.

Lilly babbled something in her sleep as she stretched her hand, and Meredith watched as Derek leaned in and kissed each of her tiny fingers. "I can't wait to make another baby with you," she said.

Derek smiled. "Me, either."