138. Sick Day

Disclaimer: I would never kill off Mark. Ever. Clearly, I'm not Shonda 'angel of death' Rhimes.

As always, THANK YOU for your patience. It means the world to me!

If there was one thing Meredith enjoyed about being on-call, it was the day after. Twenty-four hours off to recover from the chaos of the surgical unit. All she could think about as she pulled into the driveway was crawling into bed next to her husband and daughter and sleeping as long as she could. But when she walked into the house and heard Lilly crying, she sensed her day wouldn't pan out that way.

Meredith shrugged off her coat and kicked off her shoes before taking the stairs two at a time. She padded down the hall into her bedroom, where Derek was unsuccessfully trying to get Lilly back to sleep. His hair and Lilly's stuck out in all directions, and both had matching red noses to accompany the pouts on their faces. That's when Meredith braced herself for the worst.

"Hey," she greeted. "Rough night?"

Derek turned around when he heard her voice, and he attempted the best smile he could. "Hey. Yeah, you could say that," he said. "Lilly felt a little warm last night, and then this morning, I woke up feeling like crap."

Meredith reached out and took Lilly from Derek, and the baby buried her face into Meredith's chest, letting out her little sobs of discomfort. "Hi, baby girl," she said softly, feeling Lilly's forehead. "You and Daddy both have a fever?"

"I knew if I called you last night, you'd get worried and come home, but you had the solo aneurysm clipping with Nelson that I didn't want you to miss out on," Derek said, his voice stuffy with congestion.

"You should've called," Meredith replied. "Did you take her temp?"

He nodded. "Last night, it was 99.4. I took it again an hour ago, and it's 99.9. After she had some water, I gave her some baby Tylenol to help bring it down."

"Think we should call Dr. Halloran?"

"I already did. She said to give the Tylenol time to kick in, and if her fever goes up any more, we should call to make an appointment," Derek said, dropping down onto the bed.

Meredith pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and frowned. "You feel warmer than Lilly. What's your temp?" she asked.

"101. I took some ibuprofen; I'll be alright," Derek said. "I can take her downstairs if you wanted to sleep. You've got to be exhausted."

"You should be the one sleeping," Meredith countered, running her finger over Lilly's gums. "I wish she'd just get a tooth already. Her poor gums are probably so sore."

"I know. She has a little diaper rash, too. She's gonna get a tooth any day now," Derek agreed.

Meredith felt Lilly nuzzle her face into her chest, and she kissed the top of her head. "How about I feed you? Chances are, you'll fall asleep, which means we can all get some sleep," she said. She laid Lilly down on the bed next to Derek. "Can you undress her while I change into one of your button downs? I'll do the kangaroo thing. That's supposed to help."

"Okay," Derek said through a yawn. "Diaper, too?"

"Yeah. Fresh air will be good for the diaper rash. I'll risk her peeing on me," Meredith said as she put one of Derek's shirts on, leaving it unbuttoned, so she could nurse. "I think I wear these shirts more than you do."

Derek chuckled, tossing Lilly's diaper into the trash. "That's okay. You look cute in them."

Meredith rolled her eyes playfully. "That's sweet."

"It's true."

"Thank you," Meredith smiled, sitting next to Derek on the bed. She put a pillow on her lap, then looked at Lilly, who wiped her nose on Derek's shirt. "Even when you're sick, you're still so adorable."

Derek gently passed Lilly over to her. "Yeah, she's done that a few times now. I just don't have the energy to change my shirt," he said, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms.

"That's okay. You look cute covered in baby boogers," Meredith mocked him as she helped Lilly latch. Once she started nursing, the melancholy look on her face dissolved into contentedness, and she closed her eyes.

"Yeah. It's a new trend," Derek said, resting his head on his pillow. "Want me to make you some breakfast?"

"You can't even keep your eyes open," Meredith pointed out. She used her free hand to smooth her fingers through his hair. "I love you, but you look like crap."

Derek looked up at her with a smirk. "Hmm, does that mean no kiss?" he asked.

Meredith leaned down and pressed a kiss to his warm forehead. "There. That's the best I can do until you're no longer diseased."

"You're mean when you're tired," Derek teased.

"I'll be even meaner if you infect me," Meredith told him, stroking Lilly's rosy cheek with her finger. "Really though, you can sleep. I took a nap last night at work before a trauma rolled in, so I have a little energy left in me before I pass out."

"Okay. But wake me if you need help," Derek gave in, turning on his side toward her. "Still didn't pee on you, huh?"

Meredith patted Lilly's bare bottom and shook her head. "Nope. Dry."

"I'm impressed. Although, she usually spares you and saves the pee for me."

"That's love, Derek," she said, squeezing his shoulder gently.

Derek smiled into his pillow. "I know. And I love her for it."

With Lilly peacefully nursing, Meredith gave in and let her eyes slip shut. It would be a catnap at most, but with Derek down for the count, even a few minutes would give her the extra charge she'd need to get through the rest of the day. Other than the low-grade fever Lilly had gotten after being vaccinated a few months ago, she'd never been sick. And even a medical degree couldn't trump Meredith's protective mommy brain.

It wasn't until she heard Lilly sneeze over an hour later that she woke up. She stared around blearily as her eyes adjusted to the light, then looked down at Lilly. "God bless you," she said. She took the suctioning bulb from her nightstand and gently suctioned Lilly's nose to clear some of her congestion. "Do you feel a little better, sweetpea?"

Lilly wriggled around uncomfortably, unable to fall back to sleep despite how tired she looked. Meredith held Lilly against her chest, then swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Let's go take your temperature in your room, so Daddy can sleep," she said, tiptoeing out of their bedroom and into the hall.

After entering Lilly's nursery, Meredith laid the baby down on her changing table. "Thanks for not peeing on me, by the way," she said. She lathered diaper rash cream all over Lilly's bottom and fastened a diaper around her waist. "There. Now you can pee all you want."

Lilly reached her arms out, wanting to be held, and Meredith picked her up. "I know. Being sick is no fun," she said, taking the thermometer off the top of Lilly's bureau. She put it in Lilly's ear and waited for it to beep a few seconds later.

"100.4," Meredith read. "Out of the nineties now, which means I need to call Dr. Halloran. It's a low-grade fever, but I'd rather play it safe."

Lilly put her thumb in her mouth and starting sucking, her way of self-soothing. As sick as she felt, she was still pleasant, and Meredith smiled at her. "You're so sweet, peanut. If I were you, I'd be hardcore cranky right now."

She pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed Dr. Halloran's office, waiting for the receptionist to answer. When she finally did, Meredith jumped right in. "Hi, this is Meredith Grey. My husband called earlier about our daughter, Lilly Shepherd. She has a fever, and her temp. keeps creeping up. Right now, it's 100.4, and Dr. Halloran said to call if the medicine didn't kick in. Is there any chance I could make an appointment?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, Dr. Halloran just got paged into the hospital for an emergency surgery, and her partners are all booked for the rest of the day. I'm sure we could fit you in tomorrow morning, if that's okay," said Leslie, Dr. Halloran's receptionist.

Meredith bit her lip, bouncing Lilly in her arm. "Thanks. I'd really like to have her seen today, so she could get some stronger medicine, though. I'm going to call a colleague of mine to find out if she can see her, but if not, I'll give you a call back."

"Sure, that would be fine. I hope your daughter feels better. And don't hesitate to call back; I'd be happy to schedule something for you," Leslie said kindly.

"Thank you," Meredith said.

After ending the call, she scrolled through her contact list and tapped Arizona's name. It only rang once before Arizona answered, and Meredith could only hope she would be more helpful.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Dr. Robbins. It's Meredith. I'm sorry to bother you. Do you have a minute?" Meredith asked.

"Sure, what's going on? Is everything okay?" Arizona said, the hustle and bustle of the hospital evident in the background.

"Yeah. Well, kind of. Lilly's had a fever since last night, and it keeps going up. It's a little over a hundred now, which I know isn't too serious, but the acetaminophen Derek gave her doesn't seem to be working. Dr. Halloran got paged for surgery, so I was hoping you might be able to see her. If not, I understand," Meredith said, tucking the phone under her ear to disentangle her hair from Lilly's fingers.

"Absolutely. I'm just going to change now, so if you wanted, you can bring her over to my place. Chances are, it is just a fever and nothing more serious, but it's good to be sure. I'll run down to the hospital pharmacy for some baby ibuprofen before I go. How's a half hour sound?" Arizona said.

Meredith smiled in relief. "That would be great. Thank you. I know you're a pediatric surgeon and not a pediatrician, but you seemed like the logical one to call. Are you sure you don't mind?" she rambled.

"No, not at all. Winter is the most popular time for bugs like this to be spreading around, so it's good to take care of it early before it develops into something more serious."

"Yeah, whatever Lilly has, she passed it along to Derek. I should probably be quarantined," Meredith joked, opening Lilly's drawers. She grabbed a pair of fuzzy duck pajamas and put them on the changing table.

"Oh, no. Sounds like a lot of fun over there, huh? Does he have Motrin? If not, I'll snag him some while I'm getting Lilly's meds," Arizona offered.

"I think that's what he took. He was up most of the night with Lilly, so he's getting some well-deserved sleep. He'll be fine, though. We're both more concerned about Lilly. She's never had a fever this high before," Meredith said.

"I'll get him some, anyway. You can always keep it for later if you need it," Arizona shrugged. "One of the perks of working at a hospital. Lots of freebies."

"You really don't have to do that. I'm already grateful that you're going to check Lilly out. I'll do your scut work for a month," Meredith said guiltily, laying Lilly down on the changing table to dress her.

Arizona laughed. "I'm happy to help. And Lilly's such a sweetheart; this gives me a reason to see her again," she said.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it," Meredith said with gratitude.

"No problem. I'll see you in a bit."

"Okay, sounds good. Bye," Meredith replied. She dropped her phone onto the rocking chair, then smiled at her daughter. "That was pretty lucky, Lilly," she said.

Meredith zipped Lilly's pajamas after weaving her arms and legs through the holes, than sat her up to do her hair. She managed to scoop it all into a small bow, smiling at her unruly curls. "Still having a good hair day, even with a fever. Why does that never happen to me?"

Lilly babbled at Meredith as though she were giving her an answer, and Meredith kissed her forehead. "I guess it's not enough to marry into the Shepherd family. You have to be born into it," she said. "Okay, let's go leave a note for Daddy, then we'll go. Maybe when we're finished with Arizona, we can go to the supermarket to buy some soup for him. I'd make it myself, but why add insult to injury, right?"

...

The drive to Arizona's apartment was quick, but full of tears. Normally unfazed by her car seat, Lilly wasn't so thrilled about sitting in it today, much preferring the comfort of Meredith's arms. Meredith found the closest parking space she could find, then cut the engine, working at warp speed to gather her bag and Lilly's before unbuckling her from the car seat in the back. She made sure her coat was zipped and put up her hood to protect her from the January cold.

"Okay, all set," Meredith couldn't help but yawn as she took Lilly from the car. "I used to be able to handle forty-eight hour shifts like they were nothing. I think I lost my all my intern fire, Lillybug," she said.

Lilly buried her face in Meredith's chest and whimpered, clinging to her coat. "I know, baby girl. When we get home, we can have more kangaroo time and watch Nemo, okay?" she said, grateful that Lilly's favorite movie was still archived in their Tivo recordings.

Meredith quickly walked into the apartment building, making a beeline for the elevators. On another day, she may have been game to jog up five flights of stairs to get to the fifth floor, but not today. The doors opened almost immediately, and Meredith stepped inside, hitting the '5' button. She shifted Lilly to her other hip, watching the numbers light up with each passing floor.

The momentum of the elevator gave Lilly a tickle in her stomach, and she let out a small laugh of delight at the feeling. "There's my favorite sound," Meredith said.

When the doors opened, Meredith stepped off and made her way to the end of the hall where Arizona and Callie's apartment was, across from Cristina and Owen's. She knocked twice before Arizona opened the door, greeting them both with a smile.

"Hey, come on in," Arizona said, stepping aside so they could enter.

"Thanks. I know this is a lot to ask, so I really appreciate it," Meredith said as she shimmied off Lilly's coat.

Arizona took Lilly from Meredith so she could remove her own coat and set her bags down. Lilly looked up at Arizona's semi-familiar face, then back at Meredith. Confident that her mom was staying put, Lilly decided spare them all more tears.

"No, it's no problem at all. I'll just do the standard check-up to make sure it's nothing more than a fever, and if it looks like an infection, I'll call in some antibiotics for her," Arizona said, sitting Lilly in the corner of the couch.

Meredith sat on the other end where Lilly could see her, smiling at her daughter in reassurance. "Okay; thank you," she said.

The door to Arizona's apartment busted open, and Cristina walked in, mug in hand, clad in pajamas. "I need coffee. We're all out."

Arizona pointed to the kitchen area. "Help yourself," she said.

"Nice jammies," Meredith said.

"I'm working the night shift all week, so I have to force myself to sleep in broad daylight. I hate being nocturnal. It's unnatural," Cristina groaned as she trudged into the kitchen. "Wait, why are you here?"

"Lilly's sick. Dr. Robbins agreed to take a look at her, since I couldn't schedule anything with Dr. Halloran until tomorrow," Meredith explained.

Cristina glanced over at Lilly and frowned. "What's wrong with her?"

"Fever. Or, I hope it's just a fever. Derek's got it, too, so my house is like a germ carnival right now," Meredith said, fighting off another yawn.

Arizona shined her penlight into Lilly's mouth to check her throat, then quickly removed the tongue depressor before Lilly could protest. "Her throat looks just fine. No signs of strep."

"Good. That's good," Meredith exhaled.

"Are you sick?" Cristina asked.

Meredith shook her head. "No. Tired, but not sick," she answered.

"You're welcome to go pour yourself a cup of coffee. We're always well-stocked, since Cristina treats us like a free coffee house," Arizona joked as she examined Lilly's ears.

"I wish. Lilly prefers to nurse when she doesn't feel good, so I really shouldn't drink any. Thank you, though," Meredith declined regretfully, craving the caffeine that Cristina was currently sipping.

"How do you get through residency and not drink coffee?" Cristina asked, the mere thought baffling her.

"It's hard," Meredith admitted. "I mean, I can drink it in small amounts, but I don't chug it anymore like I used to. Lilly trumps my caffeine addiction."

"I'd have to hire a wet nurse if I had a baby. That's what they're called, right? Wet nurses?" Cristina said, dropping down onto the adjacent couch.

Meredith eyed her friend strangely and laughed. "Yeah, you do that," she said, her eyes trailing to Lilly, who whimpered when the cold diaphragm of Arizona's stethoscope touched her skin.

"I'm sorry, pretty girl. Almost done," Arizona said, moving the stethoscope from Lilly's front to back and listening to her breathe. "No wheezing. Lungs are clear. She just sounds congested."

"No infection or anything?" Meredith asked.

"Nope, just a fever. And she's teething, too, which would make any baby extra fussy when she's sick," Arizona said as she fixed Lilly's pajamas. "The meds. I got for her should knock it right out. She'll probably even feel a little better by tonight."

"Thank you," Meredith said, picking Lilly up. Lilly immediately cuddled into her, her cheek resting on Meredith's chest. "You did so good, peanut."

"All she did was sit there," Cristina said, confused.

"Exactly. I expected a meltdown," Meredith said.

Cristina narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Has she ever melted down? I don't think I've ever seen that happen."

"Believe me, it happens. Not that often, but when it does, it's bad," Meredith said in good humor.

"Well, this should help to prevent any meltdowns," Arizona said, taking the medicine from her bag. "It's ibuprofen, so it's a little stronger than the acetaminophen she had earlier. Plus, it's an anti-inflammatory, so it'll help soothe her gums, too. I got her the kind in the dropper, so you don't have to use a spoon. Fill it up to the 1.25 milliliter line, then just squirt it on the inside of her cheek. She can have it every six hours. Do you want me to give her the first dose?"

"Oh. Sure, if you want. Thank you," Meredith said, positioning Lilly on her lap.

Arizona shook the bottle before squeezing the correct dosage into the dropper. She smiled as she tapped it against Lilly's lips. "Mmm, I have some yummy grape medicine that's gonna make you all better," she said temptingly, though Lilly was hesitant to give in without a fight.

She tipped her head back toward Meredith, looking at Arizona like she was crazy. Cristina laughed at Lilly's stubbornness and raised her coffee mug in support. "That's it, Lilly. Give her hell," she encouraged.

"Cristina," Meredith scolded. She tickled Lilly's belly with her hand in an attempt to get her to smile, and when she did, Arizona seized the opportunity, squeezing the few drops of medicine into Lilly's mouth.

Lilly puckered her lips at the slightly sour grape flavor, but swallowed it anyway. "Good job, peanut," Meredith praised, offering her a drink of water from her bottle. Lilly eagerly sipped to get rid of the taste in her mouth, then pushed the bottle away with her hand when she was finished.

"She's feisty when she's sick. I love it," Cristina chimed in.

"Which is why Derek is passed out sleeping at home. They had a long night. Being the parent without the boobs is rough when all Lilly wants to do is nurse," Meredith said as she ran a soothing hand down Lilly's back.

"Oh, that reminds me; I have Motrin for him," Arizona said, rummaging around in her bag until she found the pill box.

Meredith smiled, tucking it away in her purse along with Lilly's medicine. "I owe you one. Well, more than one. A lot. Seriously, charts, labs, anything. I'll do it," she rambled.

"I'm just glad I could help. Don't feel like you owe me anything," Arizona said. "I remember how tough the last few months of residency were, and I didn't have a baby on top of everything else. Any time I can help, I will."

"Thank you. I um... that means a lot to me," Meredith said.

"Absolutely."

"Where to now? Back home to spoon-feed McDreamy some Jell-O?" Cristina asked.

Meredith smiled wryly at her. "Funny," she said. "Actually, I was going to head to the grocery store for soup."

"I have soup. I had a coupon, so I bought like ten cans. Go rummage my cabinets for some," Cristina offered, taking another sip of her coffee.

"If it'll save me a trip, I'll gladly rummage your cabinets like a beggar. Thank you," Meredith accepted.

"You clip coupons?" Arizona asked, incredulous.

"I was off one day a few weeks ago and got sucked into an Extreme Couponing marathon, so I tried it. I saved forty-three dollars," Cristina boasted.

Meredith nodded, trying to hide her amused disturbance. "Impressive."

...

It was early afternoon when Meredith arrived home with Lilly, though it felt more like midnight should be fast approaching, given that Meredith barely had enough stamina to get Lilly out of the car and take the five steps into the house. She slung their bags over her shoulder, then retrieved Lilly, who was finally feeling well enough that she dozed off in her car seat on the way home.

"I'm sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep, baby girl," Meredith cooed, bundling Lilly under her blanket.

She shut the car door and hit the lock button on her key fob, then walked along the stone path up to the door. Just as she was jingling her set of keys to find the right one, the front door opened.

"Oh, thank God," Meredith murmured.

Derek held the glass door open for her and Lilly, stepping aside to make room for them. "Hey," he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

"Hey," Meredith echoed, taking off Lilly's coat, then her own. "You look better. Tired, but better."

"Just woke up a few minutes ago. You should've let me take her over there. You can barely keep your eyes open," Derek said, following her into the living room.

Meredith gently laid Lilly in her swing and turned it on, hoping the motion would lull her back to sleep. She pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning around. "You were out cold. Plus, you were worse off than Lilly was. You needed sleep," she said.

"So did you."

"Derek, I've been sleep deprived for five years. I'm used to it," Meredith pointed out.

"Still."

Meredith sighed in frustration. "Still what? Her fever kept going up, and I wasn't about to ask Robbins to make a house call, so I drove her over there. She checked her out, gave her some medicine, and some for you, too. Now, are we going to fight about this, or can we let it go? Because really, I'm not in the mood to argue."

"Okay, okay. Sorry," Derek said, backing off to avoid an unnecessary conflict. "I was just worried."

"I know. I'm sorry for snapping. But my mommy mode is in overdrive because she's sick, and I had to do something," she said. She wrapped her arms around him and breathed him in. Derek's body was always like a furnace, and with her cheek pressed to his chest, she was certain she could fall asleep if she closed her eyes. "I have soup for you."

"Yeah?"

"Mhm," she said into his tee shirt. "Cristina gave me some. Italian wedding. You like that kind, right?"

"One of my favorites. Thank you," Derek said as he ran his hands up and down her back. "I'll share with you."

Meredith smiled. "Date night on the couch?"

"More like date afternoon, but yeah. It's still like a date," he agreed.

"Feels like nighttime," she said with a yawn.

Lilly babbled at them from her swing, and they spun around to face her. "Hey, peanut. I thought you'd be out for hours," Meredith said.

"She looks happier," Derek said when Lilly smiled sleepily at both of them. "There's the best smile in the world. I missed it."

Meredith blinked in surprise, unsure if she was just catching the fever and its accompanying delirium, or if her eyes were deceiving her. She knelt down in front of Lilly and wiggled her mouth open to double check, and sure enough, there it was. A tiny tooth had finally popped free from her bottom gums.

"Lilly! You have a tooth!" Meredith shouted softly.

Derek quickly dropped to his knees beside her. "Does she really?" he asked. When he saw the tooth, he grinned with pride. "That's my girl! I told you that tooth would be showing up any minute. Now they'll be popping up like weeds."

"I swear it must have happened in the car on the way home. Arizona checked her throat an hour ago, and there was no tooth in there," Meredith said excitedly. "January 14th. Remember the date, so we can mark it in her baby book."

Derek pulled his phone from the pocket of his pajama pants. "Can you smile for Daddy, so I can get a picture?"

Meredith tickled the bottom of Lilly's foot. Lilly smiled on cue, displaying the little tooth she seemed so proud of, giving Derek the chance to snap the picture. "You look beautiful, Princess."

"Can you send that to me?" Meredith asked as she glanced at the photo.

"Yeah."

Meredith scooped Lilly out of her swing and hugged her. "You look so grown up now."

"She really does."

Lilly tugged on a tuft of Meredith's hair and put it in her mouth, and Meredith winced, gently removing it from the baby's grasp. "Lilly, Mommy's hair is so dirty. Actually, the rest of me is dirty, too."

"Oh, I'm well aware."

Meredith smirked at him. "Haha," she said wryly. "I could really use a shower before our soup-on-the-couch date night. Maybe when I'm done washing off, you could pass Lilly in to me. Steam is supposed to help, so I'll just stand in there with her for a few minutes."

"Hey, I'm congested, too. When do I get to take a steamy shower with you?" Derek joked.

Meredith laughed as she walked toward the stairs. "You can sit on top of the toilet seat lid while I'm in there with Lilly. It'll be like a sauna. You'll feel better," she compromised.

"Kind of a downgrade from hot shower sex, but okay," Derek said.

"Once you're not sick anymore, I'll give you hot shower sex, bendy thing and all," Meredith promised him, reaching the landing of the upstairs hallway.

"Deal."

They headed for their bedroom and into the en-suite bathroom. The prospect of a shower hadn't been this tempting since Meredith had given birth to Lilly, and she could barely contain her joy when they reached their destination. "Daddy's gonna hold you while I get cleaned off, then I'll take you, okay?"

"How's that sound? Wanna get a pseudo spa treatment?" he asked. Derek reached for Lilly and dropped down onto the closed lid of the toilet seat with her on his lap.

Just as Meredith was about to pull off her old clothes, her phone rang from inside her pants pocket. She braced herself, hoping it wasn't a page to go back to work. Already running on fumes, she knew she wouldn't be able to pull off another shift so soon. She read the display before answering. "Nelson," Meredith said, accepting the call. "Hello?"

"Dr. Grey, it's Dr. Nelson. Listen, we have a neuro trauma coming in. Skull fracture and subdural hematoma. I know you just finished a shift, but I wanted to give you first dibs," Nelson offered.

Derek overheard the call and nodded in support. "You can go in," he mouthed.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity, but Lilly is sick, and so is Derek, so I have to decline. I'm sorry," Meredith said without hesitation.

"Oh, not a problem. I just had to make sure before I asked someone else to scrub in," Dr. Nelson said. "I hope Dr. Shepherd and Lilly get well soon."

Meredith smiled. "Thanks so much. I really appreciate it," she said.

After they said goodbye and hung up, Derek cocked his head at her. "Mer, you could've gone in if you wanted. Lilly and I can manage," he said.

"Really? After the spiel you just gave me, you want me to stand over an open brain?" Meredith asked in amusement.

"Well, you could always just observe. I would've driven you there if you were too tired," Derek upheld.

"I didn't want to. Besides, I'd probably fall asleep at the OR table. Literally," Meredith replied, kicking off her jeans.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I want to be here," Meredith said. "You two are more important to me than any surgery."

Derek offered Lilly his finger to chew on, and she happily accepted it, putting it in her mouth. "The apple didn't just fall far from the tree. It fell, then rolled far, far away from it," he complimented.

Meredith smiled slightly as she turned on the shower nozzles. "My mom never stayed home with me when I was sick. I can't imagine ever choosing work over Lilly, especially when she's not feeling well."

"What? What'd she do?" Derek asked, unsure if he even wanted to know. Opening the Ellis Grey vault of motherhood rarely left him with fond feelings for the woman, but it made him even prouder of his wife, who, besides inheriting her surgical talent, was the exact opposite of her in every way.

"When I was six, I got a really bad fever. My mom and I had just moved to Boston. We didn't really know the neighbors yet, and my mom hadn't gotten the chance to hire a babysitter, so she had no choice but to bring me to work. She dumped me off at the nurses' station. I guess she figured they had nothing better to do than watch her sick kid," Meredith said, tossing the rest of her clothes in the hamper.

"So, you just sat there all day?"

Meredith shrugged, stepping into the shower, then closing the curtain. "Well, the nurses felt bad, so they took care of me. They found a spare room and let me hang out in a patient bed. They got me meds., ordered up food for me, and let me watch cartoons. My dad was always the one who did that stuff back in Seattle, so it was nice. You know, having people take care of me."

"That's really sad," he said.

"You wanna hear sad? I should tell you the story about me getting my first period," Meredith said from inside the shower, lathering shampoo through her hair.

"Another gem from the Meredith Chronicles?" Derek asked.

"Yep. It was summer, and I'd just turned thirteen. I was the last of my friends to get it, so when I did, I was really excited. I went downstairs to tell my mom. She was getting ready for work as usual, and didn't have a minute to spare for me. Any guesses what her response was when I told her?" Meredith said.

Derek braced himself in anticipation. "Oh, jeez. What?"

"She said 'it's about time; supplies are in the bathroom cabinet,'" Meredith recalled, squirting some soap onto the loofah. "Oh, and as an afterthought on her way out the door, she told me not to come home pregnant."

"You were thirteen."

Meredith laughed in spite of herself. "Yeah, well, that was all the motherly wisdom she imparted on me. No 'congratulations on becoming a woman' or anything. That's it."

Derek frowned, sadness for her hitting him like a brick, no matter how long ago it happened. He pressed a kiss to the top of Lilly's head. "That story makes me want to cry, Mer," he admitted.

"Why?"

"Because that's a big deal. My mom always made that day special for my sisters. I mean, they were mostly mortified, but still. It should be a happy memory," Derek said.

Meredith opened the shower curtain slightly, so she could take Lilly, and she smiled at both of them. "That's why I'm glad we made a little girl. Because when you become a woman, Lilly, we're celebrating. You and I will go out and buy girl products, then get ice cream and go to the mall or whatever. And you'll be mortified, too, but that's okay."

Derek smiled at the thought, unzipping Lilly's pajamas and tossing her old diaper in the trashcan. He stood up and handed her to Meredith. "Parental embarrassment is a rite of passage. And it's just because we love you, Princess."

Lilly didn't seem to mind much about the future embarrassment they'd bestow upon her; instead, she just kicked her legs in excitement. Meredith hugged her close, so she wouldn't slip.

"Got her?" Derek asked.

"Yeah."

Derek sat back down, propping his feet on the shower ledge. "Most babies hate water. Well, showers at least. We lucked out," he said. "Maybe that's where we conceived her."

"Derek."

"What? It's possible. Our baby making attempts weren't just limited to the bed," Derek pointed out.

"True," she said, Lilly's face resting on her chest. The baby let out a sigh and closed her eyes, enjoying the steam of the shower and her mom's warmth. Meredith kissed her forehead. "I know I'm probably just loopy from being so tired, but I kind of wish it was August," she admitted.

Derek furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why?"

"Because we'd be working on making Lilly a brother," Meredith said, one hand cupping Lilly's little bottom and the other splayed over her back.

"Shooting for a boy this time, are we?" he asked amusedly.

"That's up to you and your swimmers. But I have a feeling Bridget and Mark are having a boy, so either way, someone's probably going to be outnumbered."

"What if we make twin boys?" Derek pondered out loud, waiting for her reaction.

Meredith's laughed echoed behind the curtain. "Then you and I are going to get peed on way more than we do now with Lilly."

"You mean I'll get peed on," Derek assumed.

"Yes."

"We could get started today if you wanted. Maybe if we're diligent enough, I could have you knocked up by Valentine's Day," he said.

"As tempting as that sounds, I'd really rather not have you sneezing all over me while we're doing it."

Derek feigned offense. "Ouch. Getting meaner."

"Hey, I just stripped in front of you to make you feel better. I think that's very kind," she replied, peeking her head out of the shower and smiling at him. "Is the steam helping you at all?"

"Yeah, it is," he nodded.

"You look better. Kinda sexy, actually," Meredith complimented.

"Hmm, even all pale and scruffy?" he said with self-deprecation.

"Yes, even all pale and scruffy," she echoed.

Derek chuckled. "Are you sure you're not coming down with a fever, too?"

"I better not be," Meredith said. "Actually, I've always found sick Derek kind of adorable."

"Really? Me blowing my nose turns you on?" Derek asked with feigned arrogance.

"Not like that. I just mean that you're always the one taking care of me, so I like taking care of you. You know, paying you back or whatever," Meredith said, swaying her hips from side to side out of habit as she rocked Lilly.

"I'm happy to do it."

"Me, too."

"I'm sorry you went through all of that as a kid though, Mer. No one deserves that," Derek said.

"It's okay. I learned what not to do as a parent, so in its own backwards way, maybe it's a good thing. As long as I do right by Lilly, that's all I care about," Meredith said, smoothing Lilly's wet hair off her forehead.

He smiled. "Like I said, the apple rolled really far from the tree."

"Thank you," she said softly. She turned off the water nozzles and rung out the end of her hair with her free hand before opening the shower curtain. "All finished. I don't want her getting too hot. Can you grab her towel?"

"Yeah." Derek reached for Lilly's hooded towel off the shelf and shook it out. "Come here, Princess. Let's get dried off."

Meredith swapped Lilly for her own towel, patting herself dry. She wrapped it around herself, then stepped over the side onto the bathmat. "How about you take a quick shower?" she suggested. "You'll feel so much better afterward. Then we can have our date night."

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I promised Lilly more kangaroo time and Finding Nemo, so we'll wait for you," Meredith said, taking a swaddled Lilly from Derek.

"Okay," Derek said. "Wait, does it have to be Finding Nemo again? We just watched it last weekend."

"It's Lilly's favorite. And she got a tooth today, so we need to celebrate," Meredith said as she tried to keep Lilly from wiggling out of her bath towel.

Derek laughed, nodding in compliance for the sake of his daughter. "Nemo it is."