141. Grateful for All Life Gave

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

Happy (almost) 2013! Enjoy!

Meredith smiled against Derek's lips, doing her best to stifle her moans for Lilly's sake, though it was growing increasingly difficult. She pulled away from the kiss, and they both looked down at their daughter, sleeping soundly between the two of them.

"There's a baby in the bed," Derek whispered.

Meredith laughed softly. "I know there's a baby in the bed."

"There's no baby in the bathroom," he hinted, raising his eyebrows slightly.

"There is no baby in the bathroom," Meredith said excitedly.

As quietly as they could, Meredith shimmied to the left while Derek moved to the right, doing their best not to jostle Lilly and risk waking her up. Even though she was in the safe sleeper between them, they put pillows on the edges of the bed to act as a cushion in the off chance she woke up and decided to do some rolling.

Derek pet Charlie, who was snoozing away at the foot of their bed. "Keep an eye on your sister. We'll be back, buddy," he said.

Meredith took his hand and pulled him into the bathroom attached to their bedroom. Once inside, she closed the door just enough so that they could hear Lilly if she woke up. When she turned around, she put one hand on Derek's cheek and kissed him, using the other to snake her hand into his pajama pants and boxers.

Derek inhaled, already hardening at her touch. "Mmm, Mer," he groaned.

"Good?" Meredith asked, laughing when he decided to retaliate. He pulled off her pants and panties in one swift move, then lifted her onto the bathroom counter. When his hands went between her legs, she dropped her head onto his shoulder and moaned. "Yeah, keep doing—" she stopped herself when she saw Lilly's robe out the corner of her eye, hanging on its usual hook between theirs. "Wait, stop."

"What?"

"I can't do it in front of Lilly's ducky robe," Meredith said.

"Yes, you can. Do it in front of the ducky robe," he chuckled, moving his lips to her neck.

"Derek, seriously, it's staring at me. That little yellow tail and beak hood..."

Derek took the robe and put it on the shelf with the bath towels, so it wouldn't be distracting. "There. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Thank you," Meredith said, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Wow. Going for it, huh?" Derek asked as his fingers continued to tease her.

"Well, if you keep doing that, yeah," Meredith replied. She gently took him in her hand and let him do the rest, smiling at the look on his face as he pushed inside her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Meredith wiggled her hips as she adjusted, then clenched around him, something that always drove him crazy. She laughed when he physically reeled in response.

"Not nice," he said as he began thrusting in and out.

Meredith tipped her head back, her fingers gripping the edge of the counter. "Very nice," she gasped. "Derek, harder."

Derek started moving harder and picked up the pace, smiling smugly when Meredith moaned out loud. "Shh," he chuckled.

"Fine," Meredith said. She kissed him again, keeping her lips on his to muffle noises she couldn't help but make. "How's that? Better?"

"Mhm," he murmured. "Much."

They continued moving, always quick to find their rhythm and draw out the pleasure as long as they could. Just as they were nearing the edge, ready to let go and give into their imminent peaks, Lilly started fussing in their bedroom. Her little cries of upset traveled into the bathroom, and they froze in place.

"Damn it," Derek whispered, the ache in his groin increasing as he started to step back.

Meredith quickly put her hands on his ass to stop him. "Derek, I need an orgasm. Keep going," she panted.

All it took was Derek thrusting back in, and she was a goner. Her nerve endings ignited like flames and she began clenching around him, splaying her hands over Derek's back to keep herself steady. The feel of her orgasm running through her triggered his own release, and he buried his nose in her neck as he rode it out.

"God, Meredith," Derek sighed as they came down from their highs, sated and happy.

"Back at you," Meredith said.

Derek tilted her chin up to kiss her, then withdrew from her. He reached for his discarded boxers and slipped them on. "I'll check on Lilly," he said.

"Thanks. My legs are like Jell-O right now, so I probably won't be able to walk for a few minutes," she said, brushing her bangs off her forehead. "Plus, you gave me sex hair."

"Then I guess I did my job right," he grinned.

He walked out of the bathroom and toward their bed where Lilly lay fussing, trying to free her thumb from its prison beneath her pajama sleeve. Derek leaned over and scooped her up. "Hey, Princess. Lost your thumb?" he asked, rolling her sleeve up slightly. Lilly quickly began sucking, smiling at him with her thumb in her mouth.

"Crisis averted?" Meredith called out from the bathroom.

"All clear," Derek laughed. "Just an unrolled pajama sleeve."

Meredith shrugged her robe on, tied it, then went into the bedroom. "Well, that makes me glad we didn't stop, then."

"Legs working again?"

"A little wobbly, but I can walk it off," Meredith said, reaching for Lilly. "Morning, peanut. You look refreshed."

Derek smirked. "So do you."

"Porny."

"Still true."

Meredith smelled something familiar, and held Lilly's bottom at Derek's nose level. "Charlie or Lilly?" she asked.

"Lilly. Definitely," Derek confirmed. "Thanks for making me inspect that, by the way. Baby poop is always a nice segue from sex."

"Tell you what, since a quickie just leaves me wanting more, I vote for round two tonight. In our bed. Long and slow," Meredith said into his ear as she walked toward the hall to change Lilly in her room.

"Oh, I can take it incredibly slow," Derek reminded her.

Meredith glanced back at him and smiled, biting her lip as she tracked him from head to toe. "I remember."

...

The double doors of the hospital opened with their usual wooshing hum, blasting them with a burst of warmth, a welcomed contrast to the cold air outside. Lilly pouted her lips as she scanned the lobby, and the look on her face made Derek laugh when he noticed.

"It's like she owns the place," he said amusedly.

Meredith smiled, pulling off Lilly's knit hat and kissing the dark curls underneath. "She's been here longer than the newest batch of interns, plus the nine months she spent inside me. I'd say she's earned a little seniority."

"Future neuro god," Derek grinned, pressing the button for the elevator. He spotted Mark walking toward them and he held the door open. "Hey, good timing."

"Thanks," Mark said as he stepped on after them. "Hey, Mini Mer is here!" he all but cheered.

Meredith laughed. "Really, Mini Mer? Even with the dark, curly hair and the Giants shirt Derek put her in this morning?"

"I was going to call her Mini Derek, but that sounds like a euphemism for his penis, so I opted for Mer instead," Mark explained, reaching for Lilly and kissing her cheek.

"Believe me, there's nothing mini about it," Meredith said in Derek's defense.

Derek's face heated and he ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, God."

"What? It's the truth," Meredith upheld.

"Okay, on a new, less creepy topic: you really approved of your daughter wearing Giants pride?" Mark asked in disbelief.

"Derek and I had sex on the bathroom counter this morning, so I was in such a good mood that I didn't care what he dressed her in," Meredith shrugged. "Besides, she looks cute in everything."

"No matching Giants headband?" Mark asked.

Meredith narrowed her eyes. "Don't push it," she said, the four of them getting off the elevator when it reached the fourth floor.

"Do you two have a surgery scheduled today?" Mark asked.

"So far, no. I have neuro consults until three, and Mer's on call for the pit, so she's just gonna hang out and study for the boards with Lilly during the downtime. We're hoping to sneak out early," Derek said.

"Shame. Bridget's off 'cause it's President's Day, and I was hoping to give her a distraction to keep her from redecorating our house," Mark joked.

"Driving you crazy?" Meredith guessed.

"She's not due until mid July and the nesting's already started. There's paint swatches and stroller catalogs everywhere. She's already rearranged my closet twice, and now, I don't know where anything is," Mark said, laughing when Lilly stuck her fingers in his mouth.

"Sounds familiar," Derek said, his eyes trailing toward Meredith, whose own nesting stage had both baffled and intrigued him.

Meredith nudged him with her elbow. "Baby hormones are not to be messed with. Nesting comes with the territory," she said. "But I promise, if anything comes up, she'll be the first one we call."

"And we'll pay her in IKEA gift cards," Derek teased as Mark handed Lilly back to him.

"Better not. She drags me to IKEA every Saturday. Last weekend, I was assembling a Hensvik for three hours. I didn't even know what it was until I finished putting it together. I'm telling you, there's more Swedish furniture in my house than there is in Sweden," Mark said.

"Yes, and she has to push a baby out of her hoohoo. Buck up," Meredith said playfully.

"What is a Hensvik, by the way?" Derek asked, bouncing Lilly in his arm.

"A baby wardrobe closet," Mark answered.

Meredith patted Mark's arm. "It makes me oddly proud that you know that."

...

Two hours had passed, and so far, the fourth year residents had managed to hold down the fort in the ER, giving Meredith much needed study time. Between Lilly and work, it was like having two, full time jobs, and most times when she studied with Derek, it led to clothes coming off and sex on the couch. So any time she was able to parcel out, she used it wisely.

As Meredith poured over her textbook on advanced peripheral nerve surgery, she peeked over at Lilly, who was next her on the pull-out couch. Lilly lay napping with her hand on her chest, one ankle crossed over the other, the same way Derek slept. Meredith smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Her pager beeped from inside her pocket and she quickly pulled it out, silencing it so it wouldn't wake Lilly up. When she saw the message that the fourth year sent her, she sighed. "Possible brain bleed. Need neuro consult. Curtain three," she read.

Meredith bit her lip, mapping out her game plan. She closed her books and wedged her feet back in her shoes, then reached for the baby sling she always kept in the diaper bag. After putting her arm through it, she picked up Lilly as gently as she could and slipped her inside. Lilly's eyelids fluttered open for only a second, but instead of protesting, she just turned toward Meredith, nuzzling her nose into her mom's chest.

"That's it; go back to sleep. We're just going for a little walk," Meredith cooed softly, managing to shrug on her white coat in an effort to stay inconspicuous and shield Lilly as best she could.

Despite glances from curious onlookers, Meredith made it down to the pit a few minutes later without comment from anyone. She was heading for curtain three when she heard Bailey's voice coming from the nurses' station.

"Did you really think no one would notice the baby in the sling you've got hanging off your chest?" Bailey asked, depositing a chart in the bin.

Meredith nodded as though it were no big deal. "That was the plan, yes," she said.

"Grey."

"What? The guy in curtain three might have a brain bleed, and I'm the on-call neuro resident," Meredith explained. "She's sleeping. It's fine."

Before Bailey had the chance to spout off all the reasons it wasn't fine, Meredith disappeared behind the curtain. An older man sat on the exam table, and a younger, pregnant woman stood beside him, both of them looking over at Meredith when she entered.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Grey," she greeted, shaking each of their hands. "You must be Mr. Gillespie."

"Why are we here, Kerry?" the elderly man asked.

"You fell, Dad, remember? We're at the hospital. Dr. Grey is here to help you, so just let her check you out, okay?" said Kerry, the man's daughter. She looked at Meredith, a tired expression on her face. "Sorry, he has dementia, and he gets confused in new surroundings," she said. "I'm Kerry, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Meredith said, wheeling over the stool. "You can sit if you'd like."

Kerry smiled slightly when she saw Lilly's feet, clad in her crocheted boots from Izzie, peeking out of the sling. "Seems like we're both carrying babies, only yours is on the outside. You should sit," she offered.

"No, please, I insist," Meredith said as she walked over to the sink to wash her hands. "How far along are you?"

"Thirty-eight weeks. I'm technically supposed to be on bed rest, but when Roseridge called and told me my dad fell and hit his head, I rushed right over and followed the ambulance," Kerry said.

Meredith froze at the mention of Roseridge, not having thought of the place in years since her mother passed. She tossed her paper towel in the trashcan and turned around, smiling at the woman. The two had something in common, something no one ever wanted to face, and she couldn't help but feel empathy for her.

"Well, we'll take good care of him," Meredith said. "Mr. Gillespie, would you mind if I examined your head, then looked in your eyes with my light?"

"No, that's fine," Mr. Gillespie agreed, turning toward his daughter. "Kerry, where's Gail? Is she here?"

Kerry shook her head. "No, Mom's still at Roseridge. I'm going to call her when Dr. Grey is finished," she said.

"Does your mom... I mean, is she..." Meredith asked, trying not to pry.

"They both have dementia. Actually, the doctors just upgraded my mom's diagnosis to Alzheimer's. They both lived with my husband and me up until five years ago, but then I got pregnant with my first, and it was too much. We knew we wouldn't be able to devote our time to a baby, and take care of my parents, so we looked into Roseridge. That place is a godsend. I don't know what we'd do without them. There are days when I feel so guilty, but I'm doing the best I can," Kerry said, dropping down onto the stool, one hand draped over her belly.

Meredith swallowed thickly, willing herself not to reach out and hug the woman. Watching one parent deteriorate and being powerless to stop it was hard enough; she couldn't imagine watching it happen to both. "That's all anyone can do," she said comfortingly, palpating Mr. Gillespie's skull with her fingertips.

"That's what my husband says. It's just hard, especially since half the time, they don't even recognize each other. Having to introduce your parents to one another day in and day out... I'll never get used to that. Married forty-four years, three kids, and it's like they're complete strangers," Kerry said.

Meredith looked down at Lilly, peacefully sleeping in her sling. Before she let herself break down in the middle of a consult, she cleared her throat, regaining composure. "I can't imagine," she said.

"Today was actually a good day. They knew each other today. They ate breakfast together, and were on their way to the reading room when he fell," Kerry said.

"Well, hopefully, we can give you the all clear, so you can go spend the rest of the day with your wife, Mr. Gillespie," Meredith said, shining her penlight into his eyes to check his pupils. She noticed one was slightly larger than the other, and marked it down in his work-up chart, keeping her face calm. "I'm going to send you up for a CT scan, okay?"

"Did you see something?" Kerry asked.

"His left pupil is slightly larger than his right, which could be caused by a handful of things, but I just want to play it safe," Meredith said. "Is that okay with you, Mr. Gillespie?"

"What's going on, dear?" Mr. Gillespie asked.

Kerry smiled at him in reassurance. "They're going to take a few pictures of your brain, Dad; that's all."

"Someone tell Gail. She'll worry if I'm not here when she gets back," the older main said.

"I'll tell her," Kerry promised, appeasing him.

"Megan, one of the fourth year residents, is going to take you upstairs, and I'll meet you after. How's that sound?" Meredith asked.

Mr. Gillespie nodded, mirroring his daughter. "Okay."

"Okay," Meredith echoed.

She left the ER cubicle and walked toward the nurses' station to have Megan paged. Just as she reached for the phone, she felt a tap on her back and she turned around, Kerry standing in front of her. "Everything okay, Kerry?" she asked.

"My dad... will he need surgery?"

"We really won't know anything until we get the CT results. But if he does, then you came to the right place, because we have an excellent team of surgeons," Meredith said, running her hand over Lilly's back in an effort to keep her sleeping. The ER was chaotic enough, and a Lilly meltdown would likely send the whole place over the edge if she got woken up.

"Okay. Okay," Kerry exhaled.

"I don't want you to panic. It's really just a precaution," Meredith said, noticing how she rubbed a hand over her burgeoning belly. "Maybe you could call your husband? I don't want you to overexert yourself."

"He's on a field trip with Paige—she's our five year old. They went to the museum for some President's Day thing, and I don't want to scare them. They'll be home around three. I'll call them then," Kerry said.

"Okay. Well, once your dad has the CT, we'll have some answers for you. So let's not worry until we have to," Meredith said comfortingly.

"Okay. Thank you," Kerry said, turning around to join her father again.

Meredith patted Lilly's bottom as she dialed Megan's pager. "So much for lying low today, huh, peanut?"

...

Lilly smacked her hand against the keyboard, keeping herself entertained while Meredith reviewed the CT scans on the computer monitor. She'd been a ball of energy since waking up from her nap, which wasn't exactly helping her mom focus.

"Lilly, no no," Meredith said, gently taking Lilly's hand away from the tempting keys that begged to be played with. "Your Daddy better get his hiney in here soon, because I'm pretty sure this guy needs surgery."

"Hey," Derek greeted as he walked into the viewing room. He dropped down in the swivel chair next to Meredith's, scooting toward the two of them. "Hey, Dr. Lillybug. Are you helping Mommy do consults?"

Meredith laughed. "She's actually on a mission to break the keyboard with her hand, but yeah, she went with me to the ER to do a consult."

"These the scans?" Derek asked.

"Yeah. Frank Gillespie, seventy-one year old male with dementia. He and his wife are both residents at Roseridge. He fell this morning and hit his head. When I was doing his neuro check, I noticed he had unilateral pupil dilation. Looks like he's got an epidural hemorrhage in his temporal lobe," Meredith said.

"Yeah, small one," Derek said, pointing to the dark spot on the computer screen. "I want you to do it."

"Do what? Fix the bleeder?"

"Yeah. It'll be good to have it on your résumé for your boards. I'll supervise. Stand behind you and whisper instructions in your ear," Derek teased.

"That usually just makes me all hot and bothered, which isn't how you want to feel standing over an open brain," Meredith replied as she bounced Lilly on her knee. "But thanks; I appreciate the sentiment."

"Well, I can't do that with all the kids," he grinned. "Should we take Bridget up on the offer, then?"

Meredith nodded. "Yeah, I'll give her a call. We owe that girl a mountain of favors."

"Lilly will need a practice sibling to prepare for her future brother or sister. We'll babysit theirs any time they want," Derek said, taking Lilly from Meredith so she could go out into the hall to make the phone call. "How's the sound, Princess? Want to spend the day with Aunt Bridget while Mommy and Daddy save this nice man's life?"

Lilly planted a slobbery kiss on Derek's nose and smiled at him. "Dada," she cooed.

"I hope that's always your response to everything, even when you're sixteen and I tell you to clean your room," Derek said.

Lilly put her chubby hand over his mouth and scrunched her nose, as though she understood what he had said, and Derek laughed, pressing a kiss to her palm. "Yeah, that's more like it."

...

As much as Meredith loved the thrill that accompanied a craniotomy, it was hard to concentrate when she could feel Derek's body heat radiating behind her. And after the quickie this morning, coupled with the image of his naked body, fixing a brain bleed wasn't nearly as much fun as imagining all the things she felt like doing to him.

"Suction, please?" Meredith requested, taking it from Derek when he handed the instrument to her. She delicately suctioned the area of the brain bleed, making sure not to damage the areas of surrounding tissue. When she thought she spotted a clot just under the rim of the craniotomy, she leaned in closer. "I think I see a hematoma."

She stepped aside, so Derek could get a better view, and he nodded in confirmation. "Good catch, Dr. Grey. Possible causes?" he asked.

"Most likely sustained after his fall earlier today. His body's way of preventing further bleeding. I'll need more delicate suction to remove it, but it shouldn't cause any lasting effects," Meredith said.

"Excellent," Derek said, handing the suction tool to the scrub nurse, so she could change the attachment.

When she was finished, the nurse passed it over to her, and Meredith carefully suctioned out the clot, just as Derek had taught her many years ago. Confident that there was no more residual bleeding or clotting, she did a final inspection of her work like she always did, then smiled sadly under her mask. Though she was happy to have reversed Mr. Gillespie's brain bleed, it still didn't change the fact that when he woke up, he's still have dementia, still wouldn't know his own family, and that Kerry would still bear the burden of having not one sick parent, but two.

"Okay, I'm finished. Dr. Breslin, would you mind closing?" Meredith asked her fellow resident.

"Sure," Breslin said, walking toward the head of the OR table.

"Make sure to tell PACU to monitor his ICP closely, and to page me if his vitals go south," Meredith said.

"Will do," the circulating nurse promised as she marked it down in Mr. Gillespie's chart.

"Thank you."

After removing their head lights and loupes, Meredith followed Derek out of the OR, eager to scrub out, so she could tell Kerry the surgery had been a success. After the frazzling day the woman had had, she deserved a little good news.

Derek handed her a bar of soap once their gowns and gloves were pulled off, his smile fading when he noticed the less than joyful look on her face. "Hey. You okay? You seem..."

"Yeah. You know, just tired," she shrugged. "I'm okay."

Rather than push the issue, Derek just nodded in resignation. He knew she would be more receptive to talking later, when they were allotted more privacy than a scrub room could offer.

"Okay."

"Kerry is probably scared to death. Did you want to come with me to update her? The more reassurance, the better," Meredith said, grabbing a wad of paper towels and handing half to him.

"Yeah," Derek agreed. He tossed his paper towels in the trash after he finished drying off his hands, then held the door open for Meredith. "You did great work in there. You should be proud."

Meredith wove her fingers through his and squeezed. "Thank you."

They made the short walk to Mr. Gillespie's room where Kerry opted to wait, so she could relax, away from the bustle of the waiting area. Meredith knocked twice on the door before entering, frowning when she saw that it was empty.

"Kerry, are you in here?" Meredith asked.

"In here!" Kerry called out from the bathroom.

Meredith could hear the panic in her voice, and she quickly walked over to the bathroom. "Kerry? Kerry, it's Meredith. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Please, hurry!" Kerry said, her voice dissolving into a wail of pain.

Meredith turned the knob and went inside, Derek staying close behind outside the door in case they needed help. She saw the woman holding onto the edge of the sink, knuckles white from gripping so tightly. When Meredith's eyes trailed to the puddle at Kerry's feet, she put the pieces together.

"Okay, Kerry, your water broke. I'm going to help you walk over to the bed, okay?" Meredith said calmly, putting her arm around Kerry's waist.

Derek heard the exchange from the other side of the door, and was already making himself useful, grabbing a fresh gown from the closet. "Hey, Kerry. I'm Dr. Shepherd. Do you mind if I help Dr. Grey get you situated until OB comes down? I'm gonna go page them."

"No, that's fine. How's... how's my Dad? Is he okay?" Kerry asked, dropping her head onto Meredith's shoulder while she rode out her contraction.

"He's doing great. Surgery was a success. Right now, let's just focus on you," Derek said. He handed Meredith the gown, then pulled the curtain, standing on the other side to give the woman some privacy while he dialed the extension for OB.

"I feel like I need to push," Kerry said.

"Don't push, don't push. I know it's hard not to, but just try to fight it," Meredith said as she helped Kerry remove the bottom half of her clothes. When she saw the top of the baby's head, her eyes went wide, but she did her best to remain composed. "Actually, you might get to push after all. Baby's right there," she said. "Derek, she's crowning!"

Derek drew back the curtain, going into doctor mode within a split second and helping Meredith position Kerry on the bed. "Ready to have a baby, Kerry?" he asked, smiling at the woman in an attempt to ease some of the panic.

Another contraction welled up, and Kerry grabbed for Derek's hand. "I need to... can I?"

"Go for it," Meredith nodded as she put on a pair of gloves from the box on the wall. She hit the call bell on Kerry's bed rail with her elbow, hoping someone on the other end would answer.

"Hello?"

"Oh, thank God," Meredith murmured. "Yes, we need a delivery kit, warmer, and the OB that comes with it in room 4412 STAT. A patient's daughter is crowning."

"Right away," the nurse said.

Derek counted to ten softly, the same way he'd done for Meredith when she was giving birth to Lilly, and the memory made Meredith smile, even in the midst of an impromptu delivery. By the time Kerry was finished pushing for the second time, a nurse entered the room, wheeling a metal tray table in front of her, chock full of the sterile supplies Meredith needed.

"You're doing great, Kerry. Push again when you feel a contraction. Should be any second," Meredith said as the nurse tied a gown on her.

Kerry's body pushed on instinct before she had the chance to respond, and Meredith smiled when the baby's head was delivered. "Head's out. Lots of blonde hair. Once you get past the shoulders, you'll be finished, okay?"

Derek could feel the blood pulsing in his hand from Kerry's death grip, but he didn't pay any notice. His mind was elsewhere, watching as Meredith took control of the situation, completely in awe of her.

With a final push, the baby emerged, letting out a loud cry as soon as Meredith suctioned out his airway. "He's beautiful, Kerry," she said, holding him in her arm as she dried him off.

Kerry wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, an overjoyed, relieved smile on her face. "He? It's a boy?"

"Definitely a boy," Meredith said, taking the scissors from the nurse to cut the umbilical cord. After wiping him off, she put her swaddling skills to work, wrapping and tucking the same way she did for Lilly, then handed him to Kerry. "Congratulations. You did great."

"Hi, sweetheart," Kerry whispered to the baby, rubbing her finger over his soft cheek. "You look just like Paige. She's your big sister. I can't wait for you to meet her and your Daddy."

"Would you like me to call them?" Meredith offered.

"I did about an hour ago. They should be here soon," Kerry said, tearing her eyes away from her son. "Thank you. If you hadn't gotten here, I probably would have had him on the bathroom floor."

"Well, we're glad we could be here. He's a handsome, little guy," Derek complimented.

"Does he have a name?" Meredith asked.

"Francis John. My husband, Bill, and I agreed that if we had a boy, we'd name him after my Dad," Kerry said.

"Good name. I'm sure he'll wear it proud," Derek replied. "Usually the best part about waking up after surgery is the Jell-O. Now your Dad gets to meet his namesake grandson. I'd say that's a great end to an... eventful day, huh?"

"Yeah," Kerry laughed softly. "It really is."

The OB resident knocked on the door, a transporting gurney arriving moments later, and Meredith waved them into the room. "Okay, Kerry, an OB doctor is here to check you and the baby out, then they'll take you upstairs to maternity. I'll make sure the charge nurse knows what room you're in, so your husband and daughter can come see you when they get here," Meredith promised.

"Thank you both so much. Not just for what you did for my dad, but for my son, too. You two are like my guardian angels," Kerry said gratefully.

Meredith put her hand on Kerry's shoulder, smiling at the tiny baby who nuzzled his face into his mom's warmth. "You're welcome," she said. "We'll be back to check on you and your dad tomorrow."

"Congratulations, again," Derek said, stepping aside so the OB nurse could set up the infant warmer.

Kerry smiled. "Thank you."

Meredith turned around and Derek followed, closing the door to the room after they exited to give Kerry continued privacy. When they were out of view of anyone nearby, Derek pulled her against him and kissed her. The unexpected action made Meredith gasp, but it soon melted into a moan that made her even more eager to cash in on the languid sex they'd been looking forward to all day.

"Hmm, what's this for?" she asked.

"Contact high. I might not come down for hours," Derek said, getting in one last kiss before pulling away. "You were amazing today."

"All in a day's work," Meredith shrugged.

"I think you may need to ask the Chief for a pay raise," he chuckled.

Meredith cocked her head and smiled at his attempt at flattery. "Mhm, okay, lay it on thick," she said, reaching into her pocket when she felt her phone vibrate. "Oh, Bridget sent me a picture."

"Let's see what she got for her this time. My money's on a poofy tutu. Or maybe a sparkly tiara," he said.

Meredith opened the message and a photo of Lilly appeared on the screen, cheesing it up for the camera like a model, clad in crocheted, purple leg warmers and a matching headband.

"Look at her. God, we have the cutest baby on the planet," Derek said, admiring the picture with a grin that reached his eyes. "We need to get that blown up and framed."

"You say that about every picture of her," Meredith accused.

"And we usually do."

"Okay, let's finish up here, so we can go pick her up," Meredith said as she sent a text back to Bridget. "Swaddling a newborn doesn't help my baby fever, so I need to kiss those cheeks as soon as possible to get it out of my system."

"Baby fever, huh?"

Meredith pointed her finger at him playfully. "Don't tempt me, Derek."

...

Lilly splashed her hands on the surface of her bath water, sending drops flying onto the counter like rain. Since switching bath time from the tiny tub she'd outgrown to the sink, the kitchen morphed into a small-scale water park every night.

Meredith walked back to rejoin them after going upstairs to get Lilly's towel, but stood in the doorway when she heard Derek talking to their daughter, always savoring the chances to listen in on their little chats.

"I wish you could've seen Mommy today, Princess. She was incredible. Finds a hematoma, boom. Evacuates it. A baby needs to be delivered. She goes into action. She's like a superhero," Derek said as he lathered shampoo through her hair, smoothing it away from her eyes.

Lilly chewed on her rubber duck that wore a surgical mask and smiled at him, the spitting image of Meredith when smiled. Derek leaned in and kissed her wet forehead. "Yeah, Dr. Duck's got nothing on Mommy."

"I don't know. Dr. Duck has a certain charm about him. But lucky for you, I'm only hot for neurosurgeons with perfect hair," Meredith chimed in as she walked into the kitchen. She draped Lilly's towel over the back of one of the chairs before joining the two of them at the sink.

"Very lucky for me," Derek said. He nudged his hip against hers and smiled. "You okay after today?"

"Yeah. I just, you know, I think about what Kerry's life is, day in and day out, and it makes me feel kind of selfish, you know? For thinking I had it so bad, when there are people who have it much worse," Meredith confessed, running a wash cloth under the stream of warm water. She squirt a dollop of Lilly's bedtime bath soap in the center and squished the cloth in her hand, then began lathering the suds over Lilly's back.

"Selfish? Why would you feel selfish?" he asked.

"My Mom and I never had the easiest... we weren't the typical mother-daughter pairing. She was never around, and when she was, we fought, and I spent most of my life resenting everything she put me through growing up. But still, when she got sick and forgot who I was, it hurt. She could probably do a Whipple with her eyes closed right up until the day she died, but she would look at me like I was a complete stranger," Meredith said.

"Of course that would hurt you. That would hurt anyone," Derek said, tilting Lilly back, so Meredith could wash she shampoo from her hair.

Meredith rinsed her dark, soapy curls with the sprayer attachment, and the bubbles pooled around Lilly's belly, much to her delight.

"I know. And for the most part, I've made peace with it. Really, I have. Today just made me think, that's all. Both of Kerry's parents have dementia. Married for decades, and they need to be introduced every day. And Kerry, she was just so... that's the hand she got dealt, and she accepts it. She fights off the pain, because she has to be strong for them. I can't imagine ever putting that burden on you and Lilly. That scares the hell out of me," she said. She wiped her eyes on her rolled sleeve, then went back to washing off Lilly's shoulders.

Derek frowned, her admittance enough to break his heart in two. "Mer, that's not gonna happen. I don't even want you to think about it. But I promise you, no matter what crap life throws at us, Lilly and I aren't going anywhere. You're stuck with us forever. Right, Lilly? Tell Mommy," he said.

Meredith laughed softly when Lilly looked over at her, a bubble beard on her chin. "Good, because I love you guys too much," she said, gently swiping the bubbles away with her finger before they could get into Lilly's mouth.

"We love you, too," Derek said before kissing her.

Lilly's little giggle finally made them pull back, and they turned toward her to find her watching the two of them. "Oops. Caught in the act."

"Well, I'd rather she catch us kissing than doing... other things, which we're still doing tonight, by the way," Meredith said, slinging Lilly's towel over her shoulder.

Derek picked Lilly up under her arms and held her in the sink, so Meredith could give her one last rinse. "It's been a long day. If you don't want to, it's no big deal," he said.

"No, I want to. My beast has been patiently waiting all day, and I'm really craving the spoony thing," Meredith told him.

"The spoony thing it is," Derek agreed. He spun Lilly from front to back and nodded in approval. "Squeaky clean."

Meredith shook out the large bath towel and quickly switched off with him, swaddling Lilly up to keep her warm. "There we go. Lilly burrito," she said, kissing the baby's soft cheek.

"How about a Lilly sandwich, too?" Derek said as he leaned in and kissed her other cheek.

Lilly shrieked with laughter when she felt Derek's stubble tickle her skin, and the happy sound was enough to change any lingering sadness Meredith had for what life had taken from her into gratitude for how much it gave.