148. Mother's Day

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Lilly sat in her high chair, watching as Derek scooped a pile of scrambled eggs onto a dish full of Meredith's favorite breakfast foods. "A gigi?" she asked him, still clad in her dinosaur pajamas.

"Do you want some eggs? I'm sure Mommy won't mind sharing," Derek said, scooping a forkful onto the tray table of her high chair. "This is her first Mother's Day, Lilly. She missed it by three weeks last year, because you were still in her belly, so this is a year in the making."

Lilly picked up a small piece of scrambled egg and put it into her mouth. "Mmm," she said in appreciation.

"Well, I'm glad you like it," he chuckled.

"Good morning," Meredith said as she walked into the kitchen. "What's all this?"

"Mama!" Lilly said in delight.

"Hi, Lillybug. Did you and Daddy make me breakfast?" she asked, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

Derek smiled at the two of them. "We did. Happy Mother's Day," he said.

"Thank you." Meredith walked over to him, putting her hands on his cheeks and kissing him.

When it lasted longer than their normal morning kiss, Derek was caught off guard. "Wow. For a kiss like that, I'll make you pancakes every day," he murmured against her lips.

"If you did that, you'd get more than just a kiss from me," she hinted.

Derek grinned, filling up a mug of coffee for each of them. "Hmm, does that mean I'm getting lucky tonight?"

"Yes."

"Mmm, gigi?" Lilly requested.

"You can share Mommy's eggs," Meredith said as she lifted her out of the high chair.

She set Lilly on her lap, and Lilly wasted no time in helping herself. Her tiny hand grabbed a piece and she began happily munching, much to her parents' amusement.

"You're gonna be chock full of protein today. Maybe you should be in the softball game, too. You could probably run those bases faster than all of us," Derek joked.

"You can take my place, Lilly. I'm probably just going to embarrass myself," Meredith said, cutting her pancake with her free hand.

"It doesn't matter how well you play. It's for a good cause. Besides, the Seattle Grace softball team isn't exactly full of Babe Ruths," Derek pointed out.

Meredith smirked. "That's quite the pep talk coming from the team captain."

"Mark signed me up for that as a prank. How was I supposed to know Richard would take it seriously?" Derek defended, taking a sip of his coffee. "If you want, I could make you co-captain."

"I'm perfectly happy with my position as voluntary, third alternate outfielder. Which basically means Lilly and I will be cheering you on from the dugout, eating snacks," Meredith replied.

Lilly pointed to the pancake sitting on Meredith's plate, then looked up at her. "Mmm, Mama?" she asked.

"She can have a little piece, right? There's syrup on it, so it's mushy for her," Meredith said.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," Derek shrugged. He took his fork and knife, slicing her a dime-sized piece of pancake before putting it on one of her baby spoons. "Open up for the airplane, Princess."

But instead of letting Derek put the spoon in her mouth, Lilly simply picked the pancake piece up off the spoon, and put it in her mouth herself. They laughed, both of them watching her to make sure she chewed.

"I guess you're too grown up for the airplane trick, huh?"

"Well, her first birthday is in three weeks. She's practically an adult now," Derek teased.

Meredith hugged Lilly close, kissing the top of her head, covered in curls. "It's Mother's Day. Do you really want me to cry before I'm even finished eating breakfast?"

...

It was the first annual Seattle Grace softball game to raise money for continued funding of the free clinic, and the only available date to rent the field happened to fall on Mother's Day. But as one of the few doctors with actual athletic talent, Meredith talked Derek into participating, since Lilly could come along, too.

And so far, she was having more fun than anyone. The game wasn't due to start for a few more minutes, so Lilly was making the most of the empty field by running the bases with Derek, stopping along the way to pick buttercup flowers that sprouted in the grass.

"Oh my God, how cute are they?" Meredith smiled, sitting in the dugout with Cristina.

"I hate to give him credit for anything, but he picked the right shirt color. I look fantastic in teal," Mark chimed in before taking a swig of his beer.

"Lilly picked it out. Derek figured if anyone took issue with it, they wouldn't blame her," Meredith said, holding out her arms when Lilly toddled back into the dugout with a handful of flowers, Derek right behind her. "Hi, baby girl."

"Fa, Mama?" Lilly offered as Meredith scooped her up and set her on her lap.

Meredith accepted the small, yellow flower, then kissed her daughter's forehead. "Thank you, Lillybug. I love it."

"Did you really bring flash cards?" Derek asked Cristina, rolling his eyes at her in amusement. "You can take a few hours off from studying for the boards, you know. Get your face painted, eat a hot dog, let loose."

"After a few beers, she'll be more fun," Owen said.

"I was only told to show up. Actually playing softball wasn't part of the deal," Cristina pointed out, gliding her highlighter across one of her cards.

"We need all the help we can get. Have you read the pamphlet?" Callie asked. "Every hit gets us a thousand bucks. Every run gets us five thousand. And a homerun? Ten thousand dollars."

Meredith leaned forward to skim the pamphlet in Callie's hand. "Holy crap, are you serious?"

"Little Grey, you've got the best chance of striking out the Mercy West team. I want you out there pitching as much as you can," Derek said, scribbling down notes on his clipboard. "As far as hitters, it's whoever wants to. Making a batting line-up seems stupid, since half our team is afraid of the ball, and the other half will probably be tipsy within the hour."

Mark slow clapped sarcastically before patting Derek on the back. "Excellent motivational speech, Coach."

Lilly followed Mark's lead and she clapped, too, giving Derek a happy smile. "Dada!" she cheered.

"Thank you, Princess. At least one member of the team is enthused," Derek chuckled, picking her up from Meredith's lap. "How would you like to be Daddy's co-captain?"

"Cap," Lilly agreed, her tiny pigtails bobbing as she nodded her head in support.

Meredith pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the camera icon. With their matching teal shirts that made their blue eyes look even bluer, and their dark, curly hair, she was unable to resist the opportunity for a picture. "Lilly, smile for Mommy!" she said.

Lilly glanced over at Meredith, giving her a wide smile that showed off her teeth, and Derek pressed his cheek against hers, smiling too. "Cheese," he said as Meredith snapped the photo.

Meredith could hear the lighthearted snickers from their friends, but she held her hand up, quickly silencing them. "Okay, it's my first Mother's Day, and I'm here playing softball with you people, so zip it."

"Zip!" Lilly echoed.

"The co-captain has spoken," Derek grinned, bouncing her in his arm. "And she has the right to boot you off the team, so don't cross her."

Cristina looked up from her study cards, intrigued by the offer. "Lilly, if I pay to get your face painted, will you kick me off? Please?"

Derek whispered something in Lilly's ear, and the baby looked at Cristina. "No," she denied.

Meredith smiled. "That's my girl."

...

Four innings into the game, and so far, they'd managed to rack up eighteen thousand dollars, which was more than any of them had expected to make. Meredith sat in the outfield with Lilly and Cristina, far enough away and off to the side that no ball would go near them. She kept one eye on her daughter, and the other on her husband, who was currently standing on second base, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"That man is getting laid tonight," Meredith said.

"I'm surprised you haven't done it already."

"There's still time," Meredith said with confidence, covering Lilly's ears with her hands. "It's Mother's Day, and momma needs an orgasm."

The current inning ended, and Owen called an intermission, for which Cristina was grateful. "Thank God. Because I really had no reply for that statement," she said, standing up from the grass.

Meredith picked Lilly up and held her on her hip. "Come on, peanut. Let's go get Daddy, so we can change your diaper and get a snack," she said, turning to Cristina. "Are there bathrooms here?"

"Uh, I think I saw a few port-a-potties by the entrance gate," Cristina said.

Meredith cringed. "That's gross. It'd be more sanitary to change you on the lawn," she told Lilly.

"Field," Cristina corrected.

"Lawn, field, whatever," Meredith shrugged, the three of them walking into the dugout where Derek was taking a sip from his water bottle. "Hey," she greeted him. "Your co-captain needs a diaper change."

"Did she poop?" Derek asked.

"No, she just peed. We need to change her under the bleachers or something, though, because I refuse to take her into the port-a-potty."

Cristina knelt down and opened the cooler, taking a beer from inside. "The fact that poop and pee are frequently used words in your vocabulary is... I don't know what it is."

"What parents do," Derek filled in the blank. He took Lilly's diaper bag off the bench and slung it over his shoulder. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Meredith nodded, lacing her fingers through his with her free hand. "Gotta say, seeing you out there all fired up and sweaty, winning thousands for the hospital is kind of making me all hot and bothered."

"Oh, yeah? Does that mean you'll play now?" he asked.

"Nope."

"Had to try," Derek laughed as they reached the empty bleachers, located in a secluded part of the park. "Alright, Princess. We'll maintain your modesty as best we can."

Meredith took the diaper bag from his shoulder and unzipped it, taking a diaper, wipes, and blanket from inside. "How about we try it standing up?" she suggested.

Derek glanced back at her and smirked. "If I recall, you once said that to me in the third floor linen closet..."

She rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Would you just change her diaper instead of putting P-O-R-N-Y thoughts in my head? I swear, if Lilly weren't under here with us, we would be doing it standing up."

"We still have five innings to go, and a whole dugout full of aunts and uncles who would be delighted to watch her for twenty minutes," Derek pointed out, shimmying off Lilly's denim shorts while Meredith shielded her with the blanket.

"Okay, then. It's a date," Meredith said. She handed Derek the clean diaper after he took off Lilly's old one and wiped her. "I really am proud of you, by the way."

"For what?"

"This. The whole event sort of got dumped on you, because everyone knows you're the guy who can get the job done. You're out there, raising money for a good cause. And now, you're kneeling under the bleachers, changing a diaper. Like I said... hot and bothered."

"I just hope you're having fun. I want it to feel like Mother's Day for you," Derek said as he slipped Lilly's shorts back on.

Meredith rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him after he stood up with Lilly, smiling against his lips. "It does. I get to hang out with my two favorite people and eat junk food. What could be better?"

Lilly shrieked in delight when something caught her eye, and she pointed off in the distance. "What do you see over there?" Derek asked, spinning around. He smiled when he saw a squirrel skittering up a nearby tree, its bushy tail disappearing into the branches. "What is it with you and squirrels? Charlie is rubbing off on you, huh?"

"Maybe we should get you a squirrel for your birthday," Meredith joked.

Derek laughed, Lilly taking hold of his right hand, and Meredith's left. "Ooh, there's an idea."

"Hey," came Bridget's voice, she and Mark walking from the field toward the snack bar.

Instead of returning the greeting, all Meredith could do was stare at her friend, mouth agape. "Holy crap," she gasped.

"Yeah. Seven and a half months now," Bridget said, patting her burgeoning belly with her hand. "I just drove over here after having brunch with my mom and sisters, and I think the baby's on a syrup high, because there's a lot of kicking going on right now."

"You hear that, Lilly? Your little cousin is kicking in Aunt Bridget's belly," Derek said.

Lilly cocked her head as she tried to make sense of that information. "Baybay?"

"Yeah, there's a baby in there," Meredith said as she picked her up. "Any verdict on the gender yet?"

Mark shook his head. "We've gone to three appointments, and the baby refuses to show the goods. We figure he or she wants us to be surprised, so we're just waiting it out."

"I can't believe how big Lilly got. It's only been a few weeks, and I swear, she sprouted, like, two inches," Bridget said as they all moved up in line. "How much longer until there's another baby in your belly?"

Meredith sighed playfully, running a hand through her hair. "Well, the plan was to pull the goalie in August, but the longer I stand here and watch you being all cute and pregnant, I'm tempted to let Derek knock me up behind the bleachers next chance we get," she teased.

Mark patted her shoulder in support. "That was beautiful, Grey. Right out of a Mother's Day Hallmark card."

...

Lilly sat sandwiched between her parents in the dugout, her tiny yawn of boredom expressing what they were all thinking. Even though Team SGH was still winning, the game started to lose momentum after three hours.

"I know, peanut. This is the last inning, so just a little while longer, then we can go," Meredith said, handing her a Cheerio.

Lilly accepted it and put it in her mouth. "Mmm," she hummed happily.

"Wouldn't it be great if all life's problems could be solved with a Cheerio?" Arizona said as she passed by. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom."

"Hurry back; you're up to bat next," Derek said.

Callie laughed, leaning against the gate with a beer in her hand. "Why do you think she's going to the bathroom in the first place?"

"Is she bailing on her turn?" Owen asked.

"Mer's at the end of the bench. I vote she goes out there," Alex said.

Meredith tossed a piece of popcorn at him. "No freaking way. Everyone knows my athleticism is limited to the bedroom," she said. "Sorry, Lillybug. Pretend you didn't hear that."

"Oh, come on. It's for charity. Bailey's out there right now, striking out, with a smile on her face," Lexie tried to encourage her.

"Want me to throw popcorn at you, too?" Meredith threatened playfully.

Bailey walked back into the dugout, bat in hand. "Who's up?"

"Grey," Mark answered, taking the bat and giving it to Meredith. "Lilly, tell your Mommy to go play."

Lilly looked at Meredith and smiled. "Pay," she echoed.

As much as she wanted to stand her ground, she couldn't say no to her daughter's smile that dimpled her cheeks. She leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Fine. But only for you, Lilly. When I get done embarrassing myself out there, you and I are throwing popcorn at everyone."

Derek picked Lilly up from the bench and walked her to the fence so they could get a better view, Lilly sitting in his arm. "I've never seen Mommy swing a bat before, much less hit a ball with one, so this should be interesting."

After putting the batting helmet on, Meredith stepped onto the plate. Once she figured out how to position the bat in her hands, she got in a few practice swings, however futile.

"If it helps, picture my face on the ball, Grey!" Mark shouted to her from behind the fence.

Meredith glanced back at him with a smirk. "Trust me, I am," she assured him.

The Mercy Wester threw out the first pitch, and Meredith jumped back when the ball came soaring at her. Alex dropped his head onto the fence and laughed. "Damn, she's worse than Robbins."

"I can hear you!" Meredith shot back. She shook off the nerves that the last pitch had rattled up, and brought her concentration back to the pitcher. Even more than the money, she wanted to silence the peanut gallery behind her, so even managing hitting the ball a few inches would be deemed a success.

The next pitch was thrown, and Meredith dug her heels into the ground, willing herself not to move. When she was sure that the ball would make contact with the bat, she closed her eyes and swung as hard as she could. She didn't open her eyes until she heard the screams of disbelief.

"Run! Meredith, run!" Derek cheered at her.

Her brain finally caught up with her feet, and she remembered to drop the bat before taking off for first base. She could see the yellow softball still soaring through the air overhead, and the outfielders running backwards in an attempt to catch it. When she touched down on first, she could hear Derek, Mark, and everyone else yelling for her to keep going, so she made a beeline for second.

By the time she got there, the adrenaline pumping kept her running all the way to third. Out of the corner of her eye, she realized that the ball had made it over the back fence within an inch of its life, and she traveled the remaining feet from third to home in awe.

And when she got there, she barely had time to catch her breath before Derek ran out onto the field with Lilly. His free arm wrapped around her waist and he kissed her, unconcerned with their watching audience.

"You got a home run!" he said against her lips. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know. I just swung the bat," Meredith laughed.

"Damn it, Grey! You won us sixteen grand with your eyes closed!" Mark congratulated her as he walked onto the field.

Meredith's eyes went wide as she remembered that she'd gotten more than a home run. "Holy crap, I did."

"Yeah, you did. Lilly, Mommy did it!" Derek said, giving her a high five.

Lilly clapped her hands in celebration, then reached her arms out to Meredith. "Ma did!" she squealed.

"Only because you wanted me to. If anyone deserves the glory, it's you, Lillybug," Meredith said, pressing kisses to Lilly's cheek as they walked back into the dugout.

"I can't believe you just did that. I think I'm almost as proud as I was of you when you gave birth," Derek chuckled.

Sensing that they wanted some alone time to celebrate the moment, Mark stepped in, ever the good uncle. "Hey, Lilly, wanna go feed the duckies with me and Aunt Bridg?"

Lilly's eyes lit up at the opportunity. "Dududs!"

"Are you sure?" Derek asked.

"Don't say I never helped you get laid," Mark murmured, taking Lilly and sitting her on his hip. "That said, don't get caught. I'm not bailing your horny hineys out of jail for lewd behavior."

"Twenty minutes," Meredith promised as she grabbed hold of Derek's hand. "Have fun feeding the duckies, peanut. We'll be right back."

The two started to casually stroll off toward the bleachers they'd visited earlier, and Bailey narrowed her eyes in suspicion when she noticed. "What are they doing?" she asked Alex.

"Take a guess," he said.

Bailey shook her head and sighed. "Some things never change."

Meredith bit her lip nonchalantly as they walked, and Derek smiled when he noticed the spring in her step. "Best Mother's Day ever?" he asked.

"Well, it's only my first one, so I'd say so," Meredith giggled.

When they made it to the bleachers, Derek didn't waste a second, and he picked her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist, and she smoothed her fingers through his hair. "You need to play softball more often. The uniform really turns me on."

Derek kissed her neck, smiling at the slight moan she made. "It's just a t-shirt and jeans. Not much of a uniform."

"Still."

"Okay," he chuckled.

"I'm really glad I wore shorts today," Meredith said as she unbuttoned them. Derek put her down, so she could wiggle them off the rest of the way, shielding her as best he could, though there was no one around. "This reminds me of high school."

"You had sex under the bleachers in high school? I wish I knew you back then," he said.

Meredith unbuttoned and unzipped his fly for him. "Well, not sex-sex. But I did... stuff."

Derek sucked in a breath as she snaked her hand into his boxers. "Stuff, huh?"

"Mhm. But this is the first time I'm going all the way, Coach," Meredith said as she kissed him again.

Derek grinned at her word choice. "Did you just call me Coach?"

"I did. Go with it."

Unwilling and unable to wait another second, Derek picked her up again, making sure her back was supported by the beam. Meredith pushed her panties to the side, and just as Derek was about to go for it, they heard footsteps approaching, followed by Lexie's voice.

"Derek? Mer? I don't want to walk any further because I'm afraid of what I'll see, but the game is over, and the Chief wants a picture of us as a group," Lexie said, keeping her back turned.

"Seriously?" Meredith said in exasperation.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I'm just here because I lost rocks-paper-scissors to Alex, and was forced to come find you," Lexie defended.

"Okay, we'll be there in a minute. Thanks, Lex," Derek replied, regretfully setting Meredith back on her feet. "Put your pants on."

"In all the years I've known you, that's the first time you've ever said that to me. Usually it's the opposite," Meredith smiled as she shimmied back into her shorts and buttoned them.

Derek grinned, readjusting his own pants. "Trust me, I'll be taking them off of you myself tonight."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he echoed.

"Okay," Meredith said, the two walking back toward the field. "When Lilly's done feeding the ducks, I want someone to take a picture of the three of us."

"I was thinking that, too," Derek said. "Only, you know, when Lilly asks us about it when she's older, we should probably leave out the part where you and I were about to do it under some bleachers."

Meredith nodded, wrapping her arm around his back. "Agreed."

...

The softball game ended in a landslide victory for Seattle Grace, who tallied a total of forty-eight thousand dollars in funding for the clinic, a third of the money coming from Meredith's time spent at bat. Hours later, and Derek was still beaming with pride, which, for Meredith, was the best, most amusing part.

"You should've seen it, Ma. It went right over the fence. I wish I would've gotten it on tape," he said, leaning against the kitchen counter as Meredith gave Lilly a bath in the sink.

"If he's this excited over a home run, I can't imagine what he'll be like when you give your valedictorian speeches at every one of your graduations. That's something I'm definitely getting on tape," Meredith told Lilly, who splashed her hands on the water surface.

"I know. It was incredible," Derek said before his mom spoke on the other end of the line. "Yeah, ten thousand for the homerun, five thousand for the run, and a thousand for the hit. She was our MVP."

Meredith handed Lilly a clean wash cloth to chew on, trying not to laugh as he sung her praises. "Okay, now it's just overkill," she whispered in Lilly's ear.

"Yeah. We got a picture of the three of us. I'll send you a copy of it," he promised. "Okay, I will. Happy Mother's Day, Ma... I love you, too. Alright. I'll talk to you later. Bye," he said, ending the almost forty-five minute call.

"You're the biggest momma's boy on the planet," Meredith teased him playfully.

"I know," Derek acknowledged, kissing her temple, then Lilly's forehead. "That was from her. She said to tell you how much she loves you both, and Happy Mother's Day. She's so proud of you, by the way."

"For my lucky swung and accidental home run?" Meredith joked.

Derek shrugged as he rinsed the remaining shampoo from Lilly's hair. "I don't know. Seemed pretty professional to me. I was actually gonna ask you for your autograph."

"Funny," Meredith said, bumping her hip with his.

"I'm serious. I'm also nominating you for captain next year," Derek said.

"This time next year, I'm hoping to be pregnant," Meredith reminded him. "So count me out for softball."

Derek laughed, unfolding Lilly's towel. "Pregnancy is such an easy out. It's no fair."

"Hey, you milked the whole doting dad-to-be thing pretty well, too. Remember that time you told the Chief you had to stay home with me to practice Lamaze breathing, so he sent Mark to the fundraising brunch instead of you?" Meredith said.

"I do. And I fully plan on doing that again the next time I knock you up," he admitted, picking Lilly up from the sink. "Squeaky clean. After you get your jammies on, we can give Mommy her presents."

Meredith wrapped Lilly in her terrycloth towel and held her to her chest. "You got Mommy presents?" she asked as they walked into the living room.

"Mama," Lilly nodded.

"I'm gonna go get them from my office while you get her dressed. I'll be back," Derek said, handing Meredith a fresh diaper and Lilly's nightgown before walking toward his office across from the kitchen.

When he came back a few minutes later, Meredith had already finished dressing Lilly, and the two were playing with her foam blocks. Derek joined them on the floor, three gifts in his hands.

"Okay, got them," Derek said, placing each of the presents in front of her. "The one in the orange gift bag is a new addition. If I'd had more time, I would've presented it more nicely."

Meredith laughed as she picked it up. "You color coordinated the bag and tissue paper. Don't be so hard on yourself," she said, pulling the tissue paper from inside. When she saw what the gift was, she immediately pulled it out. "You got my home run softball."

"Yeah. When you and Izzie took Lilly to get the balloon animal, Mark and I hopped the fence and he helped me find it, then he snuck it out to our car, so you wouldn't see me carrying it," Derek said. "I figured we could put it in a case on the mantel."

"Yeah?"

"It's more than just a softball. Today, you were a doctor that went out there and did something great for her hospital. I don't know about you, but I think that's worth celebrating," Derek said sincerely.

Meredith put a hand on his cheek and kissed him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied. "I think you'll like the next one, too."

"Which one do I open next?"

"Purple," Derek said, pointing to the present wrapped in purple polka-dot paper, leftover from Lilly's Easter gifts. Lilly handed Derek a purple foam block from her pile, and he blinked at her in awe. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence, since she's only eleven months old, but I'm just gonna pretend she did it on purpose, because she's so smart," he said. "Very good, Princess."

Meredith looked at her daughter, who set a green block on Charlie's back, then stacked a blue one on top of it. "I don't know. Our baby is kind of a genius," she said as she peeled the paper off her gift.

It was a navy blue folder with the Seattle Grace emblem on it, stamped in gold print. "Hmm, a budget report?" she guessed.

"I think you'll find it a little more exciting than that," Derek chuckled. "Just open it."

Meredith opened the folder, and it revealed a thick bundle of white, yellow, and pink papers, stapled together. The letterhead had the same SGH seal on it, and when her eyes scanned what was written underneath, she nearly lost her breath. "Is this my neuro fellowship contract?"

"It is. As long as you pass your boards, and we both know you will, you're officially signed on as Seattle Grace's foremost neurosurgical fellow," Derek said, the tears in her eyes making the weeks spent waiting to give it to her worth every second.

"How did you... the Chief gave this to you?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah. He sighed off on it weeks ago. As the head of neuro, I would've given it to you anyway, but I couldn't wait until July. Mother's Day seemed like the perfect time to make it official," Derek explained.

"Of all the Mother's Day gifts you could've gotten me, this is one I never expected. It's... thank you, Derek," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"I've been waiting to give that to you since we scrubbed out on Katie Bryce five years ago," Derek said honestly. "Okay, I promise the last one is actually Lilly-related."

Meredith picked up the small box off the floor, grunting slightly at the unexpected weight. She tore off the pink paper, then took the lid off. She lifted the large, purple photo album from inside, and sat it on her lap.

"365 Days of Lilly," she read off the cover. Before she even opened it, she got a lump in her throat, and when she turned to the first page, the tears came again. On it was a picture of Lilly from the day she was born, a caption underneath with the words Day One, followed in succession by photos captioned Days Two, Three, Four, and so on.

"Derek, oh my God," she whispered. "Did you really take a picture of her every day of her life?"

"342 so far. On June 5th, it'll be a full 365 days. The newest picture is the one of her from today. When I was in my office a few minutes ago, I printed it and put it in," he said.

Meredith paged through the album in quiet awe. It was almost surreal to see how much Lilly grew and changed over 342 days. From a squishy newborn wearing a hospital bracelet, to her first tooth, crawling, walking, giggling, and the most recent, her standing on home plate in her softball outfit and pigtails, striking a pose for the camera.

"Okay," Meredith said softly as she wiped her eyes on her other shirt sleeve. "This is... by far... the greatest gift of all time."

"Thought you might like it."

"I love it," she said, hugging the book in one arm, scooping Lilly up, and hugging her in the other. "And I love you, Lillybug. So, so much."

Lilly rested her head on Meredith's chest. "Lub," she repeated.

"In case you weren't sure, you're the coolest boss-slash-husband-slash-baby daddy ever," Meredith told him.

Derek chuckled at the compliment. "I've always wanted that triple threat title."

"You've earned it," she said. "Just wait until Father's Day. And tonight. Especially tonight."