155. The Shepherd-Sloan Sequel

Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

A surprise extra week of summer vacation made this update possible, so yay! Enjoy.

Nine days had passed since their anniversary, and finding out Meredith was pregnant with their surprise warrior baby. And today, Meredith was having the repeat ultrasound to make sure he or she was still safe and sound since having her IUD removed.

She woke up before the alarm this morning, excited to both see their baby again, and get her self-inflicted work limit lifted. Derek had practically begged her to work shortened hours over the last nine days, and even though she missed out on a few surgeries, not even those were worth the health of their little Jellybean.

Meredith and Lilly were both dressed and eating breakfast when Derek entered the kitchen, and he had to laugh at her eagerness to get out the door. "Wow. Someone's ready to race out of here, huh?" he said, kissing the tops of both of their heads on his way over to the coffee pot.

"Jellybean isn't even the size of a jellybean yet, and I've already had to mommy track myself this past week. When Lilly was napping yesterday, I got sucked into a Honey Boo Boo marathon, Derek," Meredith said in a serious voice to emphasize the gravity of her situation.

"Sounds like fun," he replied.

Meredith laughed, tossing one of Lilly's Cheerios at him. "Shut up."

"Well, look on the bright side. An hour from now, you'll be back in your scrubs," Derek said.

"Yeah, for a fun day of teaching interns in skills lab," Meredith replied with a hint of sarcasm, feeding Lilly a spoonful of her applesauce.

"I figured you should ease back into a full schedule. Besides, this way Lilly can tag along. She probably knows the inner workings of a brain better than all of them. Right, Princess?" Derek asked her.

Lilly munched happily on her breakfast, quick to agree with him. "A bain," she said.

"See? Genius," Derek chuckled. His phone signaled a text and he pulled it from his pocket, his eyes widening at what he read on the screen. "Mark just texted me. Bridget's in labor. They're on their way to the hospital."

Meredith nearly choked on her bagel at the news, and reached for her orange juice. "What? No way; are you kidding me?"

"Nope. Looks like Charlotte liked July 21st. She'll be a due date baby," Derek said.

"One more thing for Mark to brag about," Meredith teased. "Guess what, peanut? It's Lolo day!"

"Lolo!" Lilly cheered in excitement, wiggling her bottom in her highchair.

"Yeah. So once we finish breakfast, how about we go up to the hospital and visit Aunt Bee before the screaming starts?" Meredith suggested.

"That'll be you in eight months," Derek said, mostly to get a reaction out of her. "Might be a good refresher."

"If I recall correctly, up until Lilly's six pound body was working its way out of my vagina, I was very kind to you. I didn't even threaten to chop off your you-know-what," Meredith reminded him, swapping out the word 'penis' for Lilly's sake.

"No, you didn't. And seeing how I recently impregnated you with it, I'm grateful for that," he admitted.

Meredith smiled in satisfaction. "Good. You should be."

...

The happiness at breakfast morphed into nervous energy once they got to the hospital, and Meredith found herself in another hospital gown, waiting for her ultrasound checkup. Since getting her IUD removed, she'd had no pain, cramping, bleeding, or any of the other warning signs of potential miscarriage. But even though the logical part of her brain knew everything was fine, the irrational mommy fears trumped whatever logic said.

"You look really cute in paper gowns," Derek said in an attempt to brighten her apprehensive mood.

Meredith laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "Very funny," she said sarcastically.

"What? You do. Right, Lilly? Tell Mommy she looks pretty," Derek said.

"Ma pitty," Lilly verified, content to sit on Meredith's lap while they waited for Dr. Halloran.

"Thank you, sweetpea. You look very pretty, too," Meredith returned, running her fingers through Lilly's curls to keep herself from fidgeting on the table. "So did you find out what room Bridget is in?" she asked.

"3606. Mark said to stop by whenever," Derek replied. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest. "Mark's becoming a dad today. Never thought I'd see the day. Gotta admit, I'm proud of him."

"Right? How crazy is that?" Meredith giggled, her brief distraction short lived when Dr. Halloran knocked twice before entering the room.

"Good morning. Glad to see you all again. I take it everything has been going well since I saw you last?" Dr. Halloran assumed.

Meredith nodded as Derek took Lilly off her lap. "Yeah. No bleeding or cramping or anything. I've just been taking it easy like you said."

"Good, good. So today, we'll check to make sure your cervix is closed, and then do a follow-up internal ultrasound. If everything looks good, I'd say you're in the clear," Dr. Halloran said, washing her hands at the sink.

"Okay." Meredith lay back on the table before the doctor had the chance to ask, then reached for Derek's hand out of habit.

Once donning her gloves, Dr. Halloran sat at the foot of the table, and helped guide Meredith's feet into the stirrups. "There you go. I guess you know the drill by now," Dr. Halloran joked.

"Yeah. Getting good at it," Meredith played along.

"I'll check your cervix first, and then we'll get to the main event. How's that sound?" Dr. Halloran asked.

"That's fine," Meredith agreed, eager to see for herself that their baby was okay.

"Okay. Relax your legs, just like that," Dr. Halloran said as she began the exam.

Meredith breathed through the minor discomfort, smiling up at Lilly, so she wouldn't get worried. Even though Lilly had no idea what was going on, having her daughter there comforted her, a visual reminder that at the end of the pregnancy road awaited the most incredible gift.

"Good news. Your cervix is closed. Baby is protected," Dr. Halloran announced.

Derek and Meredith both let out pent-up breaths of worry, and he kissed the back of her hand. "So far, so good," he said.

Meredith chewed on her lip, releasing a shaky breath. "Yeah."

"Okay, now the fun part," Dr. Halloran said. After setting up the sonogram machine, she gently inserted the transducer, and it felt like déjà vu from last week when they saw the image of Meredith's uterus flash up on the screen.

Almost immediately, all pairs of eyes were drawn to the white circle that was their baby. Meredith dropped her head back onto the table in relief. "Thank God," she whispered. "Hi, Jellybean."

"Jellybean. I like that," Dr. Halloran said, zooming in on the part of Meredith's uterus where the baby was implanted. "Looks like your little one stayed in place right here on your uterine wall."

"Jellybean looks bigger," Derek said, beaming with pride for his poppy seed-sized child.

"Bean?" Lilly asked curiously.

Rather than grappling for some sort of explanation, Meredith went with the simplest one. "Yeah. There's a little bean in Mommy's belly."

Lilly lifted up her ice cream-patterned sundress and pointed to her own stomach. "My bel?" she asked.

"If Dada has any say in the matter, there won't be a little bean in your belly until you're at least thirty," Derek chuckled.

"Based on my measurements, I'd say you're definitely close to four weeks. Even though you can't see it on here, she's got little leg and arm buds starting to grow, and a brain, heart, liver and eyes developing. Pretty impressive for being less than an inch long, huh?" Dr. Halloran said.

Meredith sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "So she's okay? Still growing and healthy?"

"Yes, she is. There's no reason to believe you'll have anything other than a normal pregnancy," Dr. Halloran assured her, removing the transducer. "How about some more pictures to add to your collection?"

"Yes, please," Meredith nodded as she sat up.

"Sure," Dr. Halloran said. "So I'll clear you for work. You can resume sexual activity; just take it easy at first, especially for the next few weeks. Obviously, if there's any pain or cramping, stop. If it lingers on, be sure to give me a call. Are you still breastfeeding, as well?"

"Breastfeeding and bottle. Usually breastfeeding in the morning and before bedtime, and bottles during the day, unless I'm home with her," Meredith said. "It's still okay for me to nurse, right?"

"Absolutely. Just make sure to keep yourself hydrated and drink water continuously throughout the day. You can always supplement with a bottle once in a while if you're feeling a little tired," the doctor said.

"Right. Okay, good," Meredith replied, smiling when Dr. Halloran handed her the small stack of sonogram photos. "Well, we don't want to keep you. We know Bridget is down the hall, and she needs you, too."

"Oh, I forgot you knew Bridget Sloan. She's such a sweetheart, isn't she?"

"Yeah. She and Mark couldn't be better with Lilly. They're gonna be great parents," Derek said.

"Charlotte is a lucky, little girl," Meredith added.

"Lolo!" Lilly exclaimed.

"Lilly's very pumped for her new cousin," Derek laughed, setting her on her feet when she started wiggling around.

Dr. Halloran smiled as Lilly walked over to her, and she placed a 'Big Sister' sticker on her dress. "There you go. She's technically a big sister anyway, but for today, you can pretend it says 'cousin' instead."

"Ooh, very pretty," Meredith gushed when Lilly showed her the sticker. "Thank you. And thank you for everything you've done. We really appreciate it."

"It's my pleasure. Lilly's one of the most beautiful babies I've ever delivered, and I'm sure this one will be, too," Dr. Halloran complimented.

Derek admired the sonogram picture Meredith held in her hand, and he nodded in concurrence. "Already looks pretty beautiful to me."

...

Just around the corner on the third floor in Room 3606, Bridget was in active labor, just breathing through the end of her contraction when Meredith, Derek, and Lilly knocked on the door.

"Come in," she called out.

Lilly ran into the room first, holding the pink bunny they'd bought in the hospital gift shop. "Bee!"

"Hey, you. I was wondering when you'd get here," Bridget said.

Mark scooped her up and put her on the bed, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Is that a bunny for Lolo?" he asked her.

"Lolo," Lilly confirmed as she handed it to Bridget.

"I'm sure she'll love it. Thank you, pretty girl," Bridget smiled. She noticed the 'Big Sister' pin on Lilly's dress, and narrowed her eyes in curiosity. "What's this about?"

"Mark didn't tell you?" Meredith asked in surprise.

"Tell me what? Are you pregnant?"

"Yeah, just about a month. We found out on our anniversary. You could've told your wife, Mark," Meredith laughed.

Mark shrugged in his own defense. "I promised not to say a word to anyone. I didn't want to tell her, and then suffer the consequences," he teased.

"Oh, my God. Congratulations!" Bridget said, reaching out her arms to hug them both. "Is everything okay? When are you due? I need the details."

"Yeah, everything's okay now," Meredith said as she hugged her friend. "The blood test I had to get done for work picked up on my hCG. I got it removed that same day, and Mark watched Lilly, which is why he knows about it. I just had the follow-up ultrasound, and the baby looks good. I'm due March 23rd, although Lilly didn't like her due date, so we're not sure this one will stick to his, either."

"Looks like Charlotte stuck to the schedule though, huh?" Derek asked.

"Yeah. We really didn't think she would. I felt fine all through the night, and this morning while I was brushing my teeth, my water breaks out of the blue. It took me a few minutes to comprehend what was going on before I finally yelled for Mark," Bridget laughed, but it quickly fizzled out when another contraction welled up inside her.

Meredith and Derek watched as Mark helped her through it, rubbing her back and letting her squeeze his hand. It didn't seem like over a year had passed since they were in Mark and Bridget's place, going through hours of labor, all of it leading up to the moment that made every second worth it when Lilly was finally born.

"Oh God, those things suck," Bridget said once it was over. She let go of her grip on Mark's hand and reached for her water on the nightstand. "I'm only three centimeters. Seven more to go."

"When I was in labor, I swore Lilly would be an only child, because I never wanted to go through the pain again. But the second she came out, I forgot about all of it. The pain just didn't matter anymore. The only thing that mattered was the perfect, little person they put on my chest," Meredith said, smiling at her daughter, who was happily flipping through the channels with the remote attached to Bridget's call bell.

"Yeah?" Bridget asked.

"Yeah. You forget about it, which sounds crazy, I know. But you do. I went through it, and here I am, pregnant again, thanks to Derek's powerful swimmers that conquered my IUD," Meredith giggled.

"A David and Goliath story if I've ever heard one," Mark chimed in with pride, patting Derek's back.

Derek chuckled, his cheeks reddening slightly at the mention of his powerful reproductive ability. "Thanks, Mark."

Meredith rolled her eyes, amused by both of them. "My point is, you get through it. And when you see Charlotte, you'll realize you'd do it all over again."

Bridget splayed her hands over her burgeoning belly and smiled. "Thank you, Meredith."

"My Lolo," Lilly cooed, kissing Bridget's belly.

"Lolo will be here in just a few hours. At least, she better be, or else I'm making your Mommy and Daddy give me a C-section," Bridget teased.

"You're off to a good start. Try walking around, too. It helps you dilate," Meredith said wisely, remembering her own labor like it was yesterday.

"Really? Looks like I'm going for a long walk around the hallway, then. What other insider tricks do you know?" Bridget asked.

"Getting on all fours helps, too. It'll take some of the pressure off your back. I'm pretty sure that's the position I was in when this little one was made, too, so it comes in handy," Meredith disclosed, tapping her fingers over her lower belly.

Derek ran a hand through his hair and turned his face away from the group. "Oh, jeez."

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

"With that gem, we'll leave you guys alone. We need to go teach an intern skills lab upstairs," Derek said, scooping Lilly off Bridget's bed.

"Oh, fun," Mark deadpanned. "Maybe Lilly can teach them a thing or two."

"She could probably teach the whole thing for us," Derek boasted.

Meredith patted Mark's arm as she and Derek walked toward the door. "And hopefully, the next time we see you, Charlotte will be on the outside."

"Lolo!" Lilly exclaimed again, so loudly that Derek winced at the name aimed at his ear.

"Wow. Yeah. Lilly's very anxious for her cousin to arrive," Derek chuckled, sitting Lilly lower in his arm in case she bellowed anything else.

Meredith gave Bridget one last smile of support before they left the room. "All fours. Walk around. Keep breathing through the contractions. Eat light snacks to keep your energy up. Oh, and the bouncy ball. Use it; it helps!"

"You should switch to the vagina squad full time, Grey. You really know your stuff," Mark said as straight-faced as he could manage.

Meredith laughed. "Keep it up. Derek and I were cleared to have sex again, so unless you want another smashed frame on the ground..." she threatened.

"Speaking of that, you two still owe me for the last one you broke."

...

Teaching skills lab was just as monotonous as scut on a regular day, but when it came to teaching fresh-out-of-med-school interns, the task was nearly unbearable. At least, it was for Meredith. Derek, on the other hand, loved getting the opportunity to teach. He stood in front of the small classroom, while Meredith sat in a swivel chair off to the side, trying to keep her face composed. She loved his corny side on occasion, but listening to him give his short introduction to the magical world of neurosurgery was even a bit much for her to handle.

"This is my wife and fellow neuro attending, Dr. Meredith Grey, and this is our daughter," Derek introduced. "Wave hi, Lilly."

Lilly gave a small, shy wave to the room of people spread out before her, keeping her hand clutched to Meredith's scrub top. Meredith bounced Lilly on her knee and smiled. "Don't worry, in a few minutes, she'll be best friends with all of you."

"So, who's excited to be here today?" Derek asked the group. When he was met with the expected silence, he chuckled to himself. "Look, I know you'd all rather be scrubbed in somewhere right now, and that mandatory skills lab feels like a waste of your time. But here is where you practice. Here is where you can make mistakes, and no one dies for it, so let's make the most of it."

"All of you will be given three hard boiled eggs. With the micro drill at each station, you'll drill three burr holes into the shell, and connect them using a scalpel to simulate a craniotomy. The task is to perform this procedure without breaking the membrane under the shell. You'll get three tries; one for each egg. But you only get to submit the one you think is best," Meredith said in her professional doctor voice.

"This exercise is designed to teach you just how fragile the brain is without the skull there to protect it. One slip with the scalpel, and a patient could die. All surgery, especially neurosurgery, is about precision and accuracy. The best surgeons take their time. They're meticulous. They don't rush through surgery just so they can say they finished first," Derek added.

"So, the goal of this isn't to see who can finish first, but who does it the best. Dr. Shepherd and I will do the judging, and whoever we think is most successful gets to scrub in on our AVM tomorrow," Meredith said, she and Derek both smiling when the interns perked up at the incentive.

"Thought that might make this more worth your while," Derek said, picking up the carton of eggs off the front desk. "My lovely assistant will now distribute your eggs."

Lilly ran over to Derek when he held out the first egg, and she held it up to the group. "A gigi!" she announced, already warming up to her audience.

"That's right, Princess. We have sixty gigis to hand out," he said. "I'll help you out, though; don't worry."

"Gigi means egg, in case any of you are confused," Meredith clarified.

"A gigi," Lilly said as she handed an egg to the first intern. She continued up and down each row until every egg was distributed, three per intern, then ran back over to Meredith in the front of the room, holding one of the empty cartons. "I do!" she said with a proud smile.

"Yes, you did! Good job, peanut," Meredith praised her, twirling Lilly's pigtail with her finger.

"Dr. Grey and I will be walking around, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. That's why we're here," Derek encouraged. "You can begin whenever you're ready."

All of the interns began working on their eggs, determined to win his or her prized spot at the head of the OR table tomorrow. Meredith knew from firsthand experience what a big deal that was to any intern, having been given the chance to scrub in on Katie Bryce's surgery five years ago. So if incentivizing was the way to go, if the thrill of surgery could motivate them to participate, she and Derek were willing to go that route.

It was just a few minutes into starting the lab when one of the interns practically sliced the egg in half, not yet having a feel for the drill. He dropped it onto the tray, sighing in defeat. "Damn it," he groaned.

"No, no. It's fine. We don't expect you to master it on the first try; that's why we give you three eggs, or this exercise would be over by now," Derek said with good-natured humor. "Granted, neurosurgical drills are designed to only cut through bone and then shut off, so the brain can't be damaged. But still, every drill is different, and has its own speed, depending on the part of the body. We want you to get a feel for handling the tools. Try again."

Meredith smiled when he joined her at the front of the room, both of them watching as Lilly toddled by, making her way under an empty desk. "What are you doing under there?" Meredith asked her.

"I poo," Lilly said, the nearby interns laughing at the announcement she made.

"Okay, have fun," Derek chuckled.

"You're very good at giving motivational pep talks, Dr. Shepherd," Meredith complimented him.

"Hmm, mocking me?" he asked.

"No, I'm serious. You always know what to say. It's a good thing. They should want to be here," Meredith said, suddenly clamping her mouth shut when the smell of a cracked hard boiled egg wafted into her nose.

Derek noticed the look on her face, one he recognized well. It was her queasy, morning sickness look. "You okay?"

"Yeah. The smell is just..." she said, swallowing thickly as she tried to stave off the nausea. But for her extra sensitive pregnant nose, the mild sulfur stench was too much.

"Pooed," Lilly said, emerging from her desk hideout when she was finished answering nature's call.

Meredith reached for Lilly's diaper bag and slung it over her shoulder, then scooped Lilly into her arm. "I'll take her."

"You sure? I can change her," Derek offered.

She shook her head. "I need to get some air anyway. And if I throw up, I don't want it to be in front of interns."

"Okay."

Meredith walked as quickly as she could to the restroom, trying to keep from running to avoid suspicious looks from those nearby. When she made it there, she sprinted to the largest stall at the end of the row and pushed the door open. She barely had time to put Lilly down before she vomited full force into the toilet.

Lilly watched in curious fascination as her mom hurled, and decided to help as best she could. She rubbed her hand over Meredith's back soothingly to see if it would help. "Kay, Ma?" she asked.

Meredith ripped off a wad of toilet paper and blotted her mouth before flushing the toilet with her heel. "Yeah, baby. Mama's okay," she promised, smiling as best she could.

"Mer?"

Cristina opened the unlocked stall when she heard her friend's voice, and took in the scene in front of her. "Wow. Lots of smells going on in here," she greeted.

"I just got sick, and once I get up off the floor, Lilly needs a diaper change," Meredith said.

"I'll do it," Cristina offered, taking a diaper and some wipes from the diaper bag.

Meredith looked up at her friend strangely. "Really?"

"Normally, I'd never change a poop one, but you look like you're about to puke again, and that's too much stink for me to handle," Cristina explained as she reached for Lilly's hand. "Come here, Lilly. Aunt Teetee will change you."

While Cristina was tending to Lilly, Meredith's stomach decided to go for round two, and she vomited again. By the time she was through, she was sure there was nothing left in her stomach. She flushed the toilet, and left the stall where she found Cristina fastening Lilly's new diaper around her waist.

Meredith turned on the faucet at the sink and splashed her face, the cool water making her feel better almost instantly. She cupped a handful to rinse her mouth with, then spit it into the sink. "Thanks for changing her," she said, patting her face dry with a paper towel.

"You're welcome," Cristina replied as she set Lilly on her feet. "Are you sick or something? What did you eat today?"

"Not sick. Derek and I are teaching a skills lab using hard boiled eggs, and..." Meredith said, fighting her gag reflex at the mention of the culprit food. "The smell bothered me, that's all."

Cristina narrowed her eyes at her friend, which was quickly swapped out for a smile. "Derek knocked you up again."

Meredith sighed, realizing it was futile to deny it. Cristina could read her like an open book, and they both knew it. "With his stupid boy penis," she said. "Well, not stupid. I actually love it. But yes, he did."

"Holy crap. I didn't know you were trying yet. Congratulations," Cristina said genuinely, giving her a rare hug reserved for occasions such as this. "How far along are you?"

"Four weeks, which is why I'm kind of pissed that morning sickness is starting already. With Lilly, I didn't get morning sickness until I was at least eight or nine weeks," Meredith said, picking Lilly up when she held out her arms.

"Four weeks? And you know already?" Cristina asked.

"Remember the blood test HR made us get that we thought was pointless? Turns out, it wasn't, because it picked up on my hCG. I had to get my IUD taken out, and I've been scared to cough over the past week and a half, because I'm so paranoid about miscarrying," Meredith spilled.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I had a follow-up ultrasound this morning, and Dr. Halloran said I should be out of the woods. The baby looks good," Meredith said, taking the sonogram picture out of her pocket. "Cute, right?"

Cristina smiled at the white blob that was her niece or nephew. "Adorable," she played along.

Lilly pointed to it in excitement. "A bean!"

"You're right. That is Jellybean," Meredith praised her. "My child is so smart."

"Jellybean, huh?" Cristina said.

"Yeah. Derek named her. Or him. Anyway, that's the story of why I'm puking in the stall," Meredith said, smiling at the photo. "Worth it, though."

"That means you're due, what? Like March?" Cristina calculated.

"March 23rd. But if this one is anything like Lilly, probably not. She was due in May, and born in June, so I'm guessing this one will hold off until April," Meredith assumed. "Oh! Did you hear Bridget's in labor?"

"Yeah, Iz mentioned. If Sloan wasn't so ooey-gooey with your kid, I'd be kinda worried," Cristina admitted.

Meredith laughed, fixing the buckle on Lilly's sandal. "He'll be a great dad. Derek taught him well."

"I still can't believe you're pregnant. Man, that McDreamy sperm is potent," Cristina said in her own form of a compliment.

"Tell me about it. It took me longer to get pregnant with Lilly and we were actually trying. At this rate, we'll probably end up with five or six," Meredith joked as they finally emerged from the restroom.

"At the rate you two go at it, I gotta say, I'm shocked you don't have five or six already."

...

Rather than going back to the eggs, and risk another bout of vomiting, Meredith and Lilly went to get a quick snack in the cafeteria while they waited for Derek to wrap up the skills lab. Once he was finished teaching the interns for the day, he met up with his wife and daughter by the elevator.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" he asked as he traded Lilly from Meredith's arms to his own. "Hi, Princess."

"I'm good. I mean, I threw up twice, but I feel better now," Meredith assured him, pressing the elevator button to take them down to the OB floor. "Oh, and Cristina knows. She found me hunched over the toilet, and kind of put the pieces together on her own. She wanted me to tell you that she finds your sperm very impressive."

"Oh, good. I was hoping that's what her reaction would be," Derek teased.

"How did the skills lab go? Who ended up winning the AVM?"

They stepped onto the elevator, and Derek hit the button for the third floor. "It was good. I think we might have some strong neuro applicants in a few years. None as strong as you were, but still good," he said. "Dr. Connelly won, the girl with the glasses and dark hair."

"Good for her. She seems like a hard worker," Meredith said. "I promise I won't bail on the next one."

"Don't worry about it. We won't use eggs next time," Derek chuckled, kissing her temple.

Meredith bumped her hip against his. "Thank you."

Once the elevator doors opened, they walked down the L&D hallway on their way to Bridget's room to see how her labor was progressing. But when they got to the door, they heard Bridget pushing on the other side, and Mark's booming voice cheering her on.

"Is she pushing already?" Meredith asked in shock.

Derek took his phone from the pocket of his white coat, and he noticed a missed text from Mark sent twenty minutes ago. "Bridg is getting ready to push. Spread the word," he read from the screen.

"Holy crap. She had the fastest labor ever," Meredith said, smiling at Lilly. "Lolo's almost here, peanut."

"Lolo!" Lilly cheered.

"Yeah. For Aunt Bee's sake, hopefully very soon," Derek added. He noticed the unoccupied room across the hall, with the 3605 placard outside the door. "Hey, guess what, Princess? You were born in that room right there."

"June 5th at 3:47 in the afternoon," Meredith said.

"And we'll be back in this hallway before you know it. We should request 3605 in advance. It brought us good luck, and then some," Derek said, kissing Lilly's cheek. "Let's go in."

"In the room?" Meredith asked.

Derek shrugged. "Why not? It's empty. Plus, Lilly should see the place where she came into the world," he pointed out.

"Okay, let's go," Meredith agreed, walking the few feet across the hall and into the room where Lilly had been delivered. Meredith smiled, overcome with a sense of nostalgia for her baby that was growing up too fast, and awe for the baby that took them by surprise. "It feels like we just left."

"Yeah, it does," Derek said.

Meredith reached for Lilly, and hugged her close. "Can you just stay Mama's baby forever?"

"Mama bay," Lilly promised, snuggling into Meredith's chest.

"Thank you, sweetpea," Meredith said softly. She spotted the rocking chair sitting in the corner of the room, and walked over to it, so she could sit down. "This is what I did with you on your first night. We sat in this rocking chair and I nursed you while the sun came up. It didn't matter that I hadn't slept in twenty-four hours, because all I could do was stare at you."

Derek leaned against the window, smiling at both of them. "Mama was incredible, Lilly. Labor, pushing, nursing, all of it. I can't wait to see her amaze me all over again with Jellybean."

Meredith felt the pending burn of tears as she thought about what life would be like eight months from now. Derek frowned when he saw the look on her face, but she quickly waved it off. "Apparently, the hormones and nausea are both coming early this time," she sighed. "This past week, I spent every second thinking I'd lose the baby. Then today, we saw Jellybean again, and he's okay. I'm just relieved."

"Me, too."

The sound of a baby crying across the hall pulled them out of their thoughts, and they turned toward the door. "Oh my God, she pushed that fast?" Meredith asked.

"You pushed that fast, too," Derek reminded her.

They left the room and went back across the hall to make sure the crying baby was actually coming from Bridget's room, and their suspicions were confirmed when they heard Mark on the other side of the door.

"She's perfect, Bridg. God, she's so beautiful," Mark said with more joy and awe in his voice than they'd ever heard before.

Meredith glanced at her watch and smiled. "2:06 PM. Mark's a daddy."

"Hear that, Lilly?" Derek grinned, tickling Lilly's belly with his finger. "Lolo is here."

...

And once the chaos of the birth dwindled a short while later, Mark waved them into the room, eager to show off his daughter, who was already the apple of his eye. He cradled Charlotte close to his chest, her tiny body swaddled in a pink blanket. "Hey. We have someone for you to meet," he said after Meredith and Derek entered the room with Lilly.

"This is Charlotte Abigail," Mark introduced, brushing his finger over her cheek. "Seven pounds, one ounce, completely healthy and perfect."

Meredith admired the newborn Mark held in his arm, who had chubby cheeks, tiny lips, and wisps of strawberry blonde hair peeking out from her pink cap. "Oh, you guys. She's gorgeous."

"Abigail after you mom?" Derek asked Mark.

"Yeah."

"She'd be really proud of you," Derek said. "She's beautiful. You did good."

"How are you feeling, Bridg?" Meredith asked.

"I feel good. Tired, and pretty sure I won't be able to walk for days, but I'm so happy. Three pushes, and she was here. I couldn't have asked for a better delivery," Bridget said.

"Lucky girl," Meredith complimented.

Bridget laughed, smoothing her gown over her post-pregnancy bump. "I know. All of my sisters and my mom had long labors, so I wasn't expecting to have her until tonight at the earliest. When Mark called them and said I was getting ready to push, they were shocked. They're all on their way over now. I'm not quite sure they believe she was born yet."

"Wanna hold her? She's pretty great," Mark beamed.

"Are you kidding? Of course," Meredith said, her arms forming a cradle hold almost immediately. Mark gently handed Charlotte over to Meredith, making sure she was securely in her arms before letting go. "Hi, Charlotte. I'm Aunt Meredith. We're all so glad you're finally here."

"Lolo?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah, there she is, Princess," Derek said as he leaned in closer, so Lilly could see her more clearly.

Lilly smiled widely when Charlotte opened her blue eyes and looked at her, and she blew a kiss to the little person Meredith was holding. "Lub, Lolo," she said softly.

Everyone watched the interaction between the girls, and Derek noticed the tears in Mark's eyes. He gave him a congratulatory hug as best he could with Lilly between them. "Looks like we've got another Shepherd-Sloan friendship for life," he said.

"Yeah," Mark nodded, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"You look like you're ready for another newborn," Bridget observed with a small smile.

Meredith laughed, her eyes flickering toward Derek's, both of them more grateful than ever that Jellybean gave them a chance to do this all over again. She cuddled Charlotte against her chest, letting the baby grip her finger. "I can't wait."