176. One Week Old

My cousin was killed in a car accident on his way home from work on Christmas Eve, 2004. He was hit by a drunk driver, went through the windshield, and landed on the pavement 20 feet away. He suffered massive, irreversible organ and brain damage. By the time my aunt and uncle arrived to the hospital, he was on a ventilator in the ICU. After agonizing for hours over what to do, they decided to withdrawal care, and he passed away just before midnight. He was their only child. He was 18. Ten years later, and I can still remember the phone call from my grandma on Christmas morning. I can still picture my aunt falling to her knees behind his casket as he was carried out of the church by my father and uncles.

My point in sharing this story is that death, even on television, is not something I take lightly, nor should it be treated as such. The fact that Shonda resorts to that option so casually, so flippantly, and so often is extremely hurtful to Patrick and the fans that have been loyal to her for a decade. Whatever her reasoning was for Derek's death—ratings, shock value, her ego, show of power, revenge, all of the above—it was wrong, cruel, and unnecessary. As a fan who loves and values these characters and all of you, I promise I will never do what she did. I'm fully committed to this fic, and giving Meredith and Derek the life they deserve. Settling down, growing old, living to be 110, and taking care of each other when old, senile, and smelly like they promised each other. I know this is the longest intro ever, but I felt like it needed to be said. Now onto the chapter. Sorry it took so long to post. Real life got in the way more times than I can count. Enjoy.

...

"Peek-boo!" Lilly exclaimed from her car seat, causing Liam's blue eyes to grow wide in surprise each time. The two had been engaged in the suspenseful game since the car pulled out of the driveway, and was still going strong even as Derek pulled into the hospital parking lot.

"Who needs a clip-on mobile when you have a big sister to keep you entertained?" Derek said, glancing back at the kids in the rear view mirror.

Meredith laughed. "I wasn't sure what to expect, since this is Liam's first car ride, but Lilly held down the fort back there. I'm impressed. Good job, Lillybug," she praised.

"I hope she's in such good spirits when we visit the Easter bunny later on. She did great last year, but she's older and wiser now. Plopping her down on a life-size rabbit's lap might not go over too well," Derek pointed out as he pulled into his assigned parking spot near the front entrance.

"Hadn't thought of that," Meredith admitted. "I think she'll be fine as long as she can see both of us. Honestly, I'm more worried about the daycare visit."

"Let's just see how it goes. We don't need to commit to anything today; we're just taking a tour. If it's not a good fit, we can scrap the whole idea. I actually think she'll like it, though," Derek predicted.

"Hope so," Meredith said. "If you carry Lilly, I'll carry Liam. I'd rather just hold him than lug the car seat in, too. It weighs way more than he does."

Derek nodded as they both opened their car doors. "Yeah, that's fine. Are you ready to go visit the hospital, Lilly?"

Lilly wiggled in excitement as Derek unbuckled her. "Hopsicle, Dada."

"Yeah, the hopsicle," Derek chuckled.

After unbuckling Liam, Meredith loosely swaddled him in his blanket, and cradled him in her arm. The baby yawned up at her, and Meredith smiled at the sleepy expression on his face. "I know, buddy. Lilly is more entertaining than Mommy. She'll finish peek-a-boo with you in a little while."

Once they walked the few yards from the parking lot and went into the double doors of the main entrance, Derek set Lilly on her feet. She ran ahead of them toward the elevator, jumping in an attempt to reach the button. "Hang on, Lillybug. I'll help," Derek said, lifting her so she could push the up button.

"How did she even know we needed to get on the elevator?" Meredith asked.

"She's half me and half you. Elevator love is in her blood," Derek teased. He held the door open while they stepped into the car, then lifted Lilly again to push the button for the OB floor. "When's the last time you and I made out in an elevator?"

"It's been a while. We need to make an elevator date. You know, when our kids aren't in it with us," Meredith said, patting his arm.

"Looking forward to it."

"Hold it, please!" came Cristina's voice from the hall.

Before the doors could close, Derek reached out his arm to keep them open, and Cristina hopped on, out of breath from running. "Oh. Hey. What're you guys going here?"

"Liam has his one week checkup. Are you going up to OB?" Meredith asked when Cristina didn't press any buttons.

"Yeah, there's a baby with HLHS in the NICU that I need to check on. I operated on him this morning, where the Frozen CD mysteriously appeared again. I know it's you two and Sloan, by the way. Keep in mind, payback is a... you know what," Cristina warned.

Meredith sighed in relief when Cristina censored herself. "Thank you for not saying that word. Lilly still won't stop saying P-E-N-I-S. We don't need her cursing, too, especially in front of the Easter bunny later on."

"The creepy one?" Cristina asked.

"No, the other one. Bailey told us about him last year when we were deciding where to take Lilly. He's a pretty good one. You're welcome to join us if you'd like," Meredith offered.

"I'll pass, but I do want a copy of the picture for my fridge, especially if one of them is freaking out. Those are the best ones," Cristina said.

Meredith pointed her finger at her. "Don't jinx us."

The elevator doors opened, and Derek picked Lilly up before she could run off down the hall. "We need to get a whole stack printed to send to my mom and sisters anyway, so we'll set one aside for you."

"I'll let you know how it goes," Meredith said.

"Okay, have fun with the not-creepy-but-probably-still-creepy bunny," Cristina waved before walking toward the NICU.

"Keepy bunny," Lilly echoed, mimicking Cristina's prediction.

Derek laughed. "For the sake of a cute picture, I hope not, Princess."

They walked the length of the hallway until they reached the waiting area of the OB wing, where the nursing aide, Julia, was pulling Liam's newborn file from the stack. "Good morning. How are you guys doing today?"

"We're good. Ready to see how much our big guy has grown since last week," Derek said as she led them back to an exam room.

"I think it's safe to say this one looks like you, Dr. Grey," Julia complimented, setting a clipboard down on the counter top. "I just need you to fill out the front and back of this form. Dr. Halloran should be with you shortly."

"Great; thank you," Meredith said. She hopped up onto the exam table and laid Liam down on the paper drape. "I'll get him undressed. Do you mind filling that stuff out?" she asked, smiling at the way he looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing, just... you on an exam table. Good memories. We need another prom," Derek decided, sitting on the swivel chair with the clipboard on his lap.

"Me pom?" Lilly asked.

"Yeah, you'll go to your prom one day. But you're not gonna do what Mommy and I did. Panties stay on at proms," Derek lectured their daughter, who was spinning in circles to entertain herself.

Meredith shook her head in amusement. "I swear you tell her that once a month."

"It bears repeating. If I can get her to hold off until she's thirty, I'll have achieved my parenting goal," Derek said as he tried to write as neatly as possible on the medical forms, forgoing his usual scribble. "Same goes for you, Liam. No panties in your tux pocket."

"We're a long way off from that," Meredith replied, folding Liam's clothes into a neat stack. She wrapped him in his fleece blanket and held him to her chest. "Mommy is the only girl in your life right now."

"That's what my mom used to say to me when I was a kid," Derek shared.

"Yes, and look how you turned out. Remind me to thank her next time I talk to her," Meredith said honestly, biting her lip when he bent over to retrieve his insurance card for Liam's paperwork. "Do you really have to do that?"

Derek knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "They need our coverage info."

"Not the insurance card. You bending over trying to seduce me," Meredith clarified.

"Oh," Derek said, holding back a laugh. "The next few weeks are gonna be tough, huh?"

"We only waited five weeks after I had Lilly. That's my plan this time around, too, which means on April 22nd, you'll be getting very, very lucky," Meredith said in determination.

Before her mind could wander into porny territory, Dr. Halloran knocked on the exam room door and entered. "Good morning. It's nice seeing you again. So, your handsome, little guy is a week old now. How are you guys settling in?"

"He's such a good baby. I mean, I'm sure every parent says that, but he really is," Meredith said, patting Liam's tiny bottom with her hand. "It took him a few days to get the hang of breastfeeding, but now, he's eating like a champ. Usually every two hours during the day and every three overnight. Peeing and pooping every day. He's perfect."

"Excellent. All things I like to hear," Dr. Halloran nodded. She placed a paper drape on the pediatric scale, then tared it to zero. "I'll weigh him first, so you can put his diaper back on, then I'll continue with his checkup."

"Okay," Meredith said. She reluctantly handed Liam to Dr. Halloran, and as she expected, the baby was less than pleased about being taken away from her warmth. "It'll be over in a second, pumpkin. Don't make me cry," Meredith told him.

Dr. Halloran placed Liam on the scale, and after a few moments, red numbers flashed on the result screen. "Six pounds, fifteen ounces. So, that's an increase of six ounces since birth. Right on track for a breastfed baby," she said, gingerly picking him up and laying him on the exam table.

"Good job, big guy," Derek praised as he put Liam's diaper back on. "Thank you for not peeing on anyone."

"Uh oh. He's discovered his special talent, huh?" Dr. Halloran teased.

"Oh, yeah. Lilly peed on us, too, but Liam is like a sprinkler system. I hope his aim is that good when we potty train him," Derek said.

Lilly smiled up at the doctor, tapping her leg. "Liam penis," she shared for the umpteenth time.

"Very good. You're such a smart girl, Lilly," Dr. Halloran replied with ease, much to her parents' relief.

"She shares her favorite word with everyone. We're keeping our fingers crossed that she'll stop saying it once the fad wears off," Meredith explained.

Dr. Halloran waved it off as she took Liam's measurements. "It was the same way with my kids, except the opposite happened. My son was two was my daughter was born, and the first time he helped me change her diaper, he asked if her penis fell off. It took him a few weeks to understand that girls don't have what boys have."

"Okay, good. That makes me feel better," Meredith said.

"Oh, yeah. The fad wears off pretty quickly," she promised. "So, he's still eighteen inches in length, with a thirty-three centimeter head circumference, same from birth. Again, completely normal," Dr. Halloran told them, writing the numbers in Liam's chart. "Now let's see how strong you are. Can you grip my fingers?" she offered.

Liam wrapped his small hands around each of the doctor's fingers, and she raised him off the padded table to measure his muscle tone. "Good job," she said when he was able to support his neck and head on his own for several seconds. "How about those legs? Are those strong, too?"

"He has Derek's legs. I know he's only a week old, and I'm probably biased, but there are some great calf muscles under that baby fat," Meredith boasted.

"I'd say so. As soon as I pedaled his legs, he pushed back. His hips are aligned, too, like they were at birth," Dr. Halloran assessed, putting her stethoscope on Liam's chest, and eventually moving to his stomach. "Heart rate is 138; no murmurs. Lungs are clear at 36 breaths a minute, and I hear active bowel sounds. All good signs. Any vomiting with his feedings?"

Meredith shook her head. "No, he's never thrown up. He's spit up once or twice after he nursed. I've been nursing nonstop since Lilly was born and never lost my supply, so he's used to getting enough for his feedings. His appetite is bigger than his stomach."

"And every few minutes, we burp him," Derek added.

"Seasoned pros this time around, huh?" Dr. Halloran guessed.

"Way easier with the second baby. With Lilly, every little noise or cry had us worried. We're a lot calmer with Liam. We'll be doing this with our eyes closed when the third one comes along," Derek joked.

"Yeah, we'll see," Meredith placated him.

"You do make beautiful babies. Look at these blue eyes," Dr. Halloran said as she checked Liam's pupils, then tracked his eye movements with her finger. "Good job," she praised, running her fingers over his scalp. "Normal skull sutures, no hematomas, fontanels right where they should be, no remaining molding from delivery. Everything looks perfect."

Meredith smiled. "Yeah, he's lucky he came out after two pushes. He didn't have the cone head like Lilly did. At least the Shepherd hair covered it."

"I have to say, I thought Liam was going to come out with that Shepherd hair, too," Dr. Halloran said.

"So did we. I don't know if I was more surprised that he was a boy, or that he looked like me," Meredith admitted as she wiggled Liam back into his clothes. "Oh, before I forget, can I schedule my checkup today while I'm here?"

"Of course."

"And if possible, can I come in at five weeks postpartum instead of six like I did last time?" Meredith asked, blushing when she realized how transparent her motives probably were.

But rather than prodding, Dr. Halloran simply nodded. "I don't see why not. You had a smooth labor and delivery and didn't require any stitches," she said, paging through her planner. "That brings us to April 22nd. I still have a few time slots available. Any preference?"

"The earlier the better," Meredith requested before her blush deepened. "I mean, not because I'll be anxious to... it's just that we're both up early with the kids, anyway. May as well get an early start."

"Sure. Is 8:30 okay? That's the first appointment of the day," Dr. Halloran offered.

"That's great; thank you," Meredith nodded. "And thank you again for everything last week with Liam's birth. We weren't sure what to expect, but we couldn't have hoped for a better day."

"Oh, you're welcome. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. You were such sweet hosts, especially you, Miss Lilly," Dr. Halloran said before giving Lilly a high five.

Lilly reciprocated the high five, smiling at the doctor. "Eater bunny."

"Are you going to see the Easter bunny today? Well I won't keep you, then. Have lots of fun," Dr. Halloran told Lilly as she flipped Liam's chart closed. "Your little guy is in excellent health. When you come back in for your postpartum visit, we can schedule his eight week appointment. Obviously, if you ever have any questions, you can always give me a call."

"Thank you," Meredith said, rewrapping Liam in his blanket.

"My pleasure," Dr. Halloran said before leaving the room.

Once they were alone, Meredith sighed, burying her face in Liam's blanket. "Next stop is daycare. I might have a panic attack," she said truthfully.

"It'll be fine. Just a tour, and to learn more about it. We're not shipping her off to college," Derek chuckled as he gathered all of their belongings.

"Shut up. My hormonal mommy brain isn't handling this well," Meredith defended. "Come on, let's go before I talk myself out of it."

"Alright, let's go. Lilly, do you want to walk, or do you want Daddy to carry you?" he asked.

"I wok," Lilly said.

"See? Miss Independent here isn't nervous at all," Derek grinned, holding the exam room door open for Lilly and Meredith, who was nervously patting Liam's bottom. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "She got that from you, you know? The fearlessness."

"What are you talking about?"

"You. You gave birth at home with no pain meds, and you were calm the entire time. Plus, there was that time you held a bomb in your hands? Do you have any idea how badass that is?" Derek asked.

Meredith laughed, leaning into him. "Well, I wouldn't recommend the bomb thing, but thank you. You're sweet."

"I'm serious. She's not even two, and I see so much of you in Lilly. She's funny, she's smart, she's kind. And every time she laughs, she reminds me of you."

While waiting for the elevator, Meredith abandoned her no PDA rule and pressed her lips to Derek's, showing him how much his words meant to her. When she eventually pulled back, he looked at her in surprise, and she smiled. "I love you. You know that?"

"I had a hunch that maybe you did. Marriage, two kids, and all that," Derek joked.

"Good, because I really do."

Derek smiled, kissing her again after the elevator doors closed and they had a few more moments of privacy. But what should've been a quick kiss turned into one that lingered a few seconds too long, and by the time they could regain composure, the doors opened again.

"Really? In front of your innocent babies?" Mark asked, Charlotte sitting in his arm.

"Kisses like that are the reason our babies exist," Meredith pointed out as she wiped her residual lip gloss off Derek's lips.

"Lolo!" Lilly cheered in delight, clapping her hands when Charlotte, Bridget and Mark joined them on the elevator.

"She's been waiting to see you all day, Lilly," Bridget said, smiling at the tiny boy sleeping against Meredith's chest. "And I've been waiting to see this sweet face. How did his checkup go?"

"It went really well. He gained six ounces already. And best of all, Dr. Halloran let me bump up my postpartum visit to five weeks instead of six," Meredith shared.

Mark grinned, never missing an opportunity to chime in with commentary. "Ah, ready to do the horizontal mambo, huh? Does this mean we can expect the third Shepherd baby in, what, January?"

"No. Until I decide if I'm getting another IUD, Derek will only be visiting my lady parts wearing a raincoat," Meredith said firmly as they exited the elevator.

"Please stop. I don't like thinking about little Derek wearing a raincoat," Mark said with a visible cringe.

Meredith smiled, quick to correct him. "Oh, not little. He needs extra large raincoats. And usually more than one raincoat per night."

"Okay, new topic. Are you as nervous as I am about this daycare thing? My stomach is turning just walking down the hall," Bridget confessed.

"Mine, too," Meredith sighed.

"Nothing to worry about. We're just looking," Derek pointed out as they reached the daycare. He hit the buzzer, and within several moments, one of the teachers opened the colorfully decorated door.

"Good morning; it's so nice to meet you all. I'm Meghan. I'll be giving you the tour today. Lilly and Charlotte, right?" she asked, waving to the girls, who looked around the room in curiosity.

"Yeah. Lilly is ours; Charlotte is theirs," Derek nodded, watching as Meredith fidgeted with the corner of Liam's blanket. "We're a little nervous about all this. Neither of them has ever been to daycare before."

Meghan nodded in understanding. "It's completely normal. It's always harder on the parents than the kids. We'll just take a look around. And please feel free to ask any questions," she said. "The first room we have is our Pumpkin Patch. That's for babies from six weeks to three months. Would you be sending this little guy, too?"

"No, not just yet. Maybe when he's a little older. We really just wanted to send Lilly, so she could be around kids her own age once in a while. It might make things easier when it's time for preschool," Derek said.

"Sure, that's a big factor for a lot of parents. We loosely structure our curriculum to that of an actual preschool. It helps give the kids a head start," Meghan explained.

"Curriculum? Jeez, this place is fancy," Mark said, side-stepping a pile of foam blocks on the floor.

"The next room is the Sunshine Room for ages three months to a year," Meghan said.

"How strict is the age thing? Because we were hoping to keep the girls in the same group. They're together so much, so we think it'd be easier on both of them to have a familiar face around," Bridget asked.

"We make exceptions for family members who are close enough in age," Meghan replied.

Meredith bit her lip, then asked the question before the others could. "What about pseudo cousins who aren't really cousins, but spend as much time together as actual siblings? Does that qualify as family?"

"It's not a problem," Meghan assured her. "What's the age difference between the girls?"

"Lilly turns two in June, and Charlotte turns one in July," Mark answered.

"Oh, that's fine. We actually have a set of siblings that are about a year apart, both in the Little Ducklings program, and the younger one is doing great. That's where your girls would be," Meghan said as she walked them the few feet to the glass window in front of the Little Ducklings Room. "This age group is from one to three years. But like I said, it's not a strict policy, so Charlotte could join, too."

Derek picked Lilly up and let her look into the window, where there were a dozen or so toddlers on the other side, sitting around a table making hand print flowers. He looked over at Meredith, and for the first time since they'd arrived, he saw a genuine, relaxed smile on her face. "Not so scary, right?" he asked her.

"No. It's kind of adorable, actually," Meredith admitted.

"Little Ducklings is where all of the preschool prep happens. We teach the kids how to socialize, cooperate, take turns, share. They learn colors, shapes, numbers, and letters. Every day, we do an art project. There's also music time, story time, nap time, games, and multicultural day twice a month. We change diapers at least once and hour and assist in potty training, and provide snacks, as well as meals for kids who stay longer hours. We post lists of acceptable foods and drinks at the beginning of each month, and the parents each provide an item, as well as a roll of paper towels. The only thing each child needs is his or her individual bottles, diapers, and wipes. And since all of the parents are hospital employees with unpredictable schedules, every age group room is open twenty-four hours," Meghan said.

"Damn. This is like the Ritz of daycares," Mark replied.

Meghan laughed. "We try our best. Some kids are here every day, so we want to make the time well spent."

"Is space ever an issue? Like having to turn kids away once you reach capacity?" Meredith asked.

"There used to be large offices on either side of us that weren't being used, so a few months ago, we knocked down the walls and expanded each age group room. Since then, we haven't had to turn any kids away," Meghan explained.

"Good to know," Derek nodded, growing more comfortable with the idea, though he was curious to find out Meredith's opinion. "Is it possible for the girls to join in with the group for a few minutes while we talked it over out here?" he asked.

"Of course. He's an info. packet for each of you, too. It goes into more detail of everything that we talked about. If you need more time, feel free to think about it for a few days. If you decide to sign the girls up, there's a registration form in the folder. Once it's filled out, just bring it back here, and we'll do the rest," Meghan said, handing one folder to Meredith and the other to Bridget.

"Great; thank you," Meredith said as she tucked the folder into her bag. "Lillybug, do you want to go make a flower with Lolo and the other kids?" she asked, hoping Lilly would be up for the offer.

"Fower Mommy," Lilly said eagerly.

Meredith smiled. "Yeah, go make a flower for Mommy. I'll be right out here, okay?"

"'Kay."

Once Meghan took Charlotte from Mark, she reached for Lilly's hand, and Lilly grabbed hold. It took all the strength Meredith had to keep her composure as her baby walked into the daycare room without her, and she bit her lip, watching as Lilly joined right in with the other kids.

"Derek, look at her. She's so big."

Derek wrapped his arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "See? Told you she'd be okay."

"Don't grow up as fast as your sister did, Liam," Meredith told her son, stroking his cheek with her finger. "What do you think, Bridg? You're the teacher."

"I'm impressed. I like that they put a lot of emphasis on education. Plus, it's so convenient. If anything were to happen, you guys could be here within minutes. I think it'd be good for them to go, even just a couple days a week," Bridget said.

"Me, too. I'll cry every day, but me, too," Meredith admitted.

Mark nodded. "Alright, I guess we're in. Derek?"

"Yeah, let's do it," Derek agreed.

His focus was pulled from the conversation when Lilly caught his eye on the other side of the window. In the midst of making her flower, she began talking to a little boy her age across the table from her, with curly brown hair and a red Spiderman shirt. Though it only lasted for a minute, the brief exchange was enough to make Derek nervous.

"Oh, God. She's talking to a boy," he sighed.

"What?" Meredith asked, peering into the window. But instead of causing a minor conniption like it did for Derek, she simply smiled. "Look how cute they are."

"Cute? It's terrifying," Derek argued.

Meredith patted his shoulder in playful support. "Lilly and I both have a thing for dark-haired guys in good looking red shirts. In case you hadn't noticed, that worked out pretty well for me. You should be happy."

...

While the anxiety of the daycare visit was now behind them, it was quickly replaced with the stress of the Easter bunny visit, though Lilly seemed less than concerned. She twirled in circles, laughing each time her yellow dress bloomed out.

"Are you having fun, Princess?" Derek chuckled.

"I think she is," Meredith said as she adjusted Liam's blue sweater sleeves. "You're being so good, too. I'm glad I nursed him before we left the hospital. Full belly, happy baby. And you look so handsome, pumpkin."

"He does. Blue is your color, Liam."

"Lilly lellow," Lilly chimed in, pointing to her dress.

Derek picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Yeah, you look beautiful in yellow. Good choice," he told her. "Let's practice your smile for the Easter bunny. Say cheese!"

"Cheeeeeese," Lilly echoed, her smile wide and paired with her signature head tilt.

"Were you like that as a baby? Always hamming it up for the camera? Because I was shy. She has to get it from you," Meredith said as they moved up in line.

"Yeah, I was. That's the perk of being the only boy. Or maybe it's a curse, I don't know. My mom took millions of pictures. Sailor outfits, little suits, you name it," Derek sighed.

"That would explain the shrine of photo albums with your name all over the covers. Remind me to get a hold of that sailor one when we visit on Thanksgiving," Meredith laughed.

Derek smirked. "You delight in my humiliation."

"A little bit."

"Next in line, please," said the college-aged girl standing at the admission booth. Once they stepped forward, she gave them a polite smile and gave Derek a complimentary magnet. "Welcome to Easter Village; I'm Sara. Are you here to visit with the Easter bunny today?"

"Yes, we are. We'd like to purchase Package C, please. The one with the 8x10s, 5x7s, and two dozen wallet-sized pictures," Derek said, handing over his credit card. "Lots of relatives to send these to. Too many, actually," he joked.

"Luckily, your kids are beautiful, so the pictures will be well-worth the money," Sara said. She tore the receipt paper from the register and gave it to him along with the card. "You can go sit them on the bunny's lap, then Jamie will start taking the pictures. Once you decide which two you like best, she'll print your package for you."

Meredith nodded. "Okay, thank you," she said, bracing herself as they walked toward the costumed bunny, who, as Bailey had advertised, was not creepy. "He's only a week old, so handle with care," she requested as she gently placed her son in the bunny's fluffy, white arm.

Instead of the crying that Meredith expected, Liam only looked around in curiosity, his eyes settling on Lilly once Derek sat her on the bunny's opposite knee. "Good job, Lillybug. Big smiles like we practiced, okay? Mommy and Daddy will be right over there," Meredith said as she and Derek slowly backed away from the set and toward the camera.

"What are their names?" asked Jamie, the photographer.

"Lilly and Liam," Derek answered.

"Lilly, can you say cheese?" Jamie prompted, quickly snapping a picture when Lilly flashed her much practiced, perfected smile. "Good girl. Do you want to give the Easter bunny a big hug?"

Meredith nudged Derek's side with her elbow. "Derek, look at them. Liam's all calm, and Lilly's all Miss Congeniality. We're actually going to get a good picture."

"Of course we are. Our kids are naturals," Derek grinned.

But just when they thought they were in the clear, Liam balled up his tiny fists and scrunched his face. Recognizing this telltale move immediately, Lilly decided sharing the information with her parents was necessary, and she alerted them from the Easter bunny's lap.

"Liam poopin!" she said loudly before posing for the camera once again, hands poised on her knee.

"Did she just?" Meredith asked, her face reddening.

"She did," Derek confirmed.

"I've never had a kid say that while sitting on the Easter bunny's lap before," Jamie laughed, taking another picture while Lilly and Liam were still posed.

Derek nodded, he and Meredith both avoiding the amused stares of the parents waiting in line. "Yeah, she's one of a kind."

...

Lilly splashed her hands on the surface of the bath water, sending droplets flying onto Derek's face. He chuckled as he wiped them away with his shirt sleeve, fairly certain that by the end of Lilly's bath, he'd need his own. "What does a cow say?" he asked her.

"Moo moo moo," Lilly replied with enthusiasm.

"Good job. What does a duck say?" he quizzed.

Lilly held up one of her dozen rubber ducks and giggled. "Kack kack!"

"You're so smart, you know that?" Derek praised. "What does a doggy say?"

"Woof woof," Lilly said without delay.

When he was about to ask her what sound a sheep made, Meredith walked into the bathroom holding Liam in one hand, and the baby tub in the other. "Hey, mind if we join you?" she asked.

"Uh oh. More poop?" Derek assumed after the incident earlier in the day.

"Pee this time. I was nursing him, and he peed on me. Seriously, we need the preemie diapers. The size ones slip right off his skinny, little hips," Meredith said as she took off said diaper and tossed it in the trash. "The last of his umbilical cord fell off this afternoon, so rather than wiping him down, I figured we could be efficient and give them a bath together."

"Sure, yeah," Derek said, putting the infant-sized tub next to Lilly in the bath.

"Liam baf?" Lilly asked excitedly, her wet curls sticking out in all directions.

Meredith nodded, gently placing Liam in the tub seat and hoping he didn't freak out. "Yeah, can you help us give him a bath?"

"I help," Lilly agreed. Without being asked, she picked up the washcloth and began cleaning Liam's arm. Liam only fussed for a few seconds, then relaxed, watching his big sister's every move.

"He likes that, Lilly. You're being such a good helper," Meredith said, scooping some water into her palm and wetting Liam's hair. A stray drop started rolling down his forehead toward his eye, but Lilly quickly wiped it away with her hand, the same way her parents did for her.

Derek watched the small gesture between the two, and felt his throat tighten with emotion. "God, they're amazing, aren't they?" he said.

"They really are."

"Remember back in the olden days when we used to sit in this tub? There used to be lots of bubbles and getting handsy under the water. We swapped that for rubber ducks and squishy frogs," Derek said.

"A month from now, we can get handsy under the water again," Meredith promised him, lathering a dollop of shampoo on top of Liam's head.

"Even with all the baby pee and squishy frogs, I wouldn't change anything. I look at them, and I just... you've given me everything, Meredith. When I told you that you saved me all those years ago, I meant it. I still feel that way. It's you," he said softly, smiling at how beautiful she looked in her Dartmouth shirt, her hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. "It's always been you."

Meredith smiled back at him. "It's always been you for me, too."

"I'm grateful for all of it every day. You, the kids, our life. Makes me want... more," Derek said.

"More what? Kids?" she asked.

"Sure."

She laughed as she played with Liam's pea-sized toes. "Liam, Daddy is crazy."

"That's not a no," Derek pointed out. "Right, Lilly? Not a no."

"Not a no," Lilly echoed, running the soapy washcloth over Liam's shoulders.

As much as Meredith wanted to call him crazy again, and remind him that her lady parts were Derek-non-grata for another month, seeing Lilly act so caring toward her little brother made it impossible for her to take the option off the table. They'd been blessed twice over, and the idea of a third one day was fun to think about, even if it happened a few years down the road.

"Okay, maybe. But not for a while," Meredith compromised. "Once I get the all clear, you and I are back to being a condom ad."

"Glow-in-the-dark-ones?" Derek grinned, his shirtsleeves now soaked through with bath water.

Meredith shrugged, patting his arm with her own wet hand. "Sure, why not? Those are fun."

...

(As far as I'm concerned, Grey's ended after that MerDer bedroom scene in 11x20, when they're safe and sound, happier than we've ever seen them, and about to conceive sweet baby Ellis. That scene is perfection, and I had to find a way to recreate it in Thinking Over Land.)