Open Your Eyes

A Split Second Can Change Everything

Meredith woke that morning. They were going to Derek's mum's farm for the holidays. Derek was asleep at her side. A protective hand around her pregnant stomach. They knew that since it was the holidays that it was their chance to take a family holiday before their 5th child is born. She kissed Derek's forehead and he stirred.

"Morning. We better start getting ready if we want to leave at 11." Meredith says.

"We have plenty of time. Even plenty of time for a quickie before the kids are up." He says as he starts kissing her.

"Nope sorry." She says getting up off the bed and walking into their bathroom.

He laid there waiting for the water to start running. The water started running so he got up off the bed and ran quickly into the shower dropping his boxers as he jumped in to scare her.

Laughter filled the bathroom.

Meredith was standing in front of the mirror after their shower. She was changing when Derek walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach and kissed her neck.

"That was fun wasn't it?" He says.

"Sure was. Hopefully you enjoyed it because that will be the last time for a while before you get any more action." She says with a smile.

"Oh come on. There are some good spots out at the farm where we can sneak off to."

"Yeah maybe but having sex in your mum's house doesn't sound like the best idea."

"We've done it under her roof before."

"Yeah I know but I wasn't pregnant and we didn't have three kids sleeping there as well."

"Oh you worry too much. It will be fine and we will have fun. You even said before how much fun it is to have sex while you're pregnant."

"I know I said that."

They hear Kendall over the baby monitor.

"You're just going to have to wait until we get home and all the sex you can handle." Meredith says to him as he leaves the bathroom.

Derek walks into Kendall's room.

"Morning sweetie." He says to the 16 month old. "You excited about seeing nanny?"

She looks up him with her thumb in her mouth and nods her head. He reaches into the cot and takes her out kissing her forehead.

"How about we make some breakfast. How does pancakes sound?" He asks her.

Kendall takes her thumb out of her mouth and smiles.

"Good." She says.

"That got you awake didn't it? Come one let's go and make them so we can get going."

He carries her out of her room downstairs to the kitchen.

Meredith leaves the bathroom and goes and sits down on her bed and puts her hand under searching for the box that she keeps under there. She pulls it out and stares at the lid. The name Patrick is across it. Her finger traces ever letter.

She opens the lid up and looks through everything. Tomorrow was Patrick's birthday but today was the day that he died. She looked at the picture of him after he was born. He was blue and not moving. She looked through everything else when she hears a noise that stops her and makes her look up at the door.

Angus their 4 year old was standing there.

"Mummy."

"Hey Angus. Come here sweetie."