Never Alone//Merder

Enough Is Enough

"He is," Derek agreed. "I just didn't want the news to get back to Addison. I didn't want her to make up an excuse to come here earlier than she plans to. I know the plan was April or May, but it's going to be May. She wants to make sure she is here for her daughter's fifth birthday."

Meredith nodded understandingly. "I see. Well, I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to miss my daughter's birthday either." There was a short pause before she spoke again. "This may be a crazy suggestion, but have you ever thought of possibly convincing Addison to move here or in this area?" she asked him. That idea had been on her mind for a few weeks, but she didn't want to bring the subject up until the right time.

Derek nodded. "Actually, Katie was the one who suggested it to me. I wish that could happen, but it wouldn't be easy for Addison to drop everything and leave like I did. She loves New York." He then sighed. "I really wish we could make everyone happy, but I don't see how that is possible."

Meredith knew how he felt. She wished that she could cheer him up. She knew it was best to change the subject. "Well, this has been fun, but I think we should get going. The kids have waited to hear information about the baby long enough."

Derek stopped her before she could go any further. "What's the rush? We are here without the kids. We should enjoy the night out alone."

Meredith smiled at the thought of the idea. "What do you have in mind?" she asked him curiously.

Derek gave her a kiss. "Why don't we rent a hotel room for the night?" he suggested. "I would really love to spend some time with you without the kids tonight. It can be another date night." Meredith didn't even have to think before she agreed. They then left the bar and headed back to their vehicles. Meredith quickly called April to let them know of their plans while Derek went to get some wine and dessert. They then continued their celebration in their hotel room before cuddling up next to each other and falling asleep.

Meredith was suddenly woken up by a loud ringing sound. She groaned as she looked at the time. It was barely dawn. She then checked her pager as Derek started to stir. "What is that?" he mumbled.

"It's my pager," Meredith told him as she reached for her clothes that had fallen on the floor. "I have to get back to the hospital. There is a trauma coming in."

"Why don't you let the others handle it?" Derek suggested. "That way, you can stay here with me."

Meredith just gave him a smile as she put her clothes back on. "I wish I could, but I told you I don't trust my interns. If you want something done right, you're going to have to do it yourself." She was about to give him a kiss when she realized what she had done. She turned to Derek. "Did we do what I think we did last night?" she asked him hesitantly.

Derek nodded as he spotted his clothes on the edge of the bed. "I think we did," he replied.

Meredith groaned. "How the hell could this have happened? It was so easy to avoid it before when we had our Valentine's Day weekend."

Derek tried to calm her down. "We've probably had too much wine to drink last night, but I'm not going to blame the wine. I think we did it because we were ready to do it." He then started to get his clothes back on.

Meredith refused to believe that. "No, it was a mistake. And it shouldn't happen again. I don't want to set a bad example to our children by doing this before we get married."

Derek tried not to laugh. "I think it's a little too late for that," he replied.

Meredith gave him a look. "How can you be so calm about this?" she asked him. "We promised that we would take things slow. I'm sure making love before we're married isn't sending the right message. What would Addison think?" Derek didn't have a chance to protest as she continued. "We should just forget that it ever happened," she told him as she headed to the bathroom. "It's the best thing for everyone."

She closed the door and started to freshen up. She heard Derek's reply, but it was muffled. She didn't care what his response was. She was just going to forgot about it. They shouldn't be so intimate so early in their relationship. They've only been dating for four months. Meredith didn't even want to think about the consequences if they would have continued that part of the relationship. She wanted to just forget about it. It was the right thing to do.

A few days later, Lexie and Mark came over to visit and show the new baby to the eager cousins. Morgan and Katie immediately argued who would hold him first. "There are times like this where I wish there were two babies instead of one," Meredith whispered to Derek.

"Luckily, we can let Uncle Mark and Aunt Lexie handle this argument," Derek whispered back as they headed into the kitchen. He watched as Meredith started to make some coffee for the four adults. He couldn't help but notice that she had a thoughtful look on her face. "What is my lovely girlfriend is thinking about?"

Meredith didn't respond for a moment. She didn't know how he would react to her news. "I'm thinking about quitting my job and becoming a stay-at-home mom."

Derek was speechless. When he finally was able to get his words out, he didn't hold back. "Are you serious?" he demanded. "You love your job. You love saving lives. Why would you consider quitting?"

"Because I love my daughter and boyfriend and his children," Meredith replied. She had been thinking about the possibly of quitting her job for awhile. "I have to wake up in the middle of the night to go save a life. I'm missing precious moments of my daughter's life. And I don't want to miss anymore. And I want to have a chance to spend an evening with my boyfriend without being interrupted by the sound of my pager going off."

Derek had to admit that they were all good points. "Are you sure you want to quit the medical profession all together though? You can always find another job that will give you more flexible hours so you can spend more time with us."

Meredith didn't let him go any further. "Derek, I didn't say I was going to do it. I only said that I was thinking about it." She wanted to make it clear that she hadn't made any final decisions yet.

"Did you think about changing hospitals too?" Derek asked. Meredith was about to respond when he continued. "Because I think that would be better than just quitting your job all together. I know you would hate it if you stopped working all together. Being a doctor and saving lives is what you are born to do, just like your mother."

Meredith stopped him right there. "Don't bring my mom into this. She has nothing to do with this. Yes, I'll admit that I don't like being Ellis Grey's daughter sometimes. But I deal with it. And I love being a doctor and saving lives, but I don't think it is who I am anymore."

Derek sighed. He could tell that she wasn't backing down on this. "Whatever you choose to do, I'll support you in your decision."

Meredith smiled gratefully at him. "That's all I ask."