Can't Help Falling in Love

50

"Mer," Derek smiled softly. "You know I love the rambling. But my head is about to explode. So I'm going to skip the McDreamy thing and just tell you to stop worrying because if it were up to me, you would blow off work today and we'd hop the next plane to Vegas so I can marry you today."

"Oh," Meredith sighed, relief filling her body. She wasn't sure why she sometimes still got completely nervous and scared that Derek might change his mind. She knew he loved her, and she loved him as well, more than anything else in the world. But every once in awhile she felt a sudden flash of fear wash over her and she had to ask him to reassure her that they were going to be married forever, no doubts or regrets. She knew that things weren't going to be completely easy for them, and they would probably have a lot of fights, but that was okay. Because they'd be married.

"I wish I could convince you of that once and for all," Derek murmured.

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I'm trying to stop."

"It's okay," Derek nodded. "I like telling you how much I love you."

She smiled as she leaned down to kiss him. "I love you too," she said. "If you're feeling better after I get home...sex."

"I think I'll be feeling much better," Derek nodded.

"Good," Meredith smiled, kissing him one last time before she stood and grabbed her bag from the corner of the room. "I'll be back later."

"Hmm," Derek nodded, already burrowing back into her pillows.

She smiled as she looked at him for a moment before she stepped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him. Sometimes she couldn't believe how much she loved Derek Shepherd.

XXXXX

Meredith glanced at the clock later that morning, wondering why the day seemed to be going by so slowly. She loved her job, but knowing that Derek was at home waiting for her made her want to just go home and curl up in his arms.

"Okay," she said. "We're going to have to finish these math problems later, it's time for our second grade reading buddies to come in. So why don't you get your new books out so you can start reading right away."

As her students scrambled to reach into their desks for their books, she moved to open the door, smiling softly as their partner second grade class filed in. She giggled as several of her students from last year hugged her tightly around the waist before they moved to sit with their reading buddies, but when the last of the students had filed in and she noticed a certain dark haired little girl was missing, she couldn't help but worry.

She didn't think Meg Scott had missed a single day of school the year before, and she'd seen her two days before. She hadn't seemed sick then. She thought for a moment before she realized what had to have happened. Kathleen must have had her baby, meaning that Meg would have been rewarded with a day off from school in order to bond with her new baby brother. That had to be what it was.

She smiled widely as she stepped behind her desk, glancing out over the students before she reached for some spelling tests to correct. She was an aunt again, and she suddenly couldn't wait to go home.

"Hi," Miss Robinson, the teacher for the second grade class breathed as she rushed in. "Sorry I'm late, I sent them down the hall, there was a milk spill I had to clean up so my room wouldn't smell until the end of the year."

"It's okay," Meredith smiled.

"So the only student missing is Meg Scott," Miss Robinson sighed. "You just assigned her partner to another pair?"

"Yes," Meredith nodded. "Do you know why Meg's absent today?"

Miss Robinson smiled sadly. "Death in the family," she said softly. "It's so hard at this age."