Can't Help Falling in Love

68

Something was poking him in the stomach.

Derek groaned as he scooted closer to his wife, or as close as he could with her ever growing belly in between the two of them. He'd just gotten off a thirty six hour shift, and he needed sleep. He didn't need something poking him in the stomach while he was trying to sleep.

Meredith sighed loudly from beside him, and a moment later her stomach left his as he felt her roll onto her back.

"Come on, girls," he heard his wife murmur. "Mommy's trying to sleep. Please stop kicking."

Kicking. In his wife's stomach. His daughters were kicking in his wife's stomach, and suddenly sleep wasn't as important to him as he opened his eyes and reached for her belly. "Mer," he breathed.

"Derek?" she frowned. "I thought you were passed out. You were exhausted when you came home."

"I was," he smiled, running his hands over her stomach. "Until our daughters woke me up."

"Our daughters?" she frowned. "How..."

"Mer," Derek laughed as a particularly strong kick was delivered to his palm as it rested on her stomach.

"You felt that?" she breathed, tears coming to her eyes. "Derek...you felt her? Can you feel both of them?"

"I felt them," Derek smiled, moving his hand to the other side. "I can feel her too. I can feel both my babies."

"Here," Meredith said, grabbing his hand and moving it around her belly where there were even stronger kicks.

"Wow," Derek breathed, tears filling his eyes. "They're...really in there. My babies are in your stomach."

"They've been in there for five months," Meredith giggled. "That's why I look like I swallowed a beach ball."

"You look beautiful," Derek replied, pressing his lips against her stomach. "Daddy's proud of his girls. You're getting so strong."

"They're getting cramped," Meredith sighed. "They don't have a lot of room. It's going to get worse."

"Hmmm," Derek nodded. "We're halfway there."

"I know," Meredith sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Which is...insane. We have so much to do."

"I have the next two days off," Derek nodded. "We'll go shopping and get everything we need."

"Good," Meredith said, settling back into the pillows. "We need lots of stuff."

"Two of everything," Derek nodded.

"Cribs and highchairs and car seats, a changing table, a dresser...Derek, the list never stops."

"I know," he sighed, resting his head against her stomach. "We'll be fine, Mer. We've still got three months."

"Not if I'm put on bed rest," she sighed. "Which I almost definitely will. So we have to do it. Now."

"Mer, it's two in the morning."

"So?"

"So...no stores are open."

"We'll go online," she said, pulling back from him and pushing him out of bed. "Go get your laptop."

"But...sleep," Derek sighed.

"Sleep?" Meredith cried. "You want to sleep when our daughters have nothing?"

"They don't actually need anything right now."

"But they will," Meredith nodded. "We can't wait until they're born to buy this stuff."